ing, that they shall not enter into his rest. For the son of perdition, it had been good that he had nev er been born. These expressions preclude all hope of an eternal happiness to succeed a temporary punishment in the future world. Were this to be the case, unbelievers would finally enter into rest; and it would, on the whole, be good for them, that they were born.

You will say, "An eternal punishment is vastly disproportioned to temporary crimes."-But, How do you know, that crimes are temporary? The act indeed is transient; but the effect may be perpetual. Can you tell, how many you have corrupted by your wickedness?-How long the corruption will continue?-To what number of generations it will reach ?-How many will carry with them into the other world, the corruptions infused into them by your example in this world?-If we are to judge of the duration of the punishment by that of the wickedness, we can set no bounds to it. The short continuance of the action can be no standard for the punishment. It is not so in human judgments: Why should it be so in the divine? We never think a criminal the more excusable, because he accomplished his viliany with dispatch; nor will this circumstance be an excuse at the bar of God.

Some would persuade themselves, that an endless punishment is not consistent with the goodness and mercy of God. But the same argument might as well prove, that there will be no punishment at all; and if no punishment, then certainly no misery-no unhappiness among any of his creatures. And yet misery, we see, there is in this world. The goodness of God does not prevent all misery; and therefore, merely from his goodness, we cannot conclude that, in another world, bounds will be set to the misery of the incorrigible, or that any

abatement will be made from the due reward of their deeds.

If you suppose it is inconsistent with the character of God to make sinners forever miserable, let me ask you, Whether it is inconsistent with his character to make rational creatures-endue them with moral agency-place them in a state of probation-allow them only one probation-and fix a period for this? If these things can be reconciled to the divine character, you may suppose, that a final abuse of the limited trial will be followed with unlimited punishment. If no other probation is granted, the punishment which follows is endless.

Besides; Is it inconsistent with God's goodness, to establish a connexion between wickedness and misery? This will not be pretended; for a connexion we see there is. If vice, without a mixture of virtue, universally prevailed in this world, Would human life be tolerable? Only suppose, then, that wicked men carry with them into another world the vicious dispositions contracted in this, and you see, they will of course be miserable there. And if they are immortal, their misery will be endless. The question then is simply this, Whether the justice and goodness of God require him to annihilate sinners, in order to put a period to that misery; which grows out of the inveterate wickedness of their hearts?

At the close of this probationary state, we are told, he who is unjust, will be unjust still; and he who is filthy, will be filthy still. If, under all the means of goodness and correction-under all the motives of hope and fear-under the allurement of promises, and terrour of threatenings, he remains perverse, and dies in his sins, What room is there to imagine, that in a state, where these means are to be enjoyed no more, he will acquire a new temper, or feel the love of God springing up spontane⚫

ously within him? And if his sin remains, his misery must continue.

This is then the situation, in which we are placed. Made for immortality, endued with reason and moral agency, and fully instructed in our duty, we stand accountable to the great Creator. Happiness and misery are set before us-the terms of happiness are stated, with every motive to urge our compliance-the path which tends to misery is strongly marked, with every warning to avoid it-all necessary helps are offered us in the pursuit of glory -and awful guards are placed against our entrance on the path of destruction; or, when we have madly entered, the most importunate calls pursueus to remand us back. What would we more? Our choice must decide our fate. If we choose the way of death, we destroy ourselves, and our mouths will be stopped. To us, with peculiar force, may be applied the words of Moses to the people of Israel, "I call heaven and earth to record against you this day, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life."

V. Our text plainly instructs us, that the saints in heaven will glorify God for the eternal punishment of the wicked. They said, Allelujah; and her smoke rose up for ever and ever.

This voice of jubilation springs not from joy in the misery of the wicked, absolutely considered; but from a view of the rectitude of the divine government displayed in their punishment, and a view of the important ends which it will promote. There is no malevolence in heaven; none of the upbraidings of malice, the insults of pride, or triumphs of revenge; but there is a perfect approbation of the ways of God, and joy in the glorious consequences which follow from his righteous judgments. Particularly,

1. The blest above glorify the holiness, truth and justice of God, manifested in the punishment of irreclaimable sinners. They say-Praise God, for true and righteous are his judgments.

The day of God's wrath on the children of disobedience, is called a day of the revelation of his righteous judgment. Saints and angels adore his justice in the destruction of the ungodly, as well as admire his mercy in the salvation of believers. They see it to be a righteous thing with him to recompense tribulation to the former, and rest and peace to the latter. He will then be glorified in his saints, and admired in all them who believe. The saints will judge the world-approve the judgment of God against a guilty world. They will say, "Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints. Who shall not fear thee, and glorify thy name? for thou art holy."

2. The punishment of the wicked gives the saints occasion to admire God's grace in their own salvation. They sing-Salvation and glory to God; for true and righteous are his judgments. They ascribe their salvation to God; not to themselves. They take not the glory into their own hands, but render it to him. When they behold sinners in the regions of misery, and see the smoke of their torment arising, they offer the incense of praise to the Saviour, who has redeemed them by his blood out of every people and nation, and has made them kings and priests unto God. Their salvation appears more glorious, when they behold it in contrast with the misery of the guilty; as, on the other hand, the misery of the latter is augmented, in seeing the righteous afar off in the kingdom of God, and themselves thrust out.

3. They glorify God for the great and important ends, which are answered by the punishment of the wicked.

We are not to conceive that the merciful God punishes sinners from a delight in their misery. He has declared the contrary.-I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that he turn from his way and live. Punishment in the hands of God is always just, and always designed for a reasonable end. The judgments, which he executes on sinners in this world, are not merely because their sins deserve them, but because the wise and benevolent purposes of his government require them. And we may rationally suppose, that there will always be, in the divine government, some great ends to be promoted in this way. We are not to imagine, that when our globe shall be dispeopled, God's moral government will be finished. There are other worlds, and, for aught we know, other probationary beings. We know not how wide the intelligence of the dreadful doom of guilty men may spread through the creation of God, nor how far it may be made a warning to other moral beings. The apostacy and punishment of the angels who kept not their first state are communicated to us, and applied for our warning; and perhaps, in distant periods of duration, the apostacy of the human race, and the punishment of those who refused the salvation offered them, may be communicated to other beings, and applied for their warning. We know not how far the general happiness may be advanced by the exemplary punishment of the impenitent part of our race. There can be no doubt,

that the uses and ends of their awful doom are better known in heaven, than they can be known on earth. Saints and angels certainly see reason to glorify God for his righteous judgments on the guil ty. The glorious way of salvation, and the tremendous consequences of neglecting it, are enough for us to know at present. So much we are taught. Let us be wise and improve the instruction.