them. But how can you expect that God shall have consideration for a weakness for which you have so little yourself? You are weak when there is question of excusing your crimes to him; you are no longer so, when, upon that ground, it is necessary to adopt painful measures in order to continue faithful to him.
But you will say, that if every thing be to be dreaded from his justice, at least his mercies are infinite; when his goodness should find nothing in us proper to touch him, would it not find motives sufficiently pressing in itself? This would be the third illusion of false trust which I should have to overthrow; but, besides that I have elsewhere sufficiently mentioned it, it is almost time to conclude. I mean, therefore, my dear hearer, to ask you only one question: When you say that the goodness of God is infinite, what do you pretend to say? That he never punishes guilt? You would not dare to mean so. That he never abandons the sinner? The Sauls, the Antiochuses, the Pharaohs, have taught you the contrary. That the immodest, the worldly, the revengeful, the ambitious, shall be alike saved as the just? You know that nothing unclean shall enter heaven. That he hath not created man to render him eternally miserable? But wherefore hath he prepared a hell? That he hath already given you a thousand marks of his goodness? But that is what ought to overwhelm your ingratitude on the past, and to make you to dread every thing for the future. That he is not so terrible as it is said? But nothing is told of his justice but what he has told you himself. That he would be under the necessity of damning almost all men were all that we say true? But the gospel declares to you, in express terms, that few shall be saved: that he punisheth not but at the worst? But every rejected grace may be the term of his mercies. That it costs him nothing to forgive? But hath he not the interests of his glory to attend to? That little is required to disarm him? But a change must take place, and the changing of the heart is the greatest of all his works. That that lively trust which you have in his goodness can come only from him? But whatever leads not to him, by leading to repentance, can never come from him. What then do you mean to say? That he will not reject the sacrifice of a broken and contrite heart? And behold, my dear hearer, what I have all along been preaching to you. Turn to the Lord, and then place your trust in him; whatever your crimes may be, his mercy is always open to the repentant sinner; throw yourself unreservedly upon his goodness for the permanence of your conversion, for perseverance in his service, for victory over the numerous obstacles which the enemy to salvation will continually be throwing in the way of your holy desires: the grace which he doth, in inspiring the feelings of a sincere penitence, is always a blessed presage of those which he prepareth: never mistrust his mercy; there is nothing but what may be expected from him, when it is the sorrow of having offended him which entreats it; never allow yourself to be cast down by the remembrance of your past iniquities; whatever can be weeped can be pardoned: lock up in the bosom of his mercy the whole dura-
