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Jesus. Oh, I conjure you, do not close your eyes on yourselves; do not delay till to-morrow! I would that

it were given me, to warn you with the powerful voice of Peter, and to make these inspired accents echo in the depth of your conscience: "Repent, and pray God." I would say to you, as he said to Simon,-Repent, immortal souls! You are not solely destined to crawl a few day's on this vain earth. Not for to-day, not for to-morrow, were you created; but for eternity. Eternity! does not that word raise your thoughts; does it not revive your energy? Does it not remind you, that your nature is only a little inferior to the angels; that you were created in the image of God? O, do not, then, lower yourselves to the brutes; do not prison yourselves within the present; do not grovel in the mire. Repent, souls fond of life! Not in trifles; not in splendor; not in fame, will you find the happiness that you seek in vain from the whole of nature. What! do you need nothing more than these childish playthings? O, listen to those boundless desires which rise within you; listen to that want of knowing, of admiring, of loving; listen to that internal voice, which seeks from you all that is beautiful, all that is just, all that is pure, all that is virtuous, all that is divine; listen to the voice of God, which, despite of yourselves, speaks within you, and which would render you partakers of his happiness, as of his holiness. Souls, ransomed of Christ, repent! Did he wash you in his blood, that you might remain slaves of the world? You believe; you have been baptised; but can this satisfy your obligations, and his rights, whilst, contenting yourselves with the occasional exclamation of "Lord, Lord," you

close your ears to his voice? Ah, he died for you; and to him, therefore, not to yourselves, you belong. You have made the engagement; made it of your own accord. You are his-eternally his. Your sentiments, your faculties, your love, all belong to him. You are temples, where his spirit desires to dwell. Take care you do not profane his abode. Souls, amenable to the bar of God, repent! The moment comes, when you are to appear there. You are about to render an account of your tastes, of your labors, of your pleasures, of your choice of God or the world; and to God it is that you will have to render it. Oh, while it is yet to-day, harden not your hearts. hearts. While While yet faith is not wholly extinct in your bosom; while yet you understand the words, virtue-eternity; before the frozen hand of the world has withered, effaced, destroyed all -repent!

But how? How snatch oneself from the world; how change one's heart? "Repent, and pray God." I say again, in the words of Peter, "Pray God." Employ the remnant of strength and piety which the world has not destroyed in your hearts-employ them in throwing yourselves into the arms of your Heavenly Father; in meditating, in his presence, on the great struggle which he enjoins on you; in seeking victory from him. "Pray God:"—it is prayer which will revive in you the thought and the love of celestial things; that will acquaint you with an entirely new order of hopes and pleasures; that will render religious meditations, victories over self, and christian employments familiar and sweet to you; that will cause you to live a life, of which you have now no experience-an inward and elevated life, because prayer will

infuse into your bosom a new and celestial element-the love of God. "Pray God:"-his powerful agency will make the road of virtue easy without-remove obstacles within; will touch your heart, raise your affections on high; will make you understand, will make you feel, how agreeable is the love of him—what unutterable charm the faithful disciple feels, at his feet, and under his hand.

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My brethren, my dear brethren, salvation is before us; God aids us'; God speaks to us; still is there time; but the night approaches, and the day is far spent: let us repent; let us pray God. Yes, glory and honor belong to him, who, relying on repentance and prayer, without fixing his regards on vanities that perish, shall have respected his soul; shall have prepared it for eternity, by noble sentiments, by elevated enjoyments, by religious emotions; and he shall gain at last the crown of righteousness, which his Saviour has promised him. Glory and happiness belong to the citizens of heaven! Almighty God! we wish to be thine: give thy strength to thy feeble children; give us a living faith; give us a pious heart; in the name of Jesus Christ, give us the victory! Amen.

PRAYER.

Thy creatures, thy children, thy redeemed, O God! come to Thee, to ask thy protection, pardon and aid. Eternal Spirit! slow to anger and rich in mercy, good. to all; to whom should we go, but to Thee? Thou

Thee, who dost, never

supportest those that waver; Thou raisest up those that are cast down. All thy creatures look to Thee; Thou givest them their food in due season. Thou fulfillest the desires of those who fear Thee, and Thou art near to those who call on Thee in sincerity.. Why then, Q Lord, do we not love Thee; why do we not seek Thee; why do we not prefer Thee, to all that disappoints and perishes! O God! do Thou thyself release us from the treacherous vanities, which our Master trod under foot, and which he has ordered us to renounce. Remove from our hearts those seducing illusions, which intercept the rays of thy grace, and hinder us from loving. Thee. Long enough have we labored for what perishes; sought what flees from us; loved what deceives us. We have need of a refuge with disappoint, and who layest up treasures of peace and joy for those that obey Thee. Take us to Thyself, great God, so that nothing may lead us away from our great task, nor from the lessons of Jesus Christ. Change us, and we shall be changed. Let the example of Jesus be always before our eyes; let his blood take away our sins; and let his love reign in our hearts. Then shall we really live; then shall we know how great are the blessings which Thou treasurest up for those who fear Thee. Then we shall rejoice in hope, and be stronger than disquietude and grief; then we shall repose on Thee, with composure and joy, the care of our future lot, of our kindred, our friends; then thy blessing, asked out of a pure and sincere heart, will rest on us, and be our dearest possession. We beg of Thee, O Lord, thy precious blessing, and we ask it in the name of Jesus Christ.

SERMON XXIV.

THE CONNEXION OF UNIVERSAL BEING, AND ITS DEPENDENCE UPON A BENIG

NANT PROVIDENCE.

Hosea ii. 21-22.

AND IT SHALL COME TO PASS IN THAT DAY, I WILL HEÁR, SAITH THE LORD, I WILL HEAR THE HEAVENS, AND THEY SHALL HEAR THE EARTH, AND THE EARTH SHALL HEAR THE CORN, AND THE WINE, AND THE OIL; AND THEY SHALL HEAR JEZREEL."

JEZREEL, (or seed of God) was the name of a city in the tribe of Issachar, and of a valley or plain in which the city stood, and which was remarkable for its fertility. The vineyard of Naboth was there, the desirableness of which cost him his life, and occasioned the downfall of the family of Ahab. It was also the name which the prophet was instructed to give one of his sons; his family being made typical of different portions of the house of Israel, and illustrative of the predictions which he was commissioned to deliver concerning their captivity and restoration. Either of these applications of the term will accord with its introduction in the text; and they both occur in Hosea, the one

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