i. 28. _They that forsake the Lord shall be consumed._
+I. The guilt of forsaking the service of the Lord.+ 1. Man is bound
by the law of his nature to obey that Almighty Being by whom he was
made an intelligent and immortal creature. Every discovery which
reason opens to him of the transcendent perfections of the Lord of
the universe urges the duty of offering the homage of his heart and
life. Every day's preservation increases his obligation to serve his
gracious Preserver. 2. Many in forsaking the Lord violate their own
express and solemn engagements (Heb. x. 29). +II. The folly of
forsaking, &c.+ If we do so, we shall 1. incur the reproaches of our
own mind; 2. forfeit the esteem and confidence of all good men;
3. forfeit the favour and incur the wrath of God. And for what are
all those tremendous sacrifices made? For "the pleasures of sin,"
which are but "for a season"! +III. The danger of forsaking,+
&c.--"shall be consumed." The threatened doom is 1. awful,
2. certain.--_J. H. Hobart, D.D., Posthumous Works,_ ii. 220-229.