....4..4.. you never read, never ferioufly confidered, the words of the pious Pfalmift, "If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear my prayer." 66 The world may flatter you; if you seek the praise of men, you may have your reward. Even good men, in the judgment of charity, may be difpofed to think well of you. You may have quietnefs in your own consciences, and lull yourselves to sleep on the bed of fecurity, and ftill be in a state of the greatest danger. Like the foolish virgins, you may come to a fhut door at laft, when he from within will fay unto you, 'Depart from me, I know you not, ye workers of iniquity." O that you may fee your danger before it be too late! Read with feriousness the parable juft referred to, I mean that of the ten virgins. The foolish ones faw their error when, alas! it could not be rectified. They applied indeed to the wife, but their application was fruitless. In vain they cried, "Lord, Lord, open to us." The door of mercy was shut for ever, and the workers of iniquity utterly and finally difowned.. "Behold, now is the accepted time, now is the day of falvation." But to those who trifle the golden moments away in folly and delufion, there will remain nothing but the blackness of darkness for ever. O death, thou king of terrors! dreadful name? What tongue can e'er describe, what pencil draw The fcenes of horror which surround thy throne ? Olet me then, arous'd, reflect in time, And make this awful, this important theme O may I feek, while mercy points the way, Prepar'd for holy fouls, beyond the ftars! This house of clay, which shakes with ev'ry wind, My happy foul, renew'd by grace divine, And wash'd in my Redeemer's blood, may rife To dwell with him in heav'n! Then fhall I know That in the favour of my God is life. CHAP CHAP. IX. The Subject farther improved by Way of Conviction. WE have already obferved that the special fa vour of God is manifeftly diftinct from the common bleffings and bounties of his indulgent providence. These latter inftances of favour are too often abused, by thofe on whom they are liberally bestowed. They certainly ought to be improved fo as to humble us under a sense of our fins, and to lead us to repentance of them. To this purpose the apostle Paul writes to the Romans. "Defpifeft thou the riches of his goodness, and forbearance, and long-fuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?" These filken cords of kindness fhould draw our hearts nearer to God. His goodness should attract our affections to himself. Had you received a thousandth part of the kindness from men, which you daily receive from the Almighty, you would be affected by it, and think yourselves under great obligations to thofe who had fhewn you fuch kindness. And shall all the kindness of your Maker be loft upon you? Where, in this cafe, is your gratitude, your ingenuousness No. VIII. 1. M of ཅེས་》སྦྱོར་ར་ of fpirit? What returns do you make? Much is required of those on whom much is beftowed. If no proper use be made of the abundant bleffings of providence, if they are not improved to a proper end, the reckoning will be awful at last, in the great day of accounts. It appears to have been our Lord's intention to make us fenfible of this, in the parable of the talents. Those who made no proper use of their lord's money, with which they were intrufted, are denominated flothful and wicked fervants, and dealt with accordingly. The prophet's observation is verified in many inftances; "Let favour be fhewed to the wicked, yet will he not learn righteousness." To be unmoved and unhumbled amidst innumerable instances of providential kindness, is a fad indication that we are of the number of those whom the divine word denominates wicked men. That perfon is in a dangerous condition, upon whom the most likely means to produce repentance have no effect. That ground must be bad which the common me-thods of cultivation, and the fhowers of Heaven do not make fruitful. Awful are the words of the apoftle to the Hebrews; they fhould be read with fear and trembling by fuch perfons as we are now addreffing; “The earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet meet for them by whom it is dressed, receiveth bleffing from God; but that which beareth thorns and briers, is rejected, and is nigh unto curfing; whose end is to be burned." But there is another clafs of men ftill more im. pious than those to whom we have been speaking; those, we mean, who pervert the favours of providence to a wrong use and end. Their conduct somewhat resembles that of thofe ungodly men, who turn the grace of God into lafciviousness. They make use of the bleffings of God's goodness, as provifion for the flesh to fulfil the lufts thereof, in gluttony, drunkenness, pride, and impurity. In their hands, the bounties of Heaven become weapons of unrighteousness, incentives to fin, and inftruments whereby they may serve Satan, and the more fuccessfully promote his diabolical caufe among men. He whose goodness they thus wretchedly pervert and abuse, will most assuredly resent their conduct. The whole creation groans under the weight of their guilt. The Lord fays concerning rebellious Ifrael, by the prophet Hofea, "She did not know that I gave her corn, and wine, and oil, and multiplied her filver and gold, which they prepared for Baal. Therefore will I return, and take away my corn in the time thereof, and my wine in the season thereof, |