The

of Lebanon sinks in the devouring fire. The venerable Ararat, which once saved the church of God on its towering summit, is now enveloped in the common ruin. Carmel and Sinai, Zion and Calvary, vanish as leaves of the forest, and are seen no more. volcanoes of the South disgorge their seas of fire; they advance; they combine with those in the North; they raise a rampart of flame from the southern ocean to the frozen pole. The branching hills extend their fires in every direction. Nature's final hour is come. The Andes, the Alps, and Appenines, send their blazing columns to heaven. The heavens are departing as a scroll; the elements are melting with fervent heat; a comet's raging fires melt the rocks, and dissolve the world. The heavens are on fire; they are passing away with a great noise. The heavens and the earth, which now are, by the same word of God, are kept in store, reserved unto fire, against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. Amazing idea of the sinner's punishment; the place a burning world, a system on fire. The stars are fallen; the earth, driven from her orbit, hurries to the sun; the blazing planets rush to this common centre, and are lost for ever. Boundless ruin spreads her terrours; all is one immense globe of fire.

Where are the splendid cities of the world, and their numerous inhabitants? Where are their veteran armies, their daring commanders, their impregnable towers, and their thundering artillery? Where are their solemn temples, their holy ministers, and their adoring churches? Where are their glittering palaces, and their royal masters? All, all are vanished as flakes of

snow, in the blaze of summer; not a single atom behind. Such is the close of time; such the close of the great day.

Many reflections are suggested by the subject; but our time is exhausted. We only ask in one word, what improvement will you make of the subject ; what resolutions will you form; into what promises, what covenant engagements, will you now enter before God? Should a heavenly spirit descend full of tenderness and love; should he now address you, in a mortal voice, what would be his advice? Would he not say, dying mortals, pastor and people, are ye prepared for the day of judgment? Are ye ready to see the heavens open and the Judge appear? Behold his glory. Descending in awful majesty, he sweeps suns and stars aside, the Almighty Judge! If ye dread the fury of his anger, if ye value your immortal souls, trample not in his atoning blood; grieve not his holy spirit; despise not his precious gospel, lest this bleeding lamb, become the lion of Judah; lest he who knocks at your doors, his head wet with the dew, and his locks with the drops of the night, soon swear in his wrath, "you shall never enter into my rest.” Hath the last solemn scene awakened every heart, and opened every eye? Where is the heart, which dares cry peace; where is the eye, which dares sleep again, till his peace is made with God? Dare you challenge Almighty wrath; dare you brave the terróurs of the burning lake?

Are the pleasures of sense a balance for the miseries of eternity? Are the raptures of a moment a balance for everlasting burnings? Animated with sinful pleas

ures dare you meet the king of terrours; dare you welcome the day of judgment; dare you wish for immortal existence? Would you live without peace of mind; would you die without hope; would you in the day of judgment cry to rocks and mountains for relief; would you through a hopeless eternity, curse your God and king, begging in vain for a drop of water? If not, then like Zaccheus, welcome the Lord of life, to your house and your heart; like the beloved John, lean on the Saviour's breast; like Jacob, wrestle till you obtain the blessing; like Paul, be ready to depart. Be ye also ready; for the Son of man cometh in such an hour as ye think not. If the righteous scarcely are saved; where, where will the ungodly and sinners appear? Soon a universal cry will rend the caverns of death. "The great day of his wrath is come, and who is able to stand ?" The Judge proclaims "Behold I come quickly." Let every heart reply, "Come Lord Jesus; come quickly." Amen,

2 CORINTHIANS iv, 4.

The glorious Gospel of Christ.

THE Gospel is that scheme of mercy which is revealed in the word of God. God having condescended to become an Author, we discover a work like himself, sublime and glorious. The Gospel alleviates the heaviest woes of man, and is a source of consolation in his most deplorable necessities. Though the heathen, in his most uncultured state, perceives himself to be vastly superiour to the other creatures around him; still in his most refined elevation, he is oppressed with weakness, terrified with dangers, perplexed with doubts, tormented with sufferings, for which he discovers neither cause nor remedy. His neighbours die; his parents die; his children die; he is dying himself. He exclaims, "Where have my friends gone? What is their state? Shall we ever meet again? Why all this misery ?" To his mind is not the scene a chaos of goodness and wrath? He reflects he argues; he is confounded; he despairs. That cheering light, which shall partially dispel his darkness, is like the opening

of the prison to them who are bound. That friendly voice which shall answer some of his anxious inquiries, is glorious like the first song of heaven to the departed saint. Such a light shines, such a voice is heard from the pages of the Gospel.

To mention a few instances in which the Gospel is glorious, is the present design.

I. The Gospel is glorious in revealing truths, most important, but which had been unknown, or not clearly discovered, by the heathen world.

This fact proves the necessity of revelation; and from this we may infer, that God would give a reve-lation. While destitute of this divine instruction, have mankind ever conceived just ideas of the Divine Being? Which is the nation, learned or unlearned; who is the profound sage, what is his name, who has. entertained consistent ideas of the holiness, the justice, or the providence of God? Their gods have been gods of the hills and of the vallies, gods of the sea and of the dry land. Their gods were unrighteous; they were the dupes of intrigue; they were polluted with crimes. I do not however say, that no pagans have ever had any just or sublime conceptions of the Deity. By the force of genius, or the borrowed rays of distant revelation, most sublime thoughts have been elicited; but these are as rare and as useless, compared with the permanent light of the Christian world, as the lucid flashes of the electric cloud, compared with the splendours of the shining

sun.

No pagan nation has adopted rational views of immortality. Though they have generally yielded