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sin has prepared; and whose flames sin will always keep burning. What are these facts in your own experience, but the testimonies of God, that can be happy, until you are holy.

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you never While you are deceiving yourselves with the hope of happiness, without holiness, are not your sentiments the very same with those of Sodom. They had impiously cast off the fear of God. Every restraint of religion was removed. Lot exhorted and warned them to fly, by repentance, from impending wrath. But they said to him; No, there is no danger. There is no truth in what you say.' They loaded him with their sneers. This one fellow came in to sojourn among us, and he will needs be a judge.' Think, therefore, how strongly you resemble them, when you tell yourselves, that a life without piety is as safe as any. Think of that fiery indignation,' which their delusions brought down upon them from heaven. Think of that eternal wrath, for which your similar self-deceptions are preparing you; and speedily by repentance, Escape for your Life. Up, get you out of this place;' renounce these delusions of sin; for the Lord will destroy this city ;' this refuge of lies,' in which you place your confidence. Nor let such as warn you to fly unto Christ for safety, seem like those that mock.

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Thirdly. God will be glorious in the destruction of the wicked. He is now using means to reclaim and save you from the distress, which his endless displeasure will cause you to suffer. His sentence against your evil works is not speedily executed.' But his forbearance will have an end. Exhortations, warnings, commands, promises, threatnings, will cease. By all these, he is now bearing public testimony to his own goodness. Every sorrow which the wicked suffer, is a witness for God, that he is the friend of righteousness, and that he abhors iniquity. Were he to preserve his rebellious subjects from de

served wrath, where would be the evidence of his holiness? Where could proof be found, that he is worthy of every creature's entire respect and affection?

Bear it then, always in your minds, that the goodness of God requires, either your repentance, or your endless punishment. Every display of his wrath against sin, is a display of that goodness which is his glory. Never will you be able to throw back upon your Maker, the guilt of your impiety. Your sin consists in your choice of a disposition opposed to God and duty; together with those exercises of your hearts, which spring from such a choice. This choice is your own. The guilt of it must of course, be your own guilt. Yours also, must be the tremendous consequences of their depraved character and conduct, unless you shun them by repentance, in the way of the gospel. From a condition so dreadful, Escape, therefore, for your life, look not behind you,' grudge not the sinful pleasures which you must forsake, by becoming savingly religious. Escape unto the mountains.' Embrace the Lord Jesus Christ, lest you be consumed.'

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8

THE SAINT ENCOURAGED.

A SERMON.

BY

CALVIN CHAPIN,

Patsor of a Congregational Church-Wethersfield, Connecticut

ISAIAH, iii. 10.

Say ye to the Righteous, that it shall be well with him, WHAT is the way to the favor of God, the infinite Creator and Judge of men? The question is of vast moment to creatures who are destined to exist forever; and especially to creatures, who are on trial, for his endless approbation, or his endless displeasure.

But to this question, momentous as it is; there is no need of a doubt relative to the true answer. For nearly six thousand years, God has, in our world been bearing uniform and clear testimony, concerning his own character; concerning man's duty, and of course, concerning the only way of accountable creatures to the greatest of all blessings, the divine approbation.

In the dispensations of his providence, explained' by a revelation of his grace, he has been continually saying to mankind; Your Creator and final disposer is holy. He is, therefore, the unchanging friend of righteousness; and he commands you to be rightcous. He is the invariable enemy of wickedness ; and he commands you not to be wicked.?

Hearers, behold him who formed, and who wil certainly judge you, exhibiting, in all his management of our world, strong evidence of his love for righteousness, and hatred of wickedness. Behold him furnishing this evidence, in his treatment of Adam and Eve; in his treatment of Noah and the Old World; of Abraham and Lot; of Sodom and Gomorrah; of the Israelites in Egypt; of Pharaoh and the Egyptians; of the twelve tribes in the Wilderness; of the Righteous and Wicked in the land of Canaan; of the people visibly his, in every age, until for their wickedness, he scattered them among all nations; yea, of the world itself, in giving his Only ' begotten Son,' that a way might be prepared, for his honorably causing the wicked to become righteous, and be thus fitted for his everlasting love. All these facts, with countless others bearing exactly the same stamp, stand forth and testify, before the world, that the omnipotent Maker and Governor of all creatures and things, is the friend of righteousness and the enemy of wickedness.

Add, moreover, his many and ample promises of good to the righteous. They all have the same animating signification, with that in the text. He has, himself, from the beginning, declared; and he has continually ordered his ministering servants to declare; that, how dreadful soever may be the torments, which the wicked must suffer, it shall be well with the Righteous.'

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You cannot but have already observed, that in the text, a particular character is expressly designated and named. The promise is made to you, on the condition, that you possess this character. The manner of designation and expression proves certainly, that you never can possess the promised good, but on this condition. You must be righteous or it will never be well with you. You must possess the character which God requires: you must live the manner of life which he commands, in which he delights, to

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