the falsehood and abfurdity of all the divine declarations by his fervant. "What! might they not fay :-Is not God's mercy and goodness infinite? Do not all his works proclaim it? Are not his goodness and benevolence as evident as his existence? But where is his goodness or his mercy, upon the doctrine of this romantic fellow, this upstart preacher? Is not this ftrange divinity grossly unreasonable? Such things cannot come from God that are plainly contradictory to his known and effential perfections." Noah, of confequence, must have been deemed an old fanatic; mad with new notions, and zealous to propagate the infection, and make others as mad as himfelf; or an artful knave, who endeavoured to dupe mankind to his private purposes, under the pretence of a divine commiffion.

With these principles, with this perverfion of reason, it was plainly impoffible, that divine threatnings could have their proper effect upon them, or that any means which were judged proper by infinite wisdom should prevail. Hence they quickly fell facrifices to the falfehood of their ftrong and plaufible reasonings. Vain were all attempts to undeceive their minds, and discover the uncertainty of their elaborate arguments. But the event convinced them by an awful experiment of what their reafon could never reconcile with the perfections of God, or admit as worthy of their attention and credit. Their arguments drawn from the nature and perfections of God, mightily comforted their hardened hearts, and fupported their blind minds, until the day in which the fountains of the great deep were broken up, and then their refuge of lies was swept away, and the conviction of the truth of Divine revelation was forced in upon their minds, with all the horrors of defpair. Thus many, even at this day, pretendedly argue from the Divine perfections

perfections against Divine revelation; and like thefe unhappy antediluvians, will receive conviction when it is too late, from the deluge of Jehovah's wrath, which they would not believe.

III. We obferve, that the vengeance of heaven, executed by a general flood, was to them extremely sudden and furprifing. They had, for a long courfe of years, the loudeft calls to repentance, and the moft exprefs warnings of universal ruin in case of disobedience. Noah, it is probable, was a preacher of righteousness an hundred years, and endeavoured to ftem the current of general wickedness, by the application of Divine threatnings, and exhortations to repentance. In this view,

therefore, their deftruction was not at all fudden nor unexpected. But they did not believe the truths of God; the Divine threatnings were to them as idle dreams.They ate, they drank, they married, and were giving in marriage, until the day Noah entered into the Ark, and the flood came and deftroyed them all.-They were fure in themselves no fuch event would happen ;-they were fure God was merciful, and in this confidence they blefsed themselves, and bid defiance to fuch fhocking and barbarous declarations. They could not, in any shape, believe them, until the fatal event administered demonstration, with confusion to their senses ;-until they found themselves overwhelmed, and ftrangling in the flood, and the fame vengeance pursuing them down to hell. How awful was the fecurity and confidence in which they were surprised! While all were chearful, gay, easy, and happy, facrificing to pleasure, indulging their natural, and as they imagined, innocent defires, looking for no fuch thing; they lift up their eyes, and behold the awful torrent from afar, rolling irrefiftibly along! O dreadful confternation &

confternation! fhocking change! In a moment, from inirth, mufic, tranquillity and joy, to horror, amazement, and despair! Hear how they fhriek and howl! but God laughs at their calamity! See how they run hither and thither, mingling without diftinction; in distraction, looking for places of refuge and fecurity! See fome afcending to the tops of houses and aspiring domes! Vain expedient! for the impetuous furge overturns their strong places, and confounds their hopes! See millions fleeing to the lofty mountains, before the increafing flood! But Oh! how fruitless is their attempt! Thousands fink in the vale.-Thousands are overtaken upon the brows of the steep hills, and dashed to pieces by the lashing waves among the craggy rocks.-The refidue are swept from the deceitful fummit, down the long precipice, to deeper ruin! Hark, how they cry for mercy! But alas, it is now too late! These cries might have fucceeded, had they been made in time; but then they judged them unneceffary, and that it was too foon, as many, even at this day, put off feeking God, and crying for mercy until they are furprised in death.

IV. We obferve, that the circumftances and ftate of mankind at thofe feafons in which Jefus Chrift will come to punish and judge them, will greatly resemble those at the time of the flood-They will be times of great fecurity, of eminent inconfideration and careleffness, with refpect to the matters of religion and eternity: Seafons in which both wife and foolish virgins will be fleeping; in which prophanenefs and wickednefs will prevail; the love of pleasure, and the love of the world will be remarkably great and general.

1. This is often the cafe when Jefus Chrift comes to remove particular finners by death.-It frequently hap

pens,

pens, that carelefs and impenitent finners, who have had many warnings of their danger, and made light of them, are taken away when they least expected such an event. Innumerable are the inftances of this fort. How often are men checked in the career of their madness, folly and fecurity, with that awful language, Thou fool! this night fball thy foul be required of thee. Oh! my brethren, a state of security is a dangerous ftate! When finners cry Peace, peace, then fudden destruction cometh; when they imagine themselves most distant from death, judgment, and eternity, then thofe events are nearest. How tremendous is it to be arrested by the grim meffenger in the midst of scenes of pleasure or worldly projects, and not one day more allowed to prepare for another state!

2. This is the cafe when Jefus Chrift comes to punish and destroy guilty and impenitent nations and churches. -Nothing is more certain than that in all past ages, feafons of Divine judgments on communities, either civil or facred, have ever been seasons of great fecurity, and reigning impiety.-The truth of this obfervation is evident with respect to the Jewish nation, in all the public judgments God poured out upon them.-And the conduct of providence towards this nation ought particularly to be observed; for it is defigned as a specimen of the ordinary methods in which God will deal with communities that he has diftinguished with the honourable relation to himself, as his church and people. It is evident God never vifited them with any public remarkable calamity, but fome remarkable public defection is mentioned as the immediate reafon and ground of it. They indeed often difowned the imputation; they denied their guilt; were infenfible of any fuch remarkable degeneracy, for which they should be so severely vifited; they refused to accept thofe judgments as the punishment of

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their

their fins, and had the common disease of an unhumbled heart to exculpate themselves.-But from them we learn, that public judgments on a profeffing people are always the ordinary effect and defigned punishment of public declenfions from their duty, and regard to the covenant and oaths of God they are under. And their not seeing themselves in this light, nor being affected with them, is no argument at all that this is not the case.

3. This will be the cafe when Jesus Christ shall be revealed from heaven to hold the general judgment.— Awful fecurity and awful wickedness will then prevail; for fcarcely will faith be found upon the earth.

There is a day, a dreadful day, fixed by Divine decree, when Jefus Chrift fhall be revealed from heaven, with his mighty angels in flaming fire, to take vengeance on them that know not God, and obey not the gospel ;to call all nations, tongues and languages; all the kindreds of the earth, and every individual that ever existed to his bar; to lay open the fecrets of every heart;to disclose the hidden springs of action, and determine the real characters of men, and fix their eternal destiny! One would imagine, that the certainty of an event of fuch high confequence, and everlasting importance, would have an irresistible effect; that it would interest and penetrate every heart, and determine all univerfally to the moft ftudious and inceffant attention to those things, whereby they might be prepared to ftand in the awful day! And yet we are affured, notwithstanding, that it will be a time of great and general fecurity. Jefus Chrift's coming will be as a thief in the night, when men are in a profound fleep, altogether inapprehensive of danger. As in the days that were before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and knew not until the

flood