take you to the duties of religion. Call upon the Lord, that you perish not. Lay hold on the righteousness of Chrift. He is able and willing to fave you. You ought not to hefitate a moment, when your all is at stake. Receive an offered Saviour, and you shall be happy in foul and body for ever. Neglect him, and you must be eternally wretched. There is salvation in no other; and there is a complete one in him. There is the pardon of fin by his blood, and the death of fin by his Spirit. There is peace of confcience, guidance through life, comfort in trouble, joy more than can be expressed, with every necessary grace; and a happiness after death, rifing to the very height of your wishes, and lasting as God himself. Why then should you continue in the love and practice of fin? Why in the neglect of known duty? Why should religion be deferred for a fingle day or hour? Have not some of you deferred it so often already, as to convince you that this is the most gross delufion ? Think not of a time to come. We trust in vain to futurity. Before the setting fun, your eyes and mine may be closed in the sleep of death. Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of falvation. This day and not the next, this hour and not the next, this moment and not the next. Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goeft.

To conclude, those of you, my brethren, whose consciences testify that you are not strangers to these spiritual exercises, strive to grow more and more in conformity to God. This is the best evidence of your fincerity. You have not already attained, neither are already perfect.Learn that your only help is laid on the righteousness and

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and strength of your exalted Redeemer. Live by faith in him. Of bis fulness receive, and grace for grace. Be not discouraged under any difficulties; being confident of this very thing, that be which bath begun a good work in you, will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ : Unto them that look for him shall be appear the second time, without fin unto falvation.

SER

SERMOΝ ΧΙΙ.*

THE CHARACTER AND MISERY OF THE WICKED.

BY

WILLIAM LINN, D. D.

One of the Minifters of the Reformed Dutch Church,

New-York.

Y

ISA. lvii. 21.

There is no peace, faith my God, to the wicked.

OU will easily remember, my brethren, that fome time ago, I had the happiness of addressing you on the prospect of a safe and honourable peace being restored to our distressed land. You were then pleased to hear me with attention; and your patriotism kindly approved what was fincerely aimed to express our joy, and excite

our gratitude to the munificent Donor of all things. It is hoped that we and fucceeding generations, will continue to enjoy temporal peace and profperity.

But while we rejoice in the goodness of the Lord, we ought to remember, that our duration in this world is short-that only they can be happy who enjoy the Divine favour-nay, that without this, present advantages will make our condemnation at last the more terrible. Let none, therefore, say to their fouls, "Take your ease -the defolation of war is now over our difficulties are removed and peace and plenty have once more taken up their habitation with us;"-for the Lord declares, in the words of the text, There is no peace to the wicked. Though the long and bloody conflict is at an end, yet if we have not a proper temper towards God, we are still in the utmost danger; if not in this world, yet in that which is to come; when he will render to every one according to his works, and pour out his wrath on the wicked without any mixture of mercy.

To alarm our fears, and excite us to seek the Lord while he may be found, I shall, with plainness and freedom, shew, first, Who come under the description of the wicked; and, fecondly, In what respects there is no peace

to fuch.

I. In general, all they are properly denominated wicked who have never undergone a change of heart. Mankind by nature have no inclination to the service of God. They are reprefented in scripture, as without strength and ungodly-as dead in trespasses and fins as enemies in their minds by wicked works, and even as enmity itself against God. Hence arifes the necessity of a great and fupernatural change; which our Saviour compares to a Second birth; and it is fet forth by other fimilitudes in

the

the writings of the Apostles. It is likened to a refurrection to a new creation-to a translation from darkness to light; all which teach us, that before we can be accepted of God, and entitled to his favour, some extraordinary work must take place upon us. To deny this, we must reject both reason and revelation; for both confpire in declaring that man is degenerate, and that while he continues in this state, he cannot have communion with a Holy God. As soon might we reconcile light and darkness, or bring the most opposite extremes together.

Whatever kinds, and whatever degrees of wickedness there are, they all proceed from an innate depravity of mind. Hear the words of Christ: For from within, out of the beart of man, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lafciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness; all thefe evil things come from within. Every unrenewed person has in his nature the feeds of all evil; and which appear more or less in his life, according as opportunities are afforded to nourish and strengthen them. To assist us in judging the better of our own characters, let us attend to the different ways in which this root of bitterness discovers itself.

First, Some are grossly ignorant of the plain and efsential doctrines of the Christian religion, amidst the best means to gain an acquaintance with them. Though the scriptures are in their possession, together with excellent helps by the writings of pious men, and inftructions from the pulpit, yet they are unable to give any fatisfactory account of those truths, on which their eternal salvation depends. This is not occafioned by want of capacity, but by utter neglect of divine things, and argues their spiritual death. The holy oracles, which contain the words of eternal life, neglected, gather dust; while books