of a Messiah from their ancient prophets, and have seen his portraiture in the types and shadows of Moses's ordinances. And, lastly, those to whom the grace of God, that bringeth salvation to all men, hath plainly appeared, Titus ii. 11; and before whose eyes our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, 2 Tim. i. 10. There are none of all these persons, if they have lived in impiety and debauchery, and are dead in impenitency, that shall be able to excuse themselves in this dreadful day of judgment; but the one sort shall be deemed more guilty than the other, and therefore shall be condemned to greater punishments.

The knowledge wherewith God hath enlightened the soul of man, hath been very much obscured by the prince of darkness: but yet it is not so totally extinguished, but that some rays still remain; and the law which God hath written in his heart, is not so utterly defaced, but that some lines are still visible. Whence it comes to pass, that no man living can boast, that he hath done all the good which his conscience was convinced he ought to perform, nor that he hath abstained from all the evil actions from which it dissuaded him. They who have lived and are dead, without any law of God revealed to them, shall be judged without the law, and shall be condemned for having taken pleasure in extinguishing the remains of their nutural light, and in stifling the good and reasonable dictates of their consciences; for having abused the favours of heaven, and filled themselves with God's good creatures, without returning him due thanks, and because they have not meditated as they ought upon the many magnificent and noble works of nature, nor learned by that means to know God, who has imprinted

power and

upon them such evident marks of his eternal God-head; or because that when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, Rom. i. 21. This St. Paul teacheth us in these excellent words: As many as have sinned without law, shall also perish without law: For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these baving not the law, are a law unto themselves; which show the work of the law written in their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing, or else excusing one another. In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel, Rom. ii. 12, 14, 15, 16.

They that profess to know the law, shall be judged by the law; and as they have already heard the thunders of Mount Sinai, so they shall one day feel the thunder-bolts. They shall know, by dreadful experience, what it is to rebel against God, and to draw down upon their guilty heads the terrible curses of his law: Cursed be he that confirmeth not all the words of this law to do them, Deut. xxvii. 26. Gal. iii. 10. There is no doubt but that the Jews, hardened in iniquity, unto whom Moses and the prophets addressed so many noble, but vain exhortations to a godly life, shall be punished in a much more severe manner than those poor savages who have never heard the voice of God, who are aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenant of promise, having no hope, and being without God in the world, Eph. ii. 12. For that servant which knew his Lord's will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes, Luke xii. 47, 48.

But there are no people in the world, who have cause to expect a more rigorous sentence, and more dreadful punishments, than wicked Christians, who profess to know God, and believe in Jesus Christ, yet deny him by their works, and trample under foot the riches of his grace. For can we imagine, that such as have had the gospel preached among them, who have seen Jesus Christ crucified, as it were, before their eyes, and yet have profited nothing by this glorious advantage; can we imagine, I say, that such shall not be punished in another manner than the bare auditors of Moses, who never saw the Messiah but afar off, and in the shadows and ceremonies of the law? Observe, I pray, the inspired words of the apostle to the Hebrews. ie that despised Moses's law, died without mercy, under two or three witnesses; of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who have trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace? For we know him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God, Heb. x. 28, &c. Therefore, when St. Paul speaks of such as obey not the gospel of Christ, he saith, They shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power, 2 Thess. i. 9. And our Saviour teacheth us, with his own sacred lips, that such as reject so great a salvation shall be punished more grievously thau the most abominable sinners unto whom it was never revealed. Therefore, when he sends forth his apostles to preach the gospel of his kingdom, he says unto them, Whosoever shall not receive

you, nor hear your words; when ye depart out of that house, or city, shake off the dust of your feet. Verily I say unto you, it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah, in the day of judgment, than for that city, Matth. x. 14, 15. Likewise, where he reproaches the incredulity and impenitency of those cities which did not believe, and which were not converted by the light of his gospel, and the glory of his miracles, he cries out, Wo unto thee, Chorazin; wo unto thee, Bethsaida; for if the mighty works which were done in you, had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I say unto you. It shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of judgment, than for you. And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, shall be brought down to hell for if the mighty works which have been done in thee, had been done in Sodom, it would have remained to this day. But I say unto you, that it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom, in the day of judgment than for thee, Matth. xi. 21, &c.

The Sovereign Judge of the world shall place at his left hand all those wicked souls which have lived without the fear of God, and without expressing charity to the members of his mystical body, and shall pronounce unto them this dreadful sentence, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was an hungered, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me not in; naked and ye clothed me not; sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not. Verily I say unto you, inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me, Matth. xxv. 41, &c. But as for the faithful, who have witnessed their faith, by

a good and holy life, and by works of charity and mercy, he will place them at his right hand, and in the presence of God, and all his holy angels, will say 'unto them, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was an hungered, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. Verily I say unto you, inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me, Matth. xxv. 34, &c.

It is made a question, what sign shall immediately precede or accompany the coming of Christ into the world; and this is occasioned by our Saviour himself, who, speaking of the things which are to happen about the time of his glorious appearance, saith, That the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken, and then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven, Matth. xxiv. 29, 30, &c.

Some imagine, that this sign of the Son of Man is the sign of the cross which will appear in the air. This opinion in itself is innocent; but in regard that it hath no foundation in Scripture, I shall not stay to consider it. Others believe, that it shall be that fire with which Jesus Christ shall burn the earth, dissolve the elements, and punish unbelievers. This persuasion is founded upon St. Paul's words to the Thessalonians: It is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you; and to you who are troubled, rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven, with his mighty angels, in flaming fire, taking vengeance