substitutes what he esteems a safer and better method of his own. The most stupendous display of divine love and mercy that ever was or can be exhibited, he dis- regards : and thus, both " tramples under foot the Son of God, and does despite unto the Spirit of grace :" yea, to use the language of an inspired Apostle, he " makes the only true God a liar ;" for whereas God has said, that " there is no other name whereby we can be saved, but the name of Jesus, nor any other foundation than that which he himself has laid," the unbeliever directly contradicts him, and unequivocally declares his expectation, that there is and shall be some other way of acceptance with him. Now is it unreasonable that such a person should be punished? that such a despiser of God should be left without any part in the believer's portion ? Let us only apply the case to ourselves. If a child should pour con- tempt upon the wisest counsels of his parents, and question the truth of their most solemn protestations, should we not think him worthy of his parent's dis- pleasure ? would not we ourselves, in such a case, manifest our disapprobation of his conduct ? Who then are we, that we should insult GOD thus, and do it with impunity ? Who are we, I say, that, when we are at liberty to withhold a blessing from an ungrate- ful fellow-creature, or to inflict a punishment on him adequate to his offence, zee should not be in like manner amenable to God ? If any say, " We acknowledge the sinfulness of unbelief, but think the punishment of it too severe ;" I answer, ' God himself is the best judge of the malignity of sin ; and he has denounced death, eternal death, as the wages due to every sin : much more therefore may it be inflicted for unbelief; since there is no sin so complicated, nor any that so effectually precludes even a possibility of salvation : we may purge away any other sin by a believing application to the blood of Christ ; but by unbelief we reject the only remedy provided for us.'
Hoping that the reasonableness of our Saviour's declaration has been satisfactorily proved, we come, III. To display its excellency —