God operates indeed on man; but only as on a free moral agent.  Divine influences coincide with human liberty.  Those who are willing and obedient find mercy.  Over such the Savior rejoices, and their faith and love are rewarded with the rewards of grace.  But those who neglect so great salvation, are left to perish in their sins.

That God can confidently do other than leave them to perish, is to us unknown.  It may be impossible to renew them by repentance—­beyond the power of Omnipotence to save them!

The conditions of salvation are fixed:  No change can be made in them.  “The impenitent heart treasureth up wrath.  He that believeth not shall be damned.  If we do not believe, yet God abideth faithful; he cannot deny himself.”  The terms of acceptance with God are laid before us; the event depends on the choice we make.  SUCH we conceive to be man’s situation here:  Such the ground of the applications made to him in the gospel, and the promises and threatening annexed to the proposals therein contained.  On another, supposition do they appear rational.  On no other can we account for our Savior’s declaration that Sodom, had she enjoyed Capernaum’s advantages, would have remained till his day. *

* Matthew xi. 23.

Divine benevolence is great; but it will not secure salvation to gospel despisers:  They “will wonder and perish.”  As the first covenant had conditions annexed to it, so hath the new covenant.  To pretend that there are none—­that man hath no concern to secure the divine favor, is to charge folly on God, in all the overtures which are made to man in the gospel.

Life and death are now set before us.  We may be saved, or we may perish.  Which will be our portion depends on the effect which the proposals of grace have upon us.  Today if ye will hear God’s voice harden not your hearts.  Behold now is the accepted time; behold now is the day of salvation.  Boast not thyself of tomorrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth.  Beware lest you * destroy a soul for which Christ died; and lest you have occasion at last to take up that lamentation—­“The harvest is past, the summer is ended and we are not saved.”

* Romans xiv. 15.

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SERMON XVIII.

Balak’s inquiries relative to the service of God, and Balaam’s answer, briefly considered.

Micah vi. 6, 7, 8.

“Wherewith shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself before the high God?  Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves of a year old?  Will the Lord be pleased with, thousands of rams, or with ten thousands of rivers of oil?  Shall I give my first born for my transgression; the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?—­He hath shewed thee, 0 man, what is good:  And what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?”

As mankind are endowed with reason, and profess to be governed by it, their revolts from God are practical criminations of him:  Therefore his expostulations with his people of old, when they forsook him and followed other gods—­“What iniquity have your fathers found in me?  O my people what have I done unto thee?  And wherein have I wearied thee?  Testify against me.” *