Amen to that? Who does not feel the justice of it? Who does not wonder that it has not long since been executed on himself, for his base ingratitude to the Saviour ? And who, if hell were at this moment to open and swallow him up quick, must not justify God, and say, " Righteous art thou, O Lord; and true and just are thy judgments0?" Sure I am, that however we may attempt to palliate our ingratitude to him now, the time is coming, when " our mouths will be shutd," and we shall be constrained to acknowledge that " we have received the just reward of our deeds e." But, brethren, " I hope better things of you, and things that accompany salva- tion f :" and most gladly close my subject with that benevolent petition of the Apostle, " Grace be with all them that love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity! Amen and Ameng."
c Rev. xix. 2. d Matt. xxii. 12. e Luke xxiii. 41.
f Heb. vi. 9. e Eph. vi. 24.
John x. 27, 28. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me : and I give unto them eternal life ; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.
WHILST we acknowledge with gratitude the powers of reason in investigations of a speculative or temporal nature, we must be very jealous of its con- clusions in matters that are purely spiritual or prac- tical. In whatever relates to God and to the soul, its decisions are apt to be biassed by prejudice, or interest, or passion ; and it yields, or withholds, assent, not so much according to the weight of evidence adduced, as according to the dispositions which are called forth into exercise. This was peculiarly mani- fest amongst the persons who attended on the ministry of our Lord : some were so wrought upon by the greatness of his miracles, and the impressive wisdom of his discourses, that they could not but receive him as the Messiah ; whilst others were always complain- ing of want of evidence, and always cavilling at his words. In the preceding context we are told, that " the Jews came round about him, and said, How