Such is the blessing-let us consider, II. The state of mind in which we should regard it-let us therefore fear, lest a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it. But what is this fear?

It is not the fear of the sluggard dismayed by difficulties, and crying, "there is a lion in the way, I shall "be slain in the streets." "" Such a man will be sure to come short. The fearful-are to have " their part in "the lake that burneth with fire and brimstone, which "is the second death."

Nor is it the fear of the unbeliever who suspects that the promise shall not be accomplished: for there is not the least ground for such an apprehension: because, “faithful is he that hath promised who also will do it." This fear prevailed in the Jews, and excluded them from the land of Canaan. They thought God had undertaken more than he could go through with: they asked, "can he furnish a table in the wilderness ?" they said, "the people are too strong for us:" and thus despairing, they murmured to return. Let us guard against this fear, and be fully persuaded that what God has promised, he is able to perform; and that, difficult, or even impossible as it may appear in our eyes to bring a guilty, depraved, helpless sinner to glory-if he has undertaken it, he will perfect that which concerneth us.

But the fear here enjoined is a fear of caution; of vigilance; of scrutiny; a fear which lead us to examine ourselves; and allows us in this awful concern to be satisfied with nothing less than evidence: a fear that induces us to question-and therefore to inquire whether we are the subjects of divine grace; whether we are. the heirs of promise; whether we have a title to heaven, and are in a fair way to obtain this blessedness.

Now the thought of missing this rest is surely enough to awaken in you this peculiar concern-especially when you consider two things; the possibility of your coming short; and the consequence of your coming short. First to excite in you this fear, remember the

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possibility of your coming short. And here let me mention a fact which should make you tremble; it is this-out of six hundred thousand Israelites, who came out of Egypt to possess the land of Canaan, TWO ONLY entered. But what is this to us? You shall hear how the apostle applies it. "Moreover, brethren, I would "not that ye should be ignorant how that all our fathers "were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; “and were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in "the sea; and did all eat the same spiritual meat, and " did all drink the same spiritual drink; for they drank "of that spiritual rock that followed them; and that "rock was Christ. But with many of them God was "not well pleased; for they were overthrown in the "wilderness. Now these things were our examples" -adds the apostle. They are emblems and warnings We here behold persons-under a dispensation of peculiar privileges; considered as the people of God; delivered from their enemies by the most wonderful displays of divine power; clothed in garments unimpared by wearing, or by time; and whose meat and drink were not only miraculous, but sacramental-and after all this, we see them perishing under the wrath of heaven. Wherefore, says the apostle again-let him that thinketh he standeth high in the divine favor, and is perfectly secure, take heed lest he fall. Let him not depend on external privileges; on gifts; on being baptized in his infancy; on his partaking of the memorials of the Saviour's death-or a thousand other things, which are no certain proofs of salvation. Persons may go far, but not far enough; they may be convinced, but not converted; like Saul, they may have another heart, and not a new one. And indeed nothing is more common than delusions of this kind. O! how many are there, who say, "I am rich, and increased with goods, " and have need of nothing, and know not that they are wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and na"ked." O! how many are there who entertain confident hopes of heaven, that will never see it? They are

bolstered up on the bed of carnal security-die like Jambs and awake with the devil and his angels!-Let us therefore fear.

But, secondly, consider the consequence of coming short. Is it not dreadful to be deprived of that fulness of joy, of that "crown of life, of that everlasting king"dom which God hath promised to them that love "him ?" What would it be to lose your business, your health, your friends, compared with the loss of the soul? And remember, there is no medium between heaven and hell-if you miss the one, the other is unavoidable. And remember also, the aggravations which will attend the misery of those who perish in your circumstances. There is nothing so healing, so soothing as the expectation of hope, and of course there is nothing so tormenting as the disappointment of it, especially where the object was vastly important. What then can equal the regrets and horrors those will feal who shall come short of eternal life! What will be their reflections, when they see that the blessing was attainable, but that their own folly has deprived them of it! and when they discover their mistake, but alas, too late to rectify the error !-a timely fear would have prevented all this.

Yea, remember also, that you will not only be disappointed in coming short-but you will be punished for it. Your going to hell will be your greatest sin. You could not be lost without contemning the authority of God, who commanded you to believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and trampling under foot his mercy and his grace. You offend him even more by your unbelief, than by your iniquity. The gospel has its threatenings, as well as the law; and after the one has condemned you for transgressing its commands, the other will condemn you for the rejection of its remedy; and thus, as the apostle says, the word you hear will "prove the savor of death unto death." then can you escape, if you neglect so great salvation? If you could even elude the curse of the law, you would

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have to encounter the damnation of the gospel. What then think you of both?"can thy heart endure, or thy "hand be strong, when he shall deal with thee ?-Let "us therefore fear."

And observe, how far the apostle extends the admonition-" let us fear," says he, "lest any of you seem to "come short of it." Where we see that he applies it to all: deeming none below the benefit of caution, and none above the necessity of it-lest any of you. And he applies it to all in the greatest degree. Lest any of you-what? should come short? No-but seem to come short. He not only forbids us to go back—but even to look back. He would have us not only avoid the reality-but the appearance of evil. He would have us not only possess religion, but "adorn the doc"trine of God our Saviour in all things." He would not have us remit our caution or our zeal in the smallest degree, so as to render our adherence to the truth suspicious, or our declension from the ways of God probable. He would not have you leave your eternal state in the least uncertainty; or live, so as to awaken doubts in others, and to lead the people of the world to say, "ah! they are beginning to come round; they "are yielding by little and little they cannot throw off 66 every thing at once-we shall have them by and by." -We are like the patriarchs, to declare PLAINLY that we seek a country-and not puzzle our neighbours to determine whether to consider us as at home, or only as strangers and pilgrims upon earth. We are not to be doubtful characters, so that no reader can make any thing of us, or say whose hand the writing is, but we are “ "to be MANIFESTLY the epistles of Jesus Christ, "known and read of all men. Let us therefore fear, "lest a promise being left us of entering into his rest, "any of you should SEEM to come short of it."

To conclude. Let us observe, first: how thankful we should be for such a promise left us, of entering into his rest! For surely we could not have reasonably expected it. Had we been informed that God was

about to give us a revelation from heaven, our guilty minds would have foreboded nothing but tribulation and wrath, vexation and anguish, upon every soul of man that had done evil. This we deserved-but behold, he speaks and his "thoughts are thoughts of "peace, and not of evil, to bring us to an expected end." The address is to tell us of a remedy for our disease: a refuge from the storm; a passage from this world of misery into a better, even a heavenly country.

O what welcome intelligence is this! How much did we stand in need of such a discovery, such an assurance as this! Our earth is a vale of tears. Creatures are broken reeds, and empty cisterns. Our mortifications are frequent. Our pains numerous. Our enjoyments unsatisfying. "Surely man walketh in a "vain shew!"-But he is not compelled to walk so now. There are realities attainable: there is satisfaction; there is rest. He hath shewed thee, O man "what is good. Acquaint now thyself with him, and "be at peace, thereby good shall come unto thee." Do not, do not resemble the Jews of old: "to whom he "said, this is the rest wherewith ye may cause the wea"ry to rest, and this is the refreshing: yet they would "not hear."

Let us, secondly see, how necessary it is in religion to avoid passing from one extreme into another. The gospel encourages our hope, but then it enlightens it, and guards it. It tells us not to refuse to be comforted; but it teaches us to blend a holy jealousy with our confidence, and to rejoice with trembling.-Some people seem to consider the fear of which we have been speaking, as legality, and unbelief-whereas it is promoted by an evangelical frame of mind, and is the offspring of faith. It does not question the truth of the promisebut only makes a man anxious to ascertain whether he has any part or lot in the matter.

And should this be carelessly decided? Can a man in such a case be too safe, or too certain? Is it not much better to be even needlessly distressed for a time,