sidered and rewarded. On the other hand,
every neglect of duty and every deviation from it will come into the
account and make deduction from the weight of glory reserved for them.

And among the enemies of God, some will be found greater sinners than
others--to have sinned longer--against greater lights, and to have
been guilty of more and greater crimes. To such will be reserved the
greater weight of woe. In order to these discriminations their whole
probation will be considered. And in those on whom sentence of
condemnation will pass, the righteous judge will take due notice of
every pause which they shall have made in the ways of sin--of every
instance in which they may have denied themselves, out of regard to
the divine authority, though it may have been out of fear of God's
judgments, and of every act of kindness done by them, to a fellow
creature. Every thing of this nature, will be considered, and make
some deduction from the punishment which would otherwise have been
inflicted on them. The judge will pass nothing of this kind unnoticed,
condemning the sinner to the same degree of suffering, as though it
had not been found upon him. A cup of cold water given to a disciple
of Christ, will not lose its reward. *

* Matthew x. 42.

"Herod feared John, knowing that he was a just man and an holy, and
observed him; and when he heard him he did many things, and heard him
gladly." Herod's punishment will not be, in every respect, the same,
as though he had paid no attention to John's teaching. He will not be
punished for refusing to hear John, when he did hear him or for
refusing to do, what he did do, in compliance with his counsel: Though
he will be condemned as, eventually the murderer of that holy man. His
partial obedience might be extorted by fear; but this is preferable to
disobedience; otherwise fear would not be urged as a motive to
obedience. "Fear him who is able to destroy soul and body in hell."
If preferable to disobedience, a difference will be made between those
who obey from no higher principle, and those who disobey.

Here God certainly makes a difference between them. When Rehoboam
humbled himself in the time of his affliction, "the wrath of the Lord
turned from him that he would not destroy him: And also in Judah
things went well." But his repentance was not unto life. The character
given him at his death is that of a wicked man.

When Ahab, affrighted by the preaching of Elijah, as he was goin