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a kingdom of bleffedness in his presence, at his right-hand, throughout eternity. This is the bleffed hope which he fets before you, provided that your life on earth be dedicated to Him that you renounce the world, the flesh, and the devil; that you live not unto yourselves, but unto Him who died for you. At the fame time He forewarns you in terms as ftrong as language can fupply that, if you refuse his offered grace, the punishment into which the sentence of divine juftice is prepared to plunge you will be proportioned to the happiness which you have obftinately and ungratefully renounced: that there remaineth no more facrifice for fin: there remaineth nothing for you to eternity but wrath, tribulation and anguish, weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth; the lake of which the burning flood wherein Sodom and Gomorrah were engulphed was an emblem, the lake of fire and brimftone, where the worm dieth not, and the fire is never quenched.

II. Confider, in the next place, the manner in which the fons in law of Lot received his aweful admonition.

He feemed unto them as one that mocked. Their conduct difclofes to us their character. They had evidently fet their hearts on the

worldly

worldly advantages which, in their apprehenfion, attended the place where they refided and they made little account of its wickedness. They faw that the furrounding country, even all the plain of Jordan, was well watered and luxuriant; offering abundant pafturage at all feafons for their flocks and herds; and promifing a great and continual increase of wealth. They beheld with complacency the licentious manners of the city devoted to conftant revellings and riot. Like the men of Athens when St. Paul difcourfed of Jesus and the refurrection; "Thou

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bringeft," faid they to their father, "Strange

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things to our ears." When he described to them the fudden appearance of the angels ; they perhaps exclaimed, like Feftus, when Paul related the manifestation from Heaven of Jesus Christ for his converfion, “Thou art befide thyself: much learning doth make thee “mad.” When he teftified to them, that God was about to overwhelm the city with terrible and extraordinary judgements: they probably replied in language like that of the fcoffers mentioned by St. Peter; "Where is "the promise of his coming? For all things con“tinue as they were from the beginning of the "creation." The love of profit, or of pleafure, blinded their understandings and feared

their confciences.

They were puffed up with felf-conceit. They were hardened in unbelief. They treated the meffenger, whom God had commiffioned to warn them of their danger, and to point out the method of efcape, as one that was ignorant or an impoftor; as one who was himself deceived, or defirous of impofing upon them; as one who pretended to knowledge beyond his reach, and held forth a falfe reprefentation of his Mafter's will. They gave not themselves the trouble to enquire and examine into the truth of Lot's declarations. They did not return with him to his houfe to fatisfy themselves whether in reality two angels were there; whether any communication as to the purposes of God had been vouchfafed to their father-inlaw; whether the city, as he affirmed, was about to be destroyed. They liftened to him with careleffness and contempt. His meffage did not fuit their inclinations and their prejudices and they at once rejected and defpifed the monitor, and the warning..

My brethren! In many refpects the conduct of a large portion of the world bears at this day a close resemblance to that of the fons-in-law of Lot, and arifes from the fame principles. When the great doctrines of the gospel are proposed as comprehending and disclosing the

appointed

appointed method of falvation; what numbers difregard or defpife them! When the holy commandments of God are explained and enforced as indifpenfably and in every particular binding upon every man; what numbers withhold their affent from the strictness of fuch interpretations of the Scriptures! When the terrors of the world to come are difplayed, when the wrath and vengeance of God, the everlafting flames of Hell, are revealed against all ungodliness and unrighteoufness of men; what numbers refufe to credit the tremendous truth! The minister of the gospel feemeth unto them as one that mocketh. Many fcruple not openly to treat as idle tales propofitions fo little indulgent to felf-righteoufnefs, to unholy deeds, to pride of understanding, to flight ideas of the guilt of fin, to blind and arrogant fpeculations concerning the nature and the extent of divine mercy. They profess, that, for their part, they think it fufficient to receive the promifes of redemption in a general acceptation, without bufying themselves with curious enquiries into particulars: that they difcern not the neceffity of regarding and of believing that minutely detailed account of the nature and office of Chrift, which others appear fo defirous of obtruding upon them:

that

that they look not to niceties of faith, but to regularity of conduct: that, as to holiness, man is frail and God is merciful: that, without pretending to that unattainable righteoufnefs which is pronounced from pulpits and in books of divinity to be effential to falvation, righteousness which would put a ftop to all the neceffary dealings of life and all the transactions and intercourfe of the world, they doubt not but that they fhall on the whole lead fuch refpectable lives as will entitle them, through the help of Chrift making up their deficiencies, to the kingdom of heaven and that for fuch perfons as by grofs wickedness shall altogether fall short of heaven, the goodnefs of God will certainly provide fome punishment more moderate and more reasonable than that which the unrelenting severity of learned enquirers imagines itself, and is glad to imagine itself, to have discovered in the New Teftament. Such are the fcornful and daring murmurs, the great fwelling words, of many, who, while they call themselves followers of Christ, nourish the temper and spirit of unbelievers. Others, lefs bold in their averfion to the truth as it is in Jefus, are in their hearts little lefs removed than the fcoffers already mentioned from an humble fubmiffion to the doctrines and comVOL. I. mandments

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