of his heart boiled up, "as the fire causeth the water to boil," Isaiah lxiv. 2. His iniquities were set before his judge, and his secret sins in the light of his countenance, Psalm xc. 8. He saw himself in his true colours indeed; for his polluted soul was discovered in such a loathsome condition, that no leper was ever so corrupted in body as he ap. peared to be in soul; from head to foot there was no soundness; all was wounds, bruises, and putrifying sores, Isaiah i. 6. IIe was a leper in the worse sense, and many filthy rags he had laid on to cover his wounds, Isaiah lxiv. 6. But, alas, his spiritual defilements, and his legal coverings, were both of a piece, insomuch that he might truly be said to be clothed with filthy garments, Zech. iii. 3.

In this deplorable and most miserable condi tion he found an accuser standing close to him upon the right hand; and he infused into his mind such enmity against the light that shined, and suggested such evil and hard thoughts against the judge, as are shocking to mention. Thus stood Prodigalis, clothed in his filthy garments, filled with shame and confusion of face, even "before the angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right hand to resist him," Zech. iii. 1.

In this perishing state, bitten with the gnawing worm of a guilty conscience, he found another enemy on his left side, threatening every moment to put a period to his existence; and if that had been permitted, he was sure that his accuser would

gain an awful conquest over him, and an eternal possession of him. No free will, no human power, no self-righteousness can stand here. Prodigalis found this; these things blasted all his supposed power and free will. His strength was hungerbitten, and destruction was ready at his side. This devoured the strength of his skin; the first-born of death devoured his strength, Job xviii. 12, 13. Now I will leave you to guess at the sensations of Prodigalis; thus fixed in the presence of God, with all his sins in the light of God's countenance, covered with guilt and filth, Satan at his right hand, and destruction at his left.

Ahimaaz. A deplorable state indeed; but this is not the case with all sinners.

Cushi. There is not an unconverted soul in the world, as the Lord liveth, but what is in this state, whether he know it or not; and this he will find in a dying hour; his sins will stare him in the face; destroying death will appear at his left hand, and Satan at his right, if he die out of Christ; and as sure as death cuts him off in his sin, so sure Satan seizes the prey, he is delivered up to the tormentor, and has a distant view of the burning throne of God. Then shall the spirit return to God who gave it; and receive the sentence, Depart from me; I know I know ye not.

Prodigalis being thus arraigned at the bar, with his accuser at his right hand, and his executioner on his left, his judgment proceeded. There appeared a man under the burning light, that took

out a sort of post bag, in which were the indictments of Prodigalis; His transgressions were sealed up in that bag, God had sewed up his iniquity, Job xiv. 17. And now the bag was brought forth, and unsealed; And lo the roll of a book was found therein; and it was spread before him; and it was written within and without; and there was written therein lamentations, and mourning, and wo, Ezek. ii. 9, 10.

Ahimaaz. Pray who was clerk of the peace? Who was he that read the indictment?

Cushi. Moses reads the indictments, enrolls the acts, and draws the process; but a man whose name is Conscience appeared as clerk of the assize, and produced many things that had been done in various circuits; he was clerk of the crown also, for he had framed and recorded many indictments, which were all now produced.

Ahimaaz. Pray what was his indictment? Who had impeached him?

Cushi. There were several indictments against him. First, he was accused of transgressing all the laws of his sovereign; secondly, of private conspiracy and rebellion against the king's person; thirdly, of high treason; and, fourthly, of murder, &c. as shall be shewed in the process. First, the roll of lamentation, mourning, and wo, was read in the order following: Thou art indicted, by the name of Prodigalis, for adhering to an unlawful sovereign;' for sin had reigned in his heart, Rom. v. 21. Thou hast been disloyal to the king,

and hast set up another in opposition to him;' he had set up an idol in his heart, Ezek. xiv. 4. Thou hast opened thy mouth against his majesty, and spoken lightly and vainly of his name and person. Thou hast profaned the days of rest, the jubilee days, fast days, and all the days of festivity. Thou art charged with disobedience to thy progenitors, and with the dreadful crime of murder; thou hast hated thy brother for his loyalty, which is murder conceived in the heart. Thou art charged with adultery, and with theft; with speaking falsely of thy neighbour, and coveting his property after thou hadst wasted thine own. What sayest thou to these indictments? Art thou guilty, or not?'

Ahimaaz. Pray what did the poor soul say? I have such a feeling for him, I long to hear his deliverance; for I fancy myself at the very bar. Did he plead Not Guilty?

Cushi. No, he could not do that, for the judge himself was a swift witness against him; as it is written, "And I will come near to you to judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against false swearers," Mal. iii. 5. Besides, Conscience, who was clerk of the crown, had framed and recorded many indictments against him; for he had been privately arraigned and found guilty several times before; therefore to plead innocent would have been giving the lie both to God and Conscience; and who against these can be heard?

He neither pleaded guilty nor innocent; he

held his hands before his face to hide his fallen countenance, and trembled at every joint; for he had not, to his knowledge, one friend in all the court. The indictment was read, wherein he was charged with private conspiracy and rebellion; this he could not deny, for the accuser who stood at his right hand was the very enemy that drew him into that conspiracy; as it is recorded, “that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will," 2 Tim. ii. 26.

Ahimaaz. Why sure the cursed wretch did not drag the poor soul into rebellion, and then turn king's evidence, did he?

Cushi. He is one that can turn any way but the right; he will swear and lie too for nothing. Howbeit the king stands in no need of his evidence, nor does he get his own neck out of the halter by all his turning. The rebellion that the prisoner was charged with was, that he had not only opposed the universal monarch himself, but that he had endeavoured to put the loyalists to shame; expose their obedience to contempt; and prosecute them for their close attachment to the crown and dignity of their rightful sovereign. His treason consisted in speaking evil of the king; yea, he had even gone so far in his desperate rebellion, as to give him the lie to his face; for he that believes not has made him a liar, 1 John v. 10.

When the poor prisoner looked up and saw Moses his accuser before him, just under the judg