mandments, and an humble belief of the threatenings, recorded in the word of God. How does this fact appear? By the best evidence: by the life and actions. The tree is known by its fruit. Look at the fruits of these men. When you fee perfons paying no practical regard to the declarations of the Almighty: what is this but to treat his declarations as an idle tale? When you fee a man trusting for falvation principally to fuppofed merits of his own: is it not plain that he treats as an idle tale the fundamental doctrine of the gospel, that falvation is purchased entirely by the atonement of Chrift; that it is to be fought only through faith in His blood; and that good works, though indifpenfably required of every Christian, are valuable only as fruits and proofs of faith, not as being themselves pure in the fight of God, and still lefs as poffeffing any power of buying off the punishment due to tranfgreffion? When you fee a man confidently depending on his own ftrength for ability to ferve God acceptably: does he not prove that he treats as an idle tale the unequivocal affertions both of the Old and of the New Teftament, that of ourfelves we can do nothing which is good; that by nature we are corrupt, and enemies to God; that it is God who who worketh in us both to will and to do that which is right; that we cannot be preferved for a single moment in faith and holiness but by the fanctifying grace of the Holy Ghoft? When When you fee a perfon, though abstaining from fome fins, wilfully perfifting in others is it not evident that he treats as an idle tale those many warnings in the Scriptures, that any one criminal habit, whether it be drunkenness, or uncleannefs, or theft, or covetousness, or envy, or lying, or malice, or any other fin, wilfully and obstinately indulged, will plunge him into hell? When you see a person as it were defying the anger of God by careless disobedience: is it not manifeft that in practice he treats as an idle tale the sentence of everlafting damnation, everlasting fire, the worm that never dies, the flame that never fhall be quenched? Surely to fuch men the Lord God Omnipotent, the Creator, the King, and the Judge of the universe, seemeth as one that mocketh! III. Confider, in the third place, the confequences of treating as an idle tale, as the words of one that mocketh, the declarations of Almighty God. Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man foweth, that shall be also reap. Let God be true, but every man à liar. Thy word, O God, is true from the beginning. Hath He fpoken; and fball He not do it? Brethren, we have not followed cunningly devifed fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jefus Chrift. Knowing the terror of the Lord, we perfuade men (d). name. Enquire now of the days which are gone what has been the end of all thofe, who in paft ages have difregarded the denunciations of God. Let God be the judge between you, and those who admonish you in His Let God by His paft difpenfations be the interpreter of His own word. When our first parents liftened in paradise to the enfnaring question of the Tempter, Yea; bath God faid, ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden: when, giving ear to his confident affertion, ye shall not furely die, they ventured to confider the fentence of death as a judgement not defigned to be carried into execution: what was the confequence? They brought ruin upon themselves and upon their (d) Gal. vi. 7. 19. 2 Pet. i. 16. Rom. iii. 4. Pf. cxix. 160. Numb. xxiii, 2 Cor. v. II. pofterity. pofterity. When Noah admonished the world that the Spirit of God would ftill ftrive with finful man only during the period of an hundred and twenty years vouchfafed for trial and repentance: when that Preacher of Righteousness feemed unto them as one that mocked: what was the end of the unbelievers? The deluge came at its appointed hour, and swept them to deftruction. When the fons-in-law of Lot made light of the threatenings of God: what was the event? They were overwhelmed at fun-rife by the tempeft of fire and brimftone. When Pharaoh cried, Who is the Lord, that I fhould obey his voice? When he hardened his heart, and gave no credit to the warnings of Mofes : did God forbear to fulfil his word? Plague after plague overtook the king of Egypt: till having feen his country laid waste by miracles of divine vengeance, and his own firft-born, together with the first-born of all his people, cut off in a single night, he perished with his mighty host in the Red Sea. When the Jews in the days of Jeremiah shut their ears against his message from Jehovah, that the city of Jerusalem should be destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar did the words of the prophet prove an idle tale? The Chaldean army took the city, and burned it to the ground. A a 3 ground. When Nebuchadnezzar himself in the pride of his heart despised the impending judgements revealed to him by Daniel : did they fail of coming to 'pafs? At the end of twelve months, a voice from heaven was heard proclaiming that the hour was come; and the thing was fulfilled upon Nebuchadnezzar the kingdom was taken from him, and he was driven from men, and did eat grafs as oxen, and his dwelling was with the beafts of the field. When the Jews in later times heard from the mouth of Jefus Christ that of their beloved city not one stone fhould be left upon another: when the Son of God feemed as one that mocked to the people whom he came to fave: what was the refult? The Roman armies advanced, and miferably destroyed thofe finners, and took away their place and nation. With all these examples before you, do you treat the words. of God as idle tales, and hope to escape? In the fate of these defpifers do you not read your own? Has the Omnipotent poured out upon all others the vengeance, which He has threatened against the impenitent and unbelieving; and. fhall He not pour it forth upon you? For your fake alone will He abrogate His word? For your fake alone will He annul His laws eftablished from eternity unto |