the worth and excellency of will above all things be most vexatious unto them 2. The punishment of sense this will consist in the horrible pains and tortures which shall in extremity be inflicted upon every part of the bodies of all the wicked by the most dreadful and unquenchable Fire which they shall be thrown into and the more horrible anguish which through the immediate imimpressions of Gods wrath shall be inflicted upon every faculty of their souls in Hell where they shall have no ease nor release for ever Matth. 25. 41. Depart from me ye cursed into everlasting Fire prepared for the Devill and his Angels Rev. 14. 10 11. The same shall drink of the Wine of the Wrath of God which is poured out without mixture into the Cup of his indignation and shall be tormented with Fire and Brimstone in the presence of the Holy Angels and in the presence of the Lamb And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever and they have no rest Day nor Night c. See more of this in my Book of Christ's certain and sudden Appearance to Judgement and in my Book of Fire and Brimstone c. Secondly That this Wrath of God is to come this implyseth two things 1. That this Wrath is not yet come 2. That it will certainly come 1. This wrath of God is not yet come were it come who could stand before it who could deliver from it where it seiseth it crusheth it burneth and that worse than any fire where it seiseth it holds and never letteth go it's hold for ever but as yet this is not come some sparks of this fire may be let fall in temporal judgements upon sinners in this life but what are temporal judgements in comparison with eternal In this world God doth exercise his patience towards the wicked he is angry with them and his anger doth smoke against them but he with-holds his wrath from breaking forth into a flame which would quickly devour all the wicked of the Earth together should he give way to it and let it loose upon them Indeed we read John 3. 36. That the wrath of God abideth upon unbelievers that is it shall abide upon them who at last are found in a state of unbelief as surely as if it did already abide upon them or the wrath of God abideth upon unbelievers that is the sentence of condemnation unto this wrath doth abide upon them as John 3. 18. He that believeth not is condemned already Indeed it is said of the persecuting Jews who had killed the Lord Jesus and their own Prophets and forbidden the Apostles to Preach unto the Gentils that the wrath was come upon them to the uttermost 1 Thes 2. 15 16. But this we are thus to understand that the wrath of God was come upon them to the uttermost not in regard of eternal judgements but in regard of spiritual judgements it being the uttermost expression of God's Wrath here to give sinners up unto a persecuting spirit which doth prepare them for the uttermost and most dreadful punishment of Hell hereafter But as yet the wrath of God is not come none in this world do or can know the power of God's anger 2. The wrath of God is to come that is it will certainly come there are some things which may come such and such temporal judgements may come such and such deliverances may come but there are some things which will come Death will come and Christ will come and as certainly as Death and Christ will come so certainly this wrath of God will come God hath foretold it and Heaven and Earth shall pass away but not one jot or tittle of what God hath foretold until it be fulfilled God hath threatned it and God is not more faithful in his promises to his people than he is true in his threatnings to his enemies God's justice doth engage him to send it which can be satisfyed no other way by those which have no interest in the satisfaction of Christ The wicked are Vessels fitted by sin for destruction and prepared for wrath and therefore they shall be filled with it even as the Vessels of Mercy are fitted and shall be filled with glory God hath Treasured up wrath for the wicked as they have Treasured up Sin and God will give them that which they have so much deserved and he hath prepared for them However Sinners may escape this wrath for a while and vainly hope to flee or hid themselves from the strokes of Gods vengeance yet Gods Right hand will find out all those that hate him and he will make them as a fiery Oven in the time of his anger and swallow them up in his wrath and devour them with the fire of his indignation Psal 21. 8 9. Thirdly Vpon whom will this wraâ—h of God come 1. This wrath of God will come upon all the children of disobedience see Col. 3. 5 6. Mortifie therefore your members which are upon the Earth Fornication Vncleanness inordinate affection evil concupiscense and covetousness which is Idolatry for which things sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience Such are children of disobedience who are disobedient children such who do nor yield obedience unto the Law of God but live and allow themselves in the practice of known sins and in the neglect of known duties such who are under the reigning power of sin who are willing servants of sin who yeild up their members as Instruments of unrighteousness unto sin as Rom. 6. 13. Who serve divers lusts Tit. 3. 3. Who make provision for the Flesh to fulfil the lusts thereof Rom. 13. 14. Such who are Blasphemers or Swearers or Sabbath-breakers or Murderers or Adulterers or Drunkards or Thieves or Covetous or Unrighteous or Extortioners or Revilers or Scoffers at Religion or Persecutors of Gods people or have an enmity to the power of Godliness such as are Proud and Boasters such as are disobedient to Parents without natural affection such as are lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God such as are Lyars and unfaithful such as are idle and slothful such as live in envy and malice and are given to revenge and cannot forgive injuries and the like sinners these are Children of disobedience upon whom the wrath of God will come see also Ephes 5. 6. Let no man deceive you with vain words for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the Children of disobedience Let none deceive you with vain words neither deceive your selves with vain thoughts as if you might escape the wrath of God although you live in the practice of such and such sins see how vain and groundless the security of such persons is Deut. 28. 19 20. Lest there be among you a root that beareth Gall and Worm-wood and it come to pass when he heareth the Words of this curse that he blesseth himself in his heart saying I shall have peace though I walk in the imagination of
not in you you have no Interest in him and his deliverance 3. If you have an interest in Christ you have Love you love Christ in sincerity Eph. 6. 24. Grace be with all them that love our Lord Jesus in sincerity and you love Christ with the supremacy of your love Matth. 10. 37. He that loveth Father or Mother Son or Daughter more then me is not worthy of me If any Man or Woman love any person or thing in the world more than Jesus Christ they are unworthy of him and they have no interest in him or any of his benefits and therefore a dreadful curse is pronounced upon such as do not love Christ 1 Cor. 16. 22. If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ let him be Anathema Maranatha that is let him be cursed until the Lord come and when the Lord cometh the wrath of God also will come upon him If you have an interest in Christ you have likeness you are like unto Christ you have his Image upon you Jesus Christ is formed in you Gal. 4. 19. You are like to Christ in your disposition in humility meekness Heavenliness and the like you are not perfectly like to him yet in some measure and you imitate him more and more and endeavour after more conformity unto his Image where Pride Reigns instead of Humility where inordidate anger reigns instead of meekness where malice and revenge reigns instead of Love and forgiveness where the love of the world reigns instead of Heavenly minded ness where evil concupiscence reigns instead of mortified affections such are without likeness to Christ and they are without interest in Christ they that are graceless are also Christless and they cannot escape future wrath 5. If you have an interest in Christ you have Obedience your Faith showeth it self in your works Sam. 2. 18. And your love sheweth it self in your keeping Christ's Commandments John 14. 21. Such as do not obey Christ's but cast his Commandments behinds their back and will not that this Lord should rule over them they have neither Faith nor Love nor Life nor Likeness unto Christ and therefore be sure no interest in him Try your interest in Christ the only Deliverer from future wrath by these marks Vse 3. For Reproof and Terrour If upon search you find you are without an interest in Christ suffer the word of reproof Sinners what do you think is there no such thing as wrath to come is there no such place as Hell where the damned shall be eternally tormented what black-mouth is there that dareth to speak against this which is so clearly revealed in the Word of God surely none but such as are children of the Devil the Father of lyes will impeach the Word of God with falsehood and hereby make God a lyar who hath foretold this so plainly in the Scripture only such as are loose in their lives and deficient in their morals whose interest they think it is to do it will deny the punishment by eternal fire in Hell that so they might sin with the less check and control but when they come to feell the heat of this fire as of all others they are most like to be cast into everlasting burnings then they will be of another mind And if there be such dreadful wrath coming such a horrible fire preparing in Hell for all disobedient persons for all impenitent persons for all hypocrites and unbelievers what do you do sinners have ye not sinned have ye not by your sins deserved and are ye not by your sins exposed unto the vengeance of eternal fire is there any way for you to escape but only by Jesus Christ the only Deliverer from wrath to come and yet do you neglect him do you refuse and reject him do you shut the door of your hearts against him What! do you mind only your bodies what ye shall eat what ye shall drink and wherewithall ye shall be Clothed and to provide for a short abode in this world and in the mean time negect the Salvation of your Souls and take no care to prevent your everlasting punishment Are you not guilty of a great affront and indignity against God when he hath made such provision for your Salvation as to send his Son into the World for you and to proffer his Son with deliverance to you don 't you sin against his chief command which is to believe in and accept of this Son don 't you sin against the greatest impression of his love unto mankind don 't you spurn at his bowles and in effect say God might have kept his Son to himself for any thing you care are you not guilty of the greatest ingratitude towards the Lord Jesus Christ Never was there such a thing heard of since the foundation of the world never could such a thing have entred into your thoughts or desires as the Lord Jesus hath freely and of his own accord done for you and it is a most stupendous thing which me thinks should fill you with astonishment and admiration that the Lord of glory should take your flesh and make himself of no reputation and humble himself unto death even the cursed death of the Cross and all that he might deliver you from the curse of the Law the wrath to come and the pains of Hell for ever now when Christ by his death hath fully satisfied God's justice for your sins and purchased eternal life for your souls and out of wonderful kindness hath caused the everlasting Gospel and glad tidings of Salvation to be made known in this little nook of the Earth and cast your lot in such a spot of ground as the like is not to be found again under the whole Cop of Heaven for the pure and powerful Preaching of the Gospel I say when Jesus Christ hath sent his faithful Ministers unto you whom you may find and hear if you will look after them with this Embassage to tell you what Christ hath done for you and to make tenders of him with all his benefits to you when Christ by them lets you know how able and willing he is to Save you and knocks at the door of your hearts for entertainment that though you are such helpless and miserable Creatures without him you should notwithstanding all thus refuse Christ or neglect him that you should prefere some base lusts before him and to serve the Devil than to be saved by Christ hereby you express great contempt of Christ and are guilty of horrid ingratitude hereby you trample his Blood under your feet and you do in effect say he might have spar'd his pains in coming down from Heaven that he might have stai'd untill he had been sent for that he might have carried his Gospel to any other place for any thing you value it or him thus you deal with Christ and thrust him away from you though he come upon the most welcome errand and ought to be received with all readiness and thankfulness And
think sinners moreover how injurious you are hereby unto your selves what folly and madness you are guilty of Do you know what you are if you do you know that without Christ you are cursed wretches and children of wrath behold a wonder in Christ everlasting burnings are become everlasting mercies and he that will come at the last day as a Judge in flaming fire to take vengeance upon you if you be found without an interest in him doth now profer to be your Saviour and Advocat to deliver you from wrath to come and is it not depth of folly and sottishness to slight and refuse such a person and by refusing him to plunge your selves into unavoidable ruine and destruction when you may have Christ and with him all things needful in this world and that with greater security than by all your inordinate desires and endeavours and moreover such riches as do exceed all Earthly Treasures and besides this a Crown of glory in the other world and notwithstanding this to neglect Christ and chuse rather the pleasures of sin for a season the gratifying of some base lusts unto the everlasting damnation of your Souls and Bodies in Hell to refuse with Christ everlasting happiness and head-long to run your selves into everlasting burnings if this be not folly and madness I don't know what is You can't contrive or consult greater mischief and injury to your selves for I am perswaded that such as go to Hell out of England especially out of London where they have or might have such plentiful means of Grace of all others will have the lowest and hottest place O how will it sting and gnaw and rack and torture you for ever to remember what seasons and opportunities what calls and invitations you have had but by your right of getting an interest in the Lord Jesus the Deliverer from wrath to come you have brought ruine upon your selves Think Sinners how unavoidable the wrath to come is without an interest in Christ and think O think how intollerable this wrath will be when it is come Who can dwell with devouring Fire Think of the extremity of pain and anguish which is prepared for you and think of the eternity of Hells torments that when you have been there as many thousand Millions of years as there are Stars or Sands your torment will be but beginning and Never Never Never will it have any ending me thinks this should certifie all Christless sinners who are already condemned to his place of torment John 3. 8. He that believeth not is condemned already and you know not how soon execution may follow upon the Sentence if you dye this night out of Christ the wrath of God will seise upon you immediately and you will be miserable inrecoverably and to eternity Vse 4. For Comfort and that of all those who upon tryal find well-grounded evidence of their interest in this Jesus the only Deliverer from wrath to come You are the only persons in the world who are in a safe condition Rom. 8. 33 34. Who shall lay thing unto your charge If God do not charge you with guilt who can charge you besides through Christ God doth justifie you he pardoneth all your sins as if they had never been and accepteth of you as perfectly righteous through the perfect righteousness of Christ made yours by Faith Who is it that shall condemn you the Law may condemn you and Conscience may condemn you but since Christ died for you and in his death was condemned and suffered in your stead you are freed from the condemnation of God and the eternal damnation of Hell and being out of all danger of future wrath you may the better bear any evil of affliction which in this world may be your portion and you may comfortably wait for the coming of Christ from Heaven whom God hath raised from the dead even this Jesus who hath delivered you from wrath to come and who will bring for you and give to you everlasting glory and happiness at the day of his second appearance Vse 5. For Exhortation 1. Of such as are without an interest in Christ the Deliverer from wrath to come O be perswaded without any further delay to flee from this wrath of God which hath you in the pursuit and will overtake you ere long and that by fleing unto and getting an interest in this Jesus who only can deliver you O that I might be instrumental to bring some of you unto a closure with Jesus Christ Sinners will you be perswaded at length to accept of Christ you may have him and you must have him otherwise you are curst you are lost and you cannot escape eternal death and wrath If you would be delivered from wrath to come by Jesus Christ take these few directions 1. Labour for a thorow sense of your absolute need of Christ and that not only by reason of your guilt of sin and danger of Hell but also that there is no Salvation nor deliverance attainable by any other way but by Jesus Christ Think not that your repentance and reformation though this be necessary and without which there can be no Salvation for you yet that this can save you without Christ if you should attain this and rest in this you will as certainly go to Hell as the most wicked transgressour you cannot be saved by any of your own righteousness because your righteousness is imperfect and therefore cannot satisfie Gods Justice for your sins and therefore cannot deliver you from wrath to come should you weep for your sins till your eyes were out and sigh and grief for sin till your hearts did break should your wear you knees to the bones with kneeling and wear your Tongues to the roots with praying and consume your flesh to nothing with fasting should you be as just and temperate and charitable and as strictly Religious as any breathing yea as holy for the future as any Angel in Heaven all this would not wipe away the guilt of your sin nor deliver you out of the hands of Gods Justice which must be satisfied one saith very well if any would be saved by their own righteousness they must first go to Hell and there continue in torments to eternity and if that could be supposed which cannot be supposed to be done because there is no ending of those torments which are eternal and therefore no possibility of getting loose from them yet supposing that any could do this they must come back and fulfil the Law in every tittle both which being impossible for you who are guilty of sin you have absolute need of Christ's perfect righteousness in order to your deliverance from wrath to come It is this which damneth and sinketh many thousands in Hell the looking and seeking to be saved by a rigteousness of their own I know that most are damn'd for their unrighteousness and go to Hell in the broader way of gross impiety and wickedness yet if that be the broader way and