My days and nights are exceedingly gloomy, and nothing at present affords me any relief. Is there any hope, any help for such a sinner? Faithful. Verily there is, even for the vilest and the worst, since it is affirmed that "Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners," even the chief of sinners. Fearful. I know a Saviour is provided, but I fear he will never pity and save me. I cannot think that I shall ever be welcome to him, or that he will ever pardon and cleanse a heart so polluted, and so full of evil as mine. I am wholly unworthy. Faithful. You see yourself in a true light. We are all equally unworthy, and you know, "the whole have no need of a physician, but they that are sick." You see and feel your miserable condition. I wish all our neighbours had the same view of themselves. Fearful. I fear I am not one of those for whom the Redeemer shed his blood, and then, O! how can I be saved? If I go to the Saviour he will not receive me. Faithful. Try him. He casts out none that come to him. Go to him by faith, just as you are, a poor helpless sinner, and say, "A guilty, weak, and helpless worm, On thy kind arms I fall; Be thou my strength my righteousness, Fearful. Indeed my necessities press hard upon If I venture on him, do you really think there is any hope? me. Faithful. Indeed I do, for "he never said to the seed of Jacob," or to any, "Seek ye my face in vain." Fearful. I feel encouraged by what you have said, and am resolved through strength divine, "to strive to enter in at the strait gate." Thus Fearful took courage, and Faithful was pleased. They kneeled down together, and Faithful fervently prayed on behalf of his friend, and bade him farewell. Fearful went home between hope and despair, and said to himself as he went, "I am a sinner, a dreadful sinner, but why should I despair? Let me draw near to his footstool, by earnest prayer, as I have been directed." He did this, but still there remained a dread upon his mind; and he almost sunk under his fears. Little did he think that God was now at work upon his mind, and that already he began to act faith in the Redeemer. He approached the footstool of heavenly mercy, and obtained just encouragement enough to induce him to go again and again. From this, time he valued the privilege of prayer, and watched, with a tender and scrupulous conscience, against whatever might grieve the Holy Spirit, and offend the blessed Redeemer. He sought no other refuge but Christ, and he was favoured with such views of him, gradually opening to his mind, as led him to say, " He is altogether lovely." Still, however, he was troubled with darkness and doubts, but, amidst them all, he placed his dependence upon him who died, "the just for the unjust, to bring him to God." He advanced, by progressive steps, to a settled rest and peace; and was enabled in the time of trouble, to cast all his care upon the Lord. : A large class of excellent christians are of this description. They " rejoice with trembling," they are humble and meek, they are diligent in prayer and in the use of other means; and they look to Christ for all but still they have not the faith of assurance, and all they can say is, that they have a hope they would not part with for a thousand worlds. Such persons are just as safe, though not so happy, as those who arise to much higher degrees of confidence. Our safety depends not on any particular degree of assurance, but on the gracious welcome which the blessed Jesus, who is always full of compassion, gives to the coming sinner. When our faith is weak, He is strong, and still" able to save to the uttermost." O what delightful encouragement is hereby given to the weak in faith, when their fears prevail, and their hearts are ready to despond! Still there is hope, there are gracious promises for them to plead, and "a Frend that sticketh closer than a brother," who has said, "Lo! I am with you always, even to the end of the world." Those who often come before God with trembling, are sometimes enabled to rejice, and to cherish a more fixed reliance on the infinite power, and wisdom, and grace of God, in Christ Jesus. Yet, through the prevalence of inward depravity, and from the influence of the world, and of Satan, their former fears will return again, and they will be as unhappy as before. Even those who have, at first, afterwards fled to Christ with much assurance, may have their faith greatly assaulted and staggered. In others there is a great mixture of alternate hopes and fears, joys and sorrows, though at the same time they are, on the whole, going forward, and "adding to their faith virtue, and to virtue knowledge, and to knowledge temperance, and to temperance patience, and to patience godliness, and to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness charity." "When they are weak, then are they strong." At God's command they are going forward, in the hope and expectation of a better life, "knowing that in heaven they have a better, and an enduring substance," and that "the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day." No man's soul can prosper, or indeed be in a safe state, unless there be in him a sense of " the exceeding infulness of sin," unless the gospel be precious to him, and supreme love be felt by him, to the Redeemer; unless holiness be desired and sought after; and unless it can be said, "We know that we are passed from Heath unto life, because we love the brethren." If & man be puffed up with pride, if he slight the gospel, and mock at sin; if he be unconcerned about duty, or, if he reject the Saviour, and trample on the saints, a'l his pretensions to religion are most assuredly vain. For a real sense of our condition and of our need of Christ will lead to selfabhorrence, and to views of Imanuel similar to those expressed by the church above, when they bow before him, and cry, "Now unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sin, in his own blood, and made us kings and priests to God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.” Finally. Let the trembling christian take encouragement from what has been already suggested. Happy, thrice happy is he who is in possession of that precious faith, which " worketh by love, purifieth the heart, and overcometh the world." He is happy because the word of God declares that believers are justified, and that they shall be sanctified and saved. He has an interest in all the blessings of "the new and everlasting covenant which is ordered in all things and sure." He that has this divine principle of saving faith in him, is safe, notwithstanding all his occasional doubts and fears; for the least degree of faith is saving, though the evidences of that faith may not be clear and bright. Therefore, doubting soul, "Wait on the Lord, and be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart, wait, I say, on the Lord." Fears shall be subdued, enemies shall be vanquished, and hope shall triumph. Banish thy fears, and indulge in the following short MEDITATION. Why should my unbelief rob me of all my joy? Satan has murdered many souls, and he would ruin mine also. He would persuade me that though there were an ocean of redeeming blood, yet is there none for me. Cursed reasoning! Let me |