That we might have strong consolation, who have fled for refuge, to lay hold on the hope set before us....Heb. vi. 18.

MAN is equally fallen from God with the devil. There is only this difference between them; sovereign grace provides hope for men, and not for devils. JESUS is the only hope for lost sinners. To him the heirs of promise flee. In him they find a refuge from every danger. Like the man-slayer under the law, who was in danger of death on every side, and no way of safety but in the city of refuge, which God appointed for him. Here his life was safe. The law of God was his protection. No one durst take vengeance on him. Such was God's provision for him. Infinitely superior are the settlements of grace. The salvation of the soul, with eternal life and glory are for ever secured to us by God's immutable counsel, his inviolable promises.... Yea more, God has pledged himself; he hath confirmed all by his OATH. O, the cursed nature of unbelief! It makes the God of truth a liar: it would prove the God of faithfulness perjured. O, the devilish nature of pride! It would share in the glory of salvation; it disowns our damned state; and therefore denies the sovereignty of grace. Pride rises into wrath at distinguishing grace, that God should bestow his favor upon whom he pleaseth, which he owes to no one. For who hath deserved his grace? Glory to the rich grace of our God, a present refuge, a present hope are freely set before us; and strong consolation enjoyed by us Now.

Are the eyes of our understanding enlightened to see Jesus, the hope of our calling? the insufficiency of every other hope? Have we fled from every refuge of lies to Jesus, and laid hold on him by faith as our only hope? This is by the grace of the holy Spirit. He is our comforter. He administers strong consolation to our souls from Jesus. The "immutability of God's counsel; and the confirmation of his oath" center in JESUS. See thy distinguishing grace, O believer, and rejoice. Not only safe, but happy; not only secure, but joyful. This is grace upon grace. Not only glory in reversion, but grace in possession. You see your calling, brethren; and the riches of your inheritance with all saints. These are your strong holds, ye prisoners of hope. Though imprisoned in a body of sin and death; exposed to unbelieving doubts and fears; liable to sore trials and conflicts with your adversary, satan; yet ever consider this; nothing but consolation, strong consolation awaits you in Christ Jesus. He is your constant refuge, your only hope: "Abide in me," saith the Lamb. He would have us be simple of heart; so shall we be joyful in Spirit. For verily, if we look to any other object but Jesus, we shall smart for it. We can draw comfort from no other. In Jesus we can triumph with joy; and challenge with confidence "who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect.". Rom. viii. 33.

Then all the disciples forsook him and fled....Matt.xxvi. 56.

On reading this, who can refrain from crying out, "Lord, what is man!" What danger am I in! Lord, keep me! What awful effects have a fit of fear and a frame of unbelief produced? Here was the beloved disciple JOHN, who lay in the bosom of Jesus; the courageous PETER, who was to die with him; the ambitious JAMES, who requested to sit at his right hand in his kingdom; with every one of the other disciples, forsaking and flying from innocence in distress. The shepherd was seized, and the affrighted sheep were instantly scattered. Provoking ingratitude! Dost thou think, O my soul, thou wouldst have acted one whit better? Verily, if so thou art vain. Now if Jesus had chosen them, and continued to love them, on condition of their faithful conduct towards him, this single instance was sufficient to turn his love to hatred, his election of them into reprobation, and casting them off for ever.

. What then becomes of terms and conditions of salvation? The notion eclipses God's glory; feeds pride; shackles the faith of sinners. If our dear Saviour was to judge of and determine the state of his disciples from their outward conduct as we too, too oft do by ourselves, might he not reason thus concerning them? "What treachery and deceit have I met with from these wretches! While in my greatest agonies, they were destitute of the least sympathizing spirit: they indulged sleep, instead of granting one friendly request, to watch with me one hour: though thrice awaked by me, yet they shewed no regard for me. At supper they all promised to go to prison and death with me. Here is one rash fellow hath cut off an ear; and now, upon the very first sight of danger, as though they had all combined together, they are ALL fled from me; and soon, the most daring of them all will with horrid oaths and curses deny that he knows me." Might we not expect to hear our Lord's sentence, "Cut them asunder, and divide them their portion with hypocrites?" It must be so, if salvation rested upon terms and conditions. But no; grace reigns; not for days and years, but to eternal life. Astonishing as their ingratitude, highly provoking as their conduct was to Jesus, yet more astonishing his love, and higher his mercy surmounts than all their offences. Hence, amazing to read, the very first message Christ sends is full of love and fraught with affection. "Love covers a multitude of sins." Not one word of upbraiding; but, "Go and tell my brethren," &c. Surely, O Jesu, never was love like thine! What! brethren still? Yes; the bond of union, the dear relation ever subsists; nor sin, nor death, nor hell, shall ever destroy it. But, O christian, under a sense of base ingratitude to, and forsaking of Jesus, what wounds so deep as love? What humiliation, what repentings does love kindle in the heart? "Godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation."....2 Cor. vii. 10.

Charity shall cover the multitude of sins....1 Pet. iv. 8.

MANY sinners have and do awfully deceive their poor souls by a sad perversion of these words. For they suppose that being charitable to the poor will cover the multitude of their sins from the sight of a holy, sin-avenging God. O fatal mistake! Hence they are encouraged in their sinful practices, from such a vain, unscriptural notion. It is thy mercy, believer, to be delivered from such delusion, by the truth as it is in Jesus. For to atone for sin was his blessed work. He hath done it effectually by shedding his precious blood. And every believer in Jesus is the only blessed man, whose sins are covered by his all-perfect righteousness. Here is the true source and spring of charity, or rather LOVE, love to God and man. "We love God, because he first loved us.”..........1 John iv. 19. And through the faith of this we obey his commandment, "Love one another."

Of this charity, or love, the most excellent things are spoken.... 1 Cor. xiii. It is in the heart of every believer. Love influences to put the best constructions upon the behaviour of others: to hide their faults with a veil of charity; to cast a mantle of kindness over their failings. Like the painter, who drew the picture of Alexander with his finger on the scar in his face: so love has a kind finger to hide the scars and, blemishes, and to cover the sins of others. Love sees no faults. See it exemplified in that most illustrious exemplar of charity, Jesus. In his deep and distressing agonies and conflicts in the garden, when one would have thought his dear disciples could not be so regardless of his sufferings, so deaf to his request, as not to watch with him one hour. But, instead of this, they indulged themselves with sleep. Here love covered this fault. "The Spirit is willing." Love speaks what is right. Love finds an excuse for what is wrong, "The flesh is weak." And when the same most blessed pattern of love hung expiring in the greatest agonies on the cross, yet amidst all the taunts and jeers of his enemies and murderers, love vented itself with his expiring breath, "Father, forgive them;" adding this as a veil or covering, "for they know not what they do." Thus hath Jesus left us an example. He hath given us a new commandment, "Love one another." May the spirit of love keep alive this heavenly temper, and blow up every spark into a fervent flame, that all men may know his disciples by this badge of charity or LOVE, and be forced to confess, "See how these christians love one another."

Love suffers long with patient eye,

Nor is provok'd in haste;

She lets the present inj'ry die,
And long forgets the past.

Malice and rage, those fires of hell,
She quenches with her tongue;
Hopes and believes, and thinks no ill,
Tho' she endures the wrong.

Wherefore he is able to save to the uttermost, all who come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them....Heb. vii. 25.

WHEN the strong blasts of temptations blow, the swelling waves of corruptions lift up their heads: satan casts his fiery darts: the thunders of Sinai roar: the law threatens wrath and destruction: carnal reason pleads: unbelief pronounces hopeless despair on them: happy for believers to take up the language of faith, expressed by the children of God of old, "We are not careful to answer in this matter: our God, whom we serve, is able to deliver us; and he will deliver us,"....Dan. iii. 16, 17. Admirable faith and fortitude! A shining example of Old-Testament saints, worthy to be imitated by New-Testament disciples. Such a conduct yields ease to the mind, and peace to the conscience; while it confesses Jesus the only Saviour, it gives him the glory due to his name. And, verily, according to their faith so it was. They were saved to the uttermost. Though cast into the fiery furnace, they had the presence of Jesus; and he delivered them out of it unhurt.

Who can prescribe bounds to the salvation of Jesus? He saves according to his ability. Who can limit that which extends to the uttermost? Thou comer to God by Jesus, think not sin is too strong in thee for Jesus to save thee from. "He is almighty to save to the uttermost." Art thou not willing thus to be saved? Verily faith longs for it, love desires it, hope expects it. Stagger not through unbelief. Our object of faith is a once crucified Jesus, and everliving, interceding man and Mediator, and who is also the omnipotent God. Is any thing too hard for the Lord? Why then should sin hold thee one moment under its power? why should it at all distress thy mind? Nay, it could not, but for thy unbelief. But is not the strength of Jesus the most powerful encouragement for poor sinners to come to God continually? A throne of grace is ever open. A God of love "seated on it. Jesus ever lives, and always prays. A salvation to the uttermost perfection is promised, and the infinitely powerful Jehovah" able to effect it. Coming to God by Jesus, O this is a sweet mystery for faith to feed upon, to be nourished and strengthened by! We are confident of access, perfectly sure of accep tance by Jesus. We are not left to perhaps or peradventure, because it is not founded upon ourselves, upon what we have done or can do, but upon the eternal life, everlasting love, and unchangeable priesthood of Jesus.

Christ over-rules all mortal things,

And manages all our affairs; On humble souls the King of kings

Bestows his counsels and his cares.

Our sorrows and our tears we pour
Into the bosom of our God;
He hears us in the mournful hour,
And helps us bear the heavy load.

Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel....Isa. vii. 14. 1

On this prophecy hangs the hopes of fallen sinners. Had this word failed, we were all damned forever. Horror eternal awaited us. Hell eternal must have been our doom. God must be born a babe in time, or sinful man is forever lost. But, O my fellow sinners, all hail! I congratulate you. This day is this scripture fulfilled. This virgin hath conceived. This son, this Immanuel is born, God in our nature: God with us: God for us, we behold in JESUS. He says, "I was set up from everlasting," (as the covenant head of my people)...." My delights were with the sons of men,"....Prov. viii. 23, SI. O, he hath shewn how he delighted over us, how he rested for ever in his love to us. For he came to visit us in our flesh. “Verily} he took not on him the nature of angels," but he became a BABE in human flesh, a MAN in stature; born to save, lived to justify, died to redeem....who? fallen angels? No. They are left reserved in chains of darkness. But unto us sinners against God, us miserable apos tates from God, in the very same desperate state as devils are: behold "unto us a child is born; unto us a son is given." That awe! who are filthy by birth, and polluted by nature, might have a holy birth, and a sanctified nature. IN HIM. "The government is upon his shoulders.". He is our KING. He reigns over us, form rus, and

in us.

Our souls and all our concerns are safe in his hands. "Hist name is wONDERFUL" In his conception, his birth, his person, God and man in one Christ; in his life, his death, his resurrection, ascension, and intercession, wonderful. In his love to us, and sal vation of us, wonderful. "COUNSELLOR." He powerfully pleads our cause above: he sweetly counsels our hearts below to come to himg so we find blessed rest in him. “THE MIGHTY GOD.'”: No less could save us. Jesus is the God of our salvation. THE EVER LASTING FATHER" He begets us to himself by the word of his grace. The most tender parent on earth never loved his children as Jesus loves us. THE PRINCE OF PEACE,"........Isa. ix. 6. He is ever at peace with us, has made peace for us, bestows his peace on us. O, ye sinners of the human race, if as verily as the virgin conceived and brought forth this son, your hearts conceive Jesus by faith, this will bring forth holy love to Jesus. The birth of Jesus is our delicious Christmas fare. BEHOLD it, says the prophet: dwell on it in your minds, feed on it in your hearts. To conceive of our Lord becoming a babe, living in flesh for us, dying on the accursed tree to take away our sins and save our souls; while we count all other hopes vain, O this makes us keep a joyful CHRISTMAS all the year round. For this brings "glory to God in the highest, peace on earth, good will towards men."....Luke ii. 14.