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the indulgence of sensuality? Such is the dust these enemies of the gospel throw into the air.

"Be not deceived; God is not mocked; for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh, shall of the flesh reap corruption: but he that soweth to the spirit, shall of the spirit reap life everlasting." Notice carefully; "he that soweth to his flesh, shall of the flesh reap corruption." He must receive his wages from the master he serves; he must reap his harvest where he sows his seed.

Go to our prisons and places of correction; you will find hundreds who believe in a day of judg ment in the next world, and have no doubts that punishment everlasting will be inflicted on the wicked, accordingly as they have been educated to believe; but they all intend to repent before they die, and that is early enough according to the argument of our opposers. These miserable wretches believe as they have been taught; and they act as if they were fully convinced, that religion, virtue, justice, temperance and godliness were nothing but so many obstructions to their present happiness, and of no use this side the eternal world. O fatal delusion! "Stolen waters are sweet, and bread eaten in secret is pleasant. But he knoweth not that the dead are there; and that her guests are in the depth of hell." These sinful riots are in the darkest regions of hell.

Look round on society. Do misery and wretchedness mark the footsteps of religion, virtue, temperance, prudence, industry, economy, justice, love and mercy? No, my brethren, this is not the case. But it remains true that "the way of the transgressor is hard," and that "there is no peace to the wicked."

The religion of Jesus is represented by many beautiful figures; such as bread for the hungry, water for the thirsty, a feast of fat things for all people.

Would a hungry person refuse a feast of fat things unless he were threatened with everlasting condemnation in the future state? Would one on the burning sands of Arabia, parched with thirst and scorched with a vertical sun, on finding the shadow of a great rock, at whose base flows a living spring, refuse this exquisite refreshment, unless he were threatened with everlasting torments in another world?

Are these figures, which the holy ghost has used to represent the peace there is in believing, and the joys which are in the holy spirit of Jesus, at all too strong? Do they, my brethren, represent true religion to be better than you have found it? St. Paul speaks of setting together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: Would he have been glad to leave these heavenly places to go and indulge in all manner of vice and dissipation, were it not for the fear of condemnation hereafter? No, the real disciple of Jesus acts from higher and better motives.

After all, what is this religion which is founded on the fear of future misery? Is there any real sincerity in it? Is there any of the true love of God in this religion? "Perfect love casts out fear; he that feareth is not made perfect in love." You provide for your companions and your dependent offspring because you love them, and your duty is perfect delight. Can you honestly say, that you would not give your children bread when they are hungry, if you were not afraid of everlasting punishment hereafter?

Away with this deception. Let us learn to love God because he has first loved us; let us cautiously obey his commandments, in keeping of which there is great reward.

SERMON II.

CHRIST OUR EXAMPLE

DELIVERED IN BOSTON ON THE FOURTH SABBATH IN JULY, 1818.

HEBREWS, XII. 2.

"Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith; who, for the joy that was set before him, endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God."

By casting an eye on the context, it is at once discovered, that the design. of the Apostle was to induce his christian brethren to steadfastness and perseverance in the christian profession. That he might the better succeed in this most laudable attempt, he sets before them certain characters as examples. He adverted to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, &c. and finally, he comes to Jesus, as the chief of all, as to a perfect directory.

Much might be said on the great propriety of the Apostle's method here observed. Nothing is more serviceable in pointing out the duties involved in any profession, nor is there any thing more powerful to incite to the performance of such duties, than example. The examples set forth in the context, seem admirably calculated to give us just conceptions of the real object of the christian dispensation, the duties incumbent on its votaries, and the reward held out to induce the professor to faithfulness.

The design of this Sermon, as a distinct object, is to settle a question respecting the great influen

tial object held as a reward for christian labours and christian sufferings.

It is a most reasonable thing, that a reasonable reward should be expected for services of all kinds, and it is equally as absurd to expect faithfulness in ourselves or in others, without the expectation of an adequate reward, as it is to promise ourselves a compensation for services infinitely greater than such services can merit.

Should the labourer, whom you might employ, absurdly calculate, that at the close of day he should be put in possession of your whole estate, as a righteous compensation for his day's work, he would, no doubt, be offended, should one inform him that no such reward would be allowed for his services. And it is evident, that his absurd calculation, in this case, is the cause of his disappointment. If he had been reasonable in his expectations, he would have been satisfied with a compensation proportioned to his services. So, when christian professors promise themselves immortality and eternal life, as a recompense for their labours in the cause of religion, they prepare themselves to be disappointed. They infinitely overrate their work. Nor will they at once be satisfied by being told, that though their good works can never merit the expected reward, yet shall they receive a reasonable compensation for all their services, and for all their sufferings; and moreover, that what they had expected as a compensation for their work, they have as a gift. of God; not because they merit it, but because it was the will of our Heavenly father to give unto us eternal life in his son. The reason why this information is not satisfactory is, because if works cannot merit immortality and eternal life, and if God has been graciously pleased to give mankind this invaluable inheritance in Christ Jesus, then those who have no good works to recommend them, are equal heirs with themselves.

This is too humiliating. What, shall our wick

ed, unbelieving, unconverted, unregenerated neighbours be clothed in the beautiful robes of immortality, and shine as brilliantly in the righteousness of God in the eternal world as we? We who have borne the burden and heat of the day, we who have been regenerated and born of the spirit, who have believed in Jesus and laboured in his cause, are we to be placed on a level with these spiritually blind, halt, and leprous? Could we be persuaded into this belief, we would at once forsake the religion of Christ, his divine commands we would treat with utter neglect, our sinful propensities should all be gratified, and sensual indulgence should be our constant employ. The sabbath, the sanctuary, the holy services of devotion would be all beneath our notice, there would be left no inducement to deny ourselves and to bear the cross of Christ. In. one word, if you take away the awful penalty of eternal punishment for unbelief and sin, we would not believe in Jesus, nor would we obey his laws. The substance of all this, my brethren, is constantly held up and earnestly contended for by the professed enemies of the faith we profess, and the holy vocation to which we have been called. The foregoing insinuations are practised on minds naturally feeble and habitually timid; the fond, the pious matron is told, that if the dreadful penalty of endless punishment be not enforced on the minds of her sons and daughters, she has no right to expect them to be either religious or virtuous. It is contended that this penalty is an indispensable requisition, in the cause of religion and morality, and that to deny it is to open the door of impiety, and every sinful practice.

Let us ask the question, whether the author and finisher of our faith undertook the work of man's redemption, whether he faithfully laboured and suffered in this cause under the penalty of eternal condemnation. Did he behold in his adorable father a lowering vengeance which threatened his

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