I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not." Then answer they him, saying, "Lord, when saw we thee an hungered, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?" Then he answereth them, saying, “Verily I say unto you, inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me." "Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels!"

Observe again, the judgment of an unprofitable servant. This man is judged, not as to what he had done amiss, but as to that which he had left undone. One single talent was entrusted to his charge, for which he is called to give an account; and the misimprovement of that is found to be a sufficient charge. For though he neither lost it, nor wasted it, yet he neglected its proper employment and improvement, hiding it in the earth; and on this ground alone, without any charge of positive transgression, he stands condemned. And the awful sentence already before us is," Cast the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth!"

Behold one other class of sinners called to the judgment; but these, self-confident and brave as many of them once were, are now self-condemned

and afraid to come up. These St. John distinctly saw in his wonderful vision of the judgment, and among them were the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, besides bondmen, and freemen,'-these now, terrified at the judgment awaiting them, 'hide themselves in the dens, and in the rocks of the mountains; and say to the mountains and rocks,' "Fall on us, and hide us from the face of Him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: for the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand!"

Such, my brethren, appear to me to be the views which the scriptures authorize us to take of the nature and objects of the resurrection, and of the solemnities and consequences of the judgmentday. And if these things be so, what encouragements do they give to us, so to live that we may attain to the blessedness of believers! What admonitions do they present, to avoid the terrible curse of those who are pronounced guilty before God! O ye who are living in sin, I charge you to count the cost; I charge you to remember this solemn consideration, that your short-lived, momentary, sensual indulgence, if unrepented, shall earn for your poor abused bodies an eternal chastisement—an everlasting affliction! Bethink

yourselves, perishing sinners, of the heart-searching hour, when fearfulness shall surprise the hypocrites and unbelievers; and consider the penalty;-" Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings?"

Brethren; the great day of the Lord will come, and the dead, small and great, will stand before God, the books will be opened, and we shall be

judged out of the things written in the books. Though we believe this, how little we lay it to heart for our good! An experience of near six thousand years has rendered the coming of death certain; and as sure as "it is appointed unto men once to die," so sure will the remainder of the scripture be fulfilled, which says, "after this the judgment." Shall each of us feel the one? We shall also prove the other. Whether we lay the matter to heart or not, the judgment will come upon us. My brethren, I solemnly ask you, How think you will the matter stand with you in that awful day? Are ye ready for death? Have you prepared for the judgment? In the name of Him who shall judge the world, I call upon you, as you value your eternal peace, to "examine yourselves whether you be in the faith?" Try yourselves whether you have the mark of Christ Jesus? Have ye been renewed after his image-born again in his likeness? Do you know in yourselves,

through the Spirit witnessing with your spirits, that you are the children God?' Do you believe that through 'repentance towards God, and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ,' you have obtained an anchor of the soul both sure and stedfast? If so, happy-unspeakably happy are ye; your names are surely written in the book of life, and your's is the kingdom of heaven. But if not; if you want these evidences of a title to heaven, mark the awful condemnation under which you lie, for our text expressly says, that "whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire!" O that I could warn you to flee from the wrath to come! O that the Lord would so enable you to judge yourselves now, and to profit by the decision, that when He shall come to judge the world, you may all be found an acceptable people in His sight, who liveth and reigneth with the Father, and the Holy Spirit, ever one God, world without end. Amen.'

DISCOURSE VII.

THE DUTY AND IMPORTANCE OF IMMEDIATE
REPENTANCE.

2 CORINTHIANS vi. 2.

Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.

GOD is "not willing that any " of the fallen race of Adam "should perish, but that all should come to repentance." "For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord God; wherefore turn yourselves, and live ye." To render that salvation therefore possible, he causes the glad tidings of the gospel to be preached to sinners; he causes his Spirit to strive within them, and his providence to work without them, in order that the sinner may become willing to sacrifice his sins, and turn unto his heavenly Father.

And though it is not the manner of God now to convert the sinner by an outward miracle, as