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CHAP. IV.

The Favour of God is Life to converted Perfons in various Circumftances.

HAVING confidered the text as applicable to

the cafe of finners at their first converfion, I now proceed to obferve,

2, That the favour of God is life to returning backfliders. God's dear children are fometimes permitted to turn afide from the path of duty, to fall into open acts of fin, or into a courfe of fecret remissness, negligence, and unwatchfulness. When that is the cafe, divine comforts are fufpended, or, in the language of infpiration, the Lord hides his face, and leaves the foul in darkness, gloominess, and defpondency. Through the power of indwelling fin, through the violence of Satan's temptations, or through the fnares of the present evil world, they forfake the Fountain of living waters, leave their first love, and turn aside after lying vanities, till their hearts being hardened through the deceitfulness of fin, they at length, perhaps, are overtaken with faults inconfiftent with their chriftian character, or fall into difhonourable and fcandalous practices. This is greatly to be lamented. But the good Shepherd reftores his wandering fheep.

He

He brings them to a just sense of the evil of their doings, and opens afresh the springs of godly forrow. He fays to them, "Thine own wickedness fhall correct thee, and thy backflidings fhall reprove thee;' know therefore and fee, that it is an evil thing and bitter that thou haft forfaken the Lord thy God, and that my fear is not in thee, faith the Lord God of hofts." That peace, which arifeth from a view of intereft in Jefus, is loft. The grieved Spirit fufpends his gracious influences, and the foul is filled with difquietude, diftrefs and anguish.

When this is the cafe, the man is brought, in deep humiliation, to lament after an abfent God, and to cry to him, with the Pfalmift, "Reftore unto me the joys of thy falvation." To the confolations of God I am now, alas! a ftranger. Behold, for peace I have great bitterness! My cafe is fad and deplorable. When I first gave myself to the Lord, I promised conftancy; but I have now forgotten and forfaken him and am quickly turned afide after vain things which cannot profit. Woe is me, ungrateful wretch that I am! My unkind dealing with God is unparalleled! Who ever turned afide unto folly as I have done? My guilty confcience now accufeth me, God frowns upon me, all my former fins are fet in array against me,

they

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they ftare me in the face. I am ready to queftion whether ever there were a faving change wrought in me. I think within myfelf, furely, none of

God's children ever carried it towards him as I have done. Such a backflider in heart and life as I am, may justly expect to be filled with his own ways. I fometimes even fear that I have finned beyond the reach of mercy; having been once enlightened, and after that fallen away, how is it poffible that I fhould be renewed again unto repentance? May I not look rather for fiery indignation, than for a gracious acceptance into favour? Or if my fins have not reached to that degree, I am certain they have been attended with awful aggravations. I have finned againft light and love; I have been guilty of frequent and dreadful relapses; I have violated confcience, and grieved the Holy Spirit of God. Thefe confiderations wound me to the very heart, and cover my face with fhame and blushing, fo that I am not able to look up. Had I provoked a fellow-creature as I have provoked the Moft High, what favour could I expect? But this thought relieves me, I have to do with God, and not man. I will study, I will plead his gracious and merciful declarations. He hath faid, " My people are bent to backfliding from me; though they called them to the Most High, none at all would exalt

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him. How fhall I give thee up, Ephraim? How fhall I deliver thee, Ifrael? How fhall I make thee as Admah? How fhall I fet thee as Zeboim? Mine heart is turned within me, my repentings are kindled together. I will not execute the fiercenefs of mine anger, I will not return to deftroy Ephraim; for I am God, and not man, the Holy One in the midft of thee. I will heal their back fliding, I will love them freely for mine anger is turned away from him." *

The backsliding christian stands in great need of the manifestation of divine favour, in reftoring life and vigour to his languishing graces. "I have," fays he, " "by my wanderings from God, not only loft the fweet fenfe of his favour, but I have impoverished my own foul, and brought it into a lean and languishing condition. My leannefs, my lean

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Jefus fpeaks, and pleads his blood!

He difarms the wrath of God;

Now my Father's bowels move:
Juftice lingers into love,

nefs,

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ness, woe is me! My faith staggers, my love is cold and feeble, my hope of heaven languishes, the fprings of godly forrow are dried up, or run very faintly. My heart is fmitten and withered like grafs. A cold winter has benumbed all the active powers of my foul, and nothing but the flowers of grace, and the fhining of the Sun of righteouf

Kindled his relentings are,

Me he now delights to fpare ;

Cries, "How fhall I give thee up?"

Lets the lifted thunder drop,

There for me the Saviour ftands;

Shews his wounds, and spreads his hands!

God is love! I know, I feel!

Jefus fays he loves me ftill.

If I rightly read thy heart,
If thou all compaffion art,
Bow thine ear, in mercy bow!
Pardon, and accept me now.

Pity from thine eye let fail ;
By a look my foul recal:

Now the ftone to flesh convert;
Caft a look, and melt my heart.

Help me, help me to repent,
Let me now my fall relent;
Now my foul revolt deplore,
Weep, believe, and fin no more!"
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