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have at their peril appeared to stand by this cause ; and have facrificed their eftates, their honours, and their lives, to the despised and perfecuted doctrines of the Crofs!-It is certain, that you cannot have a greater affurance of being in the right, than these men have had; and confequently there is at least a probability on their fide, as much as on yours.You yourself, therefore, and all the unbelieving gentlemen of your acquaintance, who have any degree of modefty left, muft neceffarily own, that the cause poffibly may turn out against them.And what if it fhould! I am even afraid to reprefent the confequences in a proper light; it will poffibly be efteened preachment or cant; or be voted harsh, uncivil, or unmannerly treatment. But, Sir, I would pray you to confider this matter, without any refentment of my ruftic method of addrefs. Confider it only as it is represented in the Scriptures; and in that view it will appear, that the dreadful confufion, the amazing horror, and the eternal mifery, which will be the confequence of your Infidelity, will be vastly beyond the utmoft ftretch of your moft exalted apprehenfion or imagination. As soon as your foul is feparated from your body, it will become the immediate object of the divine wrath; and how lightly foever you may think of these things at prefent, you will find, that it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.-When the great Judge of the world thall defcend from Heaven, to take vengeance on all thofe, who do not obey the Gospel of Fefus Chrift, where will our unbelieving gentlemen appear? Will not their mirth be quite fpoiled, their farcaftic flouts and fleers be for ever over, when they muft ftand trembling at the left hand of their Judge, having no poffible refuge to betake themfelves to, no plea to make for their Infidelity, no place of retreat in a diffolving world to hide their

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heads! What comfort will it then afford them, to fay, "Alas! how have we been deceived! We ne<< ver thought it would have come to this!" Now we have found to our coft, that there is fomething more in the doctrines of a final retribution than fable or fiction, prieftcraft or fanaticifm, however we have in the gaiety of our temper rejected and despised them.-Will they then be poffeffed of a fufficient bravery and prefence of mind, to outface their glorious Judge, and to hear with intiepi dity the terrible fentence, Depart, ye curfed, into ever lafting fire prepared for the devil and his angels? -Will they, with their usual frolic humour, endure the execution of this fentence, and with sport and paftime welter in the eternal flames of that furnace of fire, that is the deftined abode of every final unbeliever?

Now, Sir, does it not infinitely concern you to confider the cafe before you in this awful view, to compare and make a proper eftimate of the inconceivably different ftates of the Believer and the Infidel, both with respect to time and eternity; and to enter upon the difquifition you propofe, with a mind duly impreffed with the vast importance of your coming to a fafe conclufion?

You tell me, that you cannot from the nature "of things fee any neceffity of fuch a way of fal"vation, as the Gospel proposes. The light of nature teaches us, that God is merciful; and "confequently that he will pardon finners, upon "their repentance and amendment of life." Let us then confider this cafe impartially.

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I think, there is no need of arguments to convince you, that you are a finner. Do but confider the natural tendency of your affections, appetites and paffions, and review the paft conduct of your life, and a demonftration of this fad truth will un

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avoidably stare you in the face.-Let any man enter into himself, and feriously confider the natural operations of his own mind, and he muft neceffari. ly find, that, inftead of a frequent and delightful contemplation of the perfections of the divine nature, inftead of a thankful acknowledgment of his obligations to the divine goodness and beneficence, and instead of that fublime pleasure and fatisfaction that fhould flow from the remembrance of his Creator and Benefactor, his affections are naturally following mean, low and unreasonable, if not vile and wicked, entertainments and gratifications. He will find, that all communications with his glorious Creator are naturally painful and uneafy to him, while every trifling amusement, and the vileft fenfual object of his thoughts, find a more eafy entrance, and a more peaceable reft in his foul.-From hence it is most evident, that the heart is revolted from God; and that we have fubftituted the creature in his ftead, as the object of our pursuit and delight.And befides this; Who are there among the best of the children of men, whofe confciences will not charge them with innumerable actual tranfgreffions of the law of nature?-From this view of the case, you must therefore certainly find yourself in a state of moral pollution and guilt.

And can you, in fuch a state as this, reflect upon a God of infinite purity and justice with comfort and courage? Will not confcience fly in your face, and upbraid you with your guilt and danger? Doth not your reafon tell you, that the great Creator and Governor of the world is too holy to approve, and too juft to overlook fuch a fixed averfion to him and fuch numerous fins and provocations against him, as you cannot but charge to your own account? But God is merciful." True, he is fo, to all proper objects of mercy; and in a way agreeable to

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the laws of his immutable juftice and holiness. But can you fuppofe, that God will give up his juftice and holiness, as a facrifice to his mercy, out of compaffion to those, who deserve no pity from him; to those who refuse the offers of his mercy in the Gofpel, because disagreeable to their finful defires and imaginations?

But "repentance will intitle the finner to par"don, without any other atonement."-Are you fure of this? Certain it is, that mankind have always, in all ages, thought otherwife. What elfe was the meaning of thofe facrifices, that have every where obtained; and what the meaning of those fuperftitious aufterities, and fevere penances, that have been fo commonly practifed in the heathen world, if fome atonement, befides repentance, was not thought neceffary to pacify an offended Deity? -Confider, I intreat you, that as fin is contrary to the divine nature, it must be the object of God's displeasure. As it is contrary to the rules of his governing the world, it must deserve punishment. -If God be the Rector and Governor of the world, he must have some laws to govern by. If he has laws to govern by, they must have fome penalties to inforce them. If his laws have penalties annexed to them, these must be executed; or else they would be but fcare-crows, without truth or juftice.-I intreat you also to confider, how the repentance of a guilty criminal can anfwer the demands of juftice.-What fatisfaction will our forrow for fin afford to the divine Being? How will it repair the dishonour done to the perfections of his nature? How will it rectify our depraved appetites and paffions, and qualify us for the enjoyment of his favour? How will it vindicate his holinefs, and discover to the rational world his natural averfion to fin and finners? Or how will the fear

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of God's displeasure be a fufficient restraint to men's lufts and vicious appetites, if finners may fuppofe, that when they have gratified their lufts, and taken their swing in fin, they can repent when they please; and thereby have an eafy accefs to the favour of God? In a word, what evidence can you poffibly pretend to from the light of nature, that repent ance only will fatisfy the divine justice, and reconcile you to God?

But after all, were it even fuppofed, that repentance would neceffarily give us a claim to mercy, without any other fatisfaction to God's justice, it muft then be another fort of repentance than you feem to suppose. You must then allow, that this repentance must be a thorough change of heart and life. For you can hardly suppose, that we are qualified for God's favour, while all the powers of our fouls are in direct oppofition and averfion to him. And is this repentance in our power? Can we at pleasure renew our own fouls, and give ourselves new affections, difpofitions, defires and delights? Can we change the bent and bias of our inclinations to the objects of sense, and bring ourselves to love God above all things, and to take our chief delight and complacency in him?-This must be obtained, in order to enjoy the favour of God. And yet it is manifeftly out of our reach. It must be the effect of an almighty power.

I hope you may now fee the neceffity of a Saviour, both to expiate your fin and guilt, which your repentance can never do; and to fanctify your depraved foul, and make you meet for the fervice and enjoyment of God.-If these are obtained, you must be certainly and eternally fafe: But if you dare venture into eternity without them, I muft needs fay, you don't want courage.

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