expression, take God at his word ; embrace his promises ; rely upon tliem ; plead them in prayer; expect the accomplishment of them to your souls : and know that sooner shall " heaven and earth pass awav, than one jot or one tittle of his word shall fail."]
3. He enforces his exhortation with a consideration calculated to stimulate them to the utmost care and diligence —
[It is probable that there is some reference here to the judgments which will be inflicted on the anti-Cliristian powers, to make way for the more rapid diffusion of the Gospel. But that will be only a prelude, as it were, to the general judg- ment, when all the enemies of the Lord and of his Christ shall be finally destroyed. Of that period the Apostles often speak, with a view to detach our minds from present things, and to quicken us in our spiritual course : and so strongly did the Apostle insist upon this thought, that he judged it necessary afterwards to remove from his Thessalonian Converts the erro- neous impression, which, by the strength of his own repre- sentations, he had made upon their minds. Eighteen centu- ries have elapsed since that time ; and consequently the des- tined period must be so much nearer its arrival. But, whether it be in itself near at hand, or not, it is as it respects lis ; because at the instant of our dissolution all opportunity for repentance or faith is for ever closed. Can you think of this then. Bre- thren, and delay this necessary work ? What would not mil- lions, who are gone into the eternal world, give for one single day to work out their salvation, if by any means it might be obtained ? I pray you, lose not the present hour ; but " to- day, whilst it is called to-day," hmnble yourselves before God in dust and ashes, and embrace with all etirnestness the salva- tion he has given you in the Gospel of his Son.]
Let me now yet further improve the subject, 1 . In reference to yourselves —
[You generally acknowledge that the Gospel should be carried to heathen nations. But do not you yourselves need it as much as they ? True, you are in some measure ac- tpiainted with the scheme of salvation : but to what purpose is it that you have a speculative knowledge of the Gospel, if you have not an experimental acquaintance with it in your souls ? Let me then follow in the train of that Divine Mes- senger, and repeat to you his authoritative admonitions :
"Fear God" "Give glory to him" Reflect
how soon the hour of his judgment will have come, when all possibility of securing this salvation will be for ever terminated
Despise not his message, becauae it is delivered by a
worm