Eternal punishment is now restricted to those "who obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ." 1 For God does not at once cast away his guilty creatures. A door of hope has been set open-a way of escape provided. Some, by God's grace, flee to this refuge, and are safe beneath the banner of Jesus Christ. But multitudes-far the greater number, alas! refuse, slight, oppose it. Now is not this a greater wickedness, than even our breach of God's commandments? You know how the culprit is dealt with in a human court of justice. If a man has been tried, condemned, and reprieved; any offences, which he may afterwards be guilty of, meet with no mercy. "Of how much sorer punishment, then, must they be thought worthy, who tread under foot" the blood of Christ!

Still perhaps there are many who will justify themselves from the charge implied in the term "the wicked." Let your character, then, be tried by the second expression;

2. "The nations that forget God."-Alas! what multitudes are there, who, without any glaring vice, totally and constantly forget God! Such unhappy persons, living "without God in the world," are, to all intents and purposes, Atheists!

But there are others-and you, perhaps, may be of their number-who sometimes think and speak of God, and even render him some outward service; but who still practically "forget" him. "God is not in all your thoughts."3 You seldom make any real effort to "set him before "4 you." If you ever really think of Him, it is not so much from choice, as from chance. Even our outward service is often the very means of Our forgetting Him. "The form of godliness" 5

1 2 Thess. i. 8. 2 Hebrews x. 29. 3 Psalm x. 4.
5 2 Tim. iii. 5.

4 Psalm xvi. 8.

satisfies our conscience: and, having kept a sabbathheard a sermon—said a prayer—we think ourselves free, till the season, coming round again, brings back our occasional thoughts of God.

But you say, I cannot always be thinking of God!' And what is this, but a confession of the fact? Then you do forget God! But why do you so? Is the habitual thought of Him an absurdity, or an impossibility? Nay-the blessed angels "rest not day or night"-the spirits of the just cease not-from admiring, loving, and adoring him! And why should you, except because you have a carnal, wicked heart, which would rather think of the veriest folly than of God? If any one will excuse his wickedness, by saying that he had "forgotten God," I must tell him that this forgetfulness is itself wickedness. Would such an excuse stand good in the case of a child's neglecting and injuring his kind Parent? O ye that are parents! let your own heart condemn your own forgetfulness towards the Father of all.

May these considerations, by the blessing of God, be the means of opening our eyes-humbling us-and leading us to the cross of Christ, and to his sanctifying Spirit! Then, though in reality wicked, we may still have hope. But if men refuse this, let them hear, secondly,

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And could any
Not some, as a

II. THE FUTURE PORTION DECREED FOR THEM: They shall be turned into Hell." Can any thing be more dreadful? words be more plain and explicit? warning to others; but "all!" Not some hardened individuals; but whole "nations" of them that forget God! For as God's eye can discern every single transgressor, so his hand can reach the whole multitude

of his enemies: neither will he pity, neither will he spare them. But let us see what insight may be gained, into the nature of this awful portion of the ungodly. There will be,

1. Tormenting Pains. In describing these pains, the Scripture speaks of "a lake burning with fire and brimstone;"' 2 'everlasting fire; "3" chains of dark

ness;

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995

994 66 a worm that dieth not.' The exact sense of these threatenings cannot be known as yet. But certainly nothing less tormenting must be looked for, than the terms imply; for, as David says " Even thereafter as a man feareth, so is thy displeasure." 6

We

2. A sleepless Conscience. This often begins before the day of wrath after death it never ceases. have on earth many things which produce insensibility and stupor; and we are willingly deceived. there, the sense of guilt, and the recollection of mercy despised, will night and day harrow up the mind.

But

3. Mutual Reproaches. We see instances of this, even in the present world. If companions in crime have brought themselves into distress, how do they accuse each other! each individual being unwilling to be regarded as the cause of their mutual sufferings. But what then will be the agony of recrimination, when the seducer and the seduced, the tempter and the tempted, consisting, in many cases, of members of \the same family-shall all behold the eternal woe into which they have led and followed each other? And, above them all, Satan's triumph will be heard-a horrid triumph-that he has led captive such multitudes, together with himself, to the bottomless pit.

4. Unrestrained and full-grown Passions. The greatest present misery of the wicked is from the 1 See Ezek. vii. 4, 9. 2 Rev. xxi. 8. 3 Matt. xviii. 8. 4 2 Peter ii. 4. 5 Mark ix. 44. 6 Psa. xc. 11. Prayer Book.

tyranny of their "lusts, which war in their members." 1 Here, these passions are checked by various outward causes; especially by the restraining Providence of God. It is owing to that restraint, that this fair world is not itself a hell already. But in the other world, that world of woe, the restraint will cease. "Evil will there"6 wax worse and worse; perfection of wicked passions will produce such a fulness of misery as we can scarcely conceive. May we never know it!

men

,, 2 till the

5. The certainty of eternal Despair is the last ingredient in this cup of woe.-All other known misery has hope mingled with it: and hope will render even the worst tolerable. With this help, With this help, "the spirit of a man will sustain his infirmity." But what is that state, where it is known that God's "

mercy is clean gone for ever, and he will be favourable no more?" 4 What is that state, where ages of suffering leave the remainder still undiminished? where "the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever?" 5 Can you realize it? Can you dare it ?

"Oh that men were

But it is painful to enlarge. wise, that they understood this, that they would consider their latter end!" 6-My brethren! take it as the word of a true friend, that such will most inevitably be the portion of the ungodly and the worldling. Be warned to "flee from the wrath to come." 7 Come this very hour to Jesus, confessing your wickedness, and seeking pardon and peace through his blood. Most joyfully will he receive you-and, in due time, ⚫ number you with his saints in glory everlasting.'

1 James iv. 1. 22 Tim. iii. 13. 3 Prov. xviii. 14. 5 Rev. xiv. 11. 6 Deut. xxxii. 29.

4 Ps. lxxvii. 7, 8. 7 Matt. iii. 7.

SERMON XXV.

ISAIAH Xxxiii. 24.-And the inhabitant shall not say, I am sick: the people that dwell therein shall be forgiven their iniquity.

THE prophecy contained in this chapter is believed to have been written about the time of Sennacherib's blasphemous invasion of Judah and Jerusalem, in the reign of Hezekiah. It alternately foretells his defeat, disgrace, terror, and the shipwreck of his proud hopes; and on the other hand, the security, deliverance, joy, and prosperity of the city of David. But this last verse very strongly shews (what indeed we might have suspected all through the chapter) that the prophet was thinking of another city-" the heavenly Jerusalem "-" whose builder and maker is God."2 — Many of the preceding expressions are so highly coloured, as to be almost incapable of application to any earthly city: but surely, of heaven alone can it be with truth asserted-"The inhabitant shall not say, I am sick; the people that dwell therein shall be forgiven their iniquity."

Two principal circumstances are dwelt upon, as constituting the bliss of heaven: There is no sorrow there-there is no condemnation there.

I. THERE IS NO SORROW IN HEAVEN : inhabitant shall not say, I am sick."

"the

1 Hebrews xii. 22.

H

2 Hebrews xi. 10.