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Hence we find the people of old complaining, that they had fafted, and afflicted their fouls, yet God had not taken notice of them; at which they feem not a little difpleased; but the Lord gives a fpeedy answer:-Behold, Ye faft for ftrife and debate, and to fmite with the fift of wickedness. Is not this the fast that I have chofen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppreffed go free, and that ye break every yoke? Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are caft out to thy house? when thou feeft the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou bide not thyself from thine own flefb?—If thou draw out thy foul to the hungry, and fatisfy the afflicted foul; then fhall thy light rife in obscurity, and thy darkness be as the noon-day. Now a hard, unfeeling heart argues the want of the love of God: For whofo hath this world's good, and feeth his brother hath need, and shutteth up his bowels of compaffion from him, how dwelleth the love of Ged in him? Therefore let it be obferved, we must bring forth the fruits of righteousness, or there is little reason to think that we have the root of the matter within us. Let

mens' judgment be what they may, pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this, To vifit the fatherlefs and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.

5. I ADD one description more of perfons included in the text, namely,-Such as have turned from the holy commandment; who have put their hand to the plow, but have looked back, and are therefore unfit for the kingdom of God.

* Ifa. lviii. 4-6, 7-10. ↑ John iii. 17. Jam. i. 27.

For

For it had been better for these not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them*. But, alas! alas! these are twice dead, plucked up by the roots, † and, therefore, fit fuel for devouring flames. He that defpifed Moses" law died without mercy, under two or three witnesses: Of how much forer punishment, juppose ye, shall he be thought wortly, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was fanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace? ‡

5. THIS, indeed, is the highest degree of apoftafy a man can be guilty of, and is, I apprehend, what our Lord calls, the fin against the Holy Ghoft. We may draw back to perdition, though we do not formally and fpitefully renounce Chrift; and, therefore, let him that thinketh he ftandeth, take heed left he fall. If, therefore, thou art a branch of the living vine, fee that thou abide therein; or hear what he fays,-If a man abide not in me, he is caft forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and caft them into the fire, and they are burned ||.

THESE, then, fhall go away into everlafting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels.

III. LET these thoughts imprefs deep seriousness upon the inind. Eternal damnation is no trifling matter, and it coft the Lord of Glory no fmall share of agony and diftrefs to procure our redemption. He bowed the heavens, and came down, and was made in the likeness of finful

* 2 Pet. ii. 21.
Heb. x. 28, 29.

† Jude xii.
John xv. 6.

finful flesh-bore our fins, and carried our forrows-was tempted by devils, fcorred of men, fmitten by his Father, ftooped to the gloomy receffes of the grave for human offences; and fhall it all be flighted-accounted nothing-trifles preferred to the infinite merit thereof? God forbid. Rather let my right hand forget its cunning, than I should thus flight the dying love of my Lord and Saviour!

2. TAKE care of adopting any fyftem, many of which there are now, which may explain away the Torments

of Hell. God has revealed it to us in awful terms, and we

ought to be very careful how we give our Maker the lie, as that is a real fource of infidelity. The Apostle could fay,-Knowing the terror of the Lord, we perfuade men *. He affures us that he will come in flaming fire, taking vengeance of fuch as know not God, and that obey not the Gospel of our Lord Jefus Chrift: Who fhall be punished with everlafting deftruction from the prefence of the Lord, and from the glory of bis power. These awful teftimonies are perfectly confiftent with the text, and, therefore, fhould be deeply impreffed upon the mind.

3. TAKE care of infidel thoughts, and infidel company and conversation—all of which serve the cause of Satan, and are calculated to draw the mind into perdition and deftruction. Indeed, infidel principles unavoidably lead to infidel practices, and very rapidly fteel the confcience against conviction; fo that reproof has no effect at all. And he that, being often reproved, hardeneth his neck, fhall fuddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy. Concerning

fuch

#2 Cor. v. II.

† 2 Thef. i. 8, 9.

fuch a one our Lord may fay, Let him alone, and then the measure of his iniquity is nearly filled up, and the man is given up to a reprobaec mind.

4. KEEP faith and a good conscience, so shall you be kept from falling. By faith we fland-by faith the heart is purified by faith the world is overcome, and Satan finally conquered. Such a one is fure to keep a confcience void of offence, for that is the nature of faith; as it leads to God, fo it will excite the foul to follow the Lamb-to tread in his fteps, to trace his bright example, and renounce the world; fo fhall we escape the Damnation of Hell, being made happy partakers of a Divine Refurrection, the second death shall have no power over us--but we shall be more than conquerors-through the glorious Captain of our Salvation!

SERMON

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The Beatific Vifion;

Or, JOYS of HEAVEN.

MATT. xxv. 46.

But the righteous into life eternal.

HE laft difcourfe was upon that awful topic, the

THE

Torments of the Damned; a subject which makes me to fhudder, even the bare poffibility of never-ending mifery. It is a fubject which I find no fatisfaction in mufing upon, no delight in speaking upon; and, if the Scriptures were not fo explicit and clear upon that head, I could, very freely, give into their scheme-who believe that infernal mifery will affuredly have an end. But, let God be true, and every man a liar, who dares to contradict the Lip of Truth. Let no one run the risk of everlafting burnings upon fo daring a prefumption, as to think that God will falfify his own awful declaration. I now change that dreadful topic for that which is the most delightful of all, namely, Life eternal. Life eternal!How pleafing is the idea! An end of all forrow, pain, temptation, dangers, and difficulties-and an admission

into

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