take you to the duties of religion. Call upon the Lord, that you perish not. Lay hold on the righteousness of Christ. He is able and willing to fave you. You ought not to hesitate a moment, when your all is at stake. Receive an offered Saviour, and you shall be happy in foul and body for ever. Neglect him, and you must be eternally wretched. There is falvation in no other; and there is a complete one in him. There is the pardon of fin by his blood, and the death of fin by his Spirit. There is peace of confcience, guidance through life, comfort in trouble, joy more than can be expreffed, with every neceffary grace; and a happiness after death, rifing to the very height of your wishes, and lafting as God himself. Why then fhould you continue in the love and practice of fin? Why in the neglect of known duty? Why should religion be deferred for a fingle day or hour? Have not some of you deferred it so often already, as to convince you that this is the moft grofs delufion? Think not of a time to come. We trust in vain to futurity. Before the fetting fun, your eyes and mine may be closed in the fleep of death. Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of falvation. This day and not the next, this hour and not the next, this moment and not the next. Whatfoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goeft.

To conclude, thofe of you, my brethren, whofe confciences teftify that you are not strangers to these spiritual exercises, strive to grow more and more in conformity to God. This is the best evidence of your fincerity. You have not already attained, neither are already perfect.Learn that your only help is laid on the righteousness

and ftrength of your exalted Redeemer. Live by faith in him. Of his fulness receive, and grace for grace. Be not discouraged under any difficulties; being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you, will perform it until the day of Jefus Chrift: Unto them that look for bim fhall be appear the second time, without fin unto falvation.

SER,

SERMON XII.*

THE CHARACTER AND MISERY OF THE WICKED.

BY

WILLIAM LINN, D. D.

One of the Minifters of the Reformed Dutch Church, New-York.

ISA. lvii. 21.

There is no peace, faith my God, to the wicked.

You

will eafily remember, my brethren, that some time ago, I had the happiness of addreffing you on the profpect of a safe and honourable peace being restored to our diftreffed land.-You were then pleased to hear me with attention; and your patriotifm kindly approved what was fincerely aimed to express our joy, and excite M 3

Our

The two following fermons were written and preached in Penfylvania, foon after the establishment of peace, in the year 1783. Several rea fons have induced the author to retain nearly the original form.

our gratitude to the munificent Donor of all things. It is hoped that we and fucceeding generations, will continue to enjoy temporal peace and profperity.

But while we rejoice in the goodness of the Lord, we ought to remember, that our duration in this world is fhort-that only they can be happy who enjoy the Divine favour-nay, that without this, prefent advantages will make our condemnation at last the more terrible.

Let none, therefore, fay to their fouls, "Take your ease

-the defolation of war is now over-our difficulties are removed and peace and plenty have once more taken up their habitation with us ;"-for the Lord declares, in the words of the text, There is no peace to the wicked. Though the long and bloody conflict is at an end, yet if we have not a proper temper towards God, we are still in the utmost danger; if not in this world, yet in that which is to come; when he will render to every one according to his works, and pour out his wrath on the wicked without any mixture of mercy.

To alarm our fears, and excite us to feek the Lord while he may be found, I fhall, with plainness and freedom, fhew, firft, Who come under the defcription of the wicked; and, fecondly, In what refpects there is no peace to fuch.

I. In general, all they are properly denominated wicked who have never undergone a change of heart. Mankind by nature have no inclination to the fervice of God. They are reprefented in fcripture, as without ftrength and ungodly-as dead in trefpaffes and fins as enemies in their minds by wicked works, and even as enmity itself against God. Hence arifes the neceffity of a great and fupernatural change; which our Saviour compares to a fecond birth; and it is fet forth by other fimilitudes in

the

the writings of the Apostles. It is likened to a resurrection to a new creation-to a tranflation from darkness to light; all which teach us, that before we can be accepted of God, and entitled to his favour, fome extraordinary work must take place upon us. To deny this, we muft reject both reason and revelation; for both conspire in declaring that man is degenerate, and that while he continues in this ftate, he cannot have communion with a Holy God. As foon might we reconcile light and darknefs, or bring the most oppofite extremes together.

Whatever kinds, and whatever degrees of wickedness there are, they all proceed from an innate depravity of mind. Hear the words of Chrift: For from within, out of the heart of man, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetoufnefs, wickedness, deceit, lafciviousness, an evil eye, blafphemy, pride, foolishness; all thefe evil things come from within. Every unrenewed perfon has in his nature the feeds of all evil; and which appear more or less in his life, according as opportunities are afforded to nourish and ftrengthen them. To affift us in judging the better of our own characters, let us attend to the different ways in which this root of bitterness discovers itself.

First, Some are grofsly ignorant of the plain and effential doctrines of the Chriftian religion, amidst the best means to gain an acquaintance with them. Though the fcriptures are in their poffeffion, together with excellent helps by the writings of pious men, and inftructions from the pulpit, yet they are unable to give any fatisfactory account of those truths, on which their eternal falvation depends. This is not occafioned by want of capacity, but by utter neglect of divine things, and argues their fpiritual death. The holy oracles, which contain the words of eternal life, neglected, gather duft; while books M 4

of