to be repaid with everlasting woe; or whether it will not be your wisdom this moment to forsake them, and, by the grace of God, choose the way to eternal life. Before we proceed, stop, and take a view of sin. Will any man but a fool "make a mock of sin," when he sees what its wages are? Is that "a madman who casteth about arrows, firebrands, and death, and saith, Am I not in sport?" He is ten thousand times more mad, who sports with sin, and laughs at that which fills hell with groans and tears. Be persuaded not to trifle, as many do, with the name of hell and damnation. Many, who cannot bear to hear these in a sermon, use them in a jesting manner, in their common discourse. This is one of Satan's ways to ruin souls. People sport with these things, till they forget their importance, and find, too late, that they are serious matters. "Who laughs at sin laughs at his Maker's frowns; "Awake then, thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light." Fly, sinner, from the "wrath to come." Escape, for thy life, look not behind thee, tarry not in all the plain, lest thou be consumed." Think, what a miserable soul in hell would give to be in thy present situation. Think, how hell would resound with joy, could the good news of salvation be preached to lost souls. Well, Sirs, they are preached to you. This day is salvation come to this house. As yet, there is hope. Christ came to deliver from the wrath to come. It may be, you were brought here at this time. for the very purpose of being warned to fly to the refuge. Christ is a mighty Saviour. Nothing is too hard for him. "Come, then, for all things are ready." If God has made you willing, depend upon it he will make you welcome. Who can tell, but instead of being fuel for everlasting burnings, it may be said of you" Is not this a brand plucked out of the fire !" We now gladly turn to the more pleasing part of our text-"but the righteous into eternal life." Who are the righteous? "There is none righteous" upon the earth, saith the scripture, "no not one"-that is in himself. A righteous man and a sinner are two contraries; to be righteous, is to keep the law perfectly, which no mere man ever did; and no fallen man can; for "all have sinned;" sin being "the transgression of the law." How then can any man, being a sinner, become righteous ? There is but one way. It is by the righteousness of Christ, put to the account of an unrighteous man. This righteousness Christ wrought out by his perfect obedience to the law. This righteousness is held out in the gospel ; and when a sinner is convinced that he wants it, and must perish without it, he comes to God for it; God gives it him; he receives it by faith, puts it on, wears it, lives and dies in it, and being "found in Christ" he is admitted, in this wedding garment, to the marriage-supper of the Lamb. The persons called "righteous" in the text had thus put on Christ; and the faith whereby they did so, wrought by love. The context shews how their faith wrought by works; they loved the Members of Christ for Christ's sake, and shewed their love to him, by helping them in their afflictions. These are the persons who go into life eternal. What is heaven? A carnal man can have no idea of it, or none but what is carnal and ridiculous. It is not a Mahometan paradise, where the lusts of the flesh may be indulged. No; "life and immortality are brought to light by the gospel ;" and there we find it consists in a complete deliverance from all the evils of the present state; and in the enjoyment of all that can render the soul perfectly and for ever happy. Need we be told that " man is born to trouble?” This is our sad, and only certain inheritance; mingled indeed, with a thousand undeserved mercies. But all the sorrows of a believer shall cease at his death. No more excessive labour and fatigue. No pinching want and poverty. No painful, irksome, loathsome diseases. The inhabitant of heaven shall not say, "I am sick." Nor shall any of the numberless sorrows of mind, we now feel, follow us to glory. We shall not suffer in our own persons, nor shall we suffer in or by our relations or friends. We shall "drop the body of sin" in the dust; and we shall no more be the grieved spectators of sin in the world. “God shall wipe away all tears from our eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying; neither shall there be any more pain, for the former things are passed away," Rev. xxi. 4. But this is not all. Our knowledge, which is now so very small, shall be wonderfully increased. It is eternal life to know God; but O, how little do we now know of him? but "the pure in heart shall see God," and know in a moment, more than all the learned could attain in many years. "We shall know, even as we are known,"-we shall have as certain, immediate, and familiar a knowledge of divine things, as any of our most intimate friends now have of us; yea, we shall know God, and Christ, and angels, in the same kind of way that they now know us; not through a glass darkly," but "face to face," as clearly and distinctly as one man beholds another when they con-verse together. But the heaven of heaven will be the pre-sence of Christ, being with Christ, and beholding his glory. This is what Christ, as Mediator, prayed for in behalf of his disciples. "Father, I will, that they also whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory," John xvii. 24. This is what Paul longed for, and wished to depart to enjoy: "I have a desire to depart and to be with Christ," Phil. i. 23. And what will render the vision of Christ so very excellent is, that แ we shall be like him, when we see him as he is"- -we shall bear his amiable and illustrious image of light and love, holiness and happiness, in our souls. Even our bodies, now vile by reason of sin, and which must soon be viler still in the corruption of the grave, shall, when raised from the dead, be made like unto his glorious body. Add to this another most desirable blessing; the constant company of the saints. Believers shall sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; with the prophets and apostles; and with all the redeemed of every nation. But what tongue can tell, what heart can conceive, what God has prepared for them that love him? APPLICATION.- -What more can be said to engage your regard to religion, than what has been now said? Life and death, blessing and cursing, heaven and hell, have been set before you. Surely "one thing is needful,” even the care of the soul. "Is there a dreadful hell?" Well; we have been warned of the danger, and advised to fly to Jesus, the only deliverer from the wrath to come. How great is the evil of sin, seeing that God will punish it in this dreadful manner! Is there a hell of eternal torment for sinners? O then be afraid of sin, however pleasant it may be. Who would drink a glass of the most delicious liquor, however thirsty he might be, if he knew that deadly poison was mixt with it? Beware then of sin, which infallibly destroys the soul, and shun it as you would shun hell. Is there a glorious heaven? We are invited to seek it. There is but one way to heaven, and Christ is that way. O what a Saviour is Jesus? Can we, who deserve hell, avoid it? Yes, glory be to him he shed his precious blood to redeem his people from it. His perfect righteousness is the only title to glory; and this righteousness is theirs, who believe in him. There must also be a fitness for this holy state, and this is the work of the Spirit. If we are found among the redeemed, we owe it to the Father's love, the Son's salvation, and the Spirit's grace. God grant that we may so hear his word at this, and at all times, that, mixing faith with it, we may profit thereby ; and growing up into Christ in all things," and "looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life," we may faithfully and diligently serve him, and our generation, according to his will; enjoy his gracious presence in all the means of grace; experience the support of his gospel in the trying hour of death; and, finally, have "abundant entrance afforded us into his everlasting kingdom and glory." Now to the God of our salvation, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, be universal and everlasting praise.-Amen. SERMON XIII. TO CHILDREN. A NEW HEART THE CHILD'S BEST PORTION. MY Ezek. xxxvi. 26. A new Heart will I give you. Y dear children, I hope you will mind what I am going to say to you. I am going to read you a sermon made on purpose for children, and made so plain, that I hope you will understand it all. I suppose you know that you have souls, which must live when you die, and must go to heaven or hell for ever. Now do you not think it is right to mind your souls, so that they may not go to hell? I know that you love to play, and it is right you should play sometimes; but you should mind something else besides play. You know there is a God that lives in heaven, and it is he who gives you meat and drink, and clothes; it is he who keeps you from being sick, and from dying; and he does this, that you may have time to think of him, and pray to him. For I would have you know, that it is a terrible thing for God to be angry with you. It is a great deal worse than for your father and mother, or master, to be angry with you. Perhaps they may beat you when they are angry: but God Almighty can cast you into hell, to be burned in the fire for ever and ever. Perhaps you will say, I hope he will not do so to me. My dear children, I hope so too; and I read this to you, that you may know how to avoid that misery, and that you may learn the way to heaven. Now Jesus Christ is the way to heaven. He came down from heaven to save us from going to hell; and he did this by suffering and dying for our sins, that we might not suffer for them ourselves; just as if one of you was going to be beat, and punished for doing wrong, and another person should, in love to you, and to keep you from being hurt, be beat in your stead, and so you escape the punishment. The first thing that must be known, in order to your being saved, is this, that you are sinners; that you have "left undone |