SERMON IV.

THE GRACIOUS PERMISSION.

COLOSSIANS iii. 2.

"Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.”

If it were possible to believe that all of us would be saved, the hope of the future would be a glorious hope. If, without any misgiving or uncertainty, we were assured, that as we have often met together in peace in this house of prayer, so hereafter we should all meet together in peace in the presence of God, joyful indeed would be to us the prospect of eternity. In that case we should have little difficulty in complying with the admonition of the text, and setting our affection on things above. Our prayer would then be the expression of our heart's sincere desire, when we said, "Thy kingdom come:" "Come, Lord Jesus, come quickly."

And why should it not be so? What is there to hinder any one here present from attaining eternal life? There is no insuperable barrier, no

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adverse, inexorable decree, in the way of the

There is mercy for all.

Salvation is possible to

salvation of any of us. Heaven is open to all. all. There is not one here present who may not have an entrance granted him into the Heavenly Jerusalem. Even those who have hitherto been negligent; who have been living without God, who have taken no thought about their souls; who, in short, have lived for little else than to add sin to sin, may still be saved. There is abundant mercy for them, if they will but seek for it in time. Let them but truly repent, and they will be numbered with the saints of God in glory everlasting. Nothing will hinder any of us from being admitted into heaven, but his wilful neglect of the salvation provided for him. God desireth not that any of us should perish. Christ died for the redemption of all. The Holy Ghost is vouchsafed to every one who asks. The angels of God would rejoice at the repentance of any of us. The gates of heaven stand open to invite one and all of us to enter. We may all find mercy; all be accepted; all be sanctified; all be saved.

But it is one thing to say that all may be thus blessed, and another to believe that all will be. We may tell you, without the least departure from truth, that there is no impediment, external

to yourselves, to prevent your being exalted to glory; and yet at the same time, we cannot but fear, that in spite of this, too many will come short of salvation. No one could presume to say, that it is certain any of you will perish, or that it is impossible you may all of you be saved. But how can we help believing, that it is next to certain that some of you will never repent? Your salvation therefore is, so to speak, in your own hands. It will be secured by timely attention, it will be lost through sinful neglect; and thus it rests with yourselves to decide whether your condition in eternity shall be endless happiness or endless misery. If you continue in sin, you cut yourselves off from salvation. You as effectually exclude yourselves from heaven, as if its gates had been closed against you by some fixed, unalterable decree.

And yet you would think it very hard, if any such fixed decree in reality existed. Who could be free from continual heaviness of heart, if he knew for certain, that though others might be saved, yet his salvation was impossible? though his neighbours might hope for forgiveness and peace, yet that there was no such hope for him? Well might the spirit of such an one go mourning all the day long at the dreary prospect before him, bitterly lamenting that ever he had received the gift

of life, and anticipating with trembling apprehension the approach of eternity. But the very thing which, if ordained of God, you would so bitterly deplore, you may through heedlessness and iniquity be bringing upon yourselves. You may be the authors of your own everlasting misery. No one can do you so much injury as you can do yourselves. No one but yourselves can destroy your hopes of happiness. No one but yourselves can withdraw you from the protection of God. If you come short of salvation therefore, you will have yourselves alone to blame. You might have been saved, but through your own carelessness you will have perished. Yes, yours may be the misery of coming short of the glory of heaven, after having heard so much, and so often, of its excellency. Your portion may be, not the rivers of pleasure, and the fulness of joy, which are at the right hand of God, but the darkness and wretchedness to be experienced by all who shall be outcasts from His presence.

And will not that, which I have adverted to as possible to all, actually happen to those whose hearts are engrossed with the world? Will it not be the case of all such as have set their affection on things below, instead of having devoted them to God? Yes; those, who are only almost persuaded to be Christians, will lose that inheritance eternal