by one to condemnation, and yet will you cleave to that old, barren, corrupted tree which yields neither holiness here nor happiness hereafter? Do you believe the living God when he declares, "as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse By the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight," and yet will you deliberately remain under its bonds? Is the house in flames over your heads and yet no anxiety about escaping? Do the lightnings blaze around you and yet no enquiry after a shelter from the storm: Are you bound fast in chains, the prisoners of indignant justice, without the least concern for deliverance? "The captive exile hasteneth that he may be loosed, that he may not die in the pit, neither that his bread should fail," and will you, can you remain unconcerned in all the horrors of your natural estate? Is there no balm in Gilead, is there no physician there that you thus languish and perish in your diseases? "Behold! I bring you good tidings of great joy which shall be unto all people, for unto you is born a Saviour, even Christ the Lord." Through his undertaking as the second Adam, the Lord from heaven, all the injuries sustained by the first Adam are fully repaired. Did the former violate the law and come short of the glory of God; by the second it is magnified and made infinitely honorble, Did the first enta condemna

tion and death on all his natural offspring, "he that believeth on the second hath everlasting life, and shall not enter into condemnation." Did the first by transgression forfeit the favor and fellowship of God, the second is revealed as the way, and the truth and the life,and all who enter in by him shall be saved. How reviving the thought, he has made peace by the blood of his cross.

Here the cloud which blackened over our devoted heads suddenly evanishes, and a ray of hope beams upon the sickening eye, cheers the drooping spirit. It is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, infinitely, infinitely worthy of immediate acceptation, as it secures reconciliaton with an offended God, imparts peace to the awakened conscience, and joy to the disconsolate heart, "that Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners. He is the end of the law for righteousness," will you not acquiesce in this law as fulfilled by his obedience and sacrifice? He proclaims liberty to the lawful captives, will you refuse that freedom which he has procured, procured at the expence of his own blood? He has brought in everlasting righteousness, will you deliberately reject this immaculate, this immortal robe? Come, fellow-sinners, as you are; come without any delay and cordially receive that Saviour who is asking admission into your hearts: Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and all the blessings of salvation shall

be yours; pardon shall be yours, for there is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus: adoption shall be yours, for those who are naturally afar off become nigh by the blood of Jesus Christ; reconciliation shall be yours, for we are accepted in the beloved; we are reconciled to God by the death of his son eternal glory shall be yours, because "he that believeth in the son hath everlasting life. The spirit and the bride say come; let him that heareth come; let him that is a thirst come; and whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely." AMEN.

SERMON IV.

Death the just and natural consequence of sin.

ROMANS, v. 12.

"AND DEATH BY SIN."

YOUR meditations were direc

ted, on the last Lord's day, to the preceding clause of this verse, by one man sin entered into the world; we then attempted to confirm the scriptural doctrine, the doctrine maintained by the protestant churches throughout the world, of our representation in Adam, and consequently of our immediate concern in his transgression; that when he disobeyed and fell, we, as represented by him, necessarily disobeyed and fell; that by the offence of this one man judgment has passed upon all men to condemnation: We also attempted to vindicate the justice of God in that part of his procedure, by shewing that the appointment of Adam to be the representative of his posterity was not only reasonable, but calculated to promote their real interest.

From the passage now chosen for discussion, we are led to consider the direful consequences of this transgression; and death by sin. But the subject is utterly beyond our research; it inconceivably sur

t

passes what the pen of mortals is capable of unfolding, or the mind of mortals is capable of comprehending. To exhibit in its full extent the awful import of this monosyllable DEATH would be to recount all the miseries which have, like a mighty torrent, overflown our world nearly six thousand years; it would be to represent all the wretchedness which this moment tortures the unnumbered millions of the human family; all that some are now enduring from exquisite disease, others from nakedness and hunger, others from horror of conscience, others from the loss of connexions dearer than their lives, refusing to be comforted because they are not; others from the burning sun of a southern, others from the freezing cold of a northern region: These are all streams from that fathomless fountain which was opened by our transgression in Adam, and do not make up the ten thousandth part of the miseries which it issues forth; to unfold the full meaning of this DEATH would require us to survey the regions of hell, and to represent the sufferings of the damned through the ceaseless ages of eter nity to come; the gnawings of that worm which never dieth, and the tormenting fury of those flames which shall never be quenched: To these we must also add all that wrath which was endured by the infinite Surety from his cradle to his cross. He was delivered for our offences: He suffered for