"God, might be careful to maintain good works, for these "things are good and profitable unto men. Every good "tree will bring forth good fruits." And where there are not good fruits, or good works, it is an infallible evidence that the tree is not good. ture judgment when every one will be tried, acquitted or condemned, according to his works.

And thus it will appear in the fu

Secondly, we learn there will be different degrees of punish ment in hell. And no doubt, of all the miserable there, gospel defpifing finners will receive the fulleft measure of torment. Chrift declares, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon than for Chorazin and Befaida, and that it will bemore tolerable for the land of Sodom than for the city of Capernaum. Wherefore let finners under the light of the gofpel particularly confider, that above all others while you con tinue impenitent, you are treasuring up for yourselves wrath against the day of wrath, and the revelation of the righteous judgment of God. O that you would speedily awake from your fatal fecurity and attend to the things of your peace, "Awake, O fleeper, arife, call upon thy God, if fo be he may have mercy upon you, that you perish not.”

Thirdly, we are here taught that there will be different de grees or measures of happiness among the bleffed. "They "that are wife thall fhine as the brightnefs of the firmament, "and they that turn many to righteoufnefs as the ftars forever "and ever. As there is one glory of the fun, another glory "of the moon, another glory of the ftars, fo alfo is the refurrec❝tion of the dead." Numerous paffages of fcripture teach us that there will be different degrees of glory among the happy according to their various capacities. As one ftar differs from another ftar in glery, fo alto will it be with the blessed.

Laftly, let this doctrine be improved by all who are chrifti.

ans, to move them with an holy ambition to aspire after the highest degrees of this glory; and the way to obtain this honor is to be rich in good works, and to be exercifing the highest degrees of love, faith, humility, and every grace.

Let us all be exhorted to bear upon our minds continually, that there is a judgment to come. Let us remember that the judge is at the door, that the Lord Jefus will come quickly, and that he will render to every one as his works fhall be. Let us not be found in the ftate, ways, or practifes, of which we shall then be ashamed.

SERMON XLI.

The eternal torments of the damned proved.

Mat. 25, xlvi.

And these shall go away into everlafliug punishment.

THE eternity of the torments of hell, however plainly taught in the oracles of God, is, notwithstanding, denied by fome and doubted of by many. There appears to be a growing difbelief of this article of our faith in these days of licentious principles and degenerate manners. It is a doctrine of great utility and high importance, and therefore to be contended for with earneftness, and not to be yielded to the enemies of truth as a matter of indifference or a thing of no moment. "Contend "earneftly for the faith once delivered to the faints," is an apoftolic injunction. That this is an article to be held with firmness and ftedfaftnefs appears from its being fo frequently inculcated in the word of God, from the ufe which is there made of it, to alarm finners to attend to the concerns of their fouls, and from its being the ftrongest natural motive to engage men to feek their falvation and to restrain them from open courses of vice. The doctrine of everlasting punishment

carries the business of natural motives to the highest posible de gree of force.

It is true the effect produced by it upon mankind is far, very far from being anfwerable to the high nature of the argu ment. But, if this be the cafe under this mighty argument, what would be the confequence, if it were weaker? If the ftrongeft poffible motive that can be produced to excite men to feek their falvation proves ineffectual, furely were the motive weaker, the effect would be lefs in proportion. If a motive inconceivably strong and powerful in its own nature, which is now the cafe, has fo little influence, it is plain an inferior motive, which would be the state of matters if the punishment of the wicked were only for a limited time, would have a very inconfiderable effect, if any at all. Were the fentiment to become common, it would remove in a great part the restraint npon men's confciences, and they would be more abandoned to Were this opithe world and their lufts than they now are. nion given up, which never can be relinquifhed by the plain believers of the bible, the ftrongeft confiderations whereby the fouls of men can be touched, must be surrendered alfo. I appeal to fact; only look into the places and focieties, which hold the univerfal principle, is there not, I do not fay of religion, but a manifest failure of common virtue and common morals? The cenfure I grant is heavy, but it refts with them to exhibit the contrary.

All know and feel that fear is a powerful principle in the human conftitution, and thofe who renounce the eternity of hell's torments, reject the highest motive by which that principle can be moved or operated upon. These are some of the reafons which fhow the generally received doctrine to be important, and that it is neceffary at proper times to advance the evidences whereon it depends. We fhall endeavour to lay before you a

few of the arguments from reafon and revelation whereby it is fupported.

As this difcourfe is intended to be of a practical nature, and aims at interefting the heart of every hearer, as well as adminiftering light to the understanding and conviction to the judgment, I shall not go into the obftrufe and more ftrist method of reafoning, which might be expedient upon a proper occafion, but contine myfelf to fuch eafy and obvious obfervations as may render the docrine plain to the unprejudiced and feeblest underflanding. I know it is a fruitless attempt to combat a weak mind under ftrong prepoffeffions.

We are affured

First, that the punishment of fouls in hell will be everlasting or eternal is evident from this, that from the nature of fin and their own nature, they deferve ever lafting punishment. If they merit fuch a punishment, juftice requires it fhould be inflicted. If finners ought to be punished according to their defert, the rules of law and juftice oblige it to be done. from the word of God, that he will do in all cafes that which is just and perfectly right, therefore if finally impenitent finners deferve eternal punishment, it will be inflicted upon them. All that remains to render this argument unanswer ble is to fhow 4ltat finners do justly deferve an eternal punishment. This appears from the nature of fia continuing to be unrepented of, that it is an exceedingly ill deferving thing. Every fin deferves the wrath and curfe of God, or elfe it deferves no punishment at all, and it would be wrong to inflict any punishment upon a fimer either in this world or in the next. To suppose or

fuggell that fin deferves no punishment at all, is to furmife that fin is no fault, nor blame worthy. But this would be an exprefs contradiction, and faying, that fin is not fin. For the very notion and nature of fin is, that it is an evil, faulty thing, and worthy of blame. To fay it is blame worthy is the fame as to fays it is worthy of punishment. If it deferves no punithment, it is not an evil. The very nature of a morally