towards the recovery of the lost sheep of the house of Israel. We might, at least, have felt towards them as the Apostle did, when he said, " My heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they may be savedy :" yea, like our blessed Saviour, we might have " wept " over their desolate condition z ; and with the angel, of whom the Prophet Zechariah speaks, have pleaded for them : " O Lord God of Hosts, how long wilt thou not have mercy on Jeru- salema?" But if no measure of this love to Christ have burned in our hearts, we may well doubt whether we have ever loved him at all, or have ever experi- enced his power and grace upon our own souls. If St. John's appeal respecting a backwardness to relieve the temporal necessities of our fellow-creatures be unanswerable, how much more will it be so, when applied to the subject before us : " Whoso hath this world's goods, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in himb ?" How indeed ! We may make what profession of piety we will ; but we shall prove to demonstration, that we have no love either to God or man in our hearts, if, after this warn- ing, we neglect to seek the welfare of the Children of Israel.
Thus have I faithfully declared unto you what I verily believe to be the truth of God : and I appeal to yourselves, whether I have given an exaggerated statement, or whether I have declared more than you you will find to be true, if you will only seriously re- flect upon it as before God. Only let it be remem- bered, that I have not spoken these things respecting the mere neglect of their welfare, but of the justifica- tion of that neglect, and of the reluctance which is shewn to make any effort for their salvation. The retrospective application of it bears upon persons only in proportion to the information they have pos- sessed ; but the prospective application comes with full weight upon the consciences of us all ; so that I
y Rom. x. 1. z Luke xix. 41.
a Zech. i. 12. b 1 John iii. 17.