a whole nation, or a whole family, may happen to you--to each
individual man. They fall by sin; they rise again by repentance and
amendment. They may rise punished by their sins, and punished for a long
time, heavily weighted by the consequences of their own folly, and
heavily weighted for a long time. But they rise--they enter into their
new life weak and wounded, from their own fault. But they enter in. And
from that day things begin to mend--the weather begins to clear, the soil
begins to yield again--punishment gradually ceases when it has done its
work, the weight lightens, the wounds heal, the weakness strengthens, and
by God's grace within them, and by God's providence outside them, they
are made men of again, and saved. So you will surely find it in the
experience of life.

No doubt in general, in most cases,

The child is father of the man

for good and evil. A pious and virtuous youth helps, by sure laws of
God, towards a pious and virtuous old age. And on the other hand, an
ungodly and profligate youth leads, by the same laws, toward an ungodly
and profligate old age. That is the law. But there is another law which
may stop that law--just as the stone falls to the ground by the natural
law of weight, and yet you may stop that law by using the law of bodily
strength, and holding it up in your hand. And what is the gracious law
which will save you from the terrible law which will make you go on from
worse to worse?

It is this,--"when the wicked man turneth away from his wickedness that
he hath committed, and doeth that which is lawful and right, he shall
save his soul alive." It is not said that his soul shall come in a
moment to perfect health and strength. No. There are old bad habits to
be got rid of, old ties to be broken, old debts (often worse debts than
any money debts) to be paid. But he shall save his soul alive. His soul
shall not die of its disease. It shall be saved. It shall come to life,
and gradually mend and be cured, and grow from strength to strength, as a
sick man mends day by day after a deadly illness, slowly it may be, but
surely:--for how can you fail of being cured if your physician is none
other than Jesus Christ your Lord and your God?

Oh, recollect that last word. If you will but recollect that, you will
never despair. How dare any man say--Bad I am, and bad I must remain--
while the God who made heaven and earth offers to ma