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withstanding all your advantages in the sight of God, and all your superiority to multitudes amongst men; notwithstanding your knowledge, your convictions, your resolutions, your hopes, you are "neglecting the great salvation, and how shall you escape?" Heb. ii. 3. You are 66 without God, and without hope in the world," Eph. Oh, that my head were waters, and mine eyes a fountain of tears, that I might weep day and night, because of the slain of the daughter of my people!" Jer. ix. Consider how deeply affecting your case is. Did Jesus die in vain for you? Must the Holy Spirit strive with you in vain ? Will you come so near to the kingdom, and still not enter in? Must the misery of your final condition be aggravated by the recollection of so much mercy slighted and abused? If angels weep, it is over you. If devils have joy, it is in the condemnation of such as you. If despair have a bitterness beyond itself, that must be your portion, if you do not repent and turn unto God. "Awake to righteousness, and sin not." The fountain is open. Jesus is able. Power is in the word, and grace in the influence that accompanies it. Come, take the water of life freely."

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VI.

THE GUILT OF THE NOMINAL CHRISTIAN.

When Felix trifled with the solemn reasonings of Paul, and with the still more solemn strivings of the Holy Spirit; when he said to both the messenger and the message, as he quenched his convictions, and hardened his heart, "Go thy way for this time," Acts xxiv. 24, 25, did he not commit a great sin? Is your continuance in a state of practical unbelief less guilty? Have you not heard the gospel more frequently than Felix ? Are you not more fully aware of the consequences of disobeying it? If guilt be proportioned to means of knowledge, and inducements to obedience, must you not be looked upon as even more guilty than he ? I do not charge you with a denial of the truth. You avow your belief of the divine origin of Christianity, and I have no reason to question your sincerity. But you do "not obey the gospel." If you do not reject it, you do not cordially embrace it. If you do not positively refuse to submit to it, you still withhold your heart from it. You are in the situation of those, concerning whom the Saviour spoke, when he said of the Holy Spirit, "He will reprove the world of sin, because they believe not on me," John xvi. 9. This guilt I am now to declare to you. Spirit of God, guide my mind to the right application of thy truth, and open the sinner's eyes that he may see!

I. Your continuance in the position of a merely

nominal Christian, is a great sin against God, the righteous governor of the world. He points you to Jesus, saying, "Behold, I have given him for a witness to the people, a leader and commander to the people," Isa. lv. 4. He requires you to submit yourself to Him in Christ, acknowledging your past sinfulness, feeling your absolute dependence upon his sovereign mercy, and pledging yourself to holy obedience. He distinctly assures you that he cannot forgive your sins, and look with favour upon you, except you thus comply with his will. With equal certainty does he encourage you to expect every spiritual and eternal good, as the result of your obedience; not, indeed, in the way of merit, but "according to the riches of his grace." His wondrous love in the gift of his Son to be your Saviour, is the great argument which he employs with you to induce your acquiescence in the terms of his mercy. At the same time, he commands your obedience, as your first duty. The gospel is to you the law of God. "The law of liberty," it is true; but still a law, sanctioned by his supreme authority, and threatening all disobedience with a sorer punishment" than that which guilt, incurred under less favourable circumstances, will receive. disobedience to the gospel, imply ingratitude for the favour of God, as well as contempt of his authority, it is not on this account the less guilty. The greater the privilege, the kinder the spirit, and the richer the grace of the cominand, so much the more reasonable is the obedience required. A creature in rebellion against his Maker, is under any circumstances a most affecting and disgraceful sight. But what is the guilt,

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when a sinful creature, blessed by the mercy of God with such opportunities of pardon and salvation as you enjoy, not only perpetuates his former rebellion, but ungratefully and wilfully enters upon and pursues a new course of disobedience? If the transaction was between a human governor, and the culprit who lay condemned to die, what would be thought of it? Yet no case of guilt can be supposed, between one man and another, which can at all be compared with this. As no authority is so supreme as that of God, nor any benevolence so vast, so no disobedience is so aggravated and guilty as disobedience to him. "A son honoureth his father, and a servant his master; if then I be a father, where is mine honour? and if I be a master, where is my fear? saith the LORD of hosts, unto you that despise my name," Mal. i. 6.

There is another leading view of the sin of unbelief, as committed against God, which demands equal attention. "He that believeth not God, hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son," 1 John v. 10. You cannot offer a greater affront to a man than to treat him as a liar, even though he should not be pre-eminently distinguished for his regard to truth. How deeply you would be wounded, if you had made a promise to distribute large favours to all who needed them, on the simple condition that they should come and ask them, and all should disbelieve you! How much more grievous would this be, if the parties so invited were already chargeable with some heinous crime which left their lives entirely at your mercy, and the favour offered to them was nothing less than a free pardon, and this through the mediation of

your own Son! What then shall be said of the guilt of "making GoD a liar?" "He is the rock; his work is perfect; and all his ways are judgment; a God of truth, and without iniquity, just and right is he," Deut. xxxii. 4. Your life is in his power. "The record concerning his Son," is a record of infinite grace. Its aspect upon your welfare, is most disinterested and benevolent. The obedience of faith is as beneficial to yourself, as it is glorious to God. Perfect excellence and boundless love demand corresponding gratitude and esteem. But unbelief is a practical denial of both the one and the other. No insult can be compared with it. Why should it be daily chargeable upon you? Why should the continual repetition of the sin augment perpetually your load of guilt? "It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God," Heb. x. 31. No longer, I pray you, turn away from him that speaketh unto you from heaven," Heb. xii. "For even our God is a consuming fire," Heb. xii. 30.

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II. Continuance in unbelief is a great sin against the Lord Jesus Christ, the only Saviour of mankind. The apostle speaks of it as a treading under foot the Son of God, and counting the blood of the covenant wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing," Heb. x. 29. It is nothing less than a complete setting aside of "Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant;" and this under such circumstances as pour the greatest contempt upon his personal glory and his official claims. You may not deny, or even doubt concerning, his divine nature, and his gracious work. You perhaps receive the scriptural testimony con