exclaim-Why, are you not "a minifter of God for ઠંડ good, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that "doeth evil?" Crimes, in all well-governed empires, are punished; and on their punishment much of our peace and fafety depends. Hence prifons are as neceffary as houfes, and our houfes would afford us no fecurity without prifons. What would be the confequence of the abrogation of all the penalties attached to crimes in this country but disorder, anarchy, robbe ry, and murder?

God is the governor of the world. But there is no governing without laws, and laws are nothing without fanctions; from these they derive their force and their efficacy. Laws iffued by a legislator unaccompanied with threatenings, would be harmless, and infpiring no terror would be trifled with, or confidered only as advice. Thus the notion of punishment follows from the very conftitution of law. If any fhould be ready to fay, "The cafe before us is a pe"culiar one, and laws fo excellent as thofe which "God has given us fhould be cheerfully obeyed for "their own fake." We answer, First, that man was originally made capable of fear, and that God even in a state of innocency addreffed himself to this paffion to aid his authority and fecure his dominion. Witness the threatening, "In the day that thou eat"eft thereof thou fhalt furely die." Secondly, as man is now fallen and depraved, and lives fo much under the dominion of fense, fuch a revelation of terror is become far more neceffary to check the power of appetite, and break the force of temptation. Accordingly a fentence the moft tremendous is

i

denounced against every tranfgreffor.

where it is recorded?

Do you ask

Look within thee, O man, and read it there ; read it in the trouble, the remorfe, the forebodings of thy own confcience. Why are you uneafy when any thing reminds you of the approach of Deity? Whence has fickness, a fudden death, an opening grave, fuch power to alarm you? Why are you unwilling to be alone, and why do you require a fucceffion of bufinefs and diverfion to maintain your tranquillity? Are not these things more frequently your refuge than your choice? And are you not fearful to leave any hour unfilled up, left a faithful monitor, finding you difengaged, fhould afford you employment? Why are you uneafy, not only for the time, but for weeks and months after the contraction of the guilt? Why are you uneafy, not only when you are difcovered, but when no eye fees you? Why are you uneafy, not only when you have expofed yourselves to the penalty of civil law, but when you have committed crimes for which you are amenable to no earthly tribunal? What judge, what prifon is it you then dread? Why do you not shake off these terrors and be a man? Why do you fuffer them to follow youinto folitude and into company? Turn and frown them back, and fuffer your peace of mind to be no longer disturbed. Ah! it is in vain to argue against a truth which depends not only on reafoning but sentiment; and to annihilate a principle interwoven in human nature by the finger of God. Where is it recorded?

Examine the history of mankind, and read it there. See it in the Expulfion of yonder happy Pair from Paradife; in the Flood which destroyed the world of

the ungodly; in the Fire and Brimstone which confumed the cities of the plain. Go, and read it infcribed on the Pillar of Salt, and engraven on the arms rolled to the fhore of the Red Sea. View it in the defolations of a People hated and scattered, once the favourites of Heaven; view it in every calamity, in every disease, in every death. Where is it recorded? Open the Bible, and perufe it there. There you read that the foul that finneth it fhall die. There the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all unrighteousness and ungodliness of men. Sometimes it is expreffed in fimple terms, and more frequently in figurative language. Sometimes a little of it is dif tinctly specified, but often the whole is left in dreadful obfcurity. Sometimes we fee the curfe coming to meet the finner, and beginning his mifery here; but more generally we are led forward to eternity; for the present is only a ftate of trial, the future is a world of retribution; here we only fow, there we shall reap; the fentence is already denounced, but the infliction is commonly long fufpended. This is the

Here how

II. Divifion of our fubject. Sentence against an evil work is NOT SPEEDILY EXECUTED. ever we wish to obferve, That there is no uncertainty as to its final accomplishment; it is taken for granted that it will be executed. "God is not a man that "he fhould lie, or the fon of man that he should re66 pent hath he said, and fhall he not do it? or hath "he spoken, and fhall he not make it good ?" "Heav"en and earth shall pass away, but my word fhall not

pafs away." It may be alfo remarked, That he

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does not always defer the execution of the fentence. Men have perifhed even in their crimes. Witnefs the deftruction of Corah and his company. The feprofy of Gehazi. The death of Ananias and Sapphira. And what has happened to one may befal another.

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But the language of the wife man agrees with the general proceedings of the Supreme Being. With much long-fuffering he endures the provocations of the ungódly, and delays from day to day and from year to year the wrath which they have deferved. He is flow to anger, and punishes with reluctance. Judgment is his ftrange work. Patience is one of the diftinguifhing glories of his character. It is often ascribed to him in Scripture; and the exercife of it appears in numberless and undeniable inftances. The old world was warned an hundred and twenty years before the flood came, and took them all away. Four hundred years He fuffered the Amorites to fill up the measure of their iniquities. Forty years long was he grieved with the Jews in the wildernesfs. If we take the 'hifto

ry of this people ages after, we hear the God of Patience in language the most exquifitely tender faying, "How shall I give thee up, Ephraim ? how shall I de"liver thee, O Ifrael? How fhall I make thee as ad"mah? how fhall I fet thee as Zeboim ? Mine heart is "turned within me, my repentings are kindled togeth“er.” And are not you, are not ALL of you examples? Can you confider the time of your provocation; the number of your offences; the aggravations of your iniquities; and not fay with wonder and admiration, "It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not confumed, "because his compaffions fail not?" Let us take

fome particular views of this difpenfation, that we may discover the principles from which it springs, and the purposes which it is defigned to answer.

We are obviously intended for a focial ftate; but the intercourse we are required to maintain with our fellow-creatures expofes us to innumerable provocations and offences; and the effects of fudden and uncontrouled refentments would be fatal to ourselves and others. Hence we are commanded to be "flow to "wrath ;" and to be "patient towards all men." And in this forbearance God places himself before us as our example. He teaches us a divine leffon of meekness and kindness; and calls upon us to cherish that gentleness which is not easily provoked, and to reprefs those pasfions which would impel us to revenge. "Therefore "is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain "king, which would take account of his fervants. "And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought "unto him which owed him ten thousand talents : "but forafmuch as he had not to pay, his lord com"manded him to be fold, and his wife and children, “and all that he had, and payment to be made. The "fervant, therefore, fell down, and worfhipped him, faying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay "thee all. Then the lord of that servant was moved "with compaffion, and loofed him, and forgave him "the debt. But the fame fervant went out, and found ❝ one of his fellow-fervants, which owed him an hun"dred pence; and he laid hands on him, and took "him by the throat, faying, Pay me that thou owest. "And his fellow-fervant fell down at his feet, and be"fought him, faying, Have patience with me, and I

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