committed to the gi*ave in faith and hope. You do then, and you cannot but, make a profession of faith in Christ, and of obedience to his revealed will : and, if you will not walk as becometh the Gospel of Christ, " your circumcision shall be- come uncircumcision," your baptism no baptism, and your end terrible, in proportion to the advantages you have abused.
But to a still greater extent is this true respecting those, who, whilst they make their boast of the Gospel, dishonour God by their unholy lives, or unsanctified dispositions. To what pui'pose are their public professions, or social exercises? To what purpose are all their boasted experiences of alternate elevation and depression, of fear or confidence, of sorrow or of joy ? They may profess as they will that they know God; but, if in their conduct they deny him, " they deceive their own souls, and their religion is vain." Extremely awful is that declaration of God to the Church of Smyrna, " I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan e." And it is to be feared, that such synagogues are yet to be found in our land, under the semblance of Christian Churches and religious societies. But whatever they may think of their professions, God accounts them " blasphemy," and those who make them will be dealt with by him as hypocrites and blasphemers. We would not speak of this, but with weepingf ; nevertheless we must declare it, because it is the very truth of Godg.]
3. The universal need of a Saviour —
[All, both Jews and Gentiles, are under sin, and there- fore need an interest in the Saviour. Yea, the best of men must perish, if they be not washed in the Redeemer's blood. For who is there, that has not occasion to humble himself for his manifold infirmities ? Who is there that has acted in all things up to his profession ? Who could stand, if God should enter into judgment with him? Yea, " if God should lay judgment to the line and righteousness to the plummet," who could answer him for any one act or thought of his whole life ? Know then, that we are all in this respect on a level : we must all " put our hand on our mouth, and our mouth in the dust, crying, Unclean, unclean :" we must all desire with St. Paul to be found in Christ, not having our own righteous- ness, but the righteousness which is of God by faith in Christ."]
Exhortation —
We call on all then, as they value their immortal
souls,
1. To embrace the Gospel —
e Rev. ii. 9. f Phil. iii. 18, 19. b Hos. viii. 2, 3.