262 ^E^^RY KiiiKE white's remains. 



without God in the world, on the other hand, has neither 

 rest here, nor certainty or hope for the future. His 

 reflections must, at all times, be dubious and dark, not 

 to say distressing : and his most exquisite enjoyments 

 must have a sting of fear and apprehension in them, 

 which is felt when the gay hour is over, and its joys no 

 more remembered. Many wicked and dissipated men 

 sigh in secret for the state of the righteous, but they 

 conceive there are insuperable obstacles in the way of 

 religion, and that they must amend their lives before 

 they can hope for acceptance, or even dare to seek accep- 

 tance with God. But what a miserable delusion is this I 

 If this were truly the case, how awful would be the 

 condition of the sinner ! for we know that our hearts are 

 so depraved, and so obstinately addicted to sin, that they 

 cannot forsake it without some more than mortal power 

 to cut asunder the bonds of innate corruption, and loosen 

 the aiFections from this sinful bondage. I was talking a 

 few days ago with a young surgeon, who is just returned 

 from the East Indies, and w^as expostulating with him on 

 his dissolute habits : " Sir," said he, " I know you are 

 happy, and I would give worlds to be able to subdue my 

 passion ; but it is impossible, it never can be done. I 

 have made resolution upon resolution, and the only eifect 

 has been, that I have plunged deeper into vice than 

 ever," What could be a stronger illustration of the 

 Scripture truth, that man's heart is naturally corrupt, 

 and desperately wicked ? Since wickedness is misery, 

 can we conceive that an all-good and benevolent God 

 would have originally created man with such a disposi- 

 tion ? It is sin which has made the world a vale of tears. 

 It is the power of the cross of Jesus Christ alone that 

 can redeem us from our natural depravity. Yes, my 

 friend, " we hnoiv on ivhom we have believed ; and we 

 are persuaded, that he is able to keep that which we have 

 committed unto him against the great day." "When I 

 occasionally reflect on the history of the times when the 

 great Redeemer appeared, behold God preparing his way 

 before him, uniting all the civilized world in one lan- 

 guage (Greek), for the speedier disseminating of the 



