minion and majesty, both now and for ever. Amen. SERMON XLV. and flights of fancy were put instead of facts, it would not be impossible to find mysteries here. If this herb be sweet, said I, it may represent the sweetness of mercy; if it be bitter, it may signify the bitterness of justice. If Jesus Christ meant hyssop as some think, it was that very herb of which the famous bunch was THE DOOM OF THE RIGHTEOUS AND made, that was dipped in the blood of sparrows at the purification of lepers. What mysteries! What I had done with mint under the first head, I did over again under the second article anise, and the same over again under the third head cummin. This was my first plan of discussion. The second method was that which I have chosen. In the former discourse on this text, we endeavoured to convince you that you were under an indispensable obligation to perform the great duties of religion. In this we have been endeavouring to obtain your regard to the little duties of religion; to engage you to submit to the laws of God, even in things of the least importance; and thus, to give you a complete chain of Christian virtues. THE WICKED. REVELATION xxi. 7, 8. He that overcometh shall inherit all things, and I Ir is a subject deserving the most profound reflections, my brethren, that the most irregular being, I mean the devil, is at the same time the most miserable, and that the most holy Being, he who is holy by excellence, is at the same time the most happy, and thus unites in My brethren, God forbid that our discourses, his own essence supreme holiness with sovewhich ought always to be animated with a spi-reign happiness. Satan, who began his audarit of benevolence, should at any time degenerate into a satire, and that we should enjoy a malicious pleasure in exploding the method of those who entertain ideas different from ours on the best method of preaching. I grant birth, education, and a course of study, have a great deal of influence over us in this respect. But, in the name of God, do not condemn us for treating you like rational creatures, for addressing to you, as to intelligent beings, the words of an apostle, We "speak as to wise men, judge ye what we say," 1 Cor. x. 15. Judge what are the obligations of a minister of a religion, the morality of which is so extensive and pure. 3. Finally, What idea ought you to form of the engagements of such disciples as profess to give themselves up to this religion, the morality of which we have been describing? Where are the Christians who have this complete chain of the virtues of Christianity? Where shall we find Christians, who, after they have performed with all due attention, the great duties, hold themselves bound by an inviolable law not to neglect the least? Alas! we are always complaining of the weight of the yoke of the Lord! We are perpetually exclaiming, like the profane Jews mentioned by Malachi, "Behold what a weariness it is!" chap. i. 13. We dispute the ground with God! It should seem he has set too high a price on heaven. We are always ready to curtail his requisitions. What! say we, cannot he be contented with this will he not be satisfied with that? Ah! my dear brethren, let us open our eyes to our interest: let us obey the laws of God without reserve: let us observe alike the most important virtues which he has prescribed to us, and those which are least important. We ought to do so, not only because he is our master, but because he is our father, because he proposes no other end but that of rendering us happy: and because so much as we retrench our duties, so much we diminish our happiness. To this God, whose love is always in union with justice, be honour and glory, do cious projects in heaven the "habitation of holiness," 2 Chron. xxx. 27; Satan, who rebelled against God amidst the most noble displays of his magnificence, and who is still a "murderer" and a "liar," John viii. 44; Satan is in the depth of misery. He was hurled down from a pinnacle of glory, expelled for ever from the society of the blessed, and there is a lake of fire "prepared for him and his angels," Matt. xxv. 41. God is the most holy Being. Indeed, the terms virtue and holiness are very equivocal when applied to an independent Being, whose authority is absolute, who has no law but his own wisdom, no rules of rectitude but his own volitions. Yet, order, whatever is sublime in what we mortals call holiness, virtue, justice, eminently dwells in the Deity, and forms one grand and glorious object of the admiration and praise of the purest intelligences, who incessantly make it the matter of the songs which they sing in his honour, and who cry day and night one to another, "Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty. O Lord, thou king of saints, who shall not fear thee and glorify thy name? For thou art holy; for all nations shall come and worship before thee," Rev. xv. 3, 4. This Being, so holy, so just; this Being who is the source of holiness, justice, and virtue; this Being possesses at the same time the highest possible happiness. He is, in the language of Scripture, the "happy God,"* and as I said before, he unites in his own essence supreme holiness with supreme happiness. What boundless objects of ccntemplation would this reflection open to our view, my brethren, were it necessary to pursue it? Consider it only in one point of light. The destination of these two beings so different, is, if I may be permitted to say so, the rule of the destination of all intelligent beings. All things considered, the more we partake of the impurity of Satan, the more we partake of his * 1 Tim. i. 11. See vol. i. p. 36. note. Serm. 1', On the Eternity of God. misery. It would be absurd to suppose, that | the greatness of the motive that inclined them to in "the time of the restitution of all things," manage some affairs of state will plead their exActs iii. 21, which will soon arrive, and justify cuse, and secure them from divine vengeance. Providence against the innumerable censures Against this we oppose these words, "abomipassed upon it, it would be absurd to suppose, nable," poisoners, "and all liars," which three that if we have appropriated the irregularities words include almost all those abominations of the impure spirit we should not at that time which are called illustrious crimes. However, partake of his misery; and it would be absurd the abominable, the poisoners, and all the liars, to suppose, that we can partake of the virtues shall have, as well as the fearful, the unbeliev of the holy Being, without participating his ing, the unclean, and the idolaters, "their felicity and glory. part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone." Each part of these propositions is contained in the words of my text. "He that overcometh," he who in this world of obstacles to virtue shall take the holiness of God for his rule, as far as it is allowable for frail creatures to regulate themselves by an example so perfect and sublime, "he that overcometh" shall have no bounds set to his happiness. He "shall inherit all things," he shall enter into the family of God himself. "I will be his God, and he shall be my son. But the fearful and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars," of what order soever they be, and all those who do "the works of the devil," shall be placed in a condition like his, "shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone, which is the second death." We invite you to-day to meditate on these truths, and in order to reduce the subject to the size of a single sermon, we will only insist on such articles of the morality of St. John as are least known and most disputed. We will distinguish in this system such virtues to be practised, and such vices to be avoided, as are most opposite to those prejudices which the world usually forms concerning the final doom of mankind. I. The first prejudice which we intend to attack is, that, A life spent in ease and idleness is not incompatible with salvation, if it be free from great crimes. Against which, we oppose this part of our text, "He that overcometh shall inherit." In order to "inherit," we must overcome. Here vigilance, action, and motion, are supposed. II. The second prejudice is, that, A just God will not impute to his creatures sins of infirmity and constitution, though his creatures should be subject to them during the whole course of their lives. Against which we oppose these words of the apostle, "The fearful and whoremongers shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone." III. The third prejudice is, that, Speculative errors cannot be attended with any fatal consequences, provided we live uprightly, as it is called, and discharge our social duties. Against which we oppose this word, the "unbelieving." The unbelieving are put into the class of the miserable. I. Let us begin with the first prejudice. A life spent in ease and idleness is not incompatible with salvation, if it be free from great crimes. St. John takes away this unjust pretext, by considering salvation as a prize to be obtained by conquest. "He who overcometh," implies vigilance, activity, and motion. Two considerations will place the meaning of our apostle in the clearest light. We take the first from the nature of evangelical virtues, and the second from the nature of those vices which are forbidden in the gospel. 1. The nature of evangelical virtues demands vigilance, action, and motion. It is impossible to exercise these virtues under the influence of effeminacy, idleness, and ease. Let us examine a few of these virtues. What is the love of God? It is that disposition of the soul which inclines us to adore his perfections, to admire with the highest joy his glorious attributes, and to desire with the utmost ardour to be closely united to him as to our supreme good; but this disposition cannot be exercised, cannot be acquired, without vigi.ance, action, and motion. We must meditate on that sovereign power which formed this universe by a single volition, and by a single volition determined its doom. We must meditate on that supreme wisdom which regulates all the works of supreme power, combining causes with effects, and means with ends, and which by this infinite combination has always adjusted, and continues to arrange and direct all the works which we behold, and others with out number which lie beyond the utmost stretch of our imagination. We must meditate on that perfect justice which is engraven on all the productions of the Creator, on all the conduct of providence, and remarkably on the consciences of mankind, which continually accuse or excuse" their actions, Rom. ii. lo Conscience is either tortured with remorse or involved in delight, according as we have been attached to virtue, or have violated it. We must meditate on that infinite goodness which is "over all his works," Ps. cxlv. 9. We must not only consider this palace where God has lodged man, a palace of delights before the entrance of sin, but which, since that fatal period, is, alas! nothing but a theatre, and, if I may express myself so, a universal scaffold, on IV. The fourth prejudice is, that, Religions which he exercises the most terrible vengeance, are indifferent. The mercy of God extends to and exhibits his most dreadful executions. We those who live in the most erroneous communions. must enter, moreover, into the genius of reliAgainst which we oppose the word "idola-gion; know the power of that arm which he ters." Idolaters are considered among the exerts to deliver us from bondage; the power most criminal of mankind. * Poisoners. puxur. Veneficis. Incantatoribus. V. The last prejudice is, that, None but the vulgar ought to be afraid of committing certain Qui malis magia artibus utuntur. The French bible crimes. Kings will be judged by a particular law: | read empoisonneurs, poisoners. made; for how can we repert of having injured the reputation of a neighbour, unless we endeavour to establish it, and to restore as much credit to him as we have taken away? Repentance also includes restitution of property, "if we have taken any thing from any man," Luke xix. 8. All the exercises of this virtue require vigilance, action, and motion. None of these are acquired under the influ of those succours which he affords to enable us to triumph over our depravity; the excellence of revealed mysteries; the value of the pardon set before us; the pleasure and peace poured into our souls; and the magnificence of such objects as the gospel proposes to our hopes. All this requires vigilance, action, and motion. Nothing of this can be acquired under the influence of effeminacy, idleness, and ease. Nothing of this can be done in the cir-ence of indolence, idleness, and ease. None cles of pleasure, at gaming-tables, or in places of public diversion. What is faith? It is that disposition of our souls which "brings into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ," 2 Cor. x. 5, and subjects them all to his decisions. In order to this, we must be convinced that God has not left men to their natural darkness, but bestowed on them the light of divine revelation. We must examine this revelation, and understand the proofs of its divinity. We must collect into one body the fundamental truths included in it. We must remove or invalidate those glosses which false teachers have applied to perplex the meaning of it. We must understand how to be deaf to every voice except that of eternal truth; and to say from the bottom of a soul filled with the love of this truth, "Speak, Lord, for thy servants hear," 1 Sam. iii. 9. All this requires vigilance, action, and motion. Nothing of this can be acquired under the influence of effeminacy, idleness, and ease. Nothing of this can be done in circles of pleasure, at gaming-tables, or places of public diversion. What is benevolence? It is that disposition of soul which engages us to consider our neighbour as ourselves, and to study his interest as our own. In order to this, we must examine both his temporal and spiritual wants. If he be in a state of indigence, we must provide for him, either at our expense, or by exciting in his favour the compassion of others. When he is ignorant we must inform him, when in an error undeceive him, when he strays we must recall him, when his spirits are overwhelmed, comfort him; we must visit him when he is confined, edify him by our conduct, and encourage him by our example. All this demands vigilance, action, and motion. Nothing of this can be acquired under the influence of effeminacy, idleness, and ease. Nothing of this can be done in circles of pleasure, at gaming-tables, or at places of public diver of these are practised in circles of pleasure, at gaming-tables, or at places of public diversion. 2. Even the nature of those vices which the gospel forbids, demonstrates that a life wasted in idleness is incompatible with salvation. He who has well studied the human heart, and carefully examined the causes of so many resolutions broken by the greatest saints, so many promises forgotten, so many vows violated, so many solemn engagements falsified, will acknowledge, that these disorders seldom proceed from malice, yea, seldom from a want of sincerity and good faith. You often fall into temptations which you mean to resist. Your misfortune is, that you are not sufficiently prepared for resistance. How, for instance, can we resist temptations to pride, unless we close every avenue by which it enters into the heart; unless we make serious reflections on the meanness of our original, the uncertainty of our knowledge, the imperfection of our virtue, the enormity of our crimes, and the vanity of our riches, titles, dignity, and life? Again, how can we resist the sophisms of error, if we have only a superficial knowledge of religion, if we do not build our faith on foundations immovable and firm? In fine, how can we resist sensual temptations, unless we endeavour to dethrone our passions, unless we frequently and boldly attack and subdue them, assuage their fury, and force them, as it were, to bow to the dominion of reason? This prejudice refutes itself. They who adopt it furnish us with weapons against themselves. An idle life is compatible with salvation, say you, provided it be free from great crimes. But I say, an idle life cannot be free from great crimes. Indolence is a source of great wickedness, and vigilance and activity are necessary to prevent the exercise of it. Let us not pass over these reflections lightly, my brethren. The prejudice which we are attacking is very important in its consequences; it is a fatal prejudice, sapping the very foundations of Christian morality. It is not a particular prejudice, confined within a narrow circle; it is general, even among Christians, and spread far and wide. It is not a prejudice secretly revolved in the mind, and covered with a blushing veil; but it is a bold notorious prejudice, and Christians exalt it into a maxim of religion, and a first principle of morality. This is the prejudice of that vain loquacious woman, who, having rapidly read a few devotional books, and hastily repeated a few preyers, which proceeded less from her heart than her lips, spends one part of her life in places of public diversion, and the other in making art supply the place of nature, in disguising her personal defects, and in trying whether by borrowed ornaments she can obtain from the folly of men such incense as she offers to her Christian soul dost thou complain of the battle? But in order to conquer you must fight. The glorified saints were once warriors, and are now conquerors. Flesh and blood, earth and hell, were their enemies. Faith and love, and all other Christian virtues, were their armour. The clouds were their triumpha. chariots. Angels, thousands of angels, "ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands," Rev. v. 21, who wait continually before God, were their witnesses. The approbation of the Son of God, this rapturous declaration, "Well done, good and faithful servant," Matt. xxv. 23, well done, faithful confessor, thou hast nobly endured the cross; well done, martyr for morality, thou hast caused concupiscence to yield to the commandments of God; these ecstatical declarations were their crown. Jesus Christ is their rewarder, and joys unspeakable and full of glory, peace of soul, tranquillity of conscience, rivers of pleasure, "fulness of joy at God's right hand for evermore, the city that hath foundations, Jerusalem which is above, the heavenly country, new heavens and a new earth," the society of angels, perfect knowledge, refined virtues, ineffable sensations, sacred flames, God himself; Lo! these are the recompense, these their great reward. "He that overcometh shall inherit all things; I will be his God, and he shall be my son." self, such as she derives from her own immode- | follows the combat, that nothing will appear rate vanity and self-admiration. This is the severe, nothing discouraging, nothing unequal prejudice of that soldier, who, at the end of a in the course of obtaining it. What dominion campaign, or at the conclusion of a peace, over his heart will not that voice obtain, thinks he may employ the rest of his life in re- which, proceeding from the mouth of the lating his adventures, and indemnify himself "author and finisher of his faith," addresses for his former dangers and fatigues by an idle- him, and says, "He that overcometh shall inness which is often a burden to those who are herit all things," Heb. xii. 2. witnesses of it, and oftener still to himself, who petrifies in his own tales. This is the prejudice of a great many people, who have nothing else to say to their preachers, to all their casuists, and to all their religious instructors, but, I wrong nobody, I do no harm. Shall I venture to say, my brethren, why do not you do a little harm? I have, I declare, more hope of a man, who, in a high fever, becomes so delirious, and apparently so mad, that the strongest persons can hardly hold him, than I have of a lethargic patient, all whose senses are stupified, his spirits sunk, and his natural warmth gone. I have more hope for a sinner, who, in a violent passion breaks the most sacred laws, and tramples on the most solemn engagements, than I have for a man, indolent, motionless, cold, insensible to all the motives of religion, and to all the stings of conscience. My brethren, let us not deceive ourselves: there is something of consequence to do in every moment of a Christian life. There are always in a Christian life temptations to be resisted, and consequently in every moment of a Christian life we must overcome these temptations. All ages require action. In every stage of life we have temptations to surmount, and in every stage of life we must overcome them. We must overcome the temptations of childhood, the temptations of youth, the temptations of old age. All conditions require action. We must surmount some temptations in all II. The second prejudice which we are enconditions, and in all conditions we must over- deavouring to remove is, that, A just God cancome them. We must overcome the tempta- not impute to his creatures sins of infirmity and tions of poverty, those of prosperity, those of constitution, though his creatures should be subelevated posts, and those which belong to a ject to them during the whole course of their lives. state of obscurity, a sort of death, a kind of Against this we oppose these words of the grave. All professions require action. There apostle, the fearful and the unclean.* The are in all professions temptations to be sur- most frequent excuse for impurity is constitumounted, and in all professions we must over- tion. A certain constitutional turn is generally come them. The statesman must subdue the considered as a ground of justification; and temptations of his profession, the soldier must it is eagerly maintained, lest we should be vanquish the temptation of his, the merchant obliged to be holy for want of excuses to st. of his, and so of the rest. All situations re- and lest the deceitful pleasures of sin should be quire action. In all situations there are temp-imbittered by remorse. Yet, "the unclean tations to be conquered, and in all situations we must overcome them. We must get above the temptations of health, those of sickness, and those of death. "He that overcometh shall inherit all things." I am well aware that to preach this gospel is, in the opinion of some, to teach a severe morality, to mark out a discouraging course, to invite to unequal combats. This morality, however, will seem severe only to lukewarm Christians. This course will appear discouraging only to soft and indolent souls. These combats will seem unequal only to such as have no true courage, listless and dastardly souls. A real Christian will be so inflamed with the love of his God, he will be attracted by so many powerful and comfortable motives, above all, he will be animated with a desire so strong to obtain a victory, which infallibly shall have their part in the lake that burneth with fire and brimstone." As to the fearfulness, or timidity, what is there in us, that can be more properly called human frailty than this? Let us hear St. John. Whom does he mean by the fearful? I fear we shall find several classes of these in religion. There are many sorts of "the fearful, who shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone." For example, a man who hears the name of God blasphemed, religion opposed, good manners attacked, but who has not the courage to confess Jesus Christ, to say, I am a Christian, and to manifest his indignation against such odious discourses, such a man is fearful, he the old French bibles paillards-Mr. Saurin more accu *Ilgvos. Our translation renders it whoremongers— rately impurs- i. e. unclean. shall have no part in the inheritance of the children of God. A man who sees his neighbour wounded by calumny and slander, but who has not courage to reprove the slanderer, though in his soul he detests him, such a man is one of the fearful, who shall have no part in the inheritance of the children of God. A magistrate who has received from God the sword for the protection of oppressed widows and orphans, but who, terrified with the rank of the oppressor sacrifices to him the rights of widows and orphans, such a man is fearful, he shall have no part in the inheritance of the children of God. But, though these notions of fearfulness are just, and though the proposition in the text is true in all these senses, it is clear, I think, by the circumstances in which St. John wrote the revelation, by the persecutions he foretold, by the exhort tions he addressed to believers to surmount them, and by many other considerations, that the holy man had particularly, and perhaps only, that fearfulness in view, which induces some to deny that truth for fear of persecution, of which they were thoroughly persuaded. Of this sort of fearful persons he affirms, "they shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone." There is, I acknowledge, an ambiguity in the terms, or rather in the proposition, which may render this article obscure, and those which follow more so. When it is said, that "the fearful, the unbelieving, and the abominable, the murderers and poisoners, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone," we are not to understand either such as have once committed any of these crimes, or such as have lived some time in the practice of any one of them, but have afterward repented. Were we to condemn to eternal flames all such persons as these, alas! who could escape? Not Moses; he was sometimes unbelieving. Not St. Peter; he was sometimes fearful. Not David; he committed murder, was guilty of lying, abomination, and impurity. Not any of you, my brethren; there is not one of you whose conscience does not reproach him with having done some act of fearfulness, unbelief, and impurity. Heaven forbid, we should have to reproach any of you with forming the act into a habit! St. John speaks then, in this place, of those only who live in a habit of these vices. But, I repeat it again, although this evil habit may originate in human frailty, yet it is certainly that sort of fearfulness which we have been explaining; it is the fearfulness with which tyrants inspire such as ought to confess the truth. Ask those of our brethren, for whom we utter the deepest sighs, and shed the bitterest tears, what prevents their giving glory to God, by yielding to the exhortations which we have so long addressed to them, and which we continue to address to them. They tell you it is human frailty. Ask that head of a family why he does not flee to some place where he might enjoy such a public worship as he approves, and partake of the sacraments for which he pines. Human frailty makes him fear he cannot live without his dear children. Ask that lady, who is in some sort mistress of ber destiny, having neither family nor connex ion, and being loaded with silver and gold; ask her why she does not avail herself of her independence to render homage to her religion. Human frailty makes her fear she cannot undergo the fatigue of a journey, or bear the air of a foreign climate, or share the contempt generally cast on other refugees who carry along with them reputation, riches, and honours. Ask that apostate, what obliges him to "receive the mark of the image of the beast on his forehead," Rev. xiii. 16. Human frailty makes him fear prisons, dungeons, and galleys. Yet what says St. John of this fearfulness in separable from human frailty? He says, it excludes people from the inheritance of the children of God. The life of a Christian is a continual warfare. Fearfulness is the most indefensible disposition in a soldier. Fearfulness in war is one of the vices that nobody dares to avow; worldly honour either entirely eradicates it, or animates soldiers to subdue it. Want of courage is equally odious in religion. A timid Christian is no more fit to fight under the standard of the "lion of the tribe of Judah," Rev. v. 5, than a boaster under that of an earthly hero. "The fearful shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone." After this, my brethren, shall we plead our frailty? Shall we draw arguments for lukewarmness from what ought to invigorate us? Shall we cherish our indifference by such passages as these? "The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak," Matt. xxvi. 41. “The flesh lusteth against the spirit, and the spirit against the flesh," Gal. v. 17. "The Lord knoweth our frame, he remembereth that we are but dust!" Ps. ciii. 14. Shall we attempt to frustrate all the kind intentions of the Holy Spirit, who makes us feel our frailty only for the sake of engaging us to watch and fortify ourselves against it? Believe me, the sentence pronounced by St. John will never be revoked by such frivolous excuses; but it will be always true that "the fearful shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone." III. Let us attend to the third prejudice. Speculative errors cannot be attended with any fatal consequences, provided we live uprightly, as it is called, and discharge our social duties. Nothing can be more specious than this pretence. Of all tyrannies, that which is exercised over the mind is the most opposite to natural right. Fires and gibbets, racks and tortures, may indeed force a man to disguise his ideas, but they can never change them. The violence of torments may indeed make hypocrites, but it never yet made good proselytes. We not only affirm, that no human power can oblige us to consider a proposition as true which we know to be false, but we add, we ourselves have no such power over our own minds. It does not depend on us to see, or not to see, a connexion between two ideas; to assent to a truth, or not to assent to it. Evidence forces, demonstration carries us away. Moreover, although God justly requires us to employ all the portion of genius which he has given us, in searching after truth, yet his equity will not allow that we should not regard as evident what the genius which he has given us makes appear evident; and that we should |