glorious Being, to every trace of sin and pollution. Yet the consideration of that spotless purity should influence all our approaches to God; that is to say, every act and sentiment of devotion. Neither can any thing be more important in Religion, than just views of the character of Him, who is the object of our adoration and love. So important is this, according to the Scriptures, that they often put the knowledge of God for Religion at large,-as comprising the sum and substance of it. And how Religion takes its character from the holiness of Him with whom we have to do, we may understand, in some measure, from its being so frequently called the fear of God. As a child of Israel, you have special reason to consider this point. For wherefore have all those judgements and fearful curses been poured upon your nation, under which they have been suffering for so many hundred years?" That thou mayest FEAR this glorious and fearful Name, THE LORD THY GOD." (Deut. xxviii. 58.) And, amidst all the contemplations of his mercy, it must never be forgotten, that "his Name is Holy," and He is expressly "the Holy One of Israel." (Is. liv. 5, and lvii. 15.) "God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, and to be had in reverence of all them that are about him." (Ps. lxxxix. 7.) “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; and the knowledge of the Holy is understanding." (Prov. ix. 10.) And if we do not rightly fear Him, we shall never truly love Him.

2. Next to just views of the Divine Character, it is most needful to have just views of ourselves. For Religion becomes unprofitable and impracticable, unless it is adapted to the state and character of the being who is the subject of it. We find accordingly, that the Religion of the Scriptures, while it evidently bears, in all its branches, the seal and impress of the holy character of its Author,is also most wisely and wonderfully adapted to the case and necessities of a fallen and sinful, and therefore weak and miserable creature, such as man is uniformly repre sented to be. Understand, therefore, and acknowledge, your own sinfulness. This will naturally follow from clear views of the Divine Character, and the attempt to contemplate the holiness and glory of God. Thus, when Isaiah had seen the glory of the LORD, and heard the songs of the

seraphim, crying, "Holy, holy, holy," he was humbled in the dust, under a sense of his own guilt and pollution; "Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of Hosts." (Is. vi. 5.) And such also was the effect of similar revelations upon holy Job. (xlii. 5, 6.) Seek, then, to have your mind filled with a solemn sense of the presence of that holy, glorious, and heart-searching Being ; and then consider how great and manifold have been your transgressions against His pure, and good, and perfect law, in thought, word, and deed,-from your youth upward, even until now. Do not flatter yourself, because there are such and such crimes, of which no man can accuse you: "for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart." (1 Sam. xvi. 7.) And the same authority which says, "Thou shalt not kill; Thou shalt not commit adultery; Thou shalt not steal; Thou shalt not bear false witness;" says also, with equal solemnity, "Thou shalt not DESIRE thy neighbour's wife; thou shalt not coVET any thing that is his." And who can stand under a commandment, which applies to the inmost purposes, and to the secret wishes of the heart? Think of this, and I may justly ask, with Eliphaz, "Is not thy wickedness great, and thine iniquities infinite?" (Job xxii. 5.) And, above all, how little have you loved God! how little thankful have you been for His daily and hourly mercies! though every breath you draw, and every beating of your heart, brings with it some fresh token of His love and care! How have you forgotten Him, hours and days without number, though the whole earth is full of his glory, and manifest footsteps of his wisdom, power, and goodness, offer themselves to view in every creature! Nothing should more impress us with the sense of our own guilt, than to bring our own coldness, forgetfulness, and ingratitude into contrast with the loving-kindness and the glories of the Lord. Do not then attempt to deny or conceal your guilt-do not cover your transgressions as Adam, by hiding your iniquity in your bosom (Job xxxi. 33.); but rather follow the example of David, "I acknowledged my sin unto Thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I

will confess my transgressions unto the LORD; and Thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin." (Ps. xxxii. 5.) To make any pretensions to innocency before God, is very hateful presumption in His sight. "Thou sayest, Because I am innocent surely his anger shall turn from me. BEHOLD I WILL PLEAD WITH THEE, BECAUSE THOU SAYEST, I HAVE NOT SINNED." (Jer. ii. 35.) To deny our guilt would, indeed, be a direct contradiction of all those plain statements respecting our moral condition, which we have already quoted; and which are pronounced against us by His certain and indisputable judgement, who alone "searcheth the heart and trieth the reins, to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings." (Jer. xvii. 10.) Those declarations apply distinctly to you and to me; for they are true of each and all among the children of men. us therefore humbly unite in the confession; "We lie down in our shame, and our confusion covereth us: for we have sinned against the LORD our God, we and our fathers, from our youth even unto this day, and have not obeyed the voice of the LORD our God." (Jer. iii. 25.)

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3. Under this deep sense of your own guilt and unworthiness and pollution, you must seek acceptance with that holy and glorious God, in His own appointed way. And here is a point of momentous consideration to every child of Israel. You can no longer offer any sacrifice, after the manner of your fathers, or according to your Law. Your temple is destroyed, and all its rites and ordinances utterly abolished. You have no longer any high priest, who, on the solemn day of Atonement, may enter into the Holy of Holies, to make reconciliation for your sins. То you, therefore, the way of access to God is utterly closed, if you look no further than to the letter of your own Law, and the Scriptures of the Old Testament.

You will say, perhaps, that you now look for acceptance with God, by means of repentance; and that true repentance serves you now instead of a sacrifice. But is it not evident, from the foregoing statement of Scripture doctrine, that you are, in such assertions, making a sad confusion between things perfectly distinct?—each absolutely necessary in its own place, but neither availing in the absence of the other? Repentance is needful-yea, indispensable: but the consideration of it belongs to the doctrine of that

change of heart, that inward renewal of the mind and spirit, of which we have spoken in the fourth chapter, and not to the doctrine of Sacrifice. No sacrifice ever availed to procure any spiritual blessing for the impenitent :-no repentance ever did, or ever will, avail, without a sacrifice. Repentance and a sacrifice were both of them always necessary to the salvation of a sinner ;-and they are so still. It is, therefore, a matter of unspeakable importance to the peace and welfare of your immortal soul, to enquire, Where is NOW YOUR Sacrifice?

Observe, then, I entreat you, that we have a Sacrifice, though you have not. We have one all-sufficient Sacrifice, of the value and efficacy of which, not all the revolutions upon earth can deprive us,-unless they could avail to recall the past, and undo the finished work of the Most High. We, under the sense and acknowledgement of all our guilt and unworthiness,-and let the multitude and magnitude of our past offences be aggravated to the utmost, -we can look to Jesus and say, "Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world."- "His blood cleanseth from all sin." "HE is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.”—“For by one offering He hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified: Whereof the Holy Ghost is a witness to us."-So that we may humbly, yet boldly, say, "Who is he that condemneth ?-It is Christ that died." (Rom. viii. 34.) "We have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us: Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast." (Heb. vi. 18, 19.)

And, while we ourselves rejoice in the fulness and allsufficiency of this great and only Sacrifice, we would earnestly entreat you also to become partakers of our joy. Come then to this atoning Lamb, and lay your hand by faith upon His head, and put all the burthen of your accumulated guilt upon Him, who "was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him, and with His stripes we are healed. All we, like sheep, have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all." (Is. liii. 5, 6.) It is our rejoicing,— let it be also yours-that "Being justified by faith, we

have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.-For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.-Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. And not only so, but we also joy in God, through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement." (Rom. v. 1, 2, 6—11.

This is our Sacrifice;—and you, at this time, have, and can have, none other. If Jesus Christ be not an all-sufficient Sacrifice for sin,—and if you do not accept Him and trust in Him as such, it is evident that you never can receive any of those benefits which Sacrifice was appointed to convey. * Or, in other words, you are utterly destitute of any way of access, by which you can approach to God with acceptance: "Your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you." (Is. lix. 2.) There is a mighty gulf of separation between you and Him, which no human power or wisdom can avail to cross. For He is not a man, as thou art, that thou shouldest answer him, or that you should come together in judgement. Neither is there any days-man betwixt you, that might lay his hand upon you both. (Job ix. 32, 33.)

4. and lastly, I would urge upon your attention the statements I have quoted from your own Scriptures, respecting an inward change and renewal of the heart. If these be, indeed, the true sayings of God, it is of unspeakable importance, that you should consider them well, and seriously and diligently enquire, Whether you have experienced this inward and spiritual change or no?

It should here be observed, that this conclusion contains an important illustration of Hos. iii. 4., where it is prophesied, that the children of Israel should remain many days 66 WITHOUT A SACRIFICE." They have been so, in every sense, according to the above reasoning, for more than 1700 years. And it is only in returning to seek LORD their God, and DAVID THEIR KING," that they will ever find a Sacrifice again. That this King was also to be a Sacrifice, appears from Dan. ix. 26.

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