Jews? They relate to all men. All men equally with the Jews have inherited from the common ancestor of all the fame corrupt nature. All men, like the Jews, have incurred the wrath of God, and plunged themselves into a ftate of death and condemnation, by breaking his Law: and are equally incapable of fatisfying his justice, and delivering themfelves from punishment by any ftrength or wifdom of their own. To all men, as unto the Jews, life, an eternal life of happinefs, is offered. To all men Jefus Chrift is propofed as the Author and only Giver of Salvation. To all men. grace is extended from above, to render them capable of coming unto Chrift effectually for pardon, for bleffednefs everlasting. On all men power and affiftance fufficient progreffively to incline and enable them, if they refift not the Holy Spirit, to come unto Chrift and attain falvation, are mercifully beftowed. And every man, who perishes in confequence of not coming unto Chrift, perishes because, though in every respect enabled to come, he will not come unto the appointed Saviour that he might have life.

Perhaps, however, you may be difpofed. to conclude that you have already obeyed F 2

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the command of coming unto the Lord Jefus. May God grant that you may be warranted in that conclufion! But on what grounds have you formed it? Do you conclude that you have come unto Chrift, because you were born in a Chriftian country; were baptifed into the Chriftian Church; have been accuftomed to attend Christian worship, and to profefs yourselves Christians? All thefe fteps may have been taken, and you may ftill be in a state of death. Were not the Jews outwardly members of the true church of God in their day? Had not they been received into that Church, according to the ordinance of God, in their infancy? Had not they been trained up in attendance on the Synagogue and the Temple? Were not they zealous for the forms of their religion, and eager to profess themselves the people of God? Yet how does our Saviour addrefs them? As men under the fentence of condemnation. My brethren, to be a real Christian is not to be a Chriftian in name and profeffion; but to be in heart and conduct, as becometh the doctrine of Chrift. And no man is in heart and conduct a true difciple of our Lord, who has not come unto Him that he might have life.

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That you may be affifted in judging, every one for himself, whether you have come unto Chrift that ye might have life; or whether, like the Jews, you have hitherto refused to liften to his call; I propofe, in the first place, to set before you fome of the circumftances which hinder men from coming unto Chrift: then to explain the manner in which you are to come unto him effectually for falvation: and afterwards to make a fhort and practical application of the subject.

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I. Among the circumftances by which individuals are reftrained from having recourse to Jefus Chrift for life eternal the most obvious, is difbelief of the truth of his divine million; or fcepticism, fo great as practically to be followed by effects the fame with thofe of pofitive unbelief. "And fhall a man,' we are afked, "be "condemned, becaufe he applies not for "falvation to a perfon whom he believes

that God has not commiffioned to be a "Saviour? No. But he may be condemned for not, believing that God has commiffioned that perfon to be a Saviour. Here new outcries againft uncharitablenefs and bigotry are raised. "Shall a man be

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"condemned, because an impreffion of a " certain kind is not wrought upon his "understanding: because the evidence "adduced in fupport of an afferted fact 66 proves infufficient to convince his judge❝ment?" Yes: if it be through his own culpability that his understanding is steeled against the impreffion, his judgement biaffed against the evidence. Suppose that man ftanding to receive his final doom, and thus addreffed from the throne."Thou wert endowed, while on earth, "with faculties adequate to the examina❝tion of the evidences of Christianity. "Thou wert ftationed, not in a region. "ftill overspread with the corruptions of "darkened ages; but in a land where in "fimplicity and truth, the pure doctrines "of the Gospel were displayed: not in a "region where the oracles of God were

fealed up in an unknown tongue; where "ignorance furrounded the enquirer; "where perfecution cut off the faithful

worshipper; but in a land of light and "knowledge, a land of civil and religious "freedom. My word was unfolded before "thee, My temples were opened to thee "My Ministers warned and invited thee, “in vain. The fupreme importance of “Eternity

TS Eternity thou couldst not but perceive. "Because, puffed up with ignorance, which "thou calledft Philofophy; immerfed in "defilements, which thou wert refolute not "to abandon; or living only to cares and "trifles confeffedly pertaining but to thy "mortal existence; thou blindedft thy mind, pervertedft thy heart, refusedst to "enquire, to liften, to obey: doft thou hope to escape My promulgated fen"tence, directed to men fo endowed, fo ftationed, fo warned, fo invited, as thou 66 wert; He that believeth not, shall be "damned (a) ?" What could Presumption reply? What could Charity suggest?

The Pharifees difdained to apply to our Lord for pardon and juftification, because they were felf-righteous. They boasted that they had fcrupulously observed the commandments of God. They valued. themselves on their ideal merits. They fuppofed themselves to be whole; and consequently to have no need of a physician. They perceived not that they were fick unto death; that their heart was full of corruption; that they were proud, worldlyminded, envious, impure, in every respect unholy. Numbers who denominate them

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(a) Mark, xvi. 16.

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