almost every bosom. " We lean upon the Lord," just as the Jews did ; and persuade ourselves that " no evil shall come upon us." " God is merciful," is a sufficient answer to every threatening contained in God's word. As for his justice, or holiness, or truth, no regard whatever is paid to them : all are superseded, all are swallowed up in the one attribute of mercy; and no room is left for the exercise of any perfection that shall interfere with the happiness of an impenitent' trans- gressor. As to "be a child of Abraham" was with the Jews a sufficient security from God's wrath d; so, amongst us, is baptism into the faith of Christ: we cannot perish, because we are Christians.]
Let us however notice,
II. The manner in which he administered his re- proof—
" He was full of power by the Spirit of the Lord :" for he and all the other " Prophets spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost6." With judgment, too, and with might, was he filled ; so that, in all his re- proofs, he shewed unquestionably that he was speaking under a divine impulse. And I too, my brethren, would execute my commission even as he did. With a mixture of tenderness and fidelity, " I pray you then, my brethren," bear with me, whilst, under the influence of God's Holy Spirit, I endeavour to shew you the folly of your ways.
1. Can you impose on God ?
[You can, and do, deceive your own souls, and persuade yourselves that you have nothing to fear at the hands of an angry God. But if you make light of sin, can you convince Jehovah that it is so venial a thing as you make it, or that you have not committed it to an extent to merit his dis- pleasure ? ]
2. Can you prevail on God to cancel and reverse the threatenings of his word ?
[See if you can prevail on him to change day into night, or to alter for you any of the common laws of nature : and if you cannot prevail in things which would involve no contra- diction, how can you hope to obtain a revocation of his word, which would involve in it a sacrifice of truth itself? For, I
d Matt. iii. 9. e 1 Pet. i. 11. and 2 Pet. i. 21.