a small moment have I forsaken thee, but with great mercies I will gather thee. I will correct thee in measure, but thou shalt never be forgotten of me. I will deliver thee, but the times and seasons the Father hath put in his own power.” And then another voice sounds from Calvary, “I have blotted out, as a cloud, thy sins—return unto me, for I have redeemed thee.” Here faith listens, and asks, What _me_ Lord? Yes, you, by name. Then I reply, Lord there may be others of my name. True; but the Persons for whom I entered into covenant, for whom I became incarnate, for whom I obeyed the Law, for whom I suffered, and for whom the rich blessings of the Gospel is provided, are _sinners_—this is your nature, your action, and your name, and I have denominated you by the very names you have given yourself, from your own convictions and feelings. Bring in hither the poor, the halt, the blind, the lame, and the needy. Surely I must come under some of these; and according to different states so we are named. Here I beg my dear sister R’s most particular attention. I know she is a patient in Free-grace Hospital, and I want her assured that her case is not forgotten by the most blessed Physician of Souls, who has said, “I am the Lord that healeth thee.” Convinced of our state as sinners, we feel poor indeed—without spiritual money, or cloaths, or home, or friends!—this is real poverty—the charge brought against the Church at Laodicea, “Thou knowest not that thou art poor, and miserable, and blind, and naked.” This charge belongs to hypocrites, and not to a poor sinner, whose emptiness is daily felt, and perhaps faith is too weak to draw much comfort from the Promises—and God the Spirit has shewn you the darkness of nature. Now God does not say you are blind, but he calls us by the name we give ourselves. Hence, God says, “Hear ye deaf, and look ye blind, that ye may see.” And because every little makes us start, or keeps us back from praying, hoping, and believing, we are called the halt, and the lame; and as our sins too often rise and gain the ascendancy over us, that we cannot exercise strong confidence in Jesus, and his work, so we are called the maimed. Sin and Satan has maimed us, and wicked fellows have thrown stones at us, as Christ’s sheep, and maimed us: and I can assure you there is not any thing that Jesus has said or done, but it is the blessed office of the Holy Ghost to shew us our need of it; and if he sets us longing for it, travailing in soul, agonizing in spirit, and most sincerely desirous of the blessing, he will communicate it, for he has said, “Shall I cause to travail, and not bring forth? Shall I bring to the birth, and shut the womb?” You are longing to bring forth the exercise of precious faith, lively hope, cheerful confidence; and you are at times longing for the salvation of God, and you will not be disappointed. But do not be alarmed—even these longing