in Chains killed his Children before him put out his Eyes and carry'd him with the People captive into Babylon Wherefore this terrible Judgment for their Sins the King's Perjury named for one (c) v. 13 14 15 16. Moreover all the chief of the priests and the people transgressed very much and the Lord God of their fathers sent to them by his messengers rising up betimes and sending because he had compassion on his People But they mocked the Messengers of God and despised his words and misused his Prophets until the wrath of the Lord arose against his people till there was no remedy In many things this suits with our case our Sins are many and great if God move the Heart of some to speak about it we have too many of those who will despise and ridicule them for it Let us not hold out until God's Anger comes upon us and till there be no remedy O England Rulers and People pray mind this before it be too late I could upon this Head take notice how all signal Judgments in the World have been inflicted for Sin which brought the Flood upon the first World Fire and Brimstone upon Sodom and Gomorrah utter destruction upon the Seven Nations in the Land of Canaan which God by Moses commanded the children of Israel to do (a) Josh 9.24 The Lord commanded his Servant Moses to give you all the Land and to destroy all the inhahitants of the land from before you But time would fail me if I would insist upon all the Instances of God's Judgments for Sins Recorded in Scripture I pray God we be not made the next Example For out of this we may see how God doth shoot his Warning-pieces before he doth the Murthering ones We have warnings enough both at home and abroad whence it comes nearer and nearer to us but if we kick against the pricks grow stiff-necked and harden our hearts as Pharaoh did his then let us hear what God saith (a) Levit. 20 21 22. c But if ye walk contrary to me and will not hearken unto me I will bring seven times more plagues upon you according to your sins Again And if ye will not be Reformed by me by these things that is by the Plagues he threateneth them with then I will yet punish you seven times more for your sins And in that Chapter the Seven times is often multiply'd wherefore to avoid it let us prepare our Heart to seek the Lord or rather pray to God to do 't for us let us Repent Mend our Lives Reform our Manners leave off our Sins cease to do evil and learn to do good (a) Job 15.16 Man which drinketh iniquity like water is abominable and filthy Therefore compared to the Dog that returns to his vomit (b) 2 Pet. 2.22 and the Sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire Seeing then punishment is tied to the tail of Sin and that in the Nation we thô in different degrees are all Sinners what else can we look but for punishment According to God's Truth and Justice Sins must either be Pardon'd or Punish'd and is there no remedy for this No other way to Pardon but to Repent and Believe or else nothing (c) Heb. 10 27. But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation which shall devour the adversaries of God To make Punishment hold a proportion with Sins against an infinite Majesty There can be no other way but Eternal Torments besides those inflicted in this life What Remedy have we for this As we shewed the Distemper Sin and its due Reward Punishment for the wages of Sin is Death whether natural of Afflictions Spiritual or Eternal we must now speak of the Remedy Be converted from Sin to God and our Sins shall be forgiven God hath appointed Repentance consisting First In a contrition of Heart or sorrow for Sin Secondly In a confession of Mouth or owning our Faults thereby giving God the Glory as upon the like occasion did (d) Dan. 9. from v. 5. to 20. Daniel (e) Ezra 9.5 6 7 c. Ezra (f) Nehem. ◠5 6 7 c. chiefly in Ch. 9. Nehemiah c. Thirdly In a satisfaction given those whom after God we have offended and wronged And Fourthly In taking as far as we are able a full resolution to forsake Sin and follow after Holiness and Righteousness Then when the Cause is removed the Effect will cease and through God's Blessing the Remedy will produce a Cure of the Disease Through a deep and Universal Repentance Nineveh prevented the ruin which within 40 Days she was threatened with Days of Fasting and Humiliation should be kept but not such as God condemneth as (a) Isai 58.5 6 7. a day for a man to afflict his Soul to bow down his head as a bulrush and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him Such an outward and superficial Fast God hath not chosen but to loose the bonds of wickedness to undo the heavy burdens and to let the oppressed go free To deal thy bread to the hungry to bring the poor cast out to thy house c Exercise Justice and Charity as well as Piety This another Prophet call's to (b) Joel 2.13 Ezek. 18.30 Rent your hearts and not your garments God saith Repent and turn from all your transgressions so iniquity shall not be your ruin When once Men are really touched with a sense of their Sins and pricked in their Hearts they with the new Converts will say (c) Acts 2.37 men and brethren what shall we do and with the Jaylor to Paul and Silas (d) Chap. 16 30. Sirs what must I do to be saved Long before a Prophet had answered a Question about a Man's Duty (e) Micah 6.8 He God hath shewed thee O man what is good and what doth the lord require of thee but to do justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly before thy God To this answereth the Excellent Lesson of the Grace of God (f) Tit. 2.12 by the Apostle mentioned first Negatively Teaching us that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts Here we must begin then we should live soberly Here is our Duty to our selves Righteously This towards our Neighbour and godly This in relation to God In this present world Which Three words contain the whole Duty of Man So Men may not pretend ignorance of what we must know and do This is every Man's Duty thô of some more than of others according to their station and every one ought to know 't Now (a) Luke 12.47 the servant which knew his lord's Will and did not according to 't shall be beaten with many stripes which to avoid let every one with David say (b) Psal 38.18 I will declare mine iniquity I will be sorry for my sin Not barely out of the Mouth which sometimes the most wicked can do Pharaoh said (c) Exod. 9.27 I have sinned this time the lord
an Epidemical Sin again (c) v. 20. who call evil good and good evil that put darkness for light and light for darkness bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter that are wise in their own Eyes and prudent in their own sight which justifie the wicked for Reward and take away the righteousness of the righteous from him Doth not every thing here reach some of us But in the same Chapter the Prophet adds the Harp and the Viol the Tabret and Pipe and Wine are in their Feasts but mark what follows as a mighty aggravation but they regard not the work of the Lord neither consider the operation of his hands an effect whereof is therefore my People are gone into Captivity But that which is worse and damnable therefore Hell hath enlarged her self and opened her mouth without measure If it were but the Grave it were enough to terrifie Men from such things and in v. 24 25.26 we read of further Judgments very terrible with a therefore to shew they are the fruits of their Sins which should make us all fear and tremble They are God's own Words to the same People to us as well as to Israel (d) Jer. 5.22 Fear ye not me saith the Lord will ye not tremble at my Presence If ye do not I will make you before I have done For all these Judgments which ye feel my anger is not turned away but my hand is stretched out still Not long before his death (a) Josh 24. Joshua gathered the People to put them in mind of what God had done for them to represent unto them their Duty and gave them a strict charge about it in a remarkable circumstance (b) v. 26.27 he took a great Stone and set it up there and said behold this Stone shall be a Witness unto us for it hath heard all the words of the Lord. God uever wanteth Witnesses and rather than fail the very Stones shall speak However he often is pleased to make use of weak Instruments whose Testimony is not to be rejected when they speak in his Name and out of his own Word As for me who am come to an Age wherein I have little to hope for desire or fear from Men and tho' I had I would always Fear God rather than Men therefore being instructed by some experience which my God hath given me of his gracious and wise Providence do now upon this nice and important conjuncture give in my Evidence for God and a serious warning to all Sinners in the Land I begin with and speak to my self first as the chief of Sinners then to King Parliaments Judges Magistrates Clergymen and others of all Conditions Ages Relations and Professions whatsoever as at the last and terrible day we shall answer to God every one within our respective Stations as much as in us lieth to encourage and promote Piety and Virtue to discountenance punish and suppress Error and Vice and let every one begin with himself in his own Person or else I denounce God's terrible and infallible Judgments upon you and upon me and these lines of mine shall upon occasion if we neglect our Duty be Evidences against you and against me this is neither time nor thing to flatter or to dally with for (a) Num. 16.46 there is wrath gone out from the Lord the plague is begun therefore hear that faithful Servant of God Moses as speaking to you (b) Deut. 30.35 see I have this day set before thee life and death good and evil light and darkness Heaven and Hell Christ and Sin chuse well and be wise unto Salvation I have brought and laid a looking Glass before all wherein every one may see himself therefore make a right use of it as much as I could I made what I said to reach all I hope none that is good will take ill what I write as for the bad and impenitent I neither intend nor care to please them truth doth offend some who thereupon harden themselves others are better for hearing it and mend these will thank God for the occasion he affords them to learn by being told to the other in Pauls words I say (c) Gal. 4.16 am I therefore become your Enemy because I tell you the truth but know I will not betray it for any Man's sake Our Sins are many great and frequent and God's hand is lifred up against us therefore let every one Prince and Subject High and Low Rich and Poor Man and Woman Young and Old mend and repent and in his place do his duty or else (d) Amos 4.12 prepare to meet thy God O Israel If not in the way of Repentance in that of his Judgments which I am afraid are hanging over our heads at least we have cause to think so therefore hear ye the sound of the Trumpet and know the meaning of it learn and be wise for thereby God doth invite us all to repent and to mind his work and Service which is Honourable Glorious and Profitable But if blowing the Trumpet in Sion cannot do with but be neglected by Men then (a) Joel 3.16 the Lord also shall roare out of Sion nay hath already roared and if (b) Amos 3.8 the Lion hath roared who will not fear 'T is a terrible voice which denounceth Judgments and thundereth Threatnings and if yet by this Men will not be awaked from their Sins then at that (c) Joel 2.31 great and very terrible day of the Lord at last they shall come out of their Graves to suffer the punishment due to their impenitence and unbelief when (c) 1 Thess 4.16 the Lord himself shall descend from Heaven with a shout with the voice of the Archangel and with the Trumpet of God May the great God our most gracious Father be pleased to prevent us with Temporal blessings to continue with Spiritual and to end with Eternal by the merits and mediation of his only begotten Son our blessed Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ through the powerful working of the Holy Ghost in one most simple and undivided Godhead three Persons Co-essential in Nature Co-eternal in Time and Co-equal in Power to whom be by every Creature rendred as most due all Honour Glory Power Majesty and Dominion now and for evermore Amen FINIS Some Books Printed for D. Brown at the Black Swan and Bible without Temple-Bar FOur Tracts 1. A shore Discourse about Divorce and its Causes Fornication and Adultery 2. A Charge to Judges Juries and Witnesses concerning Oaths 3. About Infant Baptism 4. A Letter to a Lady who hath forsaken the Protestant Religion for the Romish The 2. Edition Free Thoughts in Defence of a Future State as discoverable by natural Reason and stript of all Superstitious appendages Demonstrating against the nominal Deists that the consideration of Future Advantages is a just motive to Virtue of Future loss and misery a powerful and becoming restraint of Vice With occasional Remarks on a Book Intituled an enquiry concerning Virtue and a Refutation of the revived Hylyzoicism of Democritus and Leucippus A compleat History or Survey of all the dispensations and methods of Religion from the beginning of the World to the consummation of all things as represented in the Old and New Testament shewing the several Reasons and Designs of those different Administrations and the wisdom and goodnes of God in the Government of his Church through all the Ages of it in which also the Opinion of Dr. Spencer concerning the Jewish Rights and Sacrifices is examined and the certainty of the Christian Religion demonstrated the Cavils of the Deists c. By John Edwards C. D.
sin upon him Endeavour to get it removed either by good and brotherly Counsel and if those cannot serve by Punishment This is a Rule under the Gospel aswell as under the Law represented as a most important Service attended with a great Reward (b) Jam. 5 19 20 Brethren if any one of you do err from the truth and one converteth him let him know that he which converteth the sinner from the errour of his ways shall save a Soul from death and shall hide a multitude of sins Then 't is a Christian Duty in one's station to use means to make a Sinner leave his sins if not out of Love yet out of Fear which not to do draws God's Censure upon the best of Men The Son of God having highly commended the Angel of the Church of Thyatira for his Charity Service Faith Patience and Works yet finds fault with him which is of the same nature with that we now are upon Rev. 2.20 Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee and what are these Because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel to teach and to seduce my servants to make them commit fornication and to eat things sacrificed unto Idols This Indulgence and Toleration of evil Practises and Doctrines is condemned so that no Man ought to suffer but to the utmost of his Power within his station to hinder with Accusing Condemning and Punishing publick sins He which declares not Treasonable Words and Designs which he knows deserve's to be severely punished So doth he who hearing Blasphemy Impiety and Wickedness spoken and committed against God conceals it which is no small Guilt 'T is a kind of Rebellion against the most High Eternal and Almighty God and Treason in the Highest degree therefore every Pious Man for all the talk and frowns of the World is in his capacity but without self-ends bound to appear either as a Witness to convince or a Judge to Condemn and upon this account God saith (a) Isai 51.7 Fear ye not the reproach of men neither be ye afraid of their revilings Another Sin very common I must not forget 't is Want of Charity which thô expressed in Negative terms yet contains a positive Evil in the bottom for it usually arises out of a principle of Envy and Malice or at least of Imprudence when some Men wrest and give a misconstruction to the Words and Actions of others and like Spiders turn all into poison they take pleasure to hear their Neighbour ill spoken of and slander'd which they promote and encourage Love or Charity which in Greek the Language of the New Testament is one and the same is the fulfilling of the Law for (b) Rom. 13.8 He that loveth another hath fulfilled the Law so the want of it is the breach of the whole Law which is by our Saviour reduced to these two Heads to love God with all our Heart with all our Soul and with all our Mind and our Neighbour as our selves Now if we do not perform this last which cannot be when we are uncharitable to him we will never do the first for (c) 1 Joh. 〈◊〉 He that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen how can he love God whom he hath nos seen Charity is what God requires of us for (a) 1 Tim. 1.5 The end of the Commandment is Charity And we are exhorted (b) Coloss 3.14 above all things to put on Charity which as another Apostle saith (c) 1 Pet. 4.8 Shall cover a multitude of sins And without it every thing else is insignificant (d) 1 Cor. 13.1 2. Thô I have the gift of Prophecy and understand all Mysteries and all Knowledge and thô I have all Faith and have no Charity I am nothing saith the great Apostle of the Gentiles (e) v. 3 And thô I bestow all my goods to feed the poor and give my body to be burned and have no Charity it profitteth me nothing Charity not only doth no evil but also thinketh no evil There are Men in the World who measure and judge of others by themselves and so think evil of others because they do evil themselves such should remember what saith our Blessed Lord (f) Matt. 7.1 2. Judge not that ye be not judged for with what judgment ye judge ye shall be judged (g) Rom. 14.4 and Who art thou that judgest another Man's servants to his own Master he standeth or falleth The Advice which the Rabbies say Moses gave the children of Israel at his coming down from the Mountain before the reading of the Law to them would in these uncharitable times be very necessary be quick to hear slow to speak slower to anger and slowest of all to judge The Duty of every Christian is not hastily to judge or rashly condemn one another but rather out of a principle of promoting his Neighbour's good friendly and gently in private to Advise and Admonish him not with Authority and Magisterially which doth more harm than good and commonly produces rather a bad than a good Effect but with a Christian Prudence by all means avoiding to expose his good Name For if he be not tender of his good Name 't is in vain he will pretend to be his friend or to do 't for his good and any one thô indifferently clear-sighted shall easily perceive Malice and some ill Design in the bottom of it I say that gentle ways ought to be used though the Party was in fault and deserved to be reproved for it according to the Apostles Rule (a) Gal. 6.1 Brethren if a Man be overtaken in a fault ye which are spiritual restore such an one in the Spirit of meekness considering thy self lest also thou be tempted Those Sons of Thunder who would bring down fire from Heaven and destroy all know not what Spirit they are of sure I am 't is not the Spirit of Christ This must also be done in a fit and proper time thus Abigail finding (b) 1 Sam. 25 36. Nabal in drink told him nothing more or less of his folly against David until the Morning light 'T is the Character of a good Man to be discreet in the management of his Concerns either in relation to himself or neighbour (c) Psal 112.5 A good man will guide his Affairs with discretion He who cares not how he treads upon his Neighbour's Reputation doth thereby discover Venom in the Heart let his pretences be never so plausible and specious In this World every Man hath Two general Parts to act which thô in some things opposite yet may well agree being brought under a due Subordination and in relation to their respective Objects I mean that of a Christian and of the Rank and Quality which God hath placed him in the World and he may well satisfie both and with Prudence perform his Duty to God and what his station requires of him and as primarily he ought to mind the Glory of God and Good of his
exercise loving-kindness judgment and righteousness in the Earth for in these things I delight saith the Lord and not in Sin which I abhor Once there were great outcry 's against the Sins of the late Reigns and there was cause for it as God's Judgments which are always just declared But are we now better in the least On the contrary we can observe those same Sins to increase and daily grow stronger and more frequent upon us Have any of the guilty and offenders against God and the Country been punished for their notorious Offences How can the Effect cease if we remove not the Cause and what signifies to find fault except we mend I look upon 't only as an aggravation We know yet act not according to knowledge neither do we improve the means and opportunities which God had put into our hands to assert his Honour and his Truth to reform Abuses redress Grievances promote the good of the Nation prevent Evil restrain Sin punish Sinners and with greparing our Hearts unto God to fit ourselves for further Mercies Rather with continuing as we do in our Sins and through our unthankfulness we provoke the Lord and are in a way to draw his vengeance upon us The most notorious Sins of the late Reigns were Whoredom and Adultery taking other Mens Wives and without Shame living with them in the sight of the Sun Also downright and open Idolatry yet such were Prayed for as our Religious Kings and Defenders of the Faith when they were about destroying it So was Hypocrisie in pretending to be Protestants tho' actually Papists yet 't was made Treason to say the King was a Papist or Popishly affected which I say to shew how any Society or Assembly of Men chiefly when guided by Interest and Passion is apt to Err and be mistaken and thereby Men were made guilty of Death for telling the Truth Well these Sins and many more in Church and State were under the late Reigns the cause of our Complaints and have been the grounds for our Deliverance But what are we the better for it Tho' God (a) Ezek. 16.50 hath taken away some of the Sinnners as he saw good if the same Sins in the same degree nay in a higher do still continue among us and are become our master Sins is not there Cause to put this Question after God hath so graciously and wonderfully wrought for us are these Distempers remedied and all the great Abuses we complained of Reform'd nay are we so much as in earnest about to do it Tho' we may say some few are in a small degree yet far from it as to others for specially those relating to God ' Honour and Service are increased and without restraint daily multiplied We have bad Examples whence we expected good ones How careful are Men to promote their worldly selfish Interest and how neglectful of God's as if it was not worth minding Hence it is that we see obscene blasphemous and impious Books publickly exposed to Sale in Shops Auctions c. without any Curb and when there hath been other Books in opposition to those how much unfaithfulness tricking and unfair dealings have been used to smother or mangle them about the time of the coming out nay after that for Love nor Money one could not get them put into the Gazzetts among the Advertisements tho' desir'd more than once So that Diana's Interest wants no Demetrius of several kinds among us Some think they may be of no Religion others of any and profess what they please some do vent and publish their Opinions whilst others cheat and revile their Neighbours and wrong them in their good Name Fortune Liberty and sometimes in their Life without little or no Curb at all which is a bringing in a-pace of Confusion and Anarchy and all this some would call the Liberty of the Subject which is with Impunity to abuse one another and to run into all manner of Licentiousness Some think themselves Priviledged to Defraud others of their own nay others go further to Strike those Persons whose Character ought to be Respected and that in such Places as require a special Punishment and upon such occasions as deserve Thanks and not Blows Thus in one kind or other (a) Judg. 17.6 Every one doth that which is Right in his own Eyes as we read it was when there was no King in Israel Thus God in his wise Providence suffereth Abuses to Creep in and sometimes to Prevail of which we may say what our Blessed Saviour speaks of Offences (a) Luke 17.4 It is impossible but that Offences will come but Wo unto him through whom they come by Right it should be so with those who commit Abuses but also he from time to time raiseth Instruments in his hand for his People's good and makes them as Paul would have us to be (b) Rom. 12.11 Acts 17.16 Fervent in Spirit Serving the Lord. As we read how his Spirit was stirred in him in Athens when he saw the City wholly given to Idolatry Not Lukewarm in his Service for such (c) Rev. 3.16 He speweth out of his Mouth Nor such as (d) Jer. 48.10 Do his Work deceitfully For such are Cursed But for his Honour and the benefit of his People he makes use of such as Love Fear and Serve him with their Heart such a one was Moses to deliver Israel out of Aegypt and Joshua to bring them into the promised Land After the Babylonian Captivity God chose Zerubbabel to carry them home Ezra to reform their Manners settle Religion and build the Temple then Nehemiah to build up the Walls of Jerusalem So he never wants Instruments to do his Work and if some Men ly as Blocks in his way he knows well how to Remove them Happy those whom he is pleased to make use of for so good a Work But as Rules back'd with Examples make a greater impression so I shall mention some whom Scripture hath proposed as Patterns in matters of Religion for after Ages to follow Asa I begin with for after the falling off of the Ten Tribes he was the first Reformer of the Kings of Judah To his commendation 't is Recorded of him that (e) 1 King 15.11.14 He did that which was Right in the Eyes of the Lord as did David his Father and that his Heart was perfect with the Lord all his days Whereof Instances are given to shew how he minded the true Worship of God and removed Abuses therein Committed 'T is with every collective Body whether Ecclesiastical Civil or Politick as with the Natural in this ill humours and destructive are sometimes Bred and Formed which 't is necessary to Purge away Thus often Corruptions which cause Distempers do creep into the sore-named Bodies which to preserve the whole ought to be taken away and Remedied This good King began his Reign with minding things of Religion 't is just that God should be served first The Right way for a
thou shalt cut it down As this is the Case of many a particular Man so it hath been and is in general that of the World Thus it happened with the first World God for several years waited for fruit but finding none at last his patience being tired out he brought the Flood upon them and thô they had been forewarned a Hundred and twenty years before yet it took them unawares for they were cating and drinking (a) Matt. 24.38 39. marrying and giving in marriage and knew not until the Flood came and took them all away And just before the destruction of Sodom two Angels advised Lot to bring his Relations out of the Town not to be involved in its Ruin But when Lot spake unto his Sons in Law they would take no warning but Lot seemed as one that mocked unto his Sons in Law (b) Gen. 19.14 but they were soon hurried away in that terrible Judgment As for us doth not our Saviour say that the coming of the Son of Man shall be as it was in the days of Noah unexpectedly shall surprise this World as the other was for we are come to the Fourth year the last of the tryal the First was from the Creation to the Flood the Second from the Flood till Moses and the Law wherein Sodom Gomorrah Admah Zeboim and all the Plains were overthrown the Third year from Moses or the Law wherein the Seven Nations were destroyed by the Children of Israel till the coming of Christ the Fourth from his first to his second coming when utter Ruin shall befall the impenitent and unbelievers let all Sinners mind this and tremble And now O Sinner I speak without any distinction of Persons I will try and then try rhy self whether thou art one of those who (a) Rom. 2.5 after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up to thy self wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous Judgment of God Whether thou hast (b) Ephes 4.18 19. thine understanding darkned being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in thee because of the blindness of thine heart who being past feeling hath given thy self over unto lasciviousness to work all uncleanness Or whether there be in thee any thing of good Nature or rather of Grace and something left of humanity This may be known if thou wilt be serious upon the meditation of the Love of (c) 〈◊〉 3.19 Christ which passeth knowledge Consider well how out of the motive of that tree Love of his to thee and to me he for a time parted with an infinite unspeakable and incomprehensible Glory (d) John 17.5 which he had in Heaven together with the Father before the World was Attended by Millions of Millions of Angels waiting for his Commands and who (e) 1 Tim. 6.16 dwelt in the Light which no Man can approach unto all this he was content to leave and (f) Philip. 2.6 7. being in the Form of God thought it not robbery to be equal with God yet made himself of no Reputation and took upon him the form of a Servant nay became (g) Psal 22.6 a Worm and no Man the reproach of Men despised of the People Our human Nature he took upon him with all her infirmities only Sin excepted for he was hungry thirsty weary sorrowful and he wept He often was (h) Matt. 9.24 Mark 5. â—0 Luke 8.53 laughed to scorn contemned and hated by Men not for any fault of his for he had none but for thy Sins and mine which were the Judas that betray'd him the Jews that that accused the Pilate that Condemn'd and the Souldiers that Crucified him the thorns which fetched Blood out of his Sacred Head the nails that fixed him to the Cross pierced his Hands and Feet and the Spear which pierced his Side O Sinner O wretched sinner O wicked and abominable sinner I may say canst thou look upon Jesus in his Agony sweating great drops of Blood his Soul sorrowful even unto death and under such circumstances as was necessary for an Angel to come down from Heaven to comfort and strengthen him canst thou see and be unconcerned at all this Thou seest him upon the Cross praying for thee leaning down his Head to Kiss and stretching out his Arms to Embrace thee and shall not this work upon thine heart He came down to save thee and wilt thou damn thy self He came to destroy the work of the Devil that is Sin and wilt thou in thine heart and bosom receive entertain cherish and prefer before him that Enemy of his and of thine so that thou hadst rather part with Christ than with thy Sin O stupendious blindness and madness by his Death and Passion he hath delivered thee from the Curse of the Law and of God's wrath to come he hath subdued all thine Enemies Death the Grave and the Devil for as Christ was visibly Crucified so Satan was invisibly he hath through his precious Blood rescued thee from the Bondage and power of Sin and wilt thou still continue in it Where is thy thankfulness to him who hath done and suffered so much for thee If thou wilt not come to thy self from thine heart to give him thanks and Honour thou art as bad as the Devil and worse than all other Creatures for when he was upon the Cross the whole work of Creation was out of order there was a great Earthquake the Graves were opened the vail of the Temple was rent in the midst whole Nature put on a mourning Garment the Sun was darkned no light of the Moon or of the Stars for there was a darkness over all the Earth which made a Heathen say (a) Apollnius Tyaneus aut Deus naturae patitur aut Mundi Machina dissolvitur Either the God of Nature doth suffer which was true or this World is come to an end And thou canst look upon a bleeding Jesus upon the Cross as unconcerned and with a heart harder than the very Rocks which upon that occasion rent Then prepare for Hell as thine own home and proper place (b) Job 31.3 for destruction is to the wicked One look of his upon Peter having made him remember only one of his Sins did work so much upon him as that thereupon he went out and wept bitterly the Centurion and they that were with him when they saw the things that were done feared greatly and all the People that were come together to see that sight smote their Breast and canst thou be the only spectator of the Sufferings he underwent for thy Sins and not shed for grief and sorrow Tears of Repentance and part with thy Sins Then thou art a Monster in Nature Know that thou canst not keep both Sin and Christ Christ is in Heaven where is no Sin Sin shall for ever be in Hell but Christ not except it be in his Justice But a thing which deserves our whole attention thankfulness and admiration and