often turned aside after we had set out in a good degree, in the right way, and through the power of temptations, have been turned aside and made to stumble. But I remember the proverb, that the horse which stumbles and falls not mends his pace. Many have experienced the truth of this. Though many have often turned aside, yet God has not forsaken them in his adorable mercy.

Yea, my poor soul has great cause to magnify his mercy. How oft have I sinned and repented, sinned and repented, sinned and repented; and yet a gracious God has continued with me, and followed me in the midst of his tender mercies. He is not willing that any should die in their sins, but that all should return, repent and live.

O, my friends, that I might make you feel me, as well as hear me. This is what is wanted;-then dont let sinners be discouraged; no, my dear friends, we must gather inward, for we cannot understand the Scriptures of truth, unless we come to the spirit, and are guided by the spirit of God.

And what will all these outward testimonies do for. us? We find that they will do nothing; for thousands and tens of thousands profess to believe in them, and yet there is not one in a thousand who lives up to this doctrine; not one in a thousand, I say, who comes up to this doctrine; and it is because they trust in the letter

which killeth, and will not come to the spirit, which alone can give life to the soul. Therefore, my dearly beloved friends, I feel my spirit dipped into sympathy with some present, that they may, through the grace of God, be made sensible of their great backsliding. Dont be discouraged, my friends, but remember the testimony of the prophet. "Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon." "Cease to do evil, learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, plead for the widow." We must become just before we can be Christians; and when we come to be just, then "let us come and reason together, saith the Lord: Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land: But if ye refuse and rebel, destruction is your portion."

I want to encourage every one. I want that all should be encouraged, to lay hold on the hope set before us. Have you not given way to your carnal desires long enough? Have you not become sinsick? I should suppose every sinner might say so, who is yet in a sinful state; and that he might determine no longer to bear the sight of them, but plunge himself down into the very dust, with his

face to the footstool of the Lord of heaven and earth. And it may be he would make you wait, as he did me ; that he would enlighten your understanding, and so strengthen you, that you would cry out, Lord, spare not. This is the cry of the sin-sick soul; and he is always ready to bow down, and to do every thing in his power to atone for his faults.

Here comes in the mercy of our adorable God, as set forth by the parable of Jesus, respecting a certain king who went formerly to examine and settle with his servants.

Let us take care, my friends, and consider what this parable means. Let us suppose it to be the King of Heaven settling with us sinners. We read that one servant owed ten thousand talents. This was a very great debt. Is there one sinner present whose transgressions exceed this debt?

Here we see that the mercy of God is above all that the sinner can do, until he hardens himself.

Well now, in order to try him, to see if he was willing to do what he was able to do: "his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made." This was to try him, and to see if he was willing to do all that he could do. Just so in a moral sense, when a man is plunged in debt, to the amount of thousands, more than he has to pay with, his creditors like to try him ;-they want him to be honest, to do the best

he can, to give up all he has honestly, and depend on their generosity to give him back a part, if they please.

But if a debtor is not willing to give all up, they do not forgive him so readily; but when he comes out honestly, and sincerely, and gives all up, where is there a creditor so hard, that, when he sees he has done all he can, will not be willing to forgive him, upon a promise, that if he should ever be able, he will pay the whole debt. I ask, where is there a creditor who would not forgive such a debtor? Well then, if we admire the mercy of the king, which Jesus compares to the Heavenly Father, in forgiving his debtor, how much more shall we admire the mercy of God, who stands always ready to forgive those who sin against him. He commanded that himself, wife and children should be sold, but the servant fell down at his feet and begged that he would have patience, and said that he would pay him all. He had compassion on the servant and forgave him the debt. But let us remember, there is a condition as well on our part, as on the Lord's part. This servant proved himself not a faithful servant; for he found one of his debtors "who owed him a hundred pence; and he laid hands on him, and took him by the throat, saying, pay me that thou owest. And his fellow-servant fell down at his feet and besought him, saying, have patience with me, and

I will pay thee all." But what did he do? He brought the whole debt against him, and cast him into prison until he should pay it.

What excellent instruction is this to us, my friends what adorable mercy was manifested by the king to his servant.

The prodigal also conveys an idea of a gracious God. He is certainly more merciful, ten thousand times more merciful, than man can be, as is shown by the parable of a man who had two sons. This, I believe, may be applied to the children of men. One son had gone out, after he had received his portion, and spent his living among harlots. The other son had staid at home and been dutiful in all things to his father. He never had turned aside or disobeyed him. This carries somewhat of the appearance to my mind, that this was Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the only faithful. In order to explain a little, and bring it to man's understanding: when the prodigal son set out to go to his father, he said, "I will arise and go to my father, and I will say unto him, father, I have sinned against Heaven, and before thee, and am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants. And he arose and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion on him." This is like the moment when we put on a good resolution to return to the Lord; when we are yet a