Christ, as delivering them from the wrath to come, if they neither believe the reality of that wrath, nor feel that they are justly obnoxious to it! In truly humbling the mind, and bringing it to a hearty acquiescence in the justice of the divine decrees herein; and in deeply impressing this same awful truth, lies no small part of that work of God's Holy Spirit, which "casteth down imaginations and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God." But when men begin really to think of the subject, what enmity, what hardness of heart, what pride, what impatience is felt in the soul! Perhaps, did the passions and prejudices of men stand as much in their way, on the point of eternal happiness, it might be found that they really believe as little of life eternal as they do of everlasting punishment. Yet whether they believe it or not, both are described by the same lips of unerring Truth in one verse," These shall go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into life eternal." But men have no objection to be eternally happy, though little knowing in what that happiness consists; and when something of its real excellent nature is laid before them, they are ready to call it foolishness; so far are they from believing what is revealed concerning it.

To a man wedded to his vices, what a prodigious, but false relief is it to think,-if he can persuade himself to think so,—that it is possible he may shun the worm that dieth not, and the fire that shall not be quenched. Under this notion how does the depraved spirit feel itself at ease in a course of sin! How charitable, and noble, and liberal does this

plan seem, which delivers a man from slavish fear of punishment, and allows him to practise sin without terror, though it insults the majesty and holiness of God! Then he has attained what many call, true liberty of soul. How in our times has this spirit grown to its height! If the depression and contempt of the Clergy were the only bad consequence of it, we ought to bear them with patience. But precious souls are, in this way, ruined to eternity. For let it be remembered that our Saviour in Mark ix, six times expressly asserts the eternity of Hell torments; and thence infers the duty and necessity of cutting off the hand and foot, and plucking out the eye that offends. If it be not true, what shall we say of him who has told us so? Poor wretched sinner, thy hope of being saved in thy sins is vain; as vain, as it is to hope that Christ, the eternal Truth, shall prove false in what he has said! Despair then of this hope, and seek, through His grace, to mortify thy vices.

3. And here I am led to consider the third source of information; the nature of things. What does this shew? Could men live so dissolutely and so carelessly through life, if they fully believed a future judgment, and the plainest fundamental truths? Men, however wicked, love their own interest. Could they live so boldly in sin, if they did not hope, in one way or other, to escape the wrath to come? How they are moved in temporal cases of gain or loss is plain. And though some will go on in a course of vice with the probable prospect of temporal ruin before them, yet they are not quite certain of this ruin: they flatter

themselves with hopes of escaping. But if men really believed the word of God, there could be no hope of escaping, not the smallest hope, not a shadow of possibility, because God is true. I cannot account then for their easy course of wickedness but from this cause: They do not believe that God will punish them eternally in hell: They hope he will prove a liar. And, as enough has been said to shew the commonness of this evil of unbelief, we are prepared to show,

4. The power of true faith. He, who would learn it, may now see the serious need he has of it on account of the corrupt propensity of human nature. And, as the poisonous effect of unbelief is plain, the wholesome effect of faith is as plain also. If there be a man here present who has felt the subject, and is discouraged at the difficult prospect of attaining true godliness and virtue, I say not to him, "Make strong resolutions to be good," and there end the business; but I would seriously warn him to take heed of an evil heart of unbelief, and assure him, that by overcoming that, and learning to believe, he will surmount all difficulties, cut the knot, and find success in his pursuits hereafter. Oh! Brethren, let faith be learnt, and faith will do wonders. Hear you what Christ says, "All things are possible to him that believeth." cometh to me shall never hunger, and he that believeth on me shall never thirst." That, which many consider as Christian faith, and content themselves with, can never be the principle to which so great things in Scripture are ascribed, and therefore deserves not the name. To overcome the

"He that

world, to quench the fiery darts of the devil, to purify the heart, and work by love,-this is what Christian faith does. Nay, the Christian is said to live by faith, to stand by faith. Christ dwells in his heart by faith. He waits for the hope of righteousness by faith, receives the promise of the Spirit through faith, and, through the same Spirit, mortifies the deeds of the body. Can it be said then, that a man living in fornication, covetousness, profaneness, the neglect of all Christian duties and virtues, is a believer? Nay, suppose a man to live reputably and decently, but after the manner of the world; without communion with God, and without any love of him felt in his heart, or expressed in his life, so that neither in his family, nor business, nor conversation, he shows any reverence to God or devout affections-can it be said that this man is a believer? Impossible. All that can be said for his faith is, that he assents to the Christian religion in general. He never doubted of it, because he never seriously considered its nature.

Let such a man now begin to examine himself whether he be in the faith; and he is so far from a vital union with Christ, and the experience of forgiveness by his blood, and the renewal of his nature by the Holy Spirit, that there is great reason to question whether he truly and thoroughly believes the general truths revealed in Scripture. Does such a man, for instance, thoroughly believe that there is a life after this, either of eternal bliss or misery, a resurrection and a future judgment as described in Scripture? How comes he then to be so easy and careless night after night to lie down to

sleep, and not be afraid that he shall be in Hell before the morning light? For I must allow that, though the man is not a Christian believer, he has yet common sense, and knows therefore that it is possible he may die before the morning light. Yet he fears not the wrath of God, though he has no solid grounds at all to expect he shall be happy if he die in his present state. Yet see how anxious and eager he is about the world; how full of expectation about little trifles, about family affairs, about success in business. And with good reason, says he, my comfort in life, and the support of my family depend upon my success in business. The word FAMILY serves for a decent pretence to encourage or excuse his worldly spirit; for, it is fully evident, that those, who are in the same state of irreligion, are just as anxious and eager for the world, though they have no family, nor perhaps any person on earth whom they much care for. Indeed some show but too plainly that they care little for any person but themselves.

Is he then, whose head and heart are so full of this world, and so empty of God and the things of a future life, a true believer? Impossible. And recollect, when you begin, through convictions of conscience, and the wholesome strivings of God's Spirit, to be now and then somewhat alarmed; to pray on certain occasions, especially in great trouble or fear of death; how soon these alarms are apt to vanish; how easily you return to your former worldly cares and thoughtlessness of eternity. The fact is, you hardly believe the great truths of another life at all; you cannot keep up the serious