StainlessDeal

I have been saying the the time for electronically-controlled small engines is now. When electronic control first hit the trucking industry, I was not a fan. I thought it was needlessly expensive and had no real clue what the advantage could possibly be. The advantages were completely obvious once I operated one of the new trucks. Horsepower went up something like 25-30%, while fuel economy increased by similar percentages. Longevity increased as well, and time between maintenance and even lubes also increased. Trucks got stronger, faster, quieter, and more efficient. They also became more expensive, but were cheaper to operate, and could also tell you when a breakdown was near, as well as shut themselves down in order to lessen the severity of damage when something was breaking down. This added up to the truck retaining more value, longer. Electronic control systems are win-win-win pieces of equipment. The time really is now.

--Their foot shall slide in due time.-- Deuteronomy 32:35 In this verse is threatened the vengeance of God on the wicked unbelieving Israelites, who were God's visible people, and who lived under the means of grace; but who, notwithstanding all God's wonderful works towards them, remained (as vers 28.) void of counsel, having no understanding in them. Under all the cultivations of heaven, they brought forth bitter and poisonous fruit; as in the two verses next preceding the text. -- The expression I have chosen for my text, their foot shall slide in due time, seems to imply the following things, relating to the punishment and destruction to which these wicked Israelites were exposed. That they were always exposed to destruction; as one that stands or walks in slippery places is always exposed to fall. This is implied in the manner of their destruction coming upon them, being represented by their foot sliding. The same is expressed, Psalm 72:18. "Surely thou didst set them in slippery places; thou castedst them down into destruction." It implies, that they were always exposed to sudden unexpected destruction. As he that walks in slippery places is every moment liable to fall, he cannot foresee one moment whether he shall stand or fall the next; and when he does fall, he falls at once without warning: Which is also expressed in Psalm 73:18,19. "Surely thou didst set them in slippery places; thou castedst them down into destruction: How are they brought into desolation as in a moment!" Another thing implied is, that they are liable to fall of themselves, without being thrown down by the hand of another; as he that stands or walks on slippery ground needs nothing but his own weight to throw him down. That the reason why they are not fallen already and do not fall now is only that God's appointed time is not come. For it is said, that when that due time, or appointed time comes, their foot shall slide. Then they shall be left to fall, as they are inclined by their own weight. God will not hold them up in these slippery places any longer, but will let them go; and then, at that very instant, they shall fall into destruction; as he that stands on such slippery declining ground, on the edge of a pit, he cannot stand alone, when he is let go he immediately falls and is lost. The observation from the words that I would now insist upon is this. -- "There is nothing that keeps wicked men at any one moment out of hell, but the mere pleasure of God." -- By the mere pleasure of God, I mean his sovereign pleasure, his arbitrary will, restrained by no obligation, hindered by no manner of difficulty, any more than if nothing else but God's mere will had in the least degree, or in any respect whatsoever, any hand in the preservation of wicked men one moment. -- The truth of this observation may appear by the following considerations. There is no want of power in God to cast wicked men into hell at any moment. Men's hands cannot be strong when God rises up. The strongest have no power to resist him, nor can any deliver out of his hands. -- He is not only able to cast wicked men into hell, but he can most easily do it. Sometimes an earthly prince meets with a great deal of difficulty to subdue a rebel, who has found means to fortify himself, and has made himself strong by the numbers of his followers. But it is not so with God. There is no fortress that is any defence from the power of God. Though hand join in hand, and vast multitudes of God's enemies combine and associate themselves, they are easily broken in pieces. They are as great heaps of light chaff before the whirlwind; or large quantities of dry stubble before devouring flames. We find it easy to tread on and crush a worm that we see crawling on the earth; so it is easy for us to cut or singe a slender thread that any thing hangs by: thus easy is it for God, when he pleases, to cast his enemies down to hell. What are we, that we should think to stand before him, at whose rebuke the earth trembles, and before whom the rocks are thrown down? They deserve to be cast into hell; so that divine justice never stands in the way, it makes no objection against God's using his power at any moment to destroy them. Yea, on the contrary, justice calls aloud for an infinite punishment of their sins. Divine justice says of the tree that brings forth such grapes of Sodom, "Cut it down, why cumbereth it the ground?" Luke 13:7. The sword of divine justice is every moment brandished over their heads, and it is nothing but the hand of arbitrary mercy, and God's mere will, that holds it back. They are already under a sentence of condemnation to hell. They do not only justly deserve to be cast down thither, but the sentence of the law of God, that eternal and immutable rule of righteousness that God has fixed between him and mankind, is gone out against them, and stands against them; so that they are bound over already to hell. John 3:18. "He that believeth not is condemned already." So that every unconverted man properly belongs to hell; that is his place; from thence he is, John 8:23. "Ye are from beneath:" And thither he is bound; it is the place that justice, and God's word, and the sentence of his unchangeable law assign to him. They are now the objects of that very same anger and wrath of God, that is expressed in the torments of hell. And the reason why they do not go down to hell at each moment, is not because God, in whose power they are, is not then very angry with them; as he is with many miserable creatures now tormented in hell, who there feel and bear the fierceness of his wrath. Yea, God is a great deal more angry with great numbers that are now on earth: yea, doubtless, with many that are now in this congregation, who it may be are at ease, than he is with many of those who are now in the flames of hell. So that it is not because God is unmindful of their wickedness, and does not resent it, that he does not let loose his hand and cut them off. God is not altogether such an one as themselves, though they may imagine him to be so. The wrath of God burns against them, their damnation does not slumber; the pit is prepared, the fire is made ready, the furnace is now hot, ready to receive them; the flames do now rage and glow. The glittering sword is whet, and held over them, and the pit hath opened its mouth under them. The devil stands ready to fall upon them, and seize them as his own, at what moment God shall permit him. They belong to him; he has their souls in his possession, and under his dominion. The scripture represents them as his goods, Luke 11:12. The devils watch them; they are ever by them at their right hand; they stand waiting for them, like greedy hungry lions that see their prey, and expect to have it, but are for the present kept back. If God should withdraw his hand, by which they are restrained, they would in one moment fly upon their poor souls. The old serpent is gaping for them; hell opens its mouth wide to receive them; and if God should permit it, they would be hastily swallowed up and lost. There are in the souls of wicked men those hellish principles reigning, that would presently kindle and flame out into hell fire, if it were not for God's restraints. There is laid in the very nature of carnal men, a foundation for the torments of hell. There are those corrupt principles, in reigning power in them, and in full possession of them, that are seeds of hell fire. These principles are active and powerful, exceeding violent in their nature, and if it were not for the restraining hand of God upon them, they would soon break out, they would flame out after the same manner as the same corruptions, the same enmity does in the hearts of damned souls, and would beget the same torments as they do in them. The souls of the wicked are in scripture compared to the troubled sea, Isa. 57:20. For the present, God restrains their wickedness by his mighty power, as he does the raging waves of the troubled sea, saying, "Hitherto shalt thou come, but no further;" but if God should withdraw that restraining power, it would soon carry all before it. Sin is the ruin and misery of the soul; it is destructive in its nature; and if God should leave it without restraint, there would need nothing else to make the soul perfectly miserable. The corruption of the heart of man is immoderate and boundless in its fury; and while wicked men live here, it is like fire pent up by God's restraints, whereas if it were let loose, it would set on fire the course of nature; and as the heart is now a sink of sin, so if sin was not restrained, it would immediately turn the soul into fiery oven, or a furnace of fire and brimstone. It is no security to wicked men for one moment, that there are no visible means of death at hand. It is no security to a natural man, that he is now in health, and that he does not see which way he should now immediately go out of the world by any accident, and that there is no visible danger in any respect in his circumstances. The manifold and continual experience of the world in all ages, shows this is no evidence, that a man is not on the very brink of eternity, and that the next step will not be into another world. The unseen, unthought-of ways and means of persons going suddenly out of the world are innumerable and inconceivable. Unconverted men walk over the pit of hell on a rotten covering, and there are innumerable places in this covering so weak that they will not bear their weight, and these places are not seen. The arrows of death fly unseen at noon-day; the sharpest sight cannot discern them. God has so many different unsearchable ways of taking wicked men out of the world and sending them to hell, that there is nothing to make it appear, that God had need to be at the expense of a miracle, or go out of the ordinary course of his providence, to destroy any wicked man, at any moment. All the means that there are of sinners going out of the world, are so in God's hands, and so universally and absolutely subject to his power and determination, that it does not depend at all the less on the mere will of God, whether sinners shall at any moment go to hell, than if means were never made use of, or at all concerned in the case. Natural men's prudence and care to preserve their own lives, or the care of others to preserve them, do not secure them a moment. To this, divine providence and universal experience do also bear testimony. There is this clear evidence that men's own wisdom is no security to them from death; that if it were otherwise we should see some difference between the wise and politic men of the world, and others, with regard to their liableness to early and unexpected death: but how is it in fact? Eccles. 2:16. "How dieth the wise man? even as the fool." All wicked men's pains and contrivance which they use to escape hell, while they continue to reject Christ, and so remain wicked men, do not secure them from hell one moment. Almost every natural man that hears of hell, flatters himself that he shall escape it; he depends upon himself for his own security; he flatters himself in what he has done, in what he is now doing, or what he intends to do. Every one lays out matters in his own mind how he shall avoid damnation, and flatters himself that he contrives well for himself, and that his schemes will not fail. They hear indeed that there are but few saved, and that the greater part of men that have died heretofore are gone to hell; but each one imagines that he lays out matters better for his own escape than others have done. He does not intend to come to that place of torment; he says within himself, that he intends to take effectual care, and to order matters so for himself as not to fail. But the foolish children of men miserably delude themselves in their own schemes, and in confidence in their own strength and wisdom; they trust to nothing but a shadow. The greater part of those who heretofore have lived under the same means of grace, and are now dead, are undoubtedly gone to hell; and it was not because they were not as wise as those who are now alive: it was not because they did not lay out matters as well for themselves to secure their own escape. If we could speak with them, and inquire of them, one by one, whether they expected, when alive, and when they used to hear about hell, ever to be the subjects of misery: we doubtless, should hear one and another reply, "No, I never intended to come here: I had laid out matters otherwise in my mind; I thought I should contrive well for myself -- I thought my scheme good. I intended to take effectual care; but it came upon me unexpected; I did not look for it at that time, and in that manner; it came as a thief -- Death outwitted me: God's wrath was too quick for me. Oh, my cursed foolishness! I was flattering myself, and pleasing myself with vain dreams of what I would do hereafter; and when I was saying, Peace and safety, then sudden destruction came upon me." God has laid himself under no obligation, by any promise to keep any natural man out of hell one moment. God certainly has made no promises either of eternal life, or of any deliverance or preservation from eternal death, but what are contained in the covenant of grace, the promises that are given in Christ, in whom all the promises are yea and amen. But surely they have no interest in the promises of the covenant of grace who are not the children of the covenant, who do not believe in any of the promises, and have no interest in the Mediator of the covenant. So that, whatever some have imagined and pretended about promises made to natural men's earnest seeking and knocking, it is plain and manifest, that whatever pains a natural man takes in religion, whatever prayers he makes, till he believes in Christ, God is under no manner of obligation to keep him a moment from eternal destruction. So that, thus it is that natural men are held in the hand of God, over the pit of hell; they have deserved the fiery pit, and are already sentenced to it; and God is dreadfully provoked, his anger is as great towards them as to those that are actually suffering the executions of the fierceness of his wrath in hell, and they have done nothing in the least to appease or abate that anger, neither is God in the least bound by any promise to hold them up one moment; the devil is waiting for them, hell is gaping for them, the flames gather and flash about them, and would fain lay hold on them, and swallow them up; the fire pent up in their own hearts is struggling to break out: and they have no interest in any Mediator, there are no means within reach that can be any security to them. In short, they have no refuge, nothing to take hold of; all that preserves them every moment is the mere arbitrary will, and uncovenanted, unobliged forbearance of an incensed God. Application The use of this awful subject may be for awakening unconverted persons in this congregation. This that you have heard is the case of every one of you that are out of Christ. -- That world of misery, that take of burning brimstone, is extended abroad under you. There is the dreadful pit of the glowing flames of the wrath of God; there is hell's wide gaping mouth open; and you have nothing to stand upon, nor any thing to take hold of; there is nothing between you and hell but the air; it is only the power and mere pleasure of God that holds you up. You probably are not sensible of this; you find you are kept out of hell, but do not see the hand of God in it; but look at other things, as the good state of your bodily constitution, your care of your own life, and the means you use for your own preservation. But indeed these things are nothing; if God should withdraw his hand, they would avail no more to keep you from falling, than the thin air to hold up a person that is suspended in it. Your wickedness makes you as it were heavy as lead, and to tend downwards with great weight and pressure towards hell; and if God should let you go, you would immediately sink and swiftly descend and plunge into the bottomless gulf, and your healthy constitution, and your own care and prudence, and best contrivance, and all your righteousness, would have no more influence to uphold you and keep you out of hell, than a spider's web would have to stop a falling rock. Were it not for the sovereign pleasure of God, the earth would not bear you one moment; for you are a burden to it; the creation groans with you; the creature is made subject to the bondage of your corruption, not willingly; the sun does not willingly shine upon you to give you light to serve sin and Satan; the earth does not willingly yield her increase to satisfy your lusts; nor is it willingly a stage for your wickedness to be acted upon; the air does not willingly serve you for breath to maintain the flame of life in your vitals, while you spend your life in the service of God's enemies. God's creatures are good, and were made for men to serve God with, and do not willingly subserve to any other purpose, and groan when they are abused to purposes so directly contrary to their nature and end. And the world would spew you out, were it not for the sovereign hand of him who hath subjected it in hope. There are the black clouds of God's wrath now hanging directly over your heads, full of the dreadful storm, and big with thunder; and were it not for the restraining hand of God, it would immediately burst forth upon you. The sovereign pleasure of God, for the present, stays his rough wind; otherwise it would come with fury, and your destruction would come like a whirlwind, and you would be like the chaff on the summer threshing floor. The wrath of God is like great waters that are dammed for the present; they increase more and more, and rise higher and higher, till an outlet is given; and the longer the stream is stopped, the more rapid and mighty is its course, when once it is let loose. It is true, that judgment against your evil works has not been executed hitherto; the floods of God's vengeance have been withheld; but your guilt in the mean time is constantly increasing, and you are every day treasuring up more wrath; the waters are constantly rising, and waxing more and more mighty; and there is nothing but the mere pleasure of God, that holds the waters back, that are unwilling to be stopped, and press hard to go forward. If God should only withdraw his hand from the flood-gate, it would immediately fly open, and the fiery floods of the fierceness and wrath of God, would rush forth with inconceivable fury, and would come upon you with omnipotent power; and if your strength were ten thousand times greater than it is, yea, ten thousand times greater than the strength of the stoutest, sturdiest devil in hell, it would be nothing to withstand or endure it. The bow of God's wrath is bent, and the arrow made ready on the string, and justice bends the arrow at your heart, and strains the bow, and it is nothing but the mere pleasure of God, and that of an angry God, without any promise or obligation at all, that keeps the arrow one moment from being made drunk with your blood. Thus all you that never passed under a great change of heart, by the mighty power of the Spirit of God upon your souls; all you that were never born again, and made new creatures, and raised from being dead in sin, to a state of new, and before altogether unexperienced light and life, are in the hands of an angry God. However you may have reformed your life in many things, and may have had religious affections, and may keep up a form of religion in your families and closets, and in the house of God, it is nothing but his mere pleasure that keeps you from being this moment swallowed up in everlasting destruction. However unconvinced you may now be of the truth of what you hear, by and by you will be fully convinced of it. Those that are gone from being in the like circumstances with you, see that it was so with them; for destruction came suddenly upon most of them; when they expected nothing of it, and while they were saying, Peace and safety: now they see, that those things on which they depended for peace and safety, were nothing but thin air and empty shadows. The God that holds you over the pit of hell, much as one holds a spider, or some loathsome insect over the fire, abhors you, and is dreadfully provoked: his wrath towards you burns like fire; he looks upon you as worthy of nothing else, but to be cast into the fire; he is of purer eyes than to bear to have you in his sight; you are ten thousand times more abominable in his eyes, than the most hateful venomous serpent is in ours. You have offended him infinitely more than ever a stubborn rebel did his prince; and yet it is nothing but his hand that holds you from falling into the fire every moment. It is to be ascribed to nothing else, that you did not go to hell the last night; that you was suffered to awake again in this world, after you closed your eyes to sleep. And there is no other reason to be given, why you have not dropped into hell since you arose in the morning, but that God's hand has held you up. There is no other reason to be given why you have not gone to hell, since you have sat here in the house of God, provoking his pure eyes by your sinful wicked manner of attending his solemn worship. Yea, there is nothing else that is to be given as a reason why you do not this very moment drop down into hell. O sinner! Consider the fearful danger you are in: it is a great furnace of wrath, a wide and bottomless pit, full of the fire of wrath, that you are held over in the hand of that God, whose wrath is provoked and incensed as much against you, as against many of the damned in hell. You hang by a slender thread, with the flames of divine wrath flashing about it, and ready every moment to singe it, and burn it asunder; and you have no interest in any Mediator, and nothing to lay hold of to save yourself, nothing to keep off the flames of wrath, nothing of your own, nothing that you ever have done, nothing that you can do, to induce God to spare you one moment. -- And consider here more particularly, Whose wrath it is: it is the wrath of the infinite God. If it were only the wrath of man, though it were of the most potent prince, it would be comparatively little to be regarded. The wrath of kings is very much dreaded, especially of absolute monarchs, who have the possessions and lives of their subjects wholly in their power, to be disposed of at their mere will. Prov. 20:2. "The fear of a king is as the roaring of a lion: Whoso provoketh him to anger, sinneth against his own soul." The subject that very much enrages an arbitrary prince, is liable to suffer the most extreme torments that human art can invent, or human power can inflict. But the greatest earthly potentates in their greatest majesty and strength, and when clothed in their greatest terrors, are but feeble, despicable worms of the dust, in comparison of the great and almighty Creator and King of heaven and earth. It is but little that they can do, when most enraged, and when they have exerted the utmost of their fury. All the kings of the earth, before God, are as grasshoppers; they are nothing, and less than nothing: both their love and their hatred is to be despised. The wrath of the great King of kings, is as much more terrible than theirs, as his majesty is greater. Luke 12:4,5. "And I say unto you, my friends, Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that, have no more that they can do. But I will forewarn you whom you shall fear: fear him, which after he hath killed, hath power to cast into hell: yea, I say unto you, Fear him." It is the fierceness of his wrath that you are exposed to. We often read of the fury of God; as in Isa. 59:18. "According to their deeds, accordingly he will repay fury to his adversaries." So Isa. 66:15. "For behold, the Lord will come with fire, and with his chariots like a whirlwind, to render his anger with fury, and his rebuke with flames of fire." And in many other places. So, Rev. 19:15, we read of "the wine press of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God." The words are exceeding terrible. If it had only been said, "the wrath of God," the words would have implied that which is infinitely dreadful: but it is "the fierceness and wrath of God." The fury of God! the fierceness of Jehovah! Oh, how dreadful that must be! Who can utter or conceive what such expressions carry in them! But it is also "the fierceness and wrath of almighty God." As though there would be a very great manifestation of his almighty power in what the fierceness of his wrath should inflict, as though omnipotence should be as it were enraged, and exerted, as men are wont to exert their strength in the fierceness of their wrath. Oh! then, what will be the consequence! What will become of the poor worms that shall suffer it! Whose hands can be strong? And whose heart can endure? To what a dreadful, inexpressible, inconceivable depth of misery must the poor creature be sunk who shall be the subject of this! Consider this, you that are here present, that yet remain in an unregenerate state. That God will execute the fierceness of his anger, implies, that he will inflict wrath without any pity. When God beholds the ineffable extremity of your case, and sees your torment to be so vastly disproportioned to your strength, and sees how your poor soul is crushed, and sinks down, as it were, into an infinite gloom; he will have no compassion upon you, he will not forbear the executions of his wrath, or in the least lighten his hand; there shall be no moderation or mercy, nor will God then at all stay his rough wind; he will have no regard to your welfare, nor be at all careful lest you should suffer too much in any other sense, than only that you shall not suffer beyond what strict justice requires. Nothing shall be withheld, because it is so hard for you to bear. Ezek. 8:18. "Therefore will I also deal in fury: mine eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity; and though they cry in mine ears with a loud voice, yet I will not hear them." Now God stands ready to pity you; this is a day of mercy; you may cry now with some encouragement of obtaining mercy. But when once the day of mercy is past, your most lamentable and dolorous cries and shrieks will be in vain; you will be wholly lost and thrown away of God, as to any regard to your welfare. God will have no other use to put you to, but to suffer misery; you shall be continued in being to no other end; for you will be a vessel of wrath fitted to destruction; and there will be no other use of this vessel, but to be filled full of wrath. God will be so far from pitying you when you cry to him, that it is said he will only "laugh and mock," Prov. 1:25,26,&c. How awful are those words, Isa. 63:3, which are the words of the great God. "I will tread them in mine anger, and will trample them in my fury, and their blood shall be sprinkled upon my garments, and I will stain all my raiment." It is perhaps impossible to conceive of words that carry in them greater manifestations of these three things, viz. contempt, and hatred, and fierceness of indignation. If you cry to God to pity you, he will be so far from pitying you in your doleful case, or showing you the least regard or favour, that instead of that, he will only tread you under foot. And though he will know that you cannot bear the weight of omnipotence treading upon you, yet he will not regard that, but he will crush you under his feet without mercy; he will crush out your blood, and make it fly, and it shall be sprinkled on his garments, so as to stain all his raiment. He will not only hate you, but he will have you in the utmost contempt: no place shall be thought fit for you, but under his feet to be trodden down as the mire of the streets. The misery you are exposed to is that which God will inflict to that end, that he might show what that wrath of Jehovah is. God hath had it on his heart to show to angels and men, both how excellent his love is, and also how terrible his wrath is. Sometimes earthly kings have a mind to show how terrible their wrath is, by the extreme punishments they would execute on those that would provoke them. Nebuchadnezzar, that mighty and haughty monarch of the Chaldean empire, was willing to show his wrath when enraged with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego; and accordingly gave orders that the burning fiery furnace should be heated seven times hotter than it was before; doubtless, it was raised to the utmost degree of fierceness that human art could raise it. But the great God is also willing to show his wrath, and magnify his awful majesty and mighty power in the extreme sufferings of his enemies. Rom. 9:22. "What if God, willing to show his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much long-suffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction?" And seeing this is his design, and what he has determined, even to show how terrible the unrestrained wrath, the fury and fierceness of Jehovah is, he will do it to effect. There will be something accomplished and brought to pass that will be dreadful with a witness. When the great and angry God hath risen up and executed his awful vengeance on the poor sinner, and the wretch is actually suffering the infinite weight and power of his indignation, then will God call upon the whole universe to behold that awful majesty and mighty power that is to be seen in it. Isa. 33:12-14. "And the people shall be as the burnings of lime, as thorns cut up shall they be burnt in the fire. Hear ye that are far off, what I have done; and ye that are near, acknowledge my might. The sinners in Zion are afraid; fearfulness hath surprised the hypocrites," &c. Thus it will be with you that are in an unconverted state, if you continue in it; the infinite might, and majesty, and terribleness of the omnipotent God shall be magnified upon you, in the ineffable strength of your torments. You shall be tormented in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb; and when you shall be in this state of suffering, the glorious inhabitants of heaven shall go forth and look on the awful spectacle, that they may see what the wrath and fierceness of the Almighty is; and when they have seen it, they will fall down and adore that great power and majesty. Isa. 66:23,24. "And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the Lord. And they shall go forth and look upon the carcasses of the men that have transgressed against me; for their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched, and they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh." It is everlasting wrath. It would be dreadful to suffer this fierceness and wrath of Almighty God one moment; but you must suffer it to all eternity. There will be no end to this exquisite horrible misery. When you look forward, you shall see a long for ever, a boundless duration before you, which will swallow up your thoughts, and amaze your soul; and you will absolutely despair of ever having any deliverance, any end, any mitigation, any rest at all. You will know certainly that you must wear out long ages, millions of millions of ages, in wrestling and conflicting with this almighty merciless vengeance; and then when you have so done, when so many ages have actually been spent by you in this manner, you will know that all is but a point to what remains. So that your punishment will indeed be infinite. Oh, who can express what the state of a soul in such circumstances is! All that we can possibly say about it, gives but a very feeble, faint representation of it; it is inexpressible and inconceivable: For "who knows the power of God's anger?" How dreadful is the state of those that are daily and hourly in the danger of this great wrath and infinite misery! But this is the dismal case of every soul in this congregation that has not been born again, however moral and strict, sober and religious, they may otherwise be. Oh that you would consider it, whether you be young or old! There is reason to think, that there are many in this congregation now hearing this discourse, that will actually be the subjects of this very misery to all eternity. We know not who they are, or in what seats they sit, or what thoughts they now have. It may be they are now at ease, and hear all these things without much disturbance, and are now flattering themselves that they are not the persons, promising themselves that they shall escape. If we knew that there was one person, and but one, in the whole congregation, that was to be the subject of this misery, what an awful thing would it be to think of! If we knew who it was, what an awful sight would it be to see such a person! How might all the rest of the congregation lift up a lamentable and bitter cry over him! But, alas! instead of one, how many is it likely will remember this discourse in hell? And it would be a wonder, if some that are now present should not be in hell in a very short time, even before this year is out. And it would be no wonder if some persons, that now sit here, in some seats of this meeting-house, in health, quiet and secure, should be there before tomorrow morning. Those of you that finally continue in a natural condition, that shall keep out of hell longest will be there in a little time! your damnation does not slumber; it will come swiftly, and, in all probability, very suddenly upon many of you. You have reason to wonder that you are not already in hell. It is doubtless the case of some whom you have seen and known, that never deserved hell more than you, and that heretofore appeared as likely to have been now alive as you. Their case is past all hope; they are crying in extreme misery and perfect despair; but here you are in the land of the living and in the house of God, and have an opportunity to obtain salvation. What would not those poor damned hopeless souls give for one day's opportunity such as you now enjoy! And now you have an extraordinary opportunity, a day wherein Christ has thrown the door of mercy wide open, and stands in calling and crying with a loud voice to poor sinners; a day wherein many are flocking to him, and pressing into the kingdom of God. Many are daily coming from the east, west, north and south; many that were very lately in the same miserable condition that you are in, are now in a happy state, with their hearts filled with love to him who has loved them, and washed them from their sins in his own blood, and rejoicing in hope of the glory of God. How awful is it to be left behind at such a day! To see so many others feasting, while you are pining and perishing! To see so many rejoicing and singing for joy of heart, while you have cause to mourn for sorrow of heart, and howl for vexation of spirit! How can you rest one moment in such a condition? Are not your souls as precious as the souls of the people at Suffield, where they are flocking from day to day to Christ? Are there not many here who have lived long in the world, and are not to this day born again? and so are aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and have done nothing ever since they have lived, but treasure up wrath against the day of wrath? Oh, sirs, your case, in an especial manner, is extremely dangerous. Your guilt and hardness of heart is extremely great. Do you not see how generality persons of your years are passed over and left, in the present remarkable and wonderful dispensation of God's mercy? You had need to consider yourselves, and awake thoroughly out of sleep. You cannot bear the fierceness and wrath of the infinite God. -- And you, young men, and young women, will you neglect this precious season which you now enjoy, when so many others of your age are renouncing all youthful vanities, and flocking to Christ? You especially have now an extraordinary opportunity; but if you neglect it, it will soon be with you as with those persons who spent all the precious days of youth in sin, and are now come to such a dreadful pass in blindness and hardness. -- And you, children, who are unconverted, do not you know that you are going down to hell, to bear the dreadful wrath of that God, who is now angry with you every day and every night? Will you be content to be the children of the devil, when so many other children in the land are converted, and are become the holy and happy children of the King of kings? And let every one that is yet out of Christ, and hanging over the pit of hell, whether they be old men and women, or middle aged, or young people, or little children, now hearken to the loud calls of God's word and providence. This acceptable year of the Lord, a day of such great favour to some, will doubtless be a day of as remarkable vengeance to others. Men's hearts harden, and their guilt increases apace at such a day as this, if they neglect their souls; and never was there so great danger of such persons being given up to hardness of heart and blindness of mind. God seems now to be hastily gathering in his elect in all parts of the land; and probably the greater part of adult persons that ever shall be saved, will be brought in now in a little time, and that it will be as it was on the great out-pouring of the Spirit upon the Jews in the apostles' days; the election will obtain, and the rest will be blinded. If this should be the case with you, you will eternally curse this day, and will curse the day that ever you was born, to see such a season of the pouring out of God's Spirit, and will wish that you had died and gone to hell before you had seen it. Now undoubtedly it is, as it was in the days of John the Baptist, the axe is in an extraordinary manner laid at the root of the trees, that every tree which brings not forth good fruit, may be hewn down and cast into the fire. Therefore, let every one that is out of Christ, now awake and fly from the wrath to come. The wrath of Almighty God is now undoubtedly hanging over a great part of this congregation. Let every one fly out of Sodom: "Haste and escape for your lives, look not behind you, escape to the mountain, lest you be consumed."

Stay tuned for more pics of grey hounds being abused. I can't resist this kind of stuff. Cool pic!

Log out, Get out! You gotta get outside, even if you just take awalk or something. A bit of physical activity will feel good, and the walking will help you reconnect with your body as a useful part. Sometimes I just go stand on the deck and watch the sky through the trees. It is like a bit of country in the city, and just does me good. Your little one doesn't need you wearing out before she even gets a chance to know you! Maybe you could try one of Thad's SAD lights, I hear they help people keep 'up' when they are deprived of the outside world. Maybe it would help you get a good tan for the RT.;) Hang in there, man. We have fun on the near horizon.:cheers:

This guy and some friends have been filming themselves in Stockholm Sweden for years. My bro-in-law and I have extensive libraries of these lunatics and their friends doing insane stuff. If I get a chance I'll get some vids up, or post some links. Find the one with the 650 horse Supra and the Cosworth Ford running wild, truly not to be missed. We think these guys are pro rally drivers. Search on either version in the title of this post, I can't remember exactly which is correct. Great way to beat the cabin fever!

The title of this post would be perfect as a title for my autobiography, but since nobody has seemed too interested in that project, I will settle for using it here.:winking: Since I was just a little kid, I've hunted, especially in winter. It has always provided me with whatever I needed at the time. It refreshes me when I'm worn out, and calms me when times are too hectic. I really have no practical knowledge of cabin-fever unless you count the hospital-room fever I had a few years back. I can also say that I've never been bored, outside of a lecture-hall or conference room. I've learned myriad ways to occupy my mind when I can't get out into nature, and I'll share one that I like especially well: I look for wildlife in the cities and towns I occasionally can't escape. You might be surprised how many larger wild animals coexist with us in our cities without being noticed. I've spotted hawks, eagles, geese, possums, raccoons, turkeys, deer, foxes, woodchucks, and other animals inside the city limits of Omaha. The police even shot and captured a cougar on a popular walking trail here just 2 or 3 years back.:lgbugeyes Sometimes just seeing a hawk cruising for lunch is enough to relieve some of the pent-up load that can turn into cabin fever; it helps me remember more entertaining times. Of course, my three good hunting buddies help quite a bit as well. Pete is the big dog the first pic, he's laying down with Oliver (silver pup), and Willa (blue pup). Pete has been my avatar here often, and is solo in the alarming last photo. The middle pic is Oliver alone, looking like his goofy self. The boys are mine, Willa is my dad's pup, and is a week younger than Oliver (&months for Ollie this week). Pete is eleven years old and is in his 12th season hunting. He's getting a little deaf, and is also getting cataracts, but is still the best hunter I've ever known. They are all good fever-breakers! Gotta love your hounds, no?

The title of this post would be perfect as a title for my autobiography, but since nobody has seemed too interested in that project, I will settle for using it here.:winking: Since I was just a little kid, I've hunted, especially in winter. It has always provided me with whatever I needed at the time. It refreshes me when I'm worn out, and calms me when times are too hectic. I really have no practical knowledge of cabin-fever unless you count the hospital-room fever I had a few years back. I can also say that I've never been bored, outside of a lecture-hall or conference room. I've learned myriad ways to occupy my mind when I can't get out into nature, and I'll share one that I like especially well: I look for wildlife in the cities and towns I occasionally can't escape. You might be surprised how many larger wild animals coexist with us in our cities without being noticed. I've spotted hawks, eagles, geese, possums, raccoons, turkeys, deer, foxes, woodchucks, and other animals inside the city limits of Omaha. The police even shot and captured a cougar on a popular walking trail here just 2 or 3 years back.:lgbugeyes Sometimes just seeing a hawk cruising for lunch is enough to relieve some of the pent-up load that can turn into cabin fever; it helps me remember more entertaining times. Of course, my three good hunting buddies help quite a bit as well. Pete is the big dog the first pic, he's laying down with Oliver (silver pup), and Willa (blue pup). Pete has been my avatar here often, and is solo in the alarming last photo. The middle pic is Oliver alone, looking like his goofy self. The boys are mine, Willa is my dad's pup, and is a week younger than Oliver (&months for Ollie this week). Pete is eleven years old and is in his 12th season hunting. He's getting a little deaf, and is also getting cataracts, but is still the best hunter I've ever known. They are all good fever-breakers! Gotta love your hounds, no?

I got so hooked, that I found myself spending waaaay too much time on Chris Hilgert's site. Now I'm hooked on puzzle kick, and the Ice Age Games there.

I'm interested in all RTs, but haven't made one yet. I have strong interest in this one, since February here certainly isn't what it is there! Mr. Marler is looking at one in ST. Louis, and that is relatively close, and the ACR thing sounds good too. Hmmm, choices... I have family (on speaking terms, even!) near all these places, so simple economics might be the decider, but I'll go to them all, if I can swing it! Anyway, I'm interested, Scott. Let me know if I can help in some way.

Let me know what I can do Don, I'd love to meet you and anybody else interested. St. Louis is a short haul from here, and there are some good people there.

I've had a multitude of jobs for various reasons, and often say that my calling was to try new callings. I was driving dumptrucks and landscaping right out of high-school, after working in dishrooms while in high-school. In the holiday seasons from the time I was a freshman, I sold Christmas trees and wreaths for a friend of the family. I also worked for this man as a light carpenter and master of no trades: A wood-butcher, if you will. It was a great education in the entrepenuerial spirit and methods. I went to college for a few years as a political science major, and then changed to biology. I worked in a lumberyard and did sidework, but I was hoping to be a park ranger somewhere until life threw me an unexpected curve or two, and I wound up getting into trucking, and thence into the Teamsters. I was no stranger to the union halls by then, and was honored to initiate into Local 554 here in Omaha while working for a soda distributor/bottler. In short order I was entrusted with a position as a steward. It was the best/most challenging thing I've ever done. Once again, life exerted its power and I changed to moving and storage, where I personally served the needs of my agency's two largest corporate clients for several years. I established a reputation for customer care and service that set me apart from my peers, and I was hired as a manager by a competing agent. After a management change upstream, I went trucking for the largest Mail contractor in the country. I was honored again to be a steward in APWU Local 44 as we organised and negotiated the first-ever contract for non-gov't drivers in APWU history. This was an exquisite exercise in conflict resolution and debate, and I am proud to have played my role in the service of some of the greatest men and women I've known. I also had many people I respected tremendously on the other side of those tables. Life was interesting in the truest sense of the word. After September 11, 2001, my Mail contract changed and while I was senior enough to hold my post, I took the lay-off since I was the only person on the route with no family, and a job was available to me in Omaha. I went back to driving a moving van, traveling all the continental states and provinces until I met the woman I married. I still consult with the moving outfits I've worked for, and with the unions I've served in. In fact, what started as a temporary help to one of my former employers has become a veritable part-time gig for me, and both of the moving outfits are PW customers. I have been blessed with a varied background that has always been interesting, and that has provided well for me and mine. I love my life and the businesses I've been a part of. I honestly believe the latin in my motto: LABOR OMNIA VINCIT - Work conquers all.

Philip, US paticipation in the First World War dates from 6 April, 1917; four days after Wilson addressed congress to announce that diplomatic relations between the United States and Imperial Germany were severed. Before this date numerous Americans served in various volunteer capacities as disparate as ambulance drivers and combat pilots. Upon entry to this conflict, US troopstrength was so low that Marines were used as infantry in the trenches, to augment the Army troops sent. We were largely viewed by the imperial governments of Europe as a naive source of idealistic, well-fed, motivated troops. We were meant for cannon fodder, but the stalemate was implacable, and the landlocked Germans bent under the preponderance of manpower they could no longer deny. They sued for peace. It was the humiliating terms of the peace offered that led to the resentments and elaborate preparations for war carried to such awful conclusions during the Second World War. We went in to right wrongs we percieved, that were secondary to the goals of the rest of the world. We fought in bloody battles, and sought to uplift and convert our defeated enemies to our enlightened ways. We allowed those defeated enemies to fester for years in the predicament we forsaw, and then we avoided responsibility for the results. We refused to do anything about Versailles, and then about Hitler, Versailles' ******* son with Nationalism and the attendant scapegoating of the Jews. The results of our entry and, more importantly, of the treaty we allowed, were unexpected and unintended. We defeated Imperial Germany, while helping to sow the seeds of Nazi Germany. The greatest lesson of both world wars is the one pounded into the heads of the people that fought them: War is an awful, wasteful method of accomplishing anything. It is, and should remain, a last resort. This war has not been as costly in life as others, but it sure hasn't been free of death, destruction, and suffering. I think it is important to recognize that. Failure to realize the human costs they pay is no way to honor the men and women that have and are serving our interests overseas.

If you scroll down from the dialogue box in which you wrote your reply, you will see the "Manage Attachments" button. Click on it, and you will be prompted to browse your computer for the pics you want. They may require resizing to be postable. I use Microsoft Photodraw to do this, and have never used anything else, so resizing is a mystery to me with other programs. Trust me though, if I can get pics posted, you will be able to. I'm not really much of a computer wiz, but others here will chime in fast, I'm sure.:)

People were freaked because the latest guy is has blond hair. How are they going to react to a black man. I'd nominate that Tony Sinclair guy from the Tangueray ads before that P. Diddy, Puff Daddy, James Bond Wannabe, Ghetto Fab, plain old Sean Combs. At least then it would be intentionally funny. (MMMMM...Tangueray!) Combs has some marketing chops, but I have little use for his supposed talent. He strikes me as a potential Don King for Rap and Hip-Hop. Tony Sinclair for Bond!

I have to agree with you about the double standard, but I'll pick a different instance that particularly irks me. About the same time that we began stepping up the saber-rattling in preparation for entering Iraq, there was serious trouble a-brewin' in the Sudan or Liberia (I think that's where). The US was being chastised on the one hand for contemplating going into Iraq to deal with a man/gov't that had never been in compliance with UN sponsored resolutions that were the peace settlement from a prior war; while on the other hand we were being reviled for being unwilling to enter this other nation in Africa to stop a genocidal war. The world likes to have it both ways with us. The secret is that without the US providing the manpower, money, and spine, the UN ceases to exist as a real tool for world diplomacy or mediation. I think that is the big arrow in our quiver, and that it is about time we and the world came to realize this. Saddam had to go, he was overdue. I just think we needed to get our ducks a little straighter before we went. The time to rectify that is gone, so let's deal with what we have in play. Bin Laden has to go. We need both to catch him, and to be seen as actually pursuing him. Kerry is a fool for many reasons including this dumb move. Bush needs effective leaders in charge below him, and to realize that loyalty to subordinates can only take you so far when they are ineffective. This is true no matter the cause of the ineffectiveness. Good to see you back, Jeff, now I don't have to argue against these redoubtable neoconservatives and libertarians! I'm not liberal or smart enough to do the arguments justice, and I lack your passionate fire. No more books from me.:lgkick:

George, you are on my shortlist of prayers right now. I thank you for bringing this to our attention, men too often don't see a doctor when they feel poorly. When they feel right , they even more rarely get the simple checkups needed. I've been guilty myself, but my mother is a breast-cancer survivor, and I had a scare in my early twenties with testicular cancer, so I try to bite the bullet and fly right. It would be great if men would take a lesson from the Komen Breast Cancer people, and get some publicity out there about this disease. On a lighter note, a few years ago a coworker of mine was diagnosed with prostate cancer and got the "radioactive pills" implanted. He was terribly worried that he might irradiate his wife, or transfer the pill away to her. It took a great deal of convincing from the doctor, but they are all alive and well 8 or 9 years later, so he must have been right! Hang in there, and don't hesitate to let us know if or how we can help.

Mike, with all due respect, you will pay for the unlucky and irresponsible whether or not we have progressive taxes. Unless, of course, you'd advocate letting the poorest people die as they made that little money. As they are losers, perhaps they deserve termination? When you say stupid, do you mean literal low intelligence, or just hopeless dreamers, too? I mean, we all agree that there is no room on the raft for scalliwags (however we define them), but how about the actual mentally deficient? Just trying to get a handle on the whole "Christian" conservative thing here. I can follow the libertarians' points, and tend to agree while I still worry that people that don't need money for anything other than as "a symbol of my success", would claim that they don't get more protection or use of what those dollars are spent on after collection as taxes. I think one of the great attractions of wealth is the better access to education and opportunities to make yet more money. Nothing can be done (nor, probably, should it) about the inequalities that come with the accidents of birth. But we can't claim to be about liberty and opportunity if we constantly strive to lock people in steerage until the lifeboats are full. It is amazing how much free stuff the private sector donates to socialites and other wealthy celebs, while people still starve and infant mortality rises in the shining beacon of western democracy. None of that strikes me as particularly logical or Christian. It is just avarice. I have always worked, and I respect the desire to keep what we earn, but we ARE our brothers' keepers, whether we like it or no. People don't have to be losers to only make $10000 a year. Misfortune can start anyone on the way. I don't believe in luck, I generally believe that behind most stories of "bad luck" is some bad decision. I know what it is to have to own my own sins and failures. However, I also don't believe we can be perfect all the time, and there are always the calculated risks we take. Like letting your spouse get on an airliner for a business trip. One mistake by a pilot that kills the folks on that plane certainly can't be the fault of the passenger. Yet it could rain misfortune down on you, the widow/widower. Especially if the company you work for is bought soon after (maybe because you and your coworkers are diligent, responsible, employees) and your seat isn't there after the music stops. Now you make nothing, have a mortgage, children, no family... now ten grand in the local coffee shop looks good. Especially if you have made any financial blunders at all, ever. Certainly not everybody will fit this case, but lets not forget that we need ditch-diggers, too. Why are we faulty if we wind up starting over, or starting at the bottom? Why are those who choose to work for others reviled so often? People are not irresponsible, or weak, or "bad", or lazy, or losers, just because they work for others. Being an employee isn't a flaw, it is a way to make a living. Granted, it isn't the way to riches usually, but everything that needs to be accomplished in this nation, requires that somebody does it. Generally that will require that they can live another day on those earnings. So, yes we should be able to cut waste, and pay less of what we all make in taxes, and still be a great democracy. We just ought to remember that we don't really know all those "others" out there soaking up our tax dollars, we only think we do. I'm bothered by the hubris, the lack of humility, and the ill will that seems to permeate some of these discussions. Kerry said a stupid thing, Bush has as well, but we citizens have chosen these people from amongst ourselves: They are we! You want better? Be better! Participate in the running of some local part of this great country. Add some diligence to the government, and some perspective in your own life. Pay attention to what the people on "your" side say and do as much as you do the others. And we should all remember that a 51/49 split is hardly a mandate from the governed. It is a sign that each side is offering neither powerful, reasoned arguments nor powerful, reasonable candidates. Here endeth my rant, go in peace, praise the Lord! (Sorry Mike, if that seemed personal. Please rest assured that I respect you, and in no way mean to impugn your religion or your experience of it.)

My wife and I took almost a week off for R&R this last week, and trekked to Orlando, FL. I haven't been there in more than a month of Sundays, but man, what a good time we had. We did all the tourist garbage, well maybe not ALL, but much, and stayed off the computer for longer than I could imagine. It was very good to blow off some steam. Here is where I thank the Guru and the Greek: Don Phelps and Pete Zaharopoulos (BigPete) took time from their busy schedules to have a LOOONG lunch on a Saturday with my wife and I. Thanks guys! It was a highlight for me, and Tricia had a blast as well. I truly enjoyed actually seeing two of the terrific people I've only known on the phone and online since entering this field. You guys were great! I know I'm gushing like a schoolgirl here, but meeting these fellas was a lot like sitting down with Elvis and starting the conversation with, "I like to noodle around on the guitar a bit, and I sing in the church choir..." As I said in Orlando, if either of you ever gets near Omaha, I want to hear from you as soon as possible; I owe you a lunch. Of course, you'd probably have to be sentenced to Nebraska to get you here! And Pete, if you want to do some stubble-duck, quail, or turkey hunting; it's on me anytime you can make it. Thanks again, fellas!

Once again, Scott hits the bullseye! How did the tournament and pageant go for your daughter last weekend?

Bang! Bang! Bang! I've been stabbed, never again. Even if I hadn't, Bang!

Beth and Rod, does this seem like just yesterday? I bet not, what a long way to come. Two more people visited the site today than were members halfway through May of 2003, that is a long way to go in three years. This says a great deal about the membership and its dedication to having a welcoming place to meet online for information and for fun. There have been plenty of angry exchanges here, but TGS does a good job of not being the wild west. Nobody forces people to come here and contribute, we do it by choice. I think that is because even when we disagree, we do what we have to, and then move on. There is a relatively low amount of childishness here, and more than average forgiveness for transgressions, both the real and the imagined. I'm sure that plenty of us have felt slighted or have disagreed strongly with others that post here, but there really aren't many members here wasting effort on hate and disrespect. This is a great strength in any organisation. I think credit for this should be split several ways: To the members that don't get overly exercised when people disagree with them, to the moderators that don't get carried away with a sense of being a big cop in a little town, and to Beth and Rod who strive for proffessionalism first and foremost. We don't always agree, but we do try to be mostly civil. So far that has (largely) been enough. I got to thinking about this today when I found a Slurp Spider looking at this ancient thread. We are going into the winter, which is the slow time for the northern members. As the weather worsens, and we have less to occupy ourselves, the tendency to pick away at others here starts to become stronger and harder to resist. I'm hoping that when this begins to happen this year, I will stop to remember that with the success that has come in these past years comes more scrutiny. From newbies, from ourselves, and from our customers and prospective customers there are more searches finding us here and on other highly ranked boards. We owe it to ourselves to be real, and real civil. Lets try not to let our slips show too awful much. If you are a disbeliever of my theory here presented, try a google search on your name, number, web address, or company name. Link it with key words your customers might use. See what I mean? Lets not foul our own nests. I love this business, I enjoy this site, and I have made friends here that I value. I enjoy the gamut of posts, from utilitarian to crazy nuts, but we meet here as business owners and colleagues. I think that means we can joke, but that we owe some respect to one another. We are good at that on TGS, and other sites. This is one of the main reasons why I love this business and the people that do it. I like that as much as when I was first surprised by it while researching for my business plan. Thanks, Y'all!

ME TOO!

Happy Happy, Celeste! Hang in there with the pups, I dom't envy you the task of raising those young-uns and then having to let loose of 'em. If my dogs ever bred, I'd have to be sent away until the pups were all gone, or else learn to pack-hunt.:lgsideway

Apparently Matthew was teasing, Don, and Ant was getting ready to respond in a manner similar to your earlier post. I'm just guessing based on personalities, and the LOLs. (laughing out loud) Hope that helps.:)

I'm not sure I remember what Mr. Denny was driving, but I do remember thinking it was a fleet-spec rig he was in. That usually means low horses, and often not great trannys. I've driven a little over 2 million logged miles, and can tell you that people can get on your rig and cause a great deal of trouble quickly. There is no way to drop a trailer from a road rig without getting out, and somebody on the catwalk only has to disconect one airline to make a truck into a warehouse. That airline is easily seen and disconnected, and it is a favorite hijacker's trick to do this. Even if they didn't lock his brakes up, they got the door open while he was still moving, and soon after he was out. Also remember that he may not have realized what the hubbub was. It would seem like a scene from a movie, all these people in the street, you slow down in amazement, wondering what they are all so exercised about, suddenly they charge you. You start grabbing gears, you aren't at 20 MPH when third is spent and there are people on the boards. You can't believe it, they are breaking windows and are grabbing the wheel as you hear the brakes set on the trailer and you feel the drag lay in. You gun the thing as somebody hits your noggin... I'm not sure what his case was, but in '94 I would have had visions of headlines reading, "Insane Midwestern Trucker Smashes St. Ignatius' Day Revelers" in my head before I'd believe that the whole city would decide to vent on me and my rig over a bum that took a beatin". Even those who always expect the worst from people can be surprised. My dad claimed for years that Enron had been cooking the books when they were still only Northern Natural Gas here in Omaha. I thought he was just a bit too paranoid. I was wrong. I think that anything I have is worth the life of anybody trying to take it. After all, who knows what they intend to do next? One good way to longevity is to assume that everybody is armed, and unstable. Only the law-abiding obey gun laws.