wilful lies: for he goes wilfully from Christ, and will not stop, though God and man entreat him to return. They are liars whose guilt is heightened by the base ingratitude, of forsaking a good God, and a gracious Saviour ; and heightened still more by the horrible choice he makes: he leaves Christ for the world that crucified his Lord; and forsakes God for sin and the devil. I have read of a backslider that said, "I will not have salvation-nothing for me but hell. Come, O devil, and take me."

Few speak thus plainly; but all that wilfully forsake Jesus, make this dreadful choice; and would they speak what in reality they do, each would say, Lord Jesus, I renounce thee, I leave thee. Satan, I choose thee as my Lord. Heaven I forsake. Come, devil, you shall be my owner, and hell shall be my home. Like Altamont every backslider may say, "I have been too strong for Omnipotence, I have plucked down ruin."

O when the Judge comes to pronounce the doom of every liar, what will be their state who have lied repeatedly to God! When he appears in awful majesty ;

"When Satan trembles at the sight,

"And devils wish to die,

"Where will the faithless hypocrite,
"And guilty liar fly!

Oh, my fellow sinner! how can you live with such a load of guilt upon you! how can you make a choice so horrible! Does not eternity haunt your guilty hours! eternal damnation gained-eternal salvation trampled under footeternal despair-eternal enmity to God-eternal likeness to the damned-eternal hellishness acquired.-Oh, dreadful choice! Perhaps you laugh; but will you laugh in misery? Perhaps you jest; but will you jest in hell? Perhaps you call that place of woe a bugbear; will you on a dying bed? did Voltaire? did Tom Paine? did the unhappy wretch, once an infidel, who cried, "O thou blasphemed, yet most indulgent Lord God! hell itself is a refuge if it hide me from thy frown ?"

Oh listen not to the delusions of unbelief, and the suggestions of an infernal foe. Rather seek mercy. Flee from the wrath to come. Is not death already clad in terrors! Then turn to him who would take the sting of death away.

Behold your once dying, but now risen Lord! shall all

his dying love be lost on you? Will you reject that gracious, heavenly friend? Behold his dying sorrows, his nameless agonies, his torturing cross, his flowing blood-and think of the immense eternal love, that prompted him to bear those sorrows for you. Can you see this, and yet forsake the Lord who bought you? Or think of his kingdom. Think of the meeting of his friends, when all his ransomed flock shall meet in heaven. O unhappy creature! shall your pious friends miss you there? Shall your minister see that you are absent? Shall those, with whom you have often sat down at the Saviour's table here, sit down without you there? When the little flock that you belonged to, are landed safely, and those who were baptized, or who otherwise professed the Gospel with you, rest above, where will you be? and millions of years beyond the day of doom, where will you be? If sorrow could be felt in heaven, your Christian friends might mourn while they exclaim, Where now is our poor companion, our brother or sister, that professed to set out in the way to heaven with us, and then, O foolish creature! turned aside? Where now the thoughtless youth, that loved a dying world, and left our Lord? and where all his vain delights? where now the unhappy girl, that once promised fair for glory? and where all for which she denied her Redeemer, and sold her soul? Ah, had she persevered how different had been her lot! That hapless soul, which is now overwhelmed with eternal night, had then been one of our happy band; had then enjoyed the crown that fadeth not away.

Ah, my friend! these things are not cunningly devised fables. The time will come, when your Christian friends, who cleave to the Saviour, will rest in heaven; and when, if you return not to him, you and they must part for ever. Oh! if you leave them now, this wilful parting is the dread forerunner of an eternal separation. Now, to be parted from the flock of God perhaps you feel but little; but what will it be to be parted from it for ever?

If you would return to the ways of peace, inquire seriously, what has been the occasion of your fall? and forsake it, though it may cause you as much pain, as to cut off a right hand. Forsake especially worldly associates; or every attempt to return to God will be in vain. Begin with religion again as you began at first. Seek salvation through the blood of Jesus. Pray much. Frequent divine ordinances.

Cherish religious conversation, and God will hear your prayers, and help your soul; and give you grace to escape from the snare of the devil. Then who will sing of Redeeming love with a heart so warm as you? All the motives that love and gratitude can furnish, urge you to return. All the motives that can spring from pity and compassion for yourself, urge your immediate return. All the blessings of eternal life invite you back to God. All the sorrows of the Saviour urge you to flee to him, and all the terrors of eternal death should frighten you from the paths of the destroyer.

§ 7. Shall I by a statement of painful facts that I have witnessed, endeavour to offer one motive more for your immediately returning to the Saviour, who is willing to have mercy upon you, or for your watching, praying, and persevering. I was once called to see a person in much distress of mind, who professed religion, but who declared that his conduct had been inconsistent with his profession. He spoke of the extreme distress that he then felt, and observing that he had been two months in that condition, said, that those two months seemed like two millions of years: at another time he said, "If I possessed it, I would give ten thousand millions of worlds to be out of my present misery." Depend upon it, if you forsake the Saviour, or if you have forsaken him, and return not to him, you are hastening to sorrows thus excruciating and severe. On another occasion I repeatedly visited a young woman, who had been a professor of religion, but who had fallen, and led a life of carelessness. She was confined to a bed of affliction, and apparently near the grave. With a countenance full of bitter distress, she often spoke of her guilt and folly in such expressions as the following: "I once knew the way, I once could look at death with comfort; but now I cannot-I fear there is no mercy for me." Unexpectedly her illness took a favourable turn; she would then say, "I have suffered much, but not half so much as I deserve for my base ingratitude to God." Speaking of her views when at the worst, she observed, she would have given the world to have had her sins forgiven; and said, that at that time she saw no. thing before her but death, and hell along with it! How dismal a prospect for the day of suffering or dissolution! Yet if you are, or ever become a backslider, what other prospect can be yours! O watch and pray. Return to the

Saviour, or cleave to him. So when your fainting head can rise from its pillow no more; when the blood grows cold at your heart, and your spirit is about to take its final flight, your prospect may be bright as eternal life, and your peace unshaken as the promises of Christ.

CHAPTER XXV.

CONSOLATIONS AND ENCOURAGEMENTS FOR THE CHRISTIAN IN HIS SPIRITUAL PILGRIMAGE.

SECT. 1.-Encouragement from the Saviour's promises. § 2.-From his compassion. § 3.—His compassion unchanging. §4.-From his intercession. § 5. From his property in his friends. § 6.-From his friendship --its excellencies. § 7.-From his owning his disciples as his brethren, &c. &c. §8.-Honour of such a union. § 9.-Blessings of it. § 10.His care for his disciples' comfort here. § 11.-Joy of being his when time shall conclude. §12.-The ministry of angels. § 13.-Comfort from the views given in the Scriptures of the love of God to the flock of Christ. § 14. From considering God as a Father, Friend, and Portion. § 15.The blessings of God's love immensely important. §16.-God kind even when afflicting. Design of afflictions. § 17.-The Christian has reason to rejoice even in afflictions. § 18.-Afflictions short and transient. § 19.-Consolation and encouragement from the prospect of heaven. § 20.-Support in death to be expected from the Saviour. Reference to various cases where such support enjoyed. § 21.-Heaven viewed as the rest prepared by God. § 22.-As the abode where the followers of Jesus shall dwell with him. § 23.-Meditations on the words Absent from the body and present with the Lord. § 24.-Heaven the world where the Christian's labours meet a rich reward. § 25.-The abode of the spirits of the just. § 26.-On the question, whether pious persons shall recognize each other again in heaven. § 27.-Happiness eternal there. § 28.--Heavenly glories not distant from the believer. § 29.-Exhortation to cherish daily the thoughts of that felicity. § 30.-Concluding address to the Chris tian. § 31.-Brief address to those who are destitute of the blessings of salvation.

§ 1. YOU have now contemplated some of the duties of the Christian life, and some of the trials of the Christian warfare. Perhaps the scene stretching before you appears a field of labour and of conflict; yet while you are passing through the shadowy scenes of this transitory world, many are the fountains of consolation to which the sacred Scriptures direct the thirsty pilgrim's view. For happiness, look to your Redeemer, to your God, and to your home. Look to your Redeemer, and listen to the gracious words that proceed from his compassionate lips. "Let not your

heart be troubled; ye believe in God, believe also in me. He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me; and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him. If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”(a) "As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love. If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love. Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.”(¿) "The Father himself loveth you, because ye have loved me, and have believed that I came out from God. These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world."(c) "I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: and I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.”(d)

Now contemplate the great object of your devout desires, and look to the glorious Friend, who utters these promises, and guides your feeble steps. Perhaps your soul may, at times, be cast down and distressed; but remember,

"The path of sorrow, and that path alone,
"Leads to the land, where sorrow is unknown;
"No traveller ever reach'd that blest abode,
"Who found not thorns and briars on the road."

When friends are absent, the Lord Jesus is present. The chief Shepherd is for ever near you; and he who laid down his life for you, will doubtless make your comfort and welfare his care. Let your faith but repose aright upon the Saviour's love, and nothing will seem dark on this side the grave, and all appear bright beyond it. If at times you sow in sorrow, you will doubtless reap in joy. Hear your Lord saying, "I will never leave thee nor forsake thee."(e) Above all hear him saying, “My grace is sufficient for thee. Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the

(a) John xiv. 1, 21, 23, 27.

(c) John xvi. 27, 33.

(b) John xv. 9, 10, 14.

(d) John x. 14, 27, 28. (e) Heb. xiii. 5.