bones, though they were the terror of the mighty in the land of the living *. Ah, what shall it profit a man, if he fhall gain the whole world, and lose his own foul? 4. We have spoken largely before of the pouring out of the Spirit and the bleffed effects thereof, and how neceffary that heavenly agent is; but when a burning world appears, that Divine Comforter finally ceafes ftriving with mankind. That day of grace is finally at an end, and he which is filthy must remain filthy ftill, feeing he was furprized in his iniquity and rebellion, fuch he remains for ever. O admit that heavenly Gueft now, while it is called to-day, left Jehovah fwear in his wrath that ye fhall not enter into his reft. Now is the time to get oil into your veffels, faving grace into your hearts, fo that when the bridegroom cometh ye may be ready to meet him. 5. ALL the opportunities, of either getting or doing good, are finally ended. We may now be useful unto mankind in various ways, to body and foul, and, in doing good, we may be receiving good-for the Lord will not fuffer us to be lofers. We are now furrounded by the miferable and wretched, and fuch as are expofed to everlafting ruin. We may be eyes to the blind, and feet to the lame. The bleffing of Him who is ready to perish may come upon us, while we caufe the widow's heart to rejoice. There is a fingular fatisfaction in doing good, a fweet pleasure in eafing the burthens, or preventing the miferies, of our fellow-creatures; and now is the time for that end; so fhall we hear the Judge fay,-Inafmuch as ye did it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. * Ezek. xxxii. 27. But But the fire falling from heaven puts a final ftop to every thing of this fort, and the effects, or defects, must remain unalterably the fame to all eternity. Neither death, nor the final ruin of all things, will work any moral change in any, foul of man; that can only be done thro' the blood of sprinkling, by the agency of the everbleffed Spirit. 6. TO ACCOUNT for this awful scene, in a philosophical manner, is what I pretend not to; perhaps that may be one of the great ARCANNA-RERUM, one of the great fecrets which belong to the Deity alone. Whether the heat of the fun is gathering, or increafing, upon the moisture of the earth and atmosphere, which furrounds the earth, and the powerful contact of the folar rays may occafion the mighty burft, the devouring blaze; or whether the fubterraneous fire is working its furious way in the bowels of the earth, till it overpowers all refiftance, and immediately belches out with confuming fury,-is a mystery to us. That there are dreadful magazines of that all-devouring element in the earth, is plain, both from earthquakes and volcanos, which have made dreadful havock in various places-not to fay, that every substance, whether animate or inanimate, abounds with fire; and, if fo, whenever the Almighty lights the match, gives the touch, the whole magazine is blown up. Nay, fome conceive the centre of the earth to be a large globe of glowing fire, infomuch that they have imagined it to be the very place of the Damned-the horrid prison of miferable fouls, and the lake which fhall burn with fire and brimstone to all eternity. However that matter may be, be, we are fure that the earth is full of fire, seeing every particle of matter abounds therewith, pent up as in a prifon, till the dreadful explofion fets it free. To this the Poet seems to agree, in giving his awful description of the fiery ruin : "Amazing period! when each mountain height "Their melted mafs, as rivers once, they pour'd; "Her plough-fhare o'er Creation." Or fuppofing it to be the awful apparatus of electricity, the principles of which our folar fyftem abounds with, and which is not only manifefted by human experiments, but is ftill more dreadfully displayed by the effects of lightning, a phænomenon which has yet never been fully explored, but has manifested its dreadful effects upon communities as well as individuals,-I judge this was the executioner of the divine vengeance upon Sodom and Gomorrah; * and also that which confumed the rebels from among the Ifraelites in the wilderness, when coming from Egypt; † and destroyed the two detachments which were fent to take the Prophet Elijah; and the term, falling from heaven, in the text, makes it very probable that it may be the awful engine which the Almighty will make ufe of to destroy the world; and the amazing fuddennefs of that last event gives great countenance for fuch a conjecture. But whether any one of the above caufes, or a combination of them all put together, may engage in this finishing ftroke, we are fure it shall come to pass, which period may be called, the great day of his wrath. 7. "SEE * Gen. xix. + Numb. xvi. 2 Kings i. 7. "SEE all the formidable fons of fire, Eruptions, earthquakes, comets, lightnings, play Their various engines-all at once difgorge Their blazing magazines, and take---by storm-- This poor terreftrial Citadel of Man." Good God! what rocks, what mountains, can now hide from thy frown? Where will the wife men, the disputers of this world, who have wrangled themfelves, and their admirers, into Infidels-I fay, where will they appear? Refined enemies to a God incarnate, their only Saviour, whom they have rejected, with learned fcorn and philofophical contempt, profeffing themselves wife, have found, by woeful experience, when it is too late, that they are fools. Now fhall they fee, to their eternal confufion, Far other Sun! A Sun, O how unlike The Babe at Bethle'm? How unlike the Man That Man of Sorrow! O how chang'd! What pomp, In grandeur terrible, all Heaven defcends! And gods ambitious triumph in his train. 8. SEE, fee! the Saviour-whom you scorned-feated on his fublime Throne! and every knee bowing, and every tongue confefling him,-Sovereign Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Now you fhall look upon Him whom you have pierced, whose blood was shed for you, which you have bafely defpifed, and you fhall wonder and perish to all eternity. 9. NEARLY allied to these are such as have fet up their own rectitude, their good works, and have not fubmitted themselves to the righteoufnefs of God. Thefe, that reject the precious blood of their only Saviovr, are whole, and need no fuch phyfician; that thank God you are not as other men ; you have done your duty, and say to your poor finful neighbour, Stand by thyself, come not nigh me, I am holier than thou. Alas, you self-deceiver, you are as smoke in the nostrils of an holy God-you are righteous in your own eyes, but not washed from your filthi nefs!-Your refuge of lies is now fwept away, and you fee yourself as you are, that is, altogether as an unclean thing, and your righteousness as filthy rags. The world is burnt, and you are found in your fins before an holy God-all your hope is fled, and you are undone for ever, 10. NOR can it fare much better with fuch as have refted their cause upon religious notions, and have been as confident as any Pharifee, ancient or modern, and, it may be, have been as full of fcorn as they-full as wife, in your owu conceit, and, therefore, ready to despise every one who does not dance to your pipe and fubmit to your judgment. But, with all your parade, you are found deftitute of the wedding-garment-your lamp is gone out-you are found to be one of the foolish, who have no oil in your veffel; the fparks of your own kindling are gone out, and Hell is moved to meet you; the world is in flames, and you fhall lie down in forrow. 11. YE Gallios of the age, who care for none of these things, who are loft in the cares or pleasures of this life, what a dreadful shock must this falling of the world be ? Peace and fafety is your motto, and ye put the evil day far away from you; fecure in your poffeffions, and saying,Soul, take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry, till the fudden glare of devouring flames awake you out of your fatal dream |