took upon him the punishment and iniquities of us all, that all who repent and believe might be redeemed from the curfe due to fin. From the exceeding great evil of fin and the unchange able conftitution of the divine law to punifh it, made it neceffary that the captain of our falvation fhould become perfect through fufferings.

Hence it is of the highest importance, that we fhould per. ceive and feel some degree of the odiousness of fin, from which all genuine humiliation, contrition and repentance originate. In proportion to the fenfe we have of the vilenefs and turpitude of iniquity will be the meltings, forrow and brokenness of heart for the fame. If this fenfible feeling of the evil of fin be wanting, we remain deftitute of every meetnefs for the friendship of God, according to the gospel. If this be prefent, it breaks the proudest and moft unrelenting heart into the tenderness of contrition, and infpires it with the love of God and Chrift Jefus.

Secondly, from hence we infer that the eternal punishment of finally impenitent finners is abfolutely certain. The text The and whole doctrine irrefragibly confirm this inference. punishment of finners is not an arbitrary act, but arifes from the holiness of the divine nature, the perfection of the law, the intrinfic demerit of fin, and the nature and reafon of things. If the infliction of mifery was an arbitrary or capricious act, there might be hope of an escape, for caprice is always a changing and unfteady principle, and there is no fuch thing with God.

This fhould awaken all to flee from the wrath to come. Let all who are at cafe in Zion confider the horror of their fituation, while impenitent and unbelieving. You must affuredly perish without a faving closure with Jefus of Nazareth. How inconceivable and indefcribable the nature of fin, which renders it neceffary, that the God of compaffion and love should

hate and punish us forever. He has no pleasure in this unhappy business, objectively confidered; he cannot afflict willingly, but it arifes from the holy propriety and beauty of vindicating the luftre of his character, magnifying the excellency of his law, and rendering it honorable in the view of all intelligences.

Thirdly, it appears from this fubject that God is tranfcendantly amiable, not only in himself, but in all the branches of his administration. "He is righteous in all his ways and holy "in all his works." He is as equally lovely in the pain and affliction of tranfgreffors, as in the difpenfations of his mercy and goodness. His prefent conduct toward the disorderly inhabitants of this world, in all the calamities retailed upon them, is no diminution of his lovelinefs in itself, nor in the view of faints or holy beings. Sinners, it is true, form a different opinion, as their whole minds and conduct are perverse, and they declare that their diftreffes are arguments of rigour and feverity; this boils up the enmity of their hearts, and they cannot think with patience of a God of punitive juftice. But could they fee their own hearts, they would rife as much against the sweet and amiable parts of the divine character as any other, for the whole of God, his laws and government, are the objects of their hatred. Not fo with holy beings; all that is in God is lovely in their eyes, his judgments, wrath and vengeance, as well as his compaffion, mercy and love. All heaven above and faints below unite, faying, "Righteous art thou, O "Lord, and upright are thy judgments. The Lord is good "and he doth good continually."

Fourthly, we infer, there can be no ground for murmuring and repining againft God. All these heart burnings, heart rifings, and hard thoughts, are perfectly unreafonable and unjuft. However common they were with Ifrael of old, and fill are with us, and however prevalent in all ages, they are

entirely unfounded. There is no caufe for them either in the nature or perfections of God, but all these base exercises arise from the blindnefs, wickedness, and perverfion of our own fouls. We have none to blame but ourselves. Hence the heart of man is desperately wicked. If we could once be reduced to acquit and vindicate God and take all blame upon ourselves, this would fhed around us gleams of hope.

Wherefore from the forbearance, patience and unwillingness of God to afflict or grieve the children of men, let us from these strong arguments be induced to humble ourselves, repent and turn from all our iniquities. Let us be exhorted to fly into the arms of a bleeding Saviour. Let us not tarry a moment in the tents of fin, left the everlasting doors should be fhut.

Ea

SERMON XXI.

The Precioufnefs of the Soul.

Pfalms, xlix. 8. For the Redemption of their Soul is Precieus, and it ceafeth forever.

OUR existence is not confined to this ftate, neither our happiness or misery. We are all capable of, and formed for an eternal duration. And this interminable duration will be filled up with perfect felicity or perfect mifery. When death fhall have performed his office and put a period to our present existence, we will have a full experience of this most solemn truth. Whatever may be our condition at this concluded moment of the prefent exiflence, that will be our condition throughout eternity. All change and deliverance after this event, has impoflibility fealed upon it. This is ordained in the eternal nature of things, and in the immutable decrees of heaven. "As the tree falls fo it must lie. There is no work, "labour, wisdom, or device in the grave whereunto we are "haftening." A fhort time, and we fhall all know, and faints. and funners will prove, the truth of the account of the eternal world. We must quickly pafs into, and feel in our fouls the

joys of Paradife, or torments of the infernal regions. One or the other of thefe conditions await each of us, we draw near, we haften towards them as fast as moments fly. The last mo ment will foon be here, and when it comes, we must pass into eternity prepared or unprepared. No circumftances can pro cure us a moments ftay. We may plead the dreadfulness of our condition, and cry for a fufpenfion of the stroke of death, We may groan with the most dolorous importunity, for the mercy of another day or hour; but in vain. We must pass to be swallowed up immediately and forever in the felicities of Seraphs or forrows of the damned.

In what a folemn point of view does this doctrine fet the eternal world? How precious and invaluable does it render our present time, as the only feafon of preparation for it? What high conviction does it afford of the wifdom, impor. tance and neceflity of feeking the falvation of our immortal fouls? And how clearly does it fhow the extreme folly and madness of hefitating, or being unwilling to fubmit to any la bour or self denial, that may be requifite to obtain the redemption of them from everlasting misery?

This is the doctrine on which the difcourfe of the Pfalmift in our text is founded. He is fhowing the vanity of all worldly things as a ground of confidence and truft in the day of death. Wealth or riches cannot fupport a man at that tremendous period. They cannot purchase or effect the continuance of his life. They can give him no relief, nor afford him deliverance. "They that truft in their wealth, or boast them... "felves in the multitude of their riches, none of them by any "means can redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom "for him, that he fhould ftill live forever, and not fee corrup"tion." The special reafon is affigned in our text, why riches cannot purchase life or redeem from death. "For the re"demption of the foul is precious, and it ceafeth forever."