a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to the flesh, shall of the flesh reap corruption: But he that soweth to the spirit, shall of the spirit reap life everlasting."

Did the human heart naturally prefer light to darkness, and truth to error, it would be sufficient to discover the truth and expose the error, and leave every person to follow the cool dictates of his own understanding. But since the case is quite the reverse, it becomes proper to address the hearts and consciences, the hopes and fears of men, and give divine truths all the advantages which they necessarily derive from the motives of eternity. Hence the apostles addressed mankind on the weighty concerns of the soul, with great solemnity, tenderness and pathos. "Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men. "Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us; we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God." Supported and directed by such examples as these, there needs no apology for addressing those who are particularly concerned in this serious subject, and warning them against the fatal dangers to which they are eminently exposed.

There are many, at this day, who are laboring to reason themselves out of the belief of all truth both human and divine; and boast of arriving to a certainty that all things are uncertain. But it may be questioned whether the human mind, which is formed to see and feel the force of truth, will permit any man to approach nearer to perfect skepticism, than perfect knowledge. By an habit of resisting truth, however, some may have unsettled their minds respecting divine things, at least, and become exposed to embrace error, if any thing, instead of truth in matters of religion. And for this reason, they are very liable to fall in with

the delusive scheme of universal salvation, which hath a tendency to diffuse some glimmering rays of light in their dark and despairing minds. But let such be en treated to awake from their reveries, and attend to the great realities with which they are surrounded and connected. Eternal rewards and punishments are substantial realities, whether they believe them to be so or not. By shutting their eyes against them, their danger is not in the least diminished, but greatly enhanced. The period is hastening when they must be thoroughly awakened from their delusive dreams. The solemn scenes of the last day will draw the curtain aside, and open upon their astonished minds the great realities which we have described. And these objects, which, at a distance, made Felix and Belshazzar tremble, will equally shock their guilty souls, whenever their presence can no longer be resisted. A realizing sense of guilt, and folly, and the divine wrath, will make any human heart stoop, and fill it with unutterable anguish, horror and despair. O! that they would therefore turn from such gloomy prospects, and attend to those luminous truths, which will pour a flood of light into their ravished minds, and give them that joy which is unspeakable and full of glory,

There is a larger number than these, perhaps, who are making swift and bold advances in the cause of infidelity, and leave no methods unemployed to dis. credit divine revelation, and subvert the foundations. of Christianity. They need not tell the world their motives. Were they not convinced that the Bible contains the doctrine of eternal punishments, they would not wrack their inventions to find arguments to persuade themselves and others that the scriptures are a cunningly devised fable. Let this doctrine be erased from the Bible, and every deist would become

its votary, and exchange his Bolingbroke, Voltaire es Chesterfield for that sacred volume. It is this doctrine alone that compels them to renounce a book, which bears so many signatures of divinity, and which they are compelled to acknowledge contains the most excellent instructions, institutions and commands. But so weak is their infidelity, we presume they would rejoice to find the Bible on their side, to confirm their wavering hopes and feeble pros. pects of future happiness. And this is what the scheme of universal salvation proposes. It flatters them the Bible is their friend, and announces eternal felicity to them and to all mankind. Accordingly numbers of a deistical turn have become converts to this agreeable doctrine, and many others are eminently exposed to fall into the fatal snare. But this is flying from the iron weapon and rushing on the bow of steel. For if any discard the Bible because they im agine it does contain the doctrine of eternal punishments, or embrace it because they think it does not, they will infallibly meet with disappointment and ruin in the end. There is one way, and but one, in which they may escape the wrath which is to come, and that is, by repentance towards God, and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. This is the only foundation of hope, that God hath provided and revealed; nor can any other foundation be laid, which will not give way, when the winds blow, and the storms of divine wrath beat upon the guilty soul.

The sons of pleasure, who indulge in every sinful gratification, find it exceedingly difficult, in their seri ous intervals, to stifle their natural apprehensions of guilt and punishment, and therefore readily catch hold of any thing which promises them impunity in the paths of vice. The doctrine of salvation for all men

without exception, or distinction of characters, perfectly gratifies their hearts, and coincides with their reigning views and pursuits. Accordingly, when this is proposed to their belief, they will, if possible, yield their assent, and shake off those painful fears of the wrath to come, through which, they have all their life time been subject to bondage. But let them beware of this slender shelter. It will infallibly deceive and disappoint them. The agreeableness of the doctrine is a strong indication of its repugnancy to the gospel of Christ, which was never relished by persons of an immoral, profligate character. When John preached Herod was offended. When Christ preached the whole congregation was filled with wrath. And when Paul preached upon righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come, the loose and abandoned Felix trembled. And it is the genuine tendency of the doctrines of the gospel to convince profligate sinners that they are in the gall of bitterness and bonds of iniquity. They may therefore be assured that the soothing doctrine of universal salvation is diametrically opposite to the truth as it is in Jesus. Let them not then listen to the pleasing delusion, and bless themselves, saying, we shall have peace, though we walk in the imagination of our hearts, to add drunkenness to thirst. For the Lord will not spare them, but his anger and his jealousy shall smoke against them, and all the curses that are written in the book of God shall lie upon them forever. "Rejoice, O young man, in thy youth, and let thy heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth, and walk in the ways of thine heart, and in the sight of thine eyes: But know. thou, that for all these things God will bring thee into judgment." "Be not deceived: Neither fornicators,

nor idolators, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, nor theives, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners shall inherit the kingdom of God."

There is another class of men whose case borders upon despair, and calls aloud for the prayers and compassion of every pious heart: I mean those who have renounced their former faith, and built all their hopes for eternity upon the slender foundation, that no man can possibly be lost. My friends, are you certain that without love, without faith, without holiness, you can see the Lord? Are you certain, notwithstanding all the divine threatenings, there is no wrath to come? Are you certain, that men cannot be under strong de lusions to believe a lie, that they may be damned? Are you certain that you can appear before the judg ment seat of Christ with safety? Are you certain that there is no meaning in this saying of our compassionate Redeemer, "What is a man profited, if he should gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?" In a word, are you certain, it is absolutely impossible, that your precious and immortal souls should be lost forever? If not, what an amazing risk do you run, to suspend all your eternal interests upon a single point of mere speculation, which stands condemned by the concurrent voice of reason, of conscience, of scripture, and of the Christian world! But (to use nearly the words of an eminently great and pious divine) if you are deter mined to inquire no farther into the matter now, give me leave, at least, from a sincere concern, that you may not heap upon your heads more aggravated ruin, to intreat you, that you would be cautious how you expose yourselves to yet greater danger, by what you must yourselves own to be unnecessary, I mean, At