320 THE AESOLETE written upon thy wall, " Kiss the'Son, lest he be`angrp,'and thou perish." That thou mightest see it, as it were, written upon the tester of thy bed, as often as thou liest ddwn in' an Unregenerate state; and that it may keep thine eyes waking, and thy soul dis- quieted, and give thee no rest, till thou hadst rest in Christ. In a word, if it were but as much in my bands as it is in yours, what should become of this sermon ; t hope it would be the best sermon to thee that ever thou heardest: it should lay thee at the feet of Christ, and leave thee in his arms. O -that, I did but know what arguments would persuade you, and what words would work thy heart hereto ! If 1 were sure it would prevail' I would come down from the pulpit, and go from man to man, upon my knees, with this request and advice in my text: O! "kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish:" Bùt if thy hardenedheart make light of all, and thou go on still in thy careless neglect of Christ; andyet wilt not believe but thou art his friend and servant, I do here, from the word, and in the name of Christ, pass this sentence upon thy soul: Thou shalt go hence, and perhaps linger put in thy security a few days. more, and then be called by death to judgment, where thou shalt. be doomed to this everlasting fiery. wrath. Make as light of it as thou wilt, feel it thou shalt; put it off and escape if thou canst; and when thou hast done, go boast that thou hast conquered Christ. In the meantime d esquire this congregation to bear witness that thou hadst warning. This to all in general : my text yet directeth me to speak more particularly to the rulersand judges of the earth. Honorable and reverend judges, worshipful magistrates, if you were all kings and emperors, all is`one toChrist, you were.but high and mighty dust and ashes ; Christ sendeth his summons first to you ; he knows the leaders' interest in the vulgar; you are the commanders in the host of God, and mist do him more service than the common soldiers: if one of you. should neglect him, and stand out against him,.he will begin with you in the sight of the rest, arid make your greatness a stepping-stone to the honor of his justice, that the lowest may understand what they have to do When they see the greatest'cannot save themselves. Shall I say you are wiser than the people, and therefore that this admonition is needless to you ? No, then.I should accuse the Spirit in my text: the cedars. of the' earth have always hardly stooped to. Christ, which hath made so many 'of' them rooted ùp. 'Your honors are an impediment to that -self-abasing which he expecteth : your dignities will more tend to blind you than to illu- minate. There are few of any soft,but fewest of the great, and wise, and mighty, that are called: yet .a man would think that
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