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one will feel his own pain alleviated by the sufferings of the rest. Vice is the disorder, as well as the guilt of the soul; and the disorder is the same, whether many, or few are infected with it. The man tormented with envy, malice, pride, ambition and avarice, is still tormented, though thousands of others may indulge the same passions. You may as well expect, that a general famine will satisfy every man's hunger, as expect that general wickedness will prevent each one's misery. Vice will operate like itself in every one who habitually practises it; and every one must bear his own burden. If numbers cannot turn vice into virtue, then numbers can be no defence against punishment. If it be just to punish one sinner, it is just to punish ten, or ten thousand. The number of sinners alters not the justice of the procedure, Human government may, on reasons of state, sometimes spare an offending multitude; but these reasons cannot operate with the Deity. His power is as sufficient to punish many, as few. Though the whole human race should rebel, his throne stands firm. He needs not the services of his creatures; and if he did, the same power which created those who now exist, could supply by a new creation the place of all who revolt.

In the divine government, the number of offenders has sometimes been a reason for more speedy and exemplary punishment; but never do we find it to have been a reason for general impunity. When legions of the angels apostatized, they were cast down to hell; and there is no intimation, that any of them were allowed to keep their first habitation, lest there should be too great a vacuity in heaven. When all flesh had corrupted God's way on the earth, the race was swept off by a general deluge, and none were spared, but the family of righteous Noah.

A few good men would have prevented the

destruction of Sodom; but the number of sinners was no security to the city. Abraham, in its behalf, pleaded, that perhaps there might be ten just men in it, and prayed that, for their sakes, the whole might be preserved; but he never thought of urging the general corruption as a reason why judgment should be suspended. God promised, that he would pardon Jerusalem, if a man could be found, who executed judgment and sought the truth. But he no where promises impunity to communities, on account of a universal prostration of judgment, and violation of truth.

General arguments, drawn from God's goodness, against the punishment of sinners, are utterly inconclusive; for his goodness is free and sovereign and how he will exercise it, we cannot know, farther than he is pleased to inform us. It is always directed by wisdom; and unless we can comprehend the extent of his wisdom, we cannot by our own sagacity foretell how he will dispense his benefits. If we can prove it to be unjust for God to punish sinners, we may conclude, that he never will punish them. But this we cannot prove: Nay, the contrary is most evident. For if sin is wrong in its nature, opposite to the character of God, and contrary to the design of his government, then it certainly deserves punishment, and what is deserved may justly be inflicted.

To know what the mercy of God will do, we must resort to his word; for we can learn no where else. Now the same word, which teaches us, that God is merciful to forgive the penitent, teaches us also, that he is just to punish the impenitent. He would not, it is true, that any should perish; but then he would that all should come to repentance, because without this they must perish. He forgives iniquities, trans

gressions and sins; but he by no means clears the guilty.

It is often said, "Reason, without recurrence to scripture, will teach us, that God is merciful; and if he is merciful, then he will shew mercy.' Be it so. But does your reason, without recurrence to scripture, teach you, in what manner, and to what subjects God will shew mercy? He may be a merciful Being, and yet punish the guilty. If you argue from God's mercy, you must argue on the ground of revelation. That gives you the most exalted representations of the benefits, which his mercy has provided; but it tells you, at the same time, on what terms these benefits may be obtained, and what will be the sad consequence of rejecting these

terms.

If you argue from scripture, you must take doctrines, as they are stated there. Life and death are set before you. If you refuse the former, the latter is the consequence, The scripture gives no hope of life, but in a particular way. If departing from this way, you still hope for life, your hope stands, not in the word of God, but in your own imagination. And if you reject the scripture, because it threatens punishment to the workers of iniquity, you reject not only its threatenings, but also its promis

es.

These are the only sure grounds on which you can hope for pardon. Without these, there is nothing to which you can resort as your security from punishment. You may boast of your reason; but, in this case, your reason fails you; for this, without revelation, never can assure you, that God will pardon you on any terms-much less that he will make you happy. He may be just, and he may be good, and yet not extend forgiving mercy to such as you; and if mercy should be denied you, misery will be the consequence, Make not lies your refuge, nor

hide yourselves under falsehood; but flee by faith and repentance to the grace revealed in the gospel, and lay hold on the hope, which that sets before

you.

"But does not the analogy of providence lead us to conclude, that all men will finally be happy? God gives us rain and fruitful seasons, and fills our hearts with food and gladness. His rain falls, and his sun shines promiscuously on the fields of the evil and the good. May we not, for future happiness, trust that goodness, which so richly supplies our present wants?" Doubtless you may: But then be as wise in relation to the former, as you are in relation to the latter. God gives you a harvest in its season; but in order to obtain it, you must prepare your ground, sow your seed, and guard your field. With the same care sow the seeds, and with the same diligence cultivate the fruits of righteousness, and you will have a sure reward. The grain, which you reap, is of the kind with the seed which In the moral husbandry the case is the same. Sow to the spirit, and of the spirit you will reap everlasting life; but if you sow to the flesh, you will of the flesh reap only corruption. Sow in righteousness, and you will reap in mercy; but if you sow the wind, you will reap the whirlwind.

you sow.

You see every year, that you are on probation for a harvest; and are you not, in this life, on probation for the happiness of a future life? Your favorite argument from analogy certainly leads to this conclusion.

God is good; but still you see misery in this world. If your argument could prove, that there will be no misery in a future world, it must equally prove, that there can be none in this; but fact refutes the argument as it respects this world, and hence shews that it is inconclusive with respect to

the other. If the slothful man suffers poverty, or the intemperate man loses his health, or, in a fit of intoxication, breaks his bones, will you say, God is unkind in not preserving him from these evils? No; for they are the effects of his own vices. So are the miseries which men suffer in the other world. You see, that God's goodness does not always exempt men from the painful effects of their iniquities here: Where then is the ground on which you conclude, that his goodness will prevent all misery hereafter? Your argument from the analogy of providence turns full against you: It compels you to this conclusion that this life is a probation for futurity, and that according to the use which you make of it, your future condition will be happy or miserable.

Some, perhaps, may imagine, that the merciful God, who would not that any should perish, will grant to them who die impenitent, a second probation, in which they may retrieve the miscarriages of the first.

But had the inspired writers any such idea? The apostle to the Hebrews, speaking of the grace of the gospel, asks, "How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation?" Surely he thought, that the neglect of salvation in this life would cut us off from the hopes of an escape in the next. "Behold now is the accepted time," says St. Paul; "behold now is the day of salvation." He speaks of no other day provided for the succor of those who now receive the grace of God in vain.

Besides; were a future probation to be granted, who can be sure, that he should make a better use of that, than he now makes of the present? What advantages could sinners enjoy in another world, superior to those which they enjoy in this? Our Lord has warned us, that "such as hear not Moses and the prophets, would not be persuaded though