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these: experience will soon tell you, if the very sight of your difficult undertaking hath not prevailed, that you are not sufficient for these things. By and by, you will join the universal cry of man impotent to good: "Miserable creature that I am, who shall deliver me?"

Thus you may be assured that you are unable to frame your heart again to the temper of a creature. And yet, if this be not done, you must remain unfit for God, and incapable of happiness. Miserable creature, indeed! Sorely beset with evils! A dishonourer of God, and incapable of rendering back his injured glory! An alien from him, in whose presence is life, through the defilement of thy soul; and yet unable to recover that purity which can alone make thee meet for his presence, were he disposed to remit to thee all the demands which his forfeited honour hath upon thee!-Miserable man! what will the end of these things be? Almost I know not how to aggravate thy misery any more. What will the end of these things be? Thou dishonourer of God, thou slave of sin, how wilt thou escape the wrath to come? How avert that punishment which the glory of the heavenly Majesty is concerned to inflict; a state which the perverse wickedness of thy heart makes thee only fit for? Both the one and the other, the dishonour done by thee to God, and the unfitness of thy soul for his presence, alarm thee with apprehensions of an everlasting condition of misery, under the divine displeasure. And now, therefore, I add,

wages

Thirdly, If you will heal the breach made by your sins between God and you, you must satisfy the demands of his infinite justice; but this you cannot any other way, than by enduring his vengeance. You know how express and absolute God's justice is; it claims the last mite, either in obedience or punishment:-" Cursed is he that confirmeth not all the words of this law, to do them." The irreversible decree of God through the universe is, "The of sin is death.' In consequence of this immoveable purpose of the Almighty, angels have been "cast down to hell, and delivered into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment." Sinners, and authors of sin as they are, they are unable now for ever to render back to God the glory they have despoiled him of; ever unable to regain the angelic purity of nature they have forfeited, they remain for ever the objects of vengeance, and are set forth for an example of justice. And tell me, my brother, thou and I have stricken hands with sin; wherewithal shall we satisfy justice, and avert a like suffering of vengeance? We have sinned, we have done wickedly; and we cannot undo what we have done.

Our sins that we have committed stand fast for ever, and for ever are the objects of that infinite justice and wrath, which doth not let sin go unpunished. We cannot avoid justice, because we cannot recall our days, and undo the sin that we have done. What thinkest thou didst thou not forget God, and set up to please thyself? This thou ownest. But may not what is now said of thee, be equally

alleged against thee ten thousand ages hence, that thou didst sin against God, by this very forgetfulness and apostacy from him? That God created the heavens and the earth, is as true now, and will be so eternally, as it was on that glorious moment when God spake the word, and they were made," when "he commanded, and they were created." Just so of thy sins; now, and eternally, they lie against thee, and evermore call for justice and vengeance. One of these two things remains, either to undo what thou hast done, or to fall under the hand of justice. And since thou canst not attempt the one, be assured the other waits for thee.

Nay, but for any thing thou canst do to the contrary, thou wilt always continue sinful; and therefore, not for thy past only, but for thy present iniquity, thou must be for ever the immediate object of justice and wrath. The sinfulness of Satan this moment, as much challenges the justice and indignation of God, as did his first war in heaven, when his place was not found any more there; and as long as he remains the evil spirit he is, which he will do for ever, the like continuation of justice and displeasure shall light upon him, as a present, as well as an old apostate.

See now the issue of the whole. God is ready to do himself justice upon you, and to vindicate his glory, in your eternal punishment. While you also, now and eternally unable to quit your sinfulness, are eternally unfit for his presence, and will eternally remain the object of his immediate justice and vengeance.

Say, then, vain man, where are thy hopes sunk? What is become of that confident boasting? which way canst thou save thyself? For ought thou canst do, thou hast no other expectation but "judgment, and fiery indignation." Would God thou wert well aware of this thy deplorable, helpless state! Then I should bring to thee glad tidings indeed, in the offers of mercy obtained for, and proposed to thee, in Jesus Christ, our only Lord and Saviour.

And truly, as we are never so near glory and immortality, as when we are struggling with death, and sorely beset in the dark and melancholy passage of a departing hour; so it is an awful and importunate concern about the consequences of sin, which leads a man to the gate of mercy. And you may be sure you are never so near salvation, as when, through the grace of God, finding yourself lost and undone, you are well disposed to throw yourself upon mercy.

I must entreat, therefore, if you will be profited by the message of peace I have next to offer, that you will be at pains with yourself upon all the former particulars. Inquire into the reality of your sinfulness; and weigh attentively the consequences of sin, and cast in your mind how unable you are to rescue yourself out of them. All this, let conscience and reason speak; for I trust you have heard nothing which is not as consistent with reason as it is with Scripture.

And now I will draw this one conclusion, which I wish you to be deeply convinced of, from all that

hath been advanced; namely, that "sin is your greatest enemy." The consideration of which, possibly, may help you to greater seriousness in the inquiry I am recommending. For whilst I remark these three points, as evidently arising out of the subject, that sin (by which I would principally be understood to mean, man's erecting his will for his guide, instead of God's sovereign pleasure; this being truly the root of all other sin, and that which carries the highest measure of guilt in it,) dishonours God, as the excellent Governor of the world -defiles the soul of man-and brings misery with and after it;—I shall hope that you will be led more solemnly to consider the consequences of sin, and the concern you have in them; and also that you are grown displeased and tired with it, and heartily willing to be rid of such a monster and enemy.

Sin is your greatest enemy.

1. Sin dishonours God, as the Governor of the world. We speak not of the glory which God hath in himself; of that essential honour which he possesses, as a most mighty, all-perfect, eternal, and independent Being; but we speak of the manifestation of this most respectable glory of the Godhead, through the submission of his creatures. When God is obeyed, and his will meets with no opposition or backwardness in the soul, but the creature flies with joy, to execute the Almighty command, knowing no other desire, nor wishing any other happiness, than this service of the Most High; when a race of beings, whom God hath

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