the punishment, which by our fins we deferved; much lefs to extend our views to an eternity of happinefs: the God of mercy was. pleafed of his own infinite goodness, freely to offer to us both thefe bleffings. He offered them to us through the blood of his own Son Jefus Chrift. His own Son undertook for our fakes to come down upon earth; to affume the nature of man; and to die upon the crofs, that he might make atonement for our fins, and purchase immortal glory for all who would accept him as their Saviour and faithfully obey his commandments. This is that love of Chrift towards finful man, which aftonishes, as the fcriptures teach us, the very angels. This is the appointed method of falvation, by which alone we may be faved. It is in vain for prefumptuous men to feek to find fault and raise objections as to the plan, which the wifdom and the inconceivable kindness of God have chofen for the recovery of the children of fallen Adam. It is in vain for any man to hope that he may be justified in any other method, or be rendered meet for glory through the attainment of any other qualifications, than those which are plainly stated in the gospel. If you will not accept falvation in that method; if you will not labour to acquire those qualifications: you will affuredly perish, you

.

will perish by your own choice. If If you reject the Son of God; he will be no Redeemer to you. If you profefs to believe in him, but will not make it your conftant aim through the influence of divine grace to obey him; you will as certainly perifh as if you openly denied him. You do in fact deny him in the moft decifive manner. You deny him by your actions. Whatever your lips may affirm, your actions proclaim; "I do not acknowledge Chrift to be my Mafter: I will not be fubject to his laws." He was' ready to receive you: but you would not liften to his call. The guilt is your own and the confequences are your own. You refufe pardon and eternal happiness: and the arm of divine juftice plunges you into hell.

Do you complain of hard measure in these dealings of God? Turn to the parable. Sup-pofe a perfon of wealth and eminence to have fuftained reiterated injuries from an inferior. Suppofe the offender overtaken by misery, and on the brink of ruin. Suppose the man whom he had injured generously to interpofe in his behalf; to invite the criminal to his manfion, and spontaneoufly to offer to make important facrifices for the fole purpose of reftoring him to fafety and happiness. Suppofe this benignity to be met with a difdain

ful

ful refufal. Is the victim of his own obftinacy and pride to murmur because he is abandoned to the confequences of his choice? Or to raise the illuftration, if it be poffible, to a resemblance fomewhat lefs faint and imperfect of the tranfaction which it purposes to pourtray: fuppofe a fubject indebted to the bounty of his fovereign for every earthly bleffing to renounce his allegiance, and to crown his ingratitude by the moft daring treafons. Suppofe him arrested by the arm of justice, and even now ftanding on the scaffold. Suppofe his royal' mafter to dispatch without folicitation an offer of pardon; to fling open for his admiffion the doors of the palace; to hold forth to him unqualified forgiveness; to propofe to him not merely the renovation of favour, and re-establishment in all his antecedent honours and poffeffions, but additional wealth and privileges and dignity and power in a measure far furpaffing the utmost stretch of his imagination. Suppofe that the extenfion of this compaffion, the exercise of this ineffable goodness, could not be rendered confiftent with the attributes of fovereignty, and the general welfare of nations, by any methods except fuch as would neceffarily require the only fon of the monarch previously to become the representa

tive of the traitor, and in his ftead to fubmit to degradation, to sufferings and to death. Suppose the son of his own accord to offer to become the facrifice. Suppose the father to affent to the offer. Suppose the facrifice to have taken place. Now fix your eyes on the object of thefe ftupendous mercies. How do you behold him? Is he diffolved in tears? Is he rent by agonizing remorse? Is he fervently devoting in the fincerity of his foul the remainder of his life, the whole of his exertions, of his faculties, of his heart to the fervice of his matchless benefactor? Behold him, if you are able to form to yourself the picture, continuing unmoved, devoid of gratitude, with enmity un-, mitigated, rejecting the offered pardon and allits confequent bleffings with careleffnefs and contempt. Behold an emblem, a most inadequate emblem, of your own madness, of your own guilt, if you disregard the salvation offered through the blood of the Son of God!

II. Advert in the next place to the excufes, which are stated as having been advanced by fome of those who rejected the invitation of the Lord of the feaft. The fpirit of the excufes alleged by the reft, for all the excufes flowed from the fame principle in the heart, may be inferred from those which are fpeci

"been mentioned; we are continually preffed σε by others no lefs difficult to be avoided or poftponed. Family connections, numerous "acquaintance and friends, the ordinary reciprocation of civilities and visits, the stated 66 recurrence at home and abroad of innocent "diverfions, bring the day to a close almoft

as foon as we perceive it to have begun. "Man was born for fociety. It is not good

for man to be alone. The focial intercourfe "of life must be maintained by the requifite "obfervance of that courtefy, which an apof"tle has enjoined on all men. Harmless "amusements, effential to mental refreshment "and alacrity of fpirits, cannot but be ap

proved by a religion which exhorts to cheer"fulness and joy. And, however abfurd may "have been the difputations of ignorant men;

cor

we are for our parts fatisfied that friendship is inculcated by Christianity. At any "rate," it is finally obferved, "be it bufinefs fome lighter occupation which has "fwallowed up our time; and even if it be acknowledged that with livelier vigilance we "might have fnatched fomewhat more freCC quent and fomewhat longer intervals for religious meditation: we truft that our inat"tention has not been fuch as to expofe us