ing destruction." The punishment spoken of in these words undoubtedly is the penalty of the law. For the law only can condemn and punish. Here perhaps it will be objected, that the punishment implied in these words is not strictly endless. since the word everlasting, is sometimes appropriated to express things of a limited duration; that it is not the nature of punishment to be endless, and therefore the term everlasting, when used to express its duration, does not prove it to be strictly endless. To this it is replied, that because the term everlasting is in some instances used to denote a limited duration, it does not follow that it is used so in all; not even when used to express the duration of things which would cease to exist if left to the laws of nature; for God can perpetuate whatever he pleases. For all our knowledge of the nature and duration of future punishment, we are wholly indebted to revelation. In this revelation God has explained the duration of punishment, and consequently the true penalty of his law; not only by the word everlasting, but by unequivocal determinate phrases, denoting it to be strictly endless. This is fully evident from the following passages, which positively determine the meaning of the word everlasting, when used to express the duration of future punishment. In Mark ix. 43. Christ says, "It is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands, to go into hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched: where their worm dieth not, and their fire is not quenched." In Mat. xii. 31, it is said. The blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men." In John iii. 36. it is said, He that be Lieveth not on the Son, shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him." Of the same import are all those passages which speak of those who are said to perish, to be rejected, to be cast away, to be lost and destroyed. To these ve of scripture, ascertaining the penalty of the divize how to be endless misery or destruction, let us add the testimony & va

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misery? These originate not in any deficiency in the divine government, but in deviation from the divine law. In this God has discovered as much goodness as he has in the gospel. For the first tends to secure the highest happiness without sin, and the last to secure it after the introduction of sin. Whatever therefore is opposed to God's law, is opposed to his gospel; and whatever is opposed to either, tends to introduce universal endless evil. If, therefore, endless punishment be not the penalty of the divine law, it does not appear that it has any penalty. For whatever penalty God annexes to his law, must be just; that is, it must be as great as the evil introduced by transgression, or as great as the glory of God, and the good of the rational universe, require. The greatness of this penalty must be estimated from the consequences that would ensue from an unrestrained indulgence of transgression, and the magnitude of the object against which the transgression is committed. The law of God tends to universal good. As sin opposes that law, it tends to universal evil. Did all rational creatures commit sin without any restraint from divine interposition, all would be involved in endless ruin and despair. The law of God, which is as near to him as his own nature, would be universally violated and contemned. For all these consequences, so dishonorary to God, so ruinous to creatures, each one concerned in transgression must feel himself accountable. Sin is atheism. It denies God. It strikes at his government and character, and consequently at all good and all happiness. As sin therefore tends to introduce endless evil, if punishments are to be proportioned to crimes, sin deserves endless punishment. Having explained the nature of the divine law, in considering its precepts and penalty, I now proceed to explain,

Secondly, The moral state of man. By the moral state of man, we are to understand, the state in which he is, considered as an accountable creature, capable of praise and blame, of reward and punishment. This state, as it respects all men in unregeneracy, appears from the scriptures to be characterised by the following things.

1. It is a state of entire alienation of affection from God.

That is, it is a state in which the moral temper is averse to divine and spiritual things, insensible of their excellency, and regardless of their importance. This truth is expressed in scripture, by "being dead in trespasses and sins," "being alienated from the life of God, desiring not the knowledge of his ways,” “receiving not the things of the Spirit." The moral state of man in this view, does not imply, that he does not possess noble and exalted capacities of mind. These are not of a moral nature, and consequently not susceptible of depravity. Man, though destitute of all real holiness in the sight of God, though wholly sinful in all the exercises of his heart, still possesses natural affection, gratitude, sympathy, and sensibility; desire of pleasure, and aversion to pain; these are merely the affections and propensities of his constitution, and belong to other animals which are not moral agents. Man's depravity does not imply that he is destitute of all the natural ability on which the propriety of the divine commands and injunctions rests. If he be not a moral agent, if he have not ability to obey, it does not appear that he can be capable of disobedience. Deity will never censure a blind man for not seeing, nor an idiot for not being wise. He requires the exercise of nothing farther than the capacity he bestows. All the depravity of man consists in the wrong use of his natural powers, and in his unwillingness to use them as God requires. The preceding description of the state of man by nature, is fully confirmed by the following passages of scripture. Gen. vi. 5, "And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually." Gen. viii. 21, “The imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth." Eccl. ix. 3, "The heart of the sons of men is full of evil." Jer. xvii. 9, “ The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked." Rom. iii. 10, &c. "There is none righteous, no, not one; there is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God; they are all gone out of the way; there is none that doeth good, no not one." Paul testifies concerning himself, “I know that in me, that is in my flesh, dwelleth no good thing." He declares, that "The carnal mind is enmity

against God:" that "the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness unto him; neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned." The conduct of men, in all ages and nations, fully exemplifies and confirms these assertions.

2. Another thing which characterises the state of man is, that it is a state of guilt and condemnation. This necessarily follows, from the consideration that man is in the disposition of his heart opposed to God and his law. "By the law is the knowledge of sin." By this knowledge come guilt and condemnation. All men are under obligation to obey God's law. The law therefore lays its injunctions upon them, demands obedience, and denounces punishment to the transgressor. "Now we know," says Paul, "that whatsoever things the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law; that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may become guilty before God." Rom. iii. 19.

3. Another thing which characterises the state of man is, a state of total impotency, as to the attainment of salvation. The truth of this appears from two considerations.

1st. The law requires sinless obedience. It promises life to the performance of all its requirements, and to nothing else. Its language is, "The man that doth them shall live in them.” But man has disqualified himself in a moral view to do these things, since he is "under sin," and continues to commit it while in an unrenewed state. As man, therefore, while a sinner, cannot render sinless perfect obedience, he cannot effect his own salvation.

2d. Besides, man has incurred the penalty of the divine law. It stands against him, "Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things, written in the book of the law, to do them." This penalty has been demonstrated to be endless suffering. How shall man free himself from it? He can do nothing which can render it consistent for God to pardon. He cannot keep the law by perfect obedience, and consequently cannot be saved on that ground. If he undertake to endure its penalty, he of consequence must give up all hope of salvation.

Having explained the moral state of man, I now proceed, Thirdly, To explain the design of God in creation.

It is a mark of a wise and intelligent being, to have respect in all his actions to the accomplishment of some end. This circumstance principally distinguishes the actions of men from those of brutes. In all operations performed by rational beings, we expect design, and an exact adjustment of every part to the accomplishment of that design. When we look at the majestic works of God in creation and redemption, we are at once impressed with the absurdity of even imagining them to have been made without a view to some great end. In these works we behold order, connexion, regularity and harmony. How these should have existed without design, is impossible to conceive. It is equally impossible to conceive, how God should make such stupendous works, without a view to some end exceedingly great, glorious and important. For it is inconsistent with wisdom to make great preparations, and to perform great actions, for the accomplishment of small purposes. If God have one chief end in his works, we may be assured that these works are harmoniously adjusted to its accomplishment. All God's works then must be considered as means wisely arranged, and tending to one final issue. This issue must be brought into view before the means of its completion can be seen in their propriety and beauty. Let us then propose to ourselves this question; Why did God create? Surely he was under no necessity to do this. For if he was, that necessity must have been eternal, and the same reason must have been assigned for the existence of things, as for the existence of God. That reason God gave, when he said, “I am that I am." God, as he is eternal, involves in his own nature the cause of his existence; but this cannot be the case with any thing created. Creation, then, as it did not proceed from necessity, must have proceeded from choice. The question then stands thus; "Was God's end in creation himself, or the thing created?" The following considerations perhaps will assist us in answering this question.

1st. Before creation nothing exterior to God existed. The reason then why any thing has existed, must be sought for in God. That reason must have been his own choice, and if so, then his own pleasure, and not the thing to be created. Should it here be objected, that God made creatures on purpose to be