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It is Jesus that speaks, and words of perfect grace fall from His lips. I am come, He says, "to seek and to save that which was lost." Oh, then turn to Him, ere you take another step. As a lost one turn to Him. "Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.” (Ps. ii. 12.) Reader, think of this. All who are not in the arms of Jesus, are in the grasp of Satan. There is no middle place.

That which may, alas, be treated with neglect, thought little of, and cared little for, is, nevertheless, God's "great salvation." Hence the solemn warning. appeal, and exhortation in the word before us. "THEREFORE we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip. For if the word spoken by angels was stedfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompence of reward;

HOW SHALL WE ESCAPE, IF WE NEGLECT SO GREAT SALVA

TION?" These truly solemn words were first spoken to the Hebrews, who had made a profession of Christianity, but were in danger of slipping back into Judaism. Still, they are equally true and applicable to us, and to all, who, at any time, or on any ground, are found neglecting this salvation. The subject is one of universal, and individual importance, and cannot be overlooked or disregarded by any without incurring God's sore displeasure. "Salvation is of the Lord." (Jonah ii. 9.) It is of His providing and preparing. "Behold, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready: come to the marriage.” (Matt. xxii. 4.) It is divinely suited to man's condition. It is ready now, ready for the acceptance of all who will receive it. It is full and free-free to the most unworthy. "Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money: come ye, buy and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk, without money, and without price." (Is. lv. 1.)

It is emphatically called the "great salvation." And that for several reasons. We will notice some of them.

that the former comes to the same thing as the latter in the end. How shall we escape if we NEGLECT so great salvation?" Escape from eternal woe is utterly impossible, if we persist in neglecting Christ, in whom alone salvation is to be found. "How shall we escape?" is the deeply solemn and unchangeable word of God.

May you be led, my dear reader, to realize its full weight on your heart and conscience now. May you be kept from trifling with a matter of such immediate, unspeakable, and eternal importance to your own soul. Can anything compensate for the loss of your precious soul? "For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?" No amount of pleasure, gain, or gratification, in this world, can ever make up for eternal misery in the world to come. Why, then, oh! why should you be so thoughtless, careless, and negligent about salvation, “which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory?" Oh! receive Him by faith, as your Saviour, and then you receive salvation "with eternal glory." Then you possess, as your present and everlasting portion, "the unsearchable riches of Christ." All is open and free to faith. Only believe." Salvation is by faith alone-faith in Jesus. "He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life." But oh! believe on Him now. His word can never be truer, His salvation can never be freer, and you can never be more welcome. Why not come now? He is waiting for you. It will be joy to His loving heart to embrace you. It will be joy to all heaven to receive you. Can you delay? Surely not. Flee to the arms of His mercy-flee at once. To-morrow may be too late. "Behold, NOW is the accepted time; behold, NOW IS THE DAY OF SALVATION.” (2 Cor. vi. 2.)

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Salvation! oh, thou bleeding Lamb,

To thee the praise belongs;

Salvation shall inspire our hearts,

And dwell upon our tongues.

THE AWAKENING IN ULSTER.

PART II.

As some of our readers may, possibly, be desirous of knowing something of the origin of this remarkable awakening, we are induced to furnish another paper on the subject, not only because of the uncommon interest attaching thereto, but also because it tends to prove the immense value and importance of prayer and the word of God.

So far as we have been able, amidst so many conflicting reports and opinions, to glean anything like accurate information, we believe that this marvellous work of God commenced at a place called Connor, in the County of Antrim, from thence it extended to Kells, Ahoghill, Ballymena, Rasharkin, Ballymoney, Moorefort, Coleraine, Newtownlimavady; and, in short, through large districts of the counties of Antrim and Derry.

Thus much as to localities. And now, as to instrumentality. Nothing, perhaps, in this entire movement, is more remarkable than the way in which the Spirit of God has swept away every pedestal on which man could presume to exhibit himself. He has written folly upon all human pretension, cast a cloud over all human glory, and levelled with the dust all human assumption. One of the most distinct utterances of this entire movement is, "No flesh shall glory in his presence." A very few words both as to the origin and progress of the work, will suffice to illustrate and confirm this remark.

The writer had an interview, some weeks ago, in the presence of a beloved fellow-labourer, with one of those who were the means in God's hand of commencing this work. He is a man in humble life, with but little education. Having been awakened, by the Spirit of God, to a sense of his guilt and danger, he continued, for the space of two years, in a state of intense mental anguish, endeavouring, like hundreds of others, to "establish his own righteousness,"

1. Because of the greatness, and authority of Him by whom it was published. "Which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord." "God.... hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son." (Heb. i.) The law was spoken by angels. The Jews "received the law by the disposition of angels. (Acts vii.) But God hath spoken to us, by His own beloved Son, who is essentially and officially above angels. "For unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee? What a messenger! Oh, what importance must be attached to the message which He brings! "THEREFORE we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard."

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2. Because of the greatness and glory of Him by whom it was accomplished. When Christ, "by Himself," had "purged our sins," He "sat down on the right hand of the majesty on high." He who, in perfect grace to us, when working out our salvation, went down to "the lowest parts of the earth," is now in the highest place in heaven. The cross has been exchanged for the throne, and the reed of mockery for the Royal Sceptre of universal dominion. "But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom." Oh! what a workman! What must His work be!

3. Because of the greatness of the ruin, and wretchedness, from which it saves. How few know their real condition in the sight of God, though it is written on every page of Scripture. Vain man's thoughts of himself, and God's true statement of his condition, are widely different. "Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked.” By nature, he is a child of wrath; because of unbelief, "condemned already." Yet out of all this sad, sad condition, God's "great salvation," effectually and immediately,

delivers. "Giving thanks unto the Father, which HATH. made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light. Who HATH delivered us from the power of darkness, and HATH translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son in whom we HAVE redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins." (Rev. iii. 17; Col. i. 12-14.)

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4. Because of the greatness of that blessedness into which it introduces. "For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God." We can never get higher or better than this. To be brought to God, is to be brought to the knowledge of God-into fellowship with God-full conformity to God— and the eternal enjoyment of God. This is perfect blessedness. "We also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ." "To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God." Oh! what a place to be brought into! "The midst of the paradise of God." This is rest-God's own rest; a higher, a holier, a happier, can never be found. And to feed on Christ there, as "the tree of life." No " tree of the knowledge of good and evil" there. How different from man's paradise. "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ." (1 Pet. iii. 18; Rom. v. 11; Rev. ii. 7.)

Well may the grand theme of the gospel testimony be called the "great salvation." Oh, how great-how good-how glorious! It is salvation from the depths of hell to the heights of heaven; from "the wrath to come," to an "eternal weight of glory." And is this-is this reallywhat so many are neglecting? Is this what so many are despising and rejecting? Few will say, in plain terms, that they are doing the latter, but many will confess to the former. Many will acknowledge that they are neglecting the "one thing needful." Well, my dear reader, be assured

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