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sparkle from cloud to cloud, and, at length converge into a bow of promise. It is not inscribed upon the innocent face of nature, its fertile bosom and redundant harvest. It is not engraved upon the tablets of the mind, the integuments of the heart, or the substance of the soul. All these things do rather clearly testify, that God is love; that he is our Maker and Preserver, our constant Friend and heavenly Father. Restricted to them, I would not hesitate to asdert, that let our conduct be what it might, good, bad, or indifferent, we should still experience in every change from life to death, and from world to world, that he had not "forgotten to be gracious," nor "in anger shut up his tender mercies."

Even now, with all the light which radiates from the sacred volume, I do not comprehend why it is, that the sins of a few short years, committed in perfect accordance with our natural desires and infirmities, should be recompensed with everlasting inflictions. It does not correspond with my sense of justice. It does not harmonize with those sentiments of affection and sympathy, which I delight to indulge towards my fellow travellers in the pilgrimage of life. Abstractly considered, it has nothing in it to coincide with my reason, to charm my eyes, or to captivate my heart. And yet, I firmly believe it. I firmly believe it to be just, and right, and equitable. Why? Because I yield a hearty assent to the scriptural admonition, "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding:" Because, having investigated and credited the evidence in favour of the truth of inspiration, I there find the sentence of eternal reprobation, so clearly revealed against the impenitent sinner, that he, who runs may read; so clearly, that it would only corroborate my faith, if the divine hand were at this very moment to trace it out, in letters of living light, upon the walls of this edifice.

Away then with all scruples about justice, and right, and equity. If these qualities do not pertain to God, where are we to find them? If we are determined to believe no more than what we are able to comprehend, we shall never believe in this world; we must wait until conviction shall have been wrought through the medium of actual perception. For me it is enough, that God conveys an intelligible proposition, and to this I bow, as confident that it is in perfect unison with all his attributes, as if I perfectly understood his nature, and spied out all his ways. Such is that faith in him, which I wish every hearer of mine to cherish. You may tell me,

that the punishment of death eternal is contrary to our received impressions of the divine love. I agree to it. He is "not willing that any should perish." You may also tell me, that it is contrary to our own sense of justice, and consequently that it must be to his. But here, one word from him outweighs in my mind all the arguments, which human ingenuity ever has or ever will devise. And be the same determination yours. If you credit the scriptures in one particular, credit them in all. If you discredit them in one, you may as well discredit them in all. You can no longer claim to receive them as a lamp to your feet, and a light to your paths. But do they speak of a future state of rewards and punishments? Do they explicitly announce of those rewards and punishments, that they are unchangeable in their nature, and ceaseless in their duration? O! that ye might to the disclosure submit your understandings with reverence; that ye might believe with all your heart, and so regulate your lives and conduct by its intimations, as never to learn experimentally what a fearful thing it is to fall into the hands of the living God; into his hands, who will so thresh the ungodly in his anger, so vex them with his fiery indignation, that "the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever."

Most persons upon this subject have indced very strange and confused thoughts. They hear of fire, and associate with it the idea of actual combustion; of the worm that never dies, and imagine it to forewarn them of some literal banquet upon the naked soul. But neither they, nor you, nor any human being, can pretend to describe the character or the degree of suffering, which they are employed to represent. Of such and many other images, alike terrifick and forbidding, it is sufficient, that they indicate the extremity of torment, torment to the body, and torment to the soul. Who then among us are willing to endure them? Who are willing to enter into that dismal receptacle of the enemies of the cross of Christ, where hope, that lights up all other abodes, is never to dawn upon them; where legions of infernal spirits with the arch-fiend at their head, are to be the sole companions to comfort them, in the severity of their anguish; where the poor, depairing soul shall rave round the walls of the fathomless abyss, seeking rest and finding none; where, in complicated agony and wo, it shall die a thousand times ten thousand, yea, an eternity of deaths? Ah! who among us are willing to endure them, to enter upon this scene of terror and amazement? Are they, the young, the blooming, and the gay?

Where will then be that zest for pleasure, which now "sits high smiling in the conscious eye," or riots through the veins, or palpitates within the heart?-Are they, the mature, the hale, and strong; the fathers and the mothers of the land? Where will ye find the balmy zephyr and the cool retreat, the place for social intercourse, for connubial love, for parental tenderness?-Are they, the old, the decrepit, and infirm? What gentle filial hand shall smooth the silver locks, or spread the downy bed? What kind and soothing voice shall whisper words of peace and comfort in the anguished ear, or cheer them through the long, long remnant of eternity? Are they sinners of every class and sex? Where are "the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life?" Where, baser vice and more vulgar profligacy? Where, the gibes and scoffs of infidelity? Where, the blessed Saviour and the free, unrestricted overtures, with which this gentle Shepherd would have once allured the wandering sheep into his spiritual fold.

Alas, Brethren, all these things are forever gone, forever fled. They are not permitted to pass the confines of hell. They may be sought for and enjoyed throughout the days of the Son of man. But for those secluded within the realms of darkness, there is no voice to sooth, no eye to pity, no arm to save; there is naught, save "weeping, and wailing, and gnashing of teeth." Awake then ere it be too late, awake thou that sleepest on the brink of this tremendous gulf, and Christ shall give thee light and life, liberty and salvation, forevermore, On the exercise of a sincere and worthy repentance, he will wash away your sins in the laver of his atoning blood. On the profession of a true and lively faith, he will fold you within the embraces of his sheltering arms. On the practice of a cheerful and holy obedience, he will be "able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy." Be ye therefore penitent, and faithful, and obedient. "Cast away from you all your transgressions, whereby ye have transgressed; and make you a new heart and a new spirit: for why will ye die, O house of Israel?" So shall ye escape "the smoke of their torment," which "ascendeth up for ever and ever." "So an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ." AMEN.

THE END.

INDEX

TO THE TWENTY SERMONS UPON THE CHURCH.

Abbot, archbishop, his testimony in relation to Calvin, page 81.
Analogy, between the Jewish and Christian Churches, 18,
Apostles, the office of, still exists, 31-argument continued, 36-
case of Matthias, 38-of Barnabas and Epaphroditus, 39-of
Timothy, 40 and 57—of Titus, 42 and 57.

Articles of the Church examined, 174-adopted in the United
States, 208.

Atonement of Christ, the extent of, 177.

Baptism, the mode of, 91-infant, 95.

Beecher's opinion of revivals and conversions, 206.

Bible, Episcopalians translated the version in common use, 171—
with their standing as writers, 173.

Bishop and Presbyter, promiscuous use of the titles in the scriptures
accounted for, with Theodoret's testimony, 58.

Bishops, the successors of the Apostles in office, 58 and 63—their
succession examined, and objections answered, 78.

Blessing of God, claimed by the dissenters, and the subject examin-
ed, 225-in relation to Germany and Geneva, with the remark of
Rousseau, and the testimony of Dr. Raffles, 227-England, with
the statement of Edwards, 228-the puritans of New-England,
230.

Church, definition of, 13—cannot be constituted by human power,
14-Christian founded, 15-doctrine of our own, 17-Jewish,
a type of the Christian, 19.

Communion, our views of admission to its privileges, 114-extract
from Mason, 115.

Confirmation or laying on of hands, sermon upon, 103.

Conversion, subject examined, 203-extract from Mason, 205-
from Beecher, 206.

Deacons, the third rank in the ministry, 26.

Dissentions among Christians, evil consequences of, 234-argu-
ment of the skeptick and others, upon this subject, refuted, 237.
Episcopacy, views of the Church upon, 17-argument in its favour
from the admission of its enemies, 66-no ancient record left of
its being an usurpation, 67.
Episcopalian and Presbyterian, real distinction between, with the
numbers on either side, 23.

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Extemporaneous prayers, origin of, in England, 153-are forms, 162.
External ceremonies in publick worship, sermon upon, 120.
Faith and works, doctrine of the Church upon, 199.

Fathers of the Church, their testimony upon episcopacy, 49-
Ignatius, 50-Polycarp, 53-Irenæus, Clemens Alexandrinus,
Tertullian and Origen, 55—Cyprian and Jerome, 56-other fath-
ers, 57-consequences of rejecting their testimony, 60.
Female exhibitions in publick, 9.

Forms of prayer, scriptural evidence of their use, 135-practice of
Christ, 140-of the Apostles, 146-of the primitive Christians,
151-Calvin's opinion, 153-advantages of liturgies over extem-
poraneous prayers, sermon upon, 157.

Hades, or place of departed spirits, sermon upon, 209.

Hymn book and prayer book, 149.

Hymns, no objection with dissenters to precomposed, 164.
Ignatius, the testimony of, upon episcopacy, 50 and 64.

Inquiry, the present is the age of, 249.

Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, their case, with Uzzah's, 45,

Mason, extract from, on Church membership, 115-on revivals and
conversions, 205.

Methodist Church, its origin and pretensions to episcopacy, 84,
Necessity, the reformer's plea for schism, examined, 83.
Original sin, doctrine of, 175.

Prayer book and hymn book, 149.

Prayer and praise, harmony between precomposed forms of, 163.
Predestination, opinion of Calvin, Coles, and Rowland Hill, 179-
of Mason and others, 180-of Erasmus and Bishop Seabury, 181
--subject continued, 183--relates to character and not to per-
son, 184-the seventeenth article of the Church, 185-it differs
from foreknowledge, with the case of David at Keilah, 187-of
Jacob and Esau, 189-misconception upon the subject, 192.
Presbyterian and episcopalian, distinction between, 23.

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