would have been, had he thus treated a stranger or an equal. The wiser, better, and more indulgent the parent, the more atrocious is the crime of the unnatural, ungrateful child. Should a son murder an excellent parent, in the midst of a recent profusion of kindness, without any provocation or motive, except in order to the more unrestrained gratification of some vile passion, what punishment should we deem too severe for the parricide? Add, further, the relation of sovereign to that of parent; a rightful, wise, just, clement sovereign, the common father of his people. For a persecuted David to stretch out his hand against the Lord's anointed, though a cruel treacherous Saul, would have been highly criminal: how much more to murder a prince of consummate excellency, without the least provocation! for his favourite, on whom his bounty had been lavished, to be the assassin! But for his son, his indulged son, to break through all obligations, human and divine, and murder his father and prince at once, that he might more unrestrainedly indulge his lusts, would stamp the action with stupendous baseness! When Absalom designed to act this monstrous part against the man after God's own heart, even the ill-judged lenity of the too indulgent parent was not permitted to rescue the traitor from deserved punishment.-According to the plainest dictates of human reason, the malignity of the action must rise in proportion to the authority

and excellency of the party offended, and the offender's relations and obligations to him. In human affairs, this method of computing the comparative criminality of offences, and proportioning punishments, is generally adopted amongst civilized nations. If we are allowed to compute in the same method the evil of sin, (and why should we not?) what heart can conceive, or tongue express, or numbers reach the evil of every offence committed against the majesty of God! By arguments and meditations of this kind, we may arrive at some feeble conception of the odiousness of transgressing the divine law: but he alone, who sees all things exactly as they are, is the competent Judge: and my design is not to demonstrate a matter before doubtful, but to illustrate the reasonableness of that which is certainly true. Whether we see and allow it, or not, sin is infinitely evil, and deserving of eternal punishment. Thus he hath determined, "whose judgment we "know to be according unto truth." All his loyal subjects on earth join in praising him, as

righteous in all his ways and holy in all his "works." All the inhabitants of heaven thus praise him, even while “ the smoke of the torments "of the wicked ascendeth up for ever and ever." None but rebels think the sentence too severe. If we would not have our lot with them in another world, let us not rank ourselves among them in this, but let us say, with holy Job, "I have uttered

"things which I understood not: things too "wonderful for me, which I knew not."

" I will

"lay my hand upon my mouth. Once have I 'spoken, but I will not answer; yea, twice, but "I will proceed no farther." Yea, truly, "every "mouth shall be stopped, and all the world shall appear guilty before God;" nay, they "shall be speechless" when ordered to be cast" into "outer darkness, where is weeping, wailing, and gnashing of teeth."-What cause then have all to repent, who have justly merited so dreadful a punishment!

V. All have cause of, and need for repentance; because God will most certainly inflict this punishment upon all the impenitent with unabating severity. Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise 'perish." Let no man deceive you with vain words: the impenitent sinner shall certainly spend eternity in the "lake that burneth with fire and "brimstone." An awakening truth, which Satan and his instruments have in all ages been opposing; but in none more zealously, ingeniously, and, alas! successfully, than in this: for that great deceiver knows that nothing so effectually increases the number of the damned, as the disbelief of eternal damnation. "Ye shall not surely die," was the first temptation of this murderer of souls: and still his kingdom is supported by the same insinuation. But if there be any meaning in words, if the idea

of eternal misery can be conveyed in human language, and if the Bible be the word of God, then the wicked" shall go into EVERLASTING PUN"ISHMENT." Though God be rich in mercy, though there be plenteous redemption in the blood of Christ; yet neither the mercy of God, nor the blood of Christ, avail for any but the penitent: to others, all the threatening of the law alone belong: nor have they any part or lot in the gospel; exeept the deeper condemnation of neglecting such great salvation, and abusing the mercy of God, and the redemption of Christ, into an encouragement to continue in sin. Such sinners "are a people who have no understanding, therefore " he that made them will have no mercy on them.” "Oh consider this, ye that forget God, lest he CC tear you in pieces, and there be none to de

VI. The necessity of repentance is further evinced, by considering the reasonableness of this awful determination. There is a controversy betwixt God and sinners, and blame must rest somewhere. Either God is indeed chargeable with blame for enacting so strict a law, and annexing so dreadful a penalty on transgressors; or the sinner is as much to blame as this penalty implies, for breaking the law. To harbour one moment the supposition that any part of the blame

'Psalm 1. 22.

doubtless the

belongs to God, is blasphemous; whole fault belongs to the sinner. Yet every impenitent sinner in excusing himself, condemns God. "Wilt thou," saith he to Job, "disannul my "judgment? Wilt thou condemn me, that thou mayest be righteous?" Why did the sinner break the law, if he did not think it too strict? Doth he pretend it was by surprise, or sudden temptation, through inadvertency, and not deliberate rebellion? Then why doth he not repent? His impenitence for the past, and his present continuance in transgression, strongly imply a most injurious censure of the law, as inconsistent with his happiness and his vindication of himself and his conduct, implies a censure on the justice of God in condemning sinners, equally injurious.

Now should God pardon a sinner who thus excuses himself, and tacitly condemns him, he would seem to allow the excuse, and plead guilty to the charge; so that the honour of God and the salvation of an impenitent sinner, are irreconcileable contradictions: but God, conscious of his own most perfect justice, and jealous of his own glory,

1 Job xl. 8.

'This is often the case of the true believer, who delights in the law of God, and hates evil, yet is surprised into the commission of that which he abhors, and breaks the law he loves; but recovering from the surprise, he directly and deeply repents. But this excuse is merely a pretence in others, by which they cover a rooted enmity to the law, an habitual love of sin; and their impenitence discovers their hypocrisy.