way robbers, and blasphemers, who obtained mercy when they desired and sought it: and art thou obstinately bent on excluding thyself from the number of those sinners, to whom mercy is promised; and, because thou dost not believe it attainable, dost thou obstinately refuse to ask for it?

The Holy Spirit hath lifted up an ensign for the nations, Isa. xi. 12. or, to speak without a figure, the Holy Ghost hath lifted up a cross, and on that cross a Redeemer, who is " able to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him," Heb. vii. 25. and who himself saith to all sinners, "Come unto me, all ye that labour, and are heavy laden, I will give you rest, and ye shall find rest unto your souls," Mat. xi. 28, 29. And dost thou flee from

this cross, and rather choose to sink under the weight of thy sins than to disburden them on a Redeemer, who is willing to bear them?

But, passing all these, let us return to the text. "My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts." This is sufficient to refute, this is enough to subvert, and to destroy, the whole system of a despairing mind. The perfections of God are infinite: By what rule then dost thou pretend to "limit the holy one of Israel," Ps. lxxviii. 41. "Canst thou by searching find out God," Job xi. 7. Canst thou find out the eternity of him, with whom "a thousand years are as one day, and one day as a thousand years," 2 Pet iii. 8. Canst thou find out

the extent of his wisdom; a wisdom that first invented, then created, that governs now, and will for ever govern, both the material and intelligent worlds? Behold, "his understanding is infinite," Ps. cxlvii. 5. Canst thou find out the power of him who " weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance," Isa. xl. 12. who "taketh up the isles as a very little thing?" ver. 15.

The mercy of God is no less inconceivable than the rest of his attributes. The nature of the thing proves it; reason declares it; revelation places it in the clearest light; experience confirms it; and of his mercy God saith in the text, "My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts."

ye

Your thoughts have formed a gloomy system, and think that God can pardon a first, or a second, or perhaps a third sin, but ye cannot believe that he can forgive the hundredth, or even the fortieth of fence: But God's thoughts are, that he can abundantly pardon; that he can forgive the hundredth of fence, yea the thousandth and the ten thousandth, as well as the first and the second, if ye be sincerely willing to renounce them, and seriously endeavour to reform them.

Ye think, agreeably to your gloomy system, that God doth indeed pardon some crimes, but that there are some which he will not pardon; that he sometimes pardoneth hatred, but that he will never forgive murder; that he sometimes pardoneth sins of

infirmity, but that he will never forgive sins of obstinacy; that he pardoneth idle words, but that he will never forgive blasphemies: But God's thoughts are that he will abundantly pardon; that he will pardon murder as well as hatred; and sins of obstinacy as well as sins of infirmity; provided ye be sincerely willing to renounce them, and seriously endeavour to reform them.

Ye think, consistently with your melancholy system, that God may perhaps pardon the sins of a few days, or of a few months, or of a few years; but that he cannot forgive the sins of ten, or twenty years, or of a whole life: But God thinks that he can abundantly pardon; that he can forgive the sins of ten years, or of twenty, or of a whole life, as well as the sins of one day, or of one month, or of one year; if ye be sincerely willing to renounce them, and seriously endeavour to reform them.

Your thoughts are that God pardoneth the sins of those whom he hath not called into church-fellowship, nor distinguished by particular favours: But the thoughts of God are that he will abundantly pardon; that he will forgive sins committed under the Mosaic dispensation as well as those that have been committed under the dispensation of nature, those that have been committed under the gospel as well as those that have been committed under the law, or before the law; if ye be sincerely willing to renounce, and seriously endeavour to reform them. It is not I, it is the prophet, it is God himself, by the prophet, who attests these truths: "Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him

while he is near. Let the wicked FORSAKE HIS WAY, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; and let him RETURN UNTO THE LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he WILL ABUNDANTLY PARDON. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts."

If ye sincerely forsake, and seriously reform them. Have ye not been surprised at the frequent repetition of this clause? This clause, however, is the ground of all the promises, that we make to you on God's part. The chief design of the prophet is to produce obedience to God, and in this we would wish to unite this whole assembly. Deprive the text of this clause, and the rest of the words are not only false and unwarrantable, but contradictory to themselves, and injurious to that God, whose mercy we have been publishing. We have no consolation for a melancholy man, who is resolved to persist in his sins. We have no remedy against despair, when the despairing man refuseth to renounce those crimes, the remembrance of which causeth all his distress and despair.

Ye slanderers, ye false accusers, ye pests of society, "God will abundantly pardon you." Yea, though ye have been wickedly industrious to poison the purest words, the most harmless actions, the holiest intentions, yet ye ought not to despair of the mercy of God; for his thoughts are not as your thoughts, nor his ways as your ways. He will for

give all your sins, if ye sincerely forsake, and seriously reform them; if ye do justice to the innocence that ye have attacked, and repair the reputation that ye have damaged.

Ye unjust, ye oppressors, ye extortioners, ye who, as well as your ancestors, have lived on the substance of the wretched, and who are about to transmit an accursed patrimony to your posterity, God will abundantly pardon you: yea, though ye have made a sale of justice, negociated the blood of the miserable, betrayed the state, and sold your country, yet ye ought not to despair of the mercy of God, for " his thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are his ways your ways." All these sins he will forgive, ye endeavour seriously to amend them; if ye lay aside those equipages, and retrench those sumptuous festivals, which are the fruits of your own, and of your parents, oppressions and extortions.

if

Ye sick, ye dying people, who cannot think of your momentary life without thinking of those sins, which ye have been perpetually committing, and in the multitude and magnitude of which your thoughts are lost, "God will abundantly pardon you." Though no other time remains to conciliate your souls to God than the last days of a dying illness, the slight remains of a departing life, yet ye ought not to despair of the mercy of God, for "his thoughts are not as your thoughts, neither are his ways as your ways." He will forgive all your sins, if ye sincerely forsake, and seriously reform them; if ye be animated not only with the fear of death and hell, but with a sincere desire of returning unto the Lord; if ye do not