be transacted by Words as we do now but by clear Discoveries by the infinite Light and that if God should not discover to them their Sins he would not discover the Riches of his Grace in the Pardon of all these Sins even then they must be humbled in themselves that they may be glorified and for ever cry Not unto us Lord but unto thy Name be the Glory IV. For the fourth Particular Who will be the Accuser Answ 1. Satan is called in Scripture the Accuser of the Prethren Revel 12. 10. and we find in Joh 1. and other Places that now he doth practise it even before God and therefore we judg it probable that he will do so then But we would determine of nothing that Scripture hath not clearly determined 2. Conscience will be an Accuser though especially of the Wicked yet in some sense of the Righteâ—us for it will tell the Truth to all and therefore so far as Men are faulty it will tell them of their Faults The Wicked it will accuse of unpardoned Sin and of Sin unrepented of the Godly only of Sin repented of and pardoned It will be a Glass wherein every Man may see the Face of his Heart and former Life Rom. 1. 15. 3. The Judg himself will be the principal Accuser for it is he that is wronged and he that prosecutes the Cause and will do Justice on the Wicked God judgeth even the Righteous themselves to be Sinners or else they could not be pardoned Sinners But he judgeth the Wicked to be impenitent unbelieving unconverted Sinners Remember what I said before that it is not a verbal Accusation but an opening of the Truth of the Cause to the view of our selves and others that God will then perform Nor can any think it unworthy of God to be Mens Accuser by such a Disclosure it being no Dishonour to the purest Light to reveal a Dunghil or to the greatest Prince to accuse a Traitor Nor is it unmeet that God should be both Accuser and Judg seeing he is both absolute Lord and perfectly Just and so far beyond all suspition of Injustice His Law also doth virtually accuse Joh. 5. 45. but of this by it self V. For the fifth Particular How will the Sinners be called to the Bar Answ God will not stand to send them a Citation nor require them to make their voluntary Appearance but willing or unwilling he will bring them in 1. Before each Man's particular Judgment he sendeth Death to call away his Soul a surly Serjeant that will have no Nay How dear soever this World may be to Men and how loth soever they are to depart away they must and come before the Lord that made them Death will not be bribed Every Man that was set in the Vineyard in the Morning of their Lives must be called out at Evening to receive according to what he hath done then must the naked Soul alone appear before its Judg and be accountable for all that was done in the Body and be sent before till the final Judgment to remain in Happiness or Misery till the Body be raised again and joined to it In this Appearance of the Soul before God it seemeth by Scripture that there is some Ministry of Angels for Luke 16. 22. it is said that the Angels carried Lazarus that is his Soul into Abraham's Bosom What local Motion there is or Situation of Souls is no fit Matter for the Enquiry of Mortals and what it is in this that the Angels will do we cannot clearly understand as yet but most certain it is that as soon as ever the Soul is out of the Body it comes to its account before the God of Spirits 2. At the end of the World the Bodies of all Men shall be raised from the Earth and joined again to their Souls and the Soul and Body shall be judged to their endless State and this is the great and general Judgment where all Men shall at once appear The same Power of God that made Men of nothing will as easily then new-make them by a Resurrection by which he will add much more Perfection even to the Wicked in their Naturals which will make them capable of the greater Misery even they shall have immortal and incorruptible Bodies which may be the Subjects of immortal Wo 1 Cor. 15. 53. John 5. 28 29. Of this Resurrection and our Appearance at Judgment the Angels will be someway the Ministers as they shall come with Christ to Judgment so they shall sound his Trumpet 1 Thess 4. 16. and they shall gather the Wicked out of God's Kingdom and they shall gather the Tares to burn them Matth. 13. 39 40 41. in the End of the World the Angels shall come forth and sever the Wicked from among the Just and shall cast them into the Furnace of Fire Matth. 17. 49 50. VI. For the sixth Particular What Law is it that Men shall be judged by Answ That which was given them to live by God's Law is but the Sign of his Will to teach us what shall be due from us and to us before we fell he gave us such a Law as was sutable to our Perfection when we had sinned and turned from him as we ceased not to be his Creatures nor he to be our Lord so he destroyed not his Law nor discharged or absolved us from the Duty of our Obedience But because we stood condemned by that Law and could not be justified by it having once transgressed it he was pleased to make a Law of Grace even a new a remedying Law by which we might be saved from the deserved Punishment of the Old So we shall be tried at Judgment upon both these Laws but ultimately upon the last The first Law commanded perfect Obedience and threatned Death to us if ever we disobeyed the second Law finding us under the Guilt of Sin against the first doth command us to repent and believe in Christ and so return to God by him and promiseth us pardon of all our Sins upon that Condition and also if we persevere everlasting Glory So that in Judgment though it must be first evinced that we are Sinners and have deserved Death according to the Law of pure Nature yet that is not the Upshot of the Judgment For the Enquiry will be next whether we have accepted the Remedy and so obeyed the Law of Grace and performed its Condition for Pardon and Salvation and upon this our Life or Death will depend It is both these Laws that condemn the Wicked but it is only the Law of Grace that justifieth the Righteous Obj. But how shall Heathens be judged by the Law of Grace that never did receive it Answ The express Gospel some of them had not and therefore shall not directly be judged by it but much of the Redeemer's Mercy they did enjoy which should have led them to repent and seek out after Recovery from their Misery and to come nearer Christ and for the
neglect and abuse of this they shall be judged and not meerly for sinning against the Law that was given us in pure Innocency so that Christ as Redeemer shall judg them as well as others though they had but one Talent yet must they give an account of that to the Redeemer from whom they received it But if any be unsatisfied in this let them remember that as God hath left the State of such more dark to us and the Terms on which he will judg them so doth it much more concern us to look to the Terms of our own Judgment Obj. But how shall Insants be judged by the Gospel that were uncapable of it Answ For ought I find in Scripture they stand or fall with their Parents and on the same Terms but I leave each to their own Thoughts VII For the seventh Head What will be the Cause of the Day to be enquâ—ed after what the Accusation and what the Defence Answ This may be gathered from what was last said The great Cause of the Day will be to enquire and determine who shall die and who shall live who ought to go to Heaven and who to Hell for ever according to the Law by which they must then be judged 1. As there is a twofold Law by which they must be judged so will there then be a twofold Accusation The first will be that they were Sinners and so having violated the Law of God they deserve everlasting Death according to that Law If no Defence could be made this one Accusation would condemn all the World for it is most certain that all are Sinners and as certain that all Sin deserveth Death The only Defence against this Accusation â—ieth in this Plea confessing the Charge we must plead that Christ hath satisfied for Sins and upon that Consideration God hath forgiven us and therefore being forgiven we ought not to be punished To prove this we must shew the Pardon under God's Hand in the Gospel But because this pardoning doning Act of the Gospel doth forgive none but those that repent and believe and so return to God and to sincere Obedience for the time to come therefore the next Accusation will be that we did not perform these Conditions of Forgiveness and therefore being Vnbelievers Impenitent and Rebels against the Redeemer we have no right to Pardon but by the Sentence of the Gospel are liable to a greater Punishment for this Contempt of Christ and Grace This Accusation is either true or false where it is true God and Conscience who speak the Truth may well be said to be the Accusers Where it is false it can be only the Work of Satan the malicious Adversary who as we may see in Job's Case will not stick to bring a false Accusation If any think that the Accuser will not do so vain a Work at least they may see that potentially this is the Accusation that lieth against us and which we must be justified against For all Justification implieth an actual or potential Accusation He that is truly accused of final Impenitency or Unbelief or Rebellion hath no other Defence to make but must needs be condemned He that is falsly accused of such Non-performance of the Condition of Grace must deny the Accusation and plead his own personal Righteousness as against that Accusation and produce that Faith Repentance and sincere Obedience and Perseverance by which he fulfilled that Condition and so is Evangilically Righteous in himself and therefore hath part in the Blood of Christ which is instead of a Legal Righteousness to him in all things else as having procured him a Pardon of all his Sins and a Right to everlasting Glory And thus we must then be justified by Christ's Satisfaction only against the Accusation of being Sinners in general and of deserving God's Wrath for the Breach of the Law of Works but we must be justified by our Faith Repentance and sincere Obedience it self against the Accusation of being Impenitent Vnbelievers and Rebels against Christ and having not performed the Condition of the Promise and so having no part in Christ and his Benefits So that in sum you see that the Cause of the Day will be to enquire whether being all known Sinners we have accepted of Christ upon his Terms and so have Right in him and his Benefits or not whether they have forsaken this vain World for him and loved him so faithfully that they have manifested it in parting with these things at his Command And this is the meaning of Mat. 25. where the Enquiry is made to be whether they have sed and visited him in his Members or not that is whether they have so far loved him as their Redeemer and God by him as that they have manifested this to his Members according to Opportunity though it cost them the Hazard or Loss of all seeing Danger and Labour and Cost are fitter to express Love by than empty Compliments and bare Professions Whether it be particularly enquired after or only taken for granted that Men are Sinners and have deserved Death according to the Law of Works and that Christ hath satisfied by his Death is all one as to the matter in hand seeing God's Enquiry is but the Discovery and Conviction of us But the last Question which must decide the Controversy will be whether we have performed the Condition of the Gospel I have the rather also said all this to shew you in what sense these Words are taken in the Text that every Man shall be judged according to what he hath done in the Flesh whether it be good or bad Though every Man be judged worthy of Death for sinning yet every Man shall not be judged to die for it and no Man shall be judged worthy of Life for his good Works It is therefore according to the Gospel as the Rule of Judgment that this is meant They that have repented and believed and returned to true though imperfect Obedience shall be judged to everlasting Life according to these Works not because these Works deserve it but because the free Gift in the Gospel through the Blood of Christ doth make these things the Condition of our possessing it They that have lived and died Impenitent Unbelievers and Rebels against Christ shall be judged to everlasting Punishment because they have deserved it both by their Sin in general against the the Law and by these Sins in special against the Gospel This is called the Merit of the Cause that is what is a Man's Due according to the true meaning of the Law though the Due may be by free Gift And thus you see what will be the Cause of the Day and the Matter to be enquired after and decided as to our Life or Death VIII The next Point in our Method is to shew you What will be the Evidence of the Cause Answ There is a fivefold Evidence among Men. 1. When the Fact is notorious 2. The Knowledg of an unsuspected competent Judg.
to him that died for them and rose again Rom. 14. 9. 2 Cor. 5. 14 15. Mat. 28. 18 19 20. 1 Pet. 1. 17 18. You will then understand that you were not your own but were bought with a Price and therefore should have glorified him that bought you with your Bodies and Spirits because they were his 1 Cor. 6. 19 20. This one Aggravation of your Sin will make you doubly and remedilesly miserable that you trod under foot the Son of God and counted the Blood of the Covenant wherewith you were sanctified an unholy thing Heb. 10. 26 27 28 29. and crucified to your selves the Son of God afresh and put him to open Shame Heb. 6. 5 6. 3. Moreover all the personal Mercies which they received will be so many Evidences for the Condemnation of the Ungodly The very Earth that bore them and yielded them its Fruits while they themselves are unfruitful to God The Air which they breathed in the Food which nourish'd them the Clothes which cover'd them the Houses which they dwelt in the Beasts that laboured for them and all the Creatures that died for their Use All these may rise up against them to their Condemnation And the Judg may thus expostulate with them Did all these Mercies deserve no more Thanks Should you not have served him that so liberally maintained you God thought not all these too good for you and did you think your Hearts and Services too good for him He served yours with the weary Labours of your fellow-Creatures and should you have grudged to bear his easy Yoak They were your Slaves and Drudges and you refused to be his free Servants and his Sons They suffered Death to feed your Bodies and you would not suffer the short Forbearance of a little forbidden fleshly Pleasure for the sake of him that made you and redeemed you O how many thousand Mercies of God will then be reviewed by those that neglected them to the Horror of their Souls when they shall be upbraided by the Judg with their base Requital All the Deliverances from Sickness and from Danger all the Honours and Privileges and other Commodities which so much contented them will then be God's Evidences to shame them and confound them On this Supposition doth the Apostle reprove such Rom. 2. 4 5 6. Despisest thou the Riches of his Goodness and Forbearance and Long-suffering not knowing that the Goodness of God leadeth thee to Repentance But after thy hardness and impenitent Heart treasurest up unto thy self Wrath against the Day of Wrath and Revelation of the righteous Judgment of God who will render to every Man according to his Deeds 4. Moreover all the Means which God used for the Recovery of Sinners in the Day of their Visitation will rise up against impenitent Souls in Judgment to their Condemnation You can hear Sermons carelesly and sleepily now but O that you would consider how the Review of them will then awake you You now make light of the Warnings of God and Man and of all the wholesom Advice that is given you but God will not then make light of your Contempt O what cutting Questions will they be to the Hearts of the Ungodly when all the means that were used for their Good are brought to their Remembrance on one side and the Temprations that drew them to Sin on the other Side and the Lord shall plead his Cause with their Consciences and say Was I so hard a Master or was my Work so unreasonable or was my Wages so contemptible that no Perswasions could draw you into my Service Was Satan so good a Master or was his Work so honest and profitable or was his Wages so desirable that you would be so easily perswaded to do as he would have you Was there more perswading Reason in his Allurements and Deceits than in all my holy Words and all the powerful Sermons that you heard or all the faithful Admonitions you received or all the good Examples of the Righteous or in all the Works of God which you beheld Was not a Reason fetch'd from the Love of God from the Evil of Sin the Blood of Christ the Judgment to come the Glory promised the Torments threatned as forcible with you and as good in your Eyes to draw you to Holiness as a Reason from a little fleshly Delight or worldly Gain to draw you to be unholy In the Name of God Sinners I intreat you to bethink your selves in time how you will sufficiently answer such Questions as these You should have seen God in every Creature that you beheld and have read your Duty in all his Works what can you look upon above you or below you or round about you which might not have shewed you so much of the Wisdom and Goodness and Greatness of your Maker as should have convinced you that it was your Duty to be devoted to his Will and yet you have his written Word that speaks plainer than all these and will you despise them all will you not see so great a Light will you not hear so loud and constant Calls shall God and his Ministers speak in vain And can you think that you shall not hear of this again and pay for it one Day you have the Bible and other good Books by you why do you not read them You have Ministers at hand why do you not go to them and earnestly ask them Sirs What must I do to be saved and intreat them to teach you the Way to Life You have some Neighbours that fear God why do you not go to them and take their good Advice and imitate them in the Fear of God and in a holy Diligence for your Souls Now is the time for you to bestir your selves Life and Death are before you You have Gales of Grace to further your Voyage There are more for you than against you God will help you his Spirit will help you his Ministers will help you every good Christian will help you the Angels themselves will help you if you will resolvedly set your selves to the Work and yet will you not stir Patience is waiting on you Mercies are enticing you Scourges are driving you Judgment stayeth for you The Lights of God stand burning by you to direct you And yet will you not stir but lie in â—â—arkness And do you think you shall not hear of this Do you think this will not one Day cost you dear IX The ninth part of our Work is to shew you â—hat are those frivolous Excuses by which the Vnrighteous may then indeavour their Defence Having already shewed you what the Defence must be that must be sufficient to our Justification If any first demand Whether the Evidence of their Sin will not so overwhelm the Sinner that he will be speechless and past excuse I answer Before God hath done with him he will be so but it seems at first his clark Understanding and partial corrupted Conscience will set him upon a vain Defence
of every Crime to the Will of Man and there to leave it Upon this all Laws and Judgments are grounded From Ignorance and intellectual Weakness Men commonly fetch Excuses for their Faults but from the Will they are aggravated If we think it strange that Man's Will should be the first Cause so much as of a sinful Mode and answer all occurring Objections it may suffice that we are certain the Holy Majesty is not the Author of Sin and he is able to make all this as plain as the Sun and easily answer all these vain Excuses though we should be unable And if we be much ignorant of the Frame and Motions of our own Souls and especially of that high self-determining Principle free-Will the great Spring of our Actions and the curious Engine by which God doth sapientially govern the World it is no wonder considering that the Soul can know it self but by Reflection and God gave us a Soul to use rather than to know it self and to know its Qualities and Operations rather than its Essence The five and twentieth Excuse No Man can be saved nor avoid any Sin nor believe in Christ but those whom God hath predestinated thereto I was under an irreversible Sentence before I was born and therefore I do nothing but what I was predestinated to do and if God decreed not to save me how could I help it Answ 1. God's Judgments are more plain but his Decrees or secret Purposes are mysterious And to darken Certainties by having recourse to Points obscure is no part of Christian Wisdom God told you your Duty in his Word and on what Terms you must be judged to Life or Death hither should you have recourse for Direction and not to the unsearchable Mysteries of his Mind 2. God decreeth not to condemn any but for Sin Sin I say is the Cause of that Condemnation though not of his Decree 3. God's Decrees are Acts Immanent in himself and make no change on you and therefore do not necessitate you to sin any more than his Fore-knowledg doth For both cause only a necessity of Consequence which is Logical as the Divines on both sides do confess And therefore this no more caused you to sin than if there had been no such Decree And it 's a Doubt whether that Decree be not negative a willing Suspending of the Divine Will as to evil or at most a Purpose to permit it The six and twentieth Excuse If it be no more yet doth it make my Perdition unavoidable for even God's Fore knowledg doth so for if he foreknow it all the World cannot hinder it from coming to pass Answ Must God either be ignorant of what you will do or else be the Cause of it If you foreknow that the Sun will rise to morrow that doth not cause it to rise If you foreknow that one Man will murder another you are not the Cause of it by foreknowing it So is it here The seven and twentieth Excuse God might have hindred my Sin and Damnation if he would Answ And will you wilfully sin and think to escape because God doth not hinder you The Prince that makes a Law against Murder could lock you up and keep you from being a Murderer But are you excusable if he do not We are certain that God could have hindered all the Sin and Death and Confusion and Misery that is in the Word and we are as certain that he doth not hinder it but by forbidding it and giving Men means against it and we are certain that he is Just and Good and Wise in all and not bound to hinder it And what his Reasons are you may better know hereafter In the mean time you had been better have looked to your own Duty The eight and twentieth Excuse How could I be saved if Christ did not die for me He died but for his Elect and none could be saved without his Death Answ He did die for you and for more than his Elect though he absolutely purposed only their Salvation Your Sins crucified him and your Debt lay upon him and he so far ransomed you that nothing but your wilful Refusal of the Benefits could have condemned you The nine and twentieth Excuse It was Adam's Sin that brought me into this Depravedness of Will which I can neither cure nor could prevent Answ 1. If Adam cast away his Holiness he could no more convey that to us which he cast away than a Nobleman that is a Traitor can convey his lost Inheritance or Honours to his Son 2. You perish not only for your Original Sin but for rejecting the recovering Mercy of the Redeemer you might have had Christ and Life in him for the accepting The thirtieth Excuse God will require no more than 〈◊〉 gives He gave me not Grace to repeat and believe 〈◊〉 without his Gift I could not have it Answ 1. God will justly require more than he giveth that is the improvement of his Gifts as Mat. 25. shews He gave Adam but a Power to persevert and not actual Perseverance Yet did he justly punish him for want of the Act even for not using by his own Wll the Power which he had given him 2. It is long of your self if God did not give you Grace to believe It was because you wilfully refused some preparatory Grace Christ found you at a great distance from him and he gave you Grace sufficient to have brought you nearer to him than you were you had Grace sufficient to have made you better than you were and restrained many Sins and brought you to the means when you turned your back on them tho this were not sufficient to cause you to believe it was sufficient to have brought you nearer to believing and through your own wilfulness became not effectual even as Adam had sufficient Grace to have stood which was not effectual So that you had not only Christ offered to you if you would but accept him but you had daily and precious Helps and Means to have cured your Wills and caused you to accept him for neglect of which and so for not believing and so for all your other Sins you justly perish The one and thirtieth Excuse Alas Mâ—â— is a Worn a dry Leaf Job 13. 25. a silly foolish Creature and therefore his Actions be not regardable nor deserve so great a Punishment Answ Though he be a Worm and as nothing to God and 〈◊〉 by Sin yet he is naturally so noble a Creatur◠〈◊〉 â—â—age of God was on him Gen. 12. 26. 〈◊〉 1. James 3. 9. and the World made his Servâ—â—◠〈◊〉 Angels his Attenâ—ants Heb. 1. 14. so noble 〈◊〉 Christ died for him God takes special care of him he is capable of knowing and enjoying God 〈◊〉 Heaven is not thought too good for him if he will â—ey And he that is capable of so great Good must 〈◊〉 capable of as great Evil and his Ways not to be so â—â—erlooked by that God that hath undertaken to be
〈◊〉 Governour When it tendeth to Infidelity the evil will teach you to debase Man even lower than 〈◊〉 would do The two and thirtieth Excuse Sin is no Being and â—ll Men be damned for that which is nothing Answ 1. It is such a Mode as deformeth God's Create It is a moral Being It is a Relation of our â—â—tions and Hearts to God's Will and Law 2. They that say Sin is nothing say Pain and Loss 〈◊〉 nothing too You shall therefore be paid with one â—â—thing for another Make light of your Misery and 〈◊〉 it is nothing as you did of your Sin 3. Will you take this for a good Excuse from your â—hildren or Servants if they abuse you or from a â—hief or a Murderer shall he escape by telling the â—dg that his Sin was nothing Or rather have Death â—ich is nothing as the iust Reward of it The three and thirtieth Excuse But Sin is a transtâ— Thing At least it doth God no harm and therefore why â—uld he do us so much harm for it Answ 1. It hurts not God because he is above â—rt No thanks to you if he be out of your reach You may wrong him when you cannot hurt him â—nd the Wrong deserves as much as you can bear If a â—aitor endeavour the Death of the Prince in vain 〈◊〉 Endeavour deserves Death though he never hurt him You despise God's Law and Authority you cause the Blaspheming of his Name Rom. 2. 24. He calls it a Pressing him as a Cart is pressed with Sheaves â—â—os 2. 13. and a Grieving of him 3. And you wrong his Image his Church the pubâ—â—ck Good and the Souls of others The four and thirtieth Excuse But God's Nature is so â—â—od and merciful that sure he will not damn his own Creaâ—â—re Answ 1. A merciful Judg will hang a Man for a Fault against Man By proportion then what is due for Sin against God 2. All the Death and Calamity which you see in the World comes from the Anger of this merciful God why then may not future Misery come from it 3. God knoweth his own Mercy better than you do and he hath told you how far it shall extend 4. He is infinitely merciful but it is to the Heirs of Mercy not to the final Rejecters of his Mercy 5. Hath not God been merciful to thee in bearing with thee so long and offering thee Grace in the Blood of Christ till thou didst wilfully reject it Thou wiâ—â— confess to thy everlasting Wo that God was merciful had he not been so merciful thou wouldst not have been so miserable for rejecting it The five and thirtieth Excuse I would not so torment mine Enemy my self Answ No reason you should Is it all one to wrong you and to wrong the God of Heaven God is the only Judg of his own Wrongs The sixth and thirtieth Excuse All Men are Sinners and I was but a Sinner Answ All were not impenitent unbelieving rebelious Sinners and therefore all are not unpardoned condemned Sinners All did not live after the Flesh and refuse to the last to be converted as you did God will teach you better to difference between Sinners and Sinners The seven and thirtieth Excuse But if Christ have satisfied for my Sins and died for me then how can I justly suffer for the same Sins will God punish one Sin twice Answ 1. Christ suffered for Man in the Christ of Man but not in your Person nor you in him It was not you that provided the Price but God himself Christ was not Man's Delegate in satisfying and therefore received not his Instructions from us nor did on our Terms but his own It was not the same thing which the Law threatned that Christ underwent for that was the Damnation of the Sinner himself and not the Suffering of another for him it cannot therefore be yours but on Christ's own Terms He died for thy Sin but with this intent that for all that if thou refuse him thou shalt die thy self It is therefore no wrong to thee to die for it was not thou that diedst before and Christ will take it for no wrong to him for he will judg thee to that Death It is for refusing a Christ that died for thee that thou must perish for ever The eight and thirtieth Excuse But I did not refuse Christ I believed and trusted in him to the last and repented of my Sins though I sometime was overtaken with them Answ Had this been true thy Sin would not have condemned thee But there is no mocking God He will shew thee then thy naked Heart and convince thousands that thought they believed and repented that indeed they did not By thy Works also will this be discovered that is by the main bent and scope of thy Life as Mat. 25. throughout and Jam. 2. The nine and thirtieth Excuse I did many good Works and I hope God will set those against my evil Works Answ Thy good Works were thy Sins because indeed they were not good being not done in sincerity of Heart for God The best Man's Works have some Infirmity which nothing can cleanse but the Blood of Christ which thou hast made light of and therefore hast no part in If all thy Life had been spent in perfect Works except one day they would not make satisfaction for the Sins of that Day For they are but part of thy Duty Wo to him that hath no better a Saviour at Judgment than his own good Works The fortieth Excuse I lived in Poverty and Misery on Earth and therefore I hope I have had my Suffering here and shall not suffer in this World and another too 1. By that Rule all poor Men and Murderers and Thieves that are tormented and hanged should be saved But as Godliness hath the Promise of this Life and that to come so Impenitency and Wickedness hath the Threatning of this Life and that to come 2. The Devils and the damned have suffered much more than you already and yet they are never the nearer a Deliverance When thou hast suffered ten thousand Years thy Pain will be never the nearer an end How then can a little Misery on Earth prevent it Alas poor Soul these are but the Foretasts and Beginnings of thy Sorrow Nothing but Pardon through the Blood of Christ could have prevented thy Condemnation and that thou rejectedst by Infidelity and Impenitency His Sufferings would have saved thee if thou hadst not refused him but all thy own Sufferings will yield thee no Relief So much for the answering of the vain Excuses which poor Sinners are ready to make for themselves wherein I have been so large as that this part I confess is disproportionable to the rest but it was for these two Reasons 1. That poor careless Souls might see the Vanity of such Defences and consider if such a Worm as I can easily confute them how easily and how terribly will they be all answered by their Judg 2. I did it the
of the Wicked that the Devil and his Angels must be their Companions Though some think as is said before that the Reason why wicked Men are not mentioned tere is because they are part of the Angels of the Devil and so included And some think it is purposely to manifest God's general Love to Mankind that prepared not Hell for them but they cast themselves into the Hell prepared for the Devils But the first seems to be the true sense And how apparently Righteous are the Judgments of the Lord that those Men who would here entertain the Devil into their Hearts and daily Familiarity should be then entertained by him into his Place of Torments and there remain for ever in his Society Though few entertained him into visible Familiarity with their Bodies as Witches do who so make him their Familiar yet all wicked Men do entertain him into more full and constant Familiarity with their Souls than these Witches do with their Bodies how familiar is he in Thoughts to fill them with Vanity Lust or Revenge How familiar is he in their Hearts to fill them with Covertousness Malice Pride or the like Evils and to banish all Thoughts of returning to God and to quench every Motion that tendeth to their Recovery How familiar is he with them even when they seem to be worshipping God in the publick Assemblies stealing the Word out of their Hearts filling them with vain and wandring Thoughts blinding their Minds that they cannot understand the plainest words that we are able to speak to them and filling them with a proud Rebellion against the Direction of their Teachers and an obstinate Refusal to be ruled by them be the Matter never so necessary to their own Salvation How familiar are these evil Spirits in their Houses filling them with Ignorance Worldliness and Ungodliness and turning out God's Service so that they do not pray together once in a Day or perhaps at all How familiarly doth Satan use their Tongues in Cursing Swearing Lying Ribaldry Backbiting or Slandring And is it not just with God to make these Fiends their Familiars in Torment with whom they entertained such Familiarity in Sin As Christ with all the blessed Angels and Saints will make but one Kingdom or Family and shall live altogether in perpetual Delights so the Devil and all his hellish Angels and wicked Men shall make but one Houshold and shall live altogether in perpetual Misery O poor Sinners you are not troubled now at his Presence and Power in your Hearts but will you not then be troubled at his Presence and tormenting Power As long as you do not see him let him do what he will with you it grieves you little or nothing at all but what will you say when you must see him and abide with him for ever O Sirs his Name is easily heard but his Company will be terrible to the stoutest Heart alive He sheweth you a smiling Face when he tempteth you but he hath a grimmer Face to shew you when Temptations have conquered you and Torments must succeed As those that write of Witches say he appeareth at first to them in some comely tempting Shape till he have them fast tied to him and then he beats them and affrights them and seldom appears to them but in some ugly Hew Believe it poor Sinners you do not hear or see the worst of him when you are merry about your sinful Pleasures and rejoicing in your Hopes of the Commodities or Preferments of the World he hath another kind of Voice which you must hear and another Face to shew you that will make you know a little better whom you had to do with You would be afraid now to meet him in the Dark what will you be to live with him in everlasting Darkness Then you will know who it was that you entertained and obeyed and plaid with in your Sins 3. And as the Text tells us that it is a Fire prepared for the Devil and his Angels So it telleth us that it is an everlasting Fire It had a Beginning but it shall have no End If these Wretches would have chosen the Service of God they would have met with no Difficulty or Trouble but what would have had a speedy End Poverty and Injuries would have had an End Scorns and Abuses would have had an End Fasting Humiliation Sorrow for Sin watching and fighting against our spiritual Enemies would all have had an End But to avoid these they chose that Ease that Pleasure which hath brought them to that Torment which never will have end I have said so much of these things already in my Book called the Saints Rest that I will now say but this much It is one of the Wonders of the World how Men that do believe or think they do believe this Word of Christ to be true that the Wicked shall go into everlasting Fire can yet venture on Sin so boldly and live in it so fearlesly or sleep quietly till they are out of this unspeakable Danger Only the commonness of it and the known Wickedness of Man's Heart doth make this less wonderful And were there nothing else to convince us that Sinners are mad and dead as to spiritual Things this were enough that ever the greatest Pleasures or Profits of the World or the most enticing Baits that the Devil can offer them should once prevail with them to forget these endless things and draw them to reject an everlasting Glory and cast themselves desperately into everlasting Fire Yea and all this under daily Warnings and Instructions and when it 's told them beforehand by the God of Truth himself For the Lord's sake Sirs and for your Souls sakes if you care not what Ministers say or what such as I say yet will you soberly read now and then this 25 th Chapter of Matthew and regard what is told you by him that must be your Judg and now and then bethink yourselves soberly whether these are Matters for wise Men to make light of and what it is to be everlastingly in Heaven or in Hell-fire 2. We have seen what is the Penalty contained in the Sentence against the Ungodly The next thing that the Text directs us to is the Cause or Reason of the Sentence ver 42. For I was hungry and ye gave me no Meat c. The Reason is not given expresly either for their Sin against the Law of Works that is because they were Sinners and not perfectly innocent nor yet from their Unbelief which is the great Sin against the Law of Grace But it is given from their not expressing their Faith and Love to Christ in Works of Mercy and Self-denial And why is this so 1. We must not suppose that these Words of Christ do express the whole judicial Process in every Point but the chief Parts It is supposed that all Men are convicted of being Sinners against the perfect Law of the Creator and that they are guilty of Death for that
Sin and that there is no way but by Christ to obtain Deliverance But because all this must be acknowledged by the Righteous themselves as well as by the Wicked therefore Christ doth not mention this but that only which is the turning Point or Cause in the Judgment For it is not all Sinners that shall be finally condemned but all impenitent unbelieving Sinners who have rebelled finally against their Redeemer 2. And the Reason why Faith itself is not expressed is 1. Because it is clearly implied and so is Love to Christ as Redeemer in that they should have relieved Christ himself in his Members That is as it 's expressed Mat. 10. 42. they should have received a Prophet in the Name of a Prophet and a Disciple in the Name of a Disciple all should be done for Christ's sake which could not be unless they believed in him and loved him 2. Also because that the bare Act of Believing is not all that Christ requireth to a Man's final Justification and Salvation but holy self-denying Obedience must be added And therefore this is given as the Reason of their Condemnation that they did not so obey We must observe also that Christ here putteth the special for the general that is one way of self-denying Obedience and Expression of Love instead of such Obedience in general For all Men have not Ability to relieve those in misery being perhaps some of them poor themselves But all have that Love and Self-denial which will some way express it self And all have Hearts and a Disposition to do thus if they had Ability without such a Disposition none can be saved It is the fond Conceit of some that if they have any Love to the Godly or wish them well it is enough to prove them happy But Christ here purposely lets us know that whoever doth not love him at so high a rate as that he can part with his Substance or any thing in the World to those Uses which he shall require them even to relieve his Servants in want and Sufferings for the Master's sake that Man is none of Christ's Disciple nor will be owned by him at the last XI The next Point that we come to is to shew you the Properties of this Sentence at Judgment When Man had broken the Law of his Creator at the first he was liable to the Sentence of Death and God presently sat in Judgment on him and sentenced him to some part of the Punishment which he had deserved but upon the Interposition of the Son he before the rest resolved on a Way that might tend to his Recovery and Death is due yet to every Sinner for every Sin which he commits till a Pardon do acquit him But this Sentence which will pass on Sinners at the last Judgment doth much differ from that which was passed on the first Sin or which is due according to the Law of Works alone For 1. As to the Penalty called the Pain of Loss the first Judgment did deprive Man of the Favour of his Creator but the second will deprive him of the Favour both of the Creator and Redeemer the first Judgment deprived him of the Benefits of Innocency the second deprives him of the Benefits of Redemption the loss of his hopes and possibility of Pardon of the Spirit of Justification and Adoption and of the Benefits which conditionally were promised and offered him these are the Punishments of the last Judgment which the Law of Works did never threaten to the first Man or to any as it stood alone Also the loss of Glory as recovered is the proper Penalty of the violated Law of Grace which is more than the first loss As if a Man should lose his Purse the second time when another hath once found it for him or rather as if a Traitor redeemed by another and having his Life and Honours offered him if he will thankfully accept it and come in should by his Refusal and Obstinacy lose this recovered Life which is offered him which is an Addition to his former Penalty Besides that the higher Degree of Glory will be lost which Christ would bestow on him more than was lost at first The very Work of the Saints in Heaven will to praise and glorify him that redeemed them and the Father in him which would not have been the Work of Man if he had been innocent 2. As to the Pain of Sense the last Judgment by the Redeemer will sentence them to a far sorer Punishment than would have befaln them if no Saviour had been offered them Heb. 10. 29. The Conscience of Adam if he had not been redeemed would never have tormented him for rejecting a Redeemer nor for refusing or abusing his gracious Offers and his Mercies nor for the forfeiting of a recovered Happiness nor for refusing of the easy Terms of the Gospel which would have given him Christ and Salvation for the accepting nor for neglecting any Means that tended to Recovery no nor for refusing Repentance unto Life nor for disobeying a Redeemer that bought him by his Blood As all these are the Penalties of the Redeemer's Law and Judgment so is it a sorer Penalty than Conscience would have inflicted meerly for not being perfectly innocent and they will be far soarer Gripings and Gnawings of the never-dying Worm for the abuse of these Talents than if we had been never trusted with any after our first Forfeiture Yea and God himself will accordingly proportion his Punishments So that you see that privatively and positively or as to their Loss and their Feeling the Redeemer will pass on them a heavier Doom than the Creator did or would have done according to the first Law to perfect Man 3. Another Property of the Judgment of Christ is that it will be final peremptory and excluding all farther Hopes or Possibilities of a Remedy So was not the first Judgment of the Creator upon faln Man Though the Law of pure Nature knew no Remedy nor gave Man any Hope of a Redeemer yet did it not exclude a Remedy nor put in any Bar against one but God was free to recover his Creature if he pleased But in the Law of Grace he hath resolved that there shall be no more Sacrifice for Sin but a fearful looking for of Judgment and Fire which shall devour the Adversary Heb. 10. 26 27. and that the Fire shall be everlasting the Worm shall not die and the Fire shall not be quenched Mat. 25. ult Mat. 13. 42 50. John 5. 27. Mat. 5. 26. Mat. 3. 12. and Luke 3. 17. Mark 9. 43 44 45 46 48. He that now breaketh that pure Law that requireth perfect Innocency as we have all done may fly to the Promise of Grace in Christ and appeal to the Law of Liberty or Deliverance to be judged by that But he that falls under the Penalty of that Law which should have saved him as all final Unbelievers and impenitent ungodly Persons do hath no other to appeal
to Christ would have been a Sanctuary and Refuge to thee from the Law of Works hadst thou but come into him But who shall be a Refuge to thee from the Wrath of Christ The Gospel would have freed thee from the Curse of the Law of Works if thou hadst but believed and obeyed it But what shall free thee from the Condemnation of the Gospel Had there no Accusation lain against thee but that thou wast in general a Sinner that is that thou wast not perfectly innocent Christ would have answered that Charge by his Blood But seeing thou art also guilty of those special Sins which he never shed his Blood for who shall deliver thee from that Accusation When Christ gave himself a Ransom for Sinners it was with this Resolution both in the Father and himself that none should ever be pardoned justified or saved by that Ransom that did not in the time of this Life sincerely return to God by Faith in the Redeemer and live in sincere obedience to him and persevering herein So that he plainly excepted final Infidelity Impenitency and Rebellion from Pardon He never died for the final Non-performance of the Conditions of the New Covenant So that his Judgment for these will be peremptory and remediless If you say Why cannot God find out a Remedy for this Sin as well as he did for the first I say God cannot lie Tit. 1. 2. He must be true and faithful as necessarily as he must be God because of the absolute Perfection of his Nature and he hath said and resolved that there shall be no more Remedy Many other Properties of God's Judgment general there are as that Righteousness Impartiality Inflexibility and the like which because I would not make my Discourse too long I will pass over contenting my self with the mention of these which are proper to the Judgment of the Redeemer according to his own Laws in special XII The twelfth and last thing which I promised to unfold is The Execution of this Judgment Here I should shew you both the Certainty of the Execution and by whom it will be and how but having done all this already in the third Part of the foresaid Book of Rest I shall now only give this brief Touch of it No sooner is the dreadful Sentence past Go ye cursed into everlasting Fire but away they must be gone There is no delay much less any Reprieve to be expected and yet much less is there any hope of an Escape If the Judg once say Take him Jailor and if Christ say Take him Devils you that ruled and deceived him now torment him all the World cannot rescue one such Soul It will be in vain to look about for help Alas there is none but Christ can help you and he will not because you refused his help Nay we may say He cannot not for want of Power but because he is True and Just and therefore will make good that Word which you believed not It is in vain then to cry to Hills to fall on you and the Mountains to cover you from the Presence of him that sitteth on the Throne It will be in vain now to repent and wish you had not slighted your Salvation nor sold it for a little Pleasure to your Flesh It will be then in vain to cry Lord Lord open to us O spare us O pity us O do not cast us into these hideous Flames Do not turn us among Devils Do not torment thy redeemed ones in this Fire All this will be then too late Poor Sinner whoever thou art that readest or hearest these Lines I beseech thee in Compassion to thy Soul consider how fearful the Case of that Man will be that is newly doomed to the Everlasting Fire and is haled to the Execution without Remedy And what mad Men are those that now do no more to prevent such a Misery when they might do it on such easy Terms and now have so fair an Opportunity in their hands The time was when Repentance might have done thee good but then all thy Repentings be in vain Now while the Day of thy Visitation lasteth hadst thou but a Heart to pray and cry for Mercy in Faith and Fervency through Christ thou mightest be heard But then Praying and Crying will do no good shouldst thou roar out in the Extremity of thy Horror and Amazement and beseech the Lord Jesus but to forgive thee one Sin or to send thee on Earth once more and to try theâ— once again in the Flesh whether thou wouldst not love him and lead a holy Life it would be all in vain Nay shouldst thou beg but one Hour before you were cast into those Flames it would not be heard it would do thee no good How earnestly did a deceased Gentleman Luke 16. 24. beg of Abraham for one Drop of Water from the Tip of Lazarus's Finger to cool his Tongue because he was tormented in the Flame And what the better was he He was sent to remember that he had his good things in this Life and that Remembrance would torment him more And do not wonder or think much at this that Christ will not then be entreated by the Ungodly You shall then have a Remember too from Christ or Conscience He may soon stop thy Mouth and leave thee speechless and say Remember Man that I did one Day send thee a Message of Peace and thou wouldst not hear it I once did stoop to beseech thee to return and thou wouldst not hear I besought thee by the tender Mercies of God I besought thee by all the Love that I had shewed these by my holy Life by my cursed Death by the Riches of my Grace by the Offers of my Glory and I could not get thee tâ— for sake the World to deny the Flesh to leave one beloved Sin for all this I besought thee over and over again I sent many a Minister to thee in my Name I waited on thee many a Day and Year and all would not do thou wouldst not consider return and live and â—ow it is too late thy Sentence is past and cannot be reâ—alled away from me thou Worker of Iniquity Mat. 7. 22 23. Ah Sirs what a Case then is the poor desperate Sinner left in How can I write this or how can you that read or hear it without trembling once think of the Condition that such forlorn Wretches will be in When they look above them and see the God that hath forsaken them because they forsook him first when â—hey look about them and see the Saints on one hand whom they despised now sentenced unto Glory and the Wicked on the other hand whom they accompanied and imitated now judged with them to everlasting Misery when they look below them and see the Flames that they must abide in even for evermore and when the Devils begin to hale them to the Execution O poor Souls Now what would they give for a Christ for a Promise for a
Soul and thou be truly broken off from thy former sinsul Course and from all things in this World and art dedicated devoted and resigned unto God Seeing this Change must be made and these Graces must be had or thou must certainly perish in the Fear of God see that thou give no ease to thy Mind till thou art thus changed Be content with nothing till this be done Delay not another Day How canst thou live merrily or sleep quietly in such a Condition as if thou shouldst die in it thou shouldst perish for ever Especially when thou art every Hour uncertain whether thou shalt see another Hour and not be presently snatch'd away by Death Methinks while thou art in so sad a Case which way ever thou art going or whatever thou art doing it should still come into thy Thoughts O what if I should die before I be regenerate and have part in Christ The ninth Direction Let it be the daily Care of thy Soul to mortify thy fleshly Desires and overcome this World and live as in a continual Conflict with Satan which will not be ended till thy Life do end If any thing destroy thee by drawing away thy Heart from God it will be thy carnal Self thy fleshly Desires and the Allurements of this World which is the Matter that they feed upon This therefore must be the earnest Work of thy Life to subdue this Flesh and set light by this World and resist the Devil that by these would destroy thee It is the common Case of miserable Hypocrites that at first they list themselves under Christ as for a Fight but they presently forget their State and Work and when they are once in their own Conceit regenerate they think themselves so safe that there is no farther Danger and thereupon they do lay down their Arms and take that which they miscall their Christian Liberty and indulge and please that Flesh whch they promised to mortify and close with the World which they promised to contemn and so give up themselves to the Devil whom they promised to fight against If once you apprehend that all your Religion lieth in meer Believing that all shall go well with you and that the Bitterness of Death is past and in a forbearance of some disgraceful Sins and being much in the Exercise of your Gifts and in external Ways of Duty and giving God a cheap and plausible Obedience in those things only which the Flesh can spare you are then faln into that deceitful Hypocrisy which will as surely condemn you as open Profaneness if you get not out of it You must live as in a Fight or you cannot overcome You must live loose from all things in this World if you will be ready for another You must not live after the Flesh but mortify it by the Spirit if you would not die but live for ever Rom. 8. 13. These things are not indifferent but of flat Necessity The tenth Direction Do all your Works as Men that must be judged for them It is not enough at least in point of Duty and Comfort that you judg this Preparation in general to be the main Business of your Lives but you should also order your particular Actions by these Thoughts and measure them by their Respects to this approaching Day Before you venture on them enquire whether they will bear weight in Judgment and be sweet or bitter when they are brought to Trial both for Matter and Manner this must be observed O that you would remember this when Temptations are upon you when you are tempted to give up your Minds to the World and drown your selves in earthly Cares Will you bethink you soberly whether you would hear of this at Judgment and whether the World will be then as sweet as now and whether this be the best Preparation for your Trial When you are tempted to be drunk or to spend your precious time in Ale-houses or vain unprofitable Company or at Cards or Dice or any sinful or needless Sports bethink you then whether this will be comfortable at the reckoning and whether time be no more worth to one that is so near Eternity and must make so strict an Account of his Hours and whether there be not many better Works before you in which you might spend your time to your greater Advantage and to your greater Comfort when it comes to a review When you are tempted to Wantonness Fernication or any other fleshly Intemperance bethink you soberly with what Face these Actions will appear at Judgment and whether they will be then pleasant or displeasant to you So when you are tempted to neglect the daily Worshipping of God in your Families and the catechising and teaching of your Children or Servants especially on the Lord's Day bethink your selves then what account you will give of this to Christ when he that entrusted you with the Care of your Children and Servants shall call you to a reckoning for the Performance of that Trust The like must be remembred in the very manner of our Duties How diligently should a Minister study how earnestly should he perswade how unweariedly should he bear all Oppositions and ungrateful Returns and how carefully should he watch over each particular Soul of his Charge as far as is possible when he remember that he must shortly be accountable for all in Judgment and how importunate should we all be with Sinners for their Conversion when we consider that we our selves also must shortly be judged Can a Man be cold and dead in Prayer that hath any true Apprehension of that Judgment upon his Mind where he must be accountable for all his Prayers and Performances O remember and seriously remember when you stand before the Minister to hear the Word and when you are on your Knees to God in Prayer in what a manner that same Person even your selves must shortly stand at the Bar of the dreadful God! Did these Thoughts get throughly to Mens Hearts they would awaken them out of their sleepy Devotions and acquaint them that it is a serious Business to be a Christian How careful should we be of our Thoughts and Words if we believingly remembred that we must be accountable for them all How carefully should we consider what we do with our Riches and with all that God giveth us and how much more largely should we expend it for his Service in Works of Piety and Charity if we believingly remembred that we must be judged according to what we have done and give account of every Talent that we receive Certainly the believing Consideration of Judgment might make us all better Christians than we are and keep our Lives in a more innocent and profitable Frame The eleventh Direction As you will certainly renew your Failings in this Life so be sure that you daily renew your Repentance and fly daily to Christ for a renewed Pardon that no Sin may leave its sting in your Souls It is not your first Pardon that
see then that it is not meerly for want of good Preachers that Men make light of Christ and Salvation the first News of such a thing as the Pardon of Sin and the Hopes of Glory and the Danger of everlasting Misery would turn the Hearts of Men within them if they were as tractable in spiritual Matters as in temporal But alas it is far otherwise It must not seem any strange thing nor must it too much discourage the Preachers of the Gospel if when they have said all that they can devise to say to win the Hearts of Men to Christ the most do still slight him and while they bow the Knee to him and honour him with their Lips do yet set so light by him in their Hearts as to prefer every fleshly Pleasure or Commodity before him It will be thus with many let us be glad that it is not thus with all Vse 3. But for closer Application Seeing this is the great condemning Sin before we enquire after it into the Hearts of our Hearers it beseems us to begin at home and see that we who are Preachers of the Gospel be not guilty of it our selves The Lord forbid that they that have undertaken the sacred Office of revealing the Excellencies of Christ to the World should make light of him themselves and slight that Salvation which they do daily preach The Lord knows we are all of us so low in our Estimation of Christ and do this great Work so negligently that we have cause to be ashamed of our best Sermons but should this Sin prevail in us we were the most miserable of all Men. Brethren I love not Censoriousness yet dare not befriend so vile a Sin in my self or others under pretence of avoiding it especially when there is so great Necessity that it should be healed first in them that make it their Work to heal it in others O that there were no cause to complain that Christ and Salvation are made light of by the Preachers of it But 1. Do not the negligent Studies of some speak it out 2. Doth not their dead and drowsy Preaching declare it Do not they make light of the Doctrine they preach that do it as if they were half asleep and feel not what they speak themselves 3. Doth not the Carelesness of some Mens private Endeavours discover it What do they for Souls how slightly do they reprove Sin how little do they when they are out of the Pulpit for the saving of Mens Souls 4. Doth not the continued Neglect of those things wherein the Interest of Christ consisteth discover it 1. The Churches Purity and Reformation 2. It s Unity 5. Doth not the covetous and worldly Lives of too many discover it losing Advantages for Mens Souls for a little Gain to themselves and most of this is because Men are Preachers before they are Christians and tell Men of that which they never felt themselves Of all Men on Earth there are few that are in so sad a Condition as such Ministers and if indeed they do believe that Scripture which they preach methinks it should be terrible to them in their studying and preaching it Vse 4. Beloved Hearers the Office that God hath called us to is by declaring the Glory of his Grace to help under Christ to the saving of Mens Souls I hope you think not that I come hither to Day on any other Errand The Lord knows I had not set a Foot out of Doors but in hope to succeed in this Work for your Souls I have considered and often considered what is the matter that so many thousands should perish when God hath done so much for their Salvation and I find this that is mentioned in my Text is the Cause It is one of the Wonders of the World that when God hathso loved the World as to send his Son aud Christ hath made a Satisfaction by his Death sufficient for them all and offereth the Benefits of it so freely to them even without Money or Price that yet the most of the World should perish yea the most of those that are thus called by his Word Why here is the Reason when Christ hath done all this Men make light of it God hath shewed that he is not unwilling and Christ hath shewed that he is not unwilling that Men should be restored to God's Favour and be saved but Men are actually unwilling themselves God takes not pleasure in the Death of Sinners but rather that they return and live Ezek. 33. 11. But Men take such pleasure in Sin that they will die before they will return The Lord Jesus was content to be their Physician and hath provided them a sufficient Plaister of his own Blood but if Men make light of it and will not apply it what wonder if they perish after all This Scripture giveth us the Reason of their Perdition This sad Experience tells us the most of the World is guilty of It is a most lamentable thing to see how most Men do spend their Care their Time their Pains for known Vanities while God and Glory are cast aside That he who is all should seem to them as nothing and that which is nothing should seem to them as good as all that God should set Mankind in such a Race where Heaven or Hell is their certain End and that they should sit down and loiter or run after the childish Toys of the World and so much forget the Prize that they should run for Were it but possible for one of us to see the whole of this Business as the All-seeing God doth to see at one View both Heaven and Hell which Men are so near and see what most Men in the World are minding and what they are doing every Day it would be the saddest sight that could be imagined O how should we marvel at their Madness and lament their Self-delusion O poor distracted World what is it that you run after and what is it that you neglect If God had never told them what they were sent into the Word to do or whither they were going or what was before them in another World then they had been excusable but he hath told them over and over till they were weary of it Had he left it doubtful there had been some excuse but it is his sealed Word and they profess to believe it and would take it ill of us if we should question whether they do believe it or not Beloved I come not to accuse any of you particularly of this Crime but seeing it is the commonest Cause of Mens Destruction I suppose you will judg it the fittest Matter for our Enquiry and deserving our greatest Care for the Cure To which end I shall 1. Endeavour the Conviction of the Guilty 2. Shall give them such Considerations as may tend to humble and reform them 3. I shall conclude with such Direction as may help them that are willing to escape the destroying Power of this Sin And
everlasting Glory and everlasting Torments are would they then hear us as they do would they read and think of these things as they do I profess I have been ready to wonder when I have heard such weighty things delivered how People can forbear crying out in the Congregation much more how they can rest till they have gone to their Ministers and learned what they should do to be saved that this great Business might be put out of doubt O that Heaven and Hell should work no more on Men O that Everlastingness should work no more O how can you forbear when you are alone to think with your selves what it is to be everlastingly in Joy or in Torment I wonder that such Thoughts do not break your Sleep and that they come not in your mind when you are about your Labour I wonder how you can almost do any thing else How you can have any Quietness in your Minds How you can eat or drink or rest till you have got some Ground of everlasting Consolations Is that a Man or a Corps that is not affected with Matters of this Moment that can be readier to sleep than to tremble when he heareth how he must stand at the Bar of God! Is that a Man or a Clod of Clay that can rise and lie down without being deeply affected with his everlasting Estate that can follow his worldly Business and make nothing of the great Business of Salvation or Damnation and that when they know it is hard at hand Truly Sirs when I think of the Weight of the Matter I wonder at the very best of God's Saints upon Earth that they are no better and do no more in so weighty a Case I wonder at those whom the World accounteth more holy than needs and scorns for making too much ado that they can put off Christ and their Souls with so little that they pour not out their Souls in every Supplication that they are not more taken up with God that their Thoughts be not more serious in preparation for their Account I wonder that they be not an hundred times more strict in their Lives and more laborious and unwearied in striving for the Crown than they are And for my self as I am ashamed of my dull and careless Heart and of my slow and unprofitable Course of Life so the Lord knows I am ashamed of every Sermon that I preach when I think what I have been speaking of and who sent me and that Mens Salvation or Damnation is so much concerned in it I am ready to tremble lest God should judg me as a Slighter of his Truth and the Souls of Men and lest in the best Sermon I should be guilty of their Blood Methinks we should not speak a Word to Men in Matters of such Consequence without Tears or the greatest Earnestness that possibly we can were not we too much guilty of the Sin which we reprove it would be so Whether we are alone or in Company methinks our End and such an End should still be in our Mind and as before our Eyes and we should sooner forget any thing and set light by any thing or by all things than by this Consider 4. Who is it that sends this weighty Message to you Is it not God himself Shall the God of Heaven speak and Men make light of it You would not slight the Voice of an Angel or a Prince 5. Whose Salvation is it that you make light of Is it not your own Are you no more near or dear to your selves than to make light of your own Happiness or Misery Why Sirs do you not care whether you be saved or damned Is Self-love lost Are you turned your own Enemies As he that slighteth his Meat doth slight his Life so if you slight Christ whatsoever you may think you will find it was your own Salvation that you slighted Hear what he saith Prov. 8. 36. All they that hate me love Death 6. Your Sin is greater in that you profess to believe the Gospel which you make so light of For a professed Infidel to do it that believes not that ever Christ died or rose again or doth not believe that there is an Heaven or Hell this were no such marvel but for you that make it your Creed and your very Religion and call your selves Christians and have been baptized into this Faith and seemed to stand to it this is the Wonder and hath no Excuse What! believe that you shall live in endless Joy or Torment and yet make no more of it to escape Torment and obtain that Joy What! believe that God will shortly judg you and yet make no more Preparation for it Either say plainly I am no Christian I do not believe these wonderful things I will believe nothing but what I see or else let your Hearts be affected with your Belief and live as you say you do believe What do you think when you repeat the Creed and mention Christ's Judgment and everlasting Life 7. What are these things you set so much by as to prefer them before Christ and the saving of your Souls Have you found a better Friend a greater and surer Happiness than this Good Lord what Dung is it that Men make so much of while they set so light by everlasting Glory What Toys are they that they are daily taken up with while Matters of Life and Death are neglected Why Sirs if you had every one a Kingdom in your Hopes what were it in comparison of the everlasting Kingdom I cannot but look upon all the Glory and Dignity of this World Lands and Lordships Crowns and Kingdoms even as on some brainsick beggarly Fellow that borroweth fine Clothes and plays the Part of a King or a Lord for an Hour on a Stage and then comes down and the Sport is ended and they are Beggars again Were it not for God's Interest in the Authority of Magistrates or for the Service they might do him I should judg no better of them For as to their own Glory it is but a Smoak what matter is it whether you live poor or rich unless it were a greater Matter to die rich than it is You know well enough that Death levels all what Matter is it at Judgment whether you be to answer for the Life of a rich Man or a poor Man Is Dives then any better than Lazarus O that Men knew what a poor deceiving Shadow they grasp at while they let go the everlasting Substance The strongest and richest and most volupâ—uous Sinners do but lay in fuel for their Sorrows while they think they are gathering together a Treasure Alas they are asleep and dream that they are happy but when they awake what a Change will they find Their Crown is made of Thorns their Pleasure hath such a Sting as will stick in the Heart through all Eternity except unfeigned Repentance do prevent it O how sadly will these Wretches be convinced ere long what a foolish