great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences, and fearful sights and great signs, shall there be from heaven. And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations with perplexity; the sea, and the waves roaring; men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which ISAIAH XXXII. 13-19.-Upon the land of my people shall come up briers and thorns; yea, in all the houses of joy in the joyous city: because the palaces shall be forsaken, the multitude of the city shall be left, the forts and towers shall be for dens for ever, a joy of wild asses, a pasture of flocks: until the Spirit be poured out upon us from on high, and the wilderness be a fruitful field, and the fruitful field be counted for a forest. Then judgment shall dwell in the wilderness, and righteousness remain in the fruitful field. And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness, quietness and assurance for ever. And my people shall dwell in a peaceable habitation, and in sure dwellings, and in quiet resting places, JEREMIAH V. 3.-O Lord, are not thine eyes upon the truth? Thou hast stricken them, but they have not grieved: Thou hast con- sumed them, but they refused to receive correction: they have THE RELIGIOUS IMPROVEMENT OF THE LATE EARTHQUAKE. ISAIAH XXIV. 18-20.-The foundations of the earth do shake. The earth is utterly broken down; the earth is clean dissolved; the earth is moved exceedingly; the earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard, and shall be removed like a cottage; and the transgression thereof shall lie heavy upon it, and it shall ON THE DEFEAT OF GENERAL BRADDOCK GOING TO FORT DE QUESNE. ISAIAH XXII. 12-14.-And in that day did the Lord God of hosts call to weeping, and to mourning, and to baldness, and to gird- ing with sackcloth; and behold, joy and gladness, slaying oxen, and killing sheep, eating flesh, and drinking wine; let us eat and drink, for to-morrow we shall die. And it was revealed in mine ears by the Lord of hosts, surely this iniquity shall not be purged from you till ye die, saith the Lord God of hosts, 215 EZEKIEL XX. 43, 44.-And then shall ye remember your ways, and all your doings, wherein ye have been defiled, and ye shall loath yourselves in your own sight, for all your evils that you have committed. And ye shall know that I am the Lord, when I have wrought with you for my name's sake, not ac- PRACTICAL ATHEISM, IN DENYING THE AGENCY OF DIVINE PROVI- ZEPHANIAH 1. 12.-And it shall come to pass at that time, that I will search Jerusalem with candles, and punish the men that are settled on their lees; that say in their heart, the Lord will THE LOVE OF SOULS A NECESSARY QUALIFICATION FOR THE MINISTE- 1 THESS. II. 8.-So, being affectionately desirous of you, we were willing to have imparted unto you, not the gospel of God only, LUKE II. 13, 14.-And suddenly there was with the angel a mul- titude of the heavenly host, praising God, and saying, Glory to CHRISTIANS SOLEMNLY REMINDED OF THEIR OBLIGATIONS. JOSHUA XXIV. 22.-And Joshua said unto the people, ye are wit- nesses against yourselves, that ye have chosen to yourselves the MATTHEW XIII. 14.-By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not un- derstand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive, 462 SERMONS ON IMPORTANT SUBJECTS. SERMON LIX. A NEW YEAR'S GIFT. ROM. XIII. 11. And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed.* TIME, like an ever-running stream, is perpetually gliding on, and hurrying us and all the sons of men into the boundless ocean of eternity. We are now entering upon one of those imaginary lines of division, which men have drawn to measure out time for their own conveniency; and, while we stand upon the threshold of a new year, it becomes us to make a solemn contemplative pause; though time can make no pause, but rushes on with its usual velocity. Let us take some suitable reviews and prospects of time past and future, and indulge such reflections as our transition from year to year naturally tends to suggest. The grand and leading reflection is that in the text, with which I present you as a New-Year's Gift: Knowing the time, that it is now high time to awake out of sleep. The connection of our text is this:-The apostle, having enjoined sundry duties of religion and morality, subjoins this consideration, namely, that the time remarkably required them, as if he should say, Be subject to magistrates, and love one another, and that the rather, knowing the time, that it is now high time, or the proper hour,† to awake out of sleep. A sleepy negligence * This Sermon is dated, Nassau Hall, Jan. 1, 1760. † Hora. as to these things is peculiarly unreasonable at such a time as this. The Romans, to whom this epistle was written, were Christians indeed, in the judgment of charity; they were such, whose salvation the apostle could point at as near approaching: Now, says he, is your salvation nearer than when you believed: and yet he calls even upon such to awake out of sleep. Even sincere Christians are too often apt to fall into negligence and security; they contract an indolent, dull, lazy temper, as to the duties of religion and divine things: sometimes their love languishes, their zeal cools, and they become remiss or formal in their devotions. Now such a state of dulness and in activity is often represented by the metaphor Sleep because as sleep disables us from natural actions, and blunts our animal senses, so this spiritual sleep indisposes the soul for the service of God and spiritual sen sations. Hence it follows, that to awake out of sleep, signifies to rouse out of carnal security, to shake off spiritual sloth, and to engage in the concerns of religion with vigor and full exertion, like men awake. And as even Christians are too often liable to fall into some degrees of spiritual sleep, as they often nod and slumber over the great concerns of religion, which demand the utmost exertion of all their powers, notwithstanding the principle of divine life implanted in them, there is great need to call even upon them to awake. Thus the apostle rouses the Roman Christians, including himself among them, as standing in need of the same excitation. It is high time for us, says he, that is, for you and me, to awake out of sleep. This is a duty proper at all times. There is not one moment of time in which a Christian may lawfully and safely be secure and negligent. Yet the apostle intimates, that some particular times call for particular vigilance and activity; and that to sleep at such times is a sin peculiarly aggravated. Now, says he, it is high time for us, to awake out of sleep: this is not a time for us to sleep this time calls upon us to rouse and exert ourselves this is the hour for action: we have slept too long already: now let us rouse and rise. The apostle also intimates, that the serious consider. |