Address —
1. To those who rest in presumptuous hopes —
[The wicked Jews laughed at the judgments of God when they were at a distance, but were filled with horror at their ap- proach, and cried out, " Who shall dwell with the devouring fire ? who amongst us shall dwell with everlasting burnings ? " Similar consternation will ere long seize on those who now slight the threatenings of the Gospel. The clay of vengeance is hastening on apace, and God will then shew himself to be " a consuming firef." How will his enemies then stand ap- palled8! How "will they cry to the rocks to fall upon them, and the hills to cover them from the wrath of the Lambh!" How terrible will the devouring fire then appear ! How awful those everlasting burnings in which they will be doomed to dwell! Let the "sinners in Zion," the people who name the name of Christ without departing from iniquity, awake from their delusions ; let " the hypocrites "also deceive themselves no longer. Let a holy fear possess all our souls : let us cry out, as on the day of Pentecost, " What shall we do to be saved ?" and let us improve the present season of God's mercy and for- bearance in " fleeing from the wrath to come."]
2. To those who are agitated with unbelieving
fears —
[Many spend their time in anxious inquiries, Will God save me ? Well would it be if we would leave God to do his part, and mind only our own. God's part is, to save us : ours is, to serve and glorify him. This is obvious in the passage before us, and in numberless other passages of Holy Writ. We have nothing to fear but sin. Let us be sincere in embracing the Gospel, and consistent in obeying it, and we need not fear the united attempts of men and devils. God is engaged to be the God of his believing and obedient people : and, " if he be for us, who can be against us ?." He will " hide us in his pavi- lion1," where we shall be surrounded with hosts of angels for our guard, and supplied with the richest viands for our support: and " in the floods of great waters they shall not come nigh usk." Let us then dismiss our unbelieving fears, and look to him to " fulfil his promises, wherein he has caused us to put our trust."]
f Heb. xii. 29. s Ps. lxxiii. 19.
h Rev. vi. 15 — 17. ' Ps. xxvii. 5.
k Ps. xxxii. C, 7.