DfsCol7RsE I%íli, 0'S/ most malicious and powerful, enemy, whose name is Abaddon, or the destroyer, is but a creature; but the friend, the mighty and merciful friend, whose name is Jesus, or the Saviour, is God, even Immanuel, God with us. Whenhe stands upon the throne ofhis mercy, and cries out to perishing sinners, Look to me from the ends of the earth, and be saved ; not all the powers of hell shall be able to destroy the sinners that look to him, and accept of his salvation. What a glorious relief is found in my text against all temptations to despondency ? Your Saviour is God, and there is none besides him. III. Howmuch do those sinners deserve toperish for ever, who will not be saved upon such gracious terms ? In vain do you turn your eyes around you, and look to one creature, and seek to another for help ; your ruin is too great, and your misery too deep and dismal, for any power but that of God, to raise arid recover you. If they who refused to hear the voice of Moses, who spake from earth, died without mercy, of how much sorer punishment shall ye be thought worthy, who refuse to hearken to the voice of God speakingfrom heaven? Heb. x. 28, 29. Can you ever imagine it possible that you should escape the divine 'vengeance, who neglect so great, so divine a salvation. Consider, ye sinners, that are this day under the call of grace, though now you seem to be as it were at the ends of the earth, afar off from God and Christ; from all that is holy, and all that is happy, yet youare not utterly abandoned to destruction, while, the_voice of mercy sounds in your ears. But take heed that ye hearken wlüle ye arecalled to-day, lest ye perish before the morrow come. Remember this, that the silver trumpet of mercy will not always sound :: Christ Jesus will not'always say, look unto me, and be saved, Ye are now upon the con - fine, of hell ; if-once death open its dark gates, and hell has shut her mouth upon you, you will then be, far out of the sight of Jesus the Saviour, and beyond the call of his mercy for ever. Let me turn my voice now for a few minutes to the gospel Israel, to the children of the kingdom. While I have been in- viting the ends of the earth to be saved, and have been calling sinners afar off from God and his church to receiveJesus Christ and his salvation, is there any dispensation for you to. neglect it, who dwell in the midst ofthe visible church ? Youwho were born of holy'paresits, who havé lived in religious families and are by this means brought,near to the kingdom of heaven ? Are you readyto flatter yourselves that you are out of danger of perish- ing ? hlave a care of vain presumption, and foolish feeble hopes. The wounded Israelites, who lay just under the brazen serpent of old, might die and perish there in their own folly, if they refu- sed to look up to the appointed remedy; -while some from the Vol,. 'u. R
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