XIII. SERM. contentious, and obey not the truth, but obey unrighteousness; indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish, upon every foul of man that doth evil, of the few first, and alfo of the Gentile. For there is no respect of perfons with God. For as many as have finned without the law, shall also perish without the law; and as many as have finned in the law, fhall be judged by the law *. While the threatenings of confcience thus ftrengthen the evidence of the scripture doctrine concerning future punishments, they likewise pave the way for the belief of what is revealed concerning the method of our deliverance by Chrift. They fuggeft to the finner, fome deep and dark malignity contained in guilt, which has drawn upon his head fuch high displeasure from Heaven. They call forth his most anxious efforts, to avert the effects of that displeasure, and to propitiate his offended judge. Some atonement, he is conscious, must be made; and the *Rom. ii. 7-13. voice XIII. voice of Nature has, in every age, loudly SERM. demanded fuffering, as the proper atonement for guilt. Hence mankind have conftantly fled for refuge to fuch fubftitutions, as they could devife to place in the room of the offender; and, as by general confent, victims have every where been flain, and expiatory facrifices have been offered up on innumerable altars. Wherewith fhall I come before the Lord, and bow myself before the most high God? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, and calves of a year old? Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, or with ten thousand of rivers of oil? Or, fhall I give my firft-born for my tranfgreffion; the fruit of my body, for the fin of my foul?* These perplexities and agitations of a guilty confcience, may be termed preludes, in fome measure, to the Gospel of Chrift. They are the pointings of unenlightened Nature, towards that method of relief, which the grace of God has provided. Nature felt its inabi *Micah vi. 6, 7. lity XIII. SERM. lity to extricate itself from the confequences of guilt: The Gospel reveals the plan of Divine interpofition and aid. Nature confefsed some atonement to be necessary: The Gospel discovers, that the necessary atonement is made. The remedy is no fooner prefented, than its fuitableness to the disease appears; and the great mystery of redemption, though it reaches, in its full extent, beyond our comprehenfion, yet, as far as it is revealed, holds a vifible congruity with the fentiments of Confcience, and of Nature. Natural and revealed religion proceed from the fame Author; and, of course, are analogous and confiftent. They are parts of the fame plan of Providence. They are connected measures of the fame fyftem of government. The serious belief of the one, is the beft preparation for the reception of the other. Both concur in impreffing our mind with a deep fense of one most important truth which is the refult of this whole difcourfe, That XIII. That as we fow now, we must reap; that SERM. under the government of God, no one shall be permitted, with impunity, to gratify his criminal paffions, and to make light of the great duties of life. SERMON SERMON XIV. On the Mixture of Joy and FEAR in PSALM ii. II. Rejoice with trembling. ERM. JOY and Fear, are two great springs of XIV. human action. The mixed condition of this world, gives fcope for both; and, according as the one or the other predominates, it influences the general tenour of our conduct. Each of them poffeffes a proper place in religion. To Serve the Lord with gladness, is the exhortation of the Pfalmift David *. To ferve him with reverence and godly fear, is the admonition of the Apostle Paul †. But, under the prefent imperfection of * Pfal. c. 2. + Heb. xii. 28. human |