therein flame all in one destructive blaze all in horrible consternation, shivering with absolute despair; where to fly, or what to do, the wicked are for ever at a loss to know.

To fly from the presence of the Almighty God their Judge, they are anxious inconceivably more than a woman in travail is to be delivered, but that is altogether impossible; to do any thing for their safety, is as much so as the former; for now the long sparing mercy of God is for ever, ever at an end, with respect to them.

He who once offered to be their Saviour, and earnestly entreated them to accept of him and all his benefits, by the everlasting gospel: (but him they would not accept, and made light of all his benefits :) now, with respect to them, his clemency is no more: No, he who shed his blood to save the very chief of sinners, (eternally cutting thought to them!) is now their judge and inexorable enemy.

Now they cry to the rocks and mountains to fall on them, and hide them from the face

and wrath of the Lamb, Revel. vi. 16. but these are all in flame. Contented for ever would they be, if they could but obtain that wish, though dreadful to human nature, to be entirely annihilated; but neither shall this be granted.

If, after ten thousand times ten thousand years, if years could be then numbered, they were to be freed from their torments, they would count it an inestimable privilege, and endeavour to be willing to bear their horrible pains; but neither shall this be the case.

A

Oh! then, if after as many millions of years as there are piles of sand on the sea shore, bottom of the ocean, and beds of rivers; blades of grass in the fields, particles of dust in the earth, herbs and trees in the world, fowls in the air, men, beasts, and reptiles on the earth, fish in the waters, ears of corn in autumn, leaves on the trees in summer, feathers on the fowls, hairs on men and beasts, scales on the fishes, constellations and stars in the heavens, and all these a million times a million so many as they are, they were to be entirely annihilat

ed, they would count it some alleviation of

their misery.

Dreadful thought!

Awful count! far

surpassing the arithmetic of man, and perhaps that of angels!

Yet neither indeed shall this take place; for as their offences have been against the infinite God, who deserveth an infinite satisfaction, and as they can never be able to give that, they must be punished through all eternity. All dread, all horror, and all despair, they are forced to wait their final doom, with all their crimes full in their face, written in the page of their memory in legible characters as with a sun-beam, which shall be declared before men and angels.

But, on the other hand, the righteous are as much transported with love, joy, and happiness, as the wicked are racked with despair, misery, and woe. With joy they lift up their heads, see their Lord and Saviour; not in the manger and stable of Bethlehem, not as a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief, not despised of the people, nor having where to lay his head,

not arraigned at Pilate's judgment-bar, nor suffering on the bloody cross and giving up the ghost; but coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory; in the glory of his Father, with the holy angels; the Almighty God, the Judge of quick and dead, their Friend, who once did die for them; and are joyfully caught up to join the happy train, and meet him in the air,

The wicked, as trees twice dead, plucked up by the roots, Jude 12., shall be adjudged and cast into eternal burnings; while the righteous, as trees planted by the Lord, shall be acquitted from all the aspersions thrown on them by men and devils, and removed to the highest heavens, there to flourish and grow ever green with happiness, glory and joy, through all the countless ages of eternity.

Here is an apple tree, which in its wild state bears nothing but crabs, hard and sour fruit, which are only fit for feeding swine; whereas if, contrary to nature, it were cut out of its natural stock, and ingrafted into a good tree, the fruit of it

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might be much improved, and rendered useful to its owner. Just so is it with respect to men while in their natural state; all the fruits they bring forth are corrupt, hard, and sour, fit only for feeding their swinish lusts, hateful to God, and destructive to themselves.

Their own righteousness, a fruit being produced from the soil of a broken covenant, instead of nourishing the soul that eateth it, will only poison it at last, if it be not prevented from feeding thereon; whereas, when they are cut out of their own natural stock, and ingrafted into Christ Jesus, they bring forth the fruits of righteousness and true holiness in, and through him, acceptable to God, useful to themselves, and grateful to others.

How much then doth it concern me to know whether I have been cut out of my natural stock in Adam, and ingrafted into Christ Jesus, that true vine, John xv. 1. who maketh every branch that abideth in him fruitful: And by the following marks I may know if I be in him.