The nature, the sinfulness, and the consequences of unbelief, will now engage our attention.

And First. The nature of unbelief. And here we need not enlarge. Unbelief is the opposite of faith. Now, as faith is giving credence to the testimony of God in general, having special reference to the mediatorial character of Christ, as the world's last and only hope, unbelief is the rejection of that testimony. And this may be either speculative or practical-speculative, as when a man looks upon Christianity as a farce, and the Bible as a cunningly devised fable. Unbelievers of this class are certainly embraced in the anathema of the text, "he that believeth not, shall be damned." But unbelief But unbelief may also be practical, as when a person professes to believe that the Bible is the word of God, and yet is not influenced by the Bible; or, as when a man admits that Christ is a Saviour, and yet receives him not as such; admits that Christ is the only Saviour, and yet treats him as if he were no Saviour at all. In this case, the understanding assents, but the will rebels; the head is right, but the heart is wrong. There is no want of evidence, but a lack of disposition. In both cases the unbelief is substantially the same. Christ is rejected; and as without him there is no Saviour, the condem

nation of the one, of course, must be as certain as the condemnation of the other. So, then, the anathema of the text is of great compass, and may have reference to some-alas! I fear, to many at this very time. "He that hath ears to hear, let him hear."

Second. The sinfulness of unbelief. It is manifest, from the whole tenor of the Bible, that whether we can fully understand the matter or not, there is something in the sight of God exceedingly offensive and hateful in the sin of unbelief. No sin, it would appear, calls down heavier wrath than this. Why was it that a whole generation of Jews were cut off from the promised land? The Psalmist says, that with that generation God was not well pleased, and sware, in his wrath, that they should not enter into his rest; and, lo! their carcasses fell in the wilderness, and their bones were made to bleach in the desert, a fearful monument of God's wrath for some sin committed! And what sin? Their strivings, their rebellions, their idolatries? No. Why, then, was it that they were not permitted to enter the promised land? The apostle tells us, in express terms: "They could not enter in, because of unbelief." And when he said this, he seized the opportunity to give needful warning to those to whom he was writing. "Take heed, brethren," says he,

"lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief:" and again, "let us labour to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief." Some eighteen hundred years ago, the Jews were cut off from their land, amid circumstances which indicated special divine wrath. Our Saviour predicted that there would be many signs and wonders and fearful sights connected with the destruction of Jerusalem, such as should cause men's hearts to tremble and fail within them. And the account which Josephus gives is most remarkable and full of terror. He tells us that a meteor, having the appearance of a broadsword, was seen suspended over Jerusalem, I think, for the space of three years; that voices were heard in the clouds, as of horses and chariots rushing to battle; that the priests who ministered in the holy place, overheard voices in the holy of holies, (where, mark! none but the high-priest was permitted to enter, and he only once a year,) saying, "Let us go 'hence! let us go hence!" And one thing, which occasioned a greater panic than any thing else, was this:-A person came from the country, presenting a singular appearance, and uttering strange sounds. "A voice!" cried he, "a voice from the east, a voice from the west, a voice from the four winds! to Jerusalem! wo to the temple!" By order

Wo

of the magistrates, he was arrested; he was scourged. Josephus affirms that his very bones were laid bare; but he ceased not uttering the same mysterious cry-"A voice from the east! a voice from the west! a voice from the four winds! Wo to Jerusalem! wo to the temple! wo to myself!" And as he uttered these last words-Wo to myself!-a stone from the besieging army struck him, and he fell dead! Moreover, the historian tells us, that when Titus, the Roman commander, had gotten within the walls of the city, and had looked upon the scene of unprecedented distress spread before his eyes, he could not refrain from tears; and, looking up to heaven, he called God to witness that he (Titus) had not brought these calamities upon the Jews; and added, that it was so evident that God was angry with them, that he was afraid not to punish them, lest God should punish him. And whereas, on former occasions, they were driven away from their land and sent into captivity, in some cases for seven, and twelve, and twenty, and even seventy years, now they have been cut off, for, lo! these eighteen hundred years. Now, the question is, why were they thus cut off? is given by the apostle himself: unbelief they were broken off."

The answer "Because of Again, as on

a former occasion, the apostle seizes the oppor

tunity to make an improvement of the matter: "Thou standest by faith," says he; "be not high-minded, but fear." There is a passage in our Saviour's conversation with Nicodemus that is very remarkable, and much to the point: "He that believeth on him, (that is, on Christ,) is not condemned; but he that believeth not, is condemned already." And why? Mark the reason given: "Because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God." Just as if the sin of unbelief were the only sin which condemns the sinner. And in our Saviour's last consolatory address to his disciples, we find another passage equally remarkable, and, if possible, stronger, and yet more to the point: "And when he (the Spirit) is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment." Mark! of sin, because they believe not in me! Here it would appear that the grand design of the mission of the Spirit into our world was to produce a conviction of sin. And what sin? Of unbelief." Of sin, be- ! cause they believe not on me."

Is this the only sin which men commit? or are other sins not heinous in the sight of God? This is not the idea intended here to be conveyed. There are many other sins which men commit, and the Bible stamps them as sins very odious and offensive in the