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uncomfortable fituation, subject to all the infirmities of our nature, and at last suffer a most painful death on the cross, or that. every soul upon earth must perish; should we not think the cafe defperate, and that the whole world must be condemned ere fo wonderful, fo incredible an instance of condefcenfion, compaffion, and love, could be found. Yet all these wonders have been performed in our behalf, by our bleffed Redeemer, even whilst we were rebels to his authority.

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17. For God fent not his Son into the "world to condemn the world, but that "the world through him should be saved."

And fhall we not with the utmost obedience, gratitude, and love, acknowledge such an astonishing interference in our favor? Had we been left in the deplorable fituation of finners without a Saviour, we should have thought no conditions too hard by which we could have attained fuch a bleffing: the fervice of our whole

lives would then have been thought barely fufficient to manifeft our gratitude for relief from fo great a load of woe. Shall we, then, because in our poffeffion, treat those high and unmerited favors with indifference? Let us not prove ourselves fo devoid of gratitude, but make this the fubject of our most serious study and contemplation; which, if we have not hearts of flint, cannot fail to excite in us a zealous wish to make every return in our power, by the fincerity and humility of our faith and obedience.

"18. He that believeth on him, is not condemned; but he that believeth not is condemned already; because he hath not believed in the name of the only"begotten Son of God.”

Those who know, and obftinately continue to reject their Saviour, we are informed by fcripture, must be condemned, as there is no other way to falvation, but through the merits of the Son of God:

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nothing can be more juft: and they muft expect that he, who offered to be their merciful Saviour and was rejected, will appear, at the last day, in the character of an offended judge.

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66 19. And this is condemnation: that light is come into the world, and men "loved darkness rather than light, because "their deeds were evil.

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20. For every one that doeth evil, “hateth the light, left his deeds should be reproved.

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"21. But he that doeth the truth cometh "to the light, that his deeds may be made "manifeft that they are wrought in God."

Chrift is the light foretold by the prophets he is ftyled, in the beginning of this gofpel, "the true light." Every one who continues in fin, by choice, rejects those pure and divine precepts given by our Saviour, which directly oppose his practice; nor will an outward profeffion of them, for

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conveniency, or through fear or shame, avail in the fight of God who judgeth the heart, though it may serve to impose upon our fellow-creatures.

If we will not give ourselves the trouble to search the scriptures, how can we expect to be blessed with the first of all knowledge, the knowledge that leadeth to life eternal? Is it not strange that the object of reading the holy scriptures fhould be fo little understood, that many people fhould think they have done their duty by hurrying over a few chapters of them, inftead of confidering them as the mode of acquiring knowledge by a diligent fearch after it? Such perfons mistake the means for the object of their study.

There is no merit in the mere reading the scriptures to make it praise-worthy, it must be undertaken from an earnest desire to learn our duty, that we may be able to perform it. Some people think it quite fufficient to go once in the week to hear parts of them read in the church; and though,

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though, from want of due attention when there, and of confulting their bibles when they return home, they understand little of what they have heard, are perfectly satisfied with themselves, in the persuasion that they have performed all that their duty requires of them. But can we fuppofe that, when the Son of God has done and fuffered fo much for us, he will accept fuch careless returns and cold indifference, as if his ineftimable favors were scarcely worthy our attention or our thanks!

How fevere a mortification must it be to a pious and humane pastor, who has labored with the utmost diligence for the inftruction of those intrufted to his care, to find them averse to affift him in his endeavors to promote their own welfare! yet this is too often the case.

The great object of such a character as I have defcribed, and his firft wish, muft be (in the words of a favorite author of our own times), that when he pens his fold for eternity, there may not be one of his flock wanting. How great is the difference be

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