the gospel, and the evidences of the divine mission of Christ. And could we see things as they are, and look intuitively into the states of men at this day, we should probably see some going about, wholly forsaken of God, and given up to an hard, reprobate mind. There is greater reason to conclude this is the case with those, who go on in sin, in open defiance of all the means which the gospel affords, than of those, who acted in opposition to the instructions granted to man kind in former ages. As our privileges are greater, much greater, and the sinner's duty more clearly pointed out under the christian dispensation, than under the Jewish; so the guilt of the gospel sinner increases faster, and the measure of his iniquity is sooner full. The superior advantages of the gospel sinner, if abused and perverted, tend awfully to hasten divine judgments, and ripen him for destruction.

IMPROVEMENT.

From the whole view, which we have taken of this subject, we learn something of the danger of the old sinner. Indeed we are able to conceive but very. imperfectly of the danger and misery of any sinner; much less of his, who has long hardened his heart against God, and the kind instructions, reproofs, and exhortations of his word. If what we have said on this subject be just, those who have long enjoyed divine light, and have as long resisted the truth, are aw fully increasing in guilt and hardness of heart every day. They are every day sinning against an infinite God, and trampling upon infinite mercy and grace.

They are every day offering an affront to Jesus Christ, who died to save sinners. And every day, the time of their probation, and of God's gracious visitation, is drawing to a close. And every day lessens the hope of their ever being converted, and turned from the paths of sin to the way of holiness and salvation. They have lived ali their days under the glorious dispensation of the covenant of grace; and with them the harvest is past, and the summer is ended, and the last golden sands of life are running, and they are not saved. Sin still reigns in its full force, and their hearts have become exceedingly hard, and their consciences seared. So that neither the word, nor providences of God affect them. The encouragement to use means with them, to their advantage, seems almost at an end. Many old people have had almost all kinds of means used with them, and yet they have been growing worse and worse all their life. What little hope is there, that those means, which have been used, and resisted thousands of times, should now awaken their conscience, and convince them of their sin and danger. If the powers of medicine have been tried in vain upon a patient, and notwithstanding every suitable application, his disease increases, his case is justly considered as desperate. All that can be said of him is, that while there is life, there is a possibility that God may spare and restore. him. And this is all we can say of the old sinner, on whom all means have proved ineffectual to awaken him; and who has grown more and more stupid, and become harder under them all. The situation of such an one is truly alarming, and calls for the

compassion of every benevolent heart.-Such are in the hands of an angry God, whose laws they have long violated, and continue with stupid boldness, daily to violate whose authority they disregard, and whose mercies they live upon, and yet abuse: whose Son, they have rejected from the days of youth, and continue to reject in old age. O how shall I express my concern for them, and my sense of their danger! "Is not God angry with the wicked every day?-If he turn not, will he not whet his glittering sword-and will not his hand take hold on vengeance ?" If men shall give an account for every idle word, much more for years of sin and stupidity. How great must be that load of guilt, which has been accumulating through every day of a long life! Has not its cry long since reached unto heaven? The situation of the old sinner, under the gospel, is dangerous on several accounts; his iniquities are aggravated in a number of respects; he has long sinned against great light. It is dreadful to live wickedly among heathen, much more so, to live wickedly under the clear light of the gospel. They must be very deaf, who will not listen to the voice of reason, nor attend to the light of nature. But they must be much more so, who will not listen to the voice of revelation; who will not be influenced by all the soothing, softening, and awakening motives, which the gospel sets before them. They are in an awful condition, who are going on in sin ignorantly; but who can describe their condition, who are going down to the pit in opposition to all the instructions, calls, warnings, and promises of the gospel? And

what is peculiarly affecting in their case is, the little probability there is, that they will now listen to that instruction which they have so long disregarded. Such have the utmost reason to fear that terrible denunciation in the proverbs-a passage peculiarly applicable to aged sinners—and which will soon, without repentance, be awfully verified with respect to them. Because I have called and ye refused—I have stretched out mine hand, and no man regarded-but ye have set at nought all my counsels, and would none of my reproofs -I also will laugh at your calamity, and mock when your fear cometh; when your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind. And is it not just matter of astonishment, that such a declaration from the mouth of him, in whose favour only is life, should be no more regarded? And is it not just matter of surprise and lamentation, that the nearer the sinner approaches death, the less he is concerned about the solemn consequences? His stupidity increases with his years, until every fear and apprehension is banished from the mind of the old sinner. It is an easy thing to find old people, who will readily acknowledge, that holiness is essential to salvation-that death is certain, and they are unprepared to meet the solemn hour; and who, yet will be ready enough to tell you, their days are almost finished, and do this without the least emotion or concern. Lord what is man! It is not improbable, that some of my hearers have here met with their own character; and 'would you only consider it, you must acknowledge your case is dreadful; but, I would hope, not utterly desperate. Jesus is

mighty to save; his spirit can subdue the most inveterate habits of sin; and his grace can pardon the greatest offences. The gospel which you have hitherto despised, is full of the power of God to salvation. The blood of Jesus, on which you have so long trampled, speaks better things than that of Abel," and has virtue to cleanse those, "whose sins are as scarlet and as crimson, and to make them white as snow and as wool." You yet live, criminals condemned, but still reprieved. And by repenting and humbly throwing yourselves at the feet of divine mercy, you may escape the execution of the dreadful sentence. But if you do not, know assuredly, that wrath is coming upon you to the utmost; and you will shortly find, to your unspeakable confusion, that It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

Christ told his disciples, that it was easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle,

rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.

than for a

The dis

ciples concluded that the case of such was absolutely desperate who then can be saved? And if the same conclusion is inferred from the text-if the Ethiopian can as well change his skin, and the Leopard his spots, as the old sinner cease to do evil, and learn to do well, who then of this class can be saved? The answer of Christ to the former inquiry is equally an answer to the latter" with men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." God has, in some instances, sanctified and saved old sinners, to display the riches of his grace, and preserve old sinners, if awakened, from total despair. But it is evidently beside the