should serve as so many cords of love to draw him to God, he employs as so many weapons of rebellion against him! "Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil. Let favour be showed to the wicked, yet will he not learn righteousness: in the land of uprightness will he deal unjustly, and will not behold the majesty of the Lord."

God tries other means. He sends a succession of disappointments and afflictions. These are designed to wean him from the world-but he holds fast deceit, he refuses to return. They are to hedge up his way with thorns-but he breaks through them, and wanders on. By these, God arms himself to awaken his fears, and drive him back-but " He rushes upon the thick bosses of his buckler." God strikes and he strikes again!!" O Lord, are not thine eyes upon the truth? thou hast stricken them, but they have not grieved; thou hast consumed them, but they have refused to receive correction: they have made their faces harder than a rock: they have refused to return."

He fixes the bounds of our habitations, arranges all our affairs, and leaves nothing to chance.And, upon this principle, we "should learn in whatsoever state we are, therewith to be content." For God cannot err. But the sinner murmurs and complains: he quarrels with the allotments of providence; he wishes to rectify the divine proceedings-God has not properly disposed of him or of others-and the common complaint is, that God has placed him too low, and others too high; indulged him too little, and others too

much.

Again, the sinner strives with God by the persecution of his people. For such is the intimate and inseparable union between him and his followers, that in whatever degree you endeavour to injure them, you oppose him: he considers it as done against himself: "For he that toucheth them, toucheth the apple of his eye." Therefore, said our Lord and Saviour, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou ME?

Finally, he strives with God, by trying to hinder the spread of his cause. He, who by fraud, or force, would keep the gospel from entering a neighbourhood, or by reproach or threatening, would discourage people from hearing it; is in avowed opposition to the revealed will of God, "Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth." Persons may endeavour to justify their opposition in some cases, because those who are labouring to do good, are not of their community, and walk not with them-but surely it becomes them to be exceedingly cautious in their conclusion; and to weigh the admonition of Gamaliel: "Refrain from these men, and let them alone: for if this counsel or this work be of men, it will come to naught but if it be of God, ye cannot overthrow it: lest haply ye be found even to fight against God."

And be it remembered, that men will be judged, not according to their success, but according to their intention. God may overrule their rage for good, and make all their efforts to subserve the cause they oppose-but as this was not their design, it will not exculpate them. It was in their heart to prevent the diffusion of truth, and

the influence of the Gospel, and God deals with them accordingly. He looketh to the heart; and will punish them in proportion to the good they would have hindered, and the evil they would have spared, had they been successful. For wo

unto him that striveth with his Maker.

And, to come to the second part of our subject, no wonder such a wo is here denounced-for this striving with God, is

First. A practice the most shameful and ungrateful. What would you think of a child who should strive with his father, reproach his character, counteract all his designs, and endeavour to injure his concerns?-But such is your conduct towards God. "Is not he thy Father, that hath made thee?" What would you think of a person who would set himself against a benefactor that had never given him the least grounds of provocation, and had always been doing him good? But such is your conduct towards God. He has preserved your souls in life. His air you have breathed. From his table you have been fed.He has given you all things richly to enjoy.

Has he not therefore reason to be astonished at your baseness and ingratitude? "Hear, O heavens; and give ear, O earth: for the Lord hath spoken: I have nourished and brought up children, and they have rebelled against me. The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master's crib but Israel doth not know, my people doth not consider."

It is, secondly, a practice the most unreasonable and absurd. For observe-in all the instances in which you oppose him he is aiming to promote your good: his design is to make you

wise, to make you holy, to make you happy and the advantages of compliance will be all your own. Besides

Can you do without him?-Can you do without him in life?-In death can you do without him? Who else can pardon you? or sanctify you? or comfort you? or give you an abundant entrance into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour? What then can equal the folly of offending and provoking Him whose favour is life, and upon whom you absolutely depend for everything essential to your happiness in time and eternity?

me.

And therefore, thirdly, nothing can be more injurious and ruinous. In striving with him you only resemble the wave that dashes against the rock and is driven back in foam: or the ox that kicks against the goad, and only wounds himself; or the thorns and briers that should set themselves in battle array against the fire. Hence says God, "Let the potsherds strive with the potsherds of the earth."-If you will contend, choose an enemy like yourselves, with whom you can claim some kind of equality-there is none between you and There are cases in which it may be proper to wage war, where there is only a probability, or even a possibility of victory. But what desperate madness actuates you? You strive with an adversary by whom you know you must be conquered. For "have you an arm like God, or can you thunder with a voice like his?" Need you be told that he can work immediately upon the mind, and in the twinkling of an eye, could produce such terrors in the conscience, as would be intolerable? Need you be told that he is able to destroy both body and soul in hell? Need you be told that all creatures, from an angel to a worm,

are under his control, and only wait his signal to fall upon you?

This you say, only shows what he can do. Let us then see what he will do. What has he said? Read these threatenings. "If ye walk contrary to me, I also will walk contrary to you, and will punish you seven times for your iniquity.-He 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 from the glory of his power.-And Enoch, also, the seventh from Adam prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints to execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them, of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him."

But what reason have we to believe that all this is true?"-Because it is found in a book written by God himself. Because many of these threatenings have already been accomplished. Because it accords with those evils and miseries which are found to attend wickedness, even in this world: And because no one ever hardened himself against God, and prospered. Did Pharaoh? Did Belshazzar? Did the Jews?

To improve this awful subject, let me askwhether you are for God or against him? Be not surprised-you are either his friends or his enemies: there is no neutrality here. In some cases neutrality is allowable, if not commendable. family disputes, or in quarrels among neighbours,

In