they do to space. The hatefulness of sin is seated in itself, in its own internal quality of evil; and by that its ill deservings are to be measured-not by the narrowness of the limits, either of time or place, within which the good providence of God has confined its power of doing mischief.

If, on any ground, it were safe to indulge a hope, that the sufferings of the wicked may have an end, it would be upon the principle adopted by some few of the ancient fathers, and also by some modern writers of eminence and piety, that the actual endurance of punishment in the next life, will produce effects, to which the dread of it had been insufficient, and end, after a long course of years, in the reformation of the worst offenders. But the principle, that this effect is possible,—that the human heart may be reclaimed by force, is at best precarious; so that the only safe principle of human conduct is, to abide by the literal declaration of the Scriptures, and believe that unrepented sin will suffer endless punishment hereafter. But, perhaps, after all, the distance at which imagination sets the prospect of future rewards and punishments, has a more general influence in diminishing the effect of God's merciful warnings, than any sceptical doubts about the intensity or the duration of the sufferings of the wicked. The Spirit of God means to waken us from this delusion, when he tells us, by the Apostles, and holy men of old, that "the coming of the Lord draweth nigh." He means by these declarations, to remind every man, that his particular doom is near : for, whatever may be the time appointed in the secret counsels of God, for "that great and terrible day, when the heavens and the earth shall flee from the face of him, who shall be seated on the throne, and their place shall be no more found." Whatever may be the destined period of this public catastrophe, the end of the world, with respect to every individual, takes place at the conclusion of his own life. In the grave there will be no repentance; no virtues can be acquired, no evil habits thrown off. With that

character, whether of virtue or of vice, in which men leave the world, in that must they appear before the judgmentseat of Christ, and at that moment their future condition is irreversibly determined. In this sense, therefore, to every one here present, "the coming of the Lord draweth nigh"-" the Judge is at the door."—" Let us then watch and pray"-watch over ourselves, and pray for the succours of God's grace, that we may be able to stand before the Son of man. Nor shall vigilance and prayer be ineffectual. On the incorrigible and perverse,-on those who mock at God's threatenings, and reject his promises-on those only the severity of his wrath will fall. But, to those who lay these warnings seriously to heart,—who dread the pollutions of the world, and flee from sin, as from a serpent,who fear God's displeasure more than death, and seek his favour more than life,-though much frailty will adhere to them to the last, yet these are the objects of the Father's mercy,―of the Redeemer's love. For these he died, for these he pleads, these he supports and strengthens, by his Spirit, and these he will lead with him triumphant to the mansions of glory, when sin and death shall be cast into the lake of fire. And now, &c. &c.

SERMON XIV.

PRAYER.

LET US COME BOLDLY UNTO THE THRONE OF GRACE, THAT WE MAY OBTAIN MERCY, AND FIND GRACE TO HELP IN TIME OF NEED.

Heb. iv. 16.

PRAYER is an exercise of such primary importance; it is such an honour, such a privilege, such a means of sanctifying, relieving, and enriching the soul, that he who teaches us to pray, is our best friend; and there is nothing we should more highly prize than those instructions which are designed to regulate and encourage our addresses to God. The design of the Apostle, in the words of the text, is to convey the plainest and most useful instructions upon this subject, and therefore it is well deserving our most serious attention. He tells us of a throne of grace, and informs us in what manner, and for what purpose, we should approach it. "Let us come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need." The language is metaphorical. When God enacts laws, he may be said to sit on a throne of legisla tion when he administers these laws, he is on a throne of government; when he tries his creatures by these laws, he is on a throne of judgment; and when he receives petitions and dispenses favours, he is represented as seated on a throne of grace. The idea of a throne inspires awe, bordering upon terror. It repels, rather than invites. Few persons could approach it without fear and trembling. But

:

what is the throne of an earthly monarch, the greatest earthly monarch that ever swayed a sceptre? The God whom we address, is the "King of kings, and Lord of lords." In his eye the mightiest conqueror is no more than a worm that creeps upon the ground; yea, "all nations before him are as nothing, less than nothing, and vanity. Heaven is his throne," and the earth is only "his footstool." How can we enter his presence, or approach his infinite majesty ? The answer is, because, blessed be his name, he fills the mercy seat; he is on a throne of grace; and we are allowed, and even permitted, to come boldly to it.

I. But, it is necessary, in the first place, for us to know what this boldness is; and we may begin by observing that it is something very different from audacity, rudeness, or unbecoming familiarity. We have sometimes heard persons address Almighty God in a manner and style, which they would not dare to use-I will not say, in speaking to a superior, but even to a fellow-creature of their own rank and station in life. Such persons would do well to compare Scripture with Scripture, before they presume to apologize, from the words of the text, for their indigested and vulgar effusions. What, in fact, is the language of the Bible in other places? "God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, and to be had in reverence of all them that are about him. Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thy heart be hasty to utter any thing before God: for God is in heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be few. Wherefore, we receiving a kingdom, which can. not be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. For our God is a consuming fire." Such persons would also do well to remember the nature of the business in which they are engaged for, if we are imploring mercy and grace, com mon sense will tell us, that the boldness mentioned in the text, can be only the boldness of a penitent, and a sup