breakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful." There is yet a more decent, unsuspected, and, therefore, more deceptive way of sin, " the end" of which “is death." This is the way of worldly pleasures, as they are termed. Of such as pursue this way, the apostle testifies, that they are "lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof." The fashions, the amusements, the honours of this evil world, engross their minds and occupy their precious time. They "mind earthly things." "Their "god is their belly, whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.' Now these are some of "those things" which mark and fix the character of not only the heathen nations, but also of too many who are called Christians; and who, by their baptismal vows, have solemnly engaged to renounce the works of darkness—to renounce the devil and all his works -to renounce the pomps and vanities of this evil world-to mortify all the sinful lusts of the flesh-and to "live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world." What, then, is the end of "those things" in which the great mass of mankind live and delight?" It is death." "The end of those things is death." 6 Rom. i. 29-31. 8 Phil. iii. 19. 72 Tim. iii. 4, 5. 9 Tit. ii. 12. 66 This is the II. POINT TO BE NOTICED. pa "What fruit had ye THEN, (i. e. when ye lived,) in those things?" Was it a wholesome, useful, sweet fruit? Did "those things" impart to you that solid delight which you sought? No. The fruit was bitter. "Those things," indeed, appeared fair, goodly, inviting, desirable; but they proved, even in the enjoyment of them, to be grapes of gall, their clusters are bitter." Sin is like a sweet poison, gratifying to the vitiated late; but, while its sweetness yet remains, its deadly power insinuates itself through the frame, working death. Every sin, sooner or later, brings its own punishment. The fruit of sin in this life is bitter. You will never find a sinner happy or satisfied in his mind. After all that he can obtain and enjoy of earthly possessions and pleasures, there is something still wanted-there is an aching voidthere is a worm at the root of all, corroding the very enjoyments. Besides, one sin leads on to other sins in a progressive series, until the way of sin terminates in some great sorrow, loss, or disappointment; or in a public shame and mental remorse. Take, for instance, that very common sin of sabbath-breaking; a sin awfully prevalent among all classes in this christian country. This 1 Deut. xxxii. 32. sin leads to evil company, to drunkenness; drunkenness leads to want; want leads to dishonesty; dishonesty leads to murder. Dishonesty or murder leads to public infamy, to prison and the gallows. How frequently does it happen that persons, publicly executed for some atrocious crimes, confess that their wicked career, ending in a disgraceful death, commenced by neglecting the house of God on the Lord's day, by breaking the sabbath, and by associating with ungodly companions! Truly does the apostle say, "Destruction and misery are in their ways, and the way of peace have they not known.”2 Look, again, at the fruit of another prevailing sin-the sin of intemperance. Follow the drunkard to the pot-house, and see him swill his cups. He becomes drunk, loses his little portion of reason, destroys his health, impoverishes his family; and his mind, filled with bitter reflection, becomes miserable when the intoxication is gone. He has been cruelly wasting that money which was due to his family. He has robbed them of their comforts, of their bread; and while he has been swallowing down the sweet but poisonous draught, and joining in the noise, the revelry, and riot of his mad companions, his wife and poor children were pining away and weeping through lack of bread. 2 Rom. iii. 16, 17. Look at the drunkard's family, "half naked, half starved," and then say whether the fruit of this sin is not bitter? "Who hath woe, who hath sorrow, who hath contention, who hath babbling, who hath wounds without cause, who hath redness of eyes? They that tarry long at the wine"s (or drink.) O! the untold, the undiscovered miseries, even in this world, produced by this sin-the sin of drunkenness! And where, I ask, where were the christian principles, where was the apprehended responsibility, nay, where was the vaunted patriotism, of our professedly christian governors and legislators, when they concocted and enacted that most demoralizing and infamous act, commonly called the Beer Act?" Were not the floodgates of licentiousness sufficiently widened, before the statute book of a christian nation was stained with a sort of premium on immorality! Alas! it requires not the spirit of prophecy to foretel the doom of that nation, be it denominated christian or heathen, whose rulers and legislators compromise the interests and safeguards of morals and religion, to swell the amount of a temporal good in the shape of increased revenue; as if the strength and the glory and stability of a commonwealth, consisted more in its accumulated silver and gold, than in the virtues of its people! 3 Prov. xxiii. 29, 30. Now, if the fruit of sin be such in the present life, what will be the end, the fruit of sin in the world to come? The apostle states, "The end of those things is death." And what is this death? It is not only the death of the body, but that eternal death spoken of in the word of God, as "the second death;" being cast, soul and body, into the lake that burneth with fire and brimstone. "The fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone; which is the second death."4 Every sin deserveth eternal damnation. Every sin is the service of the devil, and he for the service will pay the wages to the full. "He that committeth sin is of the devil;" and "the wages of sin is death."6 "The end of those things is death." Let us proceed, 5 REVIEW 66 OF THOSE III. TO SHOW Of them he is "now ashamed." "Whereof ye are now ashamed." When the prodigal son came to himself he felt ashamed of his former conduct, and confessed that he was unworthy to be called the + Rev. xxi. 8. 5 1 John iii. 8. 6 Rom. vi. 23. |