666 / 674
64.6
THE ETEANAL DURATION
OF
[DISC.
xtll.
many
have been
frighted out
of
their indolence
at
first
by
the
discovery
of
these
everlasting horrors
of
conscience and
agonies of
soul
?
The dread
of
the
worm that
never
dies
has affrighted
their
consciences
from a
course
of
sin:
the
fiery
indignation
which shall
never
be
quenched
has
flashed
in
their
bosoms from
the lips
of
the preacher,
and
has set them all
over trembling, and
filled
all
their
inward powers
with .dismay and
anguish: their tongue
has broke into
loud and
earnest
enquiries,
Who shall
.deliver me
from this
eternal death
?
Ilow
shall
I
escape
this everlasting wrath
to come
And
the Spirit
of God
by
degrees has
led
them
to
Jesus,
and
his
atoning
blood,
Ins gospel, his righteousness, and
his
converting
grace, as
the
only
way
of_deliverance and salvation.
How
unreasonable
a
,thing
is
it for
ministers
in
their
preaching
to
soften
these
terrors
of
the Lord,
to
cut short
these
endless
horrors
and anguish, and.
to
mitigate the
.miseries
of
hell
and damnation,
.since
even all
that
lengtl}
and
eternity
in which
Christ
and
his
apostles preached
these terrors,
have
not.
been
sufficient
to
reclaim man
-
kind from their iniquities
;
but
multitudes
of
them,
in
the
face
of
all
these threatenings,
still
persist
in the
broad
way
to.
destruction and death?
Can
we
possibly do any
honour
to
the ministry
of our
blessed
Lord, or
is
there
any real service
done to
the
.souls
of
men
by
our fond and
vain
reasonings
to
shorten
these sorrows, and
put
a
period
to these
threatened tor-
ments?
Will the blessed
Jesus,
when
he sits on
the
throne
of
judgment,
give us
thanks for running counter
to
the language
of
his own
ministry,
and
for
daring
to
contradict
his denounced vengeance?
By
the
various expressions and representations
of
this
matter
in
scripture,
in
such.
solemn and dreadful
lan-
guage,
must I not suppose
that
the
blessed
God,
and
our
Lord
Jesus
Christ,
designed and
intended that man-
kind
should
believe
the pains and punishments
of
hell
will
be
eternal?
Can
I
then
be
censured
for
endeavour-
ing to establish and promote the
awful
doctrine
which
both God
the
Father
and his
Son
intended should
be believed,
and
by
which they designed
to guard
both
the
law
and the gospel?
A
doctrine
which was left on
record
to
deter
sinners
from
the paths
of
sin
and
de-
struction, and
to awaken the
souls
and consciences
of
men tó.
repentance
?
On the
other
,
hand, can
those