Vermont telegraph. [volume] (Brandon [Vt.]) 1828-1843, 1840-09-02

'eA'o e'lhce' as concluSlvely as Ian
9uage can evince, that the sinner is to,aIlv
aEefse to the will and moral government
OIL 1od' and therefore lives all his tine in
the neglect of the improvement OF his NOR
al nature. His whole time, then. ia a
moral and religious sense, is thrown
away; nay, far worse, for every moment
renders him more guilty. and his final
oamnation more probable and aggravat-
iGg.
Secondly The consequences of neglect
Ing our moral powers are infinitely more
Dreadful than any other neglect of which
we can be guilty. do not mean by this
that we possess the ability, by our own eff
forts to save our souls. | know, and am
grateful Tor the fact. that our sufficiency
'Sot G2d-tha, Christ is our wisdom,riqht-
eousness, Specification and redemption.
But while cheertulIy concede all this,
and much more, | as strenuously contend
that our own agency is concerned in the
salvation of our souls, and that unless it
be put forth agreeabIy TO the will of God,
we shall assuredly 60 to hell. Every
christian believes the former to be depend
ant on the sovereign pleasure of God, and
believes his own agency is so connected
with the divine sovereignty, that unless
he soa0s neither shall he reap. So in re-
gard to salvation. 1t is expressly said ::
Be not deceived, God is not Knocked, for
whatsoever q man soaceth that shall he
! also reap. For he that soyeM TO his flesh
shall Of the flesh reap corruption but he
thu soweth to The Spirit shall Of the Spirit
reap <:/s enerlostiug.' Now if there be
any meaning whatever in such Scriptures,
they clearly and most unequivocalIy teach
hat mans agency is indispensable to his
salvation. [, is true we are saved bv
grace; and it as true that there is sense
IN which mans immortal destiny hangs
suspended on his own volition; and if we
cannot comprehend how both can be true.
1t becomes Us to receive both by faith, as
matters OF clear and express revelation
We may think that there is TOO much sus-
pended on the agency of the sinner. [
reply 1t IS not for Us to say whether there
Is too much or 100 little. but only to en-
qnlre, what saith the Lord, on the sub
Ject2 We often, in this world, see the
most tremendous consequences to individ-
uaIs' to whole nations and continents, sus-
pended, under God, on the agency of a
single mnn. AS was the fate of Euro,e
on Bonaparte, and of these United States
on the agency of Washington.
enquire, who should feel for The sin
ner, if he should not feel for hmself2-
Who shall repent for him, if he will not
! repent for himself? Who shall exercise
faith in Christ for him, if not himself?-
But the Bible settles the point, when it
says, except We repent We shall always
likewise perish So, my hearers, if YOU
60 to ruin, you will be responsible for
your destruction. 1t will be because you
would not come to Christ that YOU might
have life
Thirdly. All the time we have spent
in the service of sin is lost, or worse than
thrown away.
f 1t IS probable that numbers of the youth
VINO hear me have lived fifteen or twenty
years In rebellion against God. If Won
have sinned against him twenty years,
you have wasted 1900 days, or l75,2oo
hours, in treasuring up wrath against the
Cay Of wrath, and the revelation of the
righteous Judgment of God. Ny young
friends will you think of this?
Oilers present it may be have lived in
sin forty years, OF l4,600 days, or three
h0"d'ed and fifty thousand four hundred
hours What fearful account to render
= at the bar of God! During this long
period, not single sabbath has beer I'M
proved as God requires it should be-
lrasmuch as he not only commands US
TO abstain from our secular employments
aud spend our time in holy conversation,
bot IN addition to this he requires that we
ourselves should worship him in spirit
and in truth. Which we can never do,
till we are born again, or, in other words.
: TIL we have manifested repentance tow
9 arlo Cat e