mention the dealing of God with others. When they hear of the judgment of God upon the ungodly, and the enemies of the church, they would say, "Except I repent, I shall likewise perish." When they hear that "judgment must begin at the house of God," they would infer, "What shall be the end of them that obey not the Gospel of God?" And when they hear that "the righteous are scarcely saved," they would think, "Where then shall the ungodly and sinner appear?" 3. If you know not yourselves, you cannot be Christians: you cannot have a practical belief in Christ; for he is offered to you in the Gospel, as the remedy for your misery; as the ransom for your enthralled souls; as the propitiation for your sin, and your peace-maker with the Father; without whose merit, satisfaction, righteousness, and intercession, your guilty souls can have no hope. And can you savingly value him in these respects, if you know not that sin and misery, that guilt and thraldom, in which your need of Christ consisteth? Christ is esteemed by you according to the judgment you pass upon yourselves. They that say they are sinners, from a general brain-knowledge, will accordingly say, Christ is their Saviour and their hope, with a superficial belief; and will honour him with their lips, with all the titles belonging to the Redeemer of the world; but they that feel that they are deadly sick of sin at the very heart, and are lost for ever if he do not save them, will feel what the name of a Saviour signifieth; and will look to him, as the Israelites to the brazen serpent, and will yield up themselves to be saved by him, in his way. An ineffectual knowledge of yourselves, may make you believe in a Redeemer, as all the city do of a learned, able physician, that will speak well of his skill, and resolve to use him when necessity constraineth them; but at present they find no such necessity. But an effectual sight and sense of your condition, will bring you to Christ; as a man in a dropsy or consumption comes to the physician, that feels he must have help, or die. Saith Bernard, "You will not take the Son of God for a Saviour, if you be not affrighted by his threatenings." And if And if you perceive not that you are lost, you will not heartily thank him that came to seek and save you. Will you seek to him to fetch you from the gates of hell, that find not that you are there? But to the self-condemning soul, that knoweth itself, how welcome would a Saviour be! How ready is such a soul for Christ! Thou that judgest thyself, art the person that must justify thee. come to Christ to Now thou art ready to be healed by him, when thou findest that thou art sick, and dead. Hast thou received the sentence of death in thyself? Come to him now, and thou shalt have life. Art thou weary and heavy laden? Come to him for rest: come, and fear not; for he bids thee come. Dost thou know, that "thou hast sinned against heaven and before God, and art not worthy to be called a son?" Do but cast thyself, then, at his feet, and tell him so, and ask forgiveness; and try whether he will not welcome and embrace thee, pardon and entertain thee, clothe thee and feast thee, and rejoice over thee, as one that "was lost and is found; was dead and is alive." For, "he came to seek and to save that which was lost." While thou saidst, "I am rich, and increased in goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:" thou wouldst not "buy the tried gold that thou mightest be rich; nor his white raiment that thou mightest be clothed, that the shame of thy nakedness might not appear; nor Christ's eye-salve, that thou mightest see." But now thou art poor in spirit; and findest that thou art nothing, and hast nothing, and of thyself canst do nothing, that is acceptably good; and that of thyself thou art insufficient to think any thing that is good; now thou art readier for the help of Christ, and a patient fit for the tender healing hand of the physician. Whilst thou saidst," God, I thank thee that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, nor as this publican," thou wast farther from Christ and justification, than now that thou standest as afar off, and darest scarcely look up to heaven, but smitest on thy breast, and sayest, "Lord, be merciful to ine a sinner." Not that extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or any that are ungodly, are justified, or can be saved, while they are such: not that a smiting on the breast, with a "Lord be merciful to me a sinner," will serve their turn, while they continue in their wicked lives; but when thou art brought to accuse and condemn thyself, thou art prepared for his grace that must renew and justify thee. None sped better with Christ, than the woman that confessed herself a dog, and begged but for the children's crumbs; and the centurion that sent friends. to Christ, to mediate for him, as being unworthy to come himself, and unworthy that Christ should come under his roof. For, of the first, Christ said, "O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt;" and of the second, he saith, with admiration, "I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel." Though thou art ready to deny the title of a child, and to number thyself with the dogs, yet go to him, and beg his crumbs of mercy. Though thou think that Christ will not come to such a one as thou, and though thou beg prayers of others, as thinking he will not hear thy own, thou little thinkest, how this self-abasement and self-denial prepareth thee for his tenderest mercies, and his esteem. When thou art contrite (as the dust that is trodden under feet), and poor, and tremblest at the word, then will he look at thee with compassion and respect. "For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I ́dwell in the high and holy place: with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones: for I will not contend for ever, neither will I be always wroth; for the spirit should fail before me, and the souls which I have made." When thou art using the self-condemning words of Paul, "I am carnal, sold under sin: what I would, that I do not; and what I hate, that do I. For I know that in me, (that is, in my flesh) dwelleth no good thingI find a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me- A law in my members warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin," when thou criest out with him, "O wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from the body of this death;" thou art then fitter to look to thy Redeemer, and use the following words, "I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord." When thou didst exalt thyself, thou wast obnoxious to the storms of justice, which was engaged to bring thee low: but now thou humblest thyself, thou liest in the way of mercy, that is engaged to exalt thee. Mercy looketh downward, and can quickly spy a sinner in the dust; but cannot leave him there, nor deny him compassion and relief. Art thou cast out as helpless, wounded by thy sin, and neglected by all others that pass by? Thou art the fittest object for the skill and mercy of Him that washeth sinners in his blood, and tenderly bindeth up their wounds, and undertakes the perfecting of the cure, though yet thou must bear the surgeon's hand, till his time of perfect cure be come. Now thou perceivest the greatness of thy sin and misery, thou art fit to study the greatness of his mercy; and with all saints (to strive) "to comprehend what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height, and to know the love of Christ which passeth knowledge." Now thou hast "smitten upon the thigh," and said, "What have I done?" thou art fitter to look upon him that was wounded and smitten for thy transgressions, and to consider what he hath done, and suffered: how he hath borne thy grief and carried thy sorrows, and was bruised for thy iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was laid upon him, and we are healed by his stripes: all we like sheep have gone astray we have turned every one to his own. way, and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all." Art thou in doubt whether there be any forgiveness for thy sins; and whether there be any place for repentance? Remember that Christ is |