That the weighty concerns of the unseen world are eternal And that 1. By Scripture plainly 2. By induction from Scripture and Nature 1. We shall prove the Doctrine by plain Scripture Mat. 25. ult These shall go away into everlasting punishment but the Righteous into life eternal Here you see the rewards of the other world that all shall reap are styled everlasting and eternal Dan. 12.2 Many of them that sleep in the dust of the Earth shall awake some to everlasting life and some to shame and everlasting contempt Both the reward of the Godly and the impious is here called Everlasting in the unseen world So you have the Scripture speaking of the Righteous and the wicked particularly and proclaiming their reward to be eternal and everlasting Thus 't is said the Godly seek for Eternal life in the other world Rom. 2.7 and that They are heirs of Eternal life Titus 3.7 and that They have an House not made with hands eternal in the Heavens 2 Cor. 5.1 And the Apostle tells us that he therefore endured all things for the Elects sake that they may also obtain the salvation which is in Jesus Christ with eternal Glory 2 Tim. 2.10 so Heaven is called their Everlasting Habitation Luke 16.9 And as the enjoyments of the Saints are eternal so likewise are the miseries of the wicked They are to be punished with Everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and the Glory of his power 2 Thes 1.9 they are to be cast into Everlasting fire Mat. 18.8 or into fire that shall never be quenched and where the worm dieth not Mark 9.44 So also 't is said that they shall be tormented day and night for ever and for ever Rev. 20.10.15 2. We shall prove the Doctrine by induction from Scripture and Nature 1. The Soul is eternal and dies not and therefore must be happy or miserable for ever This cannot be killed Mat. 10.28 when it leaveth the Body it doth not sleep or die as the Body doth Eccles 12.7 and when 't is again re-united to the Body at the Resurrection 't will never be separated from it but Body and Soul are joyned together at the Resurrection for Everlasting life or Everlasting shame and contempt Dan. 12.2 and therefore they will have an Eternal Existence At the Resurrection the very Body it self will be raised incorruptible Our corruption must put on incorruption 1 Cor. 15.53 Though at present our Bodies die and moulder to dust yet at the Resurrection they will not be capable of corruption We shall then die no more a Natural death Luke 20.36 And if Body and Soul will live eternally after the Resurrection-day they must needs be either happy or miserable to eternity if they have for ever an Existence they must needs have a felicitous or infelicitous Existence If they do not vanish into nothing or are not corrupted killed or separated then they will certainly for ever groan or triumph rejoyce or mourn 2. Eternal rewards are promised or threatned God doth not promise to magnify mercy and loving kindness to the Saints for a small season only but to Eternity nor doth he threaten momentany losses or sufferings only to the wicked and impious but everlasting The Righteous shall shine as the Stars for ever and ever Dan. 12.3 And the wicked have darkness for ever reserved for them 2 Peter 2.17 Believers shall never perish or die John 11.26 And the Impenitent are to be cast into fire that shall never be quenched Mark 9.43 This is the encouragement that God doth give his People they shall have everlasting joy upon their heads ere long and this is the discouragement he gives the wicked they shall be punished with eternal destruction or tormented day and night for ever and for ever Oh! Heaven will have Believers triumphing in it to the utmost limits and bounds of Eternity for God hath promised it to them And Hell will have ungodly Souls and the finally impenitent weeping and gnashing their teeth in it for ever more for God hath fore-told and threatned it and he is a true just and Righteous GOD. 3. GOD that is engaged to distribute these Rewards is eternal he liveth for ever to see the execution of what ever hath gone out of his mouth As he was from everlasting so he will continue to everlasting He inhabits eternity Isa 57.15 The Eternal God is the refuge comfort and salvation of the Saints Deut. 33.27 And the confusion discomfort and and terrour of the impious and wicked If Jehovah himself could die the Saints happiness would expire and have a period and the wickeds and damneds misery in Hell would be over but he living who hath promised and threatned and is engaged to accomplish the Saints hopes and wicked's fears we may be sure they will last for ever Oh! God hath no end of daies Jehovah's age will never expire He is Eternal that hath undertaken to priviledg the Pious with eternal Life and reward the Impious with eternal Death therefore unseen concerns will be eternal 4. As God is eternal so he will be eternally Alsufficient to make good his word As he was Almighty and Infinite and boundless in all perfections from eternity so he will remain unto eternity From everlasting to everlasting he is God Ps 90.2 He will never descend from the Throne or become frail or unable to execute his promises or threatnings He is the eternal and immortal King 1 Tim. 1.17 He is independent for ever and can perform his pleasure to all eternity And therefore his Decree and Law touching the endless condition of the Righteous and wicked will stand Alas God can as easily make the Righteous immortally happy and the impious immortally miserable as uphold the world and all things therein upon the borders of time He lives continually in the same Majesty Glory and Perfections that he is invested with to this day And he will never have his Omnipotency impaired diminished or weakned If God were capable to be dethroned or to become infirm or weak for the accomplishment of his projects or revealed Will the ungodly might hope for an expiration of their sorrows and the Righteous might fear a period of their Joy and Felicity but God being unchangeable and immutably the same to everlasting the hopes of the one and the fears of the other will be vain 5. God will eternally delight in the happiness of the Saints and miseries of the wicked and therefore both the one and the other will be eternal Touching the Pious 't is said that 't is the Father's good pleasure to give them a Kingdom Luke 12.32 They are the Persons that Jehovah delights to honour their Glory is God's Glory Ephes 1.12 JESUS CHRIST will come to be glorified in them at the Resurrection-day when he shall set the Crown of Heavenly Felicity and magnificency upon their heads 2 Thes 1.10 So that their happiness and exaltation will be God's Glory Delight and Rejoycing and therefore will be eternal
the attainments of hypocrites in Grace and Holiness can you say that you are got beyond the bounds of common Grace and Sanctification have you not merely a common repentance a common Faith and a common love to God and fear of him and a common obedience to him The generality among us are deceived in this weighty affair by common Grace which causeth them to think they are the Vessels and Heirs of Heaven when they are not 3. What delight have you in Holiness and duty to God is it your meat and drink is it your Element could you be contented with or take pleasure in an eternal Exercise of holy love duty and praise to the Infinite Jehovah Alas what should you do for ever in Glory if you delight not in these exercises which will be the eternal work of Saints in the Kingdom of their Father Heaven will be no Heaven to you whilst obedience to God and Spiritual enjoyments are your burden and not your recreation and complacency By this therefore do you enquire whether you are bound for Heaven and eternal Life yea or no. 3. We come to speak something by way â—f Dehortation And is it so that Unseen â—hings are eternal then 1. Take heed of sowing the seed of sorâ—ow grief or misery in the other world â—or you hear it will be eternal Oh! take â—eed at any rate of plunging your selves under the unseen wrath fury and vengeance of the Great Jehovah for you see it will be of everlasting duration You read of some that treasure up for themselves wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the Righteous Judgment of God Rom. 2.5 Oh! let not this be the case of any of you Yea the generality of Men and most Professours do walk in the broad way leading to everlasting destruction Matth. 7.13 do you take heed that you be not of their number And for that end take heed of hypocrisy for the hypocrites in heart heap up wrath Job 36.13 Watch also against every sin for the wages or fruit of it is eternal death Rom. 6.23 Get acquaintance with the things of your eternal peace for you find God himself complaining sometimes that for want of knowledg his people perish Hos 4.6 Be careful to be delivered from an evill heart of unbelief for he that believeth not wâ—… be damned Mark 16.16 Die not in impeâ—…cy for those that repent not will certaâ—… be destroyed Luke 13.3 Live not afâ—er the flesh for he that liveth after the flesh must die Rom. 8,13 Take heed of pride for this goeth before destruction Prov. 16.18 Abhor unmercifulness and cruelty for he shall have judgment without mercy that sheweth no mercy James 2.13 Especially neglect not the relief of Christ in his indigent Members for you see this is given as the reason of that dreadful sentence that will pass on the vessels of perdition at the last day Mat. 25.41 42. c. And lastly dread dis-obedience to the Gospel of Christ for Christ will come ere long to take everlasting vengeance on those that obey not his Gospel 2 Thess 18. Oh Sirs you are in fearful danger be not in insensible of it and do not further it Live not in peril of eternal damnation do not make sure everlasting burnings for your selves if you would not groan for ever under insupportable miseries take heed of being heirs of them 'T is here that sinners prepare for their never ending horror in the other world be not you guilty of this folly and madness And for that end consider 1. That most do sow for Hell and destruction and accordingly will reap the doleful harvest thereof to all eternity most are in the broad way leading to the chambers of everlasting death yea multitudes of those that to others seem bound for Heaven are certainly bound for perdition world without end Oh! you have need to look about you considering what abundance miscarry in this affair and especially what abundance that seem to bid fair for Heaven do yet eternally lose their Souls There are many that pray and fast and in some sort mourn for and repent of their sins and live in the exercise of much holy duty that yet remain in the gall of bitterness and at length groan under the insupportable wrath of God for evermore 'T is but a very little flock even among Professours that effectually take heed of the seed of Hell and eternal damnation Therefore you are fearfully concerned to look about you 2. You have a wicked nature within you addicted to this Soul-undoing course The hearts of Men and Women are desperately evill The seed of Hell is in your breasts already 'T is very difficult for you to escape the snares and entanglements of sin death through the doleful propensity of your Souls to comply with them 'T is upon this account that the Righteous are scarcely saved and that the best of Saints have so much ado to avoid the wrath to come If you are not very watchful the evill heart within you will be your eternal perdition without fail The law in your members will certainly captivate you to your everlasting doleful prejudice Oh! how natural is pride flesh-pleasing and worldliness to sinful Man which are the seed of Hellish misery And how doth carnal interest covertly secretly and insensibly sway the Souls of multitudes to their utter destruction you are in doleful peril of sowing for eternal misery Therefore you are concerned to take heed 3. Sorrow and much less eternal sorrow in the other world is not desirable 't is much less desirable unspeakably than a harvest of misery and utmost extremities and calamities here Yea 't is most abhorrent as the greatest evill Alas what is more dreadful to mortals than severe punishments and what greater severity of misery is there than what is the cursed fruit of sin in the eternal Ocean The damneds roarings and heart-sinking lamentation in Hell do evidence that their portion there is most dismal The stoutest heart will tremble as the sinners in Sion are said to do when they are to purpose sensible what they adventure on by sin in the other world and cry Who among us shall dwell with devouring fire who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings Isa 33.14 Deliberately none would choose destruction and much less everlasting destruction Sinners know not what they do when they treasure up wrath for their Souls in the Unseen world They little dream that they store up such fearful and dreadful sorrows as they must reap when they have left the borders of time Oh! Sirs 't is extremity of misery or perfection of calamity that you are now cautioned against 'T is that infelicity which will be the most eminent display of God's hottest fury and indignation and what can be imagined to be more dreadful Be careful therefore at any rate to flie from the wrath to come and not to make light of it considering how dismal it is and not desirable 4. You have a better