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pointed for your recovery? Has it not virtue to heal your wounded consciences? You know what the remedy is it is the balm of Gilead, the most precious, blood of the Lamb of God, applied by the eternal Spirit; and it heals, not by any natural or physical qualities, but by a divine and spiritual efficacy. The power of God is always present with it to heal.— You cannot therefore object against the medicine; because God has provided it, and he with his own arm renders it effectual for the cure of wounded consciences.

True, say you, I believe the remedy is infallible, but how do I know that God will apply it to my soul? You are wounded, and it is balm for wounded consciences, therefore for yours. God has awakened you, he has brought you to the knowledge of your disease, and you feel the pain of it. For what reason has God done this, but that the sense of your mi. sery might send you to the Physician for his advice and assistance? When the enemy of souls sees you thus escaping out of his hands he would try to persuade you that the remedy is not for you; whereas you are the very persons to whom the gospel offers it. Christ says, he came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance; and you are sinners, you feel the misery of sin, and therefore Christ came to call you. Since you are sick, he calls you as much as if he had called you by name in the gospel, to receive of him the balin of Gilead, to heal all your spiritual infirmities.

You think you should be happy, if you could believe this, but you find so many and such desperate wounds, so many soul-murdering sins, that you dare not believe the remedy is for such as you. But why not? Is not the medicine for sin-sick souls? And the more sick you are, the more you want the medicine; and be your case the worst that ever was, yet the virtue of the medicine is almighty. If from the sole of the foot even to the crown of the head there was no soundness in you, but in every part wounds and brui

ses and putrifying sores, yet the balm of Gilead can make a perfect cure; yea, if you had ten thousand more wounds than you have, it could heal them all. Consider, then, how greatly you disparage and vilify the love and power of our divine physician, by supposing your sins more able to kill than he is to heal. Is he not-the Lord God Almighty, and are not all things possible with him? O be not faithless then, but believing!

no mercy

But perhaps guilt suggests to you, my case is singular, I have sinned against light and conviction; often did I resolve to leave my sins, but I as often broke my resolutions, and therefore I fear that I have sinned away my day of grace, and that there is for me. Your case is bad, but not desperate. Looking back on your past life, you should be humbled, but not despair; for are you not convinced of your want of the balm of Gilead, and does not it by a divine virtue heal all manner of sins? Sins against light, against many solemn resolutions, and against many warnings of conscience, as well as other sins? The medicine certainly can heal them all ; because it is appointed of God for that purpose, and by his almighty power he renders it effectual, and therefore whatever keeps you from relying upon its power to heal you is an enemy to your soul. O pray against unbelief, for that is at the bottom of all your objections against this sovereign medicine, and may the Lord give you faith to be healed!

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What! can it heal me, says some poor dejected broken-hearted sinner, who sees nothing but sin in his heart and life? Yes, it is appointed for you by name: "He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds."-Psalm, cxlvii. 3. The great Physician has an especial regard for your case. says he was sent to heal the broken-hearted. not such as I am, says one, my heart is worse than broken, it is dead to God, and to the things of God. Be it so. Our Physician is famous for raising the dead. It is his office and his glory. In the parable

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of the good Samaritan he healed the man who was half dead. His soul was as dead to God as yours is. But the precious balm, which was applied to him, made him alive to God. The same remedy can quicken you, although you have been dead in trespasses and sins; and as you are so far quickened as to see your want of this remedy, may you soon experience its sovereign virtue, and receive from it saving health!

After many doubts and fears have been silenced, new ones still arise. Unbelief may perhaps have been suggesting to some of your hearts-the medicine certainly can heal all cases, but I have nothing to recommend me to the physician. Have you nothing? Then this is your best recommendation. He always relieves poor distressed, dying objects, who have nothing to bring him but their sins and their miseries. He is therefore a physician, that he may relieve such: for by healing those whom none else can heal he gets. all the glory and by healing them freely he exalts his sovereign grace. Thus he acted in the parable of the good Samaritan. What had the wounded traveller to recommend him? Was it not that he was miserable and helpless? This moved the Lord's compassion, and he showed him mercy. "Go and do thou likewise." Apply to the great Physician, because thou art sick, and canst not heal thyself, and then he will exalt his rich grace and love, by freely forgiving thee all thy sins, and by pouring the balm of Gilead into thy wounded conscience, to heal all thine infirmities.

When this objection, which arises from pride and unbelief, is removed, and we would persuade the convinced sinner to rely upon the promises of health and salvation which God has made in his word, he has still difficulties to get over. He is afraid it would be presumption in him to rely upon the promises, and to take comfort from believing that he shall have his share and interest in them. Whereas he is the very person to whom the promises are made. His parti

cular case is described in Luke, iv. 18. Our Saviour says, the Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed and commissioned me with full powers to relieve every distressed object that shall apply to me for help. Are you a poor afflicted sinner? He has good news for you: he was ordained to preach the gospel to the poor. Have you a broken contrite heart? He is sent to heal the broken-hearted. Are you in bondage to sin and Satan? He is sent to preach and to give deliverance to the captives. Is your understanding blind and ignorant of spiritual things? He is sent to preach and to give recovering of sight to the blind. Are you fast bound with the chains of sin, and has the iron entered into your souls? He is sent to set at liberty them that are bruised. Here is your character: you are poor brcken-hearted captives, blind and miserable. Here is your promise; Christ is appointed of God, and has a divine commission to supply all your wants, Is it presumption then in you to apply this promise to yourselves? What! after God has graciously made it for the comfort of your afflicted consciences, will you say, it would be presumption in us to take comfort from it? My brethren, the promise cannot be broken. By relying upon it, it is yours. Your dependence upon it calls upon God's faithfulness to fulfil it to you. And it is no presumption, it is a high act of faith not to stagger at the promise through unbelief, but to give glory to God by relying upon it. May he enable you thus to give glory to him, and you shall find that his promise is like himself, unchangeable, and his word cannot be broken!

Since then there is balm in Gilead for wounded consciences, provided purposely for you, and since your objections against receiving it are groundless, why, my brethren, will you not apply to the almighty Physician, and now ask his help? O that this may be the accepted time, and this the day of your salvation! Fall down at his feet, implore his assistance, and his tender heart will melt with compassion to

wards you. If you are discouraged in your addresses to him, it is because you have not clear ideas of his power and love. He is almighty. He can heal the most broken heart, and the most wounded conscience; and his love never failed to influence his power to heal such cases when they came before him. Keep not then poring upon your wounds and sores. By looking too much at them you cherish your doubts and fears. Look unto Jesus. Remember his advice, "look unto me, and be ye saved." You should look into yourselves to see your want of salvation, and look unto him for a supply of your wants. And that you may be supplied out of his fulness, believe his promises. Rely upon his faithfulness to fulfil them to your souls, and thereby you engage his power to give you health and salvation.

3. Blessed be his holy name for exerting his divine virtue at this day, and for healing all manner of spiritual sickness, and all manner of disease among the people. Great numbers now alive are witnesses for him, that his hand is not shortened. Still he saves his people from sin, and from all the maladies brought upon them by sin. You, my Christian brethren, who have had experience of his divine power and love, ought to show forth his praise. It becometh you well to be thankful. Much has been forgiven you, therefore you should love much. The sweet psalmist of Israel calls upon you, by his example, to a grateful acknowledgment of the Lord's mercies-"Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me bless his holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits; who forgiveth all thine iniquities, who healeth all thine infirmities !"-Psal. ciii. 1, 2, 3. After you have received such great benefits, it will be your delight to praise him with your lips, and with your lives. The health and strength which he has freely given, you will use in his service and to his glory, until he take you to himself, and give you more happy experience of his great salvation, by delivering your soul from every infirmity and corruption; and

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