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You must at once concede, that God is infinitely wise and good. He therefore deserves the love of your whole heart; the obedience of your whole strength. In commanding you to render him this, he commands nothing, but that which is perfectly reasonable. Of course you are doing wrong, you are conducting yourselves wickedly in every act of an irrcligious life; in every affection of an unholy heart. Your situation then, while you remain ungodly, must be in itself, such as demands your escape, because it is altogether criminal and dangerous.

Thus sinners, your feelings and your practice, and the revelation which the Searcher of all hearts has made, express only one sentiment concerning you. They all declare, that in heart you are opposed to the holy character and service of God. They all declare you gone out of the right way, and that while you continue thus, destruction and misery are in your paths. They all declare you to be children of wrath, and that you never, excepting by an affec tionate turning to the Lord, can find the way of peace and blessedness.

Hear therefore, your duty proclaimed in the text. Escape,' fly speedily, from a state of opposition to God. Hate every sin. Detest all that which your Lawgiver and Judge has forbidden. Loath and condemn yourselves, because you have rebelled against Him. Embrace the Lord Jesus Christ, as the only way of your pardon and acceptance. Walk henceforth in newness of life. Renounce the hidden things of darkness, and live as children of the light. Deny ungodliness,' and every forbidden affection. Let the grace

of God dwell in you richly,' and abound always in the work of the Lord.' Thus you will find peace. Thus you will find and inherit forever the great salvation. And this brings into view, the motive urged in the text,for the performance of the duty commanded; the duty of escaping from a condition of sin and eternal death. Therefore,

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SECONDLY, Let this motive be considered. thy Life. Sinners, your life, your salvation depends on your escaping from the native opposition of your hearts to God. And is a stronger motive possible?

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You have just now heard the things briefly mentioned, in which the performance of the duty consists. They are an unfeigned turning to the Lord; humility and self condemnation before God, because you have been rebels against him; that godly sorrow,' for sin, which worketh repentance unto life;' that faith in Christ, which worketh by love' to God, and duty; that pure, that disinterested affection for your Creator, which causes you to adore and praise him as the enemy, and the punisher of sin; and that meek, and resigned, and just, and prayerful, and exemplary, and holy manner of life before the world, as well as in your hearts, which is both the evidence and the fruit of regeneration. In these things, together with all that they imply, consists your performance of the duty considered in this discourse. The call to this duty is urgent and interesting. For your Life."

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First. The life to be secured, by obedience to God, is not the life of the body. It is spiritual life; heavenly rest and peace in the soul. It is on earth, a foretaste of that sublime felicity, which eye hath not seen; which ear hath not heard; the greatness of which the heart of man hath not been able to conceive,' and which God has promised to all that escape from the love and dominion of sin.

It is a deliverance, in the way of holiness, from the 'wrath to come' upon all those, that both live and die, and go to judgment under the entire power of the 'carnal mind, which is enmity against God." It is the present enjoyment, in some measure, of that peace which Christ promised, when he said in his farewell address to his disciples, Peace I leave with you; my peace I give unto you; not as the world giveth, give I unto you.'

Here is a present acquiescence in the disposals of infinite wisdom, amidst the sorrows with which sin fills the world. Thy will be done,' is the submissive, the triumphant language of the obedient soul. The judge of all the earth will do right. The Lord reigneth.' That which is best, will be done. In this state of the soul there is rest, there is peace, there is life. Your attainment of this, is your attainment of life, at the same time, in which it is your deliverance from death.

Your feelings, your practice, and the revelation of truth made by your judge, all testify, as has been already declared, that you are this moment, spiritually dead. You are in a state of restlessness and ruin. For enduring satisfaction, you are trusting the creatures which God has given you to use for himself. Their proper place in your affections, is not that which you are thus giving them. You are to receive and use them only as instruments in his hand of advanc-. ing his praise in your salvation.

But you are putting confidence in them, as though you knew them able to render you blessed, and blessed too, in the way of enmity against your maker. You are doing this, when by all the experience of the world and of yourselves, every one of them tells you, concerning the happiness you intend they shall confer; It is not in me.' The truth of this affecting declaration is confirmed by every trial you make. At the close of each experiment, the anxious questions return upon you, What shall we do? Who will shew us any good?"

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Your Maker often and often tells you the same truth. There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked. Their mirth is like the crackling of thorns under a pot.' And it is affecting to stand and see every disappointment you suffer bringing nearer to you the the terrors of death and judgment. Thus, while in heart, the enemies of God, you are spiritually dead; dead in trespasses and sin;' dead to

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all permanent satisfaction and peace. How strong, then, is the motive set before you, to escape for life! This motive is found in the present experience both of the righteous and of yourselves. In proportion to their grace, they have peace; while you have nothing durable but inquietude and disappointment.

Secondly. This motive is found in those future scenes, which according to unerring revelation, are before both them and you. Amidst the coming pains of the probationary state, they will have support, while your hearts will die within you. Under the stroke which must separate soul and body, the divine rod and staff will comfort them, while you, if concience be awake, will sink down in despair. They will have cause to exclaim triumphantly, O death where is thy sting? O grave where is thy victory? Thanks be to God, for his unspeakable gift ;' while you will mourn at the last, saying, how have we hated instruction!"

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With joys unspeakeable and full of glory,' they look forward to the morning of the resurrection. Before you is nothing better than a certain fearful looking for of judgement.' They having sought by a patient continuance in well doing,' the honors, the glories of the heavenly world, look for eternal life." Over all your prospects hang clouds and darkness," amidst which, you can behold nothing but wrathful flashes of that fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries of the Lord,' shall devour you forever and ever. They labor for the meat, that endureth unto everlasting life.' You are preparing food for the worm, that dieth not; fuel for the fire that shall never be quenched. Their labor in the Lord's service shall not be found vain. They know it will soon be said to them, Well done, good and faithful servants, enter ye into the joys of your Lord.' Your refusing, in the face of all warnings, to escape for you life;" refusing the love and service of God, choosing rather

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the ways of death in this world, and of perdition in the world to come; will have it said unto you,' Depart ye cursed, into everlasting fire,' As ye have loved iniquity, hated righteousness, so ye shall be filled with your own devices. As ye have sowed wickedness, so shall ye reap damnation.'

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Thus sinners, your happiness, your life, in both worlds, is the motive, by which you are here urged to the performance of duty. It is for your salvation that you are commanded to renounce your opposition to God. It is a kind precept which requires you to fly for refuge from the wrath to come, and to'lay hold on eternal life.' And will you perse. vere in abusing this warning goodness of God? Will you to the last, insist upon it, that you will die eternally? God is saying turn ye from your evil ways.' Escape from all enmity of heare against your creator. With hearty submission, cast yourselves on the sovereign mercy of him, who made, and will judge you. Relinquish your controversy with the king of kings.' Throw down the weapons of your warfare. Entirely acquiesce in his holy government. Let the love of his law's bind you to a pious life. For why will ye die? Why will you continue in that state of heart. towards God and duty, which is the certain way to everlasting death?

Remember. such is the constitution of the probationary world, that if you do die, it is because you will; and that if you will die, you must.' Every promise of salvation is made, on the condition of your hating and shunning wickedness. Sinners are also instrumental of confirming each other in the ways (f death. You must, therefore, avoid the needless sc. ciety of the impious. You must escape from the influence of their sentiments, and their example. You must shun all those things, which tend to harden the heart, and sear the conscience. In a word, you must become holy and heavenly in the disposition of your

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