euliar and tender notice of him in this frightful feafon. When this day shall commence, the unbeliever muft endure in himfelf all the terrors of the forming fcene and judgment-will feel himself left amidst the crush of nature and the wreck of worlds. What tormenting fear, furprife and anxiety, will the very cir cumftances of the feafon occafion? We are told, there will be diftrefs of nature and perplexity; that the fun and moon will be darkened and all the powers of heaven fhaken; the archangel's trumpet shall found to the extremities of the earth; the heavens fhall pass away with a great noife; the elements fhall melt with fervent heat, the earth alfo and all its works fhall be burnt up. How dreadful will it be for the unbelieving finner at this time! How will it fhock his inmoft foul to defcry from afar the awful appearances and figns of the times! To fee the azure veil of heaven rending and rolling afide to make way for the defcent of the glorious and lofty judge,--to behold companies of mighty angels pour forth to line and guard the way,-to per-. ceive the firmament of heaven in a general blaze,--the forked lightnings flash and the thunders roar,-and defcending flames circulating round the earth and involving all in common and promifcuous ruin.--To behold the univerfe thrown into the utmost hurry and confufion; all its connections broken and its motions difconcerted; hear earthquakes, various noife, deep disturbance; and all darknefs and defolation. How indefcribable muft it be to feel the agonics of diffolving nature; when all the diforderly elements free from their prefent laws and bearings fhall rufh tumltuous into waran! confiit. How wil the impenitent and unbelieving and aghaft! how will his heart fink and die within him! even now perhaps a fudden tempeft of wind, rain and thunder, can throw his foul into confufion, and fmite it through with pain and terror. But. alas, there will then be another fort of scene. The noife and horror of fuch a time is no more to be compared with that of the judgment day, than the fhaking of a leaf with the re port of the loudell thunder. What distress and conferna

tion will rack his foul, when he finds himself deferted in thefe circumftances and no where to escape; while he fee$ the true believer, one perhaps he formerly knew and defpifed as a weak and ignorant hypocrite, kindly attended with a hea venly guard, and fafely conducted cut of the general uproar. Jefus will fend his angels to gather his faints, and to place them as the most glorious affembly ever beheld on his right hand.-Who can develope the comfort of having a kind angel near to fupport the timirous fpirit and ftrengthen it by his prefence, and sustain it by his mighty arm. But,

Secondly, the believer will receive a fentence of acceptance and approbation, will be crowned with the honours of the gofpel, and all the promifes of grace will be fulfilled to him; while the unbeliever will have the final fentence of condemnation paffed upon him, and be punished with all the calamities and curfes of a broken law and defpifed grace and mercy; all the threatnings of the facred volume will be executed upon him. How great the difference which will then take place between the be liever and the unbeliever. Your eyes, my brethren, fhall be hold it. You and I will be prefent at this grand folemnity.And is there not awful danger it may be a time of forrow with fome of us. I tremble for myfelf; I fear for you. When this day fhall open and come to país, then we fhall all know that this is the truth of God, and that though now you may refuse to hear, and be too callous to feel, then you fhall both hear and feel forever; though your hearts will not foften and relent, yet then you fhall be broken upon a thousand wheels. What a different fenfibility will then be awakened in every foul, when the laft fentence thall be pronounced? How infinitely varient will your future from your prefent feelings be? How will the finner, who can now trifle with God, his foul, and all the folemnities of eternity, then ardently with for one of thofe opportu nities of mercy and feafons of grace, which he now enjoys and flights? Hear him pouting forth the lamentable and detpairing

moan, "O that I had one Lord's day more in the divine fervice, one of thofe afternoons when I heard as tho' I heard not, behaved as tho' God faw me not, and the matter was no con cern of my foul. How would I now improve the hour, how carefully would I hear, how fervently would I pray, and implore the pardon of heaven and feck divine mercy and grace. But, alas, it is now too late; once I had good things, but now I muft fuffer evil things forever. I remember I was often admonished and told, this would be the cafe, but then I was carelefs, ftupid and fecure; but now I care, I feel, and am tormented. O that all my fenfes were locked up in everlasting infenfibility; O that any being might be taken away; O that I was at once tormented out of exiflence, overborne and deftroyed by a fudden cruth of God's almighty arm."

But allow me to comfort the poor, feeble and affrighted believer. Be not alarmed and diflrefied, O chriflian, this fall never be your cafe. The Saviour is your judge, and God is your friend. You now go mourning, jealous of the divine favour, and often filled with mifgivings of heart left your fins are not pardoned. You weep, and floods of tears flow from your eyes in fecret places, on this account. But let faints lift up their heads and look forward to the all important day, when every thing fhall terminate in their favour, and they fhall have all their defires, and be ever with the Lord. Your forrows will then ceafe, your fears will vanifh away, your distress pafs off like an afflicting dream of the night, your tears will be dried up, and you fhall find yourfelves in the perfection of hap. pinefs.

A word of exhortation will finifh the prefent difcourfe:

Let finners tremble, and faints rejoice at the approaching profpect. To the former it will be the completion of your mif. ery, and to the latter the confummation of your blifs. The difference between faints and finners in this world is apparently

very inconfiderable, but in the great day it will be as manifeit as between heaven and hell. Let not the terrors of the awful feafon affright the fincere penitent and the true chriftian. Benot afraid with any aftonifhment, only let it be recommended to you to watch and be fober. Continually be putting on the Lord Jefus Chrift and make no provifion for the flesh, to fulfil the lufts thereof. "Seeing then that all thefe things fhall be "diffolved, what manner of perfons ought ye to be in all holy "converfation and godliness; looking for and haftening to the "coming of the day of God, when the heavens being on fire "fhall be diffolved, and the elements fhall melt with perfect heat. "Little children, abide in Christ, that when he fhall appear, ye "may have confidence, and not be ashamed at his coming."Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness "in the day of judgment. Fear God and give glory to him, "for the hour of his judgment is come, and werfhip him that "made heaven and earth and the fountains of waters." But what fhall I fay unto you, O finners. "Behold the day of the "Lord that fhall burn as an oven, and all the proud, yea, and "all that do wickedly fhall be ftubble, and the day that com"eth fhall burn them up faith the Lord of hofts. Who may "abide the dayof his coming, and who fhall ftand when he ap❝peareth, for he is like a refiner's fire and fuller's foap." Let us all, my hearers, prepare for the folemn day. Let the awful fcene recommend to us a speedy retreat from divine vengeance under Immanuel's wings. influenced by this fentiment, "that we must all appear before the judgment feat of Christ."

the storms of

Let us ever be

SERMON XL.

Every one in the general Judgment rewarded according to his works.

Rev. 20. xii. And the dead fhall be judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.

A FUTURE and general judgment after the refurrection has already been proved, as alfo the exceeding great difference in the views and feelings of mankind now and hereafter, and the wonderful diftinction which will at that time appear between faints and finners. We fhall now attend to the fubject in a different way, or rather confider another branch of it. The apostle John, after he had been led by the fpirit of God to give a prophetic hiftory of all the important affairs, which relate to the church militant, the deftruction of the antichristian powers, the binding Satan a thoufand years, the latter day glory, his being loofed again, his deceiving the nations and the great wickedness and perfecution which fhall again prevail on the earth, by Gog and Magog, and then when there will be no religion, and scarcely faith to be found on the earth, opens