222 ON THE FUTURE STATE OF THE HEATHEN,

In establishing the proposition which has been announced, the following method will be pursued: I. I shall shew, that the heathen are sinners.

II. That being such, they have incurred the penalty of the Divine law.

III. That from this they cannot be delivered without repentance and reformation.

IV. That in general they exhibit no evidence of penitence, but positive evidence to the contrary. And, V. I shall introduce several additional considerations, as corroborative of the general conclusion.

I. I am to shew that the heathen are sinners. And in proof of this, it may be observed,

1. That they belong to a sinful family and race. They are the children, with us, of a fallen father, and have naturally proud and depraved hearts. Their first, and their constant exercises, unless they are renewed by Divine grace, are selfish and sinful.—I shall not stop here to prove the doctrine of human depravity. Suffice it to say, that all who believe this doctrine, and admit the heathen to be human creatures, must also admit that they are sinners.

2. That the heathen are sinners, may be shewn from the fact of their moral agency. If they are moral agents, they possess a moral character, which must be either sinful or holy. I ask then, Are the heathen holy? Do they love God with all the heart, and yield obedience to his commands? And the inquiry, it will be seen, is not whether they have some holy exercises; but are they constantly holy? Are they immaculate, and free from sin? If not, my friends, (and we all know they are not then they must be chargeable with sin and are in fact sinners.

3. The Scriptures represent the heathen as sinners. The converts from heathenism are spoken of

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in the verses preceding the text, as having been "the servants of sin ;" and as having "yielded their members servants to uncleanness, and to iniquity unto iniquity." The Apostle Paul describes the heathen of his time, with whom he had the best opportunities of being acquainted, as "filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness, envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, without understanding, covenant breakers, without natural affection, implacable, unIndeed it was the principal design of merciful." this Apostle, in some of the first chapters of his Epistle to the Romans, to prove, concerning both Jews All," and heathens, that "they were all under sin. says he "have sinned, and come short of the glory of God."

4. It may be shewn that the heathen of the present age are sinners, from the crimes which are allowed, and customarily practised, among them. In the various accounts, transmitted by competent and impartial witnesses, they are constantly represented, not only as sinners, but as flagrantly vicious and corrupt. Every command of the decalogue—every precept, whether of natural or revealed religion, is set at nought, and openly violated. They are almost without exception idolaters. They are to an awful extent the profaners even of their own sacred things. Instead of honoring and protecting their aged and helpless parents, in some instances, they abandon them to perish with hunger; in others, burn or bury them alive; and in others, slaughter and devour them. Their murders are continual, and of various descriptions. Their lewdness, says one who had

224 ON THE FUTURE STATE OF THE HEATHEN.

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long resided among them, is "such as can never be described by a Christian writer.” Their sacred books allow them to steal; and in some places they even pray that they may become expert in it, boast of it when they recount their exploits, and expect to be rewarded for it in the future world. Among the common people of India, "lying," says Dr. Ward, "is deemed absolutely necessary; and perjury is so common, that no reliance whatever can be placed upon the testimony of heathen witnesses." It is farther stated by this highly respectable Missionary, that the characters of the heathen have not at all improved, since the days of the Apostle Paul. the contrary," says he, "the language of the Apostle seems most strikingly applicable to them all; Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips; their feet are swift to shed blood; and the way of peace they have not known." The following is also stated by a Missionary from this country, relative to the characters of the heathen whom he had visited: "I feel as though misery lives here incarnate. The people are ignorant, degraded, and vicious. I thought I had seen something of vice in America, and in France; but those countries, I had almost said, are pure, compared with this. Every sin enumerated by St. Paul, in the first chapter of his Epistle to the Romans (verses 26-31.) is literally committed here without a blush, and without any ap parent remorse."

I have thus proved, as it seems to me, both from reason, Scripture, and fact, that the heathen are sinners are actual and flagrant transgressors of the law of God.-I proceed therefore to shew,

II. That, being sinners, they have incurred the penalty of God's righteous law, and are under the curse. The law of God, like every other perfect law, has a just penalty annexed to it. This is true, as well of the laws which are discoverable by the light of nature, as of those which are revealed in the volume of his word. In respect to both, the infinite Lawgiver hath said, "Cursed be every one, who continueth not in all things written in the book of the law to do them." "The soul that sinneth, it shall die." 66 The wages of sin is eternal" death." Now we have seen that the heathen are sinners. They have failed to "continue in all things written in the book of the law"-even that law which is discoverable by the light they enjoy-and consequently are accursed. They have transgressed the precept of this law and must have incurred its penalty. They have sinned, and must die. Accordingly it is represented by the Apostle, that having "sinned without law," they must "perish without law ;" and that in "the judgment of God," they "are worthy of death." Like all unpardoned sinners, they are "condemned already," and are under sentence of eternal punishment.

3. This sentence cannot be remitted without repentance and reformation. We find no intimations in the Scriptures, that God will forgive any, even heathens, without repentance; but every where the plainest intimations to the contrary. Paul, in his speech before king Agrippa, declares that he had shewed to the Gentiles or heathen, "that they should repent, and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance." And the declaration of our Saviour is, for aught I see, of universal application; "Except ye repent, ye shall all perish.”—And the language

of reason in respect to this subject, is as plain as that of revelation. For God to bestow pardons upon impenitent sinners of any description, would be ruinous to his character, his government, and law. In his law he says, "The soul that sinneth, it shall die." But in pardons bestowed upon impenitent transgressors, he would manifest that he had changed his mind; had ceased to hate sin; that his compassions had overpowered his principles; and he had consented to receive unhumbled rebels to his bosom. He would appear unstable in his government, regardless of his law, and unworthy the trust or homage of his creatures. And in conferring pardons on the impenitent, and thus shewing a readiness to treat the good and the bad alike; he would weaken if not destroy his authority, and give unbounded liberty to sin.

Besides; of what avail would it be to pardon the impenitent? Retaining their hard unchanged hearts, they would instantly repeat their transgressions, and fall again under the sentence which had been remitted. And should God pardon them in death, and receive them to heaven; it would be no heaven for them. It would not be a heathen elysium, or a "Turkish Paradise." They could not unite in its employments, or participate its holy joys. They would have no relish for such a heaven; and though dwelling in the midst of the celestial city, would find themselves completely and forever miserable.-The object of these remarks is to shew, that God cannot consistently pardon sinners-not even heathens—un+ less they repent. By their voluntary transgressions, they have incurred the penalty of his righteous law; and from this they cannot be delivered without repentance and reformation-without possessing the temper of saints, and a meetness of character for his holy kingdom. It is necessary to be observed,