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him, and, with holy boldness and an appropriating faith, exclaim with the apostle to the Gentiles, "He loved me, and gave himself for me." While a provision has been made for all

-"for he is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world,”—the participation of it must be sought and enjoyed by each one for himself— alone.

Finally. Adore the providence of God which perhaps, to-night, has brought you from the midst of ungodly associations to hear words whereby you may be saved. Believe me, this is no chance, but the gracious dealings of God with your soul. You may, before to-night, have heard of the things of eternity, but perhaps you have neglected all attention to them. The sad and unwelcome truth may in past days have faintly gleamed upon your soul, that there is a malady affecting it, which, if unremoved, may prove more mischievous than you like to believe, or dare to think of. Ah! if to-night this truth stand before you, as perhaps it now does, no longer seen obscurely but set as in a circle of convincing light; if the faintly remembered lessons of childhood are starting up again in the memory with a

meaning they never had before; if you should have heard with attention and interest what has been said of a divine Prophet who can remove the leprosy that afflicts you; and be stirred with an earnest desire to seek his beneficent and necessary assistance, and obtain freedom from the curse and influence of your sins; if, following the unseen voice that even now is calling you, you reach the cross of the Son of God, and find forgiveness, and receive the baptism of the Divine Spirit, and become a new creature in Christ Jesus-and all these things are not problematical, but certain, if you will only follow the injunctions of the Bible, and the answering dictates of your own conscience, then there will be no need to attempt further to convince you of the reality of a special providence. Your own personal experience will supersede the necessity of all other testimony; you will think and speak like the Samaritans, who at first heard of the words of Christ through the medium of another, and were inclined to give credit to them; but who, when they heard Him for themselves, became affected with deeper convictions, and exercised

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*John iv. 42.

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a livelier faith.

Your own case will ever be an illustration so clear, so forcible, that the truth of David's words will be deeply felt, "Thou knowest my down-sitting and mine up-rising: thou understandest my thought afar off. Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O Lord, thou knowest it altogether. Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me. Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being imperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them. How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them! If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand when I awake, I am still with thee."

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* Psalm cxxxix. 2-5, 16-18.

LECTURE III.

DIVINE AND HUMAN PLANS OF SALVATION; OR THE WATERS OF JORDAN AND THE RIVERS OF DAMASCUS.

2 KINGS V. 8-12.

Ir would not have been a dishonourable act, nor one demanding a vast amount of condescension, if the king of Israel, when his mind was troubled by the contents of the letter of the king of Syria, had sought the counsel of the prophet Elisha. But a feeling of haughty pride; or perhaps, forgetfulness that there dwelt such a man in Samaria; or, what is still more likely, the secret consciousness of his utter unworthiness of any help which Elisha might be able to afford him in this emergency, led him to keep his fears to himself, and to solicit neither advice nor assistance.

The prophet, however, by some means heard of the perturbation into which the king was thrown by the receipt of Benhadad's letter. It is not improbable that he received a secret intimation from God, both as to the exact state of

things in relation to Naaman, and the line of conduct which should be adopted towards him, in the matter of his recovery. This supposition will account for the peculiar character of the message which Elisha sent to Jehoram, which was one of authoritative rebuke, and in perfect harmony with the dignified position which, as the accredited messengers of the most High God, the ancient prophets assumed before men, even the highest in station and power.

"And it was so, when Elisha the man of God had heard that the king of Israel had rent his clothes, that he sent to the king, saying, Wherefore hast thou rent thy clothes? let him come now to me, and he shall know that there is a prophet in Israel."

One is irresistibly reminded, by this message, of the words of a later prophet,* "Who art thou, that thou shouldest be afraid of a man that shall die, and of the son of man which shall be made as grass; and forgettest the Lord thy Maker, that hath stretched forth the heavens, and laid the foundations of the earth; and hast feared continually every day, because of the fury of the oppressor, as if he were ready

* Isaiah li. 12, 13.

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