are well founded, the gospel would indeed be liable to the charge which is frequently brought against it. Instead of teaching men to live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world, it would then teach them to indulge with impunity in every enormity. But as I have already shown that the tendency of the gospel is the very reverse of this, producing good fruits in all that receive it, so I shall now show that it denounces wrath against all the workers of iniquity.

In the following passage, after showing the plan of salvation proclaimed in the gospel, the apostle shows also that the same gospel denounces wrath against every species of evil. "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, the just shall live by faith. For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath showed it unto them."-Rom. i. 16-19. Let all who revile the plan of salvation through faith in the atonement, as an encouragement to sin, attend to this awful denunciation. The doctrine that denounces this wrath, is the gospel, which is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth. It is that good news that declares that sinners are saved from punishment by the belief of the report that contains this declaration. It is that gospel that makes sinners righteous without works, "for therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith." Yet, though it makes the ungodly righteous by faith, it gives no countenance to those who continue in sin, On the contrary, it reveals the wrath of God from heaven against them. How long will you, then, daring sinners— how long will you provoke God by blasphemously calumniating his gospel? Will you persist in charging it with consequences which it abhors? Like the false witnesses who accused Jesus, you pervert his words, and charge them with a meaning which they do not bear. You say the doctrine of salvation through faith gives a

licence to sin; the gospel that declares this doctrine says, on the contrary, that wrath is revealed from heaven against all sin. Let those also who hope for impunity by the death of Christ, though they persist in sin, attend to this declaration. You acknowledge that you are bad, and very bad, but you hope for mercy for Christ's sake. Do you hope that God will lie? Do you believe the Scriptures? If this passage is the word of God, how can you be saved, persisting in sin? If the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, as, according to your own confession, you are ungodly and unrighteous, how shall you escape? God's mercy through Christ saves the ungodly and the unrighteous; but such as receive God's report of this mercy are changed by the power of his Spirit, through the truth which they believe. They are turned from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God. There is nothing for you in the Scriptures but wrath. Christ's death has atoned for the sins only of such as believe in him; and all who believe in him are sanctified through the truth. Christ's death will then only aggravate your condemnation. For this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and you have loved darkness rather than light, because your deeds are evil. It will be more tolerable for the people of Sodom and Gomorrah, of Tyre and Sidon, in the day of judgment, than for you. You have heard the proclamation of mercy, and the denunciation of wrath against sin, yet you make that very proclamation a pretence for continuing in sin. Your damnation then is just. Look, then, look, my friends, to the blood of Jesus, believe the gospel, and turn from your iniquities. It is your ignorance of the gospel that makes you cherish these vain hopes. A condemned criminal may as well expect mercy from the sentence of his condemnation, as for you to expect mercy for the sake of Christ, while you persist in your sins. Unless you change your minds, you shall perish: you shall perish as sure as the Scriptures are the word of God. Some of you may be deceiving yourselves, by your regularity, or your general deportment. You may think there is no great fear of your condemnation, as

you are not guilty of those sins that are generally accounted the most enormous. If you drink more than you ought to do, you do not swear, nor commit other excesses. If you swear, you have no harm in your minds, and you are free from other evils that appear to you more heinous. But, my friends, attend to this declaration of God: "For the wrath of God is revealed against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men." Wrath, you see, is here said to be revealed, not only against some enormous sins, but against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men. Eternal condemnation is the award of the smallest sin. You will reply, how then dost thou expect to be saved? Art thou guilty of no sin ? I have many times answered this question in the course of this work, and will briefly reply to it again. The wages of every sin is death; but, for all that believe, Jesus has received that wages: though, then, the least of the sins of his people would be sufficient for their condemnation, yet all their sins shall not condemn them. Though they are daily conscious of evil in themselves, yet they allow it not. It is not their delight, but their sorrow. You love sin, and avoid it, in the instances in which you do avoid it, only for fear of punishment. The believer avoids it, not merely for this reason, but also because he knows God hates it. If, then, it is true that the wrath of God is revealed against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, what shall become of the great bulk of the world? Is there indulgence to no sins? Will nothing be overlooked? Turn you, then, turn you, ye millions that bear the Christian name, turn you from your refuges of lies, and fly for refuge to the hope that is set before you in the gospel. It is in the atonement of Jesus alone, you can find what will screen you in the day of God's vengeance. His blood only can wash away all your sins. Can anything further be necessary to show you that the gospel denounces wrath to the workers of iniquity? I shall, without any particular application, merely refer to a few of those passages which contain a specification of some of those works, against the workers of which the Scriptures denounce punishment.

-1 Cor. vi. 9-10; Gal. v. 19-21; Eph. v. 3-6; Rev. xxi. 8; Mat. xxv. 24-30-41.

you

If these are the irrevocable statutes of God, what a dreadful calendar shall there be on the day of judgment? Men and brethren, is it so, that vengeance is denounced against all persons of such characters? Ye thousands, then, that bear one or other of these characters, will you not awake from your sleep? Will you inconsistently profess to believe the Scriptures, yet hope for impunity? What way have you prepared to escape the punishment denounced against you? What answer are you prepared to make to your Judge? Are you able to arrest judgment? Can you contend with the arm of Omnipotence? Do you hope that God will not execute the sentence which his word has denounced? Do expect that, at least, you will then repent, and that God will surely hear your prayers and have compassion on your tears? You think he will never drive into destruction miserable creatures crying for mercy. But listen to his own word-Mat. xiii. 41, 42, 49, 50. Did he compassionate the poor foolish virgins who knocked for admission after the door was shut? Did he hear their prayers? No; he replies-Mat. xxv. 10-12. In vain, then, you hope for compassion on the day of judgment. Now is the accepted time, now is the day of salvation. To-day if you will hear his voice, harden not your hearts. There is mercy now for all that look to the blood of Jesus Christ. But in that day, he will lay righteousness to the line, &c. How inconsistent are the objections of men against the gospel of Christ. Many who have thought that the doctrine of salvation through faith in the atonement, without respect to works of law, is an encouragement to sin, would, I doubt not, be as ready to say that this is too strict. The same persons will at one time revile the gospel as giving a sanction to sin, and at another, as unreasonably severe, making no allowances for the frailty of humanity. Their plan of salvation is neither by the righteousness of faith, nor by the perfect righteousness of works, but by as much good works as each thinks that himself possesses. It is God's wisdom alone that clears the sinner, yet condemns all

sin; that saves solely by the work of another, yet produces good works in those who are saved; that denounces punishment against all sin, yet rescues the guilty from punishment..

THE profession of the gospel subjects men to many peculiar hardships. All who follow Jesus are hated, ridiculed, and slandered. They are accounted the offscourings of all things-scarcely entitled to the common privileges of humanity. Even in countries where universal liberty of conscience is guaranteed by the laws, they suffer persecution in various ways, according to the divine declaration—“ Yea all that live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution." Enlightened

views of policy may screen them in some countries from the rack, the scaffold and the prison; but in all countries they are hated for Christ's sake, and violence will sometimes overstep law to do them injury. In all ages, in all countries, it is true that "the world knoweth us not because it knew him not." "Ye are not of the world, therefore the world hateth you." The Christian must in his measure be conformed to his Master, who was perfected through sufferings, and who bore the insults and injuries of the world that lieth in the wicked one. Whosoever, then, will be his disciple must take up his cross and follow him. He must encounter trials of the most painful and mortifying kind; and submit to be accounted a fool for Christ's sake. He must not regard property, relations, life, character, when they stand in way of obedience to his heavenly Master. No man can be Christ's disciple who will not obey him at the risk of every thing dear on earth.

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