them ? it was, " that we, being dead unto sin, might live unto righteousness." The apostle then adds, " By whose stripes ye were healed." Do we enquire, wherein this healing consists ? he tells us ; " For ye were as sheep going astray ; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls*."
In order that we may make a suitable improvement of this subject, let us,
1 . Adopt the confession of the prophet —
How justly he represents our fallen state, is but too evident both from Scripture and experience. We say not that all have lived in open immoralities, or, that all have despised the ordinances of religion. God forbid. There doubtless are many, who, in their out- ward deportment both towards God and man, have been comparatively blameless, yea, exceeding amiable and praise-worthy. But we must recur to the former accusation, and comprehend all under the awful cha- racter of apostates from God. And is there one amongst us that will presume to deny the charge ? Did the prophet include himself in the accusation, and shall we plead innocence ? Did St. Paul say, re- specting himself and all the other Apostles, that they all had been "once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures," and shall we exalt ourselves above them ? Let us rather beg of God to shew us the depth of our depravity, and to humble us in the dust under a sense of our departure from him. And let us not rest in general confessions, saying, " All we have gone astray;" but let ''every one" of us search out the particular way to which we have turned, and go to God, saying, Thus and thus have / done. This must of necessity precede our return to God; or rather, it is the first step of our return. But, if we be too proud to acknowledge our apostasy, if we yet remain ignorant of our guilt and danger, let us not wonder, if we be left to depart from him, till our separation become irreparable and eternal.
a 1 Pet. ii. 24, 95.