SERMON XXII.

"THE DAY OF GOD."

2 PETER III. 11, 12, 13, 14, and part of 15. 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 blameless;

And account that the long-suffering of our Lord is salvation.

I REMEMBER to have read a sermon in which the writer commenced with observing that the text is the most important part of a discourse; that

the whole object of our arguments and exhortations is to bring our hearers back to it, and to enforce it upon their nothing, and that all, which we have to do in preaching, is to call their attention to the word of God. All this is most true; and my sole desire at present is, to excite your minds to a serious consideration of the most solemn truths, and forcible arguments contained, not only in my text, but in the whole of the chapter from which I have taken it. It should be enough to make a man set to work in earnest about the salvation of his soul, to read that chapter with thoughtful attention; it should make him exclaim, if he has been careless hitherto, "What must I do to be saved?" I cannot say any thing half so impressive; nor have my words any authority in themselves; they are only worthy of being listened to, if I "speak as the oracles of God," if I ground all that I say upon the foundation of Scripture, and bring you to Scripture, for "doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness." God grant that this may be the character and effect of my present discourse!

minds; that our word is

The chapter which we have now in hand, seems to have been intended by St. Peter, as a general conclusion to his two epistles. He informs his readers that he had written them both with

the same view, viz. to "stir up their pure, (honest, or sincere) minds by way of remembrance, that they might be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy Prophets, and of the commandment which he himself, and the other Apostles of the Lord and Saviour," had given them, to be ever preparing against the great day of the second appearing of Jesus Christ. It seems to be to this particular subject that he immediately refers, when he reminds them of the words of the Prophets, and the commandment of the Apostles, because he directly proceeds to speak of that awful event, the Advent of Christ to judge the world.

It is the certainty of this great event that gives religion all its interest and importance. I do not indeed deny, that if there were no future state of existence designed for us, if there were no prospect of a day of retribution, when we should be called to account for the "things done in the body," it would still be for the benefit and happiness of society, that the world should be governed by the laws of the Gospel; it would be for the interest of men, who wished to pass their days as comfortably as possible, to cultivate the order, peace, justice, and kindness which it enjoins; but religion, as signifying a relation between God and man, would have no importance

at all, were it not for the truth of that momentous doctrine, that there is a day coming, in which we shall be assembled before the seat of Judgment, and have our everlasting condition fixed, according to the favourable, or unfavourable testimony, which our lives shall bear.

What

What truth can it be more necessary to bear in mind than this? It gives an importance to all our thoughts, words, and actions; our one grand business is to prepare for Judgment:What else have we to do in this world? is there worth caring about, but how we shall be able to " escape all those" dreadful "things that shall come to pass" at the last day, and to "stand" with joy and confidence "before the Son of Man ?"

The thought of this casts into the shade every thing that we might otherwise consider great and important in life; nothing is of any moment, except in as far as it has some bearing upon that grand and final decision of our fate.

Of the truth of this solemn doctrine, the persons, to whom Saint Peter was immediately addressing himself, were no doubt fully assured; and they were in that state of mind that it was their joy and their glory to reflect upon it. They, we may be sure, were able to enter heartily into the happy sentiments, which he expressed in the

beginning of his first Epistle; "blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope, by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead." A great part of this first Epistle is taken up with exhorting Christians to patient endurance of the afflictions of life, in the hope, that if they partook of Christ's sufferings, they should also be united with him in glory. It is this hope alone which can sustain a man; and one would have supposed, that all would have been delighted to find such a refuge from trouble and sorrow, that they would have clung to it as to "an anchor of the soul, sure and stedfast," in all the heavy storms by which the sea of life is perpetually agitated. But St. Peter knew that there were persons far otherwise minded and therefore he thought it right to warn his readers of the danger to which their faith was exposed; he tells them, that the very hope which animated and encouraged them, would be made by others a subject of ridicule and mockery; that there "shall come scoffers, walking after their own lusts." His prophecy has been amply verified; scoffers there have been in all ages, and are now; and well distinguished by this mark, that "they walk after their own lusts." Yes, that is the very reason why they are scoffers,