Whether they promise themselves an exemption from this eternal destruction from the presence of the Lord, and the glory of his power; or whether they flatter themselves it will not be so dreadful and intolerable as it is represented to be; or whether they indulge a vain hope of being some time or other released from this infernal prison, it is evident, that they are most miserably blinded by the god of this world, and deceived by the deceitfulness of sin. O ye that "know not God, and obey not the gospel," we testify to you, upon the authority of the lively oracles of eternal truth, that you are the very persons who are now exposed to this dreadful storm of divine indignation, which already gathers black over your guilty heads, and threatens a desolating downfal of misery and wo? Yes, if your speedy repentance prevent not, upon you, even you, an offended and inexorable God will "rain fire and brimstone, storm and tempest, and this shall be your portion to drink." Let not then that subtle serpent, in whom you trust, beguile you, saying, "You shall not surely die;" for as the Lord liveth, if you persist in your ignorance of God and disobedience to the gospel, you shall surely and eternally die. You "shall drink the very dregs of this cup of trembling, and wring them out." "God is not a man that he should lie, nor the son of man that he should repent. Hath he spoken, and will he not do it? Hath he threatened, and will he not make it good?" As sure as he is a being of immutable truth and inflexible justice, and as sure as you have broken his law and rejected his gospel, so sure must you, at the morning of the resurrection, "awake to everlasting shame and contempt," and at the day of judgment, "depart accursed into everlasting fire."

2. And suppose you that the empty and uncertain applause of worms of the earth, or the vain and momentary pleasures of sin, or the unsatisfactory and fleeting glitter of golden ore, can recompense you for the shame and contempt which will then overwhelm you with eternal confusion, and that pain and anguish which the scorching and fiery lake will pour like water into your bowels, and like oil into your bones? Unthinking and deluded mortal! The praises of thy fellow-sinners will then be turned into insults and hisses, thy cup of pleasure into a draught of wrath, and thy glittering treasures into fiery streams of brimstone and torture, Streams these, which will for ever deluge thy desolated nature; a draught this, which will intoxicate thy soul with eternal horror; and hisses and insults those, with which, as with whips and scorpions, the fiends of hell will perpetually lash thy guilty and self

10. Indeed, the comparison drawn from the happiness of the saints, is not altogether suitable; but alas! the impropriety of it falls on the unfavourable side, and only strengthens my argument the more. For whatever proofs may be brought from other quarters in favour of the eternity of their bliss, which do not equally evince the eternal misery of the wicked; yet, in this point of view, (sure I am) more may be said for the latter than the former. For the righteous, however obedient, do no more than is their duty to do, and therefore (strictly speaking) merit nothing at the hand of God. They can make no claim upon his justice, but all their hopes of happiness and a continuance therein, are founded upon his gracious promises, which he was free to make or not to make, as he thought good.-But the case is different with the wicked; they have strictly and properly merited or deserved eternal punishment, and are, in fact, obnoxious to it. And hence their apprehensions of it are founded, not barely on his threatenings, but also and chiefly on the unchangeable perfections of his nature. So that it appears, if this reasoning be just, they have more cause for fearing an eternal hell, than the saints have for expecting an everlasting

heaven!

1. The reason of the divine conduct in giving them this twofold proof (arising from his threatenings and the perfections of his nature) of a doctrine, which, above all others, they hate and wish to disprove, seems to be his compassion for these infatuated creatures. He means, by this double battery, to silence their evil-reasoning unbelief, which, as an impregnable fort, defies the whole force of divine truth, and too often detains the poor soul a captive of sin and Satan, until the judgment of the great day! May his blessed Spirit give the desired efficacy to these engines, which infinite wisdom hath planted against the perverseness of unthinking men! May they level all the strong holds of Satan, and bring into captivity every unbelieving sinner to the obedience of Christ, before sad experience convince them, that in hell the worm of their anguish dieth not, and the fire of their misery is not quenched, but that its flame ascendeth up for ever and ever!

I should now take a more particular view of their misery, but as this is too extensive a subject to be discussed at present, I shall defer it to another opportunity, and now conclude with a short improvement of what has been advanced by way of inference and application.

And, 1st, We may infer from what has been said, the infatuation and misery of those who know not God, and obey not the gospel.

Whether they promise themselves an exemption from this eternal destruction from the presence of the Lord, and the glory of his power; or whether they flatter themselves it will not be so dreadful and intolerable as it is represented to be; or whether they indulge a vain hope of being some time or other released from this infernal prison, it is evident, that they are most miserably blinded by the god of this world, and deceived by the deceitfulness of sin.-O ye that "know not God, and obey not the gospel," we testify to you, upon the authority of the lively oracles of eternal truth, that you are the very persons who are now exposed to this dreadful storm of divine indignation, which already gathers black over your guilty heads, and threatens a desolating downfal of misery and wo? Yes, if your speedy repentance prevent not, upon you, even you, an offended and inexorable God will "rain fire and brimstone, storm and tempest, and this shall be your portion to drink." Let not then that subtle serpent, in whom you trust, beguile you, saying, "You shall not surely die;" for as the Lord liveth, if you persist in your ignorance of God and disobedience to the gospel, you shall surely and eternally die. You "shall drink the very dregs of this cup of trembling, and wring them out." "God is not a man that he should lie, nor the son of man that he should repent. Hath he spoken, and will he not do it? Hath he threatened, and will he not make it good?" As sure as he is a being of immutable truth and inflexible justice, and as sure as you have broken his law and rejected his gospel, so sure must you, at the morning of the resurrection, "awake to everlasting shame and contempt," and at the day of judgment, "depart accursed into everlasting fire."

2. And suppose you that the empty and uncertain applause of worms of the earth, or the vain and momentary pleasures of sin, or the unsatisfactory and fleeting glitter of golden ore, can recompense you for the shame and contempt which will then overwhelm you with eternal confusion, and that pain and anguish which the scorching and fiery lake will pour like water into your bowels, and like oil into your bones? Unthinking and deluded mortal! The praises of thy fellow-sinners will then be turned into insults and hisses, thy cup of pleasure into a draught of wrath, and thy glittering treasures into fiery streams of brimstone and torture, Streams these, which will for ever deluge thy desolated nature; a draught this, which will intoxicate thy soul with eternal horror; and hisses and insults those, with which, as with whips and scorpions, the fiends of hell will perpetually lash thy guilty and self

accusing conscience! Believe me, my poor fellow-mortal, thou canst not, indeed thou canst not bear this devouring fire! Thou canst not dwell with these everlasting burnings! If thou thinkest otherwise, it is because thou hast not counted the cost, but hast rashly credited the devil and thy own deceitful heart, which were both liars from the beginning, and have not abode in the truth. They have agreed to make thee drunk with sensuality and sin, to put out thy eyes, and then to lead thee blindfold into endless ruin, a ruin from whence thou shalt not escape.

3. Oh! think, man, before the intoxicating cup of sin renders thee incapable of thinking, in what a wretched condition thou art soon likely to be, if divine grace prevent not! Oh! look, before the god of this world hath closed thy eyes in eternal darkness, into that tremendous ocean of fiery and unfathomable wrath, into which the stream of time will soon hurry thy frail and leaky vessel! How intolerable and lasting thy misery! Oh! think of eternity! Canst thou number the stars in the firmament, the drops of rain, or the sand on the sea-shore? Make the experiment; and when thou hast finished the calculation, sit down and reckon up the ages of thy wo! And see that thy account be just. Let every star, every drop, every grain of sand, represent one million of tormenting ages. And when thou hast ascertained the sum, know that as many more millions still remain behind, and yet as many more behind these, and so on without end! Poor infatuated wretch! My heart bleeds for thee!-Gladly would I warn thee that thou come not into this place of torment. Oh! that at length thou wouldest take warning! Oh! that thou wouldest imitate the example of Noah, "who being warned of God concerning things not seen as yet, was moved with fear, and prepared an ark for the saving of his house."

4. I warn thee, thou unholy and ungodly soul, who dost not know God, nor obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, of things not seen as yet of the glorious coming of that adorable Saviour, whose salvation thou hast rejected, whom thou hast refused to reign over thee, and whom, by sin, thou hast crucified afresh ; I warn thee of an approaching and inexorable Judge, who, (if thou repent not) will summon thee, with all thy sins about thee, to his and pass an irreversible sentence upon thee. I warn thee of a descending deluge of divine and infinite wrath, which will speedily drown an impenitent and unbelieving world with a fiery and unfathomable sea of misery! I call upon thee without delay to prepare an ark for the saving of thy soul. Nay, for thy encouragement I tell thee, the ark is already prepared. The al

bar,

mighty love of God, directed by infinite wisdom, hath prepared it; an ark this, which will defend thee against all the storms of wrath, and which will bear thee up above all the waves of misery. Yes, I point thee to that Man " who is as a hiding-place from the storm, a covert from the tempest, as rivers of water in a dry place, and as the shadow of a great rock in a weary land." I bid thee look unto Jesus, and be saved!

5. Oh! hide thyself by faith in him from the wind of temptation and sin; let his blood, sprinkled upon thy guilty conscience, and his righteousness, put upon thy naked soul, cover thee from the tempest of divine indignation: let his Spirit, flowing into thy heart as a river, refresh and water thy scorched and barren soul; and repose thyself under his cooling shade, until the burning sun of persecution shall go down, and the fiery heat of pain and affliction shall finally cease! Flee for refuge to this hope set before thee, and all shall be well.-Forsake all known sin, use every appointed mean of grace, and be also careful to maintain and excel in good works. But yet rest not there. Oh!" tarry not in all the plain" of duty, but " escape to this mountain, lest thou be consumed." And thus, like just Lot, thou shalt be delivered from the common overthrow of the impenitent and unbelieving, and shalt sing the praises of thy Deliverer and Saviour world without end.

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