us who dwell in houses of Clay whose Foundation is in the dust which are crushed before the moth did I say so Nay this is not the worst of our Character we are not only undeserving creatures but also Hell-deserving sâ—inners When our first Father began a desperate War against the Omnipotent God we were part of the mad Regiment involved in his persidious Treason and our Emnity against our Maker has from our very Cradles been so enormous that we should long ere now have bin Devils-in-flesh if the checks of Restraining Grace had bin taken away And what unreasonably vitious lives have we been leading ever since a Rational Soul apparently acted in us How have we bin every moment sinning against the Law of God transgressing every precept of Love to God to man Yea how grievousâ—ly have we bin sinning against the Gospel too fearfully grieving sleighting and shamefully affronting a Redeemer that for many a day besought us to be reconciled unto God! This have we been done And Ah Lord doest thou open thine eyes upon such ones What if the Lord Jesus Christ had now only spoken unto us such fiery wrathful words as those in Isa 1. 23. Aha I will ease me of mine enemies avenge me of mine Adversaries or those in Luc. 19. 27. Those mine enemies bring hither and slay before me Verily I say unto you he would be clear in his speaking and just in his judging so What if he should appear unto us in the black garments of all-desolating indignation with keen Darts consuming Thunder-bolts in his hand What if he should appear in flaming fire to take vengeance on us that have not known God nor obeyed his Gospel Surely this would be no more than a proper and a proportionable Dispensation But instead of this the winning Language which with bowels full of such Philanthropy as this King's wedding a Queen out of our poor Family His taking our Nature to subsist in his Second Person doth evince and encline Him to have unto us he speakes unto us is O Look in o Me and be SAVED Yea and in this thing he doth with a Riddle of Free Grace destinguish us from by dignifying us above uncountable Multitudes of our Fellow-creatures our Fellow-criminals If we do look through the earth and into Hell we shall soon see our selves lifted up to heaven by the Invitation which our Lord Jesus has given to us to Look unto Him for Salvation Let us we especeally in this Wilderness that that like Gideon's Fleece enjoyes these Dewes of Heaven when the rest of the world is dry may do it take a view of all the Visible World and see what incredible Millions in every Generation there are that either never had one beam from the Sun of Righteousness falling on them but drop down into the Land of Darkness without hearing a word of Him or at least are by their blind Guides muffled up in such Ignorance as proves to them the Mother of Destruction Alas Alas for the people that perish for lack of vision that sit in the region of the shadow of death But here in a little Spot of ground that t other day the Devil was worshiped in there now are the Colonies whom the Invitations of Jesus Christ have known above all the Families of earth This is much But take a view likewise of the howling people in the Invisible world Who are there in the fiery dismal Vault below There are vast Legions of Devils in that place of torment but unto which of those apostate spirits has our Lord Jesus said I would have thee to look unto me There is an innumerable number of our Race too gone down into that formidable Pit but unto none of those does the Lord Christ ever say Thou mayst be saved by me if thou wilt No those Invitations are our Prerogative Wonderments where are you Halleluiahs where are you Syrs let us place the utmost of them upon this misterious Love. But we are sottish our unaffected rocky hearts are insensible of our obligations to the Lord Jesus Christ Then wonder O ye Angels give Thanks O all ye ministring Spirits Let the Morning stars in the upper Regions throughout eternal Ages think honourably of the Saviour whom we are unapt to acknowledge for his remembring us in our low estate because his mercy endures for ever O how how shall we enough extol the merâ—iful High-Priest whose Look unto me and be saved has bin vouchsaved unto us Is this the manner of men O Lord No no. Then Let the people praise the O Lord let all the people praise thee since Thy way is known upon the earth and Thy SAVING Health among all Nations But This is not all the Good-Speech of our Lord Jesus Christ unto us There 's some-what more that remains to be said unto us all and particularly unto that Condemned Malefactor here who is never to see the Light of another Sabbath in the world It was a pathetic word of the Apostle to his Corinthians in 2. Cor. 6. 1. We beseech you that receive not the grace of God in vain Wherefore VSE I I. O Let every one of us now Look unto Jesus Christ by Faith for SALVATION If he say unto us Look unto me let not us be such prodigies of madness as to reply No we will not look unto thee It is a sweet intercourse between God and man which the prophet prescribes in Jer. 3. 22. where the Call of God is Return ye backsliding children and I will heal your backslidings and the Echo of man is Behold we come unto thee for thou art the Lord our God. O that there might now be such a Communion between Christ and us His Call is Look unto Mee and be saved let our Return be Behold we look unto thee for thou art the Lord our Saviour Do not I entreat you do not give unto the Lord Jesus Christ such a daring and damning Answer as that in Jer. 44. 16. As for the word spoken to us in the Name of the Lord we will not hearken thereunto It is a thing declared by the Lord Jesus Christ concerning these Gospel-times Zech. 12. 10. Men shall look upon me and morn Now shall a like thing be brought to pass within these walls this day How shall so great a thing as this be gained A sad part of this Congregation t is to be doubted are too much like the Leviathan Their hearts are as firm as a stone as hard as a peice of the nether Milstone The sword of him that layeth at them cannot hold Alas what shall be done for them Unto Thee O Lord do I how my knee O Father of spirits and of mercies look down with thy tender mercies on the spirits of the unperswadeable Children And O Thou that hast the keyes of David in thy hand Open open our hearts as thou didst Lydia ' s of old and effect by thy mighty power that we may look unto thee believe God forbid that
your serious Attention Doct. The Lord Jesus Christ in His Gospel graciously earnestly inviteth all the Children of men to Look unto Him by Faith upon Him for SALVATION When the no less unexpected than un deniable Request of the dying man who now stands in in this Assembly that I would allow him this Morning a Discourse proper for his uncomfortable Circumstances was yesterday brought unto me I cold not suddenly think on any thing more accommodated unto all the Persons Services which are before me than that which I have now pitch'd upon The Body of this Congregation can't hear of a more important thing than this of Looking unto Jesus Christ for Salvation Men and Brethren This is the One thing needful The little flock of Communicants unto whom I am by by to administer the Holy Supper cannot be excited unto a fitter work than this of Looking unto Jesus Christ for Salvation Christians this is our Errand hither The poor condemned Malefactor who is here listening to one of the three last Sermons that ever he is like to fit under before his Encounter with the King of Terrors cannot be put in mind of any thing that will more tend to prepare him for his near approaching death than this of Looking unto the Lord of Life for Salvation Life Poor man do you hearken I 'll study to make this whole hour very particularly suitable serviceable to you and methinks a man that knows himself about to take an eternal Farewel of all Sermons should endeavour to hear with most earnest heed The God of Heaven grant that Faith may come unto you by your Hearing It is a very pretious Repast which is thus brought unto you O immortal Souls It comes from the Land flowing with milk honey The ensuing Propositions may carve it out unto you The 1st Proposition that arrests our thoughts is 1. That to Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ is to Look unto Him for Salvation These blessed things are equivalent each to the other and herein we have both the Act of Faith and the End of Faith. fairly suggested unto us ¶ As for the Act of Faith that is a Looking The Faith of God's Elect hath in the Scripture several Bodily Actions used as the Metaphors Shadows of it There is the Action of the Hand for the sake of which in Joh. 1. 12. Faith is said to be a Receiving of Jesus Christ There is the Action of the Mouth in Resemblance of which in Joh. 6. 54. Faith is said to Fat the Flesh of Jesus Christ There is the Action of the Foot in regard of which Joh. 6. 35. Faith is said to be a Coming unto Jesus Christ Thus likewise the Action of the Eye is here improved to denote the Christ-ward motions of soul which the Believer hath There is indeed a 3 fold Look which the beleeving Soul in its Agonies does give towards the Lord Jesus Christ There is a Look of Desire a Look with a Wish yea with a Groan a Look with a Lord help me Such a Look as the hoarse Lâ—per gave in Marc. 1. 40. when he came to Jesus Christ beseeching Him kneeling down unto Him. There is also a Look of Dependance a Trusting a Rolling a Relying Look a Look accompanied with the Language of the Psalmist in Psal 25. 2. O my God I trust in thee And there is a Look of Acknowledment producing both of these Many things doth the Believer dâ—scern confess to be in that Jesus whose Name is Wonderful Counsellor The mighty God the Everlasting Eather the Prince of Peace But these 2 things especially One thing of which he is sensible is that Jesus Christ is a mighty Saviour owning that in Heb. 7. 25. He is able to save to the uttermost them that come unto God by Him. Another thing whereof he is not unsensible is that Jesus Christ is a Merciful Saviour owning that in Joh. 6. 37. Him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out After this manner does the Believer look to the Saviour upon the everlasting Hills from whence comes all his help But upon what Motive for What ¶ As for the End of Faith that is SALVATION This the Apostle grants in 1. Pet. 1. 9. where he speaks to Christians about the end of their Faith the Salvation of their souls That which the Believer doth purpose to himself by his Addresses to Jesus Christ is that he may be rescued from all the Calamities which his Fall from God hath brought upon him and that he may be made partaker of Benefits contrary thereunto by the means of an All-sufficient a Compassionate Jesus the Mediator There are indeed especially three things which the Believer does look unto the Lord Jesus for His first Look is with that glance in Psal 119. 122. Lord Be surely for thy servant for good He would behold Jesus Christ as the Lamb of God appearing before divine Justice in his room adding unto this Cast of his Eye this Throb of his heart Oh let Jesus Christ take away all my Sins with all the wants woes which thereby I become obnoxious unto He would have Jesus Christ to remove all the guilt that lies upon him to enstate him in the Favour and Fellowship of God and to procure for him all Blessings whatsoever especially spiritual Blessings the Blessings of the upper springs the sure Mercies of the Covenant by His own Obedience Intercession His Next Look is with thatsigh in Plal. 25. 4. Shew â—e thy wayes O Lord Teach me thy paths There is an Eye-salve which he petitions unto this Lord our healer for He flyes cryes unto Jesus Christ as that son of sorrow did of old Lord that I may receive my sight He would have Christ to remove all the blindness of his mind to reveal unto him the happiness which is not seen and which is eternal and to discover unto him all that he must know do in order to his obtaining of it His Look is with that Aim in Psal 119. 5. Oh that my mayes were Directed to Keep thy statutes O God! He submits unto the ruling Will of God while he Emplores the Saving Grace of Jesus Christ He reckons that the Most High by saying I have â—â—â—t my Son to bless you by turning you away from your Iniquities hath told him of a Blessedness a Loving kindness which he hath infinite cause to say Amen unto He would have Jesus Christ to remove all the Disorder of his Will to incline him so that he may refuse the evil choose the good and to shield him against all the ruining attempts of the World the Flesh and the Devil for evermore This all of this Faith is beck'nned for in this one word Look unto Me. And these are the Christward Looks which must be given by you whose eyes will be within a few dayes clos'd by the cold hands of grim Death if you would not roar in outer worseâ—han
an affront put upon his Imperial Majesty so he that shall kill a man that is made after the Image of God puts a Contempt upon the DIVINE Majesty there is Treason against God contained in the bloody Bowels of this Sin. Upon this account it is indeed a greater sin to kill a good man that has the Image of God renewed in him than to kill a wicked man. Nevertheless that also is a Capital Crime for all men have something (e) Calvin Rivet Pareus in Gen. 9. 6. of Gods Image remaining in them not only in that every man has an immortal soul and is in that respect more like the immortal God than any other creature in the world and in that men have a dominion over the Creatures which is one part of Gods Image on that account does the Apostle say that Man is the Image and Glory of God. 1. Cor. 11 7. But also in that the Law is written in the hearts of men by Nature (f) Ames Theol. lib. 1. cap. 14. though God has executed spiritual death upon Mankind for Adam's Apostasy after a dreadful manner yet he has moderated that punishment hence men in a natural estate yet close with some practical principles of Piety Righteousuess as That God ought to be worshiped that Men should do as they would be done by and the like and many natural men yet have an image of Vortue they have something like Grace a shadow of it they hate flagitious Crimes and approve of a morally honest Conversation These things shew that there are some Remainders of the Image of God in men therefore he that shall murder such a creature is worthy of death But thus for the Doctrinal handling of the Truth before us I proceed to make some Application 1. By way of Information 2. For Exhortation Infor. 1. This Doctrin justifyeth the Authority here in respect of the Sentence of Death which has been passed on the Murderer who is this day to be Executed There is a man standing before the Lord and among His people this day who has done just as my Text expresseth he hath smitten his Neighbour and that with an Instrument of lorn too with a cruel Spit made of Iron the thing proved by several Witnesses and the man that was hurt dyed of that wound therfore he that has smitten him is a Murderer and must surely be put to death Tho' for a long time he denied it nevertheless since his Condemnation he has acknowledged it and yesterday he confessed to me that he had in his Rage murdered the man whose death and blood has bin laid to his Charge he told me that the other gave him some ill language whereby he was provoked and that he said to him if he came within the door he would run the Spit into his Bowels and he was as wicked as he said he would be so that he is guilty of Murder Therefore none ought to blame Those in Authority for causing the Murderer to be put to death Conscience to God to the People under their Charge and to their own Souls also has necessitated them to do what they have done in this matter Let every one remember that Scripture Prov. 28. 17. A man that doth violence to the blood of any person shall flee to the Pit let no man stay him if he has shed blood to the Pit let him go and flee thither let all convenient Speed be used in the Execution of Justice that so the Land may be cleared from blood and let no man in Authority stay him let no private person solicit for him But let us be thankful to God that we are under such Magistrates as will do Justice and Execute Judgment punish Sin according as the Word of God requires that it should be done Infor. 2. Hence Those Things which have a tendency to and a degree of Murder in them must needs be evil e. g. Rash sinful Anger is an evil thing Murder begins there 'T was said of those Brethren in Iniquity Simeon Levi That Instruments of Cruelty were in their habitations for in their Anger they slew a man cursed be their wrath for it was cruel Gen. 49. 5. 6. And ouâ— Lord Jesus Christ in His Exposition of the Sixth Commandment shews that rash Anger is a degree of Murder Mat. 5. 21 22. You have heard that it was said by them of old time Ye shall not kill and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the Judgement but I say unto you that whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the Judgment There is Man's Judgment-seat and GOD's Judgment-seat Murder makes a man be in danger of the former sinful Anger exposes him to the latter Not that all Anger is sinful there is an â—nger that is good when a man is angry in God's cause moved with zeal indignation because God is dishonoured that 's very good and a man may sometimes be angry in his own cause too and yet not sin Be angry and sin not But when men are angry without a just cause that 's Evil. When they are angry more than they have cause for that they are all in a flame for a meer trisâ—e when as one well expresses it a man shall suffer the (g) v. Mâ— Câ—â—â—ocks Supplement cap. 9. p. 368. Becoâ— of his soul to be sit all on â—ire at the landing of every small Boat that 's a foolish and evil thing or when men shall be angry longer than they ought to be an implacable spirit is a vile murderous spirit Anger rests in the bosom of sools Sinful Anger is poysâ—â— which as soon as ever a man has taken it into his mouth he shall spit it out again And when Anger shall break out into Curses and wicked Imprecations that 's wicked Anger This condemned man that stands here confesses that he was wont in his passion to curse all near him He murdered many a man with his bloody tongue before he was left of God to murder any with his hand His mouth was full of Cursing Bitterness before he shed blood And when men in their Rarge imprecate curse themselvs it s a very evil thing there are some that will say They wish they might be hang'd if such a thing be so and many times the righteous Judgment of God brings that very evil upon 'em There is a Printed Relation concerning (h) Sr. Gerv. Elways mention'd by Mr. Howel in his Londinop by Mr. Ball of the power of Godliness l. 4. c. 3. p. 329. by Mr. Leigh in his Body of Divinity Lib. 4. Cap. 16. P. 445. a Person of Quality that was hang'd for a Crime laid to his charge and when he came to dye he confessed that he had been much addicted to that sinful Recreation of Card-Playing and that many times when the Game went otherwise than he wish'd for he would in his passion wish that he might he
take heed of those sins as they love their Lives or Souls I know not but that it may be for Edisieation and tend to God's Glory if I should read in this great Assembly what I received in Writing from this dying distressed Creature It s this which followeth I James Morgan being Condemned to dye must needs own to the glory of God that He is righteous and that I have by my sins provoked Him to destroy me before my time I have bin a great sinner guilty of Sabbath-breaking of Lying and of Uncleanness but there are especially two Sins whereby I have offended the great God one is that Sin of Drunkenness which has caused me to commit many other Sins for when in Drink I have been often guilty of Cursing and Swearing and quarrelling and striking others But the Sin which lies most heavy upon my Conscience is that I have despised the Word of God and many a time refused to hear it preached For these things I beleeve God has left me to that which has brought me to a shameful miserable death I do therefore beseech warn all persons young men especially to take heed of these Sins lest they provoke the Lord to do to them as He has justly done by me And for the further peace of my own Conscience I think my self obliged to add this unto my foregoing Confession That I own the Sentence which the Honoured Court has pass'd upon me to be exceeding just in as much as tho I had no former Grudge and Malice against the man whom I have killed yet my Passion at the time of the Fact was so out-ragious as that it hurrâ—â—d me on to the doing of that which makes me justly now proceeded against as a Murderer Thus does this miserable man confess But how many are there in the Congregation that this may strike terror trembling into their souls O Lord how many are there in this great Assembly who have lived and do live in those very sins for which this Man confesseth that God has been provoked to destroy him Let sinners hear take warning this day This man now that the Terrors of God have awakned his soul bitterly complains of two Sins especially one is that of Drunkenness And indeed Drunkenness has bin a bloody sin it has bin the cause of many a Murder The man here who is now flying to the Pit confesseth that in his Drink he was wont to Curse Swear and to quarrel and strike those near him and he acknowledged to me that he had made himself grievously drunk the day before he was left of God to commit the Murder which he now must dye for yea and that he had that very night bin drinking to excess and that he was not clear of drink at the time when he did the bloody Fact. And does not the Scripture say Who has wo who has sorrow who has contentions who has babling who has wounds without cause They that tarry long at the Wine c. Prov. 23. 29 30. Wicked men when they are in drink will fall to Quarrelling words will bring on blows and those blows will cause wounds and those wounds may perhaps prove mortal and then what Woe Sorrow followes O how many have by means of this sin been guilty of Interpretative Murder â— They have caused others to dye by making them drunk There has been an horrible thing done in this place some wicked persons who they are God knows have given or sold strong Liquors to the Indians and made them drunk also and several of them have dyed in that condition Let such know that the Lord will judg them yea He will judg 'em as Men that have shed blood shall be judged they must answer for the blood of Souls and Bodyes too Most wicked and miserable Creatures they are that to gain a few pence will bring upon themselvs the guilt of the blood of Souls of Bodies too And this bloody sin of Drunkenness has bin the cause of many a Self-Murder how many have made themselvs the woful Martyrs of Bacchus thereby By Drunkenness Intemperance they have brought their Bodies to the Grave and their Souls to Hell before their time It is an unhappy thing that of later years a kind of Strong †Reverend Mr Wilson once said in a Sermon there is a sort of drink come into the country which is called Kill Devil but it should be call'd Kill men for the Devil Drink kath been common amongst us which the poorer sort of people both in Town Country can make themselves drunk with â—â— cheap easy rates They that are poor and wicked too Ah most miserable Creatures can for a peny or two pence make themselvs drunk I wish to the Lord some remedy might be thought of for the prevention of this evil It 's a very sad thing that so many Bodyes Souls should be eternally ruin'd and no help for it How few are there that if once they be addicted to â—his vice do ever truly repent of it or turn from it There was a Man who hearing that his Son took evil courses and that he followed such a vice well said he I hope he 'll leave that and that he was given to another vice I hope said he he 'll leave that too but it was told him that his Son was given to Drunkenness also Nay then said he I have no hope of him I will not say as he did There is no hope that ever a Drunkard should repent but I say there have been but few such Instances in the world How rarely have any of you known a man that has been addicted to this Body-destroying and Soul-murdering Iniquity that has truly repented of it or turned from it again O then Let Men that have any love for their Lives or Souls beware of this bloody Sin. But the other Evil which this undone Man does especially cry out of and which now that he seeth his Soul going into Eternity he saith lies most heavy upon his Conscience is his Despising the Word of God. I do not wonder to hear him speak so for I have known several Condemned persons who have made the same out-cry O nothing terrifies our Consciences like the thought of This that we have neglected the Means of grace And what think you of Sinners in Hell who are wayling for this with tears of blood for ever ever whose doleful and bitter cry is O the Sermons which we once heard or might have heard but would not Ten Thousand worlds would we give for an opportunity to hear one of those Sermons again with any hope of finding Mercy with God. O you that have lived under the Gospel but despised it think of this Verily I say unto you all the sins in the world will not damn like this Suppose a man to have bin guilty of Adultry or Murder or the most horrid Transgressions against the Law of God these will not damn his Soul
I have â—in partly ruind by But here I am and know not what will become of my poor soul which is within a few moments of eternity I have murder'd a poor man who â—â—d but little time to repent and I know not what is become of his poor soul O that I may make use of this opportunity that I have O that I may make improvement of this little little time before I go hence and be no more O let all mind what I am a saying now I 'm going out of this world O take warning by me and beg of God to keep you from this sin which has bin my ruine His last words were O Lord receive my spirit I come unto thee O Lord I come unto thee O Lord I come I come I come THE CALL OF THE GOSPEL APPLYED Unto All men in general and Vnto a Condemned Malefacto in particular In a SERMON Preached on the 7th Day of March. 1686. At the Request and in the Hearing of a man under a just Sentence of Death for the horrid SIN of MVRDER By COTTON MATHER Pastor to a Church at Boston in N. E. The SECOND EDITION Psal 89. 1. I will sing of the mercies of the Lord for ever with my mouth will I make known thy Faithfulness to all generations Nulla species Peccati tanta est qua non sit Superior JESUS Orig. Printed at Boston by Richard Pierce 1687. To the Reader ALtho' my Consent to the Publication of the ensuing Sermon had no small Objections to Encounter with for First The short time allow d me for Preparation after I was by the littleexpected dying Desire of a poor man diverted from my spending the whole of the Sabbath with a bereaved Congregation to which my help was promised and Next the Regard to be had unto the Administration of the Lords Supper which now in the Absence of an Honoured Relation that kindly answered my Engagement elsewhere I was to keep some Eye unto both necessitated me to want in this Discourse that Accuracy that full pertinency which might recommend iâ— unto the Iudicious Nevertheless so long as among all the Faults in it I found not this That it was not dâ—signed to do good and so long as among all the Pleas which in a curious captious age my love to my own râ—pose brought against â—he omitting of it I never met with this That It was impossible any good should be done by it I have at the urgent Importunity of others ventur'd to deliver it into the Hands of as many as shall think themselves concerned to peruse it Praying that it may reach touch the hearts of them to whom a Christ should be a Pearl of great Price till they LOOK unto HIM and be SAVED Cotton Mather The CALL of the GOSPEL unto All the Ends of the Earth Apply'd especially unto a poor man under the just Sentence of Death for the Crying Sin of MVRDER Isai XLV 22. LOOK unto Mâ— and be ye SAVED all the Ends of the Earth THESE Words give unto us the most Joyful Sound that ever the Children of Death had the favour of Some of us doubâ—less can with a most Distinguishing and Experimental Relish profess concerning this Oracle of God as some other persons have concerning some other Passages in the Sacred Pages â—â—e would not have had this Sentence left out of our Bibles for the riches of both the India's Yea who among us all at the reading of these glad â—ydings unto us can forbear joyning with the Rapturous shouts of Heaven with that Angelical and Evangelical Out-cry in Luc. 2. 14. Glory to God in the â—â—gâ—est on earth peace Good-will towards men Behold the Saviour of the world is this day speaking unto you ye Congregation of the Lord Arrayed in His white garments He looks thro the Windows of His bright Ivory Palace and â—tereth an Invitation to you which Blessed are your ears that hear this day This 45 th Chapter of that which we may not ineptly â—â—st the Gospel according to Isaiah seems the Close of a Sermon begun at the 40 th chapter of that admirable Book whose Gospel-strains are so abundant that in the New-Testament some have counted perhaps about threescore Quotations from it and good old Ambrose hence advised Austin unto a peculiar frequency in the Reading of it Isaiah signifies the Salvation of God now that very thing especially in the more promissory Conclusion of his Prophecy is very much the Subject of his Ministry The Princely Prophet is predicting perhaps about 200 years before the Accomplishment thereof the Reduction and Redemption of the captiv'd Jews from Babylon together with the very name of the Persian Emperor Cyrus who should be the â—â—â—â—rument thereof and thereupon he assigns the several reasons of this stupendions Dispensation One ground thereof laid down is that the Nations of the world far and near might be brought to abandon their Lying vanities and to acknowledge the Only true GOD with Jesus Christ whom He hath sent At the mention of this there immediately falls in the gracious invitation to those Nations which we have now to insist upon wherein we may observe 1. The Subjects which are call'd upon These are all the ends of the earth even the Gentiles in all quarters of the world whose Vocation is here foretold The poor souls whose natural Distanse from the Church of God and whose moral Distance from the Love of God was exceeding deplorable 2. The Object propounded for these to converse withal This by that Expression Me is determined to be the Lord Himself But who Truly it is God the Saviour it is the Lord Jesus Christ a Devotion to whom should come instead of the Homage which men had bin wont to yeild unto their other Images of God and Deliverance by whom is the Antitype of what the Lords people had of old by other â—â—viours To confirm this Interpretation I find the Chaldee Paraphrase rendring this Me by My Word using the Term of Meemar which belongs to the 2nd Person in the adorable Trinity 3. The Act to be applyed hereunto This is to Look namely with an Eye of faith of repentance In this Clause there seems to be an Allusion to the Looks that the ancient Israelites had bin wont to give unto the Brazen Serpent which if that great Reformer Hezekiah had not made meer brass of it might for ought I know be still abus'd to vain vile Superstitions among ' em 4. The End of the Whole T is said Be ye saved and the intent of that is Double it is both be desireous that ye may be saved it is be assured that ye shall be saved The two fold End both finis Operis and finis Operantis both the Design the Event is to be Salvation Salvation SALVATION but what a Word is That It is a word that does contain more than any man can conceive From hence then This Doctrin of GOD your Saviour does challeng
years Ps 9. 10. Also before your time which probably you had lotted on and which men too often do promise themselvs Such as upon any awakenings of Conscience and Calls to Repentance delay put it off while in their Youth it is upon a promise of repenting when they are old and how many in that sense die before their time And here for your further awakning observe the Lord in his Providence making good another dreadful word upon you viz. that bloudy and deceitful men shall not live out half their dayes Psal 55. 23. Thus you are a son of Death God and man have said to thee Oh wicked man thou shalt surely dye 4. Your time is numbred and almost finished Indeed God has numbred all our times Yearâ— and the number of our months is with him Job 1â— 5. But the number of your I cannot say monthâ— but dayes is with your self you your self may number your own dayes The Lord teach you to apply your heart unto wisdom while numbering them Psal 90. 12. You are just now upon the very brink of the Pit the Grave is ready for you upon the very Edge of Eternity are you I say eminently you now walking will be within the line of it very speedily Job could say when a few years are come then I shall go the way whence I shall not return Cap. 16. 22. But you may say Before 4 dayes are come gone I shall be gone to the place from whence I shall not return till the very heavens be no more It made Belshazzar's Countenance to be changed the joints of his loins to be loosed and his knees to knock one against another to see the Hand-Writing upon the wall Dan. 5. 6. and we may imagine or at least one would think you whose very case it is may imagine how his thoughts within him were troubled when the Interpretation laid that dreadful doom upon himself that his Kingdom was numbred finished by God and it was meant of his life All which was lost that night v. 27. 30. It 's true we have none of us any lease of our lives we cannot say what may befal us this night and yet O amazing Madness Folly how apt are we if not to boast of yet to lot upon tomorrow How ready to promise to our selvs many years as the Fool in the Gospel did Luc. 12. 20. who well deserved the name of Fool had it been for that one evidence of it only But for your part you have your bounds set told you beyond which you cannot pass you know at the utmost the Date of your life and Day of your Death you may die sonner but you must not live longer your end is in your view you have but a few steps thither and had not need take any vain unprofitable or false ones You seem to bewail your sin of Sabbath-breaking well know that you shall never have another Sabbath to break The Lord help you to keep this as you ought I cannot pass this particular without once more commending it to your serious Consideration O chew upon it dwell upon it that a few hours hence you shall cirtainly dye It 's a very awful thing to us to look upon you a person in your Youth Health and Strength Breasts full of milk and Bones moisâ—ned with marrow and then to think that within so many daies this man tho' in his full Strength must dy and methinks it should be much more awful to you 5. Your Death will not expiâ—te your Offence in the sight of God nor cause the Turning away of His Anger from you It s true the shedding of your bloud will take away the Sin from the Land that it shall noâ— ly there else innocent bloud should be imputed to the Land but this doeâ— nothing towards the Satisfaction of Gods Justicâ— in order to the Removal of his wrath from the Murderer Punishment makes no amends for Sin unless it be that which was inflicted upon Christ as he stood in the capacity of a Surety in behalf of the Elect and so bare both their sin and their punishment but otherwise Hâ—ll torments don't satisfy God's Justâ—ce nor quench the fire of his wrath muchless can any bodily suffering do it tho it be the highest even death it self Do not then deceive your self Say not I have sinned its true but am now to suffer the Law and that being undergone I shall then be quitt It is so indeed as to any thing that men can do to thee but thy death does not at all deliver thee out of the hands of Divine Justice Nay rather Sixthly If you get not this Sin and all the rest of your sins done away and so the Anger of God removed your approaching Death will be but the beginning of Sorrows to you However sensually or like a Beast or worse you have lived you shall not dye as Beasts dye so as that there shall be an end of you and all your sufferings together No no such matter Your precious immortal soul must live forever and if you get not the fire of God's Anger put out Know that there is a Fire kindled in his anger that shall burn to the lowest Hell. Without Repentance â—â—to life which is the gift of Christ and for your Comfort I tell you in the midst of all these bitter things I have been speaking to you he is freely willing to give it even to you Oh look up to Him heartily for the same I say unless you get this Repentance unto life your death is but an In-let to the Second death No sooner shall your guilty soul be forced out of your wretched body but it shall appear before God that gave it there to receive another manner of Sentence of Condemnation than what you have already heard from man by which you were condemned to dye but there was room for a Lord have Mercy on your soul to be annexed whereas in that Sentence there will be no mercy upon your soul for your soul is the principal subject of the 2nd death Separating your soul and body asunder was the aim and will be the â—ssue of this Sentence but the death everlasting utter loss of your soul for which nothing can be given to God in Exchange Mat. 16. 26. will be the meaning of this Sentence Theâ— shall your soul be committed into left in the hands of the Devil your master whom you have served that great Murderer Lyar who was so from the beginning and is the father lord of such to be dragged down by him into the place where your fellow-Murderers and fellow-Lyars and fellow-Drunkards are viz. into the lake that burns with fire brimstone which is the second death Rev. 21. 8. there to be tormented with the Devil his angels where the Worm never dyeth and the fire never shall be quenched Marc. 9. 43. 44. You have a scareing vision Rev. 6. 8. of one whose name was Death