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a few minutes' reflection, must be conscious, that their practices are of such a description, that they cannot, in their present state, enjoy the favour of God; for, as surely as the Bible is true, they must, dying as they now live, (and who knows that he shall not die this very hour?) be cast into the place of torment, a place, where their worm dieth not, and their fire is not quenched.

It is with the hope of saving you, my Bre thren, from that miserable condition, that I now preach the Gospel to you, and I request your patient attention, while I take occasion, from the words of the text, to mention a few things to you respecting the general judgment.

"I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God, and the books were opened, and another book was opened, which is the book of life, and the dead were judged out of those things, which were written in the books, according to their works."

In speaking upon these words, I shall state, I. The Fact, that the dead, small and great; that is, all mankind, high and low, rich and poor, shall stand before the judgment seat of Christ.

II. That there is an account kept of all their deeds, good and bad.

III. That they will be judged according to the works, which they have done.

1st. I am to state the Fact, that the dead, small and great, shall stand before the judg ment seat. That sacred book, which many, I hope indeed most of you are in possession of, and which is called, on account of its superior use and excellency, The Bible, states this in the clearest terms. You may ask, perhaps, whence has this Bible its authority? Who wrote it? How do we know it is true? Perhaps, as some people say, it only contains a parcel of fables, invented by artful and designing men to impose upon the weak, and to enrich themselves at their expense. Though I am persuaded there are few, if any, among you, who will have the hardiness so to speak, yet as your careless and wicked lives too evidently declare, that you sometimes harbour such thoughts, I request you to take into your consideration the few things which I am going to mention. Consider,

1. By what sort of characters the Bible is most esteemed. Is it not by those, who, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, choose to live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present evil world? Is it not by those, who prefer the divine to any human favour, and who, sooner than transgress any one of God's

"If in

commandments, will readily incur the loss of ease, property, friends, and even of their very lives? Is it not by those, who, after the example of Jesus Christ, go about doing good; who, by their extensive charities, prove their disinterestedness, and, by their unremitting labours, that pity and love for the suffering bodies, and ruined souls of men, are the ruling principles of their hearts? With great truth did Saint Paul, who was a most zealous and indefatigable servant of the Lord, say, this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable."* The Christians of his day were held in no esteem, but counted as the offscouring of all things. Speaking of the treatment he met with in the prosecution. of his favourite design, he gives the following account of it. "Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one, thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day have I been in the deep; in journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils of mine own countrymen, in perils by the Heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; in weariness and painfulness, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold

* 1 Cor. xv. 19.

and nakedness; besides those things that are without, that which cometh upon me daily, the care of all the churches."* Now, if this Apostle had not been fully persuaded, that what he preached was the very truth of God, he must have been a fool and an idiot to have undergone all these sufferings, and to have exercised all these labours; so must all the other Apostles, who shared with him in his persecutions, and in his diligence, and so must all other sincere Christians, who have lived in the successive ages of the world, who, though they never ceased to promote the good cause, which they wished to defend, sought neither glory nor profit, but took up their crosses daily, bore the evil report of men with patience, and very often sealed with their blood those glorious truths, which they had spoken with their lips. Surely, now, if there had been the least ground for suspecting that our religion was false, the persons of that character, which I have been just describing, would have sought it out, and would have been glad to have been exempted from such a continuance of trials and sufferings. But, the more they searched, the better were they satisfied, that what they held fast was the word of God, and therefore they endured the cross, despising

* II Cor. iv. 24-28.

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the shame, and now enjoy the fruit of their labours by reigning with Christ in glory.

2. Consider by what sort of characters the Bible is disesteemed. Are they men fearing God, and working righteousness? Are they persons strictly honest, sober, chaste, and temperate? Do they go about doing good? Do they shew a noble disinterestedness in all their actions, choosing rather to suffer themselves, than to do any thing, which may be injurious to their fellow creatures? Few, if any, will you find among those, who reject the authority of the Bible, of this description. They are not such persons, as you would apply to, if you were in deep affliction, or if you wanted them to draw from their purses any thing that might afford you relief. As, therefore, they are averse from those things, which the holy Scriptures recommend, you have good ground to suppose, that the reason why they abuse them is, that they speak unwelcome truths. They will not allow that immorality and selfishness, in which the worldly man desires to live. Let us then suppose, or rather let us take it for granted, that, as the Bible is a book, which good men love, and wicked men hate, it bears upon it the stamp of divinity, and that, as it is so declared, we maintain upon good authority, that there shall be a day,

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