and have but too much reason to expect the judg- ments of God upon us. I observe, then,
I. That our sins are treasured up before God in order
to a future judgment —
[This is stated to us in way of appeal : " Is not your iniquity laid up in store with me, and sealed up among my treasures?" We cannot doubt but that God notes all our wickedness, and "records it in the book of his remembrance d." Of this Job was well convinced, when he said, " My transgres- sion is sealed up in a bag, and thou sewest up mine iniquity6." And oh ! what a mass of iniquity is there contained ! Call to mind the sins of early infancy : for not one of them is overlooked by God. Then view the evils of childhood and of youth : alas, how numerous ! even as the sands upon the sea-shore for mul- titude. Then go on to the period of maturer age, when, instead of improving our enlarged faculties in the service of our God, we have debased them the more in the service of sin and Satan. Go on to the present hour. Take all the actions, words, and thoughts of every successive day, and try them by the standard of God's holy Law ; and then see what loads of guilt we have contracted, and what volumes of indictment are ready at any hour to be brought forth against us : especially if we bear in remembrance our impenitence, which so greatly pro- vokes God to anger ; and our contempt of his Gospel, that stu- pendous effort of his love and mercy for the saving of our souls from death: if we reflect on these, I say, we cannot but see what a fearful account we have to give to our offended God. How soon we shall have " filled up the measure of our ini- quities," God alone knows : but this accumulation of our guilt none of us can deny ; and this certainty of retribution none of us can doubt.]
In addition to this, I must say,
II. That the appointed time for giving up our account
is hastening on apace —
[" Our foot," we are told, " shall slide in due time, and the day of our calamity is at hand." Truly " we are set in slippery places ; and are liable to be cast down into destruction in a moment f." Persons walking upon the ice, or on the glaciers of mountainous countries, feel the force of this obser- vation, and endeavour to guard with all possible care against their danger. But we see not our danger, notwithstanding it is in fact not less imminent than theirs. Millions of dangers encompass us around ; and numerous instances occur of persons summoned into eternity without a moment's warning. The
d Mai. iii. 16. e Job xiv. 17. f Ps. lxxiii. 18, 19.