that had been the theatre of her difhonor, The went by day, in the fight of all into the houfe of the Pharifee, and, in the prefence of the affembly that was there convened, fhe confecrates her felf to the fervice of Chrift. She was not afhamed of the cause of virtue and piety which she had recently embraced. She was afhamed only of having embraced it fo late.

An open and decided profeffion of religion is an homage which every good man owes to the cause of truth. The weight of his example, whatever it may be, he fhould add to the scale of virtue. A fincere penitent will be folicitous to make an early reparation to the injured honour of his Saviour as confpicuous as his faults have been. But as the habits of the world are, in many refpects, in opposition to the spirit of religion, the young convert is apt to perceive a degree of fhame in abandoning its party, which is fupported by numbers, and going over to the thin and deferted ranks of religion. Yet a lively fenfe of redeeming love will render him fuperior to this falle fhame. Afhamed only of having fo long pursued

the paths of vice and folly, he will feel the dignity of a return to reafon and virtue.

Do you dread and fhrink from the obfervation of a fcoffing and cenforious world? Alas! in the courfe of your vices you feared it not. Why fhould it affect you only when you are about to enter on the noble refolutions of duty? Do you dread the invidious contrafts that will be drawn between your former manners, and your prefent change? True it is, the world is prone to call up against thofe who enter on a new life the memory of their errors. It is willing to reproach religion with them, or to infinuate that pious zeal is merely a hypocritical difguife affumed, for certain purpofes, to cover a heart that, in fecret, ftill remains equally enflaved to vice. Thus the Pharifee faid of this amiable penitent fhe is a finner. But, his fcorn did not abafh her, or reftrain, for a moment, the fervent expreffions of her duty to her Saviour. The fentiments of love and zeal that filled her heart, rendered her fuperior to the infult. And let the real penitent know that fincerity will take away the fling of every re

proach-perfeverance in the path of duty will take away the reproaches themselves.

The history which you have been reviewing affords the most gracious encouragement to all men, whatever may have been the nature or degree of their offences against God, to feek his mercy by repentance.Often, it is not sufficient for the guilty that they have his general promife, "him that cometh to me I will in no wife caft out." They require it to be fupported by examples, before the trembling and felf-reproaching heart can reft upon it. Here is the example of one who may be ranked among the chief of finners, who, notwithstanding, was received by the Saviour with infinite benignity. Appealing to the proofs which fhe had given of the reality of her repentance, and the fincerity of her love, he says to the Pharifee "her fins which were many are forgiven, for fhe loved much."

Not infrequently, those who have offended highly, when they come to be convinced of their fins, are ready to despair of the mercy of heaven. The fentiments of their own unworthiness fo profoundly penetrate

them, the apprehenfions of the justice and indignation of God against fin fo alarm and terrify them, that they have not compofure of mind fufficient to turn a calm and believing view on the merits of the Redeemer, and the all-prevailing atonement of the crofs. They are ready to conclude that the fummer is paft, the harvest is ended, and they are not faved. Ah! why fhould you unneceffarily alllict your fouls? Behold, in the penitent of our gospel, a monument of divine grace that is calculated to filence all your fears, and is fufficient to introduce the light of pious hope into the darkest and moft troubled bofom.

Others there are who, though they do not doubt of the mercy and the promise of God, do, notwithstanding, derive the most difconfolate profpects from within themfelves. The force of their paffions they perceive to be fo great that they can hardly flatter themselves with the hope of being able to bend them under the yoke of reli-gion-their fenfibilities to pleasure are fo lively and impetuous that they despair of extirpating them, or making them submit to the painful felf-denials of the gofpel. It re

quires, indeed, an arduous conflict to fubdue the burning impulfes of a heart too fenfible to pleasure,-and to divert its force from the grofs and turbulent purfuits of fenfe to the pure and fpiritual enjoyments of picty.-But, if it is arduous, bleffed be God! it is not impoffible to the energy of reason, to the power of reflection, to the facred importunity of prayer. A merciful Saviour, alfo, hath not left the iffue of the conflict to our own weakness; but hath gracioufly promised the aids of his holy spirit to those who afk him-" Ask and ye hall receive, feek and ye fhall find, knock and it fhall be opened unto you." And you fee in the hif tory of this day, a penitent, whose paffions were unusually flrong, made, by his grace, to feel the all-fubduing charms of virtue and holiness. Thofe fenfibilities which had once milled her, now form the most striking, and interefling features of her new character. Such difpofitions, when regulated by divine grace, are commonly diftinguished for a tender, lively, and affectionate piety; and are capable, perhaps, of forming the most amiable and perfect characters in religion. To them, probably, we owe those noble strains, thofe impaffioned odes which