1

low. Behold then, and admire the amazing grace and condefcenfion of our Lord. Though the wickedness of the Laodiceans, aggravated by their pride and loathfome indifference, cried aloud for vengeance, and nothing but vengeance, yet, lo! he vouchfafes to counfel them as a friend!-O how encouraging may this be to those who are burdened with a fenfe of their guilt and pollution-who fee their need of Chrift, and pant and long for his great falvation. You fay you are unworthy of his aid, and you are right when you fay fo; but fuch is his grace, as appears from this epiftle, that the greatest unworthinefs is no bar in the way of it. of it. He not only counfels, but entreats thofe Laodiceans, whofe condition was as bad as can well be imagined. "Behold," fays he, in the 20th verfe, "I "ftand at the door and knock; if any man "will hear my voice, and open the door, I "will come in to him, and fup with him, and "he with me." Here, then, is fufficient evidence, that there is mercy with Christ for the chief of finners. This was his very errand, to feek and to save that which was loft. And therefore every foul that feels its mi

fery has no reason to be difcouraged, because of its unworthinefs; on the contrary, this very temper lays it as it were in the way of his mercy; for though the Lord be high, yet hath he respect unto the lowly.—He refifts the proud, but giveth grace to the humble.Yea, he dwells with thofe who are of a contrite fpirit, and that tremble at his word. The use I intend to make of this is to obviate an objection which frequently proves hurtful to newly converted finners. They are tempted to think that their cafe does not admit of any hope; having dark and imperfect views of the grace of the gospel, they put away from themselves the sweetest and most condescending offers of mercy, suppofing that they are not addreffed to them, but to others whofe guilt is lefs aggravated than theirs; but give me leave to affure you, in the name of the Faithful and True Witness, whofe meffage I now bear, that the counsel I have read to you, and which I am farther to open, is directed to every foul within these walls, the vileft not excepted. Are you wretched and miferable, and poor, and blind,

and naked-Hearken to the advice of

your

gracious

gracious Lord, an advice which he gives to every one of you in particular, as if he called you by your name.

"I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in "the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white

raiment, that thou mayeft be clothed, and "that the fhame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eye-falve, "that thou mayeft fee."

It is needless to inquire very critically into the precise meaning of these figurative expreffions. I reckon that every neceffary bleffing, even all the unfearchable riches of Christ, are comprehended in these three articles. It is fufficient to obferve, that the fupply here offered is exactly fuited to the finners wants-that it is not fcanty and penurious, but full and compleat—and that all the parts of it are perfect in their kind. Let us dwell a little upon each of these heads.

I. Then, you will obferve, That the fupply here offered is exactly fuited to the finners wants.As we come into the world we

are

Adam had a

are poor bankrupt creatures. vast stock put into his hands; but, by his apoftacy from God, he loft it for himself and for all his pofterity, fo that nothing is left that we can call our own, but guilt and misery. The image of God, which was the glory and riches of man in his first creation, is quite effaced, so that, as the Apostle expreffes it, “in

us, that is in our flesh, dwelleth no good thing." Well, then, to fupply this woful defect, Christ here tells us that he hath gold to enrich us-even all divine and faving graces. The Spirit was given to him without measure, to be communicated to his people. He is able not only to expel that corruption which hath got poffeffion of our natures; but he can give us a new heart-an heart ftamped with the image of God, and make us partakers of the divine nature. truth of this is attested by the Apostle John, from his own experience, John, i. 16. where "of his fulness have all we received, for grace."

he fays,

"and grace

The

Another branch of our mifery is NAKED

NESS.

We have nothing to cover us either from fhame or hurt. We are exposed to the

wrath

wrath of an holy, just, and omnipotent God, who infinitely hates fin, and hath pledged his faithfulness, that he will not fuffer it to pafs unpunished. To relieve us in this cafe of extreme neceffity, Chrift hath raiment to clothe us, that the fhame of our nakednefs

may not appear. coufnefs over us. He can sprinkle us with his atoning blood, fo that the destroying angel, the minister of his Father's justice, shall have no power to hurt us: "For there is no "condemnation to them who are in Chrift

He can spread his right

Jefus-being juftified by faith, we have peace with God, through our Lord Jefus "Chrift."

Again, we are BLIND creatures, having our understandings darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in us. To remedy this, our great phyfician hath eye-falve to anoint our eyes that we may fee. By his Holy Spirit, he can difpel the thickest darkness, and diffuse heavenly light through the whole foul. "Ye were "fometimes darkness," fays Paul to the converted Ephefians, "but now are ye light in "the Lord." In a word, fomething is to be

found