Mine eyes fail with

thou make an end of me. looking upward: O Lord, I am oppressed ;undertake for me.'

4"And it came to pass before Isaiah was gone out into the middle court, that the word of the Lord came to him, saying; 'Turn again, and tell Hezekiah, the captain of my people: Thus saith the Lord, the God of David thy father; I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears: behold, I will heal thee. On the third day thou shalt go up unto the house of the Lord; and I will add unto thy days fifteen years.'

12 Kings xviii, 14. 2 2 Kings xx, 1. 3 Is. xxxviii, 2, 3, 10-12, 14. 4 2 Kings xx, 4-6.

Exhortation to patience and resignation.

1 "The Lord doth not afflict willingly: therefore, despise not the chastening of the Lord; neither be weary of his correction: for whom the Lord loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.

3 "Take, my brethren, the prophets, who have spoken in the name of the Lord, for an example of suffering affliction, and of patience.Behold, we count them happy who endure.Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord;-that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.

4Tribulation worketh patience; and patience, experience; and experience, hope. And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts, by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. 5 And our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for

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us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal. And I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. 7 For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.

8" The God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you. To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen."

1 Lam. iii, 31, 33. 2 Prov. iii, 11, 12. 3 Jas. v, 10, 52 Cor. iv, 17, 18. 6 Rom. viii, 18. 72 Cor. v, 1.

11. 4 Rom. v, 3-5. 81 Pet. v, 10, 11.

Chapter Second.

THE CHRISTIAN BACKSLIDING.

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Invitation to return to God.

1"THUS saith the Lord; My people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters; and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water. Return, thou backsliding Israel, saith the Lord, and I will not cause mine anger to fall upon you; for I am merciful, saith the Lord, and I will not keep anger for ever; only acknowledge thine iniquity that thou hast transgressed against the Lord thy God.-Return, ye backsliding children, and I will heal your backsliding; turn ye even to me, with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning; and rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the Lord your God. For the Lord upholdeth all that fall, and raiseth up all those that be bowed down; 5 and the Lord will not forsake his people, for his great name's sake."

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1 Jer. ii, 5, 13. 2 Jer. iii, 12, 13, 22. 3 Joel ii, 12, 13. 4 Ps. cxlv, 14. 51 Sam. xii, 22.

Exhortation to confession of sin.

"If any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a

liar, but if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

3"O Israel, return unto the Lord thy God, for thou hast fallen by thine iniquity. Take with you words, and turn to the Lord. Say unto him; 'Take away all iniquity, and receive us graciously. Though our iniquities testify against us, do thou it for thy name's sake; for our backslidings are many-we have sinned against thee.'

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Come, and let us return unto the Lord; for he hath torn, and he will heal us; he hath smitten, and he will bind us up. "Let us search and try our ways, and turn again to the Lord. Let us lift up our heart with our hands unto God in the heavens, for we have transgressed and have rebelled.- Our God is gracious, and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness." 11 John ii, 1. 21 John i, 10, 9. 3 Hos. xiv, 1, 2. 4 Jer. xiv, 7. 5 Hos. vi, 1. 6 Lam. iii, 40-42. 7 Joel ii, 13.

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The prayer of repentance.

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"Out of the depths have I cried unto thee, O Lord. Lord, hear my voice, let thine ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications. If thou Lord shouldst mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand? but there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared. Against thee, thee only have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest. Purge me with hyssop and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter

than snow. Make me to hear joy and gladness, that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice. Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from thy presence, and take not thy Holy Spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free Spirit.

"I have sinned greatly in that I have done; and now, I beseech thee, O Lord, take away the iniquity of thy servant; for I have done very foolishly. Behold, O Lord, for I am in distress; mine heart is turned within me; for I have grievously rebelled. 5 Turn me again,

O God, and cause thy face to shine; and I shall be saved."

1 Ps. cxxx, 1-4. 2 Ps. li, 4, 7-12. 32 Sam. xxiv, 10. Lam. i, 20. 5 Ps. lxxx, 3.

Abundant pardon promised.

1" Thus saith the Lord the King of Israel, and his redeemer the Lord of Hosts; I have blotted out, as a thick cloud, thy transgressions, and as a cloud, thy sins; I will forgive thy iniquity, and I will remember thy sin no more. Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life. Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. For if my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face,

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