God." Divine truth is armed with a power, to which falsehood can lay no claim. It is "sharper than any twoedged sword"-piercing the hardest heart. Under St. Peter's preaching on the day of Pentecost, his hearers

were pricked in their hearts, and said, Men and brethren, what shall we do?" Acts 2. 37. No such effects were ever witnessed, under the doctrine of eternal annihilation. It is, therefore, a mere anodyne-an intoxicating cup-a draught of poison; it produces death!

4. It is not consistent with the demerit of sin, that its subjects should ever be annihilated. It is committed against God; and as He is a Being of boundless majesty and moral excellency, it must be, in its very nature, an infinite evil. There must, therefore, be some proportion between the crime and the punishment. Surely, the difference between annihilation and endless misery, may be called infinite. It is the very nature of sin to pour contempt on the character of God; and, therefore, the magnitude of its evil must exceed the power of description! If our concern for the Divine Honor were as strong as our prejudices against pain, our vociferation against eternal misery would be completely silenced. The sinner's desert of punishment is just as great as God is glorious, and no more. Just as much, therefore, as we lessen the idea of future punishment, we impair the value of His glory, who created and rules the universe! He saith, "It is an evil and bitter thing to sin against Him," and not to have His fear in our hearts. If it is a proper thing that God should display his own worth in punishing sinners, it is right that He should inflict that degree of it, which is, in an important sense, infinite. No finite being can suffer a punishment which can, in any sense, be called infinite, but by suffering through an unlimited duration. Annihilation would be an instantaneous operation; and in un

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dergoing it, there would be no consciousness of any misery. It would be placing us, in one moment, in that non-entity from which we came. It could hardly be said, in such a case, that sinners were punished; it would be merely losing the reward of righteousness. In this view of the case, the threatenings contained in the Holy Scriptures, evaporate in the air. But, we have no right to entertain such an opinion of that, which God saith, My soul hateth ;" and of which, an Apostle says, "It is exceedingly sinful." Eternity, however, will bear witness to the evil and ruinous nature of sin. But,

5. The annihilation of sinners is contrary to the positive declarations of JEHOVAH, in His inspired word. Though the reasons which have been offered against annihilation, have great weight, we do not rely on them as being absolutely conclusive. They make the eternal existence and misery of sinners, however, highly probable. As collateral testimony, they are of sufficient weight to be exhibited. But positive divine assertions need very little corroboration; and to such incontestible evidence we will now resort. Instead of annihilating sinners, Christ informs us, that He will say to them at the judgment seat, "Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels." Matth. 25. 41. It is added, in the 46th verse, "And these shall go away into everlasting punishment." If there were nothing more in the Scriptures, on this subject, these two passages are sufficient to settle it forever. There has been much said to evade the true meaning of the word EVERLASTING; but notwithstanding all their cavils, every scholar must say that it is a powerful-an unlimited expression. learned and the unlearned irresistibly feel its force. But we must proceed to further Scriptural testimony on

The

this momentous subject. It is said by the Apostle Jude,

that Sodom and Gomorrah, for their heinous sins against God, "are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire." That wicked generation, therefore, had not been annihilated; but were actually enduring misery in the days of this Apostle; and had then endured it, for upwards of two thousand years. He does not say that they had suffered, in the past tense; but that they were then suffering, in the present tense. This passage stands in direct oppssition, both to the doctrine of materialism and annihilation. The man who appeared at the marriage feast without a wedding garment, "the King said to his servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth." Matth. 22. 13. This phraseology, in relation to the treatment of sinners after death, is used by Christ four times in the Gospel of Matthew, and once in the Gospel of Luke. "Weeping and gnashing of teeth," are strong expressions of great pain; and is, therefore, inconsistent with the cessation of existence. It is said by Jesus Christ, "If thy hand offend thee, cut it off it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched; where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched." Mark 9. 43, 44. unequivocal and awful language, is three times repeated in the above-mentioned chapter. The sinner is "the worm," which is said never to die; and the fire in which he is placed, we see is never to be extinguished. This sacred statement is utterly inconsistent with the doctrine of annihilation.

This

The case of the rich glutton, also shows that future misery commences immediately after death; and the passages that have been just quoted, prove that it is to be eternal. Concerning the unhappy rich man, our Lord

saith, that "he died, and was buried; and in hell he lifted up his eyes, being in torments." Luke 16. 22-24. In relation to the point in view, St. John says, "If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead or in his hand, the same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone, in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb; and the smoke of their torment ascendeth up forever and ever; and they have no rest day nor night." Rev. 14. The same writer says, "The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night, for ever and ever." Rev. 20.

These divine passages clearly show, that neither wicked men nor devils are to be annihilated; but they shall have to exist in misery to eternity. This kind of testimony might be greatly enlarged; but it is altogether unneces-. sary; for what has been said, is ample and conclusive. There is no such thing as rising up against the evidence which has been advanced, but by an absolute refusal to submit to the decision of the Scriptures. But, I hope, my hearers, that you are not yet prepared to take such a fatal stand. If I know my heart, the object in these discourses has been, to preserve you from placing yourselves in such an awful situation.

The improvement of this subject must be reserved for the next occasion. Take heed, therefore, how ye hear and prepare to meet your God. AMEN..

SERMON XXIII.

MALACHI IV. 1.

Behold, the day cometh that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble; and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.

In the foregoing sermon, the annihilation of the wicked, with some of the arguments by which its advocates endeavor to support that theory, have been exhibited. But in opposition to it, such evidence has been adduced, as ought to be deemed sufficient. We may, therefore, consider the everlasting existence, and consequent misery of the finally impenitent, as a doctrine fully established. All that remains to be done, is the

IMPROVEMENT.

1. If sinners are not to be annihilated, but eternally punished, we must conclude that their case is highly alarming. It is impossible for them to flee from God, either in this, or in a future world. As He will not anni~ hilate them, and no others can, they will have to be eternally miserable. If they could, no doubt they would give ten thousand worlds to escape from their existence. They will learn, by a painful experience, that "it is a fearful