endeavour. It is the practical effect of the Gospel which I am alone anxious to promote : and now, therefore, in conclusion, I take the liberty to recom- mend two things : first, That we all seek a deep ac- quaintance with our state before God : and next, That we apply to ourselves the remedy which God has set before us in the Gospel.
Would we but comply with the former of these requests, what might we not hope for from the remedy which has been set before us? Had we but a due preparation of heart for the reception of the Gospel, surely it should " distil as the dew upon our souls, and come as rain upon the new-mown grass." The sound of salvation purchased by our incarnate God ! verily, it would transport our souls, as once the angels in heaven were transported, when they sang, " Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace ; good-will towards meng." And what ineffable joy would spring up within us, from the thought of an indwelling Deity undertaking our cause, and working effectually upon our souls ! Methinks we should already seize upon heaven as our own, and, with confident exultation, defy all the powers, whether of earth or hell, to rob us of it. Especially, if we began in earnest to realize these truths, then would our peace flow down like a river, and " our souls become as a well-watered garden, and as springs of water whose waters fail not." But let us remember what is indispensably necessary to our profiting by the Gospel : we must feel, and deeply mourn over, our lost estate. " The whole need not a physician, but they that are sick :" and the remedy can be of no use to us, if we be not sensible of our disease. I pray God that this may not be forgotten by us. A mere speculative knowledge of the Gospel, however accurate, will avail us nothing. We must all be as patients in an hospital, and receive with thankfulness the remedy prescribed. If we neglect it, or attempt to substitute any other in its stead, we shall do so to
s Luke ii. H.