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HAVE ME EXCUSED; 
 
 OB, 
 
 A PRACTICAL EXPOSITION 
 
 PARABLE 
 
 GREAT SUPPER. 
 
 BY 
 
 EZRA D. KINNEY, A.M. 
 
 PASTOR OF THE cilURCH IN DARIENj CONN. 
 
 LUKE XIV. 15-24. 
 "A certain man made a great Supper, and bade many." 
 
 i NEW- YORK : 
 
 M. W. DODD, 
 
 BRICK CHURCH CHAPEL, OPPOSITE THE CITY HALL. 
 1846. 
 
Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1346, 
 
 BY EZRA D. KINNEY, A.M. 
 In the Clerk's Office of the District Court for the State of Connecticut. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 PREFACE - - - ',?***.. * -. - - vii 
 To THE READER .... .,..,. ix 
 I. CHRIST ALWAYS DOING GOOD 13 
 II. THOSE WHO RIGHTLY IMPROVE GOSPEL PRI- 
 VILEGES ARE HAPPY - - - 16- 
 
 III. THE GOSPEL SUPPER is GREAT - 19 
 
 IV. WHAT LED CHRIST TO MAKE THIS GREAT 
 
 SUPPER ? 21 
 
 V. MANY INVITED TO THIS GREAT SUPPER 25 
 VI. THE SERVANT WHO CARRIES THE INVITATION 27 
 VII. THE SUPPER is NOW READY '* - - 29 
 VIII. WHY MEN DO NOT COME TO THIS SUPPER 31 
 Sec. 1. Total Depravity not an insurmountable Ob- 
 stacle - - - v ' -- /:: :V/ -*'' ;'- *' 31 
 " 2. God's Purposes no insurmountable Obstacle 33 
 3. Election not in the Way ... 35 
 " 4. None need be Excluded by Reprobation 37 
 " 5. Men can come to the Great Supper - 38 
 " 6. Regeneration does not debar from the Sup- 
 per - ... - - - 41 
 " 7. Evil men and Satan cannot keep others from 
 
 the Supper 42 
 
 " 8. Men need the Provisions of the Great Sup- 
 per .......44 
 
 " 9. A want of Room keeps none Away . - 46 
 
 '* 10. No want of Provisions .... 47 
 
IV CONTENTS. 
 
 Sec. It. None Stay away for want of an Invitation 49 
 
 " 12. All would be Welcomed to the Supper - 50 
 " 13. Sinners stay away from the Feast for want 
 
 of Appetite - .... 52 
 " 14. Sinners are unwilling to have an Appetite 
 
 for this Supper - 3^- ' * *- 54 
 " 15. Sinners don't like the Terms of Admission 56 
 " 16. Sinners don't like God's People - * 58 
 " 17. Sinners don't love God .... 61 
 " IS. Sinners think they can do without the Gos- 
 pel Supper .... .f 62 
 " 19. Some think all will Enjoy the Supper uncon- 
 ditionally - > - - - -64 
 " 20. Some delay coming because they Hope the 
 
 Supper will be kept waiting for Them 66 
 
 IX. SINNERS EXCUSE THEMSELVES FOR NOT 
 
 COMING TO THE GREAT SUPPER - 68 
 
 Sec. 1. A new Purchase of Land lay in the Way 69 
 " 2. Oxen a Hindrance ----- 71 
 " 3. A wife is a Hindrance ... 74 
 
 " 4. I don't know that the Bible is True - - 75 
 " 5. Universalism a Hindrance to Salvation 78 
 
 " 6. The Moralist's Religion hinders his Salvation 89 
 7. A cavil about Original Sin made a Hindrance 99 
 " 8. Too Young to be a good Christian - 101 
 
 " 9. Religion would make me less Happy - 108 
 " 10. The Fear of Man is a Snare - - - 112 
 " 11. Inconsistent Professors are a Stumbling Block 115 
 " 12. No notion of being Scared into Religion - 120 
 " 13. How came Sin into the World ? - - 125 
 " 14. I want to wait for others' Halting - 128 
 
 " 15. If I begin, I can't finish - - - - 131 
 
CONTENTS. V 
 
 Sec. 16. My Business and Religion would not Agree 135 
 " 17. Many Cares and no Time - 139 
 " 18. Religion would ruin my Property and Repu- 
 tation - - - - - - - 144 
 
 ' 19. Prayers, an Abomination ... 149 
 
 " 20. I'll be no Hypocrite , ^ v r , - - - 152 
 
 " 21. Not enough Convicted .... 155 
 
 " 22. Religion not for Me 160 
 
 " 23. The thought of Repentance Painful - 163 
 
 " 24. Religion don't come at one's beck - - 165 
 
 " 25. Waiting God's time - - . - - 168 
 " 26. If the Thief found Mercy at last, why may 
 
 not I? 172 
 
 " 27. If I am to be Saved, I shall be Saved - 176 
 
 " 28. I don't Believe in Hurrying - - - 181 
 
 29. The Eleventh Hour - - 185 
 
 " 30. I have a Hope ...... 190 
 
 " 31. I Mean to live Differently ... 194 
 
 " 32. I have a Good Mind to undertake it - - 198 
 
 " 33. I don't like to Pledge myself - ^ - 201 
 
 " 34. I can't do any thing - - - - - 205 
 
 " 35. There are so many Denominations . 210 
 
 36. I can't get Religion - - - - - 212 
 
 X. THE SERVANT MAKES HIS REPORT TO THE 
 
 MASTER - -*- - - 216 
 XI. THE MASTER is ANGRY AT THE EVIL RE- 
 PORT 219 
 
 XII. THE MASTER DETERMINES TO SUPPLY HIS 
 
 SUPPER WITH GUESTS ... 222 
 
 XIII. THE SERVANT DOES AS COMMANDED 225 
 
 XIV. YET THERE is ROOM 226 
 XV. THE BLESSINGS OF THE FEAST TO BE URGED 
 
 UPON ALL ...... 228 
 
VI CONTENTS. 
 
 XVI. THE SEATS MUST ALL BE OCCUPIED - 230 
 
 XVII. COMPEL THEM TO COME IN - - - 231 
 XVIII. THE MASTER CAN DO WITHOUT THOSE WHO 
 
 WILL NOT COME ----- 233 
 
 CONCLUSION. 
 
 1. The Kindness and Benevolence of God - 235 
 
 2. The Folly of Mankind 236 
 
 3. The Ingratitude of Men 237 
 
 4. The Distinguishing Grace of God - - - 238 
 
 5. God's Justice in the Doom of the Ungodly 241 
 
 6. Sinners will have Bitter Reflections in Hell 242 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 ALTHOUGH the author has been in the habit, for many 
 years^of furnishing matter for the periodical press, yet this 
 is his first effort at book making. And he does not make 
 this book in consequence of thinking that there are not 
 many, who have never written a book, that are far better 
 qualified than himself for such a task. The train of cir- 
 cumstances which have led to this undertaking, is the fol- 
 lowing : While the author was engaged in school-keeping, 
 in a mountain town of Vermont, during vacation in col- 
 lege, the late Rev. Abraham Baldwin, who was then la- 
 bouring as a missionary in a neighbouring town, preached 
 a lecture one evening in his school-house from the text, 
 " And they all, with one consent, began to make excuse." 
 That lecture may be called the germ of this little book. 
 During the author's ministry of twenty years, he has learn- 
 ed from personal experience, that every impenitent person 
 has something in the shape of an excuse, which is prevent- 
 ing his conversion. He has been led, on this account, to 
 note down, and refute, very many of these excuses in his 
 public discourses. It has been the author's delightful pri- 
 vilege to have more or less to do in about fifty revivals, in 
 which some twelve or fifteen hundred souls have profess- 
 ed an interest in the Lord Jesus Christ. He has found, 
 that the Lord has often seen fit to make many of the 
 

 Vlll PREFACE. 
 
 thoughts contained in this book, the means of awakening 
 the unconverted, and of leading them to look to the Lamb 
 of God for salvation. It was this consideration, and the 
 hope that what God had blessed when preached, he would 
 also bless whea read, which have induced him to think of 
 publishing. 
 
 The author has not attempted to make a book for the 
 fastidious, or the learned ; but for " the wayfaring man ;" 
 the simple-hearted, and the child. He has sought to clothe 
 his thoughts in a plain, every-day, Anglo-Saxon dress. If 
 he can make the unlearned and the ignorant understand his 
 meaning, he has no fears but others will understand it also. 
 
 The author would embrace this opportunity to express 
 his grateful sense of obligation to those personal friends 
 and others, who have been so kind as to subscribe for his 
 book, before he sent it to the publisher. While some of 
 the members of his own church, and some who profess to 
 have been converted in connection with his unworthy la- 
 bours, have said to himself or his agent, " Have me ex- 
 cused" you have stepped forward and lent him a helping 
 hand, without which his book would never have seen the 
 light. Whether it will be for better, or for worse, that you 
 have caused it to be printed and read, the judgment-day 
 will disclose. The author would take his farewell by ask- 
 ing you to unite your prayers with his, that this little vol- 
 ume may be made the means of salvation to many souls. 
 
 E. D. K. 
 
 DARIEN, Conn., Nov. 2, 1846. 
 
TO THE READER. 
 
 ARE you a professor of the religion of Christ ? 
 This book will give you many hints, and present 
 before you many motives in regard to Christian 
 duty. If you are in doubt as to your eternal pros- 
 pects, here you will find truths and considerations, 
 which will assist you in understanding your true 
 character. If you are desirous of rendering your- 
 self useful in your intercourse with your fellow 
 men, here you will see how our Divine Master 
 conducted under the different circumstances of life, 
 when he was setting us an example that we should 
 follow. Do you wish to be instrumental in win- 
 
X TO THE READER. 
 
 ning souls to Christ, and in converting sinners 
 from the error of their ways, this book will furnish 
 you with reasons, persuasions, and arguments, with 
 which to meet the difficulties, and objections, and 
 cavils, and excuses of different classes of uncon- 
 verted persons. Seldom will you meet with an 
 impenitent sinner, whose excuse for not being a 
 Christian is not here shown to be groundless, and 
 unwise, and unsafe. Carry this book with you for 
 reference, until its arguments are familiar. God 
 has often blessed these truths to the conversion of 
 souls, and he doubtless will bless them again. 
 When you employ them to remove the excuses of 
 the ungodly, always do it with fervent prayer, that 
 the Holy Spirit would use the truth, as the fire and 
 the hammer, in breaking the rock in pieces. 
 
 Reader, are you an unconverted person ? Are 
 you living without prayer, and without satisfactory 
 evidence, that you have been born of the Holy Spi- 
 rit, and that old things are done away, and that all 
 
TO THE READER. xi 
 
 things have become new ? This book was written 
 for your special benefit. It has been the writer's 
 aim, from the beginning to the end, to promote your 
 welfare. He has written it with an irrepressible 
 anxiety, that you might spend your eternal exist- 
 ence among the happy ones who surround the 
 throne of God, and the Lamb, in the upper world. 
 He has endeavoured to find out the excuse, which is 
 leading you to expose your eternal interests, by ne- 
 glecting the great, the glorious, the only salvation 
 for lost men. Do, I pray you, read this book with 
 seriousness, with candour, with prayer. If you 
 find the excuse, which you have harboured, or ex- 
 pressed, for not being a Christian, weigh well and 
 thoughtfully the answer, which the writer has given 
 to it. I would not advise you to sit down and read 
 this book through, at once, or on the same day ; 
 but read a Chapter, or a Section, at a time, and 
 ponder on what you read. Read over the contents 
 of the book, and if you see one subject, more than 
 
Xii TO THE READER. 
 
 another, suited to your case, turn to that and give 
 it a careful consideration. If you really desire to 
 become a Christian, you cannot fail of becoming 
 one, if you follow the advice, given in different 
 forms, in various parts of this book. That the 
 reading of this book, may result in your salvation 
 from sin and hell, and in promoting your happiness 
 and usefulness in your day and generation, is the 
 earnest prayer of the AUTHOR. 
 
THE GREAT SUPPER. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 CHRIST ALWAYS DOING GOOD. 
 
 WHEN our blessed Saviour was visibly on 
 earth, he " went about doing good" He lost 
 no time. He said : " I must work the work of 
 Him that sent me, while it is day, for the night 
 cometh in which no man can work." We find 
 him always busy, and busy too, in his own ap- 
 propriate work. His mind was fixed upon one 
 great object, and he never lost sight of it. That 
 object was the glory of God in the happiness of 
 mankind. If we accompany him to scenes of 
 affliction, we find him imparting health to the 
 sick ; strength, to the feeble ; soundness, to the 
 maimed ; mental vigour, to the insane ; life, to 
 the dead ; and, comfort, to the sorrowful. Be- 
 hold him, weary and thirsty, at Jacob's well. 
 "While his disciples are gone to buy provisions 
 2 
 
14 THE GREAT SUPPER. 
 
 at the neighbouring village, we find the Sa- 
 viour, instead of refreshing himself with gentle 
 slumber under the cooling shade, engaged in the 
 most interesting conversation with a dissolute 
 woman, who came to draw water. He sought, 
 and procured her conversion, and, through her, 
 the conversion of many of her townsmen. If 
 we drop in at the house of Lazarus, as our 
 Lord stops for a social call, we find his conver- 
 sation so attractive and heavenly, that the err- 
 ing Mary is drawn from her wonted avocations 
 to sit at his feet, and hear his words. Or, if we 
 take a short journey to Emmaus, Christ will 
 " talk with us by the way, and open to us the 
 Scriptures." Or, should we accompany him as 
 he calls to dine with one of the chief Pharisees, 
 we should hear him pouring forth divine truth 
 to the different classes present, with an elo- 
 quence, which burns like fire on the consciences 
 of the ungodly, and which attracts the admir- 
 ing gaze of the whole audience. Wherever he 
 was, whether he ate, or drank, or whatever he 
 did, he did all things to the glory of God. When 
 he was partaking of his daily bread, he did not 
 seek his own gratification or profit, but he ever 
 sought the profit of those who were with him. 
 Even on such occasions, he improved the time 
 
CHRIST ALWAYS DOING GOOD. 15 
 
 in comforting the penitent, in rebuking the self- 
 righteous and the proud, in animating the de- 
 jected, and in imparting instruction to the 
 whole company. 
 
 Christians should learn from Him, whose 
 name they bear, to employ their time, their tal- 
 ents, their opportunities, particularly their 
 tongues, in promoting the edification, and the 
 salvation of mankind. Let them do their part 
 in introducing, and carrying on, profitable con- 
 versation. Let them ever keep in mind that 
 they are Christ's representatives in this world, 
 and that they ought to do, under all circum- 
 stances, as far as it is consistent and possible, 
 and proper for them to do, whatever they have 
 reason to think the Saviour would do, if he 
 were there acting for himself. 
 
CHAPTER II. 
 
 THOSE WHO RIGHTLY IMPROVE GOSPEL PRIVILEGES 
 ARE HAPPY. 
 
 As our Divine Master was charming the mul- 
 titude who were listening to his edifying dis- 
 course, one of his hearers said unto him, 
 " Blessed is he that shall eat bread in the king- 
 dom of God." It is a very precious privilege 
 to be allowed to enter the visible Church as a 
 worthy member. Those, who have evidence 
 that their sins have been forgiven, deprive them- 
 selves of much true happiness, if they remain 
 out of the visible kingdom of heaven the 
 Church. God says to such, " Come ye out from 
 among them and be ye separate, and touch not 
 the unclean thing, and I will receive you, and 
 will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my 
 sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty." 
 If Christ has a visible Church in this world, who 
 should unite with it, and help add to its beauty 
 and prosperity, if not those whose sins he has 
 graciously forgiven ? The Church was institu- 
 
THE OBEDIENT ARE HAPPY. 17 
 
 ted on purpose for them. It is to them he says, 
 " Eat, O friends ; drink, yea, drink abundantly, 
 O beloved." After our Lord had instituted his 
 Supper, he said to all who love him, "Eat, 
 drink, this is my body broken, this is rny blood 
 shed, THIS DO in remembrance of me" It is 
 not enough that we reme?nber Christ. He 
 commands us to do something in remembrance 
 of him, to DO THIS. Every friend of Jesus 
 should, therefore, feel himself obliged to unite 
 with the visible Church, and partake of the 
 Lord's Supper in remembrance of him. Blessed 
 is he that is a worthy partaker of the sacraments 
 of the Church that thus eats bread in the 
 kingdom of God. He finds the ordinances of 
 the Gospel to be food for his spiritual nature. 
 Conscious obedience brings peace of mind, and 
 joy in the Holy Ghost. Cheerful obedience al- 
 ways imparts comfort. Said a pious physician, 
 " The day on which I united with the Church, 
 and received the sacraments of baptism and the 
 Lord's Supper, was the happiest day of my 
 life." Multitudes can testify from similar ex- 
 perience, that he who eats bread in the king- 
 dom of God is happy is blessed. If this lit- 
 tle book falls into the hands of a delaying con- 
 vert of one who has tasted that the Lord is 
 2* 
 
18 THE GREAT SUPPER. 
 
 gracious, but has not offered himself to become 
 a member of the visible Church let him be en- 
 treated by a regard to his own happiness, by a 
 regard to the prosperity of Zion, and by a re- 
 gard to Christ's command and God's glory, to 
 delay no longer. " Blessed is he that shall eat 
 bread in the kingdom of God." TRY IT. 
 
THE GOSPEL SUPPER IS GREAT. 
 
 THEN Christ replied to the man, who had 
 said, Blessed is he that shall eat bread in the 
 kingdom of God, " A certain man made a great 
 Supper, and bade many." This certain man 
 who made the Supper is none other than CHRIST 
 himself* By his sufferings and death he has 
 made provisions for the spiritual wants of the 
 human family. 
 
 The Supper which he has provided is a great 
 Supper. It is sufficient to satisfy the necessities 
 of & famishing world. Jews and Gentiles, the 
 rich and the poor, the honoured and the dis- 
 honoured, the learned and the ignorant, the 
 free and the bond, the white and the black 
 all men of every nation, of every complexion, 
 of every variety of character all, all may find 
 in this Supper an abundant supply for all their 
 wants. 
 
 Yes, truly, the Supper is GREAT ; greater than 
 could be furnished by any rich man, or all the 
 
xSU THE GREAT SUPPER. 
 
 rich men in the world united ; greater than 
 would be made by the slaughter of all the flocks 
 and herds, and fowls and fish of the earth, the 
 air, and the waters of this terrestrial globe ; 
 greater than could be procured by all the wis- 
 dom and wealth and power of all created be- 
 ings in the universe. Yes, the Gospel Supper 
 is GREAT ; so great, that none but GOD, with 
 all the resources of the universe at command, 
 could bear its heavy expenses, or furnish its in- 
 finite entertainments ; so great, that it is said 
 to have impoverished even the Son of God him- 
 self. Says the apostle Paul, " For ye know 
 the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though 
 he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, 
 that ye, through his poverty, might be rich." 
 
 Reader, stop and admire the infinite compas- 
 sion and love of God, which led him to lay out 
 so much for his enemies ! Will you not give 
 him your heart ? Will you not hasten to par- 
 take of this great Supper ? 
 
CHAPTER IV. 
 
 WHAT LED CHRIST TO MAKE THIS GREAT SUPPER? 
 
 WHAT could induce the Son of God to pro- 
 vide such a Supper, when he knew that it must 
 cost his heart's blood ? Was it to get to him- 
 self a name ? Men are willing, sometimes, to 
 go beyond their incomes, and even to go to the 
 utmost limit of their property, to provide enter* 
 tainments, or to relieve the poor and needy, 
 that they may thereby gain a name. But this 
 was' not the motive of our blessed Saviour. 
 When he was about coming into this world to 
 provide the Gospel Supper, he said to the Father, 
 '^Lo, I come to do thy will, O God." And 
 whilst he was upon earth he testified that he 
 sought not his own glory, but the glory of the 
 Father. His motive, therefore, was not a name, 
 although by furnishing this great Supper, " he 
 hath received of the Father a name, which is 
 above every name." That name is JESUS. 
 " At the name of Jesus every knee shall bow, 
 
22 THE GREAT SUPPER. 
 
 of things in heaven, of things in earth, and of 
 things under the earth, and every tongue shall 
 confess that HE is LORD, to the glory of God 
 the Father." 
 
 What, then, did lead the Son of God to make 
 this Supper ? Was it to make God merciful 7 
 God has always been " merciful and gracious ; 
 slow to anger, and plenteous in mercies." Was 
 it because men were of such vast importance 
 in God's estimation, that the loss could not be 
 made up to the universe, if they were suffered 
 to perish without an effort to save them ? No, 
 God, by a word, could have annihilated this 
 world, with ail its guilty inhabitants, and made 
 a larger and better world to fill its place, and a 
 better race of intelligent beings to inhabit it. 
 Did Christ procure this Supper for men, in con- 
 sequence of their deserving any good at his 
 hand ? They deserved evil, and only evil, from 
 >Jie Lord, because they were constantly rebel- 
 ling against him. Did he provide this feast of 
 fat things, because God could not be just in 
 permitting men to perish in their sins, without 
 this effort to save them ? If God is just in 
 dealing with fallen angels as he does, then 
 would he also have been just, had he left our 
 
WHY CHRIST MADE THE SUPPER. 23 
 
 guilty race under the penalty of his law, with- 
 out making any provision for their pardon. 
 
 Why, then, was this Supper made ? It was, 
 that God might consistently show mercy to 
 those of mankind, who would come and par- 
 take of this royal feast. In other words, it was 
 " that God might be just, and the justifier of 
 him who believeth in Jesus." The wonder 
 among intelligent beings was, (not, how God 
 can be just and damn the ungodly, but) how 
 God can be just and not damn rebellious men. 
 But the Gospel provisions have solved this diffi- 
 culty. The universe now see the propriety of 
 God's accepting of this costly Supper, in the 
 place of the deserved sufferings of all those, 
 who can be induced to come and partake of it. 
 These provisions have rendered it consistent 
 with God's justice to pardon, and save, all those 
 who repent and believe in Christ. "God so 
 loved the world, that he gave his only begotten 
 Son, that whosoever believeth in him might not 
 perish, but have everlasting life." 
 
 Yes, dear reader, Christ died to remove a le- 
 gal obstruction to our salvation. For us, he 
 groaned and died. Without his death, we all 
 must have perished for ever. If Christ had not 
 
THE GREAT SUPPER. 
 
 ^htyfj^ 1 * 1 ^' 6Ven theA1 - 
 we, then, 
 for him ? 
 
 s, even te - 
 
 ghty God could not consistently save us. Can 
 then love Christ too much, or do too mu ch 
 
 " Love, so amazing, so divine, 
 Demands my soul, my life, my all.' 
 
CHAPTER V. 
 
 MANY INVITED TO THIS GREAT SUPPER. 
 
 OUR Divine Saviour has not only made this 
 costly Supper, but he has also bidden many of 
 our fallen and guilty race to come and partake 
 of it. And how many has he bidden ? He 
 has bidden " all those who labour, and are hea- 
 vy laden." He has invited all who hunger and 
 thirst. " If any man thirst, let him come." 
 " Let him that is a thirst, come." " Ho, every 
 one that thirsteth ; come ye to the waters ; and 
 he that hath no money : Come ye, buy and 
 eat ; yea, come, buy wine and milk without 
 money, and without price. Wherefore do ye 
 spend money for that which is not bread ? and 
 your labour for that which satisfieth not? 
 hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that 
 which is good, and let your soul delight itself in 
 fatness." Yes, Christ has bidden many. He 
 says : " Look unto me, all the ends of the 
 earth, and be ye saved." He has bidden you 
 3 
 
26 THE GREAT SUPPER. 
 
 and me, my dear reader, to come and eat of 
 this great and costly Supper. He is now say- 
 ing to us : " Unto you, O men, I call, and my 
 voice is to the sons of man : hear instruction, 
 and be wise. Blessed is the man that heareth 
 me, watching daily at my gates. For whoso 
 findeth me, findeth life, and shall obtain favour 
 of the Lord. But he that sinneth against me, 
 wrongeth his own soul." If Christ has kindly 
 invited you to this heavenly feast, will you not 
 now accept his invitation ? 
 
CHAPTER VI. 
 
 THE SERVANT WHO CARRIES THE INVITATION. 
 
 THE one who made this Supper, sent his ser- 
 vant at supper time to invite the guests. Our 
 blessed Saviour, when here on earth, sent out 
 his disciples to all the cities and villages, 
 whither he himself would come. And when 
 he was about leaving this world, he said to his 
 Apostles : " Go ye into all the world, and 
 preach the Gospel to every creature." "It 
 pleases the Lord, by the foolishness of preach- 
 ing, to save them that believe." The Gospel 
 minister, is the servant, whom Christ has sent 
 out to invite men to this great Supper. Every 
 Gospel sermon, is an invitation to sinners to 
 come and share the blessings of divine grace. 
 
 The minister, (a word which means servant,) 
 preaches the word publicly, and from house to 
 house. He warns, reproves, and entreats his 
 fellow men to come to Christ for salvation. He, 
 in effect, says to them : 
 
350 THE GREAT SUPPER. 
 
 " Eternal Wisdom hath prepared 
 
 A soul-reviving feast, 
 And bids your longing appetites 
 
 The rich provision taste." 
 
 But not only is the minister authorized to 
 invite men to this Supper, but, " let him also 
 that heareth, say, Come." Every Christian is 
 authorized, and commanded, to use his influ- 
 ence to bring men to a knowledge of the truth. 
 Christ says to them all : " Go, work to-day, in 
 my vineyard." The pious parent and child, 
 brother and sister, husband and wife, teacher 
 and scholar, Bible agent and Tract agent, every 
 one, who has freely received the grace of God, 
 is commanded to impart it freely to others. 
 You, my reader, should not only come to this 
 Supper yourself, but should affectionately invite 
 all around you to come likewise. Have you 
 heard the Gospel ? then say to others, Come. If 
 you are Christ's servant, then do the work of 
 his servant. He expects every Christian to do 
 his duty. Will YOU try to win some soul to 
 Christ ? 
 
CHAPTER YIL 
 
 THE SUPPER IS NOW READY. 
 
 THE servant was sent to the multitudes who 
 were bidden, to remind them that it was supper 
 time, and to assure them that all things were 
 ready, and to urge them at once to come. Thus, 
 ministers and Christians, are to inform their 
 dying fellow-men, that the way of salvation is 
 now open ; that all things are now ready, on 
 God's part ; that the great Supper, which repre- 
 sents the abundant provisions of the Gospel, is 
 now ready. And they are kindly, and sincere- 
 ly, and affectionately to invite them to come, 
 because all things are now ready. The ser- 
 vants of Christ, do this publicly and privately, 
 early and late, night and day. They urge men 
 to come in the name of the Great Master, who 
 has provided the Supper. They assure them 
 that " the oxen and the fatlings are killed, and 
 that all things are now ready? They tell 
 them, that God the Father is ready to pardon 
 the sins of all who come to this Supper ; that 
 3* 
 
30 THE GREAT SUPPER. 
 
 God the Son, is ready to receive as his friends 
 and followers, all who are induced to come ; 
 and, that God the Holy Spirit, is ready to renew 
 the hearts, and sanctify and comfort the souls 
 of all who come ; and that saints and angels, 
 are ready to rejoice, when they see sinners com- 
 ing to this Supper. 
 
 My unconverted reader, do you realize that 
 there is now, nothing in the way of your salva- 
 tion, but yourself ? This Gospel Supper is rea- 
 dy for you, as well as for others. It is the only 
 provision that will ever be made for your salva- 
 tion. God asks : " What more could have been 
 done to my vineyard, that I have not done in 
 it ? " You need not expect him to do more for 
 you. Will you not, then, " work out your sal- 
 vation with fear and trembling ? for it is God 
 who worketh in you to will and to do, of his 
 good pleasure." 
 
CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 WHY MEN DO NOT COME TO THIS SUPPER. 
 
 IF all things are now ready, and all Gospel 
 sinners are invited to this great Supper, why 
 do they not come ? 
 
 It is not because there is any insurmountable 
 obstacle in their way. 
 
 SECTION I. 
 Total depravity not an insurmountable obstacle. 
 
 SOME have thought, that total depravity is 
 an insurmountable obstacle, in the way of sin- 
 ners coming to this Supper. Men are subjects 
 of this kind of depravity, Avho are dead in tres- 
 passes and sins. And this is the character of 
 all unconverted men. But this depravity, as 
 great and dreadful as it is, does not destroy the 
 power of doing right. Men, who are thus de- 
 praved, are as really free moral agents, as Chris- 
 
32 THE GREAT SUPPER. 
 
 tians are. God speaks to them, and of them, 
 as though he considered them as capable of 
 choosing the good, and refusing the evil, as holy 
 beings are. He says to them : " Wash you ; 
 make you clean ; put away the evil of your 
 doings from before mine eyes ; cease to do evil ; 
 learn to do well." And again : " Cast away 
 from you all your transgressions, whereby ye 
 have transgressed ; and make you a new heart, 
 and a new spirit ; for why will ye die ?" And 
 again : " Turn ye, turn ye, for why will ye 
 die?" 
 
 God says of sinners : " Oh, that they were 
 wise ; that they understood this ; that they 
 would consider their latter end." Now, if God 
 is honest in these and similar passages of Scrip- 
 ture, (and who dares question hig honesty ?) 
 then, it seems evident that he considers men as 
 naturally able to obey his voice, and come to 
 the Gospel Supper ; as able to " break off their 
 sins by righteousness, and their iniquities by 
 turning unto him." And it is further evident, 
 that men, while under the power of total de- 
 pravity, lack no essential ability to repent and 
 believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, from the fact 
 that when they see their sins, they always feel 
 guilty for having committed them, and guilty 
 
for not being Christians. They would not feel 
 condemned and guilty, if they believed that they 
 had no power to do otherwise than they have 
 done, and are doing. 
 
 No, my impenitent reader, you will find that, 
 as soon as you are disposed to forsake your sins, 
 and love and obey the Lord Jesus Christ, your 
 depravity presents no insurmountable obstacle 
 in the way of your coming to the Gospel Supper. 
 
 SECTION II. 
 GocFs purposes no insurmountable obstacle. 
 
 SOME suppose, that God's purposes prevent 
 sinners embracing the Saviour. That God has 
 purposes, or decrees, by which he regulates his 
 own conduct, the Bible makes it perfectly man- 
 ifest. We find in the Scriptures, expressions 
 like the following : " Who are the called, ac- 
 cording to his purpose?" "According to the 
 purpose of Him who worketh all things after 
 the counsel of his own will." " This is the 
 decree of the Most High, which is come upon 
 my lord, the king." Now, while it is clear that 
 God has decrees, or purposes, according to which 
 
34 THE GREAT SUPPER. 
 
 he works all things, there is not a particle of 
 evidence that his purposes or decrees have ever 
 prevented, or will ever prevent one person from 
 coming to the Gospel Supper. If the Bible does 
 teach that God has decrees, it also as plainly 
 teaches that men are free and accountable 
 agents, possessed of all the ability necessary to 
 bring them to Christ and to heaven ; and that 
 all will be saved, who are disposed to obey God. 
 The decrees of God, will never shut one out of 
 heaven, who repents and believes the Gospel. 
 Neither will the Divine purpose (unless it be by 
 perversion), ever prevent any one from repent- 
 ing and believing. Those, therefore, who make 
 God's decrees the occasion of their cavilling, 
 and delaying, and refusing to partake of this 
 great Supper, will be found among the " un- 
 learned and unstable," spoken of by the Apos- 
 tle Peter, who " wrest the Scriptures to their 
 own destruction." The decree of God does not 
 prevent their salvation, but they make the doc- 
 trine of the divine decrees the occasion of their 
 own damnation. If men would be wise, they 
 would not be meddling with "secret things, 
 which belong to God ;" but, would act in reli- 
 gious matters, with as much judgment and rea- 
 son, as they do in worldly things. The farmer 
 
ELECTION NOT IN THE WAY. 35 
 
 does not stop to puzzle himself, or others, with 
 the inquiry, whether it is decreed that he shall 
 have a crop, but goes forward in preparing his 
 ground, and sowing his seed ; and if he has a 
 crop, well ; and if not, he has the satisfaction of 
 thinking, that he has done his part. If men 
 will be as wise in spiritual things ; that is, if 
 they will do their part do their duty no de- 
 cree of God would shut them out of heaven, or 
 prevent their coming to the Gospel Supper, 
 dear reader, will you try it ? jd%&&- ' 
 
 ff TB 
 
 UNIVERSITY 
 
 SECTION III. 
 Election not in the way. 
 
 MANY have argued that the doctrine of Elec- 
 tion stands in the way of some sinners, to pre- 
 vent their coming to this Supper. Though 
 the Bible assures us " that the purpose of God 
 according to election shall stand"; and that 
 " as many as were ordained to eternal life, in 
 Antioch, believed ;" and that Christ's people are 
 " elect according to the fore-knowledge of God 
 the Father ;" yet it nowhere intimates that 
 election prevents any of our race from becoming 1 
 
36 THE GREAT SUPPER. 
 
 Christians. Whom does election shut out from 
 the privileges of Christ's kingdom? Not the 
 elect, surely. Whom then? The non-elect? 
 By no means. Election simply makes it cer- 
 tain that the Great Master of the feast shall 
 have a good number of guests to partake of his 
 Supper. It makes it certain that some will 
 come, but it hinders no one. The Supper is 
 large enough for all. All are alike sincerely 
 invited. All have the necessary natural abili- 
 ties to accept the invitation. And all are, by 
 nature, unwilling to come. Election secures 
 the attendance of some. It makes it certain 
 that " Christ's people shall be willing in the day 
 of his power." Now, the certainty, that " all 
 that the Father has given to Christ, shall come 
 to him," need not prevent others coming. If 
 the way is open for all, and the invitation given 
 to all, and all possess the ability to accept the 
 invitation, then surely the fact of God's leading 
 some to accept the invitation, can have no re- 
 pelling influence on others. Christ says, Who- 
 soever will, let him take the water of life freely. 
 If therefore all do not come to this great Sup- 
 per, it is not the fault of election. The reason 
 all do not come, is not that they were of the 
 non-elect. My reader, instead of troubling 
 
REPROBATION NEED PREVENT NO ONE. 37 
 
 yourself about the question, Am I one of the 
 elect? "rather give diligence to make your 
 calling and your election sure" 
 
 SECTION IV, 
 None need be excluded by reprobation. 
 
 IT has been supposed that, if election does 
 not shut some out of the kingdom of heaven, 
 reprobation does. Perhaps it does. But if it 
 does, who is to blame ? Let us see who are 
 reprobates., and why they are reprobated, and 
 then we shall see who is to blame. In Jere- 
 miah vi. 30, we read, " Reprobate silver shall 
 men call them, because the Lord has rejected 
 them." But why are they reprobates, and why 
 has the Lord rejected them ? The 28th verse 
 informs us : " They are all grievous revolters, 
 walking with slanders : they are corrupters." 
 They were, then, rejected and reprobated be- 
 cause of their own grievous wickedness. And 
 this is doubtless the case with all reprobates. 
 In 2 Tim. iii. 8, we read, " Men of corrupt 
 minds, reprobate concerning the faith ;" and in 
 Titus i. 16, "They profess that they know 
 God ; but in works they deny him, being aborn- 
 4 
 
38 THE GREAT SUPPER. 
 
 inable, and disobedient, and unto every good 
 work reprobate" These texts give us a fair 
 view of the Scripture doctrine of reprobation. 
 And we see that. God is not to blame for men's 
 being reprobates. No man, who does his duty 
 who does as well as he can will ever be re- 
 probated. If men are reprobates, it is because 
 they are abominable, and disobedient, and hypo- 
 critical. They are the guilty causes of their 
 own reprobation. 
 
 My dear reader, you need have no fears of 
 reprobation, if you will forsake " all ungodliness 
 and worldly lusts, and live soberly and right- 
 eously and godly in the world." 
 
 SECTION V. 
 Men CAN come to the Great Supper. 
 
 SOME have supposed that men have by 
 nature, no ability to come to the Gospel Supper, 
 and that their inability is an insurmountable 
 obstacle in their way. But it is manifest from 
 the whole account of this Supper, and from the 
 manner in which those were treated who did 
 not accept the invitation, (see verse 24th,) that 
 
NATURAL INABILITY DON J T PREVENT. 39 
 
 all the inability under which any of those, who 
 were bidden, laboured, was the inability spoken 
 of by one of them in the 20th verse. He said, 
 "I have married a wife, and, therefore, / can- 
 not come." This was the only one of all those, 
 that were invited, who pretended to be kept 
 back by inability. And who will believe that 
 his inability would have been an insurmounta- 
 ble obstacle in the way of his coming, if he had 
 only been strongly disposed to come, and had 
 made his calculations accordingly ? And yet, 
 the inability of this man is the only inability 
 spoken of in the Bible, which prevents sinners 
 from enjoying the rich and sumptuous provi- 
 sions of the Gospel. Our blessed Saviour ex- 
 pressed this inability in somewhat different lan- 
 guage. Instead of saying ye cannot, like the 
 man who had married a wife, He said, " Ye 
 will not come to me, that ye might have life." 
 The sinner manifests his disinclination to reli- 
 gion, and to coming to the Gospel Supper, by 
 saying, " I cannot," or " I can't" just as the un- 
 dutiful child expresses his disinclination to doing 
 what he does not want to do. But Christ calls 
 things by their right names. He intimates 
 that it is not so much a can not as a will not, 
 that keeps sinners from coming to him for sal- 
 
40 THE GREAT SUPPER. 
 
 vation. This inability, whether we call it can 
 not, or will not, is no obstacle in the sinner's 
 way, when he really desires and determines to 
 come to this great Supper. If men were desti- 
 tute of the power of choice, and of the attributes 
 of free agency, (which is not the case,) then 
 they could not come to the Gospel Supper, 
 though ever so urgently invited ; and then too 
 the Lord Jesus w r ould be unreasonable for in- 
 viting them, and for being angry with them for 
 not coming, and for declaring that " none of 
 those men which were bidden, should taste of 
 his Supper." We must, therefore, come to the 
 conclusion that sinners labour under no inabil- 
 ity which need prevent their coming to Christ 
 at once, or which will excuse them, for a mo- 
 ment, for not being Christians. 
 
 Do you say, my reader, that you want to be 
 a Christian, and have tried to come to Christ 
 but could not find him ? You have made a 
 mistake somewhere in your efforts for religion. 
 God says, " Ye shall seek me, and find me, 
 when ye search for me, WITH ALL YOUR 
 HEART." Instead of seeking the Lord, you 
 have been seeking your own happiness and 
 comfort. Or, if you have sought the Lord, you 
 have not done it with all your heart. 
 
REGENERATION DON ? T HINDER. 41 
 
 i 
 
 SECTION VI. 
 
 Regeneration does not debar from the Supper. 
 
 IT is thought by some that the doctrine of 
 regeneration by the Holy Ghost, lies in the way 
 of sinners coming to this Gospel Feast. Re- 
 generation is the term which expresses the work 
 that God performs on the heart of man, when 
 he becomes a new creature. In becoming new 
 creatures, men " work out their own salvation 
 with fear and trembling, while God works in 
 them to will and to do, of his good pleasure." 
 In becoming pious, it is enough for men to do 
 their own work. They are not required to do 
 God^s work. He is always ready to do that 
 himself. "As many as receive Christ, to them 
 he gives power, (or right, or privilege,) to be- 
 come the sons of God, even to them that believe 
 on his name : which are born, not of blood, nor 
 of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, 
 but of God." When people thus receive Christ, 
 by believing on his name, they are regenerated, 
 they are new creatures. They now love and 
 obey God. They now trust in Christ alone for 
 salvation. They now hate sin, and forsake the 
 ways of sin. They now cheerfully accept the: 
 4* 
 
42 THE GREAT SUPPER. 
 
 invitation, and come to the great Supper. Let 
 sinners, then, repent that they have sinned 
 against the Holy Sovereign of the universe, and 
 let them believe in the Lord Jesus Christ with 
 all their heart ; let them thus do what they are 
 required to do, and what they ought to do, and 
 they will not find the doctrine of regeneration 
 hindering them, in the least, from coming to 
 the great Supper. Try it, my dear reader, 
 try it. 
 
 SECTION VII. 
 
 Evil men and Satan cannot keep others from the 
 Supper. 
 
 IT may be thought that wicked men, and the 
 great adversary, can prevent sinners coming to 
 the Gospel Feast. If they could prevent men 
 from becoming pious, none would ever become 
 such. The devil is constantly walking about, 
 seeking whom he may devour. If he had ma- 
 lignity enough to seduce and ruin our first 
 parents, we may know that he will do his ut- 
 most to ruin all their posterity. He does wha.t 
 he can to make men satisfied with'their present 
 
EVIL MEN AND SATAN CAN*T HINDER. 43 
 
 state and character. He persuades them that 
 their morality is religion enough : that they can 
 do without the Gospel Supper ; that they are 
 " rich and increased in goods, and have need of 
 nothing." He sows " tares among the wheat," 
 and " catches away the good seed of the word," 
 which has been sow r n on the ears of mankind. 
 "We are not ignorant of his devices." But 
 though Satan's influence is great, it is not irre- 
 sistible. " Resist the devil," said the Apostle, 
 " and he will flee from you." He can only 
 tempt. He cannot /ora?. A disposition to obey 
 the Lord Jesus Christ, and a firm determination 
 to live a life of prayer, can break through all 
 the obstacles, which wicked men and devils are 
 capable of interposing between the sinner and 
 salvation. 
 
 Wicked beings may persecute, and threaten 
 those who desire salvation, and may imprison 
 the body, and put it upon the rack, and burn 
 it ; but when they have killed the body, they 
 have gone to the limit of their power. The 
 soul can serve God and enjoy his smiles, not- 
 withstanding all the opposition of earth and 
 hell. 
 
 If these seven obstacles, which have been ex- 
 amined in the foregoing sections of this chapter, 
 
44 THE GREAT SUPPER. 
 
 may be overcome, and the sinner, notwithstand- 
 ing them, enjoy the Gospel Supper, we may 
 safely conclude that there are no insurmounta- 
 ble obstacles in his way. Now, if there are no 
 such obstacles in the way of sinners to prevent 
 their coming to the full enjoyment of Gospel 
 blessings, why do they not all come ? 
 
 SECTION VIII. 
 Men need the provisions of the Great Supper. 
 
 THE reason all men do not accept the invi- 
 tation to the Supper, is not because they do not 
 stand in need of these provisions. Men are 
 fallen, depraved, and ruined creatures. Every 
 part of in an, soul and body, shows signs of de- 
 generacy. All have sinned, and come short of 
 the glory of God. In consequence of sin, man 
 cannot, by any of his doings, regain the inno- 
 cence of our race before the fall. The law 
 looks upon him as a transgressor, and pro- 
 nounces him accursed. He must perish, for all 
 that he can do to satisfy the law. He is repre- 
 sented in the Bible as being utterly unable to 
 save himself from the curse of the law as 
 
MEN NEED THE SUPPER. 45 
 
 unable to do it, as the new-born infant is to 
 live and thrive, when it has been cast out into 
 the open field, and abandoned to its destiny. 
 Men are represented as poor, and wretched, and 
 miserable, and blind, and naked, and entirely 
 under the power of a loathsome disease. " The 
 whole head is sick, and the whole heart is faint : 
 from the sole of the foot, even unto the head, 
 there is no soundness ; but wounds, and bruises, 
 and putrifying sores." The Son of God saw 
 the poverty, and misery, and utter helplessness 
 of mankind. He saw their inability to provide 
 for, or to take care of themselves. It was then 
 that his eye pitied them, and his arm brought 
 salvation. He said unto them : " Live, yea, 
 he said unto them, LIVE, for I have found a 
 ransom" If men do not share in the blessings 
 of this great Supper, they must inevitably pe- 
 rish. They are in pressing need of its provi- 
 sions. They are absolutely and entirely de- 
 pendent on charity on the unmerited bounty 
 of Christ. The reason, therefore, that they do 
 not all come, and partake of the rich provisions 
 of the Gospel Feast, is not, that they are not in 
 needy circumstances ; for they owe ten thou- 
 sand talents, and have nothing to pay. 
 
 O, my impenitent reader, do realize that you 
 
46 THE GREAT SUPPER. 
 
 are sick, and need Christ for your Physician ; 
 that you are poor, and need the merits of Christ 
 to make you rich ; that you are blind, and need 
 the eye-salve of the Gospel to give you sight ; 
 that you are wretched, and need the pardoning 
 mercy of God to make you happy ; that you 
 are starving, and need the provisions of the 
 great Supper to supply your wants. To feel 
 your necessities, is the first step towards hav- 
 ing them supplied. Contemplate your state, 
 realize your condition, and hasten to Christ for 
 the mercy you need. 
 
 SECTION IX. 
 A want of room keeps none away. 
 
 THE reason sinners do not all come to the 
 great Supper, is not a want of room at the ta- 
 ble. It would be doing injustice to the Maker 
 of the feast, to suppose that he invites more 
 guests than he is prepared to accommodate. It 
 would manifest an insincerity in the invitation, 
 which would be exceedingly derogatory to his 
 character. What is the fact in the case, as 
 stated in the account ? Why, after the servant 
 
NO WANT OF PROVISIONS. 47 
 
 had brought in all that he could induce to come, 
 from the streets and lanes of the city, he in- 
 formed his Master that there was yet room. So 
 in the Gospel ; though multitudes have been 
 brought into the kingdom of heaven, yet there 
 is room. There is room enough at this great 
 Supper, for every son and daughter of Adam. 
 None has been constrained to go away, after 
 coming, for want of room. None will ever be 
 turned away on that account. Christ has given 
 assurance that all who come to his feast shall 
 find a place. This is his language : " Him 
 that cometh to me, I will in no wise cast out" 
 My reader, have you tried to find a seat at the 
 Gospel Supper ? Have you been to Christ, and 
 asked him to give you a place at his table? 
 Do not conclude that there is not room enough 
 for you, without first making a thorough trial. 
 Come and see. 
 
 SECTION X. 
 No want of provisions. 
 
 SOME might fear, from the consideration that 
 so many are invited, that the provisions will not 
 hold out, and they may hesitate about coming* 
 
48 THE GREAT SUPPER. 
 
 on that account. As God, in his providence, 
 has furnished a sufficiency of food for all men, 
 (though some may starve themselves to death,) 
 so, in his grace, He has made ample provisions 
 for the spiritual wants of all mankind has 
 given his Son to taste death for every man, to 
 be " a propitiation for the sins of the whole 
 world" How can Christ be called " the Sa- 
 viour of all men" if he has not rendered sal- 
 vation possible for all men ? How can He be 
 the Lamb of God. which taketh away the sin 
 of the world, if he has not made an atonement 
 sufficient, in its provisions, for the whole human 
 race ? Where the Apostle says : " If Christ 
 died for all, then were all dead ;" does he not 
 more than intimate, that Christ has made an 
 atonement for all tvho are dead in sin, that is, 
 for all men ? 
 
 There is no deficiency in the provisions of the 
 Gospel. The prodigal utters the truth, " In my 
 Father's house is bread enough and to spare. 
 Why then do any stay away, and perish for 
 want of provisions. 
 
 " The happy gates of Gospel grace 
 Stand open night and day ; 
 Lord, we are come to seek supplies, 
 And drive our wants away." 
 
NO WANT OP INVITATIONS. 49 
 
 SECTION XI. 
 None stay aivay for want of an invitation. 
 
 IN most communities, men wait for an invi- 
 tation, before they feel themselves authorized to 
 go, and take supper with others. Those who 
 stay away from the great Gospel Supper, can- 
 not plead the want of an invitation. By turn- 
 ing back to Chapter V. of this little book, you 
 will see that all men, who live in Gospel lands, 
 are invited. " The Spirit and the Bride say, 
 Come ; and let him that heareth say, Come ; 
 and let him that is athirst, Come ; and whoso- 
 ever will, let him take of the water of life free- 
 ly? If any, therefore, do not come to this feast, 
 the reason is not, that they have not been sin- 
 cerely invited. 
 
 Reader, though you have had many kind in- 
 vitations before, we would again, in the name 
 of the great Master, entreat you to come and 
 share these rich blessings with us. Come, taste 
 and see that the Lord is good. 
 5 
 
50 THE GREAT SUPPER. 
 
 SECTION XII. 
 
 All would be welcomed to the Supper. 
 
 NEITHER is it the reason, why all sinners do 
 not come to the Great Supper of the Gospel, 
 that they would not be received with a hearty 
 welcome, if they would come. Let men be 
 ever so unworthy, in themselves ; let them have 
 been the most cruel and polluted ; let them 
 have lived long in the w^ays of sin ; if they can 
 now be induced to break off their sins by right- 
 eousness, and accept the invitation to this 
 feast, they will not be despised, or rejected, in 
 consequence of their previous character or ha- 
 bits. As proof of this, look at a bloody Menas- 
 seh, a polluted Mary Magdalene, and a perse- 
 cuting Saul of Tarsus. " There is joy, in hea- 
 ven ; joy, among the angels, when one sinner 
 repenteth." When the debased, and licentious, 
 and ungrateful prodigal, came to himself, and 
 returned to his father, did the father drive him 
 from his house with reproachful upbraidings ? 
 No ; " while he was yet a great way off, the 
 father saw him and had compassion on him, 
 and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him" 
 And this was not all ; he said to his servants : 
 
ALL WOULD BE WELCOME. 51 
 
 " Bring forth the best robe and put it on him ; 
 and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his 
 feet ; and bring hither the fatted calf and kill 
 it ; and let us eat and be merry, for this my son 
 was dead, and is alive again ; he was lost, and 
 is found. And they began to be merry." The 
 three parables, in the 15th chapter of Luke, 
 were all spoken to illustrate the joy of holy 
 beings at the repentance of sinners ; at the 
 sight of the guilty and unworthy coming to the 
 Gospel Supper. What was the joy of those 
 concerned, on finding the lost sheep, and the 
 lost money, and the lost son ! Well, this joy 
 represents the feelings of God and holy beings, 
 on seeing sinners accept the invitation to this 
 great feast. Our Heavenly Father is ready to 
 bid every sinner a cordial welcome, who will 
 come to this Supper, which his Son has provi- 
 ded. The blessed Saviour is rejoiced at every 
 new instance of conversion ; for, in it he sees 
 "the travail of his soul, and is satisfied." The 
 Holy Spirit is gratified, whenever his efforts to- 
 induce sinners to accept of Christ arid his Gos- 
 pel, are successful. Angels are elevated with 
 new joy, when they behold any human being 
 feasting upon the provisions of mercy. And 
 sure we are that nothing affords the people of 
 
52 THE GREAT SUPPER. 
 
 God greater satisfaction than the sight of sin- 
 ners flocking to Christ for salvation. Dr. Watts 
 has very happily expressed the universal joy of 
 holy beings, at the repentance of a sinner, in the 
 following hymn : 
 
 " With joy the FATHER doth approve 
 The fruit of his eternal love ; 
 The SON, with joy, looks down, and sees 
 The purchase of his agonies. 
 The SPIRIT takes delight to view 
 The holy soul He formed anew ; 
 And saints and angels join to sing 
 The growing empire of their King." 
 
 Reader, will you not help forward this tide 
 of joy among holy beings, by now seeking the 
 Lord, with all your heart? Say, Yes; and 
 do it. 
 
 SECTION XIII. 
 
 Sinners stay away from the feast for want 
 of appetite. 
 
 IF all things are ready, as we have seen in 
 Chapter VII. of this little book, and if none of 
 the obstacles, which we have been examining 
 in the Sections of this Chapter, prevents men 
 
SINNERS HAVE NO APPETITE. 53 
 
 from coming to the Gospel Supper, why is it 
 that all sinners, who hear the invitations of 
 the Great Master, do not come ? 
 
 One reason why all sinners do not come to 
 this feast of love, is, that they have no appetite 
 for its provisions. The Master has said : 
 " Blessed are they, which do hunger and thirst 
 after righteousness ; for they shall be filled." 
 But unconverted men do not thus hunger and 
 thirst. Though starving for want of the pro- 
 visions of this Supper, yet, they feel full, and 
 in need of nothing. Though actually " poor, 
 and wretched, and miserable, and blind, and 
 naked," yet they feel that they are " rich, and 
 increased with goods, and have need of noth- 
 ing." As long as men do not Teel themselves 
 to be sinners, Christ has no attractions for them. 
 They look upon him as "a root out of dry 
 ground, which hath no form or comeliness." 
 As long as they do not feel their need of the 
 Gospel, there is no prospect that they will ac- 
 cept of its invitations. They never can be in- 
 duced to come to the great Supper, unless they 
 first see and feel their need of it. The situa- 
 tion, therefore, of those, who have no realizing 
 sense of their perishing condition, without an 
 interest in Christ, is truly alarming. Dying 
 5* 
 
54 THE GREAT SUPPER. 
 
 with hunger, and yet no appetite ! Sick unto 
 
 death, and yet see no need of a physician ! 
 
 Reader, is this your situation ? If so, be 
 alarmed for yourself. 
 
 SECTION XIV. 
 
 Sinners are unwilling TO HAVE an appetite 
 for this Supper. 
 
 ANOTHER reason why sinners stay away 
 from the Gospel Feast, is their unwillingness to 
 create an appetite for it. When men have no 
 appetite, but want one, for the meat that per- 
 isheth, they take something to create an appe- 
 tite. Not so with those who need spiritual food, 
 but have no appetite for it. Though sinners 
 have no relish for divine things for the provi- 
 sions of the Gospel yet, instead of using means 
 to provoke an appetite, they rather strive to 
 destroy what inclination they have for Gospel 
 food. They cry, " Peace, Peace," to themselves, 
 and endeavour to feel that they are in no dan- 
 ger. If they cannot succeed in quieting all 
 their apprehensions, in regard to their state and 
 prospects ; if the Holy Spirit strives to convince 
 
them of sin, they use their best efforts to grieve 
 him away. When their consciences become 
 uneasy, and they see that they must repent or 
 perish that they must come to the Gospel 
 Supper, or starve instead of encouraging these 
 feelings in themselves and others, they strive to 
 destroy them. This they do by cavilling at 
 the truth of God ; or, by indulging in trifling 
 conversation ; or, by staying away from those 
 meetings where the truth is plainly preached ; 
 or, by reading novels, or other books and papers, 
 which they ought not to read under such cir- 
 cumstances, if ever ; or, by refusing to pray 
 when they feel it to be a duty ; or, by neglect- 
 ing to tell their feelings to their minister, or 
 some other Christian friend, who would give 
 them suitable advice, and pray for them ; or, 
 by refusing to repent of, and forsake, all their 
 sins, and evil ways ; or, by refusing to take a 
 stand on the Lord's side, and thus manifest that 
 they are not ashamed of Christ ; or, by their 
 want of decision of character ; in a word, by 
 not being willing to forsake all that they have, 
 and to come in haste to the great Supper of the 
 Gospel. This unwillingness to create an appe- 
 tite, and this desire to destroy what appetite 
 sinners have for the Gospel, our divine Saviour 
 
56 THE GREAT SUPPER. 
 
 speaks of as follows : " Every one that doeth 
 evil, hateth the light, neither cometh to the 
 light, lest his deeds should be reproved" 
 Stephen asserts the same thing, when he says, 
 " Ye do always resist the Holy Ghost." 
 
 Now, as long as sinners have no appetite for 
 this feast, and are unwilling to have an appe- 
 tite created, it is not to be expected that they 
 will come to it, though ever so kindly invited. 
 And my dear impenitent reader, is this not your 
 case ? How long shall it be so with you ? 
 You may soon die, and perish forever, for want 
 of this Supper which you are now slighting. 
 Look to it. 
 
 SECTION XV. 
 Sinners do not like the terms of admission. 
 
 ANOTHER reason why sinners will not come 
 to this great Supper, is, that they do not like 
 the terms on which guests are received. The 
 Great Master, who has provided the feast, wishes 
 to have every thing done decently and in order. 
 That things may be thus conducted, He has 
 procured a set of uniform for the guests to wear, 
 and made certain very reasonable conditions 
 
DON'T LIKE THE TERMS. 57 
 
 for the guests to comply with. In order, there- 
 .bre, to enjoy the dainties of this Supper, those 
 invited must put on the wedding garment, and 
 follow the directions of the Master. But sin- 
 ners are so well pleased with their own gar- 
 ments, that it is with difficulty they can be in- 
 duced to change them for the one provided for 
 the occasion. And they do not like to come 
 under the dictation of the Master. All that 
 come to the Supper are required to repent of 
 their sins as committed against God ; to believe 
 in the Lord Jesus Christ with all the heart ; to 
 live a life of prayer ; to forsake all sinful prac- 
 tices ; to live soberly, righteously and godly in 
 the world ; to deny themselves and take up 
 their cross and follow Christ ; to make restitu- 
 tion, if possible, where justice demands ; to come 
 out from the world and be separate ; to confess 
 Christ before men ; to do as they would be done 
 by ; to work in the Master's vineyard continu- 
 ally ; and to unite with the friends of the Mas- 
 ter in every good cause. Now, these terms of 
 admission are not agreeable to unholy beings, 
 and therefore unconverted men will not comply 
 with them, and thus come to this feast. If 
 they could enjoy the comforts of the Supper 7 
 without being obliged to submit to such humil- 
 
58 THE GREAT SUPPER. 
 
 iating conditions, they would like it. And 
 sometimes it is the case that persons think 
 themselves willing to come to this feast, when 
 they are, in fact, only willing to enjoy the pro- 
 visions. Such a willingness every selfish man, 
 and every depraved being in the universe, pos- 
 sesses. All are willing to be happy, but all are 
 not willing to serve God and be holy. As soon 
 as men are really willing to come to the Gospel 
 Supper as it is, they do immediately come. 
 " The willing and obedient shall eat the good 
 of the land." 
 
 Reader, are you as willing to obey Christ as 
 you are to be happy 1 Religion is obedience 
 to Christ. " He became the author of eternal 
 salvation to all them that obey him." If then 
 you desire eternal salvation, obey Christ, and 
 you will have it. 
 
 SECTION XVI. 
 Sinners do not like God's people. 
 
 ANOTHER reason why many do not come to 
 this feast, is, that they do not like those who 
 have accepted the invitation, and who have 
 
DON'T LIKE GOD'S PEOPLE. 59 
 
 put on the wedding garment. After the Fall, 
 God said to the serpent, " I will put enmity be- 
 tween thee and the woman, and between thy 
 seed and her seed." This enmity has existed 
 ever since, and wicked men have borne a mor- 
 tal hatred to those, who have complied with 
 the terms of this feast, and who have thus sepa- 
 rated themselves from the ungodly. Sometimes 
 wicked men are honest enough to acknowledge 
 their hatred to God's people. This was the 
 case with king Ahab. He acknowledged that 
 he hated the prophet Micaiah, who was a de- 
 voted man of God. Whether unconverted men 
 see their own enmity to Christians or not, 
 whether they acknowledge it or not, the blessed 
 Master assured us of its existence. He said to 
 those who had come to the Gospel Supper, 
 " Ye shall be hated of all men for my namds 
 sake" And again he says, "Blessed are ye 
 when men shall hate you, and when they shall 
 separate you from their company, and shall re- 
 proach you, and cast out your name as evil, for 
 the Son of man's sake." And again he said, 
 " If the world hate you, ye know that it hated 
 me before it hated you. If ye were of the world, 
 the world would love his own ; but because ye 
 are not of the world, but I have chosen you 
 
60 THE GREAT SUPPER. 
 
 out of the world, therefore the world hatetl 
 you." In prayer to the Father, the Saviour 
 says of his followers, " The world hath hated 
 them, because they are not of the world, even sa 
 I am not of the world." 
 
 We see, therefore, it is no new thing, and n< 
 strange thing, for those who will not come tc 
 the Gospel feast, to hate those who do come 
 This being the case, it is no wonder that such 
 persons do not come to this great Supper. Whc 
 likes to go into the company of those whom he 
 hates ? As long, therefore, as sinners continue 
 to hate God's people, so long they will staj 
 away from the Gospel feast. There must be a 
 likeness of character and habits before thej 
 can enjoy each other's society. Either Chris- 
 tians must lay aside their wedding garments 
 the peculiarities of religion or else sinners musl 
 put on their wedding garments must give up 
 their hatred to God's people, and become lovers 
 of that which is good or there can be no fel- 
 lowship between them ; they must remain 
 separate, in order to any enjoyment on eithei 
 side. It is certain, therefore, that sinners will 
 never consent to come to the great Supper till 
 they cease to hate Christians. 
 
 . 
 
DON'T LOVE GOD. 61 
 
 Reader, if God loves his people as the apple 
 
 of his eye, why cannot you love them ? He is 
 the best judge of what is lovely. 
 
 
 sn, 
 
 C> frfcitiJtof 
 
 VtJ* ,^9*^^ '*** 
 
 ^-5?^ 
 
 X75rA ^ O > 
 
 SECTION XVII. 
 
 V 
 
 Sinners do not love God. 
 
 ANOTHER reason why the unconverted do not 
 come to the Gospel feast, is, that they are not 
 on good terms with the Master. If men are 
 invited by one of. their fellow creatures to at- 
 tend a party, or to take tea with him, they are 
 not likely to accept the invitation, unless they 
 are pleased with him. We do not like to pay our 
 respects to those whom we hate. As uncon- 
 verted men are " haters of God" (Rom. i. 30,) 
 and " hate both the Father and the Son" (John 
 15. 23, 25,) and possess a " carnal mind, which 
 is enmity against God" (Rom. viii. 7,) it is 
 evident that, (so long as they cherish such feel- 
 ings,) they will not come to the great Supper, 
 which the Son of God has provided. Sinners may 
 even feel their need of Gospel blessings ; may 
 be assured that these blessings are offered freely 
 to all ; may be urged by all the motives drawn 
 6 
 
62 THE GREAT SUPPER. 
 
 from the comforts of the feast on the one hand, 
 and by all the motives drawn from the miseries of 
 starvation on the other ; still, if they will not 
 give up their hatred of God, his law and govern- 
 ment and their hatred of his sovereignty as 
 manifested in his disposal of all things and all 
 events they can never be induced to come to 
 the great Supper of the Gospel. If sinners will 
 first cease to hate God and religion, and give 
 their affections to Christ, they will then gladly 
 enjoy familiar intercourse with him, and come 
 to his feast of love. 
 
 Reader, what are your feelings towards God 
 and his government? "I pray you, in Christ's 
 stead, be ye reconciled to God." 
 
 SECTION XVIII 
 
 Sinners think they can do without the Gospel 
 Supper. 
 
 SOME men do not come to this feast, because 
 they think that they can do without it. They 
 are making provisions for themselves, which 
 they seem to suppose will answer every pur- 
 pose. They seem to think it beneath their 
 dignity to comply with the terms of this Sup- 
 
THINK THEY CAN DO WITHOUT IT. 63 
 
 per, when they have done so much to provide 
 for themselves. They are ready to ask, " Must 
 we, who are so moral and good, be born again 
 to fit us for this feast? Must we, who have 
 done so much good in the world, look upon all 
 our doings as worthless, as to preparing us for 
 this Supper? Must we, who are rich and 
 increased with goods, become beggars, in order 
 to be partakers of Gospel blessings ? Must we 
 be wholly indebted to another for a wedding 
 garment, and a Supper ? Let it never be said 
 that we have submitted to any such humilia- 
 ting terms." The sentiment of this language 
 is often felt by the self-righteous moralist. He 
 seems to suppose that his good deeds will an- 
 swer the same purpose to him, that the Gospel 
 Supper does to those who are great sinners. 
 He does not seem to agree with the apostle 
 Paul, who has asserted and proved that no sin- 
 ner, great or small, can be justified in God's 
 sight by his good deeds, or by his morality, or 
 by the works of the law. And lest some men 
 should say, " 1 shall be justified, for / have not 
 sinned," Paul proves conclusively that " all 
 have sinned, and come short of the glory of 
 God." Now, so long as these persons think that 
 they can be saved without repentance, and 
 
64 THE GREAT SUPPER. 
 
 faith, and regeneration, they never will come 
 to the Gospel Supper. 
 
 Reader, how is it with you ? Are you de- 
 pending on your native, or acquired goodness, 
 for justification before God ? Does the idea, 
 that you are not as bad as many others, prevent 
 your feeling your need of Christ, and your com- 
 ing to him for life ? I assure you, on the au- 
 thority of the Master, that you must feed on 
 this Supper, or perish ; you must believe in 
 Christ, or be damned. " Wherefore do ye spend 
 money for that which is not bread, and your 
 labour for that which satisfieth not ? Hearken 
 diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is 
 good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness." 
 
 SECTION XIX. 
 
 Some think ALL will enjoy the Supper uncon- 
 ditionally. 
 
 A portion of mankind, defer accepting the in- 
 vitation to this feast, because they have imbibed 
 the notion, that all men will ultimately enjoy 
 its provisions, whether they comply with the 
 terms or not. By waiting awhile, according to 
 
THINK ALL WILL ENJOY IT. 65 
 
 their sentiments, they will gain admittance, 
 without the trouble and expanse of procuring 
 tickets. They consider the terms of admission 
 very disagreeable and oppressive. The terms 
 which most annoy them, and which they hope to 
 get round by waiting, are these : " Ye must be 
 born again ;" " Except ye repent, ye shall pe- 
 rish ; " " He that belie veth not, shall be 
 damned ; " " Without holiness, no man shall 
 see the Lord ; " " Pray without ceasing ; " "Re- 
 member the Sabbath day to keep it holy " 
 " Let the wicked forsake his way, and the un- 
 righteous man his thoughts ; " " Swear not at 
 all ; " " Forsake all ungodliness, and worldly 
 lusts, and live soberly, and righteously, and 
 godly in the world." Now, as long as they have 
 the idea, that all men will enjoy the feast alike, 
 whether they comply with these terms or not, 
 they will not be likely to comply. They do not 
 believe, it would seem, that the Master of the 
 feast will say to some who were bidden : " Ye 
 shall not taste of my Supper." As long as they 
 entertain these sentiments, they will not come 
 to the feast of the Gospel, though urged by ten 
 thousand motives. 
 
 Reader, be not deceived. Your eternal all 
 is at stake. 
 
 6* 
 
66 THE GREAT SUPPER. 
 
 SECTION XX. 
 
 Some delay coming, because they hope the 
 Supper will be kept waiting for them. 
 
 OTHERS, again, neglect or delay coming to 
 the Gospel feast, because they hope that, as all 
 things are now ready, they will continue to be 
 ready and waiting some time longer, before the 
 door will be finally closed. Because they think 
 it probable that they shall live a few years 
 longer, they cannot be persuaded to come now. 
 They know that they need the Supper ; they 
 are not among those who see insurmountable 
 obstacles, in the way of their coming to it ; 
 they admit there is room for them ; they know 
 that they have been fcften invited ; they do not 
 doubt, but they should be made welcome, if 
 they come ; they think they are willing to feel 
 their need ; they do not object to the terms of 
 admission ; they do not feel any particular dis- 
 like to those who have come to the feast; they 
 think they do not hate the Master ; they are 
 convinced that they cannot do without the Gos- 
 pel Supper ; they are not among those who be- 
 lieve that all will partake of this great feast ; 
 and yet, because they may, possibly, have an 
 
HOPE IT WILL BE KEPT WAITING. 67 
 
 opportunity of coming at a future time, they 
 cannot be induced to come now. 
 
 O, my impenitent reader, is it kind to treat 
 the blessed Saviour in this way ? When he 
 has provided salvation for you, at the cost of 
 his own heart's blood, will you delay coming", 
 at his invitation, and partaking of this great 
 salvation ? And will you delay, too, because 
 he possibly may be so long suffering as to make 
 you the offer of mercy again, at a future time, 
 if you do not accept it now ? Will you run the 
 awful risk of perishing eternally, on the bare 
 possibility, that you may find mercy at the ele- 
 venth hour, if you do slight it now ? Remem- 
 ber, it is not said : Behold ! to-morrow is the 
 accepted time ; but it is said : " Behold ! now 
 is the accepted time ; Behold ! now is the day 
 of salvation ;" " To-day, if ye will hear his 
 voice, harden not your heart." 
 
 " Be wise to-day ; 'tis madness to defer." 
 
CHAPTER IX. 
 
 SINNERS EXCUSE THEMSELVES FOR NOT COMING 
 TO THE GREAT SUPPER. 
 
 AFTER the oxen and the fadings were killed, 
 and the Supper was in readiness, and the ser- 
 vant sent out, at Supper-time, to say to them 
 that were bidden : " Come, for all things are 
 now ready," what was his success ? We might 
 expect that all would make haste to come ; that 
 all would say to the servant : " Tell your Mas- 
 ter, we are greatly obliged to him for his kind 
 invitation, and will take care to be there in sea- 
 son." But, instead of this, fhey all, with one 
 consent, as though they had been together, for 
 consultation, began to make excuse. Instead 
 of wishing to go, they wished to stay away. 
 Among all that had been bidden, not even one 
 was ready to comply with the invitation. Here 
 are the richest and best provisions of the uni- 
 verse offered to poor, starving, guilty creatures, 
 and they all, as though by agreement, treating 
 both the provisions, and him who provided 
 
I HAVE BOUGHT SOME LAND. 69 
 
 them, with the utmost indifference ! Be aston- 
 ished, O heavens, at this ! The great God has 
 made a costly feast, on purpose, for miserable, 
 wretched men, and has kindly invited them to 
 partake of it, without money, and without 
 price, but not a single individual of them all, 
 will deign to come to his feast, without omni- 
 potent urging. They all were ready to ask to 
 be excused. But let us not judge them too has- 
 tily. Possibly they had good excuses for not 
 coming 1 . What were their excuses ? 
 
 SECTION I. 
 A new purchase of land lay in the way. 
 
 THE first said to the servant, who brought 
 him the invitation : " I have bought a piece of 
 ground, arid I must needs go and see it ; I pray 
 thee have me excused." God had so prospered 
 this man, that he was adding farm to farm. 
 And how does he manifest his gratitude for di- 
 vine favours ? He shows his feelings to his 
 kind Benefactor, by slighting his great and cost- 
 ly Supp?r. How would his excuse look, if it 
 were enlarged into a regular prayer to God ? It 
 
70 HAVE ME EXCUSED. 
 
 would read something after this manner : " O 
 Lord, I am aware that thou hast been at great 
 expense to provide a Supper for men,for me and 
 others ; and I acknowledge, that I have been 
 kindly and urgently invited to come, and par- 
 take of it ; but, Lord, I don't see how I can 
 well command time enough to accept your in- 
 vitation. Thou, Lord, hast given me so much 
 worldly prosperity, that I have no time for reli- 
 gion. I acknowledge that I ought to pray in 
 my family, and attend prayer meetings, but 
 thou hast given me so much to take care of, 
 that I have no time. I ought to spend some 
 time every day in my closet, and in reading the 
 Bible, and in conversing on the subject of reli- 
 gion ; but I cannot do it, because my farm, or 
 store, or shop, or mill, or some other branch of 
 business, with which thou hast entrusted me, 
 demands my whole attention. I ought to be a 
 true Christian, and live in such a manner that 
 I might be continually feasting on the Great 
 Supper of the Gospel, and enjoying thy perpe- 
 tual smiles, but thou hast recently prospered me 
 so much, that I had some spare money, which 
 I have just been laying out for a piece of ground, 
 and it is necessary that I should now go and 
 see what sort of bargain I have made. I pray 
 
I HAVE BOUGHT SOME OXEN, 71 
 
 thee, therefore, excuse me for not coming to 
 your great Supper." 
 
 O, what an excuse ! How impious ? How 
 God-provoking ! Just as though he could not 
 defer seeing his new purchase till another day ! 
 
 Reader, Be careful that no worldly consider- 
 ation keep you from Christ. 
 
 SECTION II. 
 Oxen a hindrance. 
 
 PERHAPS the excuses of the others were bet- 
 ter ? Let us examine the next : "And another 
 said, I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go 
 to prove them ; I pray thee have me excused." 
 The nature of this excuse is much like the 
 first. Property comes in the way of God's ser- 
 vice. O, what a blessing to be poor, and what 
 a calamity to be rich ! The poor man has no 
 piece of ground, or drove of oxen, to keep him 
 from the Gospel Supper. Our Saviour says : 
 " Blessed are the poor." ThQ poor have the 
 Gospel preached to them ; they are more likely 
 to go and hear preaching, than the rich ; and 
 they are, generally, more ready to embrace the 
 offers of mercy, than the rich. "God hath 
 
72 HAVE ME EXCUSED. 
 
 Chosen the poor of this world, to be rich in 
 faith, and heirs of his kingdom." Why do not 
 those persons, to whom the Giver of all mer- 
 cies has committed property, learn to employ 
 themselves, and their property, too, in his ser- 
 vice ? Property is a loan from the Almighty^ 
 to be repaid with interest. And if the heart of 
 man was not set on the creature property, 
 more than on the Creator, his piece of ground, 
 his oxen, or any other kind of property, would 
 not keep him from embracing the Gospel, and 
 partaking of this Great Supper. 
 
 But, taking men as they are by nature, de- 
 praved, selfish beings ; property, to any conside- 
 rable amount, is a dangerous boon. Consider- 
 ing how prone men are to love the world, and 
 the things of the world, we cannot wonder at 
 our Saviour's exclamation : " How hardly shall 
 they that have riches, enter into the kingdom 
 of heaven ! " When the disciples expressed 
 their surprise at Christ's remark, and asked : 
 " Who, then, can be saved?" he answered, that 
 " With men, it is impossible ; but not with God. 
 for with God, all things are possible." 
 
 The difficulty with the rich is, that they are 
 too apt to trust in their riches. They are lia- 
 ble to feel a kind of independence, which is in- 
 
I HAVE BOUGHT SOME OXEN. 73 
 
 consistent with that child-like spirit, which we 
 must possess, if we would enter heaven. In 
 regard to the excuses which these men offered, 
 every one must see that it could not have been 
 of such infinite importance, that they should 
 see their new bought land, or try their newly- 
 purchased oxen, on that very day. If they had 
 been at all disposed to attend this glorious ban- 
 quet, they could easily have deferred these un- 
 important matters till another time. They so 
 clearly betrayed a want of disposition to please 
 and gratify the Master of the Feast, that he 
 took their excuses as an insult. Why were not 
 these men honest enough to tell the servant that 
 they had no wish to take Supper with his Mas- 
 ter ? They played the hypocrite. So does al- 
 most every person, who pretends to offer excuses 
 for not being a Christian. 
 
 It may be so with you, dear reader. When 
 you are urged to become a Christian, if, instead 
 of saying with all your heart, " I will now 
 serve the Lord. " and doing it, you have rea- 
 sons to give why you are not serving him; 
 these reasons show that you have no mind, or 
 disposition to serve him. For, if you had a 
 mind to serve the Lord, you would at once com- 
 mence serving him. Try it, 
 7 
 
74 HAVE ME EXCUSED. 
 
 SECTION III. 
 
 / A wife is a hindrance. 
 
 Let us see if the third had not a better ex- 
 cuse. He said, " I have married a wife, and 
 therefore I cannot come." It is too often the 
 case, that young people attend public worship far 
 more punctually before they are married, than 
 they do afterwards. Is it necessary that it 
 should be so ? Do they not need the blessing 
 of God as much after, as before their marriage ? 
 Is it true, that when a man has married a wife 
 he cannot come ? But the excuse, which we 
 are considering, is not so much for neglecting 
 religious meetings, as it is for neglecting to come 
 to Christ for salvation. And are people, when 
 they get married, excusable for not serving 
 God ? Especially, are newly married people 
 freed from obligations to fear God and keep his 
 commandments ? Surely they are not freed 
 from such obligations. There is not a day or 
 an hour of man's life, either before or after mar- 
 riage, when he is not bound to love God with 
 all his heart, and to serve him in sincerity and 
 in truth. And if men who are married cannot 
 serve God as well as those who are not married, 
 
I AM A DEIST. 75 
 
 surely it is better not to marry. But Solomon 
 assures us, that " he that getteth a wife, getteth 
 a good thing, and obtaineth favour of the Lord." 
 This shows that married people are under 
 special obligations to love and serve the Lord. 
 It is therefore, not true, that a man's getting 
 married puts it out of his power to come to the 
 Gospel feast. And for a man under these cir- 
 cumstances, or under any other circumstances 
 in which God shall place him, to pretend that 
 he cannot be a Christian cannot serve the 
 Lord cannot do his duty, is exceedingly pro- 
 voking to God, and dangerous to his own soul. 
 We have now examined the excuses which 
 were made by those who were invited to the 
 Supper. But there are many other excuses, 
 which men are in the habit of making when they 
 are urged to become Christians. In the follow- 
 ing sections we will examine some of them. 
 
 SECTION IV. 
 / do not know that the Bible is true. 
 
 As the minister of Jesus attempts to induce 
 men to fear God, and keep his commandments, 
 one tries to ease his own conscience by saying, 
 
76 HAVE ME EXCUSED. 
 
 " I don't know that the Bible is God's word." 
 To such an one I would say, Unless you are 
 quite sure that the Scriptures were not given 
 by divine inspiration, you will do well to exam- 
 ine their claims to being God's holy Book of 
 truth. If a document were placed in your 
 hands, purporting to be a will conveying a vast 
 amount of property to yourself and others, who 
 would comply with certain conditions therein 
 specified, would you not carefully examine its 
 claims to authenticity ? Would you not read 
 the document through, with the utmost careful- 
 ness and attention ? Would you not examine 
 all accessible evidences, internal and external, 
 that it was written by the individual whoso 
 name it bears ? And would not your efforts, to 
 satisfy your mind of its authenticity, be propor- 
 tioned to the interest you had in it, if it should 
 prove to be true 1 Well, such a document is 
 the Bible. It is the last will and testament of 
 the Lord Jesus Christ, conveying " an inherit- 
 ance incorruptible, undefiled, and that fadeth 
 not away," to all those who believe and obey 
 the truth. Have you examined all the eviden- 
 ces, within your reach, in favour of the divine 
 authenticity of the Bible ? Have you particu- 
 larly noticed the purity of its moral precepts, 
 
I AM A DEIST. 77 
 
 the perfect harmony of all its parts, the eleva- 
 tion of its style, and the sublimity of its 
 thoughts ? Have you weighed the evidences 
 of its being a divine revelation, which crowd 
 around you as you contemplate its well-attest- 
 ced miracles, and its numerous prophesies, and 
 their exact fulfilment ? Have you marked the 
 wonderful and happy change, which the Bible, 
 carefully read and obeyed, has always produ- 
 ed in nations, in communities, and in individu- 
 als ? Have you ever inquired the cause of the 
 mighty difference, in the character and habits 
 of the people of England, at the present time, 
 from what they were previous to the introduc- 
 tion of Christianity into that country ? Have 
 you ever satisfied your own mind, as to what 
 produced such a sudden and wonderful change 
 in the persecuting Saul of Tarsus ? Have you 
 not known of similar changes in some of your 
 acquaintances ? How do you account for these 
 salutary effects, produced by Christianity, if the 
 .Bible, and the influence which accompanies it, 
 are not divine 2 
 
 Again, permit me to ask, have you ever read 
 
 the Bible through ? If you have, did you do it 
 
 with an earnest desire to find out whether it is 
 
 ^God's word or not ? And if you have not read 
 
 7* 
 
78 HAVE ME EXCUSED. 
 
 it through, are you wise to entertain doubts 
 about its authenticity, especially, when there is 
 more evidence of its authenticity, than there 
 is of the authenticity of any other ancient book? 
 I entreat you to stop and think, before you ven- 
 ture any nearer the fatal gulf of infidelity. If 
 the Bible is true, the Christian is safe, while 
 the unconverted sinner is in the utmost danger. 
 If the Bible is true, all true Christians will soon 
 be in heaven, and all unbelievers will soon be 
 in hell. And if the Bible is not true, the unbe- 
 liever gains nothing by his unbelief, and the 
 Christian loses nothing by his faith in Christ, 
 Is it not, therefore, a dictate of prudence, to be- 
 come a sincere and devoted Christian ? There 
 is no risk in that, while there is a fearful risk 
 in living in sin. 
 
 SECTION V. 
 Universalism a hindrance to salvation. 
 
 Another person, when urged to repent and 
 believe the Gospel, meets the servant of Christ 
 with the excuse, " I am disposed to think that 
 all men will finally be saved." I would use 
 the following language with such a person : 
 
I AM A UNIVERSALIST. 79 
 
 On what is your impression founded, that all 
 will be saved 7 Is it because you think all men 
 are living in holy obedience to Christ 7 Paul 
 says that Christ has become " the author of 
 eternal salvation unto all them that obey him" 
 Can you think that the swearer, the Sabbath - 
 breaker, the drunkard, the murderer, the thief, 
 the libertine, the prayerless, the impenitent, the 
 unbeliever, the neglector of salvation, or the 
 idolator, obeys Christ ? If these do not obey 
 Christ, and if Christ is the author of salvation 
 to only such as obey him, how can you think 
 that Christ will give eternal salvation to these 7 
 Again, Paul says that without holiness no man 
 can see the Lord. Now, is it because you think 
 all men are holy, that you are disposed to be- 
 lieve they will all be saved 7 A holy being hates 
 sin and avoids it as an abominable thing which 
 is hateful to God and all good men. No one 
 can think that such as allow themselves to take 
 the name of God in vain, or to visit scenes of de- 
 bauchery, or to commit adultery, or to wrong and 
 oppress their fellow men, are holy. How then 
 can you suppose that such will be saved 7 But 
 perhaps you think that all will be saved because 
 God is merciful. As to God's being merciful, 
 there is no doubt. The life of every human 
 
80 HAVE ME EXCUSED. 
 
 being, and all the blessings which make life 
 comfortable, are undeniable evidences of God's 
 mercy. But to whom is the mercy of God 
 pledged ? Is it pledged to men without regard 
 to their moral character? Surely not. "The 
 mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to 
 everlasting upon them that fear him" But di- 
 vine truth assures us that the wicked "have 
 7io fear of God before their eyes" and of course 
 God's mercy is not pledged to them. And if the 
 mercy of God did not prevent his sweeping off 
 the guilty inhabitants of the old world with a 
 flood, and did not prevent his overthrowing 
 Sodom and Gomorrah with a shower of fire 
 and brimstone, we have no reason to conclude 
 that it will prevent his turning the wicked into 
 hell. 
 
 Why then do you think that all will en- 
 ter heaven ? Have you not read what our di- 
 vine Saviour said on this subject, in Luke xiii. 
 24 : " Many, I say unto you, will seek to enter 
 in, and shall not be able ?" And he makes this 
 declaration, as a reason why men should strive 
 to enter in. Now, if many will not be able to 
 enter heaven, even though they seek to do it, 
 how can you think that all will be able to en- 
 ter? 
 
I AM A UNIVERSALIST. 81 
 
 Again, have you forgotten that Sodom and 
 Gomorrah, and the cities about them, are set 
 forth as an example, suffering the vengeance 
 of eternal fire ? If Sodom and Gomorrah, Ad- 
 mah and Zeboim, are suffering in eternal fire, 
 they, of course, cannot, to all eternity, enter 
 heaven. And if they, and the imprisoned spirits 
 of the inhabitants of the old world, are not sav- 
 ed, may not others also fail of salvation ? 
 
 Again, have you not often read of those who 
 sin against the Holy Ghost ? If what is said 
 in regard to such is not fresh in your mind, just 
 turn to Mark iii. 28, 29, 30 : "But he that shall 
 blaspheme against the Holy Ghost, hath never 
 forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damna- 
 tion." Here we have the declaration of him 
 who cannot lie, that the scribes, who said. Christ 
 hath an unclean spirit, " will never have forgive- 
 ness, and of course will never enter heaven. 
 You see therefore that the Bible plainly teaches 
 that some of mankind will not be saved. But 
 perhaps you think that you do not deserve eter- 
 nal punishment, and that, therefore, God, as a 
 just Being, will not doom you to suffer it. Are 
 you, as a party interested in this matter, quali- 
 fied to decide how much punishment you de- 
 serve, or how much mischief in God's universe 
 
OZ HAVE ME EXCUSED. 
 
 your sins have a tendency to produce? The 
 Great Lawgiver and Judge has expressed his 
 judgment on this point. He says, " The wages 
 of sin is death;" in opposition, or, rather, in 
 contrast with " eternal life" which is God's free 
 gift, to the believer. Here one is just as long 
 and just as broad as the other ; for one is a de- 
 liverance or reprieve from the other. As the 
 reprieve is eternal, the death from which it de- 
 livers is eternal. And as God has decided that 
 " the soul that sinneth shall die ; " " that the 
 wages of sin is death ; " that the sinner " shall 
 be punished with everlasting destruction ; 
 that those on the left hand of Christ in the 
 judgment " shall go away into everlasting pun- 
 ishment ; " we ought to be too modest, and too 
 diffident of our own judgment, to undertake to 
 say that God threatens us for our sins more 
 than we deserve. In other words, we ought to 
 be careful how we say that we do not deserve 
 everlasting punishment. But here is another 
 consideration which ought to have influence ; 
 namely, just as long as you believe and feel 
 that you are not deserving eternal punishment, 
 you will treat with neglect or contempt the 
 offers of pardon and eternal life presented in the 
 Gospel. Those offers are tendered as a deliver- 
 
I AM A UNIVERSALIST. 83 
 
 ance from deserved punishment. If one does 
 not feel that he deserves punishment, he will 
 not ask for pardon. This was the case with 
 Governor Dorr of Rhode Island. And it is so 
 with every sinner. He never sincerely asks 
 God to pardon his sins, unless he feels that he 
 has sinned, and deserves punishment. And as 
 pardon is not granted unless it is asked for, 
 (Luke xi. 9, 10,) no sinner receives pardon un- 
 less he feels his ill-desert enough to lead him to 
 ask pardon. And as you will not ask for par- 
 don unless you feel that you have sinned, and 
 deserve punishment, of course you will never 
 receive it till you thus feel. So no one will 
 cheerfully ask, or joyfully receive, pardon for a 
 greater offence than he feels that he has com- 
 mitted. If the criminal feels that his offence 
 deserves only tivo years* imprisonment, he will 
 not ask, or thankfully receive, pardon for an 
 offence which deserves thirty years* imprison- 
 ment. And as the gracious offers of the Gos- 
 pel present eternal life^ or eternal salvation, as 
 a PARDON to the guilty children of men who 
 will humbly ask and joyfully receive it, you 
 will not thankfully accept this precious gift of 
 God unless you feel that your damnation would 
 be just. For, if you feel that you deserve only 
 
84 HAVE ME EXCUSED. 
 
 a little suffering, or only a limited punish- 
 ment, you will not cheerfully ask, or thank- 
 fully accept pardon for offences which deserve, 
 and against which God threatens ETERNAL 
 damnation. Instead of weighing the desert of 
 sin by your own partial scales, would it not be 
 wiser and safer to go to the Bible, and form your 
 opinion of the nature and desert of sin from 
 God's threaten ings against transgressors ; from 
 the effect of sin on the angels who kept not 
 their first estate ; from the effects sin has pro- 
 duced in this world, where it has made the 
 whole creation groan and travail in pain ; and 
 from the agonies and blood of the dying Son of 
 God ? Who, that contemplates the hateful and 
 debasing and ruinous nature of sin, and its 
 fearful effects in God's universe, does not see 
 that it is an abominable thing, which good 
 beings cannot but loathe and abhor ? And 
 who, that reflects that nothing short of the 
 obedience and death of the Lord Jesus Christ 
 could render it consistent for God to pardon sin, 
 and save the sinner who believeth, can doubt 
 that sin is a tremendous evil, and that the 
 sinner deserves a tremendous punishment? 
 
 But perhaps you are ready to say, " I think 
 all will be saved, because in my opinion all 
 
I AM A UNIVERSALIST, 85 
 
 men suffer what their sins deserve in this life." 
 Will you be so good as to turn to the xxi. of Job, 
 and to the Ixxiii. Psalm, and read them care- 
 fully. Can you think, when the people of the 
 old world, and the people of Sodom and 
 Gomorrah, were so wicked that God swept 
 them off suddenly for their sins, that they were 
 punished in this world as much as they de- 
 served ; and that Noah and Lot those only 
 pious persons suffered no more than they de- 
 served ? Can you think that the pirate, who 
 has murdered a hundred innocent persons, and 
 is himself killed instantly, in the act of mur- 
 der, has suffered all he deserves? Can you 
 think that the Spanish Inquisitors, who had 
 spent years in torturing to death innocent and 
 pious persons, and were cut off in the midst of 
 their crimes, suffered as 'much as they deserved 
 in this life, and that their innocent and pious 
 victims suffered no more than they deserved^ 
 All observation and experience deny that men 
 are dealt with here according to their deserts. 
 Besides, if all men are saved, and saved on 
 account of having suffered what their sins de- 
 serve, then they are not saved by grace, 
 through faith, and their salvation is of them- 
 selves, and not the gift of God. What grace 
 8 
 
86 HAVE ME EXCUSED. 
 
 can there be in letting a man out of prison 
 after he has suffered what the law demands ? 
 He can demand deliverance as a right. So 
 there can be no grace. in saving a man from 
 sin and hell, after he has suffered the penalty 
 of the law. This scheme of saving men, is not 
 the Gospel scheme. The Gospel asserts that 
 salvation is all of grace the free gift of God. 
 This new scheme, therefore, (if it has any 
 Gospel in it,) must be another Gospel. (Col. i. 
 6,8.) 
 
 But perhaps you are of those who think that 
 all will be finally saved, in consequence of 
 having suffered the penalty of the law, though 
 some of them will have to suffer a limited 
 period in hell. I see several objections to this 
 system. 1. It has no solid foundation in the 
 Bible. There is not one text rightly interpret- 
 ed, which affords any countenance to this 
 %eory. And the Bible, by teaching that this 
 life is the only state of trial, is utterly opposed 
 to this sentiment. Abraham assured the rich 
 man (Luke xvi.) that he had, during his life- 
 time, received his good things, and that there 
 could be no passing from hell to the abode of 
 the blessed. Christ said, " The night cometh 
 when no man can work." The labourers in 
 
I AM A UNIVERSALIST. 87 
 
 the vineyard continued at their work till even- 
 ing, when they were called forward and paid. 
 In the future state, " He that is unjust will be 
 unjust still; and he that is filthy will be filthy 
 still." 2. The idea, that men pay their own 
 debt by their sufferings, either here or here- 
 after, makes their salvation a matter of debt 
 something to which they are entitled and not 
 a matter of unmerited, free grace. If any 
 were saved by their sufferings, they would not 
 cry " Gsace, grace, to it," from the foundation 
 to the top stone thereof. 3. This system has 
 nothing of Christ in it. If men can pay their 
 own debts, they need no substitute to pay for 
 them. What has Christ to do in saving men 
 from their sins, if they have to suffer them- 
 selves what their sins deserve ? If " Christ has 
 suffered for our sins, the JUST for the unjust" 
 (1 Peter, iii. 18,) then how is it that men must 
 suffer for their own sins ? This would be 
 giving justice double pay. And that system, 
 which holds that God gave his Son to suffer 
 for our sins, and that God will punish every 
 'man for his own sins, makes God infinitely 
 unjust. All who go to heaven from our world, 
 we are told in the Bible, will ascribe their 
 salvation wholly to Christ. (Rev. v. 9.) " And 
 
88 HAVE ME EXCUSED. 
 
 they sung a new song, saying, thou art worthy 
 to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: 
 for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to 
 God by thy blood out of every kindred, and 
 tongue, and people, and nation." Now, if any 
 had redeemed themselves by their own suffer- 
 ings, they could not join in singing this heavenly 
 anthem. 
 
 But even if it were true that all men will 
 finally be saved, (which we have seen is not 
 the case,) would it be likely to do men any seri- 
 ous injury to become humble and consistent 
 Christians ? Would God, or other holy beings, 
 be likely to love or respect them any the less ? 
 Would they be less useful in Church or state? 
 Would they be less likely to be sober, industri- 
 ous citizens ? Would they pay less regard to 
 the Sabbath, or be less likely to take the name 
 of God in vain ? Would they afford less com- 
 fort to their relations and friends? Would they 
 have less peace of mind, or be likely to read 
 their Bible or pray less ? Now my dear reader, 
 unless you see something important to be gain- 
 ed by living without religion, and unless you 
 see much to be lost by becoming a sincere 
 Christian, I beseech you to cast in your lot with 
 God's people. Come to the determination of 
 
I AM A MORALIST. 89 
 
 Joshua, ft As for me and my house, we will serve 
 the Lord." Multitudes, after having sought 
 long and earnestly but without success to find 
 happiness and peace in worldly good, have at 
 length turned their feet into Wisdom's ways, 
 and found that which they had sought in vain 
 elsewhere. They have found that there is peace 
 in believing. They have found that godliness 
 is profitable to all things, having promise of the 
 life that now is, and of that which is to come." 
 Leaving the future world, therefore, out of view, 
 men lose nothing valuable, but gain much, by 
 becoming Christians. Let me entreat you, then, 
 to " seek first the kingdom of God and his 
 righteousness," to " strive to enter in at the 
 strait gate," ^to "give diligence to make your 
 calling and election sure," and you will be a 
 gainer, whether all are saved or not. 
 
 " Attend the offered grace to-day, 
 Nor lose the blessing by delay.'* 
 
 SECTION VI. 
 
 The Moralist's religion hinders his salvation. 
 
 WHEN the sentiment is repeated, that, " ex- 
 cept a man be born again he cannot see the 
 
 8* 
 
90 HAVE ME EXCUSED. 
 
 kingdom of God," one man is ready to say, 
 " My religion is to deal honestly and justly with 
 all mankind, and to live a sober and moral life. 
 If I do this, I trust God will accept of me." 
 To such an one I would reply : as to honesty, 
 sobriety and morality, they are all good and im- 
 portant as far as they go, and without them 
 there can be no satisfactory evidence that the 
 heart is right in the sight of God ; but in order 
 to be justified by morality, or the works which 
 the law requires, one must never have violated 
 the law in a single instance. A creature, who 
 has never deviated in the slightest degree from 
 the demands of a law, is entitled to justification 
 by that law, and has a right to consider him- 
 self and to be considered by others as just or in- 
 nocent, according to the decisions of that law. 
 Accordingly, most of the citizens of this state 
 consider themselves and are considered by oth- 
 ers &sjust or justified, when their conduct is 
 tried by, or compared with, the laws of this 
 state. It is on this ground also, that the angels, 
 who have never violated the law of God, .are 
 justified by, and enjoy the protection and ap- 
 probation of the divine law. They are entitled 
 to all this. It is something which they can 
 justly claim, in consequence of their undeviating 
 
I AM A MORALIST. 91 
 
 obedience to that law. But when a creature 
 has once violated the law, he has, by such vio- 
 lation, thrown himself out from under its pro- 
 tection and approbation, and rendered himself 
 justly exposed to its penalty. In the eye of the 
 law, a man is as really guilty, and as truly ex- 
 posed to punishment, who has sinned but once, 
 as the man who goes on in a series of trans- 
 gressions. After a being has once become a 
 sinner, his course of conduct, whether good or 
 evil, cannot change his relation to the law. He 
 is looked upon, turn which way he will, as a 
 transgressor, and as such he is to be treated. 
 His after obedience, his reformations and tears, 
 and entreaties, cannot undo the wrong he has 
 done. What would be thought of the man 
 who had committed murder, if he should take 
 the position, that, although he had broken the 
 law and was convicted as a transgressor, 
 yet it would be unjust for him to suffer the pen- 
 alty of his crime, because he had been an obe- 
 dient and peaceable citizen ever since he commit- 
 ted the murder, and he designed to continue 
 such to the end of his life ? Would any rea- 
 sonable man think his position tenable ? If an 
 individual has violated the law, that is enough. 
 The law does not ask the criminal what he is 
 
92 HAVE ME EXCUSED. 
 
 now doing, or what he is about to do, but what 
 have you done ? Have you sinned ? And as 
 all men have sinned against the law of God, 
 they all now stand related to the penalty and 
 not to the precept of the law. God does not 
 ask men, in dealing legally with them, how 
 many times or in what ways they have violat- 
 ed his law, but have you violated it at all ? 
 HAVE YOU SINNED? And who is there on God's 
 earth, that dare say that he has never sinned ? 
 never, in the least particular, gone contrary to 
 the divine will, as made known by reason or 
 revelation ? And, my reader, as you " have 
 sinned and come short of the glory of God," as 
 well as all others, you are convicted as a trans- 
 gressor. The law, which you have violated, 
 must be satisfied. Heaven and earth will soon- 
 er pass away than one jot or tittle of the law 
 fail. How can you satisfy the law ? God says, 
 " Cursed is every one that continueth not in 
 all things written in the law, to do them." Do 
 what you will, turn which way you will, the 
 law has no other language for you than that of 
 curses. The law pays no regard to the sinner's 
 tears, and sighs, and prayers, and works of law, 
 and resolutions, and promises, and reformations. 
 The apostle Paul uses this language : " It is 
 
I AM A MORALIST. 93 
 
 evident that no man is justified by the law in 
 the sight of God." " For by the works of the 
 law shall no flesh be justified." " And by him 
 (Christ) all that believe are justified from all 
 things from which ye could not I) e justified by 
 the law of Moses" 
 
 If men could he saved for their good works, 
 their honesty and morality, their strict obe- 
 dience to the divine law, the world has gained 
 nothing by the obedience and death of Christ. 
 For salvation was possible to all men without 
 an atonement, according to that system ; and 
 it is only possible now with the atonement. 
 That system holds that the amazing sufferings 
 of Christ were unnecessary. It therefore, in 
 effect, charges God with infinite cruelty in 
 bruising his own well-beloved Son. If honesty 
 and morality, and all the deeds which the law 
 demands, could justify the sinner, then there 
 was no necessity of God's setting forth his Son 
 " to be a propitiation " for our sins, in order 
 " to declare," or make manifest, " his righteous- 
 ness," or his method of justifying sinners, "that 
 he might be just, and thejustifier of him which 
 believeth in Jesus." That system of belief, 
 therefore, which undertakes to save sinners by 
 the deeds of the law, or by morality, is opposed 
 
94 HAVE ME EXCUSED. 
 
 to both reason and revelation. The method by 
 which God proposes to save sinners, is " by 
 GRACE, through faith in Christ Jesus" But 
 if any man is saved by his obedience to the 
 law, or by his morality and good works, his 
 salvation is something to which he is entitled, 
 and which is not of grace, but of works. If he 
 is saved in that way, he has satisfied the de- 
 mands of the law, and God is under legal obli- 
 gations to justify and save him. Such a per- 
 son is not included in the number to whom St. 
 Paul says, " By grace^ are ye saved" through 
 faith, and that not of yourselves it is the gift 
 of God." You see, therefore, that the system 
 of religion by which the moralist proposes to be 
 saved, is not the Gospel system. 
 
 Again, some people who may be placed in 
 the general class with moralists, are expecting 
 heaven because they are not very wicked not 
 as wicked, in their own estimation, as many 
 others. They have never done any thing very 
 much out of the way, and they have done 
 many things which they apprehend are good 
 and acceptable in the sight of the Lord ; and, 
 besides all this, they are doing better than they 
 used to do. They seem to think it would be 
 unjust, and cruel, for God to cast them off, as 
 
I AM A MORALIST, 95 
 
 though they were utterly deficient, as to a pre- 
 paration for the home of the redeemed. I 
 would advise such persons to compare their 
 morality, and their sentiments, and their 
 righteousness, with the morality, and senti- 
 ments, and religion of the Pharisees. Can 
 they pretend to stricter morality, or to praying 
 more, or to being more punctilious in all the 
 forms and external services of religion than the 
 Pharisees were ? And yet our blessed Saviour 
 says, " Except your righteousness shall exceed 
 the righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees, 
 ye shall in no case enter the kingdom of hea- 
 ven." Christ said to Nicodemus, one of the 
 best of the Pharisees, " Except a man be born 
 again, he cannot enter the kingdom of heaven. 
 Ye must be born again." When the jailer at 
 Philippi felt himself to be a lost and ruined 
 sinner, and inquired, what he should do to be 
 saved, what was Paul's answer ? Was it, you 
 must be honest and moral ? You must com- 
 mence a reformation ? You must try to make 
 yourself better ? You must attend to religious 
 duties ? If you persevere in these things, you 
 shall be saved ? Paul told the jailer none of 
 these things. But he did tell him just what he 
 must doj and what, if he immediately did it, 
 
96 HAVE ME EXCUSED. 
 
 would secure his salvation, even if he had died 
 the next moment. Paul told him to do what, 
 when done, always leads to obedience of heart 
 and life to the will of God, and always ends in 
 salvation. Mark his simple, plain, and easy 
 answer to the trembling jailor, " Believe on the 
 Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved." 
 This was beginning at the right end of the 
 subject. For where there is faith) there is a 
 fountain which will send forth sweet waters. 
 " Faith works by love, and purifies the heart." 
 Faith leads to the cultivation of all the Chris- 
 tian graces, and to the practice of all the Chris- 
 tian virtues. Paul says, " Ye are justified by 
 faith? And our divine Lord has said, "He 
 that believeth and is baptised shall be saved/' 
 Every system of religion, which does not com- 
 mence with faith in Christ as the only f6unda~ 
 tion, is insufficient for the wants of mankind 
 can never save the soul of a sinful being, but 
 will at last be like the spider's web, which can- 
 not sustain the one who holds on to it. Good 
 works, honesty and morality, justice and so- 
 briety, patience and moderation, forbearance 
 and kindness, are virtues, which will promote 
 the happiness and comfort of those who culti- 
 vate them, and of the community in which 
 
I AM A MORALIST. 97* 
 
 they are cultivated. It is the interest and duty, 
 therefore, of all intelligent beings, to practise 
 these moral virtues. But these things are to 
 be commended and practised, not as a religion 
 which will of itself justify a sinner in God's 
 sight, but as something which is right and 
 proper in itself, whether men are saved or not, 
 and independent of our relation to the future 
 world. Men ought all to obey the precepts of 
 the moral law, and thus practise all the virtues 
 of morality, whatever becomes of them in this 
 world or the next. These things are right, but 
 they do not constitute the whole, or even the 
 first and most essential element of Gospel 
 religion. They are not the grounds on which 
 God can consistently save a sinner. We 
 would, therefore, say to moralists, in regard to 
 their good works, " These things ought ye to 
 do, but not to leave the other," that is, faith in 
 Christ^ " undone." In the Christian system, 
 God has joined faith and works together. A 
 man may pretend that he has faith, or that he 
 is a Christian, while he neglects the duties of 
 morality and charity ; but St. James informs us 
 that " faith without works " that is, a faith 
 which does not lead its possessor to perform 
 good works " is dead ; " is good for nothing, 
 9 
 
98 HAVE ME EXCUSED. 
 
 is no better than the faith of devils, is not the 
 faith which results in salvation. The faith 
 which unites the soul to Christ, leads those who 
 have it to imitate Christ to possess the same 
 self-denying and devoted mind which was in 
 him, and, like him, ever to seek to do good to 
 others. Though a man may be strictly moral 
 without being truly pious, yet no man can be 
 truly pious without being habitually moral. 
 
 Before dismissing the subject of morality, let 
 me make one other remark. I have sometimes 
 found persons who expected to be saved " be- 
 cause they were not very wicked, and did not 
 deserve to be sent to hell, and because they had 
 never," as they said, " injured their fellow- 
 creatures ; " while some of them were notorious 
 drunkards, and swearers, and Sabbath-break- 
 ers, and oppressors, and licentious persons ; and 
 others of them gave their countenance to 
 theatres and balls, and the circus, and trained 
 their children to attend them, or even attended 
 themselves. Any one who can believe that 
 God will save men for such morality as this, 
 can easily believe that God will save all men 
 without regard to their conduct in this world. 
 This description of moralists do, in effect, place 
 every man's inclination as the law which he is 
 
HOW CAME I TO BE A SINNER? 99 
 
 to obey in order to be saved. And this is infi- 
 delity of the grossest kind. It is opposed to the 
 whole Bible. It is opposed to reason and com- 
 mon sense. Nothing but a heart, which is de- 
 ceitful above all things, and fully set in one to 
 do evil, could ever prompt a man to resort to 
 such excuses for not serving God, and coming 
 to the Gospel Supper. 
 
 SECTION VII. 
 A cavil about original sin made a hinderance. 
 
 SOME people, when urged to repent and for- 
 sake their sins, are ready to inquire, a How 
 came I to be a sinner ? " To such I would re- 
 ply, that it is not of so much importance to un- 
 derstand how you became a sinner, or the 
 nature of original sin, as it is to understand 
 how you may be saved from your sins. It is 
 enough for your present purpose to know and 
 feel that you are a sinner , because you yourself 
 " have sinned and come short of the glory of 
 God." You need have no fear that God will 
 threaten or punish you more than your own 
 sins deserve. Your concern, therefore, should 
 
100 HAVE ME EXCUSED. 
 
 be to ascertain how you may escape the pun- 
 ishment which is due*to you as a transgressor 
 of GocTs law. While you are making no ex- 
 ertions to be delivered from the power and 
 penalty of your sins, but are busying yourself 
 with the inquiry, how you became a sinner, 
 you remind us of a man perishing with cold. 
 When overtaken by the woodman, he was 
 sinking info death-slumbers, benumbed with 
 frost, and the vital spark just ready to expire. 
 " Rouse up," said the woodman, " you are 
 perishing here with cold." The freezing man 
 draws up his stiffened eyelids, and gazing 
 upon his benefactor, exclaims, " How came I 
 here in the snow ? Who brought me here ? " 
 The other replies, " that is of no consequence 
 to you now. You are perishing, and unless 
 you soon wake up, you will be a dead man." 
 " But no," says the dying wretch, " I must know 
 how I came here before I make any exertions 
 to gel warm." And thus, instead of attempting 
 to escape, he busies himself with useless in- 
 quiries about his situation, till death closes the 
 scene. So, while God is proclaiming in your 
 ears, " The soul that sinneth, it shall die ; " 
 and calling on you to repent, and saying, 
 ; Except ye repent, ye shall likewise perish," 
 
I AM TOO YOUNG. 101 
 
 is it not a dictate of prudence in you to inquire, 
 " What must I do to be saved ? " " How can I 
 escape the damnation of hell ? " " Can God's 
 law be honoured, and the sinner be saved ? " 
 " Can God be true to his word, and just to the 
 universe, and the sinner not die ? " " Can 
 justice be satisfied, and the sinner go unpun- 
 ished ? " These are questions which concern 
 us far more than the one how we became sin- 
 ners. And we see in the Bible that, through 
 Christ, God can " be just, and the justifier of 
 him which belie veth in Jesus." And now, be- 
 fore the slumber of spiritual death prove fatal 
 to your soul, let me exhort you in the lan- 
 guage of inspiration, " Awake, thou that sleep- 
 est, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall 
 give thee light." 
 
 SECTION VIII. 
 Too young to be a good Christian. 
 
 HERE is a child. When he is urged- to seek 
 
 the Lord, and to make religion his first and 
 
 great concern, he replies, " I am so young, I 
 
 fear that I should not hold out." I would ask 
 
 9* 
 
102 HAVE ME EXCUSED. 
 
 such an one, why do you fear that you should 
 not hold out ? Is it because you have heard 
 others say that children and youth, who become 
 hopefully pious, are not so likely to persevere, 
 as older persons ? Or, is it because you have 
 seen young people, who profess religion, more 
 irregular in their conduct and conversation 
 than others ? Now, taking into consideration 
 the great cheerfulness, and the rapid flow of 
 animal spirits, of youth and children, the 
 temptations peculiar to their age, the great and 
 criminal negligence of older and more expe- 
 rienced Christians, to watch over, and caution, 
 and admonish them ; and the large number of 
 this description who profess a hope in Christ, it 
 is wonderful that no more fall away than do. 
 Yea, it is very doubtful whether a greater pro- 
 portion of converts of this young and volatile 
 age prove to have no religion, than of those 
 who are apparently converted in more advan- 
 ced life. And here let me remark, that those 
 parents assume a fearful responsibility who 
 keep back their children from joining the visible 
 Church, (when they give satisfactory evidence 
 of piety,) merely because the children are young. 
 In many cases where this has been done, the 
 little lambs, who were bleating for admittance 
 
I AM TOO YOUNG. 103 
 
 among the sheep in Christ's fold, have been 
 discouraged and dejected, and finally scattered 
 into the wilderness, if not destroyed, by him 
 who " walketh about as a roaring lion, seeking 
 whom he may devour." God can as well con- 
 vert a child in our day, as he could Samuel 
 and Josiah of old. And God can as readily 
 convert a child as a man ; and his grace is as 
 sufficient to keep that child from apostacy and 
 ruin, as it is to uphold the person of mature 
 age. It is my deliberate opinion, formed after 
 thirty years' experience in the Church, and 
 after having laboured more or less in some 
 forty revivals, that children under fifteen are as 
 susceptible of rational conviction, and genuine 
 conversion, as older persons ; and that ministers 
 and parents, and Sabbath-school teachers, are 
 criminal for their practical scepticism on this 
 subject. 
 
 But if other young people have dishonoured 
 religion by their irregularity or apostacy, you 
 are under no necessity of doing it. There are 
 many youth, and even children, that hold on 
 their way in the Lord's service, and are orna- 
 ments to the Church. These are the persons 
 on whom you should look as examples worthy 
 of imitation. If these can, and do continue to 
 
104 HAVE ME EXCUSED. 
 
 serve and honour Christ, you can, and ought 
 to do so too. 
 
 Do you find any thing in the Bible which 
 discourages young people, or children, from 
 commencing the service of God in the morning 
 of life? Instead of finding discouragement 
 for the young, in that sacred book, do you 
 not there find even stronger inducements for 
 youth to enter the Lord's vineyard, than for 
 those of any other age ? Do you not hear the 
 voice of wisdom, coming forth from the inspired 
 volume, and saying, " Remember now thy 
 Creator in the days of thy youth 7 " " Doth 
 not wisdom cry " in your ear, and are not these 
 her cheering words, " I love them that love me, 
 and they that seek me early shall find me ? " 
 And does not our blessed Saviour rebuke his 
 disciples for discouraging children from coming 
 to him; and does he* not say, "Suffer little 
 children to come unto me, and forbid them not, 
 for of such is the kingdom of heaven ? " Here 
 are encouragements for the young, which are 
 not held out to those of any other age. 
 
 Again, if you wish to do all the good you 
 can in the world, you ought to put yourselves 
 in the way of doing good as early as possible. 
 Life is a day, and one hour after another of this 
 
t 
 I AM TOO YOUN,, 105 
 
 II / fr <*, '''*** ^ 
 
 day is rapidly passing beyond your reach. 
 Soon comes the third hour, or the middle of the 
 forenoon ; soon after that the sixth hour, or - _ 
 noon ; then it is but a short period to the ninth 
 hour, or the middle of the afternoon ; and, be- 
 fore most people are ready for it, comes the 
 eleventh^ or closing hour of the day. Every 
 hour is precious, and should see something ac- 
 complished for our heavenly Father. We 
 ought always to bear in mind, that we were 
 created "to glorify God and enjoy him for 
 ever." If, therefore, we would answer the end 
 of our creation, we should begin to glorify God 
 in the morning of our existence. No time 
 should be wasted in the vanities of childhood 
 and youth. Life is too short to allow a single 
 hour to be lost. You cannot glorify God, or 
 please him, till you give him your heart. 
 Hence he says to you, " My son, give me thy 
 heart." To give your heart to God, is to love 
 him with all your heart. This is the begin- 
 ning of true religion. If you love God, you, 
 will seek to keep his commandments. You 
 will believe in the Lord Jesus Christ as your 
 Saviour. You will forsake your sins. You 
 will pray, and keep the Sabbath, and obey ^ 
 your parents, and attend meeting, and read the 
 
106 HAVE ME EXCUSED. 
 
 Bible, and seek to perform all Christian duties. 
 If you become a Christian while young, you 
 will have the longer time in which to do good ; 
 and, of course, you can do far more good by 
 entering the Lord's vineyard in the morning, 
 and labouring all day in his service, than you 
 could, if you put off entering the vineyard till 
 middle life. A desire, therefore, to do as much 
 good as possible for your heavenly Father, 
 should lead you to devote yourself to his service 
 without any delay. 
 
 But again, reflect, that though you may think 
 yourself too young to be a Christian, you are 
 not too young to die ; and, if you die in your 
 sins, you are not too young to be cast into hell. 
 Children and youth die as well as others. And 
 they are sinners as well as others. And they 
 cannot be saved without a new heart, any more 
 than others. And now, is it wise, is it safe, to 
 put off giving your heart to God till you are 
 older ? Will God be pleased with your putting 
 off? Would you dare to kneel down before 
 God and say, " O Lord, I am too young to love 
 and serve thee. I want the privilege of living 
 in a sinful state, and of disobeying thee a few 
 years longer, before I can think of doing as thou 
 requirest. I fear that if I should begin to build 
 
I AM TOO YOUNG. 107 
 
 while so young, I should not be able to finish. 
 I pray thee, therefore, go thy way for this time, 
 but when I am older, and find a convenient 
 season, I will call for thee ?" You would shud- 
 der to offer this prayer in so many words , but 
 you do, in effect, offer it, every day you neglect 
 to become a Christian. 
 
 Finally, let me tell you that the wish, which 
 you now have, to put off beginning to serve 
 God, if you indulge it, will constantly increase, 
 and sear your conscience, and will prevent the 
 preached Gospel, and other means of grace, doing 
 you any good, and will discourage Christians in 
 their labours and prayers for your salvation, 
 and will provoke God to give you up to the in- 
 clinations of an evil heart, and thus will prove 
 your eternal ruin. God has plainly said, " My 
 Spirit shall not always strive with man." Many 
 have doubtless been given up of God, when 
 young. Take heed, therefore, my young friend, 
 lest this be the case with you, and you mourn 
 at the last, saying, " how have I hated instruc- 
 tion, and my heart despised reproof!" Will 
 you not, from this time, cry unto God, " My 
 Father thou art the Guide of my youth ?" 
 
108 HAVE ME EXCUSED, 
 
 SECTION IX. 
 Religion would make me less happy. 
 
 Some people, when invited to become Chris- 
 tians, are ready to say, " I fear religion would 
 destroy or greatly diminish my happiness." Let 
 me ask such an one, Are you now happy? 
 Does your mind enjoy peace and quietness 
 when you suffer yourself to think of (hath, 
 judgment, and eternity ? After all your appa- 
 rent cheerfulness and gayety, is there not a 
 canker gnawing your soul, and filling you with 
 anguish? If you think that religion would 
 make you unhappy, you have an erroneous 
 idea of it. It is the want of religion that makes 
 men miserable. The soul without religion, is 
 like a ship on the tempestuous ocean without 
 helm or anchor. It is driven about, the sport 
 of every wind and every wave. Are you the 
 most happy when you go the farthest from what 
 religion requires ? Does it make you happy to 
 get angry, or swear, or lie, or break the Sab- 
 bath, or get intoxicated, or disobey your parents, 
 or cheat, or do anything which you know is 
 wrong? Instead of making you happy, these 
 things make you miserable in proportion as you 
 
I WANT TO BE HAPPY. 109 
 
 indulge in them. Well, religion calls on you 
 to break off all these, and cease to do evil. Do 
 you not feel the least unhappy when you cul- 
 tivate " love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentle- 
 ness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temper- 
 ance," or when you come the nearest to these? 
 These are what religion enjoins, and what go 
 to make up the Christian character. To cease 
 to do evil, and learn to do well, is religion, 
 And can you think that this would make you 
 less happy than you now are ? Do you not 
 find in your own experience, that the way of 
 transgressors is hard ? that " there is no peace 
 to the wicked?" You now labour, and are 
 heavy laden with fear and anxiety ; but if you 
 will come to Christ, he will relieve you of your 
 burden, and give rest to your soul. If you " will 
 run the way of God's commandments," you 
 will find peace and pleasantness. David says, 
 from experience, " Great peace have they who 
 love thy law," Our blessed Saviour says to 
 his followers, " My peace I give unto you. 77 
 Faithful Christians enjoy the " peace of God, 
 which passeth all understanding." The apostle 
 Paul says to Christians, " Rejoice in the Lord 
 always, and again I say, rejoice." Thousands 
 and millions have turned from the ways of sin 
 10 
 
110 HAVE ME EXCUSED. 
 
 to the way of holiness, in time past, and they 
 all unite in this testimony, that they have found 
 far more happiness in serving God, than they 
 ever did in the pleasures of sin. These were 
 persons of all ranks in society the rich, the 
 poor, the high, the low, the master, the slave, 
 the young, the old, the married and the unmar- 
 ried but they meet together in religion, and 
 unitedly assert that wisdom's " ways are ways 
 of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace." 
 Many of these were persons who had the very 
 best opportunity to find happiness in worldly 
 things, if there was any there to be found. But 
 they all testify that they never knew anything 
 about rational, substantial happiness, till they 
 became Christians. Now, if you have not tried 
 religion, you are not as well qualified to judge 
 of its duties and its pleasures, as those who have 
 tried it. And as all who have tried the plea- 
 sures of the world and the pleasures of religion, 
 are agreed in their testimony that the service of 
 God affords more happiness, even in this life, 
 you are bound to believe them, or try and see * 
 for yourself. 
 
 But whether " godliness is profitable unto all 
 things, (having the promise of the life that now 
 ts,")or not, one thing is certain, men are under 
 
I WANT TO BE HAPPY. Ill 
 
 infinite obligations to their Creator, Preserver, 
 and Benefactor. To fear God, and keep his com- 
 mandments, is the least that they ought all to do, 
 towards cancelling these obligations. Every 
 person ought immediately to devote himself and 
 all he has to God, to spend and be spent in his 
 service. And this they ought to do, even if it ex- 
 posed them to the severest persecutions, and to 
 death. Thousands have done it, when they 
 knew that it would expose them to the loss of 
 all things dear on earth, and have looked for 
 their reward beyond the grave. And they acted 
 wisely in doing it ; for what is a man profited, 
 if he gain the whole world and lose his own 
 soul ? or what will he give in exchange for his 
 soul ?" And now, my dear reader, God says to 
 you, " Son, go work to-day in my vineyard." 
 Will you obey God, and immediatey enter his 
 service ? or will you deliberately disobey him, 
 and risk the consequences ? Answer it to your 
 own conscience, in view of the coming judgment. 
 
112 HAVE ME EXCUSED. 
 
 r 
 
 SECTION X. 
 
 The fear of 'man is a snare. 
 
 Another, when urged to become religious, is 
 troubled by this thought, " What will my friends 
 and associates think of me, if I become a Chris- 
 tian?' 7 I would ask such, What will GOD think 
 of you, if you do not become a Christian? What 
 does he think of you now, for having so long 
 neglected to love and serve him? Ought you not 
 to have a greater dread of God's displeasure, than 
 of the displeasure of your friends ? But would 
 you be willing now to serve God, if your friends 
 would serve him too ? Are you quite sure of it ? 
 Have you told them so ? Have you told them 
 that the only thing which prevents you from be- 
 ing a Christian, is the dread of leaving their soci- 
 ety, and a fear of their remarks about you, if you 
 should become serious ? If you have not can- 
 didly conversed with them on this subject, how 
 do you know but they feel just as you do about 
 it ? Should you tell them your feelings, and in- 
 vite them to go with you in serving the Lord, 
 it is more than possible that they would accept 
 your invitation. 
 
I FEAR THE SPEECH OF PEOPLE. 113 
 
 In a village in the State of New York, an 
 only son was growing deaf. His father was 
 so much troubled ^about it, that it kept him 
 awake nights. One night, while he was think- 
 ing of the sad prospects of his darling boy, and 
 of the impossibility of receiving help from any 
 human arm, he undertook to ask help from 
 God. He had not proceeded far with his prayer 
 in behalf of his son, when his mind was over- 
 whelmed with a sense of the inconsistency of 
 praying for his child, before he had first prayed 
 for himself. He was immediately filled with 
 deep distress, in view of his situation as a lost 
 sinner. His anxiety was so great, that he rolled 
 on his bed, and sighed so loud that he awoke 
 his wife. She inquired the cause of his uneasi- 
 ness, and asked him if he was sick. He said 
 he was not sick, and then tried to compose his 
 feelings so as to lie still, and, if possible, fall 
 asleep. But after a few minutes he turned and 
 sighed again. His wife again asked what was 
 the matter. He said, "Not much of anything." 
 She then began to suspect the occasion of his 
 uneasiness, and said to him, " Are you displeas- 
 ed and unhappy, because you fear that I think 
 of becoming a Christian?" "Why, do you 
 think of it?" said he. "Yes," was her reply. 
 10* 
 
114 HAVE ME EXCUSED. 
 
 "Then I will too? said he, " but I hated to go 
 alone." From that time their minds were fally 
 determined to serve God. Not long after this, 
 they came forward together, and avouched the 
 Lord Jehovah to be their God, and united with 
 the visible Church. In like manner, should 
 you, my dear reader, manifest your determina- 
 tion to be on the Lord's side, it would have a 
 tendency to lead your friends and acquaintan- 
 ces to do the same. But let that be as it will, 
 you are to give account of yourself to God. 
 God does not say, " You must love and serve 
 me, if others do," You ought to obey him, if 
 you are the only one in the universe who does 
 it. The thoughts and remarks of others, will 
 not excuse you for neglecting to obey the Lord 
 Jesus Christ. Is it wise for you to be influenced 
 by your friends to your eternal ruin? Is it 
 wise to disobey God because others do ? " Go 
 not with the multitude to do evil." As it re- 
 gards the sneers of your ungodly associates, 
 care nothing for them. Our Saviour and Judge 
 says, " He that is ashamed of me before men, 
 of him will I be ashamed before my Father and 
 the holy angels." " Fear not them that kill the 
 body, but are not able to kill the soul ; but fear 
 him who is able to destroy both soul and body 
 
PROFESSORS ARE SO INCONSISTENT. 115 
 
 in hell." Do not lose your soul, because others 
 are determined to go on in sin and risk the con- 
 sequences. You must stand or fall for your- 
 self, and it is wise, therefore, for you to foresee 
 the evil, and hide yourself \ if the simple do pass 
 on, and are punished. 
 
 SECTION XI. 
 Inconsistent professors are a stumbling-block. 
 
 ANOTHER, when invited to become a Chris- 
 tian, is ready to reply, " I do not see that pro- 
 fessors of religion live any better than other 
 people," To such I would say, it is a matter 
 of deep regret that some, who bear the Chris- 
 tian name, give occasion to think that they are 
 no better than the world. Our Saviour tells us 
 of some of this kind of professors, who would 
 say to him in the judgment, " Lord, Lord, open 
 unto us ; we have eaten and drunk in thy pre- 
 sence, and thou has taught in our streets. But 
 he shall say, I tell you, I know you not whence 
 ye are ; depart from me, all ye workers of ini- 
 quity." Professing religion is one thing, and 
 being truly pious, is another, and sometimes 
 
116 HAVE ME EXCUSED. 
 
 quite a different thing. None but those, who 
 show their faith by their works, have a right 
 to expect heaven. The hope of the hypocrite 
 shall perish shall be as the spider's web in 
 the giving up of the ghost in a dying hour. 
 Unconverted persons should be careful, there- 
 fore, not to form their ideas of religion from the 
 conduct of unworthy, or ungodly professors. 
 You have a Bible. That teaches you what 
 true religion is, and what it leads those, who 
 truly possess it, to do. You need not be misled 
 by inconsistent professors. If others are wrong 
 in heart and life, you need not be. The Bible 
 teaches you what you must do to be saved ; and 
 if you follow its directions, the misconduct of 
 others need not injure you. If many, or even 
 all the professors of religion with whom you are 
 acquainted, are hypocrites, or self-deceived per- 
 sons, it will not benefit you. Every one is to 
 stand or fall for himself. God will not accept 
 others' inconsistencies as an excuse for our neg- 
 lect of duty. Our Saviour may with propriety 
 address us, with reference to the irregularities 
 of others, as he did Peter, when he made an 
 inquiry respecting John, " What is that to thee ? 
 follow thou me." Would it be likely to make 
 your hell more tolerable, to find yourself in the 
 
PROFESSORS ARE SO INCONSISTENT. 117 
 
 midst of hypocrites? Well, if you continue 
 without religion a little longer, you will be 
 "where are hypocrites and unbelievers." All 
 ungodly persons, whether in the visible Church 
 or out of it, will go to the same place. I be- 
 seech you not to let vile hypocrites cheat you 
 out of heaven. Take heed lest you constrain 
 the Lord to make you a companion of abomi- 
 nable hypocrites forever. 
 
 But we may be too uncharitable, in passing 
 judgment upon our neighbours. Our blessed 
 Saviour intimates that we are more ready to 
 see the faults of others, than we are our own. 
 He says, " Why beholdest thou the mote that 
 is in thy brother's eye, but perceivest not the 
 beam that is in thine own eye ? Thou hypo- 
 crite, first cast out the beam out of thine own y e, 
 and then shalt thou see clearly to pull out the 
 mote that is in thy brother's eye." We may be 
 keener sighted in seeing the faults, than we 
 are in seeing the virtues of Christians. One 
 of the ancient prophets asserted that the wicked 
 " eat up the sins of God's people as they eat 
 bread." What the wicked loved to do then, 
 they love to do now. I have sometimes heard 
 wicked men talk as if they thought Christians 
 were incapable of a good action yea, as if, in 
 
118 HAVE ME EXCUSED. 
 
 their estimation, Christians were much worse 
 than other men. The truth is, that if the un- 
 godly would take the Saviours advice, and 
 first cast out the beam from their own eye, they 
 would have more charity for others. 
 
 A mistake, into which some men run on this 
 subject, is, they seem to have the impression 
 that those who profess religion, profess to be 
 perfectly holy. Because Christians are called 
 saints, or holy persons, it is supposed that all 
 true Christians are without sin, or perfectly 
 sanctified. As before regeneration the man is 
 dead in sin is wholly sinful so after this 
 change it is inferred that he is without sin. 
 But the truth is, intelligent Christians do not 
 pretend to be perfectly holy. They believe that 
 " no mere man, since the fall, is morally able 
 to keep the commandments of God, but doth 
 daily break them in thought, word, and deed." 
 Even the best of God's people find that when 
 they would do good, evil is present with them 
 that they are but partially sanctified. But 
 though Christians often sin, and sometimes sin 
 grievously and scandalously, yet they do not 
 love sin, but hate it. What they do, they al- 
 low not. And what they hate, that they do. 
 So then, it is not they their regenerated na- 
 
PROFESSORS ARE SO INCONSISTENT. 119 
 
 ture that do it, but sin that dwelleth in them. 
 " The flesh lusteth against the spirit, and the 
 spirit against the flesh, and these are contrary 
 the one to the other." Could you follow the 
 Christian into his closet, after you have seen 
 him give way to an unholy temper, or to an 
 idle and foolish word, or to an improper action, 
 you would witness tears of godly sorrow flow- 
 ing down his cheeks, as he confesses his sins 
 before God and repents of them. The ungodly 
 witnessed Peter's denial of Christ, and his curs- 
 ing and swearing, but they were not with him 
 when he went out and wept bitterly. Thus 
 you may witness the faults of Christians, and 
 may conclude that they feel no more penitence 
 for sin, or hatred of it, than others do. But 
 could you see them when they are alone, weep- 
 ing and mourning over their sins and short- 
 comings, you might think otherwise. All true 
 Christians hate those very sinful words and 
 actions, which you may think they allow them- 
 selves to do and say. When they discover in 
 their hearts a propensity to evil, or when that 
 propensity has betrayed them into sin, they 
 sincerely abhor themselves, and repent in dust 
 and ashes. It is very desirable that all who 
 profess Godliness, should honour their profes- 
 
120 HAVE ME EXCUSED* 
 
 sion, and thus recommend, by example as well 
 as precept, the religion of the Lord Jesus. But 
 as there are many who bear the Christian name, 
 that will doubtless continue to disgrace their 
 calling, would it not be well for you to become 
 a decided and consistent disciple of our blessed 
 Saviour, that your influence may help correct 
 the irregularities of the unstable and disorderly 
 This is evidently the wisest and safest course 
 for you. Will you not then come to the deci- 
 sion of Joshua, " As for me and my house, we 
 will serve the Lord." 
 
 SECTION XII. 
 No notion of being- scared into religion. 
 
 As the minister attempts to persuade men by 
 means of the terror of the Lord, one starts up 
 and says : " I have no idea of being scared to 
 heaven." To such I would say, No one ex- 
 pects to scare you to heaven. If it were possi- 
 ble to frighten people into heaven as timid sheep 
 are frightened into a strange fold, they would 
 not willingly remain there. But no person can 
 be frightened into religion, or into heaven. None 
 
I WON'T BE FRIGHTENED. 121 
 
 can be induced to go towards heaven, unless 
 he loves God, and holiness, and religious duties. 
 Probably the reason why God preaches so much 
 terror to the wicked is, " the hardness of their 
 hearts." There is such a fatal death-slumber 
 fallen upon men, that they will not be aroused 
 but by the trumpet and thunders of Mount 
 Sinai. The object of preaching " the terror 
 of the Lord," and of warning men to "flee from 
 the wrath to come," is to " save them through 
 FEAR, pulling them out of the fire." Unless the 
 man sleeping in a burning house can be awak- 
 ened, he must perish. And if whispering in 
 his ear, or talking moderately to him, does not 
 arouse him, is it better to let him be consumed, 
 than to try to awaken him by hallooing, "fire, 
 FIRE," even if it is liable to give him a tempo- 
 rary fright? Our object, in sounding an alarm 
 in his ear, is not to injure the man by frighten- 
 ing him, but to lead him to see his danger that he 
 may avoid death. So when the Lord Jesus 
 Christ informs men that it is better to part with 
 a right eye, or a right hand, or a right foot, 
 which was likely to occasion their destruction, 
 than to be cast into hell, where their worm 
 dieth not, and the fire is not quenched ; and 
 when he so vividly depicts the sad and hopeless 
 11 
 
122 HAVE ME EXCUSED. 
 
 condition of the rich man " in hell, lifting up his 
 eyes, being in torment," crying, " I am torment- 
 ed in this flame ;" and when he so pathetically 
 inquires of his impenitent, self-conceited hearers, 
 " how can ye escape the damnation of hell ?" 
 and when he says that the hour is coming when 
 " all that are in their graves shall hear his voice 
 and shall come forth, they that have done good, 
 unto the resurrection of life, and they that have 
 done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation ;" 
 and when he asserts that He " shall come in 
 the glory of his Father with the holy angels," 
 and assemble all nations at his bar, and receive 
 the righteous into everlasting life, and send 
 away the wicked " into everlasting punish- 
 ment ;" in all these and similar representations, 
 Christ's object doubtless was to arouse attention, 
 and, if possible, to lead men to flee from the 
 wrath to come, and secure the salvation of their 
 souls. Though the Lord may not scare men 
 into religion, or into heaven, yet he may pre- 
 sent to their minds motives, which ought to 
 -make them fear and quake, while they are liv- 
 ing in disobedience to his commands. Thus 
 said the Lord : " O, wicked man, thou shalt 
 surely die. He that, being often reproved, hard- 
 eneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, 
 
1 WON'T BE FRIGHTENED. 123 
 
 and that without remedy. Their foot shall 
 slide in due time. Surely thou didst set them 
 in slippery places ; thou castedst them down 
 into destruction. When they cry, < Peace and 
 Safety/ then sudden destruction cometh upon, 
 them. Because there is wrath, beware, lest he 
 take thee away with his stroke ; then, a great 
 ransom cannot deliver thee." 
 
 There are multitudes, whom the goodness of 
 God does not lead to repentance ; and must 
 God employ no other motives but those of mer- 
 cy and love, to, try to induce them to repent, that 
 they may be saved ? Must he confine himself 
 to invitations and promises, in his efforts to per- 
 suade them to be reconciled to him? What do 
 those persons mean, who say that they will not 
 be scared to heaven ? Do they mean that they 
 had rather go to hell, than be aroused to attend 
 to religion by motives of terror ? Do they mean 
 to dictate to God, or his minister, how he must 
 preach to them, and tell him what motives shall, 
 and what motives shall not, be employed to in- 
 fluence their minds ? God may know, as well 
 as such persons, what will be most likely to save 
 their souls. Does it look modest for a poor, 
 feeble, ignorant worm of the dust, to hold up 
 his head and say : " I will not be moved by fear 
 
124 HAVE ME EXCUSED. 
 
 to attend to religion 1 " If the Bible be true, 
 then all unconverted persons are, EVERY MO- 
 MENT, exposed to hell. Is it so, and shall they 
 be kept in ignorance of it? Shall God's min- 
 isters seek to please their hearers, or to save 
 them ? Shall they withhold some of the con- 
 straining motives of the Gospel, for fear they 
 will frighten or displease some of their hear- 
 ers ? Shall they thus cry, ' Peace, Peace,' to 
 their impenitent hearers, when God is at war 
 with them ; and, when he has said in his word, 
 and by his Providence, that " there is no peace 
 to the wicked?" And will those persons, who 
 are conscious that they have never "passed from 
 death unto life," be offended at those motives, 
 and at that kind of preaching, which have al- 
 ways been most owned and blessed of God to 
 the conversion of sinners ? The excuse, that 
 you will not be scared to heaven, is aimed, as 
 you can see, not so much at ministers, as at God 
 himself ; for no minister ever preached half so 
 much terror as God did at Sinai; nor half so 
 much of hell and damnation, with all their 
 dreadful terrors, as our Lord Jesus Christ did. 
 "Wo unto him, then, that striveth with his 
 Maker." 
 
HOW CAME SIN INTO THE WORLD ? 125 
 SECTION XIII. 
 
 How came sin into the world ? 
 
 WHEN the subject of personal religion is in- 
 troduced, in order to ward off the truth from 
 his own conscience, one will ask, " How came 
 sin into the universe ?" To such I would reply 
 as follows : It is admitted on all hands that 
 there is sin, or moral evil, in the universe. 
 The experience of all men, in all countries, and 
 all ages, proves conclusively that there is moral 
 good and moral evil in the world. Every na- 
 tion, every state, every family, in a word, every 
 thing in the shape of government is built on 
 this, as a fundamental principle in the existing 
 state of things, namely, that there is such a 
 thing as moral right, and moral wrong. 
 What would be the condition of society in any 
 nation, which should embrace and publish that 
 there is no such a thing as wrong ? that no 
 man is bound to perform what are now called 
 moral duties, and no man is bound to abstain 
 from what are now called moral evils ? What 
 would be the value of life, or property, or char- 
 acter, or chastity, in such a community ? Every 
 one would do that which his inclination, and 
 11* 
 
126 HAVE ME EXCUSED. 
 
 appetites, and passions prompted him to do. 
 Such a state of things, to a considerable extent, 
 once existed in France. It was after the French 
 nation decreed that the Bible was priestcraft, 
 and death, an eternal sleep. That period is 
 spoken of as the reign of terror Surely, 
 things were in a terrible state. Thousands 
 and thousands were massacred, and the whole 
 kingdom was one vast brothel. Such would be 
 the state of things throughout the earth, if the 
 distinction between moral right and moral 
 wrong were done away. The difficulty is not 
 removed by saying, there is such a thing as 
 civil right and wrong, and social right and 
 wrong. Civil and social rights cannot well be 
 maintained, unless they are founded on moral 
 rights. Civil and social rights do not reach the 
 spring of action. There needs to be a sense 
 of moral obligation, to lead mankind to pay 
 much regard to their civil and social obligations. 
 We take it for granted, therefore, that there is 
 moral evil, or sin, in the universe. And this 
 seems to be admitted by those who inquire, 
 " How sin came into the universe ?" We then 
 make this affirmation, Sin is in the world. 
 
 Another thought, which we need to contem- 
 plate in this connection, is this, God is infinite- 
 
HOW CAME SIN INTO THE WORLD ? 127 
 
 ly holy, and infinitely benevolent. This is ad- 
 mitted by all those who acknowledge his ex- 
 istence. Now, if God be infinitely holy, he must 
 be opposed to sin, which is the opposite of holi- 
 ness. And if he is opposed to sin, he could not 
 influence angels, or men, or any other being to 
 commit sin. This is in accordance with Scrip- 
 ture : " God cannot be tempted of evil ; neither 
 tempteth he any man" We may be assured, 
 therefore, that God did not dispose holy beings 
 to commit sin. Such a thought would be a 
 slander on his character. Instead of disposing 
 his creatures to commit sin, God blames them 
 for sinning, and threatens the heaviest possible 
 penalty against those who dare to sin. He 
 says, " The soul that sinneth, shall die ;" " The 
 wages of sin is death ;" " These shall go away 
 into everlasting punishment" The angels 
 who sinned, " are reserved in everlasting chains," 
 to be punished. We see, therefore, that God 
 treats men and fallen angels, as though they 
 had themselves originated, and committed all 
 the sin which there is in the universe. It is of 
 no consequence to us whether we can under- 
 stand or not, how the first holy being could con- 
 ceive sin. Neither is it of any consequence to 
 us, what was the first sin ; whether it was a 
 
128 HAVE ME EXCUSED. 
 
 desire for supreme power, ambition, envy, or 
 pride. We know there must have been a first 
 sin, and it has had legions of followers. Well 
 for us to remember, that " secret things belong 
 to the Lord our God ; but those that are re- 
 vealed, to us' and our children." We need not 
 try to reach things which are too high for us. 
 On this subject, it is enough for us to know that 
 we are sinners, voluntary sinners, and that we, 
 by voluntarily committing sin, are giving our 
 approbation to the deed of that being, who com- 
 mitted the first sin. Our great inquiry ought 
 to be, How can I obtain the forgiveness of my 
 sins, and secure the eternal salvation of my 
 soul? This important question is answered 
 in the Sacred Volume, " Believe on the Lord 
 Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved." 
 
 SECTION XIV. 
 I want to wait for others' halting. 
 
 SOME people, when urged to seek first the 
 kingdom of God, and his righteousness, are 
 ready to say, " I want to see how the young 
 converts hold out, before I commence." I would 
 
SEE HOW OTHERS HOLD OUT. 129 
 
 say to such, you have already seen very many 
 Christians hold out to the end, and die in tri- 
 umph ; you have also seen man}^ others hold- 
 ing on their way, year after year, ever since 
 you were a child, and the prospect is that they 
 will endure unto the end, and be saved. Why 
 do you wish to wait to see others hold out, before 
 you even commence the Christian course ? Will 
 it do you any good, if some, who seem to start 
 fair for heaven, turn aside from the way, and 
 show that they have " no part nor lot in this 
 matter?" It always has been the case that 
 some go out from us, and it is because at heart 
 " they are not of us ; for if they had been of us, 
 they no doubt would have continued with us." 
 But if one quarter, or even one half, who pro- 
 fess to be converted, should prove to be hypo- 
 crites, or self-deceived, would that do you any 
 good ? It is a matter of regret that a//, who 
 profess religion, do not give evidence of being 
 truly pious ; but there have always been foolish 
 virgins as well as wise ones. Yb?/, as well as 
 myself and others, ought to weep over the in- 
 consistency, formality, and hypocrisy of those 
 who fall from their apparent steadfastness. 
 Is it wise for you to wait for the halting of oth- 
 ers, when it will not alter your case, let the mat- 
 
130 HAVE ME EXCUSED. % 
 
 ter turn out as it will with them ? While you 
 are thus waiting to see how others hold out, 
 your heart is growing harder, your mind is fill- 
 ing with skepticism, your influence is drawing 
 others down towards perdition, and your own 
 life is swiftly passing away without doing any 
 good in the cause of Christ, or for your own 
 soul, or for your fellow men. Does your con- 
 science approve of the course you are taking ? 
 Will you dare go to the judgment with the ex- 
 cuse, that you desired to wait to see how others 
 held out before you commenced ? God will not 
 ask you, at his bar, how others held out ; but 
 he may ask you, why did not YOU begin, and 
 continue, and endure to the end in the ways of 
 the Lord ? Are you prepared to give a satisfac- 
 tory answer to such a question ? I pray you, 
 give up your excuses, and commence at once 
 the great business of life. " Strive to enter in 
 at the strait gate, for many, I say unto you, 
 will seek to enter in, and shall not be able." 
 
i FEAR i SHAN'T HOLD OUT. 131 
 
 SECTION XV. 
 If I begin, I cart t finish. 
 
 ONE is ready to say, " I fear that if I begin 
 to build, I shall not be able to finish. 77 It is 
 commendable, surely, to sit down and count 
 the cost, before making a profession of religion. 
 But, in doing it, we should be candid. Now, 
 let me entreat you to look on all sides of this 
 subject. . Remember that many of your own 
 age, and many younger than you are, and 
 some perhaps farther advanced in life, and 
 these too of every variety of talents and intelli- 
 gence, and occupying all kinds of situations 
 where it is lawful for men to be, have begun 
 to build the Christian tower, and have gone 
 on with it till it 10 as finished. Do you seriously 
 think that you possess less power, and less 
 means for accomplishing this work, than some 
 of those who have completed a Christian char- 
 acter, and who have "brought forth the top 
 stone thereof, crying, grace, grace, to it? 
 What do you suppose you lack that they pos- 
 sessed? Have you not as strong a mind as 
 many of those who have become Christians ? 
 Have your opportunities not been as good as 
 
132 HAVE ME EXCUSED. 
 
 those which many of them enjoyed ? Have 
 you not as much power to love, or hate, as 
 they had ? And if they could, and did, be- 
 come Christians, and hold out in religion to 
 the end of life, why cannot you ? If the com- 
 mencing and completing a Christian character, 
 was now a new thing' an experiment and if 
 the grace of God were not proffered to those 
 who seek it, then there might be some reason 
 to fear, lest those who begin should not be able 
 to finish. " The world, the flesh, and the 
 devil," are mighty foes to Zion's pilgrims ; and 
 they are ready, on all occasions, to throw 
 obstacles in their way, and to present before 
 them roaring lions, and mighty giants, and 
 fearful sloughs. Multitudes, on seeing the 
 slough of despond, or on hearing the lions roar, 
 or the giants curse, are deterred from commenc- 
 ing a religious life, and carry back an evil re- 
 port of the way. But though the difficulties 
 are many and great, yet they are not so many 
 and so great, but that those who set out sin- 
 cerely to obey God, and are determined to 
 make their way to heaven in the Bible-path, 
 can triumphantly say, " they that be for us are 
 more than they that be against us." The mo- 
 ment the sinner lays down the weapons of his 
 
i FEAR i SHAN'T HOLD OUT. 133 
 
 rebellion, and chooses Christ as the captain of 
 his salvation, he has all the armies of heaven 
 on his side, and God himself for his shield and 
 buckler, and for the rock of his defence. At 
 that eventful moment, he becomes an heir of 
 God, and a joint heir with Christ. And though 
 he has no resources of his own, (independent of 
 what he is entitled to as an heir of heaven,) yet 
 he can now draw from the overflowing treasury 
 of his Father, any amount needed to carry for- 
 ward, and complete his Gospel tower. 
 
 In counting the cost, therefore, the sinner 
 should not limit his calculations to his present 
 possessions, but should bear in mind that, by a 
 simple act of faith, or confidence in God, he 
 may become heir of all things. " They that 
 trust in the Lord shall not want any good 
 thing." 
 
 If you still say, you fear you should not be 
 able to finish, let me tell you that one thing is 
 absolutely certain, namely, you are sure not to 
 finish, if you do not begin. You never will 
 reach heaven unless you start that way. And 
 as long as you are neglecting to repent of your 
 sins, and yield your heart to God, you are 
 going rapidly away from heaven. Do you 
 say, " but I would commence serving God, if I 
 12 
 
134 HAVE ME EXCUSED. 
 
 only knew that I should succeed in becoming a 
 Christian, and in persevering in the Christian 
 course to the end." Well, you may know that 
 you will hold out, if you really believe in the 
 Lord Jesus Christ ; for, by believing in Christ, 
 you become righteous your faith is counted 
 for righteousness and God, who cannot lie. 
 has expressly declared, " The righteous shall 
 hold on his way, and he that hath clean hands 
 be stronger and stronger." Having now count- 
 ed the cost with me, let me entreat of you to 
 begin to build for eternity at once. You have 
 none too much time to accomplish the mighty 
 work which is before you. " Other foundation 
 can no man lay than that is laid, which 
 is Jesus Christ.' 7 Begin, then, by receiving 
 him as your Saviour, your only hope, your 
 chief corner stone. Build upon this foundation, 
 (not hay, wood, and stubble, but) " gold, silver, 
 and precious stones." Keep in mind this truth, 
 you must begin to build, or perish for ever. 
 You must build upon Christ, or perish for 
 ever. You must build of good substantial ma- 
 terials, " your most holy faith," or you will 
 suffer loss. You must persevere in the ways 
 of well-doing, seeking for glory, and honour, 
 and immortality, or you will never receive 
 **rnal life. 
 
RELIGION WOULD HURT MY BUSINESS. 135 
 
 SECTION XVI. 
 My business and religion would not agree. 
 
 SOME men, when urged to embrace the 
 Saviour, are ready to say, " My employment 
 and religion would not go well together." 
 Why not ? Two can walk together, if they 
 are agreed. If your business is right and pro- 
 per, religion will not interfere with it. Is your 
 employment such as your conscience, and such 
 as you have reason to believe the Bible justify? 
 Is it such as you would wish to be engaged in 
 when summoned away to the judgment-bar of 
 Christ ? Can you, with an honest and upright 
 heart, ask the Lord to prosper you in your 
 business, and to " establish the Avork of your 
 hands upon you ? " Is your employment such 
 as supreme love to God would point out as just 
 and suitable ? Is it consistent with the golden 
 rule, which requires you to " love your neigh- 
 bour as yourself," and to " do as you would be 
 done by?" Now, if your business is justi- 
 fiable at the bar of conscience, and, if you have 
 reason to think it will be, at the bar of God, 
 you can still continue in it, and become a 
 Christian too. Men have become Christians, 
 
136 HAVE ME EXCUSED. 
 
 and lived in the enjoyment of religion, who 
 were engaged in all kinds of lawful business. 
 Farmers, mechanics, merchants, lawyers, phy- 
 sicians, and statesmen, have become pious 
 without giving up their business ; and if others 
 have, you may. But perhaps you have doubts 
 as to the propriety and justice of your employ- 
 ment. Perhaps you discover that the direct 
 and legitimate tendency of your business, is to 
 injure your fellow men, either in body, soul, or 
 estate, and that it is thus opposed to the great 
 law of love. If you suspect that this k the 
 tendency of your business, you ought to give it 
 up at once, whether you ever become a Chris- 
 tian or not. If you have serious scruples about 
 the matter, you had better take the safe side. 
 Possibly you are ready to say, " I have embark- 
 ed all my capital, and more too, in this busi- 
 ness, and if I leave it, my family and creditors 
 will suffer." This reminds me of the story of 
 the farmer-sailors. Just before the close of the 
 last war, a number of honest-hearted farmers 
 took it into their heads to get rich in a hurry. 
 To accomplish this, they sold their farms and 
 other disposable property for cash, and then 
 borrowed a considerable amount of their neigh- 
 bours, and invested it all in a privateer. But 
 
RELIGION WOULD HURT MY BUSINESS. 137 
 
 while the ship was overhauling, and preparing 
 for a cruise, the news of peace arrived. Filled 
 with consternation at their disappointment, our 
 honest farmers inquired, ''What shall be 
 done ? We can't afford to lose all our money 
 and time for nothing. And our families and 
 creditors will suffer too. Let us put right 
 off to sea, under pretence that we thought 
 the news of peace only an unauthorized ru- 
 mour, and if we take one or two good prizes, 
 we shall save ourselves, our families, and 
 our creditors." But one, more conscientious 
 than his comrades, inquired, will this be right? 
 Will this be doing as we would be done by? 
 Will our country, or our God, justify us in tak- 
 ing this course ? Will it not be looked upon as 
 piracy?" These questions opened their eyes, 
 and led them to see the impropriety and injus- 
 tice of the course proposed. Says one, " I will 
 sooner let* my family go to the poor-house, than 
 support them in this way." "So will I," said 
 another. " But what will our creditors do ?' in- 
 quired a third. "They may put us in jail," 
 answered another," and I had rather die there, 
 than endanger the lives, and take away the 
 property of the innocent, to pay them." Thus 
 ended this bloodless, unprofitable expedition. 
 12* 
 
138 HAVE ME EXCUSED. 
 
 Our farmers concluded to sell their ship, that it 
 might be employed in commerce, for what it 
 would bring, and to return home to support their 
 families, and pay their debts as well as they 
 could. Do you not approve of their decision, 
 and commend their course? Well, then, if 
 you are in a similar predicament, " go and do 
 likewise." What would it profit you to gain the 
 whole world by robbery, or dishonesty, or injus- 
 tice ? or by pursuing a business which is dis- 
 pleasing to God, and injurious to mankind ? 
 Those who accumulate property by the slave- 
 trade ; or by the sweat, and unpaid toil of slaves ; 
 or by gambling, either in games of chance, or in 
 lotteries ; or by making or selling intoxicating 
 drinks ; or by theatres, or brothels ; or by any 
 other unholy business ; will doubtless find, 
 sooner or later, that their " gold and silver are 
 cankered, and that the rust of them will be a 
 witness against them, and will eat their flesh 
 as it were fire" Yes, they will doubtless find 
 that they were " heaping treasure together for 
 the last days" " a treasure of wrath against 
 the day of wrath." And now, what will you 
 do, my dear readers, who are doubtful as to the 
 propriety of your employment? Will you aban- 
 don it, and " seek first the kingdom of God and 
 
MANY CARES AND NO TIME. 139 
 
 his righteousness," and trust his promise, that all 
 things necessary " will be added ?" or will you 
 hold fast " the mammon of unrighteousness," and 
 thus fail of securing "the true riches ?" Act 
 wisely. Act as you will wish you had acted, ten 
 thousand years hence. 
 
 SECTION XVII. 
 Many cares, and no time. 
 
 MULTITUDES are ready to say, "My mind is 
 so occupied with worldly cares, that I have no 
 time to attend to religion." To such I would 
 reply, who has brought these cares upon you ? 
 Have you been voluntary or not, in assuming 
 them ? Do you apprehend that God puts men 
 in circumstances, (while in this state of proba- 
 tion,) where they cannot serve him? Men 
 sometimes put themselves upon forbidden 
 ground, where it would be difficult to serve the 
 Lord. This is the case, in fact, with all men 
 by nature. All have gone out of the way of 
 holiness, and are on the devil's ground. While 
 they remain there, it is utterly impossible for 
 them to please and serve God. Men come wil- 
 
140 HAVE ME EXCUSED. 
 
 lingly into this state, and voluntarily remain in 
 it. And yet they sometimes have the effrontery 
 to offer their situation the situation of their 
 own choosing as a reason why they do not 
 serve the Lord. "The carnal mind," say they, 
 " is enmity against God ; it is not subject to his 
 law ; neither indeed can be : so then they, that 
 are in the flesh, cannot please God." They 
 seem to take it for granted, because they hate 
 God and his service, and because they cannot 
 love and hate him at the same time, that there- 
 fore they are excusable for continuing to hate, 
 and refusing to love him. They seem to think 
 that God requires them to perform holy duties 
 with an unholy heart that he commands 
 them to " repent and believe the Gospel," to 
 " love God and their neighbour," while he al- 
 lows them to remain under the influence of the 
 carnal mind. Whereas, the truth is, God gives 
 them no permission to remain in a sinful state, 
 even for a moment. He commands sinners as 
 their first duty, to lift up holy hands, without 
 Avrath and doubting. The first act of the sin- 
 ner, which God approves, is hearty obedience. 
 He does nothing acceptably, till he does this. 
 And when he does this, he is a new creature, 
 and is no longer in the flesh y but in the spirit. 
 
MANY CARES AND NO TIME. 141 
 
 He now can repent, and love God, and believe 
 in Christ, and pray, lifting up holy hands, and 
 engage in all Christian duties in a manner 
 which is pleasing to God, and profitable to him- 
 self. Arid now, my dear reader, if you have 
 brought yourself into trouble if you have 
 loaded your own mind with cares and anxie- 
 ties if you are on forbidden ground, where 
 you cannot do your duty a regard to your 
 own good, and a regard to the pleasure of God, 
 should lead you at once to abandon your pre- 
 sent position, and throw off the load which you 
 have wickedly assumed, and begin immediate- 
 ly to walk in all the commands and ordinances 
 of the Lord, blameless. But if your cares and 
 perplexities are brought upon you, in the pro- 
 vidence of God, without your fault, they need 
 not, and should not prevent your serving the 
 Lord. Are you a parent ? and is your mind 
 occupied in providing for, and taking care of 
 your children? You are the very one who 
 needs the sustaining influence of religion. Are 
 you taking thought for the morrow, saying, 
 " What shall we eat ? what shall we drink ? 
 and wherewith shall we be clothed ? " Our 
 kind Saviour says to you in particular, " Seek 
 first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, 
 
142 HAVE ME EXCUSED. 
 
 and all these tilings shall be added" Are you 
 immersed in business, or embarrassed with 
 debts ? Surely you need a friend, to whom you 
 can unbosom all your cares and trials, and one 
 who can be touched with the feeling of your 
 infirmities. Such a friend is the Lord Jesus 
 Christ. It is not right, nor safe, nor comforta- 
 ble, to be " careful and troubled about many 
 things," while the " one thing needful " is neg- 
 lected. 
 
 Call to mind the solemn truth, that though 
 you have so many cares, and so much business, 
 as to prevent your serving God, and making 
 preparation for heaven, yet God will never ac- 
 cept your cares and business instead of your 
 heart and service. With all your cares and 
 troubles, you are hastening on towards the 
 judgment. Death is this moment preparing 
 an arrow for you, and soon you will fall, and 
 groan, and die. Your cares, your anxieties, 
 your business, or your disregard to eternal 
 things, will present no obstruction to the deadly 
 shaft. Cares, or no cares, you must die. You 
 must go to the judgment seat of Christ, and 
 there render an account of your disregard of 
 God and divine things. You may now fill 
 your mind with farms and merchandise, with 
 
MANY CARES AND NO TIME. 143 
 
 ships and stores, with work and trade, with wife 
 and children, with food and raiment, but you 
 cannot hide behind these so that death will fail 
 to find you. He will follow you into all your 
 lurking places. " The hail shall sweep away 
 your refuges of lies, and the waters shall over- 
 flow your hiding places." I pray you then, let 
 your anxieties be turned to a preparation for 
 heaven. As to your not having time to do 
 right to serve God it is all a mistake. Re- 
 ligion consists in attending to our lawful and 
 proper business, with a view to God's glory. 
 Those who are the most religious, are " dili- 
 gent in business" as well as " fervent in spirit." 
 Only act up to this divine direction, " Whether 
 ye eat, or drink, or whatever ye do, do all to 
 the glory of God" and you will have good 
 evidence that you are a Christian. And as you 
 must find time to die, will it not be wise to take 
 time to prepare to die ? Suitable time spent 
 in religious duties, will not hinder your progress 
 in lawful business. And if you spend consid- 
 erable time in imparting religious instruction to 
 your family, (if you have one,) and in cultivat- 
 ing religious feelings in your closet, in the 
 prayer meeting, and on the Sabbath, you will 
 not find it time lost, or time unprofitably spent. 
 
144 HAVE ME EXCUSED. 
 
 It takes time to amass a large treasure in hea- 
 ven, as well as it does to accumulate one on 
 the earth. And time spent in laying up trea- 
 sure above, will be found, in the end, to have 
 been a hundred fold more productive, than time 
 spent in laying up treasure upon the earth. 
 Try it, my reader, and tell me when- I meet 
 you at the judgment, if I was not correct. 
 
 SECTION XVIII. 
 
 Religion would ruin my property and repu- 
 tation. 
 
 ANOTHER, when pressed to seek the salva- 
 tion of his soul, replies, " I fear that becoming 
 a Christian would have a bad effect on my 
 property and reputation." To such I would 
 say, if you have acquired your property by 
 unfair, or dishonest means, this may be the 
 case. But what good does this ill-gotten gain 
 do you now? Do you enjoy yourself in its 
 possession ? Does that food, or drink, afford a 
 good relish to your appetite, which you are 
 conscious properly belongs to others ? Do those 
 garments sit easy on your body, which you 
 
RELIGION WOULD HURT MY REPUTATION. 145 
 
 know are purchased by money, "kept back 
 by fraud " from your creditors 1 Ill-gotten gain 
 is, to its possessor, like burning coals in his 
 bosom. A man is far happier by restoring it to 
 its lawful owner, (even if he is thereby reduced 
 to absolute penury,) than he is in its possession. 
 And as to reputation, 3^011 rs may not now 
 stand as fair in the estimation of the communi* 
 ty, as you apprehend it does. Those who have 
 heard the story of your injustice and oppression, 
 your meanness and dishonesty, your gambling^ 
 and so forth, would not be as likely to relate it 
 to you as to others. The world probably knows 
 more about you than you are aware of* 
 Though the community is suffering you to live^ 
 yet it is doing it more for want of an opportunity 
 to put you down, than from any personal re- 
 spect which is cherished for you. Depend upon 
 it) your name is not now like " precious oint-' 
 meat," which fills the air with sweet fragrance. 
 And the longer you remain in your present con- 
 dition, the worse it is for you. Should those, 
 who are acquainted with you, discover in you/ 
 even now a disposition to do right, and should * 
 they see you restore, as far as possible, what - 
 you have taken wrongfully, and manifest that ; 
 you deeply regret your past conduct, they would 
 13 
 
146 HAVE ME EXCUSED. 
 
 have a much higher regard for you than they 
 now cherish. And their confidence in you, and 
 their esteem for you, would increase just in 
 proportion as they saw you disposed to " deal 
 justly, and love mercy, and walk humbly with 
 God." 
 
 But if it were otherwise if you should be 
 treated with scorn and contempt in consequence 
 of your endeavours to repair the wrongs you 
 have done still your own peace of mind, and 
 the command of God, should lead you at once, 
 and without the least hesitation, to pursue this 
 course. Our blessed Saviour says, " Fear not 
 them that kill the body, but are not able to kill 
 the soul ; but rather fear HIM, who is able to 
 destroy both soul and body in hell." Which 
 do you prefer, the love and esteem of pious men. 
 and holy angels, and Christ our Lord, or the 
 hollow-hearted applause of wicked men and 
 devils? But the truth doubtless is, that even 
 wicked men and devils inwardly respect and 
 revere those, who " cease to do evil, and learn 
 to do well" those, who "break off their sins 
 by righteousness, and their iniquities, by turn- 
 ing unto the Lord " far more than they do 
 those, who, like themselves, " do not obey the 
 truth, but obey unrighteousness." 
 
RELIGION WOULD HURT MY REPUTATION. 147 
 
 As to property, gotten by iniquity, you would 
 be better off without it, than you can be with it. 
 It only causes you trouble of heart, and vexa- 
 tion of spirit. It preys like an eating cancer on 
 all your enjoyments. When Zaccheus, the 
 publican, was willing to receive Christ, he stood 
 and said, " Behold, Lord, the half of my goods 
 I give to the poor ; and if I have taken any- 
 thing by false accusation, I restore fourfold." 
 And Jesus said, " This day is salvation come 
 to this house." Salvation forgiveness of sins, 
 peace of conscience, joy in the Holy Ghost, a 
 preparation for heaven is of more value to you 
 than all the wealth of this world. " Honesty 
 is the best policy," even if we only consider our 
 present good ; but taking into view our whole 
 existence, that man is more foolish than a fool, 
 who accumulates property, or who retains pro- 
 perty accumulated by unjustifiable means. 
 " What will it profit a man, if he gain the whole 
 world, and lose his own soul?" And the man 
 who remains unjust, or dishonest, must neces- 
 sarily lose his soul. No matter whether he 
 have gotten little or much by dishonesty ; if he 
 have gotten any thing in that way, he has 
 shown that he had a covetous and dishonest 
 disposition" He that is unjust in the least, is 
 
148 HAVE ME EXCUSED. 
 
 unjust also in much," that is, he has shown 
 that he would have taken much in the same 
 way, if opportunity had offered. Count the 
 cost ; is it more wise to hold on to the property 
 of others, (where the laws of the country can- 
 not take it from you,) and lose your soul as the 
 consequence ? than it is to confess your sins, 
 and make restitution as far as possible, and 
 thereby secure eternal life ? Heaven is worth 
 very great sacrifices. Hell is a terrible place. 
 Its punishments will be hard to bear. " Who 
 can dwell with devouring fire ? Who can dwell 
 with everlasting burnings ? " Heaven and 
 hell are before you. The decision which you 
 are now making, may settle the point for you 
 forever may fix your destiny for eternity. 
 Bear in mind that (t the extortioner and the 
 unjust" as well as " murderers, and idolaters, 
 and adulterers, and liars, and drunkards, shall 
 not inherit the kingdom of God" Do you 
 value your " unrighteous mammon," more than 
 you do the favour of God, and the happiness of 
 heaven ? Do you dread poverty and reproach, 
 more than you do hell, and the everlasting 
 frown of " our God, who is a consuming fire ? " 
 Our Saviour says to those in your situation, 
 " Whosoever he be of you that fovsaketh not 
 
PRAYERS AN ABOMINATION. 149 
 
 all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple." 
 Now, are you willing to suffer the loss of all 
 things for Christ's sake ? or, like Esau, will you 
 sell your birthright for a mess of pottage ? But 
 it is more than possible that, if you determine 
 to do right, you will not be a loser in this life. 
 Our blessed Lord has said, that those who leave 
 houses and lands, and so forth, for his sake, 
 " shall receive manifold more in this present 
 life, and in the world to come, life everlasting." 
 Venture upon his promise, and see if he will 
 not be a good paymaster. 
 
 SECTION XIX. 
 Prayers, an abomination. 
 
 SOME men, when urged to call upon the 
 Lord, very gravely answer, " The prayers of 
 the wicked are an abomination to the Lord." 
 To such I would say, do you really think that 
 your prayers would be an abomination in the 
 sight of God ? And is this the reason why you 
 so seldom attempt to pray ? Is this the reason 
 why you pray when you are sick, or in affliction, 
 <or in danger ? Does it do better to mock God, 
 13* 
 
150 HAVE ME EXCUSED, 
 
 or offer to him that which is an abomination, 
 at such times, than when things go well with 
 you ? When wicked men are dying, they raise 
 their earnest prayers to God that he would 
 spare their lives. Is it because they think their 
 prayers are sin and abomination, that they 
 take this solemn time to present them to a 
 holy God ? 
 
 Again, if your prayers are such an abomina- 
 tion to God, what is your neglect to pray ? If 
 an attempt to obey God is sin, what is your 
 continued and wilful disobedience, but a still 
 greater sin ? If the holiest thing you ever at- 
 tempted to do, is so hateful in the sight of a 
 holy God, what are all your other acts your 
 swearing, your Sabbath-breaking, your disobe- 
 dience to your parents, your adulteries, your 
 falsehoods, your dishonesties, your oppressions 
 of the poor, your covetousness. your neglect t& 
 pray, your neglect to assemble with Christians 
 for divine worship, your neglect to search the 
 Scriptures, your neglect to repent of your sins, 
 your neglect to believe in the Lord Jesus 
 Christ, or your neglect to forsake all ungodli- 
 ness and worldly lusts, and to live soberly, 
 and righteously, and godly in the world how 
 must these things appear to God, if even your 
 
PRAYERS AN ABOMINATION. 151 
 
 prayers are an abomination to him ? Surely, 
 you are in a wretched state, if your best, your 
 holiest, performance before God, is sin ! Your 
 prayer an abomination ! Alas, for you ! 
 What must God think of your intemperance ? 
 Your foolish and corrupting conversation? 
 Your hard speeches about Christians ? Your 
 pride? Your unreasonable anger? Your 
 envy ? Your concupiscence ? Your abuse of 
 God's mercies ? Your misimprovement of his 
 judgments ? and your resistance of his Spirit? 
 Yes, if your prayer is an abomination, (and 
 doubtless it is, unless you pray, lifting up holy 
 hands without wrath and doubting,) in what 
 light does God look upon the rest of your life ? 
 If your prayers are sin, it is high time you 
 were alarmed about yourself. It is high time 
 that you repent, and believe in Christ, that his 
 intercession for you may make both yourself 
 and your prayers acceptable to God. If, by 
 faith in the Lord Jesus, you secure him for 
 your Mediator, High Priest, and Advocate, you 
 can then come boldly unto the throne of mercy, 
 and find grace to help, in every time of need. 
 How delightful to have a heart to pray, and to 
 be enabled to offer up the effectual fervent 
 prayer of the righteous, which availeth much. 
 
152 HAVE ME EXCUSED. 
 
 O with what different feelings does God regard 
 the prayers of his devout worshippers, and the 
 prayers and sacrifices of the wicked ! One is 
 his delight ; the other his abhorrence. Give 
 your whole heart to God, and then you will 
 find it pleasant and profitable to pray, and to 
 serve him, in all his commands and ordinances. 
 
 SECTION XX 
 ril be no hypocrite. 
 
 ANOTHER person, assuming an air of impor- 
 tance, says, " I have no notion of being a 
 hypocrite." To such I would reply, who wants 
 you to be a hypocrite ? We do not. We abhor 
 the character of the hypocrite as much as you 
 do. We wish no man to be a hypocrite. We 
 wish you, and all others, to be true Christians. 
 The Christian and the hypocrite are very differ- 
 ent persons, and are destined to, very different 
 places. We ask you to pray, but we do not 
 ask you to do it with a hypocritical heart. We 
 ask you to read the Bible, but we do not ask 
 you to do it with the heart of a hypocrite. We 
 ask you to attend meeting, but we do not ask 
 
153 
 
 you to do it with the hypocrite's sad counte- 
 nance and foul heart. We ask you to attend 
 to all the duties of religion and morality, but 
 we do not ask you to play the hypocrite in at- 
 tending to them. We ask you to serve God 
 in sincerity and in truth, and there can be no 
 hypocrisy in that. But, after all, is it not pos- 
 sible that you are deceiving yourself, and play- 
 ing the hypocrite, in the very efforts which you 
 are making to avoid hypocrisy? A hypocrite 
 is one who pretends to be different from what 
 he really is. Well, have you not sometimes 
 pretended to have more anxiety about your 
 eternal state than you really had ? Or, have 
 you not pretended to have less anxiety than 
 you really felt ? When you have been asked, 
 if your mind was not more than ordinarily im- 
 pressed with religious considerations, have you 
 not said no, when you knew that 3^ou did feel 
 an uncommon solicitude about the eternal wel- 
 fare of your soul? What was this but hy- 
 pocrisy ? My advice to you is, be careful that 
 your abhorrence of hypocrisy does not keep you 
 out of the kingdom of heaven. There is real 
 danger of it. It lies in this : when your mind 
 is serious and thoughtful, and you would be 
 glad to know what you must do to be saved, 
 
154 HAVE ME EXCUSED. 
 
 your fear and abhorrence of hypocrisy will be 
 liable to prevent your asking advice of experi- 
 enced ministers or Christians, lest they should 
 think you more anxious than you really are. 
 Thus, by neglecting to tell your feelings, your 
 solicitude is liable to result in no good, and 
 you grieve and offend the Holy Spirit by the 
 exertions which you make not to show more 
 feeling than you really have. If your mind is 
 uncommonly thoughtful, if your mind is dis- 
 posed to dwell on death, judgment, eternity, 
 heaven, hell, your sins, and the like, you may 
 depend upon it, it is God's Spirit striving with 
 you, in order to lead you to repent and prepare 
 for heaven. As you value your soul, do not 
 suppress these feelings. Do not be ashamed of 
 them. Ask counsel of some judicious Christian, 
 or of your minister, if you have a pious one. 
 But especially, yield your heart immediately to 
 God, and become a true Christian yourself. 
 This is the only effectual way to avoid the 
 character and the doom of hypocrites and un- 
 believers. 
 
NOT ENOUGH CONVICTED. 155 
 
 _ 
 
 SECTION XXI. 
 
 Not enough convicted. 
 
 ANOTHER person, when called upon to re- 
 pent and give his heart to God, exclaims, " I 
 am not enough convicted." How much con 
 viction do you want? What is conviction? 
 It is a sense of having done wrong. Unless a 
 man is sensible that he is going the wrong 
 way, he will not be likely to change his course. 
 But when he is convinced that he is wrong, he 
 need not wait till he has more painful evidence 
 of it, before he stops, and turns about, and com- 
 mences retracing his steps. So the sinner, when 
 he sees himself to be a sinner, need not wait be- 
 fore he breaks off his sins by righteousness, and 
 his iniquities, by turning unto the Lord. Con- 
 viction is not religion. If it were, we might say, 
 the more conviction the better. Multitudes have 
 been overwhelmed with conviction, who have 
 no religion. Satan probably has more convic- 
 tion than any sinner in this world ever had. 
 But his conviction does him no good. Con- 
 viction is not only not religion, but the genu- 
 ineness of a man's religion does not at all de- 
 pend on the amount of his conviction. Some, 
 
156 HAVE ME EXCUSED. 
 
 like Judas, have conviction enough to drive 
 them to despair and ruin, while it brings them 
 no good. Others, like Zaccheus, feel sensible 
 of their faults, mourn over them, and forsake 
 them, while hardly a tear is visible in their 
 eyes, or scarcely an audible sigh bursts from 
 their contrite hearts. These last, calmly and 
 deliberately resolve, " As for me, I will serve the 
 Lord" They cease to do evil, and learn to do 
 well. They repent of their sins, as committed 
 against God, and exercise faith in the Lord 
 Jesus Christ, and bring forth fruits meet for 
 repentance* 
 
 God seems to take it for granted that all men 
 have, or might have, conviction enough. He 
 no where intimates that sinners should wait 
 for conviction, or for more conviction, before 
 they act right before they repent and obey 
 the GospeL His language to sinners is, (not be 
 convicted and converted, but) " Repent, and be 
 converted, that your sins may be blotted out." 
 God seems to lay no stress upon conviction, as 
 though it made the heart better. The idea, 
 which some good people have embraced, that 
 "long convictions make lasting conversions," 
 comes up out of the bottomless pit. There is 
 no Scripture in it. There is nothing in the ex- 
 
NOT ENOUGH CONVICTED. 157 
 
 perience of the Christian world to warrant it. 
 I have no doubt it is the doctrine of devils, and 
 one too, which has drowned many souls in 
 perdition. It has led many convicted sinners 
 to put off repentance and submission, vainly 
 waiting for more feeling, till the Holy Spirit, 
 grieved and offended, has taken his sad flight, 
 and their " last state has become worse than 
 the first." 
 
 Was not the conversion of Paul genuine and 
 lasting? and yet his conviction was short, 
 and his mind, in the mean time, perfectly col- 
 lected and rational* Were not the conversions 
 on the day of Pentecost, and the conversions 
 of the eunuch and the Philippian jailer, genuine 
 and lasting ? and yet all of these conversions 
 were preceded by only a very few moments of 
 conviction. As soon as sinners have enough 
 conviction to induce them to do their duty^ 
 they have all that is necessary. If sinners 
 were required to merit the favour of God, and a 
 title to heaven, by their impenitent penances^ 
 then there might be some propriety in calling 
 on them to go for a long time with " their 
 heads bowed down like a bulrush, and with 
 sackloth and ashes spread under them." But 
 as God is as angry with the convicted sinner 
 14 
 
158 HAVE ME EXCUSED. 
 
 as he is with the one who is stupid, the idea 
 that the sinner must wait for more conviction, 
 is wicked, and dangerous, and impious. " God 
 now commandeth all men, every where, to re- 
 pent." This command is addressed to the con- 
 victed, as well as to the stupid to all men, in 
 all the circumstances, as to feeling and so forth, 
 in which they are now found. 
 
 But is it not possible that you are trying to 
 keep off conviction, at the same time that you 
 think that you wish to be more deeply convict- 
 ed ? Truth is the instrument with which God 
 convicts men. That truth is contained in the 
 Bible. If you honestly wish to be convicted, 
 you will read the Bible daily, and carefully 
 meditate on what you read. If you do not 
 pursue this course, you show that you are 
 afraid of being convicted. Our Saviour says, 
 " Every one that doeth evil, hateth the light, 
 neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds 
 s/wuld be reproved" Are you not loath to 
 have ministers, or Christians, ask you respect- 
 ing your feelings? Do you not sometimes 
 take* pains to avoid them ? Have you not 
 tried to turn the conversation into some other 
 channel, when you thought it was becoming 
 personal ? If you were willing to be convicted. 
 
NOT ENOUGH CONVICTED. 159 
 
 you would be glad to have your case investiga- 
 ted, and would seek opportunities for personal 
 conversation with those who have more expe- 
 rience than yourself. If you really wanted to 
 be convicted, you would, without any hesita- 
 tion, ask the prayers of Christians, and go to 
 the inquiry meeting, if there was any. You 
 would not stay away from meeting, because 
 the preaching, and exhortations, and prayers, 
 make you feel bad ; for that very " feeling 
 bad," is conviction. If you wanted to be con- 
 victed, therefore, you would go to those meet- 
 ings, and hear those preachers, which make 
 you feel the most unhappy, while you are im- 
 penitent. The object of preaching is to make 
 all unconverted sinners feel unhappy, that they 
 may be led to seek their happiness in Christ 
 alone. Men must be willing to feel sick, or 
 they will not call on the Great Physician. 
 
 Now, be entreated to reflect that you have 
 broken God's law, in thought, word, and deed. 
 If you see wherein you have ever done wrong, 
 by doing what the law of God forbids, or by 
 neglecting what it requires, a sense of this one 
 mis-deedj is conviction. I once knew a man 
 who got angry without sufficient cause, and a 
 sense of having done wrong in thus getting 
 
160 HAVE ME EXCUSED. 
 
 angry, was his conviction : and when he re- 
 pented of that sin, he repented of all his sins, 
 and trusted that he received forgiveness of God 
 through Christ. If you can remember one sin, 
 which you have committed, a sense of the 
 wrong of that sin is conviction. Reflect that 
 one sin, if not forgiven through the atonement of 
 Christ, will for ever exclude you from heaven. 
 Fly then to the cross. " Believe on the Lord 
 Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved." To-day, 
 if you will hear his voice, harden not your heart. 
 
 SECTION XXII. 
 
 " Religion not for me" 
 
 ANOTHER tells us, with a despairing look, "I 
 don't know that religion is for me." Why not 
 for you as well as others ? Do you look upon 
 religion as upon a prize in a lottery, which 
 now and then one is so fortunate as to draw ? 
 This is altogether a mistaken view of it. Re- 
 ligion is the " pearl of great price/' which any 
 one, and every one. t may come in possession of, 
 by selling all that he hath. Religion is so 
 abundant, and so free, that no one need fail of 
 
RELIGION NOT FOR ME. 161 
 
 obtaining it. It is offered, without money and 
 without price, to all who want it. It is free as 
 water : it is called the " living water" " the 
 water of life," and " whosoever will" is invited to 
 partake of ii freely. " In the last day, that great 
 day of the feast, Jesus stood arid cried, " If any 
 man thirst, let him come unto me and drink." 
 At another time he said, " Come unto me, all ye 
 that labour and are heavy laden, and I will 
 give you rest." And in the Old Testament he 
 says, " Look unto me and be ye saved, all the 
 ends of the earth." From these and similar 
 passages of Scripture, one of three things is 
 evident : either the Lord Jesus Christ cannot do 
 as he promises, or he is not sincere in promis- 
 ing, or all who want religion can have it. You 
 will not pretend that Christ is not sincere in 
 promising, nor that he lacks ability to do as he 
 promises. You must then come to the con- 
 clusion, that whosoever will, may have religion. 
 But what is religion ? Religion is doing the 
 will of God from the heart, or hearty obedi- 
 ence to God. In other words, religion is SERV- 
 ING GOD with a sincere heart. This embraces 
 a " believing in his Son," repenting of our sins, 
 " calling on his name," and obeying his other 
 commands. In view of what has been said, 
 14* 
 
162 HAVE ME EXCUSED. 
 
 you can see whether religion is for you, or not. 
 If you are truly willing to serve God, then reli- 
 gion is for you. But if you are really ivilling 
 to serve him, you will immediately commence 
 doing it, if you have not already commenced. 
 A willingness to serve God will lead you to 
 study the Bible, and to pray in your closet and 
 in your family, (if you have one,) and to reve- 
 rence God's day, and name, and ordinances, and 
 to "live soberly, and righteously, and Godly 
 in the world." Many are willing to have the 
 benefits of religion, who do not wish religion it- 
 self. Balaam was willing to die the death of 
 the righteous, though he loved the wages of un- 
 righteousness. All men, and even devils, would 
 be glad of happiness, if they could come in 
 possession of it without being holy without 
 loving and obeying God. But there is as great 
 a difference between the benefits of religion, 
 and religion itself, as there is between the 
 wages of a man, and the hard labour for which 
 these wages are paid. " The willing and obedi- 
 ent shall eat the good of the land." Our Lord 
 Jesus, being made perfect, as our mediator, by 
 suffering, " became the author of eternal salva- 
 tion unto all them that obey him." Religion is for 
 you, as well as others, if you will obey Christ. 
 
THOUGHT OF REPENTANCE PAINFUL. 163 
 
 Should you fail of religion, therefore, and come 
 short of heaven, it will be, not because religion 
 was not for you, but because you were not wil- 
 ling to forsake your sins, and serve the Lord. 
 God is now saying to you, " Go work to-day in 
 my vineyard." Do you mean to obey this 
 command 1 Do you say, " I would, if I knew 
 that I should be saved ?" Obey, and you may 
 be sure of salvation. Do your duty, and leave 
 yourself at God's disposal, and you need have 
 no fears as to your future destiny. Begin at 
 once. It may be now or never with you. 
 
 SECTION XXIII 
 The thought of repenting painful. 
 
 ONE man says, " I cannot bear the thought 
 of repenting, it is so painful to me." So said 
 Mrs. H. to the writer, while she was in one of 
 the last stages of consumption. She had no 
 idea of dying without repentance ; but the 
 thoughts of it were so distressing to her, that 
 she wished to defer it as long as possible. Poor 
 woman, she was disappointed. Death came 
 upon her suddenly, and the dreaded work of re- 
 
164 HAVE ME EXCUSED. 
 
 pentance, there is reason to fear, was never 
 done. But we would ask, What is there in 
 repentance, that fills your mind with so much 
 horror ? It includes retrospection, conviction, 
 contrition, and conversion. It ought not to be 
 painful to look over one's past life. But if we 
 have done that which fills us with shame and 
 sorrow on the review, (and who has not ?) then 
 let us be sensible of our faults, and exercise 
 godly sorrow for them, , and turn from them. 
 When you have done these things, you have 
 repented. Does not the good child, who may 
 have disobeyed his father, even take pleasure 
 in those tears and that confession, which brings 
 back to him his father's confidence, and his 
 father's smiles? Repentance, to one who is 
 disposed to do right, is not only a duty, but a 
 gratification. The prodigal's tears were sweet, 
 both to his father and to himself. Repentance, 
 therefore, instead of being looked upon as a very 
 unpleasant and hated business, should be at- 
 tended to with alacrity, as a necessary and 
 healthful exercise for the soul. To make the 
 worst of repentance, it is a medicine, which in- 
 fallibly cures the sick who take it. It is a 
 medicine, without which no mortal man can be 
 healed, and purified, and saved. Is it wise in 
 
RELIGION LIKE A LOTTERY. 165 
 
 the sick man, to refuse the healing medicine, 
 because it is unpleasant to his taste ? Neither 
 is it wise in sinners to put off repentance, be 
 cause it seems to be unpleasant to exercise it. 
 Infinite good results from it. How much bet- 
 ter to repent now, while pardon is offered to the 
 penitent, than to repent eternally, where repent- 
 ance will be utterly unavailing ! 
 
 SECTION XXIV. 
 Religion dortt come at one's beck. 
 
 ANOTHER says, " I don't believe that people 
 can get religion just when they have a mind 
 to." What hinders ? If they have a mind for 
 religion, what prevents their becoming religious 
 at once ? Can their wicked companions, or the 
 great adversary, keep them from serving God, 
 if they are really disposed to serve him ? Mul- 
 titudes have become Christians, and served the 
 Lord faithfully, who met with great opposition, 
 and persecution, and even death itself, in con- 
 sequence. And if others, under such discour- 
 aging circumstances, have become Christians, 
 and lived in the faithful discharge of duty, what 
 
166 HAVE ME EXCUSED. 
 
 hinders your doing it ? Do you think that the 
 Lord would prevent your having religion if you 
 sincerely desired it ? And do you think that 
 He would be unwilling that you should have 
 it, when you really desired it ? Instead of being 
 unwilling that you should have religion, and 
 have it too when you have a mind for it, does 
 he not freely offer salvation to aZ/, who have a 
 mind, or will, for it ? And is he not ready to 
 confer pardon religion at any time when he 
 sees men ready, and prepared for it ? He says 
 expressly, " Whosoever, will, let him take the 
 water of life freely." His time to bless is 
 "NOW." You see, therefore, that any person 
 can have religion when he really desires it, or 
 when he has a mind to serve God. 
 
 " Well, then," you may be ready to say, " if 
 I can get religion when I have a mind to, then 
 I will take my own time for it." Consider that 
 people do not always have a mind for religion. 
 Some people never have such a mind. No sin- 
 ner can be sure that he will ever have a mind 
 for religion. No person, uninfluenced by the 
 Holy Spirit, ever desires religion. Neither old 
 age, nor a disrelish for life, nor a fear of death, 
 creates a mind or desire for religion. Every 
 sinner is entirely r , and at all times : dependent 
 
RELIGION LIKE A LOTTERY. 167 
 
 on the Holy Spirit for a mind, or will, to serve 
 God and be a Christian. And God says, " My 
 Spirit shall not always strive with man." And 
 if the Holy Spirit leave the sinner, he will have 
 no more mind for religion than the devil has. 
 The strong disinclination to holy, self-denying 
 duties, which all unregenerate persons possess, 
 renders it just as certain that they will never 
 " repent and believe the Gospel," if abandoned 
 of the Holy Ghost, as though they had no 
 power to break off their sins and serve the Lord. 
 The sinner's resolution to do his duty at a 
 future period, is more feeble and inoperative, 
 than the confirmed drunkard's resolution to re- 
 form while he continues to tipple. And the 
 longer a man remains under the dominion of 
 sin, the greater strength and inveteracy does 
 his wicked disinclination acquire. Hence you 
 see that comparatively few old people are 
 brought to repentance. "Can the Ethiopian 
 change his skin ? or the leopard his spots ? 
 then may ye do good, who are accustomed to 
 do evil." While, therefore, it is true, that any 
 one can have religion, (that is, can serve God 
 and be pardoned,) when he has " a mind to," 
 it is equally true, that no one will ever have a 
 mind to do his duty, unless the Holy Spirit 
 
168 HAVE ME EXCUSED. 
 
 work in him " to will and to do." And if you 
 have no mind to repent and turn to the Lord 
 now, you ought to fear lest you will never have 
 " a mind to." But if you are now disposed to 
 have religion, (as perhaps you may think you 
 are,) I beseech you to commence immediately 
 the service of God, and you will soon rejoice in 
 his pardoning mercy. Let your penitence and 
 faith, your humility and Christian love, your 
 prayers and conversation, your zeal and regu- 
 larity, make it manifest that you do sincerely 
 desire religion. If you neglect the present call 
 of the Spirit, he may never call again. 
 
 " Sinner, perhaps this very day, 
 
 Thy last accepted time may be ; 
 Oh, ibould'st thou grieve him now away, 
 
 Then hope may never beam on thee." 
 
 SECTION XXV, 
 Waiting Gotfs time. 
 
 ANOTHER says, when urged to immediate 
 repentance, "I must wait the Lord's time." 
 Are you sure that you would attend to religion 
 in the LORD'S time, if you only knew when that 
 was ? There is not much use in talking with 
 
I MUST WAIT GOD'S TIME. 169 
 
 a man, unless he is honest. Do you honestly 
 think that you are waiting the Lord's time ? 
 Has the BIBLE any where told you thus to 
 wait in your sins, for God to come and convert 
 you ? Where is the text that encourages such 
 waiting ? God, instead of calling on you toivait, 
 commands you, in a voice like thunder, to flee 
 from the wrath to come. Does he say to the 
 sinner, wait ? No ; he says to him, " Escape 
 for thy life, look not behind thee, nor stay thou 
 in all the plains ; escape to the mountain, lest 
 thou be consumed" Does this look as though 
 God desired you to remain in your sins, till he 
 does more for you than he has done ? No ; it 
 appears that if he were to address you person- 
 ally, he would say to you, as Lot did to his 
 friends, " Up, get you out of this place." As 
 to the Lord's time, that was when you were a 
 little child. He came to you as soon as you 
 knew right from wrong, and said, " Give me 
 thy heart." And when you had grown older, 
 and sinned against him during the years of 
 childhood, he came to you again and said, " I 
 love them that love me ; and they that seek me 
 early shall find me" That was the Lords 
 time. Ever since then you have been taking 
 your own time. Lest, however, you should 
 15 
 
170 HAVE ME EXCUSED. 
 
 despair of salvation, in consequence of having 
 failed of becoming a Christian in the Lord's 
 time in childhood " Again he limiteth a 
 certain day, saying in David, To-day if ye 
 will hear his voice, HARDEN NOT YOUR 
 HEARTS." After God has waited, with so 
 much long-suffering, for your repentance and 
 reformation, and waited too in vain, -you may 
 still hear his voice, saying, " Behold, now is the 
 accepted time ; behold, now is the day of sal- 
 vation." 
 
 As God is now, " after so long a time," still 
 ready to accept you, and give you salvation, 
 will you any longer insult him, by pretending 
 that you are waiting his time ? You see it is 
 not God's time you are waiting, but your own. 
 You are practically declaring to the Almighty, 
 " I do not like thy time for attending to religion ; 
 I mean to take my own time for it. To be 
 sure, thou hast spared my life^ and waited on 
 me a long time ; but that is nothing. Thou 
 shall continue to wait, till I get ready to repent 
 and serve thee. When I am old, and infirm, 
 and cannot enjoy life any longer ; or when I 
 see death approaching, then I will call for thee. 
 And if thou art disposed to say to me then, 
 c Because I have called, and ye refused ; I have 
 
171 
 
 stretched out my hand, and no man regarded ; 
 I also will laugh at your calamity, and though 
 you call, I will not answer ;' still I will plead 
 the promise, c Whosoever shall call upon the 
 name of the Lord, shall be saved ;' and unless 
 thou save me, I shall say that thou hast not 
 been as good as thy word." Ah, sinner, you 
 will find that God is as good as his word. You 
 will also find that his word did not bind him to 
 hear, or save those, who have spent their lives 
 in casting off fear, and neglecting prayer before 
 him. You will find that " when the Master of 
 the house has risen up and shut to the door, 
 you will stand without, saying, Lord, Lord, 
 open unto us, but he will answer and say unto 
 you, I know you not;' depart from me, ye 
 workers of iniquity. Then will you see Abra- 
 ham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, 
 in the kingdom of heaven, and you yourself 
 thrust out." And you will see that you are 
 excluded from the kingdom of God, because 
 you buried your talent, because you would not 
 work in the Lords vineyard, because you 
 waited in impenitence and unbelief, instead of 
 doing as God required. If you would not fail 
 of heaven, seek religion now. " Be wise to-day ; 
 'tis madness to defer ! " 
 
172 HAVE ME EXCUSED. 
 
 " Hasten, sinner, to be wise, 
 
 And stay not for the morrow's sun : 
 The longer wisdom you despise, 
 
 The harder is she to be won. 
 Oh, hasten mercy to implore, 
 
 And stay not for the morrow's sun, 
 For fear thy season should be o'er 
 
 Before this evening's course be run. 
 Hasten, sinner, to return, 
 
 And stay not for the morrow's sun, 
 For fear thy lamp should fail to burn 
 
 Before the needful work is done." 
 
 SECTION XXVI. 
 
 If the thief found mercy at last, why may 
 not 17 
 
 ANOTHER inquires, "If the penitent thief 
 became a Christian just before he died, why 
 may not I ? " Should you find yourself on a 
 dying bed without a preparation "for eternity, 
 you w r ill doubtless find your mind in a poor 
 state for commencing the great work of recon- 
 ciliation to God. Such business needs a com- 
 posed and vigorous mind. A mistake here 
 would be fatal to your eternal interests. Would 
 you be willing to venture into the presence of the 
 holy, sin-hating God, with such kind of religion 
 
DYING-BED. 173 
 
 as is usually embraced by sick people ? I have 
 heard aged ministers state that it was their de- 
 liberate opinion, formed after many years' ob- 
 servation in the sick chamber, that not one in 
 twenty, (if even one in fifty,) of those, who 
 express a hope in consequence of sick-bed ex- 
 ercises, is truly converted. If this be correct, 
 if the mind is so enfeebled and disordered in 
 consequence of bodily sickness, that those who 
 think that they have experienced a change of 
 heart under such circumstances, almost always 
 deceive themselves ; is it wise, or safe, to trust 
 to sick-bed repentance ? But if it were other- 
 wise, if all those who indulge a hope of forgive- 
 ness under such circumstances, were truly 
 converted, are you sure that you will have the 
 privilege of lingering on a sick-bed before you 
 die? Multitudes are "driven away in their 
 wickedness," without any time for reflection, 
 or repentance, or prayer. And are you not lia- 
 ble to die suddenly as well as others ? Many 
 are deprived of the use of their reason, before 
 any serious apprehensions are entertained of 
 their danger, so that they are in no situation to 
 prepare to meet God. This may be the case 
 with you. 
 
 You speak of the penitent thief, and ask why 
 15* 
 
174 HAVE ME EXCUSED, 
 
 you may not find mercy while dying as well as 
 he ? If your situation were like his, you might 
 find mercy then. But it will be quite other- 
 wise. He was an ignorant, prejudiced Jew, 
 and had probably known nothing of Jesus, or 
 the way of salvation through him, except what 
 he had learned from Christ's enemies. And 
 just as soon as Jesus told him who he was, and 
 why he was shedding his blood, and where he 
 was going after death, he at once embraces him 
 as his Saviour, takes his part, reproves his im- 
 penitent companion, confesses his own sins, and 
 begins to pray. No sooner is Christ offered to 
 him, than he accepts the offer. His mind was 
 not much, if any, affected by his pains, so that 
 it was clear and vigorous, and capable of 
 choosing and acting in a rational and consist- 
 ent manner. How different from all this would 
 it be with you ! From infancy you have 
 known the story of Christ's holy life, and vica- 
 rious sufferings and death, and that there is 
 salvation in no other : and hundreds and hun- 
 dreds of times you have been kindly and affec- 
 tionately invited to repent and believe in Christ, 
 that you might be saved : and you have read 
 the Bible, and heard the prayers and exhorta- 
 tions of Christians, and had the strivings of the 
 
DYING-BED. 175 
 
 Holy Spirit ; but you have madly turned away 
 from all these pressing calls of mercy, so that it 
 is a matter of doubt whether God would regard 
 your bitter prayers, "when distress and an* 
 guish come upon you." 
 
 " Many call upon the Lord, 
 And find their cries too late* 
 
 Said a dying woman in the state of New- York : 
 " I once had a call, but I was then young, 
 and fond of company, and thought I could not 
 so soon consent to forsake the follies and 
 amusements, and associates of my }^outh I 
 therefore said to the Lord, go thy way for this 
 time ; when I am older I will call for thee ! My 
 convictions left me. I was settled in life early, 
 and have raised up a family without setting 
 them a Christian example, or giving them re- 
 ligious instruction. And now, though I am 
 dying without a hope of heaven, I have no 
 heart to pray : for I have so abused the Lord, 
 that I have no expectation of his hearing me, 
 if I should attempt to pray. It is now too late" 
 Many others, like this woman, find themselves 
 sadly disappointed in expecting a more con- 
 venient season, after the time of childhood and 
 youth is passed. They are often ashamed to 
 
176 HAVE ME EXCUSED. 
 
 ask God to remember them in his kingdom, 
 when they reflect how they have treated him 
 during their whole lives. A sense of their 
 cold-hearted indifference, and base ingratitude, 
 and stubborn resistance, drives them to despair. 
 I entreat you, therefore, not to put off to a 
 dying bed the great business of life. Ci Acquaint 
 now thyself with God, and be at peace," and thus 
 secure eternal life. Heaven may now be with- 
 in your reach, but to-morrow the door of mercy 
 may be for ever shut against you. You will 
 lose nothing valuable, but gain much, by be- 
 coming a Christian immediately. " If thou 
 shalt be wise, thou shait be wise for thyself / 
 but if thou scornest, thou alone must bear it. 7 ' 
 
 f 
 fa; SECTION xxvii. 
 
 If I am to be saved, I shall be saved. 
 
 WE often meet with an individual who tells 
 us, " If I am to be saved, I shall be saved, do 
 what I will ; and if not, I can't help it, do what 
 I can." To such I would say, it is very true 
 that you are entirely in the hands of God, and 
 at his sovereign disposal. All that you ever 
 
IP I AM TO BE SAVED, SHALL BE. 177 
 
 have done, or ever can do, will lay him under 
 no obligations, on the score of law, to save you. 
 The curse of the law is out against you as a 
 transgressor. You can never repair the breach 
 which your sins have made. And while it is 
 true that you cannot be saved by the law, it is 
 also true that you witt not be saved by the 
 Gospel, unless the Spirit of God interpose and 
 make you willing to do what you would not 
 otherwise do. The Lord Jesus Christ, by his 
 sufferings and death, has provided salvation for 
 the whole human family has tasted death for 
 every man. He has spread a royal feast, and 
 i$ inviting mankind to a free participation of its 
 blessings. His servants are directed to say to 
 those that are bidden, " Come, for all things are 
 now ready." But Christ's servants find that 
 " they all with one consent begin to make ex- 
 cuse," and will not come to the Great Supper. 
 This agrees with what our Lord told the un- 
 believing Jews : " Ye will not come to me that 
 ye might have life." " O Jerusalem, Jeru- 
 salem, how often would I have gathered thy 
 children together, as a hen gathereth her brood 
 under her wings, but ye would not." This un- 
 willingness to come to Christ, is not peculiar to 
 the Jews, but is universal among unconverted 
 
178 HAVE ME EXCUSED. 
 
 men of all nations, and in all ages of the world. 
 And so strong is this unwillingness, that all the 
 motives of love and terror, of mercy and wrath, 
 which the Gospel furnishes, if unaccompanied 
 by a divine influence, will produce no more 
 effect on the sinner, and come no nearer lead- 
 ing him to repentance, than the gentle breeze 
 does on the sturdy oak, in uprooting it from its 
 strong and ancient moorings. The sinner, at 
 every period of his life, will have some pretend- 
 ed excuse for not immediately engaging in all 
 Christian duties. This has always been, and 
 will continue to be, the case with you, my im- 
 penitent reader, even till your very dying day, 
 unless the Holy Spirit sweep away all your 
 refuges of lies, and pluck you as a brand out of 
 the fire. Now, whatever ability you have to 
 <{ fear God and keep his commandments," (and 
 your natural ability to do it I do not question,) 
 or whatever ability you have to " believe in the 
 Lord Jesus Christ," it is absolutely certain that, 
 if God withhold his converting grace, you will 
 go on in sin to the end of life, and then sink to 
 hell. But while it is certain that you will 
 eternally perish if God's gracious Spirit do not 
 prevent, it is equally certain that you will 
 not be crippled in your efforts for salvation, or 
 
IP I AM TO BE SAVED, SHALL BE. 179 
 
 be shut out of heaven, (if you are disposed to 
 serve the Lord.) by any purposes of the Al- 
 mighty. Where, in any part of the Bible, does 
 God tell sinners, " if they are to be saved they 
 will be saved ; if riot, they can't help it ? " Do 
 you answer, that the apostle Paul says, God 
 " hath mercy on whom he will have mercy ; and 
 whom he will he hardeneth?" This is all 
 true ; but is this inconsistent with his having 
 mercy on "all them that obey him? " (Heb. v. 
 9.) To be sure, " he hath mercy on whom he 
 will have mercy ; " but on whom will he have 
 mercy ? Will it be on " the willing and obe- 
 dient," or on those who " refuse and rebel ? ?> 
 After the Almighty has said to mankind, 
 " Look unto me and be ye saved, all the ends of 
 the earth," would he be unwilling to save any 
 one, or every one, who will look to him for sal- 
 vation '/ After the Lord Jesus Christ has made 
 the general proclamation, u Whosoever will, let 
 him take the water of life freely." can he ex- 
 clude any one who is willing to come to him 
 for life ? No ; God will have mercy on all 
 those who will have mercy on themselves. 
 Christ will confer salvation on " all them that 
 obey him." If you, my unconverted reader, 
 desire salvation, do your duty believe in 
 
ISO HAVE ME EXCUSED. 
 
 Christ, and obey his commands, and salvation 
 will be yours. 
 
 Perhaps you are ready to ask how I under- 
 stand the expressions, "Whom he will, he hard- 
 eneth." Yes, he does harden whom he will. 
 But who are they ? Are they such as are dis- 
 posed to do right to love and obey the Lord ? 
 No ; they are those who, like Pharaoh, resist- 
 ed all the means, and motives, and influences, 
 which God employs to soften and subdue their 
 hearts. They are those who overlook the mer- 
 cies, and disregard the judgments, of our kind 
 Father in heaven. They are those who ne- 
 glect, or despise the word of God, the holy Sab- 
 bath, the Lord's people, and the institution of 
 religion. They are those who profane God T s 
 name, indulge their sensual appetites, disregard 
 the admonitions of conscience, and resist the 
 strivings of the Holy Spirit. And how does 
 God harden those whom he does harden ? By 
 using means to soften and subdue them, and, 
 when these means are misimproved and resist- 
 ed, by letting sinners have their own way. 
 Those same showers and dews and sunbeams, 
 which make some portions of the earth soft and 
 fruitful, cause other portions to bring forth tares 
 and briers. So those same heavenly influences, 
 
DON'T BE IN A HURRY. 181 
 
 which subdue and sanctify and save "them 
 that obey Christ," cause those who " do not 
 obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness," to 
 become harder and harder in sin. 
 
 And now, my dear friend) if you wish God 
 to have mercy on ytm, give up your wicked 
 excuses, your vile ingratitude, and all your 
 sins, and repent and call upon God for mercy. 
 I entreat you, "give diligence to make your call- 
 ing and your election sure." The Bible does 
 not tell you that if you are to be saved, you 
 will be saved, and if not, you can't help it. It 
 declares plainly, "He that believeth and is bap- 
 tized, shall be saved ; and he that believeth not^ 
 shall be damned" It says, " The Lord is nigh 
 unto them that are of a broken heart ; and 
 saveth such as be of a contrite spirit" 
 
 SECTION XXVIII. 
 I donlt believe in hurrying* 
 
 IP there is a religious revival, or if meetings 
 are more numerous than common, or if great 
 anxiety is manifested by ministers and Chris- 
 tians for the salvation of sinners, one man is 
 16 
 
182 HAVE ME EXCUSED. 
 
 ready to say, " I don't believe in hurrying things 
 too fast." I would ask such what they call 
 " too fast ? " Men are in more danger of being 
 too slow than too fast in becoming Christians. 
 Two men started together from the hotel the 
 other day, to take the steamboat, which was 
 to leave at five o'clock. One of them looked 
 at his watch and said, " We have no time to 
 lose," and quickened his pace. " Don't be 
 in haste," said the other, " I don't believe in 
 hurrying things too fast," and kept on in his 
 usual jog. The first one reached the boat just 
 in time to get aboard before she left the wharf. 
 The other arrived two minutes too late, and 
 was. left. Now, did the first hurry things too 
 fast? When that man was drowning the other 
 day, and his associates laid out all their strength 
 to reach him with a boat, and just caught him 
 by the hair as he was sinking the last time, and 
 thus saved his life ; did they hurry things too 
 fast? When that house was burning in the 
 night, and two resolute men stove in a window 
 into one of the bed rooms, and found a man fast 
 asleep and rescued him just as the flames burst 
 into the apartment ; did they hurry things too 
 fast? When the angels took hold of Lot's 
 hand to hasten his escape from Sodom, and told 
 
183 
 
 him, " Escape for thy life," did they hurry 
 things too fast ? When Peter preached so pow- 
 erfully on the day of Pentecost that a vast 
 multitude of his hearers were pricked in their 
 heart, and cried out, " Men and brethren, what 
 shall we do?' 7 did they hurry things too fast? 
 When Peter urged them to immediate repent- 
 ance and baptism, with the assurance that if 
 they obeyed they should receive the gift of the 
 Holy Ghost ; did he hurry things too fast ? 
 And when the Apostles baptized three thousand 
 on the very day of their conversion, did they 
 hurry things too fast? When the Philippian 
 jailer sprang into the prison where Paul and 
 Silas were, at midnight, and came trembling, 
 and fell down before them, and said, "Sirs 3 
 what must I do to be saved ? " did he hurry 
 things too fast? And when the Apostles said, 
 "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou 
 shalt be saved;" did they hurry things too 
 fast ? And when they baptized him " the same 
 hour of the night ;" did they hurry things too 
 fast ? While sinners, in these latter days, ar6 
 continually exposed to " the damnation of hell/' 
 is it hurrying things too fast, to have extra 
 meetings, protracted meetings, and inquiry 
 meetings, and so forth, and to declare faithfully 
 
184 HAVE ME EXCUSED. 
 
 the whole counsel of God ? We wish to do all 
 we can to save souls from eternal death. Some 
 people may be converted under the ordinary 
 means of grace, and others may require extra 
 efforts to lead them to repentance. The Apos- 
 tle intimates that the same means will not an- 
 swer for all. He says, " Of some have compas- 
 sion, making a difference ; others save with 
 fear, pulling them out of the fire." Shall men 
 be allowed to be in good earnest on every other 
 subject but that of religion ; and must they be 
 restrained, and hampered, and kept down, and 
 drawn back, when their zeal for God, and their 
 desire for the salvation of their dying fellow- 
 znen, prompt them to holy ardour and vigorous 
 effort to save souls from everlasting burnings ? 
 God says, " Blow the trumpet in Zion ; sound 
 An alarm in my holy mountain. Let the priests, 
 the ministers of God, weep between the porch 
 and the altar, and let them say, " Spare thy 
 people, O Lord, and give not thy heritage to re- 
 proach." Our blessed Patron once said to the 
 Father, " The zeal of thine house hath eaten 
 me up." Elijah said, " I have been very zeal- 
 ous for the Lord of hosts." Zeal, to be sure, 
 should be according to knowledge. But there 
 should be zeal. Christ gave himself for us, 
 
OLD AGE. 185 
 
 "that he might redeem us from all unrighteous- 
 ness, and purify unto himself a peculiar peo- 
 ple^ zealous of good works." Thousands will 
 doubtless weep and wail forever, because they 
 were not in sufficient haste to become Chris- 
 tians. None in eternity will ever lament that 
 they " made haste and did not delay to keep 
 God's commandments." Be entreated then, my 
 dear reader, to be in earnest to secure the sal- 
 vation of your soul. 
 
 " Seize the kind promise while it waits, 
 And march to Z ion's heavenly gates ; 
 Believe, and take the promised rest ; 
 Obey, and be forever blest." 
 
 SECTION XXIX. 
 The eleventh hour. 
 
 ANOTHER harbours this excuse in his heart : 
 " I hope to live some time yet, and to enter the 
 vineyard at the eleventh hour." To such I 
 would say, as to your living long, God has de- 
 clared that " the wicked shall not live out half 
 his days." He says also, " Boast not thyself of 
 to-morrow, for thou knowest not what a day 
 16* 
 
186 HAVE ME EXCUSED. 
 
 may bring forth." Your hope of long life, and 
 good days of worldly pleasure, may be frustrat- 
 ed, and your sun may go down at noon. Look 
 out for that. But what leads you to hope that, 
 even if you are spared to old age, you shall 
 enter the vineyard at the eleventh hour 1 Do 
 you learn of many doing it ? How seldom is 
 it that we hear of people becoming Christians 
 in old age ! It is true that in times of very 
 great and powerful revivals, there are now and 
 then cases of conversion among the aged. But 
 how few are these cases compared with the 
 multitudes of youth who are brought into the 
 kingdom of heaven? The older men grow 
 without religion, the less they are influenced 
 by the motives of the Gospel. That portion of 
 the earth, which is not made productive by the 
 genial rays of the sun, is rendered harder and 
 more barren by every day's warmth. So that 
 heart, which is not melted into penitence and 
 love by the kindly rays of the Sun of righteous- 
 ness, is made more and more obdurate by its 
 resistance of those rays. Old people find that 
 their minds are less affected by hearing the 
 Gospel preached, and by listening to the prayers 
 of ministers and Christians, than they were 
 years ago. Motives seem to have less power to 
 
OLD AGE. 187 
 
 move them than formerly. They have become 
 so accustomed to their own habits of thinking 
 and reasoning, and acting (or rather, not act- 
 ing} on the subject of religion, that it is like 
 moving mountains to get them to attend to any 
 new thing, especially if that thing is not agree- 
 able to their inclinations. And as religion is 
 never agreeable to the unregenerate heart, it is 
 next to impossible to induce old people to be- 
 come religious. 
 
 You speak of entering the vineyard at the 
 eleventh hour : how do you know that the 
 Lord will accept of your services at that late 
 hour of the day ? Do you say that our blessed 
 Saviour speaks of the master of the vineyard 
 hiring some at that hour ? Yery well ; but who 
 were those who found employment at that late 
 hour? Were they persons who had been often 
 invited to go into the vineyard during trie day ? 
 If invited, had they manifested a reluctance to 
 labour in the master's vineyard ? Did they 
 show that they desired to share the wages, ra- 
 ther than do the work of the vineyard ? No, 
 none of these things. When they were asked, 
 " Why stand ye here all the day idle ? " they 
 promptly answered, "Because no man hath 
 hired us" They were heathen, who had ne- 
 
188 HAVE ME EXCUSED. 
 
 ver heard the calls and invitations of the* Gos- 
 pel until the eleventh hour of their lives. Just 
 as soon as they were told, " Go ye also into the 
 vineyard, and whatsoever is right, that shall ye 
 receive ; " they joyfully obeyed, and entered the 
 vineyard. Now, is their case like yours ? Can 
 you honestly say that the reason why you have 
 not entered the Lord's service, ano^ become a 
 Christian before, is " because you hav not been 
 invited?" Think of the sermons and exhor- 
 tations which you have heard from childhood 
 up to the present time. Think of the Sabbaths 
 you have violated, and the afflictions you have 
 misimproved. Think of the many Christian 
 privileges with which you have been favoured. 
 Think of those kind whisperings of the Spirit 
 with which you have so often been visited. 
 Now, can you think, in view of these things, 
 that you will stand as good a chance to be re- 
 ceived at the eleventh hour, as those poor, igno- 
 rant heathen, who entered the vineyard as soon 
 as invited ? Certainly not. Your case is wide- 
 ly different from theirs. You have long known 
 your duty, but a love of sin, and a dislike of 
 holiness, have prevented your doing it. Read 
 the tract entitled "Quench not the Spirit," and 
 you will find the account of a man standing 
 
OLD AGE. 189 
 
 by the gate of the vineyard at the eleventh 
 hour. His expectation of entering it is forever 
 cut off. In his younger days, the Holy Spirit 
 whispered in his ear, at different times, " Seek 
 religion now? But when God called, he refus- 
 ed to obey, and put off religion till a more con- 
 venient season. And now, on his death bed, 
 he sees and acknowledges his error, and advises 
 his children and grandchildren, not to do as he 
 had done ; and gives them to understand that 
 he expects to spend his eternity in using this 
 affecting language of despair : " The harvest 
 is past ; the summer is ended ; and I am not 
 saved? I pray you, therefore, my dear reader, 
 talk not about the eleventh hour. Enter the 
 Lord's vineyard immediately, whatever hour of 
 your day it is. 
 
 " Attend the offered grace to-day , 
 Nor lose the blessing by delay." 
 
 "Procrastination is the thief of time the 
 kidnapper of souls the recruiting officer of 
 hell." 
 
190 HAVE ME EXCUSED. 
 
 SECTION XXX. 
 
 I have a hope. 
 
 WE sometimes meet with a person, whose 
 mind has at some former period been excited 
 on the subject of religion, but who has never 
 come out on the Lord's side, as every Christian 
 ought to do. When w r e urge upon him the 
 necessity of .an interest in Christ, he looks us 
 in the face, and says, " I have a hope." To 
 such I would reply, so has every hypocrite this 
 side the bottomless pit. Can you find a man 
 of your acquaintance who has not a hope of 
 salvation ? If you can find one without a hope, 
 you find a miserable being. You say you have 
 a hope. Very well. The apostle says we 
 should be ready to give a reason of the hope 
 that is in us. Can you give a good reason for 
 your hope ? " Every tree is known by its fruit." 
 Does your hope bring forth good fruit ? Does 
 it lead you daily to pray and search the Scrip- 
 tures ? If you have a family, does your hope 
 lead you to maintain morning and evening 
 worship w'ith your household? Does it lead 
 you to be regular at meetings, not only on the 
 Sabbath but on week-days ? Does it lead you 
 
I HAVE A HOPE. 191 
 
 always to practise unbending integrity arid 
 strict honesty in your dealings with others \ 
 Does it lead you to a strict observance of the 
 Sabbath, and a devout reverence of the name, 
 and ordinances, and house of God 1 Does your 
 hope lead you to seek to be pure, in heart, 
 speech, and behaviour, even as God is pure ? 
 Does it lead you to converse and pray with the 
 unconverted ? Does it lead you to hunger and 
 thirst for the ordinances of the visible Church? 
 If you have a hope, why not profess Christ be- 
 fore the world, and seek to be connected with 
 his visible body? If one denomination does 
 not suit you, why not seek communion with 
 another? Do you feel satisfied while disregard- 
 ing the plain and positive command of Christ, 
 <fc This do, in remembrance of me ? " Consider 
 that " He that is born of God sinneth not ; " 
 that is, he will not allow himself to live in any 
 sin, either of omission or of commission. If 
 your hope allows you to live months and years 
 out of the visible Church, without making any 
 effort to gain admittance, have you not reason 
 to apprehend that it is the hope of the hypocrite, 
 which shall perish in the giving up of the ghost, 
 or in death ? I judge you not. I have pro- 
 posed these questions that you may judge cor 
 
192 HAVE ME EXCUSED. 
 
 k'ectly concerning yourself. " Be not deceived ; 
 God is not mocked : he that soweth to the flesh, 
 shall of the flesh reap corruption." " Let him 
 that thinketh he standeth, take heed lest he 
 fall." If you have not hope enough to bring 
 you out on the Lord's side, may you not fear 
 that you have not hope enough to carry you to 
 heaven ? If your hope does not lead you to for- 
 sake every unholy practice, and to live soberly, 
 and righteously, and godly in the world, have 
 you not occasion to tremble lest it is built upon 
 the sand ? Those who have hope enough to 
 keep them easy and careless, but not enough 
 to bring them up to the standard of Christian 
 duty, are in an awfully dangerous state. The 
 faithful and pointed preaching of the word 
 passes by them on either side, without taking 
 effect. When Christians are addressed, they 
 suppose the address is intended for professors 
 of religion, and not for them, and therefore 
 they do not appropriate the searching appeals 
 to themselves. Thus the truth, which if ap- 
 plied by them to their own case, would show 
 them the fallacy of their hope, passes by on 
 the right side. And when the impenitent are 
 addressed by such probing truth, as is calculat- 
 ed to convince them of their guilt and danger, 
 
t HAVE A HOPE. 193 
 
 and to induce them to fly to Christ for salva- 
 tion, they apprehend that the address is not 
 meant for them, (as they hope that they are 
 Christians,) and therefore they let it pass them 
 on the other side. Thus these persons are ap- 
 parently in more danger of losing their souls, 
 than either self-deceived professors in the 
 Church, or unconverted sinners out of the 
 Church. In fact, these persons, who have " a 
 hope that rnaketh ashamed, because the love 
 of God is not shed abroad in their hearts," are 
 almost sure of destruction, if they remain 
 where they are. They have just hope enough 
 to lead them to cry " peace and safety " to them- 
 selves, till sudden destruction cometh upon 
 them. They have not hope enough to raise 
 them to heaven, but just enough to sink them 
 to hell. 
 
 If you, my dear reader, are resting on a hope, 
 which does not lead you to seek a standing 
 among Christ's open and professed friends, and 
 which does not lead you to live as the Bible re- 
 quires Christians to live, I entreat you to cease 
 to rest upon it, but cast it away as you would 
 a broken staff where you may procure a good 
 one, or as you would a rotten rope where you 
 can get a strong one, if you choose, with which 
 17 
 
194 HAVE ME EXCUSED. 
 
 to let yourself down into a well. Go with true 
 penitence and lively faith to the Lord Jesus 
 Christ, that he may be " formed in you the hope 
 of glory." You will then have " a hope which 
 will be as an anchor of the soul, both sure and 
 steadfast, entering into that within the vail, 
 whither Jesus the Forerunner is for us entered." 
 (Heb. vi. 18, 20.) And then if you continue to 
 live in the exercise of Christian feelings, and in 
 the faithful performance of all Christian duties, 
 you may attain " the full assurance of hope," 
 and be prepared for that world, 
 
 " Where faith is sweetly lost in sight, 
 And hope, in full supreme delight, 
 And everlasting love." 
 
 SECTION XXXI. 
 
 I mean to live differently. 
 
 WHEN the Holy Spirit is operating on the 
 minds of men, either in a time of revival, or 
 during a season of affliction, or at any other 
 time, they see their past course has been sinful, 
 and some of their sins trouble their minds. It 
 is common for a man, under these circumstan- 
 ces, to say, " I mean to live a different life from 
 
MEAN TO LIVE DIFFERENTLY. 195 
 
 what I have done." To such I would say, I 
 am very glad that you see your need of a refor- 
 mation. A sense of our past deficiencies is the 
 first step toward religion. If, by saying, " you 
 mean to live differently," you mean to convey 
 the idea that you are determined to become a 
 Christian, and lead a Christian life, it is the 
 best thing you can do. I should rejoice if all 
 the world would do differently in this way. 
 But I fear you do not mean all this. I fear 
 that you mean simply to forsake some of your 
 evil ways, and to attend more strictly to some 
 external duties , and that you design in this 
 way to appease the displeasure of God, and to 
 quiet your own conscience. I have often met 
 with persons, who expressed themselves in the 
 language of this excuse, who were not at all 
 determined to make religion their great concern, 
 but simply meant to pursue a course which 
 would occasion their conscience less trouble. 
 But it is evident that almost every person may 
 reform in some respects, and still come no nearer 
 religion than he was before. Every one can 
 see that the thief, the drunkard, the swearer, 
 the adulterer, the gambler, the Sabbath-breaker, 
 and so forth, may abandon their peculiar, be- 
 setting sin, and still be no nearer religion than 
 
196 HAVE ME EXCUSED. 
 
 the rest of mankind who were never guilty of 
 these sins. And so the prayerless person may 
 commence something in the form of prayer, the 
 indifferent may be serious, the thoughtless be- 
 come thoughtful, those who have neglected to 
 read the Bible may begin to read it, and those 
 who have neglected the sanctuary, may be 
 found in the house of God, and after all, these 
 different persons may remain in love with sin, 
 and at enmity with the Gospel. God says to 
 those, who think that religion consists in out- 
 ward reformations and external duties, "Rend 
 your hearts, and not your garments : 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 heVill abundantly pardon." 
 When God requires repentance and faith, 
 (internal and holy exercises,) he will not be put 
 off with external reformations and outward 
 duties. When he commands us to " believe in 
 the Lord Jesus Christ" in order to salvation, 
 he will not accept the renunciation of Atheism, 
 or Deism, or Universalism, or Unitarian ism, in 
 the place of faith in Christ. Men may renounce 
 these and all other forms of doctrinal error, and 
 still be as destitute of saving faith as the great 
 
MEAN TO LIVE DIFFERENTLY. 197 
 
 adversary himself. True faith, when exercised 
 by man, exerts a purifying influence on the 
 heart as well as the life. Where faith is in the 
 heart, there is the salt which is to cleanse the 
 fountain of moral action. Till the fountain is 
 cleansed by the salt of divine grace, its streams 
 are all, like itself, filthy and hateful. But 
 when the fountain is thus cleansed, its streams 
 become more and more clear and healthful. 
 Giving up evil habits and erroneous sentiments, 
 while repentance and faith are not exercised, is 
 like trying to cleanse the streams, while the 
 fountain remains corrupt and poisonous. Both 
 the fountain and its streams need cleansing. 
 But the way to accomplish it, is to clean out the 
 fountain first, and this will then send out clear 
 and sweet w T ater in the streams. So says our 
 blessed Saviour, " Make the tree good, and the 
 fruit will be good." And again he says, 
 " Cle&nse first that which is within the cup and 
 platter, that the outside of them may be clean 
 also." 
 
 And now, my unconverted reader, let me tell 
 you plainly that your resolution to do different- 
 ly, (unless it goes the wisole length of Joshua's, 
 " As for me and my house, we will serve the 
 Lord,") is worse than nothing. It cries. " Peace, 
 17* 
 
198 HAVE ME EXCUSED. 
 
 peace," to you, while you ought to realize that 
 you have no ground for thinking yourself at 
 peace with God. It quiets your conscience, 
 when it would be far better for you, if conscience 
 were much more troublesome than it is. If, 
 instead of quieting conscience, by a resolution 
 of partial obedience, you would let conscience 
 drive you to the pure fountain of Christ's blood, 
 conscience would thereby be cleansed from dead 
 works, and you would thus be prepared to serve 
 God in spirit and in truth. If you are not a 
 Christian, you ought to do differently, and feel 
 differently, and be different from what you now 
 are. I beseech you, therefore, "Amend your 
 ways and your doings that are not good," and 
 present yourself " a living sacrifice, holy, accept- 
 able unto God, which is your reasonable ser- 
 
 SECTION XXXII. 
 I 
 
 / have a good mind to undertake it. 
 
 SAYS the man, whose judgment is convinced 
 that religion is the one thing needful, but whose 
 heart still cleaves to this world : " I have a 
 
ALMOST PERSUADED. 199 
 
 good mind to undertake it." To such I would 
 say, so had Agrippa a good mind to undertake 
 it, when he said to Paul : " Almost thou per- 
 suadest me to be a Christian." Multitudes are, 
 at times, almost persuaded to attend to religion. 
 Our blessed Saviour, when in this world, met 
 with a man of this character, and said to him : 
 "Thou art not far from the kingdom of hea- 
 ven." But it will be well for you to remember, 
 that many come near the kingdom, who never 
 enter. When they feel their need of an interest 
 in Christ, they allow some excuse to enter their 
 minds, which prevents their making suitable 
 efforts to become Christians. Their seriousness 
 is thus worn off, and their minds become less 
 and less susceptible of religious impressions. 
 They vainly imagine, that another time will 
 be more convenient to attend to religion than 
 the present. They know, and sometimes feel, 
 that religion is all-important, and the thought 
 that they are liable to die without it, often fills 
 their minds with very great uneasiness. But 
 they see many supposed difficulties in the way 
 of their now becoming Christians, and are dis- 
 posed to think that these difficulties will be 
 fewer, and easier overcome, at a future period. 
 They, therefore, say to their convictions, and to 
 
200 HAVE ME EXCUSED. 
 
 the Holy Spirit, which occasions their convic- 
 tions : " Go thy way for this time; when I have 
 a convenient season, I will call for thee." But, 
 alas ! a convenient season for a wicked heart to 
 "cease to do evil, and learn to do well,' 1 never 
 comes ; and thus " Wisdom is pushed out of 
 life." How many of this description will mourn 
 at the last, when they are consumed in the 
 flames of perdition, and say : " How have I 
 hated instruction, and my heart despised re- 
 proof!" If you find yourself at all disposed to 
 become religious, now is your time. It is God's 
 good spirit working in you " to will and to do" 
 reproving you of sin, and saying to you : 
 " Turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways, for 
 why will ye die ? " The Holy Spirit never vis- 
 its men but to do them good ; and as he is now 
 breathing a hallowed influence over your soul, 
 and trying to lead you to repent, and secure 
 the salvation of your never-dying spirit, be cau- 
 tious how you disregard his gentle whispers. 
 You may be sure that true religion will do you 
 no harm ; and if you have " a good mind to un- 
 dertake it," it very likely is NOW 6R NEVER 
 with you. You may not feel to-morrow as you 
 do now. Yea, you may never have a return 
 of these feelings, if you grieve them away now. 
 
DON'T LIKE TO PROMISE. 201 
 
 Remember, it is God's Spirit that makes us feel 
 at all serious, and he has said that his " Spirit 
 shall not always strive with man." If, there- 
 fore, you have any serious impressions on your 
 mind at the present time, do not get rid of them, 
 as you value your soul's eternal welfare. In 
 the affecting language of Paul to Agrippa : " I 
 would to God that you were not only almost, 
 but altogether persuaded to be a Christian" 
 
 SECTION XXXIII. 
 I don't like to pledge myself. 
 
 WHEN we converse with the impenitent on 
 personal religion, and urge home upon their 
 conscience the claims of God, we often ask 
 them, Will you not now determine to give your 
 heart to God, and serve him ? We sometimes 
 receive this answer: "I don't like to pledge 
 myself to do it." Why not pledge yourself? 
 If your mind is made up, why not say so? This 
 unwillingness to bind yourself to do your duty, 
 indicates that your mind is still wavering, that 
 you are not fully decided to be for God, and 
 none else. As long as you are undecided^ 
 
202 HAVE ME EXCUSED. 
 
 your mind in a state of suspense, you will do 
 nothing to any purpose. God puts to you this 
 solemn question : " How long halt ye between 
 two opinions ? if the Lord be God, follow him ; 
 but if Baal, then follow him." Have you not 
 lived in disobedience to God long enough ? Af- 
 ter God has waited so long a time for you to 
 commence serving him, can you have the bold- 
 ness to ask him to wait longer ? Does not even 
 the thought make you blush ? When will you 
 be ready to give your heart to the Lord, and to 
 commence serving him? In ten years? In 
 five ? In one ? God asks you to decide the 
 matter at once " this day" and he is waiting 
 for your decision. I pray you, decide now, and 
 decide right. But do you say : " My mind is 
 settled on the subject; I do mean to attend 
 to religion ; but I do not like to pledge myself 
 to repent this moment" How long a time do 
 you want to repent in? Did not the three 
 thousand, on the day of Pentecost, and the jailer 
 of Philippi, take time enough to repent in? 
 They did it at once, and we have no evidence 
 but that it was as well done, as though they 
 had taken months for it. Repentance does not 
 so much require time, as a disposition. When 
 this is right, the work of repentance is de- 
 
DON'T LIKE TO PROMISE. 203 
 
 spatched " off hand." The great thing neces- 
 sary to its accomplishment, is determination. 
 Men never accomplish any thing important 
 without determination a determination, which 
 prompts to action. When a man has an im- 
 portant business-matter to attend to, he deter- 
 mines promptly, and without hesitation, to do 
 it. He is not afraid to say, I will. When you 
 give your note for any amount, or when you 
 promise to pay a neighbour what you owe him, 
 you pledge yourself to do something by a given 
 time. If you are not afraid to pledge yourself 
 to do your duty, in temporal things, why are 
 you in spiritual ? If you ever become a Chris- 
 tian, you will have first to pledge yourself. No 
 man can become religious, without engaging to 
 do his duty. No man submits to God, without 
 a determination to do it. No man ever accept- 
 ed of Christ, without a determination to do it 
 now. Sinners have to feel themselves shut up 
 to duty, before they can be induced to do it. A 
 man cannot become a Christian, as long as his 
 mind is undecided whether to submit to God 
 now, or at a future time. Whenever a sinner 
 submits himself to God's disposal, it is done im- 
 mediately following a determination now to 
 submit. If you have any notion of becoming a 
 
HATE MB BXCfftSD. 
 
 iftian, you can aee, therefore, what 700 
 A come la You mu* be willing to pl*dg* 
 nelt No pemm, who ha* not nenre enough 
 ay, I will NOW *** lo CW, HIM! ompf 
 C%ri*f cur my St?MTfTtrrc and SiTtova, 
 i expect lo reach bearen. I beseech you 
 i lo determine now lo wire God, and Mil 
 MM. Adopt ihelaaguafe of ihe Prodigal, 
 ay : M I will ariw and go lo my father, 
 \% ill my unto him. Cither, I hare finned 
 intt boarety and before thoe, and am not 
 thy to be called thy Mm.* Do thi* mneafw^ 
 and il will be *aid of you, at it wat of htm : 
 nd he aroae and came lo lib lather." Hedge 
 imlf like good old Jothua: - An for me and 
 hou*,tMttMr9* U L*rd* It if not 
 ugh that you rro/i* lo repent, you 
 Mve lo ivpcnt ftotr, and follow your 
 i lo repent^ by rrpmtinff tmm/ > f/iVi/i*/y. 
 jet thw be the aincera language of yew 
 tr/ 9 and your 
 
 - ^ 
 
 JWM 
 
 vvy pom aai tfM^tit bt Uu M ; 
 

 CAN'T DO ANY THING. 
 
 SECTION XXXIV. 
 I cannot do any thing. 
 
 WE often meet with people, who have h< 
 the sentiments advanced, that sinners cat 
 do any thing to merit forgiveness and sa 
 tion ; and they inlVr 1 that tmconve 
 
 persons have nothing to do, but sit still 
 wait patiently for God to come along and in 
 them Christians. Urge them to repent 
 believe the Gospel, and they individually i 
 " I can't do any thing. 79 This impression, t 
 they can do nothing, goes with them wt 
 they go, and stays with them whore they si 
 It presents an impervious shield .UMIN^ 
 obligations of duty. It doubtless proves 
 ruin of thousands. If any of my readers 
 labouring under the impression that they c 
 not do any thing towards becoming a Ch 
 tian, and preparing for heaven, I would sa 
 few words to you in regard to that impress! 
 Where did you get that impression ? Did ; 
 get it from man, or from God / Did you 
 it from ministers or Christians, or from 
 word of God ? This impression, that you < 
 do nothing, I am fully convinced, is erronct 
 18 
 
206 HAVE^ME EXCUSED. 
 
 and awfully dangerous. The reason why I 
 believe that it is erroneous, is because God is a 
 God of sincerity and truth ; and he conveys the 
 idea very clearly and repeatedly, in the Bible, 
 that it is the sinner's duty to do something. 
 This idea he conveys in such passages as the 
 following. Ezek. xxxiii. 10, 11: "Therefore, 
 O thou son of man, speak unto the house of 
 Israel; thus ye speak, saying, If our trans- 
 gressions and our sins be upon us, and we pine 
 away in them, how should we then live ? Say 
 unto them, As I live, saith the Lord God, I have 
 no pleasure in the death of the wicked ; but that 
 the wicked turn from his way and live : turn 
 ye, turn ye, from your evil ways} for why 
 will ye die, O house of Israel ? " Isaiah, Iv. 6, 7 : 
 " Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call 
 ye upon him while he is near : 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." Mark, i. 
 15: "Repent ye, and believe the Gospel." 
 Acts ii. 37, 38 : " Now when they heard this, 
 they were pricked in their heart, and said unto 
 Peter, and to the rest of the apostles, Men and 
 brethren, what shall we do? Then Peter said 
 
CANT DO ANY THING. 207 
 
 unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one 
 of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, for the re- 
 mission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of 
 the Holy Ghost." Acts xvi. 30, 31: "Sirs, 
 what must I do to be saved ? And they said, 
 Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou 
 shall be saved." Ezek. xviii. 30, 32 : " Repent 
 and turn yourselves from all your transgres- 
 sions ; so iniquity shall not be your ruin. Cast 
 away from you all your transgressions, where- 
 by ye have transgressed: and make you a 
 new heart and a new spirit : for why will ye 
 die, O house of Israel ? For I have no pleas- 
 ure in the death of him that dieth, saith the 
 Lord God : wherefore turn yourselves and live 
 ye." In these, and many other similar por- 
 tions of Scripture, God conveys the idea, that 
 the wicked have something, yea, much, to do* 
 Look again at the jailer's inquiry, and Paul's 
 answer. He asks a plain question, " Sirs, what 
 must I do to be saved ? " He had got the im- 
 pression that there was something for him to 
 do, and he asks ivhat it was. If Paul had 
 embraced the notion, that the sinner " can't do 
 any thing," here was an excellent opportunity 
 to have stated it. If he had been of that 
 opinion, he probably would have answered the 
 
20S HAVE ME EXCUSED. 
 
 jailer's inquiry thus : " You ask what you 
 must do to be saved 1 Do ? You cartt do 
 any thing." But Paul shows that he did not 
 embrace this do-nothing-system. He honestly 
 told the trembling sinner that he had some- 
 thing to do. That he must do something. 
 He said to him, " Believe in the Lord Jesus 
 Christ, and thou shalt be saved." And when 
 our Saviour says, "He that believeth and is 
 baptized, shall be saved ; but he that believeth 
 not, shall be damned," he conveys the idea, 
 that sinners have something to do, in order to 
 be saved ; and that if they do not do that some- 
 thing, they will be damned as the consequence 
 of not doing it. And when he says, " Except 
 ye repent, ye shall perish" he clearly conveys 
 the idea that sinners must do something, or 
 perish, as the consequence of not doing it. 
 
 Now, my dear reader, whatever has been 
 your impression about your having nothing to 
 do, you see that God requires you to do much. 
 He requires you to repent, and believe in Christ, 
 and forsake your evil ways, and evil thoughts, 
 and seek the Lord, and return unto him, and 
 call upon him, and turn yourself from all your 
 transgressions, and make you a new heart and 
 a new spirit. You must, therefore, settle the 
 
209 
 
 matter with God, if you still say, " I can't do 
 any thing." You are hastening to his awful 
 bar, and " what wilt thou say when he shall 
 punish thee ? " Will you dare say that you 
 wanted salvation, but could do nothing to 
 obtain it ? " Be not deceived, God is not 
 mocked ; whatsoever a man soweth, that shall 
 he also reap : He that soweth to the flesh, shall 
 of the flesh reap corruption ; but he that soweth 
 to the spirit, shall of the spirit reap life ever- 
 lasting." You say " you can't do any thing ! " 
 Alas ! you have done something. You have 
 done too much. You have sinned against the 
 Lord times and ways without number. Yes, 
 you have done too much done enough to sink 
 you to hell for ever. Besides sinning against 
 God's law, you have neglected and slighted the 
 Gospel of God our Saviour. You have abused 
 God's mercies, temporal and spiritual. You 
 have misimproved his chastisements. You 
 have disregarded the admonitions of your own 
 conscience. You have resisted the Holy Spirit. 
 Yes, you have done much, very much, which 
 you ought not to have done. And now, when 
 God commands you to do something which you 
 ought to do, does it look well for you to say, 
 " I cartt do any thing ? " I beseech you never 
 18* 
 
210 HAVE ME EXCUSED. 
 
 to say it again. But when God commands 
 you to do a thing, do it. Christ has become 
 "the author of eternal salvation to all them 
 that obey him" Obey him, then, and you 
 shall be saved. 
 
 SECTION XXXV. 
 There are so many denominations. 
 
 WE sometimes meet with persons who tell 
 us, "There are so many different denomina- 
 tions of Christians, who knows which is right ? " 
 To the unconverted person who makes this in- 
 quiry, I would say, you have the Bible, and if 
 you study that with a sincere desire to be 
 guided into all truth, you will not be likely to 
 make a fatal mistake in this matter. But you 
 misapprehend Christians and ministers, if you 
 suppose, when they urge you to come into the 
 kingdom of heaven, that they are asking you 
 to join their church. Joining a church is an 
 after consideration. When we invite you to 
 seek the Lord to give him your heart to be- 
 come a Christian we say nothing to you about 
 churches. Your first business is "to make 
 
SO MANY SECTS. 211 
 
 your own calling and election sure." You 
 should not suffer your mind to be agitated by 
 the differences between the churches, until you 
 gain a satisfactory evidence that you are "a 
 new creature j " that you have experienced 
 " the washing of regeneration, and the renew- 
 ing of the Holy Ghost ; " that " old things are 
 done away with you, and all things have be- 
 come new." When you experience " Love, joy, 
 peace, long-suffering, gentleness, good faith, 
 meekness, and temperance," then you may feel 
 warranted in searching the Scriptures, to see 
 for yourself, which denomination comes the 
 nearest to the pattern there given. The differ- 
 ence between the various denominations of 
 Evangelical Christians is not fundamental. God 
 owns them all, and sends his reviving and 
 sanctifying Spirit upon them all. This he 
 would not do, if they were indulging essential 
 error. If you are truly converted, I would 
 advise you to offer yourself to that church 
 where you will feel most at home, and where 
 you think you will be the most happy and use- 
 ful. " Let every man be fully persuaded in his 
 own mind." 
 
212 HAVE ME EXCUSED. 
 
 SECTION XXXVI. 
 I cannot get religion. 
 
 WE have occasionally conversed with persons 
 who said, " I would be glad to have religion, 
 but I can't get it." I would say to such, if this 
 were really the case with you, you ought to be 
 pitied, rather than blamed, for not being a 
 Christian. But is it truly so? Would you 
 really be glad to have religion ? I find many 
 who would be glad to have peace and happi- 
 ness, who, nevertheless, are as far from desiring 
 religion as can be. And I have known some, 
 who thought that they really desired religion, 
 when, in fact, they only desired its benefits. 
 This may be the case with my impenitent 
 reader. You can ascertain whether you really 
 desire religion, or not, by noticing what your 
 desire leads you to do. When men really and 
 truly desire a thing, they use all proper means 
 to obtain it. The husbandman, who desires a 
 good harvest, breaks up his fallow ground 
 sows his seed fences his field, and then pa- 
 tiently waits for the early and latter rain. The 
 youth, who desires a thorough education, 
 pursues his studies with diligence and perse- 
 
CAN'T GET RELIGION. 213 
 
 verance. The traveller, who desires to be at a 
 particular place, goes in that direction. Paul 
 shows that he really desired the salvation of 
 Israel, by labouring incessantly to bring them to 
 Christ. When the trembling jailor inquired 
 what he must do to be saved, and was told lo 
 believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, he showed 
 that he really desired salvation, by his follow- 
 ing Paul's direction, and exercising faith in 
 Christ. Unless your desire of salvation, leads 
 you to repent, and believe in Christ, and live a 
 life of prayer, and attend religious meetings, 
 and read the Bible, and keep the Sabbath, and 
 reverence God's name, and endeavour to serve 
 God in sincerity arid in truth, you have reason 
 to conclude that your desire is for the " loaves 
 and fishes" the benefits of religion rather than 
 for religion itself. If you truly desire religion, 
 what hinders your having it? Religion is 
 serving GW, with a right state of feeling 
 towards Him ; or, it is loving God with all your 
 heart, and your neighbour as yourself, and 
 acting accordingly. Now, do you sincerely 
 love and serve the Lord, and seek the happi- 
 ness of your fellow creatures? If you do, you 
 have religion already. But if not, can you 
 honestly say, " you want religion, but can't get 
 
214 HAVE ME EXCUSED. 
 
 it?" What does God require of you that you 
 cannot do? Do you say, U I can't repent?" 
 Why not ? Repentance is to " break off your 
 sins by righteousness, and your iniquities by 
 turning unto the Lord." What hinders you 
 doing this? Can you not cease to do evil, 
 and Jearn to do well ? Can you not think on 
 your ways, be sorry for your sins, and turn 
 your feet unto God's testimonies ? Well, when 
 you have done these things, you have repented. 
 When God commands you to repent, and says, 
 " Except ye repent, ye shall perish : " does He 
 require impossibilities, and threaten the non- 
 performance with perdition ? It is blasphemous 
 to suppose it . Does our blessed Saviour say, 
 "Come' unto me all ye that labour and are 
 heavy laden, and I will give you rest," and, 
 " whosoever will, let him take of the waters of 
 life freely," when men cannot accept of hia 
 kind invitation ? cannot come to Him ? can- 
 not take the water of life ? Has he provided 
 this great Supper for our world, and sent out 
 his servants to say to mankind, " Come, for all 
 things are now ready ;" when the children of 
 men might all, with truth and propriety, say, 
 as the one who had married a wife did say, " I 
 CANNOT COME ? It is absurd and wicked to in- 
 
215 
 
 dulge such a thought. As long as you think 
 that God requires impossibilities, you will think 
 of him as a tyrant, and, of course, you will not, 
 and cannot love him. And as long as you feel 
 that you cannot repent, (though God com- 
 mands all men to repent,) you are not in a 
 state of mind to become a Christian, but are 
 in an attitude of rebellion against God. You 
 need not expect God to have mercy on you, till 
 you acknowledge that HE is right, and yon 
 are wrong. You must have such confidence 
 in the wisdom and benevolence of God, as to 
 feel that what he requires is reasonable. You 
 must acknowledge that what God commands 
 to be done, ought to be done ; and what ought 
 to be done, can be done. And as God now 
 commands all men you among the rest to 
 repent, they and you ought now to repent; 
 and as you ought now to repent, you can now 
 repent. And as you can now repent, DO IT, 
 and heaven shall be yours. But " except you 
 repent, you shall perish." May God have 
 mercy on you, and give you a speedy repent- 
 ance, for the sake of Christ, his well beloved 
 Son. Amen. 
 
CHAPTER X. 
 
 THE SERVANT MAKES HIS REPORT TO THE MASTER. 
 
 AFTER the great Supper was made ready, 
 and the servant sent out to invite the guests ; 
 and after the discouragements with which he 
 met, in their unsatisfactory excuses, " the ser- 
 vant came and showed his Lord these things. 7 ' 
 Said the prophet, after delivering God's mes- 
 sage to David, "Now therefore advise thyself 
 what word I shall bring again to him that sent 
 me." The servants, the ministers of Christ, 
 " watch for souls as they that must give an 
 account." After delivering the message of God 
 on the Sabbath, they go home to their closets, 
 and report to their master the visble effects pro- 
 duced by his message. Often they are con- 
 strained to enter complaints to the Lord, of 
 their ill success. Sometimes they ask, " Who 
 hath believed our report? and to whom 
 hath the arm of the Lord been revealed ? " 
 They, often despondingly, say, " We have 
 laboured in vain, and spent our strength for 
 
. 
 
 THE SERVANT REPORTS. 217 
 
 
 nought." None but ministers know a minis- 
 ter's feelings, under such circumstances. " The 
 heart knoweth his own bitterness." *No office 
 or station in this world is attended with such 
 crushing responsibility. Says an inspired min- 
 ister of Jesus, " We are unto God a sweet savour 
 of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them 
 that perish : To the one we are a savour of life 
 unto life ; and to the other, of death unto 
 death : and who is sufficient for these things ? " 
 Often, besides being unsuccessful in their efforts 
 to induce men to come to the Gospel feast, they 
 are blamed, and vilified, and slandered, and per- 
 secuted, by the very persons whose welfare they 
 are seeking. Christ told his ministers that they 
 must expect this. He said, " If they have 
 persecuted me, they will persecute you also." 
 And they often know by experience that, " If 
 any man will live godly in Christ Jesus, he 
 shall suffer persecution." They are often 
 called fanatics, and fools, and madmen, and are 
 accused of turning " the world upside down." 
 " Marvel not," said the Lord, "if the world hate 
 you." But they care not for ill-treatment 
 and reproach, if they can but induce men to 
 come to the Great Supper. Though they tell 
 their Master how sinners treat his invitations 
 19 
 
218 THE GREAT SUPPER. 
 
 of mercy, yet they harbour no ill-will towards 
 sinners, or even towards their enemies ; nor 
 would they " command fire to come down from 
 heaven to consume them ; " but they pray for 
 them, and persevere in their efforts to do them 
 good. 
 
CHAPTER XL 
 
 THE MASTER IS ANGRY AT THE EVIL REPORT. 
 
 WHEN the servant reported how those, who 
 were bidden to the Great Supper, all made ex- 
 cuses, and refused to come, the master of the 
 house was angry. Who can wonder at it? 
 was there not a just cause for anger ? He had 
 been at great expense and trouble to do them 
 good, and they treat his Supper with disrespect 
 and contempt. No wonder he feels indignant. 
 " God is angry with the wicked every day." 
 And the blessed Saviour, who has done so much 
 to provide salvation for the lost, is angry when 
 men make excuses for not loving and serving 
 him when they refuse to come at his bidding, 
 and receive the Gospel Supper when they 
 neglect this great salvation. Yes, when to save 
 men from perishing eternally ', he made himself 
 of no reputation, took upon himself human na- 
 ture, spent a life of toil and reproach and sor- 
 row in doing good to the bodies and souls of 
 men, and finally gave himself a sacrifice for 
 
220 THE GREAT SUPPER. 
 
 our sins, by enduring the shameful death of the 
 cross all this for the benefit of our race 
 when, I say, after all these provisions are made 
 at such an infinite expense, men are invited to 
 come to the Gospel feast, and eat and live for- 
 ever to come and love and obey this kind Sa- 
 viour how must HE feel towards those who 
 coldly say, " I pray thee have me excused." 
 No wonder Jesus looks round upon such with 
 anger ^ being grieved at the hardness of their 
 hearts." -O, remember this, ye who are slight- 
 ing the Great Supper. Every time you are in- 
 vited to become a Christian, whether the invi- 
 tation be given publicly or privately ; whether 
 it be given by a Gospel minister, or private 
 Christian; whether it be read in the Bible, 
 or a religious book or tract; whether it be 
 given by mercies, or afflictions, or conscience, 
 or the Holy Spirit ; if you disregard that invi- 
 tation, the blessed Saviour himself is angry 
 with you. And he will remain angry with you 
 forever, unless you repent, and come to him for 
 life, while you are in this world. " Kiss the 
 Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the 
 way, when his wrath is kindled but a little." 
 If you continue to neglect and slight the Gospel 
 Supper, you will find yourself among that de- 
 
THE MASTER IS ANGRY. 221 
 
 spairing multitude, who will hide " themselves 
 in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains ; 
 and will say to the mountains and rocks. Fall 
 on us, and hide us from the face of him that 
 sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of 
 the Lamb ; for the great day of his wrath is 
 come , and who shall be able to stand ? " 
 19* 
 
CHAPTER XII. 
 
 THE MASTER DETERMINES TO SUPPLY HTS SUPPER 
 WITH GUESTS. 
 
 WELL, what did the master of the house do, 
 when the servant informed him how those, who 
 were bidden, had treated his invitation ? Did 
 he give up having his feast ? " No," he said 
 to the servant, "go out quickly into the streets 
 and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the 
 poor, and the maimed, and the halt, and the 
 blind." If the wise and prudent, the mighty 
 and the noble of this world, refuse to come to 
 the Great Supper, it will be seen that the master 
 can get along without them. They who are 
 bidden, often show by their indifference and 
 contempt that they are not worthy. Let land- 
 buyers, and oxen-buyers, and newly married 
 people, stay away from the Great Supper, if they 
 will ; others will gladly occupy the seats which 
 were offered to them, and of which they show 
 themselves so unworthy by their trifling excuses. 
 Those whom the world look upon as foolish 
 
MASTER MEANS TO HAVE GUESTS. 223 
 
 and weak, and base, and despicable, and as 
 things that are not ; yes, " the poor, the maim- 
 ed, the halt, and the blind," are called to par- 
 take of those rich and excellent provisions of 
 mercy, which the wealthy, the proud, and the 
 honourable, too often slight and disregard. 
 " That which is highly esteemed among men, 
 is abomination in the sight of God ; " and often 
 that which is highly esteemed in the sight of 
 God, is abomination among men. " God seeth 
 not as man seeth." O ye self-righteous moral- 
 ists, be it known unto you, that publicans and 
 harlots shall go into the kingdom of heaven 
 before you. The ministers of Christ are com- 
 monly more successful among the poor, the 
 despised, and the immoral, than among the rich 
 and honourable of the earth. Comparatively 
 few among the rulers of the Jews, or among 
 the Pharisees and Sadducees, believe in Jesus. 
 It is not so great a stoop for a poor man 4o be- 
 come humble and childlike, as it is for the rich 
 and honourable. 
 
 But let it be remembered, that if those who 
 attend meetings and hear the invitations of the 
 Gospel from Sabbath to Sabbath, will not ac- 
 cept offered mercy, the servants of Christ must 
 go from house to house, through the streets and 
 
224 THE GREAT SUPPER. 
 
 lanes of the cities and villages, and through 
 the distant and neglected neighbourhoods of 
 every town, and bring into the sanctuary of 
 God, into the Sabbath-school, into the arms of 
 Jesus, and into the bosom of the Church, the 
 poor, the ignorant, the careless, the neglectful, 
 and the depraved. Every servant of HIM 
 who " went about doing good," every Chris- 
 tian is commissioned to do this all-important, 
 but greatly neglected work. Followers of 
 Emanuel, servants of the great Master, here is 
 work for you all. " PrcacJi the Gospel to every 
 creature." Fill your hands with Bibles and 
 tracts and good books, and your mouths with 
 arguments, and go out quickly and bring in to 
 the Gospel Supper, " the poor, the maimed, the 
 halt, and blind." The Master is determined 
 that the Supper shall be furnished with guests. 
 Let every one do his part to furnish it, and, 
 with the help of the Master, it will soon be 
 done. 
 
CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 THE SERVANT DOES AS COMMANDED. 
 
 WHO of Christ's servants ministers, or pri- 
 vate Christians can honestly say, (in reference 
 to bringing neglecters into the kingdom of hea- 
 ven,) as the servant in this parable did. " Lord, 
 it is done as thou hast commanded ? " Christian 
 reader, have you faithfully and affectionately 
 invited every sinner in your neighbourhood, to 
 come to the Gospel Supper ? Have you " warn- 
 ed every man night and day, with tears ? " 
 Have you gone forth " weeping, bearing pre- 
 cious seed ? " Have you " sown your seed in 
 the morning, and in the evening ? " Have you 
 borne in mind the encouragement held out by 
 the apostle, that " he that converteth a sinner* 
 from the error of his ways, shall save a soul 
 from death, and hide a multitude of sins?" 
 Are there not some individuals, within a little 
 distance of your dwelling, who might justly 
 say, (if others have done no more than you 
 have,) " No man cared for my soul ? " Or, can 
 you honestly say, " I am free from the blood of 
 all men ? " u Lord, I have done as thou hast 
 commanded." 
 
CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 Y ET THE RE IS ROOM. 
 
 AFTER the servant had faithfully performed 
 his duty, and brought in as many as he could 
 from the streets and lanes of the city, there were 
 still seats unoccupied at the table. The ser- 
 vant, therefore, said to his master, " Lord, it is 
 done as thou hast commanded, and yet there is 
 room" My unconverted reader, is this not an 
 announcement which fills you with joy ? There 
 is room enough, even for you^ at this late hour. 
 Room, in the pardoning mercy of God room, 
 in the compassion and blood of Christ room, 
 in the loving-kindness of the Holy Spirit 
 room, in the rejoicing of angels room, in the 
 communion of saints room, in the visible 
 Church and room, in the mansions of glory. 
 Yet there is room ! Room sufficient, so that 
 sinners of every nation, of all shades of com- 
 plexion, of every grade, of every variety of 
 character, and of every different age in life, 
 may find a seat at this Great Supper. Though 
 
YET THERE IS ROOM. 227 
 
 thousands and millions have already come, and 
 are sharing the privileges of this feast, yet there 
 is room for thousands and millions of others. 
 Abraham and all the pious patriarchs, Isaiah 
 and all the holy prophets, David and all the 
 devout kings, Paul and all the inspired 
 apostles, and all true believers, in ages past and 
 present, have taken their seats at this royal 
 banquet. But .though so many have come in, 
 "yet there is room." None will stay away 
 and starve, for want of room at the Gospel 
 table. Christ gave his flesh for the life of the 
 world to furnish a supper, sufficient for every 
 son and daughter of Adam " that whosoever 
 believeth in him might not perish, but have 
 eternal life." 
 
CHAPTER XV. 
 
 . 
 
 THE BLESSING OF THE FEAST TO BE UBGED 
 UPON ALL. 
 
 AFTER the servant in the parable had collected 
 as many of the poor, distressed objects of charity 
 out of the streets and lanes of the city as he 
 could, and informed his master that there was 
 yet room) his lord said unto him, " Go out into 
 the highways and hedges, and compel them to 
 come in, that my house may be filled : For I 
 say unto you, that none of those men which 
 were bidden, shall taste of my Supper." By 
 this we learn that Christ's servants must not 
 confine their efforts for the salvation of men, to 
 their own city, or town, or village, or neighbour- 
 hood, but should feel an interest in the whole hu- 
 man family, and should exert themselves, ac- 
 cording to their ability, to bring all men to 
 Christ and to heaven. They are sometimes 
 under the painful necessity of saying to Gospel 
 hardened sinners, " Seeing ye judge yourselvei 
 unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the 
 
MEN TO BE URGED TO COME. 229 
 
 Gentiles." If sinners in one place will not 
 come to the Gospel Supper, those in another 
 may. And if sinners in highly privileged places 
 will not listen to the voice of mercy, those in 
 destitute places may. And if sinners in a 
 Christian land turn their backs upon the means 
 of grace, Christ's servants are authorized to 
 shake off the dust of their feet against them, 
 and direct their efforts to the conversion of the 
 heathen. Yes, says their Master, "Begin at 
 Jerusalem," and " go ye into all the world, and 
 preach the Gospel to every creature." 
 20 
 
CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 THE SEATS MUST ALL BE OCCUPIED. 
 
 THOSE who, by birth and education, seemed 
 to be the children of the kingdom, will, in many 
 instances, be cast out; while others will be 
 brought in from the highways and hedges, from 
 the east and the west, from the north and the 
 south, to fill the places of those who " prove 
 themselves unworthy of everlasting life." The 
 Master is determined that his house shall be 
 filled. nd if some who are invited to the Sup- 
 per will not come, others will. The Master 
 has influence enough to fill his house with wor- 
 thy guests. Every seat will be occupied. God 
 says to his Son, the good Master, " Thy people 
 shall be willing in the day of thy power." 
 Christ will not be disappointed in his plans to 
 promote his own glory, and the good of his peo- 
 ple. If, my dear reader, you will come to his 
 feast of love, well : but if not. Christ will be 
 glorified by you in some other way. 
 
CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 COMPEL THEM TO COME IN. 
 
 THE Master said to the servant, " Compel 
 them to come in." How could one compel 
 many ? Could he lay hold of them and force 
 them in, contrary to their own wills ? No ; the 
 force which he could use in bringing them in, 
 was not physical, but moral. It was the force 
 of truth, of argument, of persuasion, and of en- 
 treaty. This is the kind of compulsion which 
 Christ's servants are authorized to use, in bring- 
 ing sinners to the Great Supper. This is the 
 only force which can make men willing to 
 come to Christ for eternal life. This is the 
 kind of force which Paul used in converting 
 men. He says, "Knowing the terror of the 
 Lord, we persuade men." Though he " rea- 
 soned of righteousness, temperance, and judg- 
 ment to come " though he often drew his ar- 
 guments from " the terror of the Lord " yet 
 he does not, even with such mighty weapons, 
 expect to drive, or force men to become Chris- 
 
232 COMPEL THEM TO COME IN. 
 
 tians. He only persuades them. Under his 
 reasonings and persuasions, " Felix trembled," 
 and Agrippa said, "Almost thou persuadest 
 me to be a Christian." If sinners will not come 
 to the Gospel Supper under the compulsion of 
 truth, reason, persuasion, argument, and en- 
 treaty, accompanied by the Holy Spirit, they 
 will never come at all. This is the only kind 
 of compulsion which God ever employs, or 
 which he authorizes his servants ever to em- 
 ploy, to bring men into the kingdom of Christ. 
 But this kind of force all of Christ's servants 
 should use continually with their fellow men, 
 to induce them to accept of salvation. They 
 should " preach the word ; be instant in season 
 and out of season ; warn, reprove, and rebuke 
 with all long-suffering." They should preach 
 the word publicly, and from house to house, 
 and compel men to come to the Great Supper. 
 They should compel them by their good exam- 
 ple, by entreaties, by warnings, by exhortations, 
 by tears, and by prayers. They should follow 
 them to their various avocations to their farms, 
 their shops, their stores, their houses, their offi- 
 ces, their mills yea, " into the highways and 
 hedges, and compel them to come in." 
 
CHAPTER XVIH. 
 
 THE MASTER CAN DO WITHOUT THOSE WHO WILL 
 NOT COME. 
 
 BUT if any are still begging to be excused, 
 and will not be thus compelled to come in, let 
 them know that they are injuring themselves 
 more than they are any one else. Let those, who 
 are despising or neglecting religion, or begging to 
 be excused from attendance on the Lord's ban- 
 quet, remember that the Master can get along 
 very well without them much better than 
 they can get along without HIM and much 
 better than they can get along without the pro- 
 visions of the Gospel Supper. The Master is per- 
 fectly independent of them, but they are not in- 
 dependent of him. Let those who are staying 
 away, remember, that every day and every hour 
 that they delay coming to this Great Supper, 
 and by every excuse which they make for not 
 coming, they are provoking Christ to swear in 
 his wrath that they shall not taste of his Supper. 
 Hereafter, many of those, who are now so back- 
 ward about coming to this feast, may feel their 
 need of its provisions, and may come to the Mas- 
 20* 
 
234 OD CAN DO WITHOUT THE DISOBEDIENT. 
 
 ter's door, and knock and beg for admittance, 
 when it is forever too late. " When once the Mas- 
 ter of the house is risen up, and hath shut to the 
 door, and ye begin to stand without and knock 
 at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open unto us ; 
 and he shall answer and say unto you, I know 
 you not whence ye are ; depart from me, all ye 
 workers of iniquity: there shall be weeping 
 and gnashing of teeth, when ye shall see Abra- 
 ham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets 
 in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves 
 thrust out." (Luke xiii. 25 28). " Because I 
 have called and ye refused ; I have stretched 
 out my hand, and no man regarded ; but ye 
 have set at nought all my counsel, and would 
 none of my reproof: I also will laugh at your 
 calamity ; I will mock when your fear cometh. 
 Then shall they call upon me, but I will not 
 answer; they shall seek me early, but they 
 shall not find me ; for that they hated know- 
 ledge, and did not choose the fear of the Lord : 
 therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own 
 way, and be filled with their own devices." 
 (Prov. i. 2431). Yes, if men will not come 
 to Christ for his blessings, they will find, to 
 their cost, that he can do without them, and do 
 just as well without them as with them. 
 
CONCLUSION. 
 
 1. THE subject presented in this parable, ex- 
 hibits the great kindness and benevolence of 
 God in making this Great Supper. Here we 
 see a world of sinners, justly condemned to 
 everlasting punishment, pitied, and loved, and 
 redeemed, by that very Being whose laws they 
 had violated, and whose authority they had set 
 at nought. Yes, while men were in high- 
 handed rebellion against their Maker, and 
 while he might, with infinite justice, have 
 crushed them all to hell, unpitied and unre- 
 deemed, instead of dealing with them "after 
 their sins, and rewarding them according to 
 their iniquities," he " so loved the world, that 
 he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever 
 believeth in him, should not perish, but have 
 everlasting life." Was there ever such an 
 exhibition of pity and benevolence as this? 
 Surely, 
 
 ' This was compassion like a God, 
 
 That when the Saviour knew 
 The price of pardon was his blood, 
 
 His pity ne'er withdrew." 
 
236 CONCLUSION. 
 
 Well may redeemed sinners exclaim : 
 
 " 0, for such love, let rocks and hills 
 
 Their lasting silence break ; 
 And all harmonious human tongues 
 
 The Saviour's praises speak." 
 
 The Apostle Paul gives expression to God's 
 love in this language : " Scarcely for a righteous 
 man will one die ; yet, peradventure, for a good 
 man, some would even dare to die : But God 
 commandeth his love toward us, in that while 
 we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." 
 
 2. Our remarks on this parable, show us the 
 folly of mankind, in being reluctant to come 
 and partake of this Supper. Though provi- 
 sions are now made, by which men may be de- 
 livered from condemnation and eternal death ; 
 and though all things are now ready for man's 
 comfort and happiness in this world, and the 
 world to come ; and though men are invited to 
 partake freely of all the blessings of salvation ; 
 yet so foolish is man, that he shakes his head, 
 and turns his back upon all the provisions of 
 mercy which are offered for his acceptance, and 
 perishes for ever in- consequence. God is ready 
 to ask : " What more could have been done to 
 save men, that I have not done for them ? " 
 But, after all that has been done, in providing 
 
THE INGRATITUDE OF MEN. 237 
 
 the Gospel Supper, and inviting men freely to 
 partake, they all, with one consent, begin to 
 make excuse. No wonder God exclaims : 
 " O, that they were wise, that they understood 
 this, that they would consider their latter end." 
 Surely the conduct of those, who neglect to be- 
 come Christians, evinces any thing rather than 
 wisdom, or understanding, or consideration. 
 Look at it again, infinite riches freely offered to 
 the poor, but rejected by them ! Eternal hap- 
 piness offered to the miserable, but rejected by 
 them ! The friendship of Almighty God of- 
 fered to the friendless, but rejected by them ! 
 Eternal misery threatened to the hell-deserving, 
 but disregarded by them ! O, what infatuated 
 creatures, those who neglect the Gospel, are ! 
 
 3. This parable brings before our minds the 
 awful ingratitude of men. "Hear, O hea- 
 vens ! and give ear, O earth ! the Lord hath 
 spoken : I have nourished and brought up chil- 
 dren, and they have rebelled against me. The 
 ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master's 
 crib ; but Israel doth not know ; my people 
 doth not consider." When God has made ar- 
 rangements, by which he can " be just, and the 
 justifier of him who believeth in Jesus," men 
 would, if left to themselves, frustrate his whole 
 
238 CONCLUSION. 
 
 scheme of benevolence, and thus rob God of 
 the glory of redemption, and plunge their own 
 souls into endless ruin. If men were only left 
 to their natural choice, in regard to God's plan 
 of mercy, not one of the whole race of Adam 
 would accept of salvation through Christ, or 
 honour the Father and the Son by obeying the 
 divine commands. They are all naturally dis- 
 posed to treat God's efforts to do them good, 
 with cold indifference, or infidel contempt. They 
 even take occasion from God's forbearance and 
 kindness, to grow more and more perverse and 
 wicked. li Because sentence against an evil 
 work is not executed speedily, therefore the 
 heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to 
 do evil." Here we have a Great Supper, made 
 for the twofold purpose of honouring Christ, 
 and benefiting mankind. But, men are so un- 
 grateful, that, if left to their own natural 
 choice, they will neither honour Christ, nor ben- 
 efit themselves, by coming to this Supper. 
 
 4. This subject brings to our view the dis- 
 tinguishing grace of God. When the invita- 
 tion to this Supper was given out, all who were 
 invited refused to come. All are naturally 
 alike ; all are unwilling to come to Christ for 
 salvation, and to partake of the Supper which 
 
DISTINGUISHING GRACE OF GOD. 239 
 
 he has provided. If all men are reluctant to 
 come if all beg to be excused how happens 
 it that some do afterwards come to the Supper? 
 Does their waiting make their dispositions 
 better? The natural effect of waiting is to 
 harden the heart, and to render it less probable 
 that one will come at all. Well, are those who 
 come, naturally better disposed than those who 
 never come ? Does the Bible teach, or do 
 Christians feel, that those who accept offered 
 mercy, are naturally holy, or more seriously 
 inclined than those who perish in their sins ? 
 Are not all Christians ready to acknowledge 
 that they "were dead in trespasses and in 
 sins" that they " were by nature, children of 
 wrath, even as others,?" Who then makes 
 them to differ from others? Who leads them 
 to repent and believe in Jesus, while others 
 remain in impenitence ? Who induces them to 
 come to the Gospel Supper, while others stay 
 away? Is the difference to be attributed to 
 themselves, or to the grace of God ? Does not 
 every true Christian adopt the language of 
 Paul, and say, "By the grace of God I am 
 what I am?" Does not God take one, and 
 leave another? He does this by death, by 
 sickness, by prosperity, by adversity, and by 
 
240 CONCLUSION. 
 
 his converting grace. God has a perfect righi 
 to do what he will with his own creatures. He 
 is under no obligations to convert any. No one 
 deserves any favour from God. He has a right, 
 therefore, to leave all in their sins, or to convert 
 some and leave others. Paul says, " So then 
 hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, 
 and whom he will, he hardeneth." If God did 
 injustice to any, there would be occasion for 
 finding fault : But there is no unrighteousness 
 or injustice with God. When he shows mercy 
 to any of mankind, and disposes them to como 
 to the Gospel Supper, he does altogether better 
 by them than they deserve ; and when he 
 declares that none of those who were bidden, 
 but excused themselves, shall taste of his Sup- 
 per, he does them no injustice. He barely deals 
 with them as they deserve. His Spirit and 
 grace are hisown, and he has a right to dis- 
 pense them as he pleases, and no one has any 
 business to say unto him, " What doest thou ? " 
 While Christians are enjoying the consolations 
 of divine grace, they may adore the distin- 
 guishing mercy of God, which has made them 
 to differ from the impenitent world. They 
 may be disposed to ask, 
 
GOD'S JUSTICE IN THE SINNER,' S DOOM. 241 
 
 " Why was / made to hear thy voice. 
 
 And enter while there's room, 
 When thousands make a wretched choice, 
 
 And rather starve than come ?" 
 
 And while they ask this question in the lan- 
 guage of Dr. Watts, they may be satisfied with 
 Watts' answer : 
 
 " 'Twas the same love that spread the feast, 
 
 That gently forced us in ;, 
 Else we had still refused to taste, 
 
 And perished in our sin." 
 
 While this will be the language of those who 
 come to the Gospel Supper, those who make 
 excuses and stay away, will jfeeZ, and will have 
 occasion to feel, that it is their own fault that 
 they are not Christians that they are not pre* 
 pared to sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, 
 and Jacob, and all the people of God, in the 
 kingdom of heaven. 
 
 5. In view of the truth contained in this 
 parable, we see that God will be just in casting 
 off those, who would not honour him by coming 
 to this Great Supper. They do not deserve the 
 Supper at any rate. And after it is offered to 
 them as a gratuity, and they make such foolish 
 and trifling excuses for staying away, it is 
 
 doubly just that God let them perish without 
 21- 
 
242 CONCLUSION. 
 
 it. No wonder there will be weeping, and 
 wailing, and gnashing of teeth, when lost 
 sinners see all the redeemed of the Lord in 
 heaven, filled with joy unspeakable and eternal, 
 ascribing "glory, and honour, and thanksgiv- 
 ing, and power, to Him that sitteth upon the 
 throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever." 
 No wonder the inhabitants of heaven cry, 
 "AMEN, ALLELUIA, while the smoke of the tor- 
 ment of the wicked ascendeth up for ever and 
 ever." All the intelligent universe will see and 
 know, that the lost spirits in hell are receiving 
 but the due reward of their deeds. They will 
 know that their " damnation is just,-" and will 
 approve of that sentence which doomed them 
 to everlasting burnings. 
 
 6. Finally, it is evident from this subject, 
 that those who have been invited to this Great 
 Supper, but have not accepted the invitation, 
 and have perished in consequence, will be filled 
 with most bitter reflections. They will reflect 
 that they had voluntarily sinned against God, 
 and consequently deserved " the damnation of 
 hell." They will reflect that " God so loved 
 the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, 
 that whosoever believed in him should not 
 perish, but have everlasting life." They will 
 
SAD THOUGHTS IN HELL. 243 
 
 reflect that, when they might have been saved, 
 by simply believing in Jesus, they did not, and 
 would not, believe in him, and receive him as 
 their Saviour. They will reflect that, when 
 God told them plainly that he who believed not 
 in Christ, should be damned, they would not 
 believe. They will reflect that, when salvation 
 was offered them without money and without 
 price, they would not accept the offer. They 
 will reflect that, when Christ made this Great 
 Supper, and used all consistent means to in- 
 duce them to come and share its blessings, 
 " they all with one consent began to make ex- 
 cuse." They will reflect that it is their own 
 fault that they are lost. In every groan of 
 despair, each one will seem to say to his own 
 soul, " Thou hast destroyed thyself" 
 
 And now, my dear reader, have you carefully 
 read my remarks on this parable of the Gospel 
 Supper ? Have you gone through this little 
 book without becoming a Christian? When 
 the Lord Jesus Christ has made such a precious 
 feast on purpose for you, will you stay away 
 from it and starve ? Will you perish for ever, 
 when you can have salvation by simply re- 
 ceiving it ? Will you make your bed in hell, 
 when it is just as cheap having a mansion in 
 
244 CONCLUSION. 
 
 heaven ? Will you spend your eternity with 
 all the wicked beings in the universe, when 
 you may just as well spend it with all the good ? 
 Will you curse God for ever, when you may 
 just as well bless him for ever ? Will you be- 
 come a fiend of darkness, when you may just 
 as well be an angel of light? You and I are 
 hastening to the bar of God. I must there 
 render an account for what I have written, and 
 you must render an account for what you have 
 read. I pray God to bless and save you. 
 
 " Sinners, awake betimes ; ye fools, be wise ; 
 Awake before the dreadful morning rise ; 
 Change your vain thoughts, your crooked works amend ; 
 Fly to the Saviour make the Judge your friend ; 
 Lest like a lion, his last vengeance tear 
 Your trembling souls, and no deliverer near." 
 
M. W. DODD, 
 
 PUBLISHER AND BOOKSELLER, 
 
 Corner of Park Row and Spruce Sts., opposite City Hall, 
 NEW YORK, 
 
 PUBLISHES AMONG OTHERS tfHE FOLLOWING I 
 
 CHARLOTTE ELIZABETH'S WORKS. 
 
 WITH AN INTRODUCTION 
 BY MRS. HARRIET BEECHER STOWE, 
 
 AND A PORTRAIT OF THE AUTHORESS. 
 
 2 Vols. 8vo., 
 
 WITH SEVERAL ILLUSTRATIONS, 
 ENGRAVED EXPRESSLY FOR THE WORK. 
 
 The Publisher invites the attention of the public to this 
 new Edition of one of the most popular and useful writers 
 of the present age. It contains upwards of 1500 large octavo 
 pages, and nearly thirty different productions ; several of 
 which in prose and poetry, make their first appearance in 
 our country in this edition. All her volumes, excepting 
 a few juveniles unsuited to a Standard Edition, are includ- 
 ed in this, making, to all intents and purposes, a complete 
 Edition of the Works of Charlotte Elizabeth. 
 
 To the attractions of our former Editions we have added 
 several engravings from steel, got up expressly for the 
 work, as Illustrations and Embellishments. 
 
 The news of the death of Mrs. Tonna has awakened a 
 new interest in her writings. Among her last labors as an 
 authoress, was the preparation for the press of Judaea 
 Capta. This we received from Charlotte Elizabeth in 
 manuscript, in advance of its publication in England, for 
 this Edition of her works, which has her express endorse- 
 ment, and is the only one in this country from which she 
 has derived any pecuniary benefit. 
 
Books Published and for Sale ly M. W. Dodd. 
 
 CHARLOTTE ELIZABETH'S WORKS, 
 
 IN 18mo. VOLUMES. 
 
 JUDAH'S LION. 
 
 " In a sprightly, well-written narrative, containing scenes of high dra- 
 matic interest; it portrays the character and hopes of the Jews in their 
 dispersion, and points to the means which may be blessed in restoring 
 them t the faith of Abraham, in the true Messiah." Phila. Observer. 
 
 " Individuality of character is faithfully preserved, and every one is 
 necessary to the plot. The reader will find in thig book much informa- 
 tion that he can only find elsewhere by very laborious research. Char- 
 lotte Elizabeth is a firm believer in the national restoration of the Jews 
 to the possession of Palestine, but believes they will previously be con- 
 verted to Christianity. We advise our friends not to take up this book 
 nntil they can spare time for the perusal; because, if they commence, it 
 will require much self-denial to lay it down until it is fairly read 
 through." Christian Adv. and Jour. 
 
 THE FLOWER GARDEN. 
 
 A collection of deeply interesting Memoirs, beautifully 
 illustrated under the similitude of flowers. 
 
 SECOND CAUSES; 
 
 OR, .UP AND BE DOING. 
 
 " We consider this little volume before us one of the best practical 
 works from the pen of this popular writer. It presents a series of inter- 
 esting illustrations of the efficacy of that faith which looks above and 
 beyond second causes, and relies for support on the word and promises 
 of God." Christian Observer. 
 
 FALSEHOOD AND TRUTH. 
 
 "A beautiful and instructive volume, worthy to be put into the hands 
 of all children and youth, as a choice token of parental solicitude for 
 their preservation from insidious errors, and the establishment of the 
 truth as it is in Jesus. Few there are indeed of any age who can read it 
 without equal profit and pleasure." Boston Recorder. 
 
 CONFORMITY. 
 
 " We read this little volume with great and unqualified satisfaction. 
 We wish we could induce every professor of religion in our large cities, 
 and indeed all who are in any way exposed to contact with the fashiona- 
 ble world, to read it. The author, in this little work, fully sustains her 
 high reputation as a very accomplished and superior writer, and the 
 Btaunch advocate of Evangelical principles, carried out and made influ- 
 ential upon the whole life and conduct." -Epis. Recorder. 
 
Books Published and for Sale by M. W.Dodd. 
 
 CHARLOTTE ELIZABETH S WORKS CONTINUED. 
 
 WRONGS OF WOMEN. 
 
 Part I. . * MILLINERS AND DRESSMAKERS ;' II. * THE 
 FORSAKEN HOME ;* III. * THE LITTLE PIN-HEADERS f 
 IV. ' THE LACE RUNNERS.' 
 
 " Is now published in handsomely bound volumes by M. W. Dodd. 
 These are the most popular and intensely interesting stories from the 
 ever-moving pen of Charlotte Elizabeth, and we are desirous to see them 
 widely read. They are eminently calculated to awaken sympathy for 
 the oppressed and the poor, and we therefore take pleasure in calling to 
 them the attention of our kind-hearted readers." Jn, Y. Observer. 
 
 " This volume contains Charlotte Elizabeth's most graphic, truthful, 
 and pathetic expressions of the ' Wrongs of Women.' She has come out 
 as the champion of her sex, and if they have no such wrongs to be re- 
 dressed in this country, they have thousands who sympathize with their 
 enslaved sisters in Great Britain." Ib. 
 
 " The authoress of the ' Wrongs of Women/ Charlotte Elizabeth, has 
 portrayed them in terms of exquisite pathos and heart-moving tender- 
 ness. Eloquently and forcibly has she denounced the inhuman policy 
 out of which they have grown ; and with all the susceptibilities and 
 overwhelming influences of woman's affections, she approaches the sub- 
 ject in the hope of being able to bring some alleviation, some mitigation 
 of the mental and physical degradation of her sex." American (Boston) 
 Traveller. 
 
 DANGERS AND DUTIES. 
 
 " This volume is full of thrilling interest and instruction. Those who 
 commence, will not be content till they have finished it, and they will 
 find instruction presented in a form so irresistibly attractive and en- 
 chanting, that they will read it through, and wish it longer still." 
 Christian Advocate. 
 
 PASSING THOUGHTS. 
 
 " Few volumes of 156 18mo pages, contain a greater amount of valuable 
 thought happily arranged to secure attention and promote reflection. 
 The anecdote of George III., p. 53, is new to us, as are indeed several 
 other illustrations, but they are striking and beautiful. Books like this 
 cannot be too widely circulated nor too frequently read. They supply 
 heavenly aliment to the weak, useful medicine to the sick, and safe sti 
 mulus to the healthy and the strong." Boston Recorder. 
 
 We also publish in elegant library style, illustrated with 
 Steel Engravings, what to all intents and purposes may be 
 considered a complete edition of the Works of this popu- 
 lar Authoress. The edition is comprised in upwards of 
 1500 large octavo pages. 
 
 3 
 
Books Published and for Sale by M. W. Dodd. 
 
 THE DESERTER. 
 
 " We have never (we speak advisedly) read a story that more entirely 
 enchained us than this. We are not quite sure how much of it is 
 fancy, and how much fact ; but we rather suppose that the outline is 
 veritable history, while the filling up may have been drawn partly from 
 the author's imagination. The principal hero of the story Is a young 
 Irishman, who was lead through the influence of one of his comrades, 
 to enlist in the British Army, contrary to the earnest entreaties of his 
 mother, and who went on from one step to another in the career of crime 
 till he was finally shot as a deserter ; though not till after he had practi- 
 cally embraced the Gospel. The account of the closing scene is one of 
 the finest examples of pathetic description that we remember to have met 
 with. The whole work illustrates with great beauty and power the 
 Downward tendencies of profligacy, the power of divine grace to subdue 
 the hardest heart, and the encouragement that Christians have never 
 to despair of the salvation, even of those who seem to have thrown 
 themselves at the greatest distance from divine mercy." Albany Daily 
 Citizen. 
 
 " This is one of the happiest efforts of this exceedingly popular writer. 
 Its great aim appears to be to exhibit the truly benevolent influence of 
 real piety upon the heart of man, as well as the degrading nature of sin. 
 The narrative is admirably sustained the waywardness of the unre- 
 generate exhibited in living colors, and so interspersed with sketches of 
 the ' soldier's life,' as to add a thrilling interest to the whole. It forms 
 a neat library volume of near $550 pages, and is handsomely printed and 
 bound In cloth." Auburn Journal. 
 
 " One of the happiest productions of the author. The narrative is 
 well sustained, and the personages and character are true to nature " 
 Commercial Advertiser. 
 
 COMBINATION. 
 
 " This is a tale, founded on facts, from the gifted pen of Charlotte Eliz- 
 abeth. It is well written, and contains--the very best of advice. It lays 
 down with great force the mighty truth, that without Religion there 
 can be no virtue ; and that without the fear and love of God, man will 
 inevitably be dashed on the rocks of irredeemable ruin. Religion is the 
 Sheet Anchor, the only protection to hold by in the hour of violent 
 temptation ; but if that be lost, all is over. Such little works as these 
 are eminently calculated to produce a vast amount of good ; and there- 
 fore let the heads of families place them upon their table for the benefit 
 of their children. 
 
 " In no better way could an evening be spent than by having it read 
 aloud, that a warning may be taken from the folly of others, and that 
 the course which has led them to ignominy and disgrace may be most 
 carefully avoided." Boston American Traveller 
 
 THE DAISY THE YEW TREE, 
 
 Chapters on Flowers. 
 
 Three most delightful little volumes, made up in part from 
 her very popular Flower Garden Tales for those who prefer 
 them in smaller volumes. 
 
 CO 
 
Booiks Published and for Sale by M. IV. Dodd. 
 
 JUD/EA CAPTA. 
 
 ' Judsea Capta,' the last offering from the pen of this gifted and pop- 
 ular writer, will be esteemed as one of her best works. It is a graphic 
 narrative of the invasion of Judea by the Roman legions under Vespa- 
 sian and Titus, presenting affecting views of the desolation of her towns 
 and cities, by the ravages of iron-hearted, bloodthirsty- soldiers, and of 
 the terrible catastrophe witnessed in the destruction of Jerusalem 
 The narrative is interspersed with the writer's views of the literal ful 
 filment of prophecy concerning the Jews, as illustrated in their extra- 
 ordinary history, and with remarks contemplating their returning pros- 
 perity. Her occasional strictures on the history of the apostate Josephus, 
 who evidently wrote to please his imperial masters, appear to have 
 been well merited. The work is issued in an attractive and handsome 
 volume." Christian Observer. 
 
 " If the present should prove to be Charlotte Elizabeth's last work, 
 she could not desire to take her departure from the field of literature 
 with a better grace ; and we doubt not that it will be considered, if not 
 the best, yet among the best of her productions. It is full of scripture 
 truth, illustrated by the charm of a most powerful eloquence ; and no 
 one, we should suppose, could read it without feeling a fresh interest 
 in behalf of the Jewish nation, and a deeper impression of the truth 
 and greatness, and ultimate triumph of Christianity." Albany Daily 
 Advertiser. 
 
 "This volume contains a description of some of the most terrific 
 scenes of which this earth has been the theatre. But instead of con 
 templating them merely as a part of the world's history, it takes into 
 view their connection with the great scheme of Providence, and shows 
 how the faithful and retributive hand of God is at work amidst the 
 fiercest tempest of human passion. The work contains no small por- 
 tion of history, a very considerable degree of theology, and as much 
 beautiful imagery and stirring eloquence as we often find within the 
 same limits. Those who have the other works from the same pen, 
 will purchase this almost of course ; and they need have no fear that 
 ft will disappoint any expectation which its predecessors may have 
 awakened." Albany Religious Spectator. 
 
 Also just published 
 
 *THE CHURCH VISIBLE IN ALL AGES." 
 
 A work, making attraction to the youthful as well as the 
 more mature mind, a deeply interesting and important subject. 
 
 All the foregoing are printed on clear, white paper, and 
 bound to match, making an attractive and beautiful set of 
 books. They are sold in sets or separately, varying from 
 25 to 50 cents per volume. When purchased for Sabbath 
 Schools, a liberal deduction is made from the above prices. 
 (8) 
 
Books Published and for Sale by M. W. Dodd. 
 
 THE ATTRACTION OF THE CROSS. 
 
 The Attraction of the Cross, designed to illustrate the 
 leading Truths, Obligations and Hopes of Christianity. 
 By Gardiner Spring, D.D. 12mo. Fourth edition. 
 
 " We are not surprised to hear that Mr. Dodd. the publisher, has al- 
 ready issued the third edition of the Attraction of the Cross, by the Rev. 
 Dr. Spring. It is the ablest and most finished production of its author, 
 and will undoubtedly take its place in that most enviable position in the 
 family, as a volume of standard reading, to be the comfort of the aged 
 and the guide of the young. We commend it as one of the most valua- 
 ble issues of the press." JV. Y. Observer. 
 
 " This is no ordinary, every-day volume of sermons, but the rich, 
 ripe harvest of a cultivated mind the result of long and systematic 
 devotion to the proper work of the Christian ministry. We regard Dr. 
 Spring as one of the most accomplished preachers of the country. We 
 never heard him preach a weak discourse ; and whenever he appears 
 from the press, it is with words of wisdom and power. A careful perusal 
 of this admirable book has afforded us great pleasure. We do not won- 
 der to find it so soon in a third edition. It will have a lasting reputa- 
 tion." Baptist Memorial 
 
 " This volume, which we announced two weeks ago, and which we then 
 predicted would prove to be the most excellent and valuable work yet 
 
 written by Dr. Spring, has more than equalled our expectations 
 
 We trust that every family in our land will read this precious work, 
 which illustrates so beautifully and attractively the leading truths, ob- 
 ligations and hopes of Christianity, as reflected from the Cross of 
 Christ." Albany Spectator. 
 
 " We mistake if this neatly-printed volume does not prove one of the 
 most attractive religious works of the day. It presents the practical 
 truths of religion, which all ought to know, free from the spirit of sect- 
 arianism or controversy. The book is prepared for permanent use, and 
 bids as fair, perhaps, as any book of the kind in our times, to live and 
 speak long after the author shall have gone to test the realities he has 
 so eloquently described." Journal of Commerce. 
 
 " Dr. Spring's new work, which we had occasion recently to announce, 
 is very highly commended elsewhere. A New- York letter in the Boston 
 Traveller thus introduces it to notice : ' A new work of Dr. Spring. 
 K The Attraction of the Cross," has been published by M. W. Dodd, of 
 this city. ..." The Attraction of the Cross " is destined to live among 
 the very best productions of the church with which its respected author 
 is connected. The style is remarkably pure, the arrangements of the 
 topics lucid and methodical, and the arguments addressed with great 
 force to the reason and conscience. It will stand by the side of {; Dod- 
 dridge's Rise and Progress," " Wilberforce's View," or the " Way of 
 Life," in the libraries of future generations.' " Newark Daily Adv. 
 
 " None will wonder at the rare success which this volume has won, 
 who have read it. Fur comprehensiveness of views, beauty of style and 
 excellence and fervor of devotional feeling, few works have lately ap- 
 peared that surpass it." New- York Evangelist. 
 
 11 The grand relations of the Cross, its holy influences, its comforts and 
 its triumphs, are here exhibited in a manner cheering to the heart of 
 the Christian. And the perusal of this book will, we venture to say 3 
 greatly assist and comfort the children of God. . . ."Presbyterian. 
 
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 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY