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THE SINNER'S DANGER DREADFUL.

"it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God;" for "our God is a consuming fire." That "the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven, with his mighty angels, in flaming fire, taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ; who shall be punished with everlasting destruction, from the presence of the Lord, and the glory of his power." Then while some awake to glory, others shall awake "1ơ shame and everlasting contempt." Then in

vain shall the "kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, call on the rocks and the mountains to cover them, and hide them from the wrath of the Lamb." "Whosoever has not his name found in the book of life, will be then cast into the lake of fire" and not merely will atrocious sinners meet this dreadful doom, but "the fearful and unbelieving," those who are too cowardly to follow Christ, or who disbelieve his gospel, "shall be cast into the lake that burns with fire and brimstone." "Then shall they eat of the fruit of their own ways, and be filled with their own devices;" while "the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever."

The divine Saviour, who was a pattern of tenderness and compassion, instead of softening down these dreadful representations, confirms them in the most decisive manner. - Infinite pity dwelt in his heart, he wept over wretched men, yet he declared that he himself, on all the irreligious, would pronounce the dreadful sentence, "Depart from me, ye cursed, into ever

Heb. xli. 29. 2 Thess. 1. 7. Dan. i. 2. Rev. vi. 15. xx. 15. xxi, 8. Prov. i. 31. Rev. xiv. 11.

FEW FIND THE PATH TO HEAVEN.

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lasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels" and be affirms that "they shall go away into everlasting punishment;""into the furnace of fire, where shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth;" "where the worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched." To avoid this, he bids you count nothing too dear. "Fear not,” says he, "them which kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do, but fear Him who after he hath killed bath power to cast into hell." Dreadful doom! "whose heart can endure, or whose hands be strong in the day that God shall deal with him!" who can dwell with everlasting burnings! who can endure devouring fire!

§14. While, my young friend, you are thus affectionately warned of your danger, even by the Lord himself, you are as solemnly assured by him, that multitudes plunge into this eternal ruin; and that no outward privileges will suffice to deliver you from its horrors. As it were to quicken your concern after everlasting blessings, the Lord Jesus declares that but a few, a happy few, obtain them. "Wide," says he, "is the gate, and broad is the way that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat ;" and then he adds in the most impressive "Strait is the gate, and narrow the way that leadeth into life, and few there be that find it!" "Many are called, but few are choPresume not then, that there is little danger of missing the path to heaven, for there is much. The way is narrow. Presume not that most will be saved, and that therefore you

manner

sen."

Matt. xxv. 41. 46. xlii. 42. Mark, ix. 44. Luke, xii. 5. Matt. x. 98. Ezek. xx. 14. Is. xxxiii. 14. Matt. vii. 13, 14. xxii. 16.

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OBJECTION ANSWERED

may go contentedly with the multitude. The multitude are travelling the downward road; and but few find the path that leads to glory and to God: O, cherish a pious concern to become one of that happy few!

§ 15. Perhaps, my young friend, you attempt to set aside all that I have urged, respecting the danger of your state, by pleading, "I am not guilty of any notorious crimes; lying, lewdness, sabbath-breaking, dishonesty, and a hundred other vices, in which thousands indulge, I never practised." If you knew yourself and the law of God better, you might perceive that you have, in your heart, committed many sins, of which you now think yourself guiltless, but if it be as you imagine, yet allow me to remind you, that the word of God declares you as much a condemned and ruined creature, for leaving undone what you should have done, as for doing what you should not. Though your life may be moral, yet if you do not from your heart submit to the Son of God, you do not obey the gospel. "And what shall the end be of them who obey not the gospel of God?" "They shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and the glory of his power." Be not then deceived; not merely the openly profligate, but the unrighteous, all who are destitute of real piety, "shall not inherit the kingdom of God." "If any man have not the Spirit of Christ he is none of his." "If any

man love not the Lord Jesus Christ let him be accursed." "He that believeth not the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth

1 Peter, iv. 17. 2 Thess. i. 7. 1 Cor. vi. 9. Rom, viii. 9, 1 Cor. xvi. 22. John, lii. 31.

on him."

ADDRESS TO THE READER.

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The blessed Redeemer has taught us that merely "making light of the gospel," is the way to eternal ruin. "How then shall we escape if we neglect (do nothing worse than neglect) so great salvation !"

§ 16. And now, my young friend, what are your views of your own state? Do you feel that you are justly condemned, or do you cling to the delusions, by which thousands are undone? When looking round, you see many amiable persons, who seem to want nothing but the one thing needful, do you ask, "Are these like the vilest sinners threatened with eternal wrath? or if they are, can these be deserving of it?" Search the book of God, and you will there surely find that they are; and that, without one thing more, all the amiable qualifications imaginable, will do no more to save them from eternal wrath, than a fine dress to save a man from destruction, if hurled from the top of a tremendous precipice. Perhaps you may have been an affectionate child, you may be tender and compassionate, dutiful and obliging, but will this save you? No, never. - Excellent as these qualifications are in their place, if these could have atoned for sin, and saved the soul, the Son of God need not have died. But the fact is, you may possess all these, and a thousand other amiable recommendations, and yet live in rebellion against your God; and thus, however fair your character may be in the sight of men, in that of God it may be as dark and as vile as the character of Satan himself. What is rebellion against God, but continued and neglect of his commands?

disobedience And are you

Matt.xxii. 1, &c. Luke, xiv. 12, &c. Heb. 11. 3.

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ADDRESS TO THE READER,

not guilty of this? Perhaps, you think not. Well, inquire a little further. Which is the first and great commandment? Is it not, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength ?" Have you kept this? Has God had all your heart? Have all your affections been fixed on him? Has he been loved with all your soul and mind; and thus stood highest in your esteem; and been chosen as your supreme good and only portion? If not, however fair and pleasing your outward conduct may have been, you have yet been liv ing continually committing the greatest of sins; for you have lived breaking God's first and great commandment every day of your exist ence. If to love God above all things is the first and greatest commandment, to live negligent of him must be one of the greatest of sins, and indeed a sin that opens the way to every O my young friend, could we see things aright, every other sin, so far as it referred to man only, would dwindle into comparative innocence, compared with neglect of the blessed Saviour and our adorable God! The blackness of every other crime would be as light, compared with the more horrible blackness of alienation of the heart from God, that first of sins, that root of every other. This has been mine, this has been yours! and, unless your heart be changed by divine grace, even at this moment this sin is yours. Though unstained with the other dark offences, of the robber or the adulterer, yet this blackest of all you have as well as they. Like them you belong to a false apostate race, that have forsaken their God, and gone away back

other.