belleved? The God of truth, or the fat lies? The answer is given in the fatal confec Hence we hould learn to lock upon, an every faying, every doctrine, every th thought, that contradicts the word of devi..h and dangerous; no fair enticing fin because it is goodly in our eyes to lo fhould tempt us to tafe or touch it, lef it is forbidden fruit. No foothing, fpeeches; no fair, and pleafing promi beguile our hearts, or lead us to pur hands to any accursed thing. Again, we are not in paradife, but out by the righteous fentence of the the earth; and if the tempter entere we not much greater reafon to fupp wait to feduce and draw away ou God? Yea we are affured he does, as a roaring lien, walks about seeking devour. It is not certain to us, whe. fore his fall, had any knowledge th my would lie in wait to destroy hi fore not fufpecting any harm, wh good, might the more eafily fall tion: but we have fair warning know that we have an adverfary ferpent to beguile and feduce; f tear and destroy; and defirous c roaring lion of it's prey. Let us therefore be always c: warned, fore-armed. Adam r felf at peace with all created be of fafety; but we, (I fpeak of openly declared war a powers of darkne own glory; by fin, defile their nature, and difhonor their creator. And as we can enjoy no happiness but so far as we enjoy God, fin cuts off our union and communion with him, and renders us miferable even in this world. When Adam had finned, he feared; therefore if we defire to lift up our heads with any degree of boldnefs either here or hereafter in the prefence of our God, let us beware of fin; there is nothing makes fo many cowards as fin, the greatest bravado, will either hide his face and be afraid of God's judgments in this world, or defire to be buried under huge rocks and mountains in the world to come, for fear of the Almighty's indignation. O think, my brethren, what our guilty parent felt, when he hid himself in the garden amongst the trees; and what he feared, when the Lord God faid, Adam where art thou? Sin you fee expofes us to prefent mifery and fear of worfe and who can conceive? (God forbid we should ever experience) what weight of woe, what feas of forrow, fin will plunge and immerse the finner in through endless ages. ; 3d. To conclude,---While we see the effential attributes of the deity, his juftice, and his holinefs, neceffarily inflicting on the finner, the death his fin deferved; let none of us imagine, that we may fin with impunity; God muft change his nature, e'er fin can pafs unpunished. It will help you little that put forth your hands to fin, to talk of God being merciful; he is not more merciful than juft; and whilst the juftice of God calls out for fatisfaction, the holiness of God, rejects the polluted creature. In a word, for what we have done amifs, let us come in the way God has has appointed, to find favour and forgiveness with him; there, my brethren, is our cure, look unto Jefus. Does juftice make demands we are not able to answer? The blood of an immaculate Lamb fhall speak for us, it fpeaketh better things than that of Abel. Does the holiness of God reject us? Jefu's righteousness fhall gain us acceptance; this imputed, renders us amiable in the eyes of our God, while his good spirit renews our hearts, and his grace the predominant principle in our fouls reigns in us through righteousness ta everlasting life. SER SERMON II. GENESIS ii. 17. For in the day that thou eatest thereof, thou shalt furely die. T becomes us to give all attention to the ho I' ly fcriptures, and labour with the utmost diligence, to fettle in our hearts without a doubt, the divine credibility thereof; confidering them as the living oracles of truth, and not in any part, nor in any wife, the writings of fallible men. If we firmly believe our bible to be the word of God, and that every thing contained therein, is ftamped with the feal of divine veracity, and enforced with the folemn fanction, thus faith the Lord; it will neceffarily beget in us more attention to what it contains; and if we have any love to God, to love and prize it in proportion. When we can banish from our minds all doubts and diftrufts concerning the divine original of the facred fcriptures; we are then delivered from acarping and quarreling spirit, with any thing we find in them, not eafy to reconcile; as concluding that the God of truth, can poffibly be guilty of no falfhood, or contradiction; and whatever feems 1 |