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KIBRARY

THE SINNER'S SOBS;

OR, THE

Way to Sion's Joy.

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ACTS ii. 37.

Now, when they heard this, they wère pricked in their hearts, and said to Peter, and the other Apostles, Men and brethren, wha shall we do to be saved?

N this chapter you have an account of the effects of the Apostle St. Peter's famous Sermon; having told the Jews in the verses before my text, that they wer the men that had crucified the Lord of life and shed the blood of the Son of God, tha they had consented to it and imbrued thei hands in it. 1 his stung their conscience and pricked their hearts: the arrows the Lord, which the Apostles had shot s cretly into their souls, came home to the hearts and consciences, that they coul

ear no longer; but came to Peter and the est, and said, What shall we do to be aved?

The doctrine which I would briefly peak of from these words is this:

Doctrine an unfeigned sorrow and conrition of heart, convinced of God's hatred of sin, is absolutely necessary to salvation.

This is that we call the beginning of the work of grace, even in the bruising of a inner's heart, under the sense of any sin committed.

To prove this to be absolutely necessary to salvation, not only scripture, but reason will tell us. For scripture see the 1 Cor. vii. 10. Godly sorrow causeth repentance unto salvation. And as the Prophet David in the bitterness of his spirit, said, Thou keepest mine eyes waking, and my sin is ever before me. If the Lord loves a sinner and means to do him good, he will not let the sinner alone in his own sinful courses, but will free him from his den, bruise and beat him as in a mortar. What caused David's sorrow but his sin? He needed no restoring, had he not been degraded..

Well then, is this a work of grace! this contrition and sorrow for sin, a begi ning of repentance; then it must needs of great necessity to salvation.

Now, that something may be hinted put sinners in a way to this unfeigned so row, let me beg of you, in the bowels o love, earnestly desiring your souls welfar to meditate seriously on these three thing which will if set home by the spirit of Go help you to the after work, even heart sorrow and true contrition.

Wer

1. Look over your past life, and labou to see the goodness and patience of God who hath been abused and despised by tha unkind dealing of yours. Oh, souls! re member the days of old, and reckon u God's gracious dealings with you. you ever in want, who supplied you Were you ever in weakness, who strength ened you? In sickness, who cured you In misery, who succoured you? Was it no the Lord? And how can you forget him who forgot not you in your low estate Will you reward the Lord thus? Wha shall I say of you? Hear, O heavens, an hearken O earth! The ox knoweth hi owner, and the ass his master's crib; an

will you not acknowledge God's kindness and goodness to you? Look into your houses, go to your tables and beds, and say, who gives these, and continues them to us? Doth not the Lord? and yet ye sin against this God. Certainly, my friends, serious meditation on this must break the heart, and cause sorrow for sin! But,

II. If the mercy, goodness, and long patience of God, will not move nor melt you, consider that God is just too, if mercy cannot prevail, you will have justice enough. Take heed, O hard hearted and undaunted sinners, the just law contemned, and these righteous statutes that have been broken, and that God that hath been provoked by you will be revenged of you. Where's Nimrod and Nebuchadnezzar, Pharoah and Herod, and all these proud persons that set their mouths against God, and their hearts against heaven; what is now become of them! they are now in the bottomless. it of hell.

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As the apostle saith, our God is a conuming fire, Heb. xiii. 29. And if my fire e kindled it shall burn to the bottom of ell. Meditate then on the justice of God rovoked! lest thou art called to the bar.