and turn yourselves from all your transgressions; so iniquity shall not be your ruin." Our Saviour himself insisted upon repentance, saying, "Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish ;" and all the apostles went out and preached that men should repent.

There is so much pride and ignorance in the hearts of sinners, that, without the special grace of God, they are strongly inclined to conceal or excuse their sins. Some entirely deny them, and say, "they have done no harm;" others justify themselves by putting their good deeds in the opposite scale; others invent excuses for their sins; and, instead of blaming themselves as they ought to do, lay the fault on their situations, connexions, and temptations: the greater part add to their sins by attempting to lessen them; and gloss over the vilest iniquities by soft and favourable names; as being "a little free," 99 66 a little gay,' ""a little wild," &c.; and boasting, notwithstanding all their vices, that they mean well, and have a good heart.

But the penitent soul, who dreads the deserved ruin due to his sins, will "not dissemble nor cloke them before the face of Almighty God; but confess them with an humble, penitent, and obedient heart;" he will be far, very far, from boasting of his integrity, his good heart, or his good works: he will discover godly sorrow, grief and shame ; and will abhor himself, as the vilest of the vile, repenting in dust and ashes. To such a person will the God of mercy look with a compassionate eye, for "he is nigh to them that are of a broken heart, and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit." Yes; we are authorized to say to the humble penitent" Iniquity shall not be thy ruin." "Go thy way, and sin no more.'

3. It is necessary that the believing and penitent sinner, who sincerely desires to escape from the wrath to come, should lead a new life: I say it is necessary, and God requires that he should lead a new life. The verse after our text gives this direction to Israel of old-" Cast away from you all your transgressions whereby ye have transgressed, and make you a new heart and a new spirit: for why will ye die, O house of Israel?" ver. 31. These expressions do not suppose a natural or an inherent power in the sinner to effect this: for it is most certain that "without

Christ we can do nothing :" and we find that what is here directed to be done, as a matter of duty, is elsewhere proposed in a way of promise!: (see chap. xi. 19.) but, by the grace of God accompanying the exhortations of his word, they become effectual to the sinner's conversion; and, as Austin well explains the precept, "God does not command impossibilities: but, by commanding, he admonishes us to do what is in our power, and to pray for that which is not."

We can have no sufficient evidence that sin will not be our ruin, until sin becomes our burden; until it be the object of our sincere aversion and hatred; until we renounce the sinful delights of the world, and choose the things we once abhorred. The very bent and disposition of the heart must be altered; turned from sin to holiness, from vanity to godliness, from the creature to the Creator, from earth to heaven. O what a great and glorious change is this, and the very seal of God to this animating message "So iniquity shall not be your ruin!"

Thus, men and brethren, we have endeavoured to prove the truth of the title which we prefixed to this discourseRELIGION, or RUIN: and have we not made it out? Is it not sufficiently plain from the word of truth, that there are but two things to choose-Serious evangelical religionor everlasting ruin? There are but two different roads to choose-The broad one that leads to destruction, or the narrow one that leads to life; and in the one or the other of these, each of us is now travelling.

And does the person who reads or hears this discourse believe it is so? What then is thy choice, my fellow sinner? Religion, or ruin ?-Sin and death, or, grace and life? Both are now set before you. Which do you prefer? O dismiss not the subject, till you make a decision. Perhaps it may never be put to you in the same manner any more. It may be the last time of offering. And O how much depends on the choice! May Almighty God help you to make it, and keep to it. "So shall iniquity

not be your ruin."

I would most gladly impress on your mind this solemn truth-Sin is a ruinous thing. It ruins men, because they do not believe it is ruinous. It may be, you have never

yet seen it in this light. You say-" Sin is so pleasant; how can it be ruinous?" I admit that sin is pleasant. There certainly are pleasures in sin: but there are pains too. And a life of sin is not half so pleasant as a life of religion. Ask those who have tried both. How often, even in the present world, does sin procure ruin? How many a promising youth has it ruined:-ruined his health -ruined his character-ruined his family? How many has sin brought to a hospital, to a work-house, to Newgate, to the gallows! to the grave!

You will not believe the ruin, because you do not see it, but when seen, it will be too late to escape. In other cases of threatened danger, you give credit to the testimony of a friend, perhaps of a stranger. If I solemnly and affectionately say to a traveller-" My good sir? venture not through that water which overflows the road; it is deep; it is dangerous; and two men have been drowned there this morning" you would pause and ponder; and not hastily rush into ruin. If I say to another, "Proceed no further on the road this evening: a desperate gang of thieves lie in wait at such a spot, and several persons have already been robbed," regard to your property and your life would make you listen to the warning, though it might oppose your inclination and your If credible merchants assure you, that a city, which you wish to = visit, upon business or pleasure, is, at this time, ravaged by the plague or yellow fever; you will carefully avoid the contagious spot, and be thankful for the important, though unwelcome information. Why then, should not sin, ruinous sin, be shunned? Sin! which is far more dangerous and destructive than water, or thieves, or fever; and the testimony given concerning its danger far more weighty and powerful than that of the most credible nortals; for it is the testimony of the God of truth himself, who cannot lie, and will not deceive.

convenience.

Believe then the testimony of God, both concerning the ruin and the remedy. How gracious is it in him to give you warning! This destruction may yet be avoided. This is his benevolent language. "O Israel, thou hast destroyed thyself, but in me is thy help." To save sinners from ruin, Christ hath died; the Gospel is sent to

you, inviting you to come to him and find safety; ministers are employed to reason with you, to prevent your ruin; the Bible is put into your hands on purpose to direct you to a refuge. Conscience whispers in your ear"Religion is, after all, the safest course." Will you then resist all this evidence? reject all these monitors? Is God merciful to you, and will you be unmerciful to yourself? Are you so in love with ruin, that you will not be persuaded to avoid it? What can be so reasonable as an immediate application to Christ for help? What folly and madness can be equal to a neglect of the means of security? All things are ready. Come then to Jesus, for "there is no condemnation to them that are in him, who walk, not after the flesh, but after the Spirit." His precious, saving "name is a strong tower, the righteous runneth into it, and is safe." "So shall iniquity not be your ruin." Amen and Amen!

.

SERMON LIX.

LOT'S DELIVERANCE.

Genesis xix. 24, 25, 26. Then the LORD rained upon Sodom, and upon Gomorrah, brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heavens and he overthrew those cities, and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the ground: But his wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.

HE apostle Jude, exhorting Christians to constan

cy

ments of God upon fallen angels-upon his people Israel -and upon the inhabitants of Sodom. Of the latter, he thus speaks, ver. 7. "Even as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire." Examples of this kind are not for imitation, but for caution, for warning, for admonition; that all sinners, in all ages, may avoid the destruction, by avoiding the sin.

The history before us is of a very affecting, yet of a very instructive kind, to which we shall do well to give

the most serious attention. We shall arrange the most striking circumstances of it under the three following heads.

1. The destruction of Sodom;

2. The deliverance of Lot; and, 3. The apostacy of his wife.

The destruction of Sodom and some neighbouring cities was occasioned by their extreme wickedness. "The men of Sodom were wicked, and sinners before the Lord exceedingly;" Gen. xiii. 13. The country in which they lived was remarkably beautiful and fertile, "it was well watered every where, even as the garden of the Lord," described in the second chapter of this book; and much resembled some of the finest parts of Egypt. Prosperity, however, without grace, is a dangerous snare to the soul. The goodness of God should have led them to repentance and obedience; but, on the contrary, "this was the iniquity of Sodom, pride, fulness of bread, and abundance of idleness." (Ezek. xvi. 49.) Their plenty only pampered their bodies, and became fuel to their lusts; while abundance of idleness furnished them with those opportunities of indulgence, which honest industry would have prevented. They were uncommonly and outrageously wicked; they gave themselves up to fornication, and to still more vile affections: instead of being ashamed of their sins, they proclaimed them openly, and gloried in their shame. Neither was this the horrid depravity of a few individuals; it was general; it was almost universal; there were not ten persons in it, including the family of Lot, who were free from the dreadful contagion.

These sins are said (ver. 20.) to cry-"The cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great." Atrocious sins cry to God for vengeance; they demand a period to that patience which has borne with them so long; they require that the earth should be cleared from such monsters of iniquity; and that a holy God should rise, and manifest his just indignation against them.

God, who is slow to anger, at length arose to judgment. He first revealed his design to Abraham, who lived a few miles off, and who interceded in the most earnest manner for them; and had there been but ten righteous men in