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exposed to the wrath of the Almighty; who walk about every day, and sleep every night, with the eurse of God hanging over your heads, and the sword of Justice suspended by a hair; who, if the storm of convictions, or the storm of temptation, or the storm of affliction, or the storm of death, should overtake you, have nothing at all to defend or shelter you! What a dreadful situation this!— Think what a mercy it is that you have yet space and means for repentance; that the golden sceptre is yet held out; that you are allowed to read the Scriptures, and to come where God hath promised to meet his people and bless them; and, especially, that Christ and all his benefits are this day held out to your acceptance! "O seek the Lord while he may be found; call upon him while he is near." Who knows but it may be said of us, as Christ said of the Jews, "And now also the axe is laid to the root of the trees; every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire." (Matt. iii. 10.)-Is God threatening to take away his gospel, and should not we cry, Lord, let me be converted first; let my soul be first safely. lodged with Jesus; let me be first translated out of the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of thy dear Son?'-God is now expecting to hear this from us; he is waiting to be gracious. Behold, now is the accepted time: behold, now is the day of salvation. Who knows what to-morrow may be! Wherefore, "Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little: blessed are all they that put their trust in Him."

4. Let us look forward with joyful hope to that

glorious world, where blow no blustering winds' nor desolating tempests !--

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Where there is not the least danger or distur bance; where tumults and terrors are known no more at all;---where the inhabitants shall no more say, I am sick; and there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying; neither shall there be any more pain; and there shall be no more curse; nor any thing, within us or without us, to cause the least uneasy apprehension; where the love of God shall be shed abroad in every heart abundantly :--where every individual of that vast assembly shall be united to one another in the most entire and cordial affection, and nothing shall be shall be seen or heard in heaven, but peace and praise universal and everlasting.---And then, Christians, our storms and dangers being all over, O how shall we admire the wisdom and adore the grace of Immanuel, that carried us so safely through! If it had not been for thee, gracious Saviour, such a storm would have crushed me if I had not taken shelter in thine arms, such a tempèst would have hurled me into hell.--And art thou the Man that was my covert "from every storm?---Gracious, glorious Lord! I • see now that I owe all I was, and all I am to thy free and boundless love.---Even here," Great is "the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, re'ceived up into glory." If I had seen thee in the days of thy humiliation, I might have thought it impossible thou shouldst be God; and now I see thee in thy glory, I wonder how thou couldst 'be a man. But I know thou wast both

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'well for me thou wast: if thou hadst not been both God and man, I, and more, had never millions 'been here.Glory, glory, glory, to Immanuel, our hiding-place on earth, and our dwelling-place ' in heaven. Let all the redeemed of the Lord say so whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy. Glory, glory; glory, to Immanuel!

"For ever his dear sacred name

Shall dwell upon our tongue;

And Jesus and Salvation be
The close of every song.'"

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I HAVE been thinking what were the first thoughts, that occurred to you upon the mention of this text. Some thought one thing, some another, no doubt; according to your different engagements and views.---Shall I hazard a conjecture upon this matter? Why, then I believe that some, when the words were read, first thought with themselves; This is a very suitable text for the occasion: proper for a New-year's Day, proper for a Preparation Sermon, and peculiarly suitable to those young persons who are to give up themselves to the Lord this day*: I shall be glad to hear how the • minister will handle it :'-never considering all the while, that God immediately spoke to them in the text; and that it was their hearts that were called for; or, in short, that they had any thing to do, but to sit still, and be entertained for half an hour with a sermon.

This sermon, so far as to the end of the third general, was preached on Friday, January 1, 1768, when four persons were admitted into the church: the remainder was preached on the following Sabbath.

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Others, perhaps, when they heard God say, "My son, give me thine heart," thought with themselves: No, I cannot my heart is engaged already. I 'cannot be religious; not I. What! give up all my merry companions, and be always reading, and hearing, and praying? I do not know what I may do when I grow old, and feeble, and have ⚫ lost my relish for present pleasures; but sure I am, ⚫ I cannot let God have my heart now.'--If there were any such, I hope they will be so shocked to hear their own thoughts put into words, as to retract them and renounce them; and that they will be added to the number of those, whom I shall next mention: who, when the text was read, sighed, and thought with themselves, Oh, I wish God had 'my heart! I have been a long while uneasy at the ⚫ situation in which I am: Satan leads me captive at his will: but I long to burst his bonds asunder. Oh ' wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me? I wish the Lord would come and open the prison'doors for me. I had rather, a thousand times, 'God should have my heart than any one: and yet, 'somehow or other, I cannot give it him as I should!'---The Lord make you willing in the da

of his power!

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But then, if I am not greatly mistaken, there are some who could hardly wait to hear the text repeated. 'My heart, Lord!' (cried they, with admiration and rapture :) my heart! wilt thou vouchsafe to accept of my heart? Here it is: take it. If I had a thousand hearts, thou shouldst have ⚫ them all. Who or what am I, O Lord, that, when so many are daily perishing in sin, I should be 'made willing to give my heart, and that thou

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