bolstered up on the bed of carnal security-die like lambs-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." How then can you escape, if you neglect so great salvation? If you could even elude the curse of the law, you would

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 "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 storin; 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 hom he "said, this is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary 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 scem 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.

Can a man

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

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than to be deceived for ever? Is it not better to have a troubled conscience than a seared one?" To this "man," says God, "will I look, even to him that is "poor, and of a contrite spirit, and that trembleth at my word. Pass the time of your sojourning here in "fear. Be not high-minded, but fear. your salvation with fear and trembling." Indeed this fear seems to be unavoidable from the véry nature of the case. Whoever attends to the workings of his own mind, well knows, that the proposal of any great, or unexpected benefit, always produces a variety of emotions; wonder is the first: this is instantly succeeded by joy-but there is another feeling, which also immediately seizes the mind, and works very powerfully-and this is solicitude-care to attain and secure it-fear lest after all we should not realize the possession of it. And this is what our Saviour means when he says, "the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure "hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he "hideth, and for joy thereof goeth, and selleth all that " he hath, and buyeth that field." This hiding is not in order to secrecy, but safety: for as by hiding things we commonly secure them-the one is put for the other; and this explanation accords with the experience of every awakened soul. For in proportion as you prize salvation, and desire it, and apprehend it to be necessary-will be your fear of coming short of it. Indifference does not generate fear-No-but conviction does, and so does attachment.

Lastly. What are we to say of those of you who know nothing of this salutary concern? perhaps if some of you were to speak what you feel, you would say that the loss of this rest was the least of all your fears. It never disturbs your repose by night, or embitters your enjoyment by day. Whenever the thought enters, you consider it as an intruder, and soon expel it. All your fear is limited to the world, and the present life. fear for your health, and are alarmed when any unfavorable symptoms appear. You fear for your business;

You

your fortune; your estate-and cannot deem yourselves too secure. "You ask what shall I eat, and what shall "I drink, and wherewithal shall I be clothed ?" you never inquire, "what shall I do to be saved ?"

But

And yet, what is every other interest to this?-And do you imagine, that this greatest of all concerns can be managed or secured without attention or care? Do you think that leaving the boat to the stream will bring you safe-while you are asleep, or at play ?-This may do, if you wish to sail down with the stream, and be carried into the gulph below. But the course to heaven lies against the stream-and helm, and oars, and labor, and diligence, are indispensably necessary. "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." Amen.