will you be, to come as a sinner to the Saviour; but you cannot attain an increase of it, before trust in Him for it, as a part of your salvation.

you

Another it may be will reason thus, I am not sufficiently troubled, for the heinous transgressions, of which I have been guilty; and therefore I dare not trust in the Holy One of God, for salvation from them.' But are you not already so troubled in mind, as to long for comfort? Are you not disquieted because you apprehend, that you are not troubled enough for your sins? Are not your transgressions a real source of trouble to you? But what think you of that trouble for sin, which keeps you from trusting in the only Saviour; which weakens your heart, and injures your health; which renders all your outward comforts unsavoury to you; and which disqualifies you, for the acceptable performance of your religious and moral duties? Is such trouble as that, desirable to you? is it not sinful? and do not you, by wishing for more of it, increase the number of your sins, and provoke the Lord to proceed in his controversy with you? Indeed, that distress of mind even for sin itself, which keeps you from coming to Christ, is more sinful, than it is possible for you to conceive; and it must be repented of, before you can experience pure consolation. That uneasiness of soul for sin, which indisposes a man to place confidence in Christ, for salvation from sin, is undoubtedly hypocritical and sinful. When a man is troubled for his other offences, but not for his greatest sin, the sin of refusing to trust in the blessed Saviour for salvation; he may assure himself, that such trouble is not of the right kind. Ge

nuine trouble of mind for sin presses a man forward to Jesus Christ; and it is accompanied with frequent attempts to trust in him, for pardon and sanctification °.

Some one will say, But I am so very unworthy of Christ, and of his great salvation, that I fear He will not receive me, nor admit me to share in that salvation.' Indeed, you are very unworthy, infinitely more unworthy, than any man or angel will ever be able to conceive. You are not only far, but infinitely far, from being able to deserve Christ and his great salvation. But it seems, you wish that you could deserve salvation, or at least, that you could merit the Saviour himself; or, if not salvation, nor the Saviour, that you could but merit the good will of the Saviour, and could so recommend yourself to his favour, as freely to claim and trust in him. But do not you hereby in effect declare, that you are under the prevalence of strong unbelief; that you do not believe, that salvation is altogether free, or, that "eternal life is the gift of God, through Jesus Christ our Lord ?” You seem at present not to believe, that salvation is an infinitely free gift; that it is so free, as not to admit of the sinner's offering the smallest price for it ; and that it is so great, as to be infinitely above the highest price, that he can ever afford to offer. And do not you likewise shew, that you are under the prevalence of a legal spirit; when you are averse from trusting in Christ, be

• Hos. vi. 1-3, and xiv. 1-3. Jer. xxxi. 18-20. Ps. lxv. 3. p Isa. lv.. 1, 2.

cause you are not worthy of him, or, because you cannot recommend yourself to his favour? Are not you thereby leaning to the covenant of works? Do you think it possible, that Christ the inestimable gift of God, can be purchased with the money of your merits; or, that you can procure a title to that salvation, which is wholly of sovereign grace? Suppose you offered, but a single good thought for it; would not even that, mar the freeness of it, and obscure the glory of immensely rich grace, in the gift of it? Ah! Why do you try to find a cause in yourself, why the Lord Jesus should save you u? Why do you seek to make merit, the object of redeeming grace and mercy? You are invited to "take the water of life freely:" why then are you discouraged, because you have nothing to pay for it? Why do you think it hard, that you are not allowed to put something of your own, into the scale, with the consummate righteousness of Jesus Christ, to make it full weight?

Another disconsolate soul is saying, I cannot trust in Jesus for my salvation: I have no ability to believe in him.' That is a common objection,but it amounts just to this;-a complaint that, however much Christ hath done for you, he hath not yet, advanced you to a state of independence on himself, nor set you free from your incapacity of doing any thing without him. But why should this be a ground of complaint? He knows that you cannot, by any power of your own, believe, or so much as think one good thought; and yet, he commands you to believe on him. But he nowhere commands you, to do it in your own strength.

He enjoins you, to “take hold of his strength "," and to "be strong in the grace that is in Him." Instead then, of excusing yourself from trusting in the great Redeemer, because you cannot do it, by any strength of your own; you ought on the contrary to say, "I can do that, and all things else, through Christ which strengtheneth me." Although you are not able to trust cordially in him, by your own power; yet it is your duty, so to trust in him, and your sin, not to do it. You should therefore attempt it frequently, looking to himself for grace to enable you. Indeed to say, 'I cannot trust in him,' is almost the same as to say, I will not: I will trust in man who can lie; but not, in God the Saviour who can not lie.' Ah! what a heinous sin is this! You thereby presume to lay the blame of your unbelief, upon the holy Lord God. But your impotence, as it is voluntary, is wholly your own sin. Your inability consists, not so much in a mere want of executive power, as in the want of a willing mind. O do not imagine, that such inability will in the least, excuse you. Inability to discharge a just debt, excuses not a debtor. Though you do not feel, that Christ strengthens you, for believing or other spiritual exercises; yet your duty is, to trust that he strengthens you for them. Your not feeling the habit of faith in you, will never excuse you from attempting the exercise of faith. Although you cannot cordially believe in Christ, until the Holy Spirit work faith in you; yet, you should try so

9 Isa. xxvii. 5.

2 Tim. ii. 1. $

s Philip. iv. 13.

to believe in him, before you feel the Spirit working

it in you.

To conclude: A Christian, under extreme dejection of spirit, will be ready even to say, 'In my present doleful condition, I find myself neither able nor willing, to trust in Jesus for salvation.' What!-Are you not willing to trust in Him?— not willing, to be saved and comforted by him?— not willing, to afford him an opportunity of shewing, in your salvation, the exceeding riches of his grace? He, with all his salvation, and with all the joy of that salvation, is freely and particularly of fered to you; and you are peremptorily commanded to accept him, and to place your trust in him ". And are you still unwilling to trust in him? The truth is, you are in some degree, either willing to trust him, and his promises of salvation; or willing to quit, henceforth, all right to him, all interest in him, and to forego all expectation from him. Are you then willing, to bid an eternal adieu to the only Saviour, and, in testimony of your doing so, to transcribe and sign this Declaration :← I, A. B. do hereby, in the presence of God the Judge of all, declare, that I henceforth renounce, and that for ever, all my part in the Saviour and in his salvation; and that for the future, I will never allow myself to hope in him, either for salvation or consolation?' Now are you indeed willing, to subscribe this Renunciation? If you are not; you bear false witness against yourself, when you say that you are not willing, to trust in Christ Jesus for salvation: for your are, either willing in U 1 John iii. 33.

* John iii. 16. and vi. 32. Rev. xxii. 17.