too that faith comes by hearing; uses all those artifices mentioned in the former sermon to divert men's attention from the word, and to prevent its salutary effect upon their hearts. He catches it away, lest they should believe and be saved. As in the beginning he seduced our first parents from their allegiance to God, in order to deprive them of the happiness they enjoyed; so he now uses his utmost endeavour to counteract the measures devised for the salvation of their posterity. Glad would he be to precipitate the whole human race into the same abyss of darkness and misery with himself, and no means within his power will he leave untried in order to compass his malevolent purpose.

Suffer me then, O ye careless hearers of the word, to remind you a moment of the awful consequences of that impenitence and unbelief in which he wishes to confirm you, by all the arts he uses to dissuade you from attention and consideration.

If ye will oppose the clear evidence of the gospel, and shut your ears against its loud calls and gracious invitations; if ye will listen to the false reasonings of him who was a liar from the beginning, and reject the salutary admonitions of Christ and his apostles; if ye will tread under foot the Son of God, and count the blood of the covenant an unholy thing; and if ye will, notwithstanding all the remonstrances of reason and conscience, do despite unto the Spirit of grace: ye must endure the pun

ishment due to such accumulated guilt and horrid ingratitude. There remains no more sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation which shall devour the adversaries.* 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 from the glory of his power. Consider, O consider these things; and the Lord give you understanding.

It now remains that we make two or three reflections on the general subject of this discourse.

1. If satan takes the measures you have heard to prevent the success of the gospel, and to confirm men in impenitence and unbelief; how truly is he denominated by our Saviour the wicked one, and how righteous is that sentence which will shortly be executed upon him!

Every step we have taken in our account of the methods by which he deludes that class of hearers we are discoursing of, establishes the evidence that has been deduced from scripture of his malevolence. What can be more horridly cruel and malignant than to lay every possible snare to beguile the ignorant, and practise upon all the depraved passions of pride and pleasure to ruin the thoughtless; to throw every imaginable obstruction in the

*Heb. x. 26-31. +2 Thes. i. 7, 8, 9%

way of men's attending to their best interests, and excite in their breasts every unreasonable prejudice against the only means of salvation; and to pursue these measures uniformly in every age and country where the gospel is preached, flattering himself with the hope of alleviating his own misery by precipitating others into endless perdition! Yea, so determined is this miserable enemy upon carrying his infernal purposes into effect, that one of his machinations, and not the least is, to persuadé men that his existence is a mere chimera ; or however if he does exist, that he has it not in his power to tempt them, and therefore is not chargeable with that guilt which entitles him to the denomination of the wicked one. What a monster of iniquity! If the character of a seducer among men is held in detestation, how much more detestable is the character of this arch-seducer! If it is the voice of all that a murderer should not live, what tenfold vengeance is he deserving of who has been a murderer from the beginning, and has slain his thousands of thousands! Well! the day is coming when the devil who thus deceived the children of men shall be cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, and be tormented day and night for ever. And then shall be heard a great voice of much people in heaven, saying, hallelujah, salvation, and glory, and honour, and power unto the Lord our God: for true and righteous are his judgments.» *

* Rev. xix. 1, 2.-—. 10.

2. How much is it to be lamented, that men will suffer themselves to be deceived and ruined by the devices of this great adversary!

Permit us, O ye thoughtless inconsiderate hearers of the word, to expostulate with you a moment. The compassionate Jesus, who came to seek and to save that which was lost, has deigned himself to apprize you of your danger, and at the same time taken care to let you know, that, subtle and powerful as this enemy is, he cannot carry his point without your consent. Your danger is great, and the rather as your nature is depraved, and you are surrounded with a thousand snares of which satan knows how to make his advantage. But do not excuse yourselves of blame, by pleading your incompetence to resist so mighty an adversary. To be tempted is not your sin, but it is your sin to comply with the temptation. You may, you can, you ought to be on your guard. Indis posed as you are to attend to your best interests, you are capable of hearing us, and of considering the force of our reasonings.

Why, O why will ye thrust all these things from your minds? Should what we say prove to be true, what an addition will it be to your misery to reflect, in the great day of account, that your heart despised reproof, and that you would not incline your ear to them that instructed you! Realize that day. Be persuaded that it will come. It is however not yet come. Now, now is the acceptod time, now is the day of salvation. The truths

we preach may be painful to you, and to urge ther upon you merely for the sake of giving you pain, would be cruel. But if the attentive consideration of them will be salutary to you, (and we firmly believe that such is their tendency) can you wonder that we are importunate with you? Make the trial. If you never before listened to a sermon, O be persuaded to listen to this! Carry it away with you. Revolve it in your mind. Examine what we have said by the tests of impartial reason and the sacred scriptures. And, bowing your knee at the feet of the great God, earnestly beseech him, for Christ's sake, to assist you in your conflicts with this subtle adversary, and the deceitful reasonings of your own hearts. You have every imaginable encouragement so to do. And should you succeed, how glorious will your triumph be over sin and the powers of darkness!

s. And lastly, Let us admire and adore the grace of God which defeats the designs of satan, and makes the word effectual upon the hearts of multitudes, notwithstanding all the opposition it meets with.

Many a one who has been induced to hear the gospel by motives of mere curiosity, has nevertheless received salutary and abiding impressions from it. He has entered the assembly with a thoughtless and dissipated mind, and has gone away with a heart deeply affected with his everlasting concerns. The providence of God in so disposing external circumstances as that such persons