quite the reverse,—­a captive, loaded with irons, standing before his judge.  Yet he made Felix tremble.  Felix trembled!  Whence proceeded this fear, and this confusion?  Nothing is more worthy of your inquiry.  Here we must stop for a moment:  follow us while we trace this fear to its source.  We shall consider the character of Felix under different views; as a heathen, imperfectly acquainted with a future judgment, and the life to come; as a prince, or governor, accustomed to see every one humble at his feet; as an avaricious magistrate, loaded with extortions and crimes; in short, as a voluptuous man, who has never restricted the gratification of his senses.  These are so many reasons of Felix’s fears.

First, we shall consider Felix as a heathen, imperfectly acquainted with a future judgment and the life to come:  I say, imperfectly acquainted, and not as wholly ignorant, the heathens having the “work of the law written in their hearts” (Rom. ii., 15).  The force of habit had corrupted nature, but had not effaced its laws.  They acknowledged a judgment to come, but their notions were confused concerning its nature.

Such were the principles of Felix, or rather such were the imperfections of his principles, when he heard this discourse of St. Paul.  You may infer his fears from his character.  Figure to yourselves a man hearing for the first time the maxims of equity and righteousness inculcated in the gospel.  Figure to yourselves a man who heard corrected the immorality of pagan theology; what was doubtful, illustrated; and what was right, enforced.  See a man who knew of no other God but the incestuous Jupiter, the lascivious Venus, taught that he must appear before Him, in whose presence the seraphim veil their faces, and the heavens are not clean.  Behold a man, whose notions were confused concerning the state of souls after death, apprized that God shall judge the world in righteousness.  See a man who saw described the smoke, the fire, the chains of darkness, the outer darkness, the lake of fire and brimstone; and who saw them delineated by one animated by the Spirit of God.  What consternation must have been excited by these terrific truths!

This we are incapable adequately of comprehending.  We must surmount the insensibility acquired by custom.  It is but too true that our hearts—­instead of being imprest by these truths, in proportion to their discussion—­become more obdurate.  We hear them without alarm, having so frequently heard them before.  But if, like Felix, we had been brought up in the darkness of paganism, and if another Paul had come and opened our eyes, and unveiled those sacred terrors, how exceedingly should we have feared!  This was the case with Felix.  He perceived the bandage which conceals the sight of futurity drop in a moment.  He heard St. Paul, that herald of grace and ambassador to the Gentiles, he heard him reason on temperance and a judgment to come.  His soul was amazed; his heart trembled; his knees smote one against another.