JANUARY 31.
On the judgments of God upon mortal sin.
CONSIDER, first, that, besides the sad effects of mortal sin already mentioned, there still remain other convincing arguments of the hatred God bears it, from the manifold judgments he has of old executed, daily does execute upon the guilty, and will continue to execute, even to eternity. "Witness the universal deluge, which, in punishment of the general corruption, swept off at once all the sinners of the earth, and consigned them to eternal torments. Witness the judgment of fire from heaven upon Sodom and the neighboring cities. Witness the many judgments which overtook the rebellious Israelites in the wilderness; particularly that remarkable one of the earth opening and swallowing up Kore and his companions; and the fire from the Lord destroying, in an instant, fourteen thousand seven hundred of their abettors, (Num. xvi. ) Witness, in every age of the world, millions overtaken when they least expected it, by violent or untimely death, in punishment of their crying sins; besides many instances of flourishing states and whole nations destroyed by war, pestilence, famine, earthquakes, &c., all brought upon them by their sins. great God! who shall not dread thy almighty wrath? "Who shall not fear the dreadful evil of mortal sin?
Consider, secondly, that though these visible judgments of God upon impenitent sinners, snatched away before their time by unprovided death, be both very common and very terrible; yet there is another kind of more secret judgments, which he daily exercises upon thousands, far more terrible, since they bring upon them a far more dreadful damnation. This is, when in punishment of their obstinacy in sin, he at length
gives them up to a reprobate sense, and to a blindness and hardness of heart, so as to have no longer any fear or thought of God or his judgments, or any concern at all for their salvation. Thus they daily add sin upon sin, without ever thinking of repentance; which proves at long run a far more dreadful judgment, than if upon their first sin hell had opened and swallowed them down alive.
Consider, thirdly, the judgments of God upon mortal sin in the eternal duration of the torments of hell. sinners! go down in thought into that bottomless pit, and take a serious view of the rigor of divine justice; of that fire which never is extinguished; of that everlasting rage and despair: then tell me what you think of mortal sin, when HE who is infinitely good and infinitely just, and cannot punish any one more severely than he deserves, condemns every soul that dies under such guilt, to all this extremity of misery, for eternity? But if any thing be still wanting to a full conviction, turn your eyes upon Jesus Christ, the Son of God: see how he was treated by the justice of his Father, for our sins, which he took upon himself to expiate. Nothing less than the last drop of his precious blood could wash away this dreadful stain of mortal sin. How hateful then must it be in the eyes of the Almighty!
Conclude to give thanks to God for sparing you so long in your sins; and resolve to labor, in earnest, to avert his divine wrath so long provoked against you.