ere Peter preaches to
the very murderers of our blessed Saviour, and charges the guilt upon
them, verse twenty-second; and again in verse thirty-sixth, 'Therefore
let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that this same Jesus whom
ye crucified, God hath made both Lord and Christ; and when they heard
this, they were pricked in their hearts.' Read on, my dear; Peter
exhorts even them to repent and be baptized in the name of Christ, for
the remission of sins. I make no doubt but many have made vows in a
rash manner; but, so far as I know, you have vowed only to serve the
Lord; this you are bound to do with or without a vow; and if the Lord
makes this vow the means of keeping you watchful and humble, and firm
in avoiding what you have vowed against, it will, by his overruling
Spirit, prove a blessing.

"You 'do not know where to look for comfort!' To, Jesus, my dear;
not to yourself, nor to any creature. 'Look unto me and be ye saved,
all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else.' Isa.
45:22. 'O Israel, thou hast destroyed thyself, but in me is thy help.'
Hosea 13:9; chap. 14. Take a view, my dear, of the character of God in
his dealings with his perverse Israel, after they had made the molten
calf, and sinned otherwise grievously against God. He, at the
intercession of Moses, forgave their sin, and proclaimed that
wonderful name, which to this day is the encouragement of convicted
sinners, and mine in particular. And the Lord passed by him (Moses)
and proclaimed, 'The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious,
long-suffering, abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for
thousands, forgiving iniquity, transgression, and sin.' And how can
God do this, whose law is, as himself, immutable; and who adds 'that
he will by no means clear the guilty?' Exodus 34:6. Look now to the
fifty-third chapter of Isaiah, where you will find your Redeemer
standing in your stead. In the thirtieth chapter is another amazing
display of God's forgiveness. The prophet begins the chapter with,
'Woe to the rebellious children!' and lays grievous things to their
charge till you come to the eighteenth verse, where he says,
'Therefore will the Lord wait, that he may be gracious to you;
therefore will he be exalted, that he may have mercy upon you; for the
Lord is a God of judgment, blessed are all they that wait for him.'
Once more look at the proclamation, Jeremiah 3:12. God has provided a
sacrifice of sufficient value t