and assurances of a seat among the blessed, and an inheritance it heaven, are of no avail to overcome their unhappy disposition. Their exposedness to hell, and the greatest possible misery, will not move them to relinquish their iniquities, and become recon-, ciled to God.

Let all the loveliness of the divine perfections be exhibited to their view in the most perfect light, and in the brightest colours, it cannot charm their hearts. Let their baseness and ingratitude be set before them in the strongest force of deformity, it will not prevail with them to cease to do evil. Let God threaten or promise, let pious parents entreat, godly friends persuade, ministers pray and preach, all will not succeed.

Mercies and favors will not vanquish their hearts; judgments and afflictions will not subdue them. Let the favors be ever so great, or the furnace of affliction ever so tormenting, they are not to be altered, Bray them in mortars, they will not depart from iniquity.

All signs, wonders, and miracles have proved ineffectual. The providence of God to Israel, was a series of miracles for a multitude of years. What wonders did God perform to bring them out of Egypt, conduct them through the red sea, feed them in a dreary wilderness from heaven, give them drink from the flinty rock, was a pillar of light in their camp by night, and a cooling umbrage over them by day, did all these miracles excite them to love God, or induce them to depart from wickedness? Yea, these daily and continued wonders could not keep their wickedness suppressed, or prevent its outbreaking into the grossest acts of rebellion.

How many miracles and good works of grace and mercy did Jesus perform, in the days he sojourned on earth, but did those for whom he wrought them, turn from their wickedness? Did not the people of all denominations and fanks rise against him

and treat him for his goodness with the most implacable outrage, till they imbrued their hands in his innocent blood?

Let men perform ever so many duties, and attend ever so constantly upon ordinances, all will not remove their wickedness. Witness the Scribes and Pharisees, and the whole body of the Jewish nation in our Saviour's days, whose prayers were long and many, and their sacrifices without number, and yet iniquity was never at an higher pitch.

Farther, no common operations of the spirit of God on the minds of men will conquer this wickedness, or bring them to a right temper. If men have ever so much light with respect to their duty let into their minds, have ever such great terrors; deep humiliations, and legal convictions; let their hope and encouragement be wrought ever so high, that God will shew them mercy, all this will not overcome or eradicate their wickedness; it will not produce any holy goodness in their hearts. Thus we see the heart is so deceitful and desperately wicked, it is not to be subdued, or healed by any common or usual means.

Fourthly, This wickedness is of a deadly nature. Thus Junius and Tremellius translate the words, "Fraudulentum coripsum "supra omnia, et mortiferum est." This translation, though feeble in comparison of the Hebrew, manifests the heart to be full of fraud, and a deadly wicked thing. It implicates not only death and destruction, but total ruin to universal existence; the extinction of itself, of men, angels, and God. An ancient saying was, "Home homini demon ;" man is a devil to man; to which might be added, he is destruction to himself. This corresponds with the apostolic description of men, "They are hateful and hating one another." That men do not immediately rend one another to pieces, is not owing to any goodness in them, but to the wonderful, influential, and restraining providence which God has fixed in this world, for the promotion of the kingdom of his grace. Wicked men are here, as though in chains, their hearts

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cannot be acted out to the life. Uncover the cope of hell, where no restraining grace is, and behold that world all in tumultuous foam, and rage, and their utmost fury cannot bring on the destruction, much less the annihilation that they wish. This confinement to the indiscribable scourges of vengeance, will be their tormenting abodes forever. O my brethren, let us beware of going to hell.

However much one man may have in his heart a bitter enmity to another, yet their wickedness is against none so deadly as God bimself. The wicked hate all beings, but they hate God above all. They hate his sovereignty, dominion, and government with a perfect hatred. They would unsettle and demolish the throne of God, were it in their power.. They would reduce him lower than the Philistines did Sampson; they would not only shave off the locks of his almightiness, put out the eyes of his omniscience, and make him grind in a prison house for the subserviency of their lasts, but their deadly wickedness would be the death of the high and lofty one of Israel; they would extinguish the existence of God. Natural men are doing all they can in this way, blasphe ming God, reproaching his character, traducing his name, trampling upon his laws, and depreciating and contemning his authority, committing every act of rebellion against him they can devise, thus doing all in their power for the demolition of Godhead; crying out in the language of the Psalmist, "O that there was "no God." If the bent of their hearts could be gratified, there should be none. His existence should be demolished, "For the "poison of asps," that is, instant destruction, "is under their "lips."

If the Supreme Jehovah were to put himself in the power of men, and allow them to act out their souls, and shew forth their whole enmity against him, would not this be a fair trial of our argument, to see whether men had it in their heart to kill and destroy God? If the experiment were made, and men proceeded to

the dreadful length, that they murdered God in reality, could there then remain any hesitation about the truth of our doewine.

The experiment has been made, and a fair trial taken of man on this very point. God was manifested in the flesh, assumed a mortal body, and put himself in the power of man; delivered. himself into their hands, took off restraining grace, and permitted them to treat him according to the disposition of their hearts. One view in this, was to show to all intelligences, how man stood affected to the divine existence; whether they had deadly wickedness in their heart toward God or not; and whether they were disposed to treat the divine Being with kindness, respect, and honor. You all know the event. Was there any lenity or merey showed to the God-man, Christ Jesus? The more they knew of him as God, the more they were imbittered against him? Was he dealt with upon the common footing of justice and equity? The reverse of every thing rational took place. "This is the "heir," the Son of God, yea God himself, "come let us kilk him." Hear how the crouding multitudes unite in the malicious ery, "Away with this fellow from the earth; he is not fit to live; crucify him, crucify him." This was the result of the experiment of divine condescention. There is no disputing against fact. Thus our doctrine is not only proved by reason, scripture and observation, but it is demonstrated by a clear and open experiment. Thus we see the heart of man is full of the most dead. ly and incurable wickedness. So that what the Prophet affirms, remains an unshaken truth, "That the heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked."

A few deductions must close this subject.

First, It is clearly deducible, in what respects natural men are equally distant from the kingdom of heaven, and in what respects, sone are nearer to it than others. All unregenerate sinners are qually far from it, as far as it consists in gracious or holy habits

and exercises of heart. Yet as far as the kingdom of God can be understood to consist in right speculative notions of the doctrines of religion, legal convictions and just apprehensions of the divine government one unconverted sinner may be much nearer to it than another. Thus our Saviour says to the Scribe, who appeared to have a good speculative understanding of divine things, and some concern about them, "Thou art not far from the king"dom of God." He was in this sense nearer to the kingdom of salvation than others. Although he was as destitute of real holiness as any other sinner, and must be as much beholden to unmerited mercy; yet his knowledge, attention, anxiety, and convictions, cast him more into that way, if I may so speak, in which God displays his sovereign grace.

Secondly, It is deducible from this doctrine, that natural men, by all their strivings, endeavours, and duties, will never of themselves work up their hearts to true goodness or holiness. Were there any thing spiritually good in the human heart, any right foundation or holy principle, then, by endeavors and common gracious assistance, it might be encreased and improved to something of high moment. But this is not the case. And if ever there shall be any saving good in them, it must be produced by the immediate and almighty power of God. Hence the Apostolic doctrine will forever be held by the saints, "It is not of "him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that "sheweth mercy."

Thirdly, We here learn, what end endeavors and legal convic tions serve, and what end they do not serve. They do not serve to give them any holy meetness for heaven. "For that which is "born of the flesh is flesh." It is carnal, and under every modifi cation, unfit for heaven. All the exercises, strivings, convic tions and concern of unregenerated sinners are carnal and unholy. Notwithstanding these things, the awakenings and distress of sinners serve various ends of great importance. Such as to show them how bad they are; how desperately ruined and undone their