SECTION VIII. engagements shall appear before the eyes of God, angels, and -men, to have been wretchedly misimproved by thy negligence ? That awful hour -is hastening upon us, when the Lord Jesus Christ in flaming fire, and upon a throne of judgment, shall repeat the saine question to us,chrïstians, to us pròtevstants, to us inhabitants of Great-Britain, and to us professed dissenters, What have you done more than others? And the voice from the .tribunal shall carry in it another .sort of accent and majestythan that in which it was pronounced heretofore in his sermon on.the anount. Let each of us think with ourselves what answer we shall be able to make to such a voice of solemn and dreadfitÍ enquiry, if we cannot now give a tolerable answer when our ministers or our ownconsciences put the sane question to us. What tremblings will seize our souls, ,what horror overwhelm our guilty consciences, if all these advantages and these obliga- tions.in.the fearfulreview shall serve only-to aggravate the con- -demning sentence, and shall lay us under tenfold punishment from heaven ? }low dreadful will be the anguish of conscience in that day, when we shall find ourselves condemned !without remedy 'l V. The last motive 'I shallmention is of a mere gentle and alluringkind. Talents and advantages well improved are the Way to obtain still greeter a.vantages,on earth, and will increase your crown ofrighteousness and your everlasting reward in hea- ven. Mat. xiii. 12, - Whosoever bath, and has improved what lie enjoys, to him shall somethingfurther begiven, and he shall have more abundant ,advantage.; and Luke xix. 16, 17, &c. He that received ten talents, and improved them wisely, was made rulerover ten cities : he that had two talents was made governor-of two, whilethe unprofitable servant who bound up his talent in a :napltin,, and made no use of -it, was dispossessedof what he.enjoyed, and was drives into everlasting - darkness, and misery, where there is weeping and wailing andgnashing of teeth ;Mat. xxv. 30. - You who profess to traffic for the .riches of heaven, have you no ambition in you to be possessed of some,ofthe superior treasures, to be.raised to the sublimer glories there, and shine among the brigltter and larger stars ? One star will duetfrom .another inglory; 1 .Cor. xv. 41. And they who not only arrive at heaven themselves, butlead others thither too, shall be array- ed in superior splendors ; pan. xii. 3. Youwho are racers in thisholy state of christianity, have youno desire' to gain some of the first and brightest prizes ? There;are-crowns laid up for the righteous of different weight and lustre, in the hands of Jesus the final judge, and he will reward every one according :10 his works: those who have many talents intrusted with them here on earth, have an opportunity put into;their hands nf ,ob- aot.. ,v. F
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