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must lie there an eternity of these long years." Had a lost soul in hell but the faintest hope of deliverance, though at the end of as many millions of ages as there are drops in the sea, hell Iwould lose half its horrors. But now, alas! eternity, which might have been the measure of their joys, will be the only measure of their torments. There the fire never shall be quenched. Could a lost soul shed but one tear, once in ten thousand years, and do this till a sea as vast, as all the seas on earth together, were filled with tears, all its sufferings, in that long, long period, would be but the beginning of eternal misery. All those millions of years of wretchedness, would bring the unhappy soul no nearer to an end of its torments, than one poor fleeting hour. Oh infinitely miserable creatures! that when millions of years of sorrow are past, can only say, "These flames again, these tortures again" and when millions more have flown, will still find their miseries beginning; and for ever see an eternity of misery still before them. Were these sorrows to be borne, only for the most numerous course of ages, they would be more supportable; every hour of misery would then bring on an end of all misery; and of the most deeply undone sinner it might be said, that the time would come, when devils should cease from tormenting, and the unhappy should be at rest. Yet, eternity! that joyful or dreadful word forbids the hope. Oh pitiable folly of unhappy men, wretched madness of miserable sinners! so wilfully to refuse a Saviour's grace, and so obstinately to plunge into perdition. And, O my young friend! is not this yours? If it is, these sorrows will soon be

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yours. You may forget how fast eternity comes, but will never forget how slow it goes. Do you not pity those who by one wrong step in youth, entail on themselves misfortune and sorrow for life? but oh, how are you to be pitied who in this short life are ruining an endless one. In this little inch of time, you are bringing a heavy and immoveable curse on a whole eternity. You are doing the worst mischief to your own soul that hell can wish; and worse than a united hell could do. Satan may tempt you to slight salvation; but he cannot make you do it. Õh will you make light of Jesus still? and still refuse your heart to him? Oh if you do; alas for you, that ever you were born! for when your future wretchedness has lasted as many millions of miserable years as there are sands on the seashore, it will be but beginning; and when it has continued as many more it will be no nearer ending. A head-ache, or a tooth-ache, or a burning fever, for one night is painful; but what is this to a painful eternity! How slowly go your hours when kept sleepless with pain! how long they seem, while you count hour after hour, in sad succession, and wish the morning to appear! but there is no easy morning to follow the night of hell How slowly will go a sad eternity there, when no hope of an end appears! What life of sinful pleasure and neglect of Christ can ever make amends for this! How short is the trifling, and how long the sorrow! How short the pleasure, and how long the pain! How short the momentary satisfaction, and how long the dreadful punishment! The Christian, when he looks around, may mourn to think what will be their lot in eternity, whom he sees so careless

MOTIVE FOR EARLY PIETY.

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of eternity now. "These poor creatures," he may often have to say, "unless they repent of their sins, will be lamenting the sinful delights of to-day, ten thousand ages hence; for eternity is theirs." O my young friend, could you now look into that flaming prison, whose terrors no tongue can express; could you see the liv. id flame, the darkness visible; could you behold those who were once angels changed into devils; and the immortal spirits, that might have reached heaven, now weltering in the lake of fire; could you see this, you would behold what you, even you, must see ere long, unless you seek that grace which leads to glory. Could you see this, it might then be said to you, "Hither tend the paths of transgression. Hither a youth, spent in folly and vanity, has conducted many; here end the pleasures of sin." O, flee from destruction; flee from the tempter; flee from all that would charm you to neglect your God, for such charms allure to hell.

CHAPTER XX.

THE YOUNG READER ENTREATED TO MAKE HIS LASTING CHOICE.

§ 1. IT was the blessed resolution of Joshua, that whatever others did, he would serve the Lord; a resolution made more than three thousand years ago, but which doubtless yields him satisfaction even to the present hour. And now you have read thus far in this little volume, what is your decision? I have endeavoured to set before you some of the pleasing, and some of the dreadful motives which urge you to embrace the

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SCRIPTURAL MARKS

gospel of the Lord. Yet think not that the half, or even the thousandth part has been told. Faint is the representation here attempted of the love of Christ; the worth of the soul; the joys of hea ven; or the terrors of hell. Those awful realities, in solemnity and importance, more exceed the account here given of them, than a thunderclap exceeds the faintest whisper; or than the noon-day sun outshines one glimmering spark. What then is your decision? Have you chosen? or will you choose the of life? Perhaps you know that you have not; or perhaps you scarcely know whether you are in the way of life or not. If this be the case, examine yourself by a few plain scriptural marks; and try your state, before it be tried by the Eternal Judge.

way

§2.1. They who are the willing slaves of their sins, are most certainly in the way to destruction. "Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?" "The works of the flesh are manifest; which are these: Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like; they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God." "Let no man deceive you with vain words; for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience.” “He that committeth sin, is of the devil.” 2. They who indulge envy, hatred, malice, or any malevolent passion, are most surely in the way to hell. "If ye forgive not men their tresGal. v. 19, 21. Ephes. v. 6. 1John, iii. 8.

Rom. vi. 16.

FOR SELF-EXAMINATION.

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passes, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses." He that loveth not his brother abideth in death. Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer; and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him." "If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar.”

3. They whose lives may be moral, but who indulge a careless unconcern about salvation, who are thoughtful about this world, but thoughtless about the next, are most certainly hastening to hell. "How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation.” "See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven." "A certain man made

a great supper, and både many; and sent his servant at supper time to say to them that were bidden, Come, for all things are now ready. But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his farm, and another to his merchandise: And they all with one consent, began to make excuse. I say unto you, that none of those that were bidden shall taste of my supper. For many are called, but few are chosen."

4. They who are in the way to heaven, have been brought to see and feel the evil and sinfulness of sin, and have been brought to true repentance; without which no one can be saved. "Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish." "Thus saith the high and lofty One, that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit Matt. vi. 15. 1John, iii. 14, 15. iv. 20. Heb. ii. 1-3. xii. 25. Luke, xiv. 16, &c. Matt. xxii. 5, &c. Luke, xiii. 3.

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