which we may be dispos'd unto We are to ly before the Lord as Loathsome Undone Wretched Creatures and Shout Grace Grace concerning all the Methods of our pardon Here to speak as Ierome of old All Hands are Dissolved because nothing done by our Hands will be found to answer the Righteousness of God It was a thing prescribed in Ancient Directiores for the Visitation of the Sick that the Sick Man should be taught to say O my God I now place the Death of the Lord Iesus Christ between me and my Sins Behold words fitted for every Sin-sick Soul What else can we say seeing we are told in Acts 26. 18. Men receive the Forgiveness of Sins and are Sanctify'd by Faith in Christ Iesus And hence even one of the greatest Giants among the Romish Philistines having argued a great while for the Interest of our own Merits in the pardon of our Sins at last he comes to that memorable issue of all Tutissimum est By Reason of the uncertainty of our own Righteousness and the Danger of vain Glory 't is the safest course to Repose our whole Trust in the Mercy and Grace of God alone Indeed I pray why then did you Bellarmine Dispute with so long and strong a Sophistry against the safest course in the World I beseech you Let none of us take any other course for the pardon of our Sins Counsel 5 Seek a Pardon and seek it PENITENTLY And there are especially Two Expressions of Repentance which we are to be exercised in They are conjoyned in Prov. 28. 13. He that Confesseth and Forsaketh his Sins shall find Mercy VVherefore 1. Confess all your Sins if you would have the pardon of them It was said upon a devout purpose of Confession in Psal. 32. 5. I said I will Confess my Transgressions unto the Lord and thou forgavest the Iniquity of my Sin How much more will an exact performance of it have such a Consequence In some Cases our Sins must be confessed unto Men. Indeed our secret Sins must not be divulged until God Himself have in a manner brought them out but then we are by our own ingenuous Confessions to perfect the Discovery So David so Ionah thought tho' they could say unto God Against thee thee only have I sinned scarce any but God being privy to their Miscarriages And thus Achan when others were made Sufferers by his being a Sinner and God was pointing at him as the Troubler of all the Neighbourhood his Duty then was that My Son Confess and Give Glory to God But be sure Sins committed before Men must be Confessed unto Men. VVhen Iosephâ— Brethren had been Brethren in Iniquity they heard one another with a bitter Confession saying We are verily Guilty When the Publicans and Souldiers such people that had sinned publickly of old came to a better sense they Confessed their sins no doubt aâ— publickly as they could We must give all men to see that we do not Approve of Sin by our taking shame to our selves for what sin they have seen us overtaken with and like the Convicted Leper crying out Vnclean Vnclean But in all Cases our sins must be confessed unto God who knows them all and whom they have all affronted and â—â—used It is said in 1 John 1. 9. If we Confess our Sins He is Faithful and Iust to forgive us our Sins We are to confess our sins before the God of Heaven both very particularly and very sincerely We may do well to take a Catalogue of Duties Required and Sins Forbidden in all the Commandments of God and Examining by that Glass what Spots we have had in our Hearts and Lives we should Bewayl them all before God And Bewayl them without any Excuses or Defences to Extenuate them in our Lamentations An Vpright man lies in the Dust Let us lay our selves there and so Enlarge upon our own Vileness as becomes A Spirit without Guile Such a Confession as this must be made if we would have any marks of a pardoned Soul upon us 2. Forsake all your Sins if you would make Genuine your Confession of them When you have once Vomited up your Sins by Confessing of them O do not return to them as A Dog to his Vomit Come to say as in Job 34. 31. I will not offend any more and study to Do what you say As The Burnt Child will dread the Fire So let us Dread all the Sins which our Souls have been scorched with and let us not espouse any Way of wickedness If any of us will go on still in our Sins let us not forget what will come of it no less truly than that in Psal. 68 21. God shall wound the Head of such an one as goeth on still in his Trespasses But O what horrible wounds are those which the Omnipotent Hand of the Great God shall be the Inflicter of Do not venture to go on in any course of Sin but be able to say I hate every false way and especially be able to say I kept my self from mine Iniquitie Albeit any Sin may have been as dear as a Right-eye or a Right-hand unto you nevertheless Away with it Whatever bad course you have heretofore been us'd unto abhor it now with a very hearty and zealous Detestation and say What have I any more to do with Idols 'T is a New Life that we are now to be studious of and we may not promise a pardon to our selves while we continue in Sin Tho' God at first Iustify the Vngodly yet he will not let a Iustified man remain ungodly any more no he teaches him to Deny all ungodliness and Live Godlily Soberly and Righteously in this present Evil World II. But there is a very particular USE of these things to be Regarded by one among us who is never to see the light of another Sabbath more T is Hugh Stone that I am now more immediately concerned with and therefore let him as a man just come unto the very side of the black River of Death give earnest heed unto what shall now be said before we part Unhappy Man you must now Dy before your time for your being wicked â—vermuch and because you have been a Man of Blood you must not Live out all your Dayes I am a little to invert the Words of my Text in my Speech â—nto you and say Why don't you seek 〈◊〉 have your Transgression pardoned and your Iniquity taken away For you shall sleep in the Dust before this Week be out and if we seek you next Friday Morning you shall not be among us T is a great Favour of God unto you that you have liberty to hear a Sermon or two before the Execution which you are Sentenced unto your Monstrous Hands hurried your poor Wife out of the World with a greater and more cruel Expedition You may lament it with an inexpressible Bitterness that you have no better improved those hundreds of Sermons which you have enjoyed heretofore But I now beseech
Mad who does not make sure of this But you cannot make sure of 〈◊〉 if you do not Repent within the 〈◊〉 three or four hours that are now before you If any man propound an Hereafter unto himself to make sure of a Pardon in I would say unto him Thou Fool This Night thy Soul may be required of thee And let me add the words once used in a case of sudden and extream Hazzard save thy self to Night for To morrow thou mayest be Slain Counsil 3. Seek a pardon and seek it HOPEFULLY Despair not of it but that your sins which have been like Scarlet may yet become as Wool and that your sins which have been as Crimson may become like Snow To quicken this Hope in your Souls Consider the Boundless Mercy of the infinite God It may be that your sins have had most bloody Aggravations as being against much Light and much Love and against very solemn Vows unto the contrary Yet a Pardon is attainable if you slight it not What is Gods Design in our Pardon it is to magnifie His Grace and as the Apostle speaks that he may Commend His Love Well then then greater our Pardon is the greater will Gods Glory be Hence it was the plea of the Psalmist in Psal. 25. 11. O Lord Pardon my Iniquity for it is great What a FOR is that How strange an Argument is this The Despairing Soul thinks God will not Pardon my Iniquity FOR it is Great But if we really Turn to God the greatness of our sins will become no less than a plea for the Pardon of them For Great Sinners will give Great praises if they may tast of his pardoning mercy Be not then Discouraged from industrious endeavours hereabout but remember that when our Lord Jesus hath said in Ioh. 6 37. Him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out None of our Names are excepted there Remember also that there are some now Triumphing with God in Heaven that once were guilty of the very same Sins which We are now terrified withal Where is Abraham that once was an Idolater what became of Menasseh the Conjurer and of Magdalâ—n the Strumpet Is it not an Epitaph written by the Apostle upon the Grave of Rahab Rahab the Harlot perished not yea did not even some of those that Murder'd the Lord Jesus Christ Himself afterwards partake in the pardoning vertue of His Blood which with wicked Hands they had been shedding of see also 1 Cor. 6. 9 10 11 And why may not YOV come to be pardoned as well as theâ— if you tread in their steps by a serious and sedulous making after it Perhaps you have been ready to Sin But it is an Attribute of God in Neh. 9. 17. He is ready to pardon Have you gone on a great while in Sin and grown old and gray and horribly Ripe in your Evil wayes yet hear that Charm in Ier. 3. 1. Thou hast played the Harlot with many Lovers yet Return unto Me saith the Lord. In the primitive times there was one Victorius a very old Man converted unto Christianity the Church would not receive him for some time for thought they Old Sinners do not use thus to turn and Live But he evidenced the Reality of his Conversion so that they sang Hymns about it in the Christian Assemblies and it was every where proclaimed Victorius is become a Christian Victorius is become a Christian Even so may it come to be a shout over the oldest Sinner among you all That Old Wretch has got a Pardon after all Behold I have an Order to make an Offer of a Pardon within these Walls this Day and in the Name of the Eternal King I make it unto every Soul among the many hundreds of People here A Preface once Angrily made by Moses let me Chearfully and Ioyfully make thâ—â— Day Hear ye Rebels But that which I thus Preface is The glorious King â—f Heaven will receive every one of you to Mercy if you will now at last lay down your Arms. I am to assure you There is Hope in Israel concerning this thing Do not say with them in Eze. 7 3 11. Our Hope is lost No to all your other Sins I beseech you add not that of Despair which will be at least equal to the greatest of them which you have already perpetrated What a nefandous Blasphemy was that of Spira one of whose Roarings was My Sin is greater than the Mercy of God! That is the Cursed Language of Despair which let no man indulge Don't connt the Day of yet over with you Saiest thou I am afraid the Spirit of God has done striving with me nay if thou art afraid of it then it is not yet come to pass He may be striving in those very Fears Saist thou I fear I have committed the Vnpardonable sin If thou fear it then thou hast never Done it They that are conscienciously solicitous and suspicious about it are yet Clear from the great Transgression O then come to God at the Door Hope thus opened for you Counsel 4. Seek a Pardon and seek it BELIEVINGLY It is to be Enjoy'd by none but a Believing Soul To Excite this Faith Consider The proper and only Gospel-way to a pardon 'T is by Faith as we are minded in Rom. 5. 1. We are Iustify'd by Faith We must Request and Expect our Pardon to come swimming down unto us in the Blood of the Lord Jesus Christ alone and we must keep our Eye upon Him under that Notion in John 1. 29. The Lamb of God which takes away the Sin of the World We must look upon our Pardon as purchased and procured for us by the Death of our Lord Jesus Christ who in the Eternal Covenant of Redemption Engag'd unto His Father That He would make His own Soul an offering for the Sins of all His Chosen ones We are to take the Merits of the Lord Jesus Christ as they are profered unto us in the Tenders of the Gospel and lay the whole Stress of our Guilty Souls thereupon for ever It is said in 1 John 1. 7. The Blood of Iesus Christ cleanseth us from all Sin Wherefore we must Renounce all Dependence upon any Righteousness of our own for our pardon Let us not place any Trust in any Good Works or in any Good Frames of our own as tho' they could render the Holy God propitious to us It is said in Job 9. 2 3. How should man be Iust with God If He will contend with him he cannot answer Him one of a thousand The Iews give this Exposition of it The pleas which men fetch from any Good thing in themselves for the pardon of their sins are so weak and so trifling and so foolish that the Great God would scorn to give an Answer to one among a Thousand of them Alas we must not so much as ascribe the Inclinations of God to Impute the Righteousness of Jesus Christ unto us â—nto any Humiliations and Reformatiâ—ns
bespeak no less than eternal Blessedness for you if by impenitence you put it not away Our Lord said once to one that was Hanging on a Tree Thou shalt be with me in Paradise You may go from the Gallows to a Kingdom if after your abominable doings you yet will but consent unto the Terms of the New Covenant But I must acqâ—aint you that the only Remedy for you is to carry a distressed Soul unto the Lord Redeemer who is Exalted to be a Prince Saviour O look unto him whose call unto us is Look unto me Look unto Him and Sigh and say Lord grant unto me both Repentance and Remission of sins And while you are thus looking to Him study to do some Remarkable Thing for the Honour and Glory of God and for the warning of such as are walking in those wayes which have brought you to this That Men clap their Hands at you and hiss 〈…〉 of your place This is the least you 〈◊〉 do by way of Gratitude unto Him 〈◊〉 has made you so capable of a Pardon 〈◊〉 you are I have done But O that you maâ— not be Hard-hearted any more 〈◊〉 have the Name of STONE God forbid that you should have the qualilities and properties of a Stone in your obduration May these Words 〈…〉 as deep into yourâ—heart as your 〈◊〉 did into the Throat of your 〈◊〉 Wife may the God of 〈◊〉 therefore take away from you the 〈◊〉 of stone and at the same time give you the white Stone of Absolution from 〈◊〉 many thousands of Sins with which you stand charged in the Books of hiâ— Remembrance And may the good God sanctifie the condition of this Man unto us all that all of us may learn to Abhor and Avoid Sin and be thankful for the Grace without which Lord what should thâ— very best of us all Degenerate unto FINIS THE Character and Carriage and Execution of Hugh Stone THe foregoing Sermon having been Preached unto the Guilty Murderer I thought it my Duty to observe what operation the Truth and Word of God might have upon him and to answer his own desires that I would assist him in the last minutes of his life nor was I altogether ignorant that the Labours that the Famous Perkins used with Prisoners were so successful as to encourage those that should make an Example of them I have hardly met with so unintelligible a man as this Hugh Stone He could and would frequently speak very well but with many very Reasonablâ— things which he uttered he mingle as great Impertinencies I know no whether the use of his Reasoâ— were not sometimes disturbeâ— by the Horrour of his mind foâ— he thought himself sometimes haunteâ— with the Ghost of his Murdered Wife But his Conversation in the Prison before his Condemnation was in diverse things very Scandalous and I could wish there had been more exactness in his Repentance afterwards His Passions upon any Provocation were so inordinate as that we did not wonder to see what he was come unto And as on the one side I never saw a Man express less fear of Dying so on the other I never heard a Man express more care about every Trifle which he counted himself concerned in There was a Minister that walk'd with him to his Execution and I shall insert the principal Passages of the Discourse between them in which the Reader may find or make something useful to himself what ever it were to the Poor Man who was more immediately concerned in it Minister I am come to give you what Assistance I can in your taking of the Steps which your eternal Weaâ— or Wo now depends upon the well or ill taking of Hugh Stone Sir I Thank you and I beg you to do what you can for me Min. Within a very few Minutes your immortal Soul must appear before God the Iudge of all I am heartily sorry you have lost so much time since your first Imprisonment you 〈◊〉 need use a wonderful Husbandry of the little piece of an Inch 〈…〉 remains Are you now prepared to stand before the Tribunal of 〈◊〉 H. S. I hope I am Min. And what Reasoâ—◠〈◊〉 that Hope H. S. I find all my Sins made so â—iâ—ter to me that if I were to have 〈◊〉 given me this Afternoon to Live such a Life as I have Lived heretofore I would not accept of it I had rather Dy. Min. That is well if it be True But suffer me a little to search into the Condition of your Soul Are you sensible That you were Born a Sinner That the Guilt of the First Sin committed by Adam is justly charged upon you And that you have hereupon a Wicked Nature in you full of Enmity against all that is Holy and Iust and Good For which you deserved to be destroyed as soon as you first came into this World H. S. I am sensible of this Min. Are you further sensible 〈◊〉 you have Lived a very ungodly Life That you are guilty of thousands of Actual Sins every one of which deserves the Wrath and Curse of God both in this Life and that which is to come H. S. I am sensible of this also Min. But are you sensible That â—ou have broken all the Laws of God You know the Commandments Are you sensible That you have broken every one of Them H. S. I cannot well answer to that My Answer may be liable to some Exâ—eptions This I own I have broken every Commandment on the Account mentioned by the Apostle James That he who breaks one is Guilty of all But not otherwise Min. Alas That you know your self no better than so I do affirm to you that you have particularly broken every one of the Commandments and you must be sensible of it H. S. I cann't see it Min. But you must Remember That the Commandment is Exceeding Broad it reaches to the Heart as well as the Life it includes Omissions as well as Commissions and it at once both Requires and Forbids But I pray make an experiment upon any one Commandment in which you count your self most Innocent and 〈◊〉 whether you do not presently confâ—s your self Guilty thereabout I may not leave this point slightly passed ever with you H. S. That Commandment Thou shalt not make to thy self any Graven Image How have I broken it Min. Thus You have had undue Iâ—ages of God in your Mind a thousand times But more than so that Commandment not only forbids our using the Inventions of Men in the Worship of God but it also requires our â—sing all the Institutions of God Now have not you many and many a time turned your back upon some of those glorious Institutions H. S. Indeed Sir I confess it I see my sinfulness greater than I thought it was Min. You ought to see it God help you to see it There is a boundless Ocean of it And then for that SIN which has now brought a shameful Death upon you 't is impossible to Declare
not be catched thou thinkest to hide thy self in Secret when as God in Heaven can see see thâ—e though thou hast hid it from Man And when thou goest to Thievery thy wickedness is discovered and thou arâ— found Guilty O Young Woman that is Married and Young Man look on 〈◊〉 here be sure in that Solemn Engagement you are obliged one to another Maâ—â—iage â—s an Ordinance of God have a care of â—reaking that Bond of Marriage-Vnion if the Husband provoke his Wife and cause a Difference he sins against God and so does she in such Carriage for shâ— is bound to be an Obedient Wife O you Parents that give your Children in Marriage remember what I have to say you must take notice when you give them in Marriage you give them freely to the Lord and free them from that Service Command you ought to have yet you ought to have a tender regard to them O thou that takest no care to lead thy life civilly and honestly and then Committest that Abominable Sin of Murder here is this Murderer look upon him and see how many are come with their eyes to behold this man that abhors himself before God that is the Sin that I abhor my self for and defire you take Example by me there are here a great many young people and O Lord that they may be thy Servants Have a care do not sin I will tell you that I wish I never had had the opportunity to do such a Murder if you say when a person has provoked you I will kill him 'T is a thousâ—nd to one but the next time you will do it Now I Commit my self into the Hands of Almighty God His Prayer O Lord our Good God thou art a Merciful God and a Gracious and Loving Father Alas that thou shouldest Nourish up Children that have 〈◊〉 against Thee O Lord I must confess thou gavest me opportunity to read thy Written Word Thou art also my Creaâ—or and Preserver but Lord I have not done according to the Offers of thy Grace thou hast not hid from me the opportunities of the Good Things and Liberties of thy House and Ordinances but I have waxed wanton under the Enjoyment of them I have given thee just cause to provoke thee to Anger and thou hast left me to Shame not only on my self but on my Relations O Lord God I do confess that I have sinned against thee and done all these Iniquities against thee and before thine eyes Lord I have sinned especially against thee pardon my Sins of Youth Lord pardon this bloody Sin I stand here Guilty of O Lord hide not thy face from me I humbly beg it of thee for there is no man 〈◊〉 Redeem his Brothers Soul but only the Blood of Jesus Christ must do it Let it be sufficient to satisfie for my poor Soul I hâ—â—e not done any thing that thou shouldest be pleased to shew me thy Love or that I should have any thing from thee but only Everlasting Misery I am unworthy to come to thee yet Lord for thy Mercies Sâ—â—e have pity on me Now I am coming 〈◊〉 Iudgment Lord let the Arms of thy Mercy Receive my Soul and let my sinâ— be Remitted Good Lord let not my sinâ— which Condemn me here in this world rise up to Condemn me in the World to come though they have Condemned me in this world shew mercy Lord when I come be fore thy Iudgment-Seat If my Soul be not humbled Lord humble it let my Petition be acceptable in Heaven thy Holy Mountain I am unworthy to come into thy Presence yet O let me come into thy Kingdom and deliver my Soul from Blood Guilâ—iness in the Blood of Jesus Christ O let my wounded Soul mourn for my sin that hath brought me here Sin brings Ruine to the poor Soul wo is unto me for mine Iniquity If I had gone to Prayer in the morning when I committed this sin Lord God thou wouldest have kept back my hands from shedâ—ing innocent Blood O Gracious God Remember thou me in Mercy let me be an Object of thy pity and not of thy wrath the Lord hear me and pardon my Sins Take care of my poor Children I have scattered them like stragling sheep flying before the Wolf pity the poor Children that go like so many Lambs that have lâ—st their Keeter that they may not come to such a Death as I do 〈◊〉 Lord for the sakâ— of Jesus Christ and the Righteousness oâ— thy Son accept my Soul and receive me into the Arms of thy mercy that I may enjoy Everlasting Rest. Pardon all my sins and let the Prayers of all those that have put up their Petitions for me be accepted for the sake of Jesus Christ. Now I am coming now I am coming thou mayst say I called to thee and thou wouldst not come I must say my sin brought me here O the World and the corrupt nature of man that has proved my ruine O Lord Good Lord let me enjoy Rest for my Soul The desire of my Soul is to be with thee in thy Kingdom let me have a share in that Kingdom Now is the time Lord Jesus the Grave is opening its mouth I am now living though dead in Stn let my prayers be heard in heaven thy holy place thy hands hath made me I know thou can'st Save me hide not thy face from me and affect the hearts of thy people with this sad Obâ—â—ct that they may labour to serve thee betimes and may not give themselves up to profaneness and Wickedness especially that Sin of Drunkenness which is an in let of all Abâ—minations When thou hast thy head full of Drink the Remembrance of God is out of thy heart and thou art unprepared to commit thy self and Family unto God thou art unfit to come into Gods Presence I have cause to 〈◊〉 out anâ— be ashamed of it that I am guilty of it because I gave may to that Sin mâ—re than any other and then God did leave me to practise wickedness and to Murder that dear Woman whom I should have taken a great deal of Contentment in which if I had done I had not been here to suffer this Death Thou art Holy Just and Good and therefore O Lord have mercy on me for the sake of thy Son pity me now Lord I am coming O that I could do thee better Service Many of you that behold me I know wish you never had seen me here Lord Receive my Soul into a better place if it be thy blessed will 't is a day of great Trouble with me my Soul is greatly Troubled give me one Glimpse of Comâ—ort in thy Kingdom by by let me have one dram of thy Grace Accept of me now at this time 't is the last time Good Lord dâ—ny me not give me as the Wâ—man of Samâ—riâ— a Taste of that Living Waâ—er that my Soul may Thirst no more I beg it for the sake of Jesus Christ. Amen After this
shall be clean But what follows Thus saith the Lord God I will yet for this be enquired of to do it We must enquire of God and entreat of God if we would not perish without a Pardon forever There is no sign of a Pardon in any man till it can be said of him as in in Acts 9. 11. Behold he Prayes T is in Prayer that we confess our Sins 't is in Prayer that we renounce our Sins 't is by Prayer that we cast all our Sins upon the Lord Jesus Christ and with out this the least Sin in the World is utterly unpardonable Even those that have been already Pardoned are to continue praying for a Pardon still T is a thing which none among the Disciples of our Lord Jesus Christ are to be excused from They need the comfort of a Pardon to be sensibly Renewed unto them and tho' it have been once told unto a David The Lord has put away thy sin yet he keeps praying still in the terms of the fifty first Psalm a Prayer fitted for the lips of all that want a Pardon Luther sometimes distinguished between a Secret pardon an open pardon a secret Pardon every true Believer has but an open Pardon implies an Assurance and Evidence of a Pardon which many a Believer wants Well if we want Assurance we are to pray that it may be vouchsafed if we have Assurance we are still to pray that it be continned A Prayer for a pardon is never out of Season Conclusion 3. The sleep of Death brings upon men so great a change that they had need make sure of a Pardon before they are overtaken with it To set this Conclusion home there are three Assertions which methinks may sound like so many Claps of the loudest Thunder in the Ears of all this Numerous Auditory but especially of that poor man that must never come within these Walls again Assertion 1. The Death of Men is a kind of sleep unto them This is a Scheme of speaking used by the Holy Spirit of God Death is a Sleep to the Godly therefore it was said in Iohn 11 11 12. Our Friend Lazâ—rus sâ—eepeth Howbeit Iesus spake of his death Death is a Sleep to the Wicked also Hence it is said in Dan. 12. 2. many of them that sleep in the Dust shall awake to shame and everlasting contempt Our Burying places are therefore not unfitly termed Caemeâ—ries or Dormitories or Sleeping places Thus the Psalmist feared in Psal 13. 3. Lest I sleep the sleep of Death Death is a Sleep How T is not for the Spirit so A Psychopannychia a sleeping of the Soul on Death is too gross and sad a thing to be imagined it is it self a Dream The Active Apostle would never have said as in Phil. 1 23. I desire to be dislodged and be with Christ if he should have had nothing to do but Sleep in the Lodging which he was thus desirous to go unto Let no man imagine that his departed Soul shall become stupid and senseless and with out all Apprehensions after Death God forbid it should be so Nâ—r do YOU that are here a dying Prisoner expect that within a few Hours you shall be fallen into a Deep Sleep of all your Faculties No the Souls of Mâ—n at the hour of Death do rather begin to Awake out of the Slumbers and Phanâ—aâ—ms which they are here buried in and they have a most exquisite feeling of the condition which they then pass into How then is Death a sleep T is thus for the Body The Body then has a Rest in a Bed a Rest from a million weary Travels but as a Sleep will have an End so this Rest will be not perpetual not eternal the Resurrection when the Almighty God will call Awake yee that ly in the Dust that is the Morning which will put a period thereunto Assertion 2. The Pardon of Sin is not after Death a thing to be obtained As 't is said in Isa. 38. 18 19. They that go down into the Pit cannot hope for thy Truth The Living the Living he shall praise thee Even so The Living the Living he may get a Pardon but if once a man be gone down to the Pit he is past hope of such a thing The Dead must cry out as the Dying have sometimes done with a woful Desperation 'T is all too late all too late When once a man is Dead what is the next thing 'T is answered in Heb. 9. 27. After Death the Iudgment A Iudgment and not a Pardon is the thing to be then attended unto And what kind of Iudgment will it be Truly 't will be a Iudgment which no Pardon will Reverse none can Repeal We read an amazing property of it in Heb. 6. â— Eternal Iudgment even the Iews in their Confession of Faith call it so When once we are Dead we pass into a VVorld where all is Eternal there we are fixed like Rocks in an astonishing Ocean of Eternity 't is an Eternity of VVeal or an Eternity of Wo nothing but Eternity which remains before us And O how awful should the mention of Eternity Eternity be to YOU forlorn and setter'd man who if you do not get a Pardon of the Great God before this week be ouâ— must unto all Eternity be deprived of it Assertion 2. But infiniâ—e and Horrible Woes must be the Portion of those whom Death findâ— Vnpardoned Aâ— the Prophet said Wo unto the Wicked even so I say Wo unto the Vnpardoned it shall be ill with him if Death find him so It is testify'd unto us in Rom. 6. 23. The wages of sin is Death Our Sins are every Day crying in the Ears of the Lord of Hosts pay us our wages pay us our wages When Death arrives unto an Unpardoned Man then pay-day comes and the Wages of Death and Hell for ever are pay'd unto the Sinner whom 't is due unto That Good Man took it for granted If I be Wicked wo unto me So may a man upon the Brinks of Death and ONE of you is very certainly so assure himself Wo unto me if I now be found Vnpardoned Then He that made me will not have mercy on me and He that formed me will show me no Favour Where Sin is the Needie there Destruction is the Thred if a pardon have not cut it off before the Tâ—â—ed of our Lives be broken Wo to us Nothing will then remain for an Unpardoned Sinner but A Fearful Expectation of a Fiery Indignation to devour him Nothing will remain but Everlasting Fire with the Divel and his Angels Nothing will remain but The Worm which Dyeth not and the Fire which never shall be Quenched But no Tongue maâ— Express or Heart conceive the Doloâ— the Torment and Anguish of that Estate which after Death is reserved for the Unpardoned By the Help of an Exalted Fancy a man may represent unto himself Racks and Boots and Fires and Rivers of Ardent Brimstone and Running Bel-metal to
once he said I have felt a great work on my distressed soul This your son was lost and is found was dead and is alive Doleful nights have I seen the Thoughts of my sins did sorely oppress me when I would be crying to my dear Saviour for His mercy He would seem not to pitty me but to say Thou hast been a servant of the Devil and of thy Lust and dost thou now come to me I have been calling to thee and thou hast been hardening thy heart at my Calls and dost thou expect mercy after all And then the Devil would put in saying Thou hast been my Vassal so long thy Cries for Mercy are now all too late I have also seen the face of an Angry God and that is the most terrible thing that was ever seen I then found no sâ—ay for my distressed soul but Free-mercy Free-mercy The Lord now put under me His everlasting Arms and gave me an heart still to pray say Lord Iesus Mercy for Thy own sake Mercy for thy Name 's sake My Redeemer would say Thou art a great sinner and an old sinner The Answer of my soul was Truth Lord but even such sinners have already found mercy at thy hands I come to thee for with thee the fatherless find mercy He would break forth into very High Expressions his great Comfort was fetch'd from that Promise in Maâ— 11. 28. Come to Me and I will give you rest He would now cry out O the Riches of Free-grace There are thousands of thousands ten thousand times ten thousand in the third Heaven rejoicing over a great and an 〈◊〉 sinner coming to Glory O glorify Free-grace for ever He would say O blessed Sickness blessed sickness what a friend hast thou been to me and now Welcome Death or Wecome Life what my dearest Redeemer please O that I could declare to my Relations and my Neighbours yea that I could declare to Kings and Worlds what the Lord has done for my soul He would reflect on the Humiliation of the Lord Jesus Christ with an amazed a transported soul he would break forth into a great Adoration of it and say O this wonderful mercy to undone sinners He would also make that one of his Admirations O the glorious work of faith which doth role it self on Christ alone He bewailed it with a peculiar Bitterness That he had been for the change of Government But 〈◊〉 said he believed that God would restore 〈◊〉 us the judges as at the first the counsellours as at the beginning pastors according to His own heart He was likewise much concerned about the Interest of Christ in the world about the Success of the Prince of Orange whose glorious Expedition we had then by the edges a small notice of he talk'd in strains that seem'd surprisingly prophetical His counsil to every one was To make their Calling Election sure And he would often say O I am an old sinner but a young Convert I am fifty yeers old and have lived but seven weeks all this whiâ—â— To his Brethren he said You are care full about a Garment for me under my weakness this winter but Brothers I have a better Garment than you can provide for me the long white Robe of theâ— Righteousness of Jesus Christ will cover me all over He kept praying praising singing psalms till his end came and then being taken speechless senseless his friends apprehended they should hear him speak no more Thus he lay for divers hours drawing on but at length he just came to himself again and sprang up in his bed spreading his arms abroad as tho' going to leap into the Arms of a Redeemer and Shouting O my friends Heaven rings all over at this They wonder at this a great and an old sinner coming to Heaven Behold in my father's house are many mansions if it had not been so my Saviour would not have said it But He is gone to prepare a place for one O the Riches of Grace O glorifie Free-Grace for ever more And so he went away to the Rest of God Despair not That alone will mercy bar To faults that like the Sands Mountains are FINIS ERRATUM Page 46. Line 14. r. Day of Grace