malady; or that, without a most stupendous effort of divine grace, they must eternally perish. But, though they are called Christians, they are ignorant of the very nature of Christianity. I say again, they know not what Christianity is : and if they were asked to give in one word such a description of Christ- ianity as should suffice to characterize it in all its parts, they would be utterly at a loss, and would say that an impracticable task was imposed upon them. But Christianity is a remedy : it necessarily supposes a deep malady, which it is not in the power of any finite being to heal ; and it prescribes such means of healing as shall be effectual for our recovery. The malady and the remedy correspond with each other : whichever be seen, the lineaments of the other may be inferred from it : they answer to each other, as accurately as the impression to the seal. There is nothing in us, for which there is not a correspon- dent provision in Christ : nor is there any thing in Christ, of which there is not a correspondent want in us. Were this duly understood, there would be no persons of the description that I am now addressing. But to all, without exception, must I declare, that " it was not the righteous that Christ came to save, but sinners.;" (" the whole need not a physician, but they that are sick :") and if we feel not our lost estate, we can receive no benefit from Christianity, no salvation from Christ. " It is the broken heart whom he heals, and whose wounds he bindeth upr."]
2. Those who, after having derived some benefits from Christ, have relapsed into sin —
[Such persons there are, in great abundance : and greatly is their guilt augmented by their misimprovement of the mer- cies conferred. If they continue in their declension, " it were better for them that they had never known the way of right- eousness ; " for " their last end will be worse than their be- ginning." But they are not beyond the reach of healing. Rather, I should say, their Lord is more particularly anxious respecting them, and gives this injunction to his servants : " Go, and proclaim these words ; Return, thou backsliding Israel, saith the Lord ; and I will not cause mine anger to fall upon yous." "I will heal your backsliding, and love you freely: for mine anger is turned away from you4." If you are ready to despond because of your unworthy conduct, he cuts off at once all ground of despondency, by saying, " For the iniquity that he committed I was wroth, and smote him : I hid me, and was wroth ; and yet he went on frowardly, in the way of his heart. But I have seen his ways, and (What? will cast him off, and execute my heaviest judgments on him ?
1 Ps. cxlvii. 3. s Jer. iii. 12. f Hos. xiv. 4.