than they woukl be, if these dear friends had but a hopeful parting. If the sliriek and nioiu'nful outciy of some fi-iends in the room of a dying man may so disturb him as to make liis passage more terrible, how much more then must the horror of the sinner's own conscience, under the apprehensions of that hell whither it is going, amaze and affright him ! There is a great difference between a wife's parting with her husband, when called from her to live at court under the shine of his prince's favoui', whose retiu-n after a while she expects with an accumulation of wealth and honour, and another, whose husband is taken out of her arms to be dr.agged to prison and torment. Is this thy case? and art thou cutting thv short life out into chips, and sjiending thy little time upon trifles, when the salvation of thy soid is yet to be wrought out ? Art thou trimming thy slimy carcase, while thy soul is dropping into hell ? What is this but to be painting the door when the house is on fire ! It was an imseasonable time for Belshazzar to be feasting and quaffing when his kingdom lay at stake, and an enemy at the gates. It would have become a wise prince to have been rather fighting on the wall, than feasting in his palace, and fattening himself for his own slaughter, which soon befell him, Dan. v. 30. And it woidd become thee better to call upon thy God, poor sinner, and lie in tears for thy sins at his foot, if yet haply thy pardon may be obtained, than, by wallowing in thy sensual pleasure, to stupify thy conscience, and lay it asleep, by which thou canst only gain a little ease from the troublesome thoughts of thy a])proaching misery.
Section II. — Consider, it is possible that thou, who art now without hope, may, by a timely and vigorous use of the means, obtain a hope of salvation ; and certainly a possible hope carries in it a force of a strong argument to en- deavour for an actual hope. There is not a devil in hell so bad, but, if he had a thousand worlds at his disposal, (and every one better than this, which we so dote on,) woidd change them all for such a hope. It was but a possibility which brought that heathen king of Nineveh from his throne to lie grovelling at God's foot in sackcloth and ashes; and that king will rise up in judgment against thee, if thou dost not more ; for that was a possibility more remote than thine is : it took place, not from any express promise that dropped from the preacher to encourage them to humble themselves, and turn to the Lord, for we read of nothing but desolation denounced : but from that natural theology whicli was imprinted on their minds : this taught them to hope that he who is the chief good would not be implacable. But you have many express promises from God's faithful lip, that if you, in his time and way, seek him, as sure as he is now in heaven, you shall live there with him in glory, — ' Your heart shall live that seek God,' Psa. Ixix. 32. Yea, there are millions of blessed ones now in heaven experiencing the truth of this, who once had no more hope of heaven than yourselves now have ; and that blissful place is not yet crowded so full, but he can and will make room for you, if you have a mind to go thither. There is one prayer which Christ made on earth, that will keep heaven's gate open for all that believe on him unto the end of the world, — John xvii. 20 : ' Neither pray I for these, but for them that shall believe on me througli their word.' This is good news indeed. Methinks it shoidd make your souls leap within your breast, while you sit under the invitations of the gospel, as the babe once did in Elizabeth's womb, upon the Virgin Mary's salutation. Say not then, sinners, that ministers put you upon impossibilities, and bid you climb a hill inaccessible. No, it is the devil, and thy own unbelieving heart, who together conspire thy ruin, and tell thee so. And as long as you listen to these counsellors you are likely to do well, are you not? Well, whatever they say, know, sinner, that if at last thou missest heaven, which, (iod forbid! the Lord can wash his hands over your head, and clear himself of yoiu- blood: thy dam- nation will be laid at thine own door : it will then appear there was no cheat in the promise, no sophistry in the gospel, but thou didst voluntarily put eternal life from thee, whatever thy lying lips uttered to the contrary : ' My people would have none of me,' Psa. Ixxxi. 11. So that, when the jury sliall sit on thy murdered soul, to inquire how thou camest to thy miserable end, thou wilt ])e found guilty of thy own damnation. No one losetli God, but he that is willing to part with him.
Now, Thirdly, consider the horrid cruelty of this act, by thy incorrigible and impenitent heart, to pull down eternal destruction on thy own head. O what
^KQ AND XHK SWORD Oi' TDK SPIRIT.