infinitely Just Our Saviour Jesus will not then appear as the Physician * T is too late to be Cur'd or Redeem'd Redeemer of our Souls but only as the Judge of all our Actions And even to his Friends a As Judge he appoints them that place at his Right Hand He will not shew himself in any other Quality The very Sentence of their Happyness will be an Act of Justice only b Not an Act of Pardon not of Mercy Our Lord says the Apostle at that Day will be a Righteous Judge T is true 't was nothing but the mercifull Assistance of his Grace which heretofore enabled them to sight and finish well their Course But now in the Rewarding of his Friends according to his Promise c No longer inclind to Pardon He 's no longer Mercifull if we beleeve S. Paul but only RIGHTEOUS and JUST If at that Day He would bâ— Mercifull to any He woulâ— surely be so to his Friends And since the Best Faith fullest of all his Servant find no Mercy * T is too late to ask for Mercy at the Tryall Can his Enemiâ— expect it T is call'd thâ— Day of Judgment to distinguish it from all these otheâ— Days of Mercy And if in these He shower'd dowâ— Fire from Heaven 't is no wonder if in those the Starâ— themselves will seem to fall If Sodom and Gomorrh were consum'd t is easy to beleeve that then the Earth will All of it be laid in Ashes But alas this universalâ— Deluge of devouring Fire together with the Darknesâ— of the Sun Moon the roarings of the Sea and howlings of the Wind Air All this is but a Prelude to the Misery of Sinners This is only the Beginning of their sorrows Math. 24.8 This is nothing but their Summons to appear before the Bar And 't is the dreadfull Appprehension of their Judgment Damnation which torments them with an agonizing Fear There was a Time when Life was sweet but now they hate it There was once a Time when the despair of Living was their greatest Pain but now the Scene is chang'd the despair of Dying is incomparably more tormenting In those days says the beloved Disciple Men shall seek Death Revel 9.6 shall not find it They shall desire to Die Death shall fly from them There was a Time when Sinners laught at all the Fears and Apprehensions of this Day Eccles 3.4 but now the Time of laughing will be past nor will it be as Salomon calls it a Time to mourn it will not be a Time but an Eternity to mourn Then All the Tribes of the Earth shall mourn Not only Those who whilst they liv'd were thought to carry visibly the mark of Reprobation in their foreheads but also such as liv'd great Saints in the esteem of men died great Sinners in the Sight of God shall then desire to die again seek for an Eternall Death shall not find it Then shall their conceal'd Abominations all their shamefull Actions all their secret Works of Darkness come to light Then nothing shall be coverd nothing so industriously hid Math. 10.26 but what shall be reveal'd to all the World Nor only Those who took such care to hide their Sins from others but even those who formerly were us'd to hide them from themselves shall clearly see the Malice of their palliated Crimes Math. 24.30 Then they shall SEE and Then they shall MOURN We now are willing to live peaceably quietly within our selves We do not much delight in the remorses of a guilty mind and therefore we contrive some kind of Conscience for every thing we do We are uneasy at the thought of everlasting pains therefore if we ever take our selves to task we rake together all we can to make a favourable judgment of our State As the Examen rather is design'd to please our selves than God t is generally very superficial We look upon our Actions all in grosse without enquiring much into the drift cheif design of them We look upon the outward shew the approbation esteem of men The example of some who passe for good virtuous and yet have often done the same as we do Our being free as we suppose from many faults which we observe not in our Selves Our great abhorrence of some certain Sins which we observe in others Our being punctually religiously precise in some small matters some exteriour mortifications some particular devotions which we take a fancy to And thus we frame a false Idea of the miserable State we shall be found in when we come before the Bar. We now are proud willing to excuse our selves but then the Testimony of our clearer sighted Conscience will confound humble us Our Passions blind us now we see not what we truly are But then the Sun of Justice will arise scatter all the darkness which conceals us from our selves The piercing rays the All-discovering beams of Truth will break like lightning through the Clouds of our affected ignorance when once the Son of Man appears to judge the World If there were any possibility of cheating his All-seeing Wisdom of calling back the time of his indulgent Mercy or escaping from the hands of his Allmighty Power Were there any possibility of this or were there any Friend from whom the Guilty might expect the least assistance it would be some litle Comfort They had once a true faithfull Friend who dearly lov'd them came from Heaven to instruct them conduct them thither liv'd a painfull laborious life amongst them although neglected scorn'd persecuted by them yet continued constant in his Love to redeem them paid their Ransom with the price of his own Bloud But now their best and only Friend becomes their greatest Enemy He lov'd them once But Love so long neglected so much abus'd is now quite chang'd into a mortall eternall Hatred He invited all of them to come to Him whenever they had need of his Assistance Math. 11.28 Come to me All you that labour But now alas it is too late to come His Patience now is spent in the Fury of his everlasting indignation He for ever banishes them from Him Math. 25.41 Go from Me ye accursed Go Ambitious Souls leave your honourable Titles all behind you go seek the best preferment you can find amongst the Divel his Angells Ibid. v. 41. Go Infatiable Misers go take possession of that Misery which you have purchas'd with the loss of your beloved Treasure Go Voluptuous Wretches you who formerly have wisht your Flames might ever burn Go now Burn for ever in the everlasting Flames of Hell Behold the dreadfull Sentence we must All expect Luke 21.36 unless we follow his Advice who then will be our Judge VVatch therefore says He Pray always that you may then be accounted worthy to escape
them Ezek. 33.11.14 says the Prophet If the wicked turn from his sin if he repent if he amend v. 15. walk in the Statutes of Life He shall surely live what can be more sure since God himself is pleas'd to say it v. 15. He shall surely live He shall not die v. 16. None of the sins he has committed shall be ever mention'd to him he shall hear of them no more they shall not rise in judgment against him God himself has promis'd v. 16. He shall surely live He shall not die Say to them again and say it boldly in his Name whose Justice makes them tremble Ezek. 33.11 As I live says the Lord God I have no pleasure in the Death of the wicked but that the VVicked turn from his way Live Return says He Return from your evill ways VVhy will you die VVhy will you Die As who should say you may live if you will I always am at hand prepar'd to help you if you heartily repent you know you may recover if you have a mind to it you know that if you die it is because you will As I Live have no pleasure in your Death and therefore I have reason to complain VVhy WILL you Die Dear Christians What can we wish for more We know that God can help us if He will Whether He will or no we need no farther proof than his own Word We have his Word We have his Oath He cannot take his own Great Name in vain And He has sworn by his own Life He has no pleasure in our Death He dos not of himself desire it but that we return live O! we are happy O beatos quo rum causâ Deus jurat O miseros si nec juranti Domino credimus for whose sake God swears But O! how miserable are we if when God himself is pleas'd to swear we can't beleeve Him If Deeds are better proof than Words Let us pass from what He has said to what He has done What has He done for Sinners Or rather What has He not done For them He came from Heaven for them He lived a pain full life on Earth for them He died upon the Cross Math. 9.13 I came not says He to call the Just but Sinners He came because 't was necessary he should come And therefore for their sakes for whom it was most necessary for them he principally came He never was so kind to any as to Sinners All his Conversation was in their Company He made it his chief business to oblige them He follow'd them from place to place He thought of nothing else but how to gain their love He came with a design to enflame their hearts He brought down fire from Heaven with him wisht for nothing more than that this fire might burn His more than ordinary Kindness was in all occasions so visibly remarkable that He was taken notice of pointed at The Pharisees were scandaliz'd to to see 't And in those days it was his great Reproach He was too much a Friend to Publicans Sinners Math. 11.19 All this while alas they little understood his Business upon Earth His great Compassion of their Misery was the occasion of his coming And since their Indigence first brought him from above it was no wonder the Relieving of it was his chief Employment here below He came as a Physician to his dying Friends whom He most dearly lov'd therefore took most care was the most concern'd for those who were most dangerously sick Thus did our God behave himself to Sinners Thus did he love his Enemies and treat them as his dearest Friends Thus did He live to serve them till at length He died to save them S. Paul concludes from hence Rom. 5.10 We now have much more Hope than ever For if when we were Enemies we then were reconcil'd to God undoubtedly we now have much more reason being reconcil'd to hope we shall be sav'd If then before he sent his only Son God lov'd his Enemies so dearly as to send him We may well conclude that since He came amongst us since He interpos'd betwixt us his Father's Anger since He died to reconcile us to Him since He rose again Rom. 8.34 at the right hand of his Father is our Advocate in Heaven making intercession for us surely now our humble Supplications joyn'd with his offer'd in his Name Jo. 14. v. 15. will for his sake be much more easily receiv'd If then a Contrite an Humble Heart was always so agreable He never would despise it Will He now refuse it If the Totall Sum of all the horrid Crimes of Mankind during severall Ages if the Malice of them All together could not any way divert the course of overflowing Mercy if it could not hinder Him from sending Jesus to redeem the World How can we think the Greatness of our Sins can hinder Him from having Mercy on us when we heartily repent Let us therefore once for all humbly confess own our Fault The Truth is We are proud willing to excuse our selves We are willing to lay the blame of our Impenitence at our Creator's door say He will not pardon us He will not give us Grace He will not save us When if we well examine we shall find the blame is always ours We will not repent We will not comply with his Grace in a word We will not be sav'd All we can say in our defence is that our sins are great God will not look upon such grievous Sinners as we are I cannot say they are not great or that we are not grievous Sinners But that therefore God will never look upon us is as false as the Word of God is true He hates the Sin but loves the Sinner He hates the Leprosie but loves the Leper S. Aug. Conf. lib. 8. cap. 3. And as a Mercifull Father He rejoyces more at the Repentance of one Sinner than the Innocence of ninety nine who do not stand in need of it Let us therefore once again humbly acknowledg confess our Fault We only pretend our Leprosie is so inveterate God will not suffer us to come into his sight He will not cure us He will not make us clean The Truth is we are so negligent so stupid so insensible of our condition that though we now then are terrified to see the Danger of it nevertheless we will not make our Supplications to Him as we ought We will not be cur'd We will not be cleans'd DANGER OF DELAY SECT I. Hew apt we are to differr Repentance THat we are All of us some time or other betwixt this Death oblig'd under pain of Eternall Damnation to rouse our sleepy souls from the bewitching Lethargy of Sin is an important Truth which no man can dispute We All are fully satisfied that if we live in the state of Sin if our Affections are
the generall Reason why Humility is harder to be found in Sinners than in Saints The First have more to humble them but the more they have the blinder they are the less they know it The Second have less to humble them but the less they have the more their eyes are open by God's Grace the more clearly they discover what 's enough to make them fear tremble all their life SECT VI. First Reason why the greatest Saints are the most humble I Shall only add two Reasons more because all Saints I speak of such as are now living are compris'd in these two Classes They are either such as have been Sinners heretofore or such as may be so hereafter The first Reason is so universall that it comprehends them both but more particularly Those who have preserv'd the Innocence of their Baptismall Grace D. Sp. ch 26. T is gatherd from that Oracle of Scripture work out your Salvation with Fear Trembling Philip. 2.12.13 For it is God who works in you to will to do according to his pleasure See the unsearchable Abyss of the Almighty's Judgments where t is dangerous to dwell too long search too curiously lest it cast us into an excess of Fear T is enough that none are sav'd but who persever to the End that the greatest Saints can never be assur'd of their Perseverance T is a speciall Gift which the Apostle chiefly points at when he says Rom. 9.18.16 God has mercy on whom he will have mercy It is not of him that wills or him that runs but of God that shews Mercy And again Ephes 2.8.9 By Grace you are sav'd that not of your selves it is the Gift of God Not of works lest any Man should boast Alas how is it possible for any Saint to be assur'd of his condition for the future since he is not certain even of his present State Who can sound the bottom of our Heart Or rather Who can sound the Heart of God tell us what He thinks of our condition Who is He that can assure us We are good enough to be Rewarded by Him wo be to that Life how innocent soever says S. Austin Psal 19.12 which He Judges without Mercy VVho is He says David that can understand his failings Cleanse me from my secret faults Psal 143.2 O Lord and enter not into judgment with thy servant for in thy sight shall no man living be justified if once Thou judgest him according to the utmost rigour of thy Justice Who is there that dos not tremble when he hears the Just Holy man whom God himself was pleas'd to praise confess that all his life time God was such a Terrour to him Job 31.23 he was hardly able to endure it Who can without trembling hear the Prophet Isaiah tell us 64.6 we are all unclean all our righteous works like filthy Rags Or hear S. Hierom in the life of S. Hilarion tell us how that blessed Saint was terrified at the approach of Death to encourage his departing soul said to himself Go forth my Soul what are thou Now afraid of Thou hast serv'd thy God these threescore ten years dost thou tremble Now to appear before him Let us therefore fear tremble in the way to Heaven Never let us fancy we are so advanc't in Virtue that we need not fear The greatest Saints were never so Presumptuous as to banish from their thoughts the Fear of God Philip. 2.12 They workt out their Salvation with Fear Trembling They were always full of Fear this Fear always Humbled them They were not Blinded as we are with Passion Humour but as they improv'd in Grace they every day discover'd more more their secret Imperfections The Property of Grace is to enlighten the Understanding as well as to enflame the Heart It makes us Know our Misery Love our God who only can deliver us These two Effects of Grace were lively represented on the Day of Pentecost by that mysterious Fire which rested on the heads of the Apostles Fire gives Light Heat as the Fire encreases it affords more Heat greater Light So Grace Enlightens and Enflames the Minds Hearts of Saints with Knowledg of themselves Love of God as their Grace improves this Heat and Light encrease They discern more clearly the innumerable dangers that surround them become more Humble under the Almighty Hand of God 1. Pet. 5.6 S. Paul compares the different States of Sin Grace to Light and Darkness Night and Day Rom 13 12.13 The Night says he is spent the Day is at hand Let us cast of the works of Darkness put on the armour of Light Let us walk honestly as in the Day A Traveller benighted walks he knows not where He hardly sees his Hand much less his Feet He sees perhaps some Stars shine through the clouds whose sparkling light serves only to amuse him mislead him to a Precipice But when the rising Sun appears the Stars immediatly vanish out of sight our Traveller no longer gazes there but has a much more usefull prospect of the Earth below him where he plainly sees the Ground he go's upon the Risings the Descents the Inequalities Precipices of it Sinners like benighted Travellers march blindly on mind little what they Do much less where they Go. However now then they practise some good actions either out of custom or good nature amuse themselves with some few semblances of virtue whose dim lustre seems perhaps more sparkling in the Darkness of that Night which hides them even from themselves But t is not so with Saints Their Night is spent their Day appears The Sun of Justice Rises in their Hearts 2. Pet. 1.19 Their Virtues like the Stars which only shine in Darkness disappear immediatly The Clay which they are made of the Corruption of their Nature the Enormity of Sin the Power of their Passions the Weakness of their Reason These are Motives of Humility which Now they clearly see dayly have before their eyes Besides all This they plainly see an infinite variety of Artifices Disguises of Self-love which easily assumes all shapes counterfeits all Virtues even Charity it self And therefore they suspect the best of all their Actions trembling at the very thought of them for fear they may be secretly corrupted by Self-love But above all the importunity of Pride which never ceases to attack them but continually endeavours to surprise them notwithstanding all these motives of humility is that which seems the most extravagant of all their faults humbles them the most Behold the Misery of Man And what can be more miserable if the Sight of so much misery suffices not to humble him the greatest Saint who is not conscious to himself of any forfeiture of his first Innocence has no Assurance of his being justified D.
Sp. ch 27. He may be in the State of Grace but whether so or not He cannot tell And which is worse although he knew it He has no assurance of Persevering one single moment He who Stands may Fall He who is a Saint may prove a Sinner Nothing but God's Grace is able to support him to the End and the Continuance of this Grace requires so faithfull so punctuall a Cooperation with it that a very small Omission oftentimes suffices to deprive him of it His Perseverance is as it were a Chain of Graces linkt together continued to the utmost period of his life S. Tho. 1.2 q. 114.9 this is more than He can Merit All that he can do is to be always vigilant faithfull in the Vse of every single Grace God offers him One Grace well us'd draws on another This a third That a fourth but if he trip the least in his Fidelity the Chain immediatly breaks And this is that great Diligence which the Apostle recommends so earnestly to all good Christians 2. Pet. 1.10 Vse Diligence says he to make your Calling Election sure For IF YOU DO you shall never fall I must confess this Saying is extremely comfortable if we do But if we do not what becomes of us If all our life we Vse such Diligence the Apostle tells us we shall never fall But if we do not what remains but that the greatest Saint amongst us will be sure to fall Consider this Tremble Whosoêre you are Assure your self the more you are a Saint the more you 'l tremble the more you 'l see how terrible a truth This is which is one Reason why the greatest Saints who are the most convinc't of it are always the most Humble SECT VII Second Reason why the greatest Saints are the most humble I Have said enough of Saints who have preserv'd their Innocence The Second Reason only has regard to Saints who by their Crimes have lost it heretofore now are truly Penitent If They who Know Themselves the best are therefore the most Humble because they Doubt the most of their Perseverance Surely These who Know most clearly the Enormity of Sin which they are guilty of have much more Reason to be Humble because they Doubt much more of their obtaining Pardon There is a great deal of difference says S. Jerome Epist ad Salv. betwixt a Man whose Vessel is entire richly laden when he sails into the Port of Bliss Him who after Shipwrack after Swimming for his life rides naked on a Plank after being dasht a hundred times against the rocks at length is cast upon the Sands half-dead almost bruis'd to pieces If a man who sails in a sound Vessel never is secure from Storms which may arise but always doubts of his arrival at the Port we may be sure his Case is much more doubtfull more terrible who has already sufferd Shipwrack has nothing left him but a Single Plank to bear him up T is true it happens now then 't is a comfortable Observation of a Holy Man Abbé Jean Entretien 7. whose Name is famous in our present Age it happens now then that He Math. 8.27 to whom the winds sea obey is pleas'd to make them for a time so calm quiet that a Man who swims upon his plank with industry courage meets at length by Providence another Vessel better than his own sails with much more Comfort much more Joy into the Haven than he would have done if he had never sufferd Shipwrack in a Storm S. John Climacus in his 15. Degree inquires which of the two is Greater in the sight of God he who died by sin rose again to life by Grace Or he who never died the spirituall death of Sin And answers that whoever Thinks the Innocent more happy of the two is much mistaken The Reason is because All Sanctity is founded in Humility Charity Whoever Loves God best is most Humble is the Greatest Saint It happens oftentimes that He to whom a little is forgiven Luc. 7.47 Loves but little it happens now then that He Loves best who is most mercifully pardon'd v. 43. forgiven most We read in Scripture severall examples of this nature Zachary as soon as he had done sufficient Pennance for his incredulity immediatly had his Speech restor'd him not only that but he was also honour'd with the Gift of Prophecying which we do not read he had before The Prodigall receiv'd much greater favours and caresses from his Father than he ever had experienc't before he left him Lazarus himself who was the Figure of great Sinners never had the honour to be entertain'd at Table with the Son of God before he was by miracle rais'd from the Grave S. Peter had not confidence before he sinn'd to ask our Saviour Who he was that would betray him But when he had washt away his sins with Tears he was permitted to be more familiar with his Master and was made the Souvereign Pastor of his Church From whence t is easy to conclude that Sinners may sometimes by Pennance grow more Perfect than those Saints who having kept their Innocence Love God less fervently serve him with more coldness indifference Behold says Saint Ambrose the great Goodness of our God! How liberall generous He is to whom He pleases to be mercifull He 's not contented to restore what they have lost He grants them over above such Graces such Favours as they never dirst have hop'd for Thus as the Apostle says Rom. 5.20 where Sin abounded Grace abounds much more because the more Sin Humbles them the more they are Exalted When a Penitent whom Sin had blinded once begins to See to discover clearly the Enormity of his offences he has much more reason to be humble all his life than if he had been always innocent He looks upon himself no better than a Criminall repriev'd who is upon his good behaviour for his pardon persuades himself that he can never give sufficient proof of his Fidelity the Sincerity of his Repentance All his Exercises of continuall Pennance never make him Vain but only serve to humble him the more because he looks upon them only as the Remedies of his Diseases such Remedies as he must use till Death which is the only End he hopes to see of his Distempers The Employment of his Thoughts is the Consideration of his grievous Sins which he perpetually laments Where êre he goes he never leaves the dolefull Memory behind him Micah 6.14 His humiliation is always in the midst of him Since therefore He who hates the Proud 1. Pet. 5.5 gives Graces to the Humble is' t not lawfull to inferr that Sinners may sometimes arrive to a more eminent Degree of Sanctity than many of those Saints who never fell quite down but
viewing all of them together Upon mount Thabor when the Glory of his Blessed Soul shin'd through his body like the Sun through a transparent cloud upon the dazled eyes of his Disciples giving them a glympse of the Eternall Glory we expect hereafter Our Saviour seem'd to be as much delighted with the prospect of his Passion as with all the joys of Heaven and as upon another occasion Jo. 4.31.34 when his Disciples pray'd him to eat He told them My meat is to do the will of Him that sent me finish his work So when they desir'd Him to stay and make Tabernacles Luke 9.30.33 it was his joy delight to talk with Moyses Elias of his Decease his Passion which he should accomplish v. 31. at Hierusalem Ah Christians you have reason to admire wonder that the God of all your comfort is now heavy disconsolate 2. Cor. 1.3 But you will fear and tremble more than wonder if you seriously reflect that all his Grief proceeded chiefly from the terrible Idea which He had of Sin not his but ours S. Hierome says Apud D. Tho. In Cat. His greatest Grief proceeded not from fear of suffering because He came to Suffer But He cheifly griev'd for Judas for the Scandall of the Apostles and the Reprobation of the People c. ... This agrees exactly with our Saviour's words Luke 23.27.28 to those who follow'd Him to Calvary when turning to the women who lamented Him He said Daughters of Hierusalem weep not for me only weep also for your selves for your children Weep not for me My torments will be short weep for your selves your torments if you do not weep repent mend will be Eternall Alas the Torments which I willingly freely suffer for your sake are Nothing to the Pains of Hell which you for ever will endure unless by penitentiall tears mixt with my bloud You wash away your Sins v. 31. If they do thus in the green wood what will they do in the Dry If I though Innocent suffer thus for your Sins You who are Guilty what are you like to suffer for your own If I who am true God the only beloved Son of my Eternall Father who never once offended Him if because I interpose betwixt you his Justice I am thus severely treated what will become of miserable Creatures grievous Sinners who so often have offended Him if they do not joyn their tears with mine if they are not afflicted with me for their Sins for which I dy upon the Cross Levit. 23.29 Every Soul who upon this day is not afflicted shall perish Every Soul who thinks upon this Day and is not afflicted with his dying Saviour is not heartily afflicted for those Sins for which He dies shall certainly perish Neither does it contradict what commonly is said that One great Difference betwixt our Saviour his Martyrs was that by a miracle of Grace He gave them that undaunted Courage which by a greater miracle He now refus'd to himself T is true He freely sufferd in himself the Naturall Fear of Death to shew himself True Man as well as God to let us see at once the Weakness of our Nature the Power of Grace and comfort us by making it appear that such Infirmities of Nature are not Sins as long as Reason gouverns them Resignation submitts to the will of God But yet there is another greater Difference betwixt his Case theirs Martyrs who die for God's sake are Secure of their Success they are sure not to suffer in vain they are certain to possess All that they desire to enjoy eternally their God to whom they Sacrifice their Lives This is the reason why our Martyrs look Death boldly in the face with open armes receive it go to meet it with the same assurance as if they went to Heaven Let the Body suffer all the worst of Pains the Soul is unconcern'd Anima de Deo suo semper secura S. Cypr. the Soul is secure of God the Soul is in Heaven before hand When Man dies to enjoy God he is sure he shall enjoy him But alas it is not so when Jesus dies for Man He dies to gain his Love at the same time knows that he will prove ungratefull He dies to enjoy him in Heaven foresees he will be damn'd for all Eternity The lively apprehension of his torments all together was enough to make him Sorrowfull even to Death but however if he have promis'd himself the Eternall Salvation of all those dear-bought Souls for which He died the joyfull assurance of so happy a Success would have eas'd the burthen of his Grief His torments all of them would have been well come upon that condition But to sweat bloud in vain to be scourg'd to no purpose to spend the last drop of his sacred veins to no effect was an Affliction not to be supported without praying his Eternall Father to have pitty compassion on Him Math. 26.30 Father if it be possible dispence at least with this part of my Sentence Let me die But do not let me die in vain T is said of Joseph in the Book of Genesis 45.15 He kiss'd all his Brethren wept over every one of them I may say the same of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane He griev'd for All is brethren wept over every one of them in particular He saw before his eyes the Sins of every person in the World the Graces which he would from time to time bestow upon us the neglect of all his Offers abuse of all his Favours He foresaw every Temptation which we yield to griev'd to see it He foresaw each profanation of the Sacrament which we frequent unworthyly and fainted with grief when He thought how often his most precious Bloud would by our fault become the Poyson of our Souls He foresaw in the whole course of our Lives where when how we would resist render ineffectuall all the Directions Admonitions Exhortations of his Ministers and fell into a bloudy Sweat at the very thought of our Ingratitude by which the chief means of attaining Everlasting Happyness serve only in the end to justifie our Sentence of Eternall Misery Isaiah 35.4.6 He bore our Griefs He carried our Sorrows He took upon him the Iniquities of us All and every one of our most grievous Sins appear'd to him in a more hideous shape than ever it appear'd to any Creature Mortall Sin is as Bad as God is Good It separates us from our God leaves our Souls as Empty as our God is Great So that as God is infinitely Good the Malice of a Mortall Sin is infinitely Evill As none of us can understand the infinite Goodness of the one so none of us are able to conceive the infinite Malice of the other Christ himself as God could comprehend them Both as Man He comprehended neither But yet