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with God there is no scope for any such views or feelings. He is able to punish whensoever he will: nor is it possible for any to escape from his hands. He, however, is averse to proceed to extremities, till he has used every possible method to reclaim sinners, and to open a way for the exercise of his mercy towards them. "He is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness." He is kept back, not by any conscious weakness, or by indifference, or by fear, or by any other motive which may be supposed to influence us: he is restrained by long-suffering alone, and by a desire to spare those who have deserved punishment.]

He desires to save every child of man

["He is not willing that any should perish :" no; he would not that so much as one should ever become a monument of his indignation. This he affirms in the strongest manner; yea, and confirms his assertion with an oath: "As I live, saith the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of a sinner, but rather that he should turn from his wickedness and live." It is surprising, that any, after such a declaration as this, should maintain the doctrine of absolute reprobation. Were that, or any other doctrine, clearly revealed in the Holy. Scriptures, I should feel it my duty to receive it with the simplicity of a little child: but to receive it merely as a deduction of human reason, an inference drawn by weak and fallible man from the doctrine of election, when the whole Scriptures uniformly declare the very reverse, is, to say the least, very dangerous, and exceeding sinful. I know it is said of ungodly men, by St. Jude, that "they were of old ordained to this condemnation." I know, also, that St. Peter says of many, that they" stumbled at the word, being disobedient, whereunto also they were appointed." But it is not of individuals that these Apostles speak, but of characters. God has ordained, that they who will not receive the truth with humility shall stumble at it; and that they who will resist the faith which he has delivered to his saints, shall be left to turn the grace of God into lasciviousness, and to deny the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ. And this is a wise and righteous appointBut it is a far different thing from creating any with a fixed determination to consign them over to perdition, purely of his own arbitrary will, without any fault of theirs. Such an idea as this is directly contradicted by the assertion in my text: and by the oath which I have before mentioned; and by numberless other portions of Scripture, which can admit of no doubt. Our blessed Lord said to his hearers, "Ye will not come to me, that ye may have lifed" and to the Jews, even

ment.

a Ezek. xxxiii. 11.

с

c 1 Pet. ii. 8.

b Jude, ver. 4.

d John v. 40.

after they were given up to the judgments they had merited, he said, "O that thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things that belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes." And again: "How often would I have gathered you, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, but ye would not." The whole Scripture attests, that "God would rather that all should come to repentance and live." He "commands all men everywhere to repents." He exhorts them to it also; saying, "Turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel?" and he declares to all, without exception, "Him that cometh unto me, I will in no wise cast outi." Now shall we, in deference to human systems, set aside all these passages of holy writ? God forbid: we dare not do so: and if we cannot mark out the precise boundaries where truths of an opposite aspect meet, we are contented to say, "What I know not now, I shall know hereafter." If we choose to speculate on divine truths, we may soon get out of our depth: but if we will practically apply them to our own souls, we shall find them as clear as we can wish. Where is the man who has not experienced more or less the strivings of God's Spirit in his soul? Who amongst us has not a consciousness that he has resisted those strivings; and that, if he had made a due improvement of them, "God would have given him more gracem?" The truth, then, is plain: if God forbear to execute upon the world the judgments we deserve, it is not because he is indifferent about our proceedings, but because he is long-suffering towards us, and desirous, if we would improve the opportunity, to save us all. This is the true reason why "he endures, with such astonishing forbearance, the vessels of wrath who are fitted for destruction"."]

Having seen the long-suffering of God towards this sinful world, let us consider,

II. What improvement we should make of it-
From a sense of it, we should be led,

1. To acknowledge our obligations to him

[Who amongst us has not reason to acknowledge the longsuffering of God towards him? Who is not a sinner before God? Who has not merited his wrathful indignation? Who might not, on ten thousand occasions, have justly been cut off, and made a monument of God's righteous displeasure?

e Luke xix. 42.
h Ezek. xxxiii. 11.
1 Acts vii. 51.

f Matt. xxiii. 37.

i John vi. 37.

m Jam. iv. 6.

g Acts xvii. 30.

k Gen. vi. 3.

n Rom. ix. 22.

-Let us not, then, impute his forbearance to any indifference in him respecting us, but to its true source, his tender compassion, and unbounded mercy ---]

2. To humble ourselves before him

["Because judgment against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the hearts of too many are fully set in them to do evil"." But let it not be so with us. St. Paul tells us, that the true intent of "God's patience and long-suffering is, to lead us to repentance P." Let it operate upon us in this manner; and let us humble ourselves before him in dust and ashes.]

3. To justify him in his judgments

[Whatever men may urge against the denunciations of God's wrath, we are sure he will be justified in every sentence which he shall pass, and be just in every judgment which he shall inflict. The man who had not on the wedding-garment was speechless, when called to an account for his neglect. He might have said, "Lord, I was called suddenly, and compelled to come in," and had not time to procure the requisite apparel. But there was no room for any such excuse. The Master of the feast would have provided him with the garment; but he would not deign to ask for it. Therefore, when cast into outer darkness, he had not a word to say in vindication of himself, or to criminate his Lord. And so, when sentence shall be past on those who despise the forbearance of their God, the whole host of heaven will cry, "Righteous and true are thy ways, thou King of saints."]

4. To improve the time that may be yet allotted

to us

We see

[God is now " giving us space to repent." But how soon his patience may come to an end, we know not. persons taken away at every period of life'

Let not

another day pass unimproved; but "to-day, whilst it is called to-day, turn unto the Lord, and seek him with your whole hearts."]

o Eccl. viii. 11.

P Rom. ii. 4.

q Ps. li. 4.

If this be a Funeral Sermon, any particulars may be mentioned

here.

MMCCCCXXVIII.

THE DAY OF JUDGMENT.

2 Pet. iii. 10-14. The day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness. Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blamelessa.

BUT have we never contemplated our own situation? Have we never considered that the solemnities of the judgment day are now in actual preparation; and that, not our own individual dwelling, or friends only, will be affected by them, but the whole universe? Our minds are at this time justly, and almost exclusively, engrossed with the consideration of this tremendous plot, which God, in mercy to this whole nation, has defeated. And I hope rather to strengthen, than efface, those impressions, by leading you to contemplate,

I. The events predicted in our text

These are widely different indeed from each other; but they are inseparably connected, and infallibly simultaneous. Let us consider,

1. The dissolution of this present world—

[Once the world and every thing in it, with the exception of that small portion contained in the ark, was destroyed by water and there is a time coming when the whole of it without exception will be destroyed by fire. Of the latter there

a This was preached on occasion of the horrible conspiracy (called "The Cato-Street Conspiracy," in February, 1820,) against his Majesty's Ministers; the meditated destruction of whom, by the explosion of a grenade of 14lbs. weight, afforded very abundant and appropriate matter as introductory to this Discourse.

will be no more expectation at the time, than there was of the former. In the days of Noah they were eating and drinking, and marrying and giving in marriage, as securely as at any former period of the world: and would not believe that they were in any danger, till, on the entrance of Noah into the ark, the flood came and destroyed them all. So, at the last day, the inhabitants of this globe will be as little occupied with the thoughts of judgment, as we are at this moment. Our Lord tells us, that " he will come as a thief in the night;" that, without any previous warning, the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, and the earth, with every thing in it, shall be burnt up."

Conceive now the feelings of men at the very first moment that this tremendous and irresistible combustion shall burst forth. Some faint idea may be entertained, if only you suppose that the plot, which God in his mercy has defeated, had been accomplished. Conceive the company that was assembled, either as partaking of the friendly repast, or as deliberating on the affairs of state, and consulting with each other for the welfare of the nation: conceive of them as beholding the desolating instrument cast in among them, and ready in a few moments to execute its destined office: with what terror would they be filled! and, if a moment were allowed for an ejaculatory petition, with what ardour would they implore mercy for their souls! Thus will it be in every quarter of the globe. All, except the remnant, who, in the habit of their minds, have been dying daily, will be ready to "call upon the rocks and mountains to fall upon them, and to cover them from the wrath of the Lamb," whose judgment they dread.

But to that happy remnant another scene will open: for to them shall be revealed,]

2. The establishment of a new and better state

[They," according to God's promise, are even now looking for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness:" and then shall that new state open to their view. In the bold and figurative language of prophecy, the Millennial state is sometimes described under these terms b well it may be; since, when compared with the present state of things, wherein iniquity so awfully abounds, it will be indeed

66

and

a new creation." But the period here spoken of is contemporaneous with the final judgment; and, consequently, must refer to heaven itself, where neither sin nor sorrow can ever dwell. That is the period of which St. John speaks, when he says, "I saw a new heaven, and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away. . . . .. and there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth."

b Isai. lxv. 17. and lxvi. 22.

c Rev. xxi. 1, 27.

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