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A 
 
 SERMON, 
 
 DELIVERED TO 
 
 DOCTOR SPRING'S SOCIETY, 
 
 IN 
 
 NEWBURYPORT, 
 
 THANKSGIVING EVENING, 
 
 NOV. 30, 1809. 
 
 BY REV. ETHAN SMITH, 
 Pastor of the first Church in Hopkinton, N. H. 
 
 " SHALL NOT THE JUDGE OF ALL THE EARTH DO RIGHT ?\ 
 
 ABRAHAM. 
 
 NEWBURYPORT : 
 FROM THE PRESS OF E. W. ALLEN. 
 
 1809. 
 
A SERMON, &c. 
 
 :©:< 
 
 PSALM CXIX. 137- 
 
 RIGHTEOUS ART THOU, O LORD, AND UPRIGHT ARE THY 
 JUDGMENTS. 
 
 1 HE generality of people acknowledge 
 that God is righteous ; while but few cordially em- 
 brace his character. By God's being righteous, 
 we are to understand, that his character and works 
 are perfect. 
 
 I shall not attempt to prove that God is right- 
 eous, as though it were a matter of doubt ; or as 
 though we ought not to place entire confidence in 
 the information afforded us in the text. This 
 would be impertinence and impiety. But, it may 
 be profitable for us to connect and dwell on the 
 evidences of the divine righteousness and the con- 
 sequences. — Let it then be noted, 
 
 1. It is infinitely proper and desirable that God 
 should be righteous. 
 
 There must be an eternal, immutable fitness in 
 things. Otherwise it would be in vain to talk of 
 righteousness or unrighteousness in God. AncJ 
 
4 
 && 
 according to this immutable fitness of things, the 
 idea of God's being unrighteous is infinitely ab- 
 horrent and dreadful. As God demands righteous- 
 ness in man, he himself must be righteous. If he, 
 who ruleth over men, must be just ; surely He, 
 who ruleth over all, must be just. How must 
 a deficiency in this attribute, disqualify the Most 
 High for ruling in the armies of heaven and a- 
 mong the inhabitants of the earth ? 
 
 2. God asserts that he is righteous. 
 
 " I the Lord love righteousness, and hate in- 
 iquity." a God is upright, and there is no unright- 
 eousness in him." " Far be it from God, that he 
 should do wickedness, and from the Almighty, 
 that he should commit iniquity." Vastly numer- 
 ous are the instances in which God asserts ex- 
 piessly or implicitly that he is righteous. And 
 although unrighteous men may be most liberal in 
 their professions of righteousness, yet this argu- 
 ment has infinite weight to evince the divine right- 
 eousness, when it is viewed in the light of the other 
 evidences upon this point. 
 
 3. God has made man capable of correctly judging 
 upon this point. 
 
 Millions God has formed with exalted powers of 
 mind,and indued with a keen moral sense of right 
 and wrong. And though none can by searching 
 find out God, or comprehend his plan ; and though 
 the height of his ways is further above the compre- 
 
5 
 && 
 hension of creatures, than the farthest star is be-? 
 yond our reach ; yet so much creatures are made 
 capable of discerning, and so much light is afford- 
 ed them on the subject, that they are capable of 
 discerning the confutation of every charge against 
 the righteousness of God, and of beholding the de- 
 monstrations of the divine rectitude. 
 
 4. God appeals to creatures to judge of his right- 
 eousness. 
 
 " And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem, and 
 men of Judah, judge, I pray you, between me and 
 my vineyard. What could have been done more to 
 my vineyard ; that I have not done in it ?" " O 
 my people, what have I done unto thee ? Where- 
 in have I wearied thee ? Testify against me." 
 " Thus saith the Lord, What iniquity have your 
 fathers found in me, that they are gone far from 
 me, and have walked after vanity and are become 
 vain ?" " Yet ye say, The way of the Lord is 
 not equal. Hear now, O house of Israel, is not 
 my way equal ! Are not your ways unequal ?" 
 " Put me in remembrance ; let us plead together ; 
 declare thou, that thou mayest be justified." 
 u Come now let us reason together, saith the 
 Lord." " For thus saith the Lord, who created 
 the heavens and the earth, I have not spoken in 
 secret, in the dark places of the earth." Or, I 
 have done nothing under disguise, or by intrigue ; 
 nothing that will not bear the light. " Thus saith 
 the Lord, Where is the bill of your mother's di- 
 vorcement, whom I have put away ? or to which 
 
6 
 
 of my creditors is it, to whom I have sold you ! 
 Behold for your iniquities you have sold your- 
 selves." — " Make you a new heart and a new 
 spirit ; for why will ye die, O house of Israel." 
 Many such appeals and expostulations do we find 
 in the word of God, in which God condescends to 
 reason with man concerning his righteousness. 
 But this God womld never have done had man 
 been unable to discern the perfection of the divine 
 righteousness. Our blessed Redeemer appealed 
 to his accusers, " I spake openly to the world ; I 
 ever taught in the Temple where the Jews always 
 resort ; and in secret have I said nothing. Ask 
 them, who heard me, what I have said unto them." 
 " The works that I do in my Father's name, they 
 bear witness of me." "Though ye believe not me, 
 believe the works that ye may know and believe 
 that the Father hath sent me." Such appeals the 
 Most High would not have made to rational crea- 
 tures had the) been able to discern any iniquity 
 in him. 
 
 5. The more creatures have studied the things and 
 ways of God, the more they have discovered of his 
 perfect righteousness. 
 
 In this I confidently appeal to all the pious and 
 wise. The most eminent saints have been ev- 
 idences of the truth of this point. Abraham had 
 adopted it as a most evident case. " Shall not the 
 judge of all the earth do right ?" King David, 
 while he notes that the judgements of God are a 
 great deep yet in the same breath, declares, "Thy 
 
7 
 
 righteousness is like the great mountains." And 
 abundantly, through his inspired writings, he de- 
 clares the same sentiment. Our text is but one 
 among many of this kind. Solomon was a man 
 of great penetration. And how full is his testi- 
 mony forGod that "All the words of his mouth are 
 in righteousness ; there is nothing froward or per- 
 verse in them." Paul, while he spake much of 
 the sovereignty and deep judgements of God, yet 
 testifies to the divine righteousness. " Is there 
 unrighteousness with God ? God forbid." God 
 forbid that any should entertain such a thought. 
 And this great Apostle triumphed in " the riches 
 both of the wisdom and knowledge of God," even 
 where his judgments were unsearchable and his 
 ways past finding out : much satisfactory evidence 
 he discovered, even concerning the deepest judg- 
 ments of heaven. The ambassadors of Christ 
 form a cloud of witnesses to this blessed truth, 
 that God is righteous. Men of the most distinguish- 
 ed abilities, goodness and improvements in divini- 
 ty, have unitedly testified that when in times past 
 they doubted of the divine righteousness, it was 
 wholly owing to their wicked hearts, and to the 
 want of due attention to the subject. And that 
 their conviction of God's righteousness has become 
 more & more perfect,the more they have judiciously 
 investigated the subject. Listen to the more perfect 
 evidence exhibited by the heavenly hosts. Those 
 bright and exalted intelligences excel in wisdom, 
 in deep mental powers, in the best means of infor- 
 mation, and in perfect rectitude. And what is the 
 result of their investigation ? This ! " They rest 
 
8 
 
 not' day nor night, saying Holy, holy, holy, Lord 
 God Almighty." " Just and true are thy ways 
 thou Kins: of Saints." 
 
 o 
 
 6. God is perfectly happy ; and therefore he must 
 be perfect in righteousness. 
 
 The perfect happiness of God none I trust will 
 duspute. This truth is evinced in every senti- 
 ment both of revealed and of natural religion. 
 But could God be perfectly happy if he were 
 conscious of injustice ? We must judge it impos- 
 sible in the nature of things. A clear view of the 
 hateful nature of injustice, with a consciousness of 
 being a subject of it, must occasion in the divine 
 mind the very reverse of happiness. This will be be- 
 lieved by every person, who has felt any thing of 
 that bliss, which is connected with holiness, and 
 of that wretchedness connected with a clear view 
 of the nature of sin, and with a consciousness of 
 beings defiled with it. Every such person knows 
 that fear of future punishment is far from being 
 the only source of unhappiness and that a sense of 
 the defilement of sin is a most distressing source 
 of infelicity. Graceless persons may fail of feel- 
 ing the full force of this argument. But sure I am 
 that gracious hearts will feel it. " A wounded 
 Spirit who can bear ?" The whole of the wound 
 here does not arise from a slavish fear of future 
 torments ; but the keenest part of it to the benev- 
 olent heart is from a sense of the immutable hate- 
 fulness of sin ; and of being defiled with it. And 
 this the Most High must feel to an infinite degree 
 if he were conscious of injustice. God is possess- 
 
9 
 
 ed of infinite abilities to do good. He must see 
 with infinite clearness all the good which he 
 could produce, and the infinite desirableness of it. 
 And if any part of the good, which God could 
 produce, be not produced ; it must occasion feel- 
 ings in the divine mind the very reverse of hap- 
 piness. God from eternity knew how to secure 
 the happiness of his own infinite mind, in a con- 
 sciousness of having done the best in all things 
 which could be done. He could have had no mo- 
 tive to do otherwise than to secure this happi- 
 ness. He certainly then must have secured it : 
 And therefore we may be assured he is a God of 
 perfect righteousness. 
 
 7. God lias appointed a day, to give all rational 
 creatures a viezv of his righteousness. 
 
 This is called The day of the revelation of the 
 righteous judgment of God, who will render to 
 every man according to his deeds. The day in 
 which the righteousness of the judgments, the gov- 
 ernment, character and works of God will be re- 
 vealed, and clearly unfolded to all. God has in- 
 formed, and thus pledged his veracity, that such an 
 event shall take place ; and that it will issue in his 
 glory, in the salvation of his friends and the shame 
 and confusion of all his enemies. Creatures will 
 then have full opportunity to judge, each one for 
 himself, of the righteousness of God. The saints 
 shall judge the world. Every mind and conscience 
 will there be awake,and in a perfect state to judge 
 correctly. " The books will be opened." All possi- 
 B 
 
.10 
 <&& 
 ble information will then be afforded. And eve- 
 ry one will see and know that there is no want of 
 information, no darkness,no intrigue, no deception. 
 All this is abundantly predicted in the sacred or- 
 acles, together with the result of the whole. God 
 is omniscient and infallibly knows how things on 
 that day w r ill appear. And he never would have 
 engaged to bring things to such an issue, and 
 foretold what the result would be, had he not 
 known the truth of his predictions, and that the 
 glory of his perfections will then appear with ineffa- 
 ble lustre. That day and its events are predict- 
 ed to inspire the confidence of God's people and to 
 calm and animate every doubting soul. And this 
 thought viewed in its proper light, suggests incon- 
 testable evidence of the righteousness of God. 
 
 8. In the scheme of salvation by Christ, the per- 
 fect righteousness of God is gloriously exhib- 
 ited. 
 
 Here it appears that the Most High could not 
 consistently with justice pardon sin without an 
 infinite atonement. God in his infinite benignity 
 was determined to pardon rebels and to prepare 
 heirs of heaven from beings, who deserved etern- 
 al death. And as this could not be done on prin- 
 ciples which were correct and consistent with 
 good government without infinite expense in the 
 condescension, labours, sufferings and death of his 
 Son on earth, this method was adopted. The word 
 was made flesh and dwelt among men, to declare 
 the divine righteousness, that God might be just, and 
 the justifer of him who believeth in Jesus. God 
 
11 
 
 was manifest in the flesh, that his righteousness 
 might be declared while he pardoned and saved 
 the guilty. Had God been unrighteous, or not 
 infinitely correct in the best principles of govern- 
 ment, he might have set himself superior to the 
 necessity of making an atonement. He might 
 have pardoned whom he pleased, and punished 
 whom he pleased ; and never have sent his Son 
 from his bosom. A lawless unjust tyrant could 
 easily leap over such obstacles as stood in the way 
 of such a process. But a righteous governor can- 
 not. That God may consistently pardon, The 
 Lamb of God must bleed upon the altar of justice 
 to take away the sin of the world. He must taste 
 death for every man in order that a general ten- 
 der of salvation might be made. He must be 
 made sin for us, who knew no sin, that we might 
 be made the righteousness of God in him ; or in 
 order that men in being saved might be monu- 
 ments of God's righteousness as well as of his 
 grace. Herein is the righteousness of God reveal- 
 ed from faith to faith. This wonderful scheme is 
 accordingly called " The law of righteousness." — 
 The scheme which gloriously exhibits the right- 
 eousness of God, And hence it is one of the cap- 
 ital operations of the spirit of grace to convince of 
 righteousness as well as of sin and of judgement, 
 — (John, 16. 8.) To manifest the righeousness of 
 God, of his law, government and grace, as it 
 shines in the face of Jesus Christ in the plan of 
 salvation. This plan will be a glorious medium 
 to reflect the perfect righteousness of God world 
 without end. 
 
12 
 
 The way is now prepared to attend to some de^ 
 ductions from the truth thus exhibited. 
 
 1. If God is righteous, then the great plan which 
 he has adopted, and is fulfilling, is the best possible. 
 
 That God has adopted a plan, which comprises 
 every creature and event from the highest to the 
 lowest, and from eternity to eternity ; and that he 
 is fulfilling this plan by all his creatures, and by 
 all his works and theirs, and by every event, not 
 excepting the falling of the sparrow, and the num- 
 ber of our hairs, is a truth most manifest in the 
 sacred pages. And it is evinced even in the light 
 of nature. The denial of it not only contradicts 
 the Bible, but implicitly denies the being of God. 
 For it denies things essential to his being. And 
 my deduction is, that this divine plan must be the 
 best possible. Omniscience surely discerned the 
 best eternally, and with infinite precision. Om- 
 nipotence could with infinite ease, effect the best 
 plan. An imperfect plan could not be effected 
 with greater ease than the best. For to Omnip- 
 otence all possible things are equally easy. And 
 it must be infinitely desirable that the best plan, 
 and this only, should have been adopted. But 
 perfect righteousness in God must have induced 
 him to do what was on the whole infinitely desira- 
 ble. Certainly then the best plan was adopted. 
 And no alteration in it could have been made for 
 the better. God's work is perfect. Nothing can 
 be added to it ; and nothing taken from it. It is 
 not capable of amendment. 
 
13 
 
 2. If Go J is righteous, then the treatment, which 
 all creatures receive from God, is just such as the 
 greatest good requires and is perfectly right. 
 
 This must hold true of God's treatment of the 
 heavenly hosts and of the damned ; of his treat- 
 ment of his church on earth and of all people. It 
 must have been true of God's treatment of the old 
 world ; of Sodom ; of the Egyptians ; of the 
 Canaanites ; and of all the enemies of the church, 
 from first to last. Infinite benevolence to the 
 proper object of benevolence effected it all. " God 
 is love." And upon the destruction of his ene- 
 mies, as well as upon the salvation of his friends, 
 it is abundantly announced, " For his mercy en- 
 dure th forever." (Psalm 1361) Hence one pillar 
 of universal salvation falls. We have no evidence 
 that infinite goodness in God does militate against 
 the eternal destruction of many of the human race. 
 We see in fact that the b^st possible plan does in- 
 volve all the evils which exist in the universe. 
 And as all these evils are consistent with the best 
 plan, so the endless continuance of evil may, for 
 ought we know, be involved in the best possible 
 plan. The greatest good may require that there 
 shall be monuments of justice, and vessels of wrath, 
 to continue in the same state of torment and dis- 
 pair in an endless existence. And the affirma- 
 tive of this the word of God teaches in the most 
 ample and incontestable manner. 
 
 3. If God is righteous, then all J lis works xvill for- 
 ever praise him. 
 
14 
 
 */?<& 
 Every part of God's plan of operations will re- 
 flect his glory. For it will appear in eternity that 
 every part of the divine system was conceived in 
 infinite wisdom and goodness. And while devils 
 and all the finally impenitent will sink and glori- 
 fy the divine justice, all the benevolent will adore 
 God for every part of his works, and will admire 
 his depths of wisdom opened and opening in every 
 part of his system. Nothing will appear to have 
 been ordered or done in vain, nor without a good 
 and sufficient object. The manifold wisdom of 
 God will shine in these deep things, which in this 
 world appear the most difficult and unaccounta- 
 ble. The mysterious connexions of God's works 
 will unfold his glory, and fill his heavenly wor- 
 shippers with wonder and delight, as their mental 
 powers enlarge, and as they are enabled to explore 
 the deeper things of the divine counsels. And 
 there it will appear, that those who here denied 
 the decrees of God, or would exempt any thing 
 from being fixed in his eternal counsels, implicitly 
 aimed a fatal stroke at the glory and even at the 
 existence of God. 
 
 4. If God is perfectly righteous, then all his de- 
 mands of men are perfectly rig Id eons. 
 
 God makes demands of men. He demands 
 supreme and entire love to himself. He demands 
 perfect obedience. And if God is righteous his 
 law is righteous, and its sanctions righteous. 
 God demands of fallen men a new heart. "Make 
 you a new heart and a new spirit ; why will ye 
 die ?" He demands repentance, faith, self-denial, 
 
IS 
 
 a single eye to his glory, holiness of heart and 
 life. " Now he commandeth all men every where 
 to repent." 
 
 " Believe oh the Lord Jesus Christ." Every 
 christian grace is demanded. And all this imme- 
 diately. " To day after so long a time." " Be- 
 hold now is the accepted time ; behold now is the 
 day of salvation." God commands men to cease 
 immediately to be what they ought not to be ; and 
 to be what they ought — holy and obedient. These 
 things God demands with all his infinite authori- 
 ty. And denounces eternal death as justly due 
 upon every refusal of obedience ; and as what 
 shall inevitably be inflicted upon all, who die in 
 this refusal. God knows the powers of the hu- 
 man soul. He made and sustains them ; and 
 knows how to address himself properly to them. 
 God knows the nature of man's total dependence 
 on him. He knows what are the suitable terms of 
 salvation ; or what it is proper to demand of man. 
 And if he exceed what is perfectly proper, or de- 
 mand any thing unreasonable, he is unjust. For 
 unrighteous demands constitute an unrighteous 
 character. But God is righteous. Therefore his 
 demands of men are reasonable. But 
 
 5. IPe learn the duty of immediate obedience, and 
 of unconditional submission to God ; and that all 
 want of these is utterly inexcusable. 
 
 Immediate love, repentance, faith, submission, 
 obedience and universal holiness are God's due, 
 and man's duty. And man can have no excuse 
 
16 
 
 \&& 
 
 in the neglect of any of these christian graces; 
 Every excuse, which man can form, rests on 
 ground, of which he would be ashamed if applied 
 to his treatment of fellow men. The continual 
 decisions of common sense relative to man's treat- 
 ment of each other condemn the pleas which sin- 
 ners form to excuse their disobedience to God. 
 And every penitent feeling of the christian does 
 the same. And no wonder. For if man had one 
 just excuse for not being and doing what God de- 
 mands, then God is unrighteous in his demands. 
 But God is righteous. Therefore his demands 
 are righteous. And all opposition to them is ut- 
 terly inexcusable. Accordingly our Lord informs 
 gospel sinners, that " Now they have no cloak for 
 their sin." And all the excuses of sinners are 
 represented as false hiding places and refuges of 
 lies. The dependence of criminals on God, the 
 government of God in their crimes, and their want 
 of a heart to avoid those crimes, these things are 
 never mentioned in civil courts, or in the .verdicts 
 of men by way of excuse for criminal conduct in 
 society. And they will never afford an excuse 
 for the sinner at the bar of God or of conscience, 
 
 If God is righteous, all want of unconditional 
 submission to him is unreasonable. We make 
 conditions with men because we are afraid to trust 
 them till we have them bound. We distrust their 
 hearts, or abilities, or both. But when the Being, 
 with whom we have to do, is infinitely knowing, 
 infinitely able, and infinitely well disposed, what 
 is wanting to excite entire confidence ? We need 
 make no conditions with such a Being ; but cast 
 
17 
 
 && 
 ourselves at his feet ; refer all things for eternity 
 and for time to his decision. Every thing short 
 of this is perverseness. 
 
 And what reason can be given why any creature 
 should find fault, or be displeased with any de- 
 cision, any doctrine, purpose, or work of the infi- 
 nitely righeous God ? For all is the best possible ! 
 Why should a murmur arise against infinite good- 
 ness ? Every murmuring word or thought against 
 any thing in God's word, works, or providences, is 
 "wickedness, and an impious union thus far with 
 the powers of darkness. " Woe to him that 
 strives with his Maker." 
 
 6. We learn from our subject the utter depravity 
 of the human heart. 
 
 Do we find men obedient and submissive to 
 God ? Do they love God with all their heart ? Do 
 they universally exercise repentance toward God, 
 and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ ? Do they ex- 
 ercise self-denial, and maintain a single eye to the 
 glory of God? 
 
 Do men naturally love and embrace the doc- 
 trines of salvation ? Do they rejoice that the Lord 
 God Omnipotent reigneth ? Alas, how far other- 
 wise ! What is the conduct, what the history of 
 man ? to say nothing of the heathenism, idolatries, 
 gross delusions, bloody wars and scenes of confu- 
 sion which have filled the world ; what cavils have 
 appeared on every side against the doctrines of 
 C 
 
id 
 
 ^^ 
 grace ? What treatment has Jesus Christ received 
 in his person and in his membeis ? Listen to the 
 effusions of the wickedness of the human heart, 
 " We will not have this man to reign over us." — 
 " Who is the Lord, that I should obey his voice ?" 
 " This is a hard saying, who can hear it." " Why- 
 doth lie yet find fault ; for who hath resisted his 
 will ?" Those doctrines, I cannot endure, and do not 
 believe. Thus sinners converse, and thus they live. 
 And this is but a hint of their wretched perverse- 
 ness. Thus do worms of the dust treat the eter- 
 nal God, the God of righteousness ! Who then can 
 doubt of their total moral depravity ? Men declare 
 this their sin as Sodom and hide it not. And to 
 deny it under this profusion of evidence is but to 
 exhibit dreadful evidence of its existence* 
 
 We might therefore expect to read concerning 
 man, " For the time will come when they will not 
 endure sound doctrine ; but after their own lusts 
 shall they keep to themselves teachers ; having 
 itching ears ; and they shall tmrn away their ears 
 from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables." 
 " For the carnal mind is enmity against God ; for 
 it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed 
 can be." Verily then, " Except a man be born a- 
 gain, he cannot see the kingdom of God." Un- 
 less the heart be renewed in this life by the power 
 of almighty grace it is impossible for fallen men 
 to see God in peace, or to relish the sources of 
 heavenly bliss. 
 
 7. Is God a being of perfect righteousness ? And 
 are things as we have heard ? Then how great 
 must be the divine abhorrence of sin ! 
 
19 
 
 &•& 
 Although sin will, contrary to its nature,be made 
 to bring a tribute of praise to God, and for this 
 purpose its existence was involved in the divine 
 plan, yet no thanks are due to the sinner. And 
 no palliation is hence afforded for his crimes. 
 For, " Howbeit he meaneth not so ; neither does his 
 heart think so." (Isaih 10. 7.) Neither the decrees 
 nor the good which God will produce from the ex- 
 istence of sin afford the least mitigation of the crim- 
 inality of the sinner. All the abomination of sin 
 lies at the door of the transgressor. He wilfully 
 violates sacred obligations. His conduct is abom- 
 inable in the sight of the holy God. God says, 
 M Do not this abominable thing, which I hate." He 
 is of purer eyes than to behold sin with the least 
 approbation. " God is angry with the wicked every 
 day." " And will by no means clear the guilty." 
 
 8. Is God perfectly righteous ? And are things as 
 we have heard ? Then we learn why God will not; 
 hear the prayers of the impenitent. 
 
 That he will not is expressly ascertained in his 
 word. And the reason is, because he loves righ- 
 teousness, and hates iniquity. And as he clearly 
 sees the determinate wickedness of the impenitent 
 heart, he must abhor it. A perverse master may 
 be induced by bribery or some base motive to 
 hear the wicked plea of a stubborn, rebellious ser- 
 vant. But a good master will not be thus induc- 
 ed. When the impenitent are led to utter good 
 words before God in the form of prayer God 
 looks into the heart, and sees they mean not so ; 
 hut. thpv.flatter him with their mouth, and lie unto 
 
20 
 
 him with their tongue, while the heart is far from 
 him, and proudly refuses submission. And they 
 are rejected on the same principle, on which good 
 people reject the mockery of known triflers. But 
 while the sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination 
 to the Lord ; and while if we regard iniquity in 
 our hearts the Lord will not hear us ; " The 
 prayer of the upright is his delight." And every en- 
 couragement to immediate and persevering prayer 
 is afforded. " Seek ye the Lord then while he 
 may be found ; call upon him while he is near. — 
 Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrigh- 
 teous man his thoughts ; and let him return unto 
 the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him ; and 
 to our God, for he will abundantly pardon." Let 
 us then lift up our hearts with our hands to God 
 in Heaven. 
 
 9. Is God such a Being as we have heard ? Then 
 how critical and dangerous is the state of his ene- 
 mies ! They have ungratefully and wickedly tak- 
 en their stand in opposition to the God of perfect 
 rtghteousness, and terrible Majesty. And God's 
 righteousness binds him to note their conduct and 
 to deal with them. It renders him inflexible in 
 justice, and terrible in his government to his ene- 
 mies. Infinite goodness will render the Most High 
 eternally deaf to the cries and miseries of sinners 
 in perdition ; and will bind him to punish them 
 forever. Oh, what an edge will this give to their 
 torments ! To see that they are the effect of infi- 
 nite goodness, of infinite benevolence to the proper 
 object of benevolence, so that the glory of God 
 will shine j and all Heaven will rejoice and sing 
 
21 
 
 Hallelujah,whilethe smoke of their torment ascend- 
 eth up forever and ever ! Oh sinners, you must ■ 
 turn or burn ! You must with gracious hearts in 
 this life submit to God and become united to 
 Christ and to the divine glory ; ■ or you must eter- 
 nally sink under the vials of infinite justice, and 
 not have a friend in the universe to pity you. If 
 you venture on in your sins, you are undone. — 
 You may say, O/z, God is good ! Yes ! And his 
 goodness will plunge you in remediless ruin ! — 
 There is no salvation but upon God's terms.-^- 
 These terms are precisely stated. — " Repentance 
 toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ." 
 Your pride and self-righteousness must be re- 
 nounced. You must fall into the dust before the 
 sovereign God ; or there is no escape. You must 
 in self-denial take your seat with God's people, 
 and come into the order of his kingdom ; or be for- 
 ever excludedfrom his blessings. "Without holiness 
 no man shall see the Lord." You may say These 
 are not your sentiments. No ! And it is unhappy 
 for you they are not ! They will be your sentiments. 
 Your present unbelief will not make the truth of 
 God of no effect. The unbelief of the old world, 
 of Sodom, and of sinners now in hell did not make 
 the truth of God of no effect. The antediluvians 
 were warned of the impending deluge ; they heard 
 God's preacher of righteousness ; they saw the 
 fabric of the ark progressing. And probaoly 
 many ridiculed. They did not believe. But how 
 did things terminate. And what are the pres- 
 ent state and reflections of these sinners ? The 
 people of Sodom were warned. But they did not 
 believe. Perhaps they suggested that they were 
 
22 
 
 not of this sentiment ! And every man must think 
 for himself! Lot seemed to his sons in law as one 
 who mocked. But did their unbelief save them ? 
 Has the unbelief of sinners from that day to this 
 had a better effect ? Will your unbelief be less 
 yuinous ? If you regard your soul's eternal inter- 
 est, cease from it ; and fly from the wrath to come. 
 Every thing calls you. The signs of the times 
 are alarming. God's hand is lifted high. " Be- 
 hold now is the accepted time ; behold now is the 
 day of salvation." 
 
 10. 75 God perfectly righteous, as we have seen ? 
 Then all who are reconciled to him are secure. All 
 who are interested in his promises are safe. 
 
 Let the prevalence of infidelity, licentiousness, 
 error, fanaticism and irreligion be ever so great, 
 u The foundation of God standeth sure, having 
 this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his." 
 And he is not unrighteous to forget their works 
 of labour and love. Having engaged he will per- 
 form. He is faithful, who has promised. Though 
 heaven and earth pass away every tittle of his 
 word will be fulfilled. His righteousness renders 
 this infallible. He is then the rock of salvation to 
 all the penitent. " The name of the Lord is a 
 strong tower, the righteous runneth into it and is 
 safe." So that " They who trust in the Lord 
 shall be as Mount Zion, which cannot be remov- 
 ed, but abideth forever. They may now there- 
 fore unite in the triumphs of David ; and of Paul. 
 " God is our refuge and strength, a very present 
 help in trouble. Therefore will we not fear, 
 
23 
 
 *&<& 
 though the earth be removed, and though th<* 
 mountains be carried into the midst of the sea." 
 " Who shall separate us from the love of God ? 
 Shall tribulation, or persecution, or famine, or na- 
 kedness, or peril, or sword ? Nay, in all these 
 
 things we are more than conquerors through him 
 that saved us. For I am persuaded, that neither 
 death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor 
 powers, nor things present, nor things to come, 
 nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature 
 shall be able to separate us from the love of God, 
 which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." These tri- 
 umphs of salvation, so interesting to Zion, are fur- 
 nished from the blessed sentiment, that the Lord 
 is righteous. The best possible plan is in opera- 
 tion. No part of it can fail. All shall be fulfil- 
 led in ihe salvation of Zion ; and in the final over- 
 throw of all her persevering enemies. Rejoice in 
 the Lord then, O ye righteous ; and let your 
 hearts and lives resound his praise. 
 
 THE END. 
 
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