them to unite with all the heavenly hosts, in crying "Amen, Alleluia," while they see the smoke of their torments ascending for ever and ever.

3. If good men desire God to punish the finally impenitent for ever, for the reasons that have been mentioned, then sinners will never have any just ground to reproach or complain of them for feeling and expressing such a desire. Many are stumbled at the language of the inspired writers, who so often imprecate divine judgments upon the incorrigibly wicked, and especially at the language of David in the text, and in various other psalms. They seem to suppose that such language breathes a malevolent spirit towards the enemies of God, which no man ought to feel or express. Dr. Watts was of this opinion, and accordingly omitted to versify some whole psalms. Expositors in general have supposed that such imprecations are not to be understood literally. Some have supposed that they are to be understood prophetically, and others that they are to be understood poetically. But there appears no difficulty in understanding them literally. They express the same spirit that God feels towards incorrigible sinners, and the same spirit that he expresses in actually punishing them according to their deserts. He feels no malevolence towards those whom he punishes for ever, and takes no pleasure in the eternal death of the wicked; but he takes pleasure in doing justly, as well as in loving mercy. And the friends of God ought to take no pleasure in the misery of the damned; but they ought to take pleasure in seeing God do justly, as well as in seeing him display mercy. The reasons we have given, why good men desire God to punish the finally impenitent according to their deserts, are these three; first, their love of the attribute of divine justice, secondly, their love to the glory of God, and thirdly, their sincere regard for the good of the universe. These are sound reasons why pious and benevolent men should desire God to punish the finally impenitent for ever, and discover not the least malevolence towards the wicked; who will never, therefore, have the least ground to reproach them for their benevolent desire. I have heard it scoffingly said, that those who expect and desire that God should punish the finally impenitent for ever, appear to hope that they shall for ever enjoy a malicious pleasure in seeing the misery of the damned. But this is a groundless and unjust reproach cast upon the truly pious and benevolent. Though they will for ever rejoice in the displays of divine justice, yet they will not rejoice in the effects of divine justice upon the wicked. Who can suppose that Adam or Abel will rejoice in the misery of Cain? Who can suppose that Aaron will rejoice in the misery of Nadab and Abihu? Who can

suppose that David will rejoice in the misery of Absalom? But those parents, with all their benevolence towards their offspring, will say, "Amen," while they for ever behold the tokens of their torments; nor will their miserable offspring have the least reason to reproach or complain of their pious parents and friends, for rejoicing in the displays of divine justice upon them. Scoffers in this world may reproach and blame God, and his friends, for approving divine justice displayed towards the spirits in prison; but, whenever they come into the other world, they will be fully convinced that they have no being to blame but themselves, for the miseries they endure. Indeed, all the objections that were ever made or felt against the future fate of the finally impenitent, have arisen from a misapprehension, or misrepresentation of the nature and tendency of pure, universal, disinterested benevolence.

4. If good men desire God to punish the finally impenitent for ever, then they have no more reason to disbelieve and oppose the doctrine of reprobation, than the doctrine of election. Though all good Calvinists believe and love the doctrine of election, yet many of them dislike and oppose the doctrine of reprobation. They love the doctrine of election, because it displays the sovereign grace of God towards the vessels of mercy, but dislike and oppose the doctrine of reprobation, because it displays the vindictive justice of God towards the vessels of wrath. But how can they consistently love the divine attribute of grace, while they hate the divine attribute of justice? If they approve of God's conduct in choosing some to eternal life, and preparing them by his special grace for future and eternal happiness, and finally putting them into possession of it; why should they not approve of his conduct in reprobating some to eternal destruction, and preparing them for it, and finally inflicting it upon them? The truth is, all good Calvinists deceive themselves, when they love the doctrine of election, and do not love the doctrine of reprobation. But those who do really hate the doctrine of reprobation, deceive themselves when they think they love the doctrine of election. This inconsistency is altogether wrong and unjustifiable, in both cases. Those who love God for electing some to eternal life, and to the means that lead to it, ought to examine the subject critically and impartially, and see the inseparable connection between election and reprobation, and cordially approve of both. those who do not love the doctrine of reprobation, nor consequently the doctrine of election, ought to examine the subject critically and impartially, and see their intimate connection; and in this way, and in this way only, make their calling and election sure.

And

5. If guilt or ill desert consists in the evil intentions of the heart, then there is a wide difference between awakenings and convictions. Sinners are commonly awakened before they are convinced. They are often greatly alarmed in the view of future and eternal misery, while their conscience is not awakened to convince them of their guilt and desert of the punishment they fear and dread. It is one thing to be sensible of their danger, and another thing to be sensible of their guilt. While sinners are merely awakened to see their danger, their hearts rise against God, complain of the penalty of his law, call him a hard master, oppose the doctrine of election, and of reprobation, condemn their Maker, and justify themselves. But when their conscience awakes, it condemns all their free, voluntary exercises and actions as altogether selfish and sinful, and real transgressions of the law of love. The commandment comes, sin revives, and they die. They measure their guilt by the divine law, which places it not in their external conduct, but in their internal intentions, desires and designs. They find that whatever the law saith, either in its precept or penalty, it saith to them. Their mouths are stopped, and they become entirely guilty before God, and feel that they justly deserve that eternal punishment which he has threatened to inflict upon them. Such genuine conviction prepares them for a sound conversion, if God sees fit to change their hearts. And none have a right to think that their hearts are changed, if their consciences have not been thus convinced.

6. If guilt or ill desert consists in the selfish and sinful affections of the heart, then we may see why moral sinners commonly experience the deepest convictions before they are converted. They are not so easily awakened and alarmed, as more open and profligate sinners. Their external conduct excites their fear. They see that they are externally worse than others, and imagine that God views them as much worse, and is more disposed to destroy them, than less vicious sinners; which throws them into great anxiety and distress. But moral sinners view themselves better than others, and imagine that God views them better, and feels less disposed to punish them so severely as others. If God comes and awakens the young, the vain, and externally bold and obstinate, they feel whole and secure; for they are not as other men, who openly defy and trifle with sacred and divine things. But when the Holy Spirit awakens their consciences, and shows them the plague of their hearts, they are far from thinking that they are better than other sinners. They are convinced that not only their externally bad actions, but their externally good actions, have been altogether selfish and criminal, and rendered them worthy of God's wrath 21

VOL. VI.

and curse, both in this world and the world to come. They see the nature and ill desert of sin, which destroys all their former false notions of being better than others, and all their false hopes founded upon their false opinion of themselves. It is not so much the sense of danger, as the sense of guilt, that presses them down and pushes them to the borders of despair. They view themselves far worse, instead of better than other men. They are ready to imagine that God will more readily pardon the sins of other men, but their own sins appear too great to be forgiven. They have thought, and read, and heard more than the vain and stupid; but they have done nothing but abuse the light and knowledge they have received, by which their guilt has been ten fold augmented. This is the distressing case of moral sinners under convictions; whether they have, or have not neglected the means of grace, or whether they have, or have not professed to love religion. Sinners are generally stout hearted under awakenings, but when their conscience is wounded with a sense of guilt, they have more than they can bear, and are constrained to stoop.

7. Since all guilt or ill desert consists in the evil affections of the heart, it is easy to see why good men have been so much borne down with the burden of sin. Job, David, and Paul had a deep and habitual sense of their great criminality and guilt. The reason was, they had experienced keen convictions of conscience before they were converted; and this made their conscience always tender afterwards. You may have remarked it, that those who have appeared to have the deepest conviction before they were converted, have generally appeared to have the most tender conscience, and to be the most afraid of stifling it, or acting against its dictates aud remonstrances. And so long as good men keep their conscience alive, it will do its of fice, cause them to keep their heart with all diligence, condemn them for every deviation from the path of duty, and teach them to see, to feel, and lament their great moral imperfections in the sight of God. Good men are much more troubled with their hearts from day to day, than sinners are with their hearts. They see the nature and ill desert of sin, and feel that they deserve eternal death, though they hope to enjoy eternal life. They groan, being burdened, and cry with the apostle, "O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?" They judge and condemn themselves, and the divine law judges and condemns them. They accept the punishment of their iniquities, and realize that they deserve to be destroyed more than any they know of, who ever have been, or ever will be destroyed.

Finally: In the view of this subject, impenitent sinners may

see their guilty and deplorable condition. Every imagination of the thoughts of their heart has been evil, only evil, continually. They have never felt as they ought to feel, nor acted as they ought to act. They have been constantly adding sin to sin, and increasing their load of guilt, by which they have forfeited the favor of God and of all good beings. They have despised the love of God in sending his Son to redeem them. They have despised the love of Christ in dying for them. They have despised the salvation he has offered to them. And now, what can they say if God should punish them for ever, according to their deserts? They must be speechless. What will their pious friends and dearest relatives say, if they should see them lifting up their eyes in torments? We know they will say, "Amen, Alleluia." They will not have a friend in the universe that will take their part. All heaven will justify God, and condemn them. Those who once sincerely prayed that they might repent and flee from the wrath to come, will be pleased to see God glorify his justice upon those who refused to repent and give glory to him. Can their hands be strong or their heart endure, in the day that God shall deal with them, and make them completely friendless and hopeless for ever? But some may ask, Can all this be true? Ask your pious father and mother, your pious brother and sister, or any of your pious friends, and they will tell you that all this is true; and perhaps they have often told you so. But if you are still in doubt, ask your own consciences, and they will tell you so. The only reason why you do not now feel yourselves to be in the gall of bitterness and the bonds of iniquity, is, because you have neglected or refused to see the plague of your own hearts; and to realize that ill desert which you constantly carry about with you, and which will infallibly bind you over to everlasting destruction, except you repent. And what reason have you to hope you will ever repent? Neither the word, nor providence, nor patience of God, have yet brought you to repentance. God may justly let you alone, and leave you to fill up the measure of your sins, and treasure up to yourselves wrath against the day of wrath and your final doom. There may be but a step between you and both temporal and eternal death. "Agree with thine adversary quickly, while thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison. Verily I say unto thee, thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing."