This indeed is a melancholy confideration, and what shall we say to awaken men out of this fatal lethargy, and to infpire them with a just sense of their danger? what, but intreat them to confider, that "unless they re

pent, they will certainly perish. For the ' wrath of God is revealed against all ungod⚫ liness and unrighteousness of men :”—and though "God winked at the times of ignorance; yet now he commandeth all men every where to repent; because he hath appointed a day, in which he will judge the world in righteoufnefs, by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given affurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead."

A day when the finners will in vain call to the

⚫ mountains and rocks to

to hide them from the

fall on them, and

face of him that

• fitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of "the Lamb. "And when "the great day ' of his wrath is come, who fhall" then " be able to ftand ?"-who indeed fhall be able to ftand before the face of an incenfed

() Ats xvii. 30. 31. (t) Revelations vi. 16. 17.

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God, and hear that dreadful fentence pronounced against him, depart from me, ye curfed, into everlasting fire, pre'pared for the devil and his angels?" -Ah! who can bear an eternity of horror and despair?" Who can dwell" with implacable fiends "in everlasting burnings ?” u

These are things of infinite moment and concern, and are fufficient to fhew us the great neceffity of denying the criminal indulgence of our paffions and appetites, and of living virtuously and piously in the prefent world. But because the weightieft truths, when their confequences are not immediately felt, are too apt to be difregarded; I fhall enlarge a little upon the great importance of a religious life, by endeavouring to fhew these three things :

I. That there is no folid happiness to be attained in this life, but in the practice of religion.

II. That as religion is the only thing which can make us happy while we live, so there is nothing but a good life can give us

(u) Isaiah xxxiii. 14.

any comfortable profpect, when we come to die.

III. That a confcientious obfervance of the duties of religion, will not only make us live happily, and die comfortably; but, what is infinitely beyond all this, will most certainly be rewarded with eternal happinefs in the life to come.

First then, I fhall endeavour to fhew, that there is no folid happiness to be attained in this life, but in the practice of religion.

It has been a great artifice of our spiritual enemy, to poffefs the minds of unthinking men with an opinion, that religion is a four, morofe, ill-natured thing; a foe to whatever is pleasant and cheerful; and that whoever engages in the practice of it, muft from that inftant, renounce all the pleasures and enjoyments of life. But as the "devil ' is the father of lies," it is no wonder that he fets every thing before us in a falfe and deceitful light: By these means it was, that he deceived our first unhappy parents, and by the fame methods it is that he endeavours to betray their too credulous pofterity. He is

continually reprefenting "evil as good, and good as evil; putting darkness for light,

and light for darkness." He knows that there is such a beauty and comeliness in religion, as no one can behold but with love and admiration; and therefore he endeavours to draw a veil over its luftre, to reprefent it the very reverfe of what it really is, and to prejudice our minds against its reception; and, unhappily, in these attempts he has been but too fuccefsful.

But would men be perfuaded once to make the experiment; would they forfake the dangerous paths of fin, and walk in the way that leads to everlafting happiness; would they retire from the noise and tumult of a loose and difordered life, and listen to the still voice of reafon and religion, they would foon find how grofsly they have been cheated, and wonder, perhaps, how it was poffible they could fo long have been deceived. They would foon difcover, and from thence admire, "the beauty of holiness," and be thoroughly convinced, that there is no pleasure like that of a good confcience;

no real or folid happiness, but what refults from a life of virtue and piety. They would then blefs the happy change they had made, and would not part with their interest in heaven for the greatest enjoyments this world can afford. All those empty pleasures, which once captivated and enfnared them, would then appear mean and contemptible, and nothing would be thought of any real value, but what fets them forward in the way of falvation.

O happy man! (whoever thou art) that hast made this noble trial, and by a true and fincere repentance art restored to the favour and love of God! Thou haft "turned away thine eyes from beholding vanity," and canst now look up with confidence to God, and relish the pleafures of a virtuous life. How is thy mind filled with love, and joy, and admiration, when thou confiderest, that by the grace and goodness of God, thou art rescued out of the jaws of the devouring li on, and art delivered from fear and fhame, and felf-conde nnation; the fure attendants of a guilty confcience !