Faithful warnings to prevent fearful judgments. Uttered in a brief discourse, occasioned, by a tragical spectacle, in a number of miserables under a sentence of death for piracy. At Boston in N.E. Jun. 22. 1704. : [Five lines of quotations]

Faithful warnings to prevent fearful judgments. Uttered in a brief discourse, occasioned, by a tragical spectacle, in a number of miserables under a sentence of death for piracy. At Boston in N.E. Jun. 22. 1704. : [Five lines of quotations]

Table of contents

Title page

Faithful WARNINGS to prevent Fearful JUDGMENTS. BOSTON-LECTURE. 22. d. 4. m. 1704.

APPLICATION.

The First Question.

The Second Question.

§

§

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Faithful Warnings to prevent Fearful Judgments.

Uttered in a brief DISCOURSE, Occasioned, by a Tragical Spectacle, in a Number of Miserables Under a Sentence of Death for PIRACY.

BOSTON in N. E. Jun. 22. 1704

Deut. XIII. 11. All Israel shall hear, and fear, and shall do no more any such wickedness as this is among you.

Occultam culpam sequitur aperta percussio. Cassiodor.

Boston, Printed & Sold by Timothy Green, at the North End of the Town. 1704.

Faithful WARNINGS to prevent Fearful JUDGMENTS. BOSTON-LECTURE. 22. d. 4. m. 1704.

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Prov. XIII. 21.‘Evil Pursueth Sinners.’

WHOSE Voice is this? Tis the Noise of the Voice of GOD, and a Sound that goes out of His Mouth. A more than Flinty Hardness is upon our Hearts, if we cannot say, A [...] this our Hearts tremble, and are moved out of their place.

It is an Ancient Observation, That the Wisdom of any Nation is very much to be observed in the Proverbs of the Nation. Of [Page] the Israelitish Nation then it might we be said, Surely this Great Nation is a Wi [...] & Understanding People! For the Proverb of that Nation were of a Divine Original. But thro' the Singular and Sovereign Favour of God, the Proverbs [...] Israel are now become Ours as well [...] Israels, and are derived with other Blessings of Abraham, unto the Gentiles. The Proverbs are called by a Name, that signifies, Ruling Sentences; Intimating, that our Affairs and Motions, are to be Over-ruled, by the maxims of Wisdom [...] these Holy Proverbs. Oh! That th [...] Proverb now in our Hands may have such an Authority, such an Efficacy with it, o [...] our Lives, as may Over-rule our Disposition to those things which will bring all manner of Evil upon us.

It is a memorable passage, Psal. 125. 3. The Rod of the Wicked, shall not rest upon the Lot of the Righteous. There is in that passage, an Allusion, to the method used for the Dividing of Lands among the Jews of old. A Rod, or a Staff, was used in the Dividing of Lands by Lot, and [...] assigning to any one, what portion & [Page] Lands was to fall unto him. The meaning is not, That the Wicked shall not Sc [...]urge the Righteous; as from the mee [...] sound of the word, we sometimes do carry it; But the meaning is, That the Portion of the Wicked shall not be the Portion of the Righteous; they shall not in their Condition be Confounded with one another.

Behold, the Different Lot of the Wicked and of the Righteous! In the Verse we have a Distinction of men; Even the very same that now distinguishes this Congregation. Will every man seriously Enquire, To which of these do I belong? The Wicked and the Righteous, are the several parties. Of the Wicked, we have before us, two most awful Admonitions. First, We are told▪ what they [...]. They are Sinners. Their Name implies, that they go out of the way. For what? But that they may pursue that which is Evil. And then, We are told, what they find. I may rather say, what finds them. Evil does pursue them. And will it not come at them too? Most certainly! Most certainly!

[Page] We have now this Doctrine and Warning from Heaven to insist upon.

Sinners that Pursue Evil, are Pursuant of Evil.

That the terrible Truth now before us, may be [...] apprehended, we may so order certain P [...]positions, that they shall discharge Answers and Thunders, unto all the several Points, of Enquiry that we should have our Discourse to hear upon.

I. Who are the Sinners, whom Evil pursues? Who, but such as Pursue Sin & Evil? It is the Description of Ungodly Sinners, Prov. 11. 19. He that pursueth Evil, does it unto his own Death. Indeed, all men are Sinners, in some Degree, in a very sad Degree. The most confirmed and unhappy Sinner [...] in the world, are the Generation so [...] in their own Eyes, as to count themselves without Sin. We read in the Scripture. 1 King 8. 46. There as no man that sinneth not. Alas, There is no need of going to the Scripture for the proof of it. But Evil does not [...] [Page] all men. Some are Penitent Sinners and Pardoned Sinners. Evil will not Pursue such Sinners. Evil! No, but God will surely do them Good. Their Joyful Song may be, Goodness & Mercy shall follow me all my Dayes. But there are Sinners, who follow the Courses of Sin. It is said of them, 2 Pet. 2. 2. They follow their Pernicious wayes. Truly, Sin is E [...]il [...]: We sin greatly, if we don't count Sin the greatest Evil. There are Sinners who Desire, and Study, and Labour to do that Evil. Some there are who can say with him, Psal. 38. 20. I follow that which is Good. And that which is Good will doubtless follow them. Yea, but there are those, who Follow that which is Evil. We read of some, Prov. 1. 16. Their F [...]et run to Evil. [...] Way, and their Walk, and their Work, lies in the Courses of Sin. They make a Trade of Sin. Sin is their Business and their Delight. The Principles of Sin, are those which they continually act upon. They are upon the Designs and the Courses of Sin; and they never were Turned from those Courses. No, They hold on in the Pursuit[Page]of Evil: and as the Apostle speaks, They work it with Greediness: As the Prophet speaks, They Sin as with a Cart-rope; they Sin till they are Weary, but yet they are never weary of Sin. These are the Sinners! And what will become of them?

There is in the Book of God, an Open Roll of Curses, denouncing the Doom of such miserable Sinners. I am now to stand for a while, as upon Mount Ebal; and Exhibit that Flying Roll before them. Be afraid, O Sinner, let Fearfulness now Surprize you, O pursuers of Evil. Hear how the Thunder of the Wrath of God, is Cursing them that set themselves in a way that is not Good.

II. Evil will Pursue the Sinners that pursue Evil. What Evil? What less than All sorts of Evil. Sin and Evil, are indeed, the Mother and the Daughter. Tis a Scriptural Comparison; Jam. 1. 15 Sin brings forth Death. Or shall we bring another Comparison sometimes used among the Ancients? Flagit [...]m et Flagellum, ut acus et Filum; This is to say, Sin and Evil, are the Needle and the [Page] Threed; The One infallibly draws on the Other. But let us return to the Language of the Scripture; In that, we read, Rom. 6, 2 [...]. The wages of Sin is Death▪ Death, Tis a Term that includes all the Evil, that can be imagined: More Evil than any man Alive can imagine!

Accordingly;

First, There is a Temporal Evil, which P [...]sues the Sinner. Ten Piagues pursued the Sinners of Egypt. We had in Pagan Antiquities, that the Egyptians, did for many hundreds of Years, with mourning, and howling, and lighted Candles, keep up an Anniversary Commemoration of them. So great, a much greater Variety of Pursues there is in the E [...]il that Pursueth Sinners. Unto Sinners, that is the Voice of God; Jer. 18. 11. Thus saith the Lord, Behold, I frame Evil against you. And will you see, how agreeably tis Framed? Men indulge their Souls in Sinful and Sickly Appetites: The Evil of Sickness therefore does pursue the Sinners. Men do by Sin Dishonour the Name of God; The Evil of a Dishonour'd Name does therefore pursue the Sinners. Men are [Page] not Rich towards God; The Evil of Poverty, and the loss of Riches does therefore pursue the Sinners. Men Idolize their Friends, or else they do not faithfully attend their Duty to and for their Friends. And so that Evil, the Death of their Friend does pursue the Sinners. Men are Unthankful, and Unfruitful under their Enjoyments; And so this Evil does pursue the Sinners, To be Deprived of their Enjoyments. Men do not Acknowledge God in their Undertakings; And the Sinners are Pursued with that Evil. To be Blasted in their Undertakings. If a Jonas depart from God, wonder not, O Jonas, that the Lord sends out a Tempest after thee. A Tempest of some Evil or other, will Pursue them that Forsake the Lord. Under every such Evil as this, the Sinners may make that Confession; Dan. 9. 14. Therefore has the Lord watched upon the Evil, and brought it upon us; For we Obeyed not His Voice.

But, the Voice of the Trumpet now Sounding, the longer it Sounds, it must wax louder & louder.

For,

[Page] Secondly, There is a Spiritual Evil which Pursues the Sinner. A Resolved [...]nner is pursued with evil indeed, when [...]e holy God gives him up to commit [...]ore evil. Sin, Sin, is it self the most woful Evil, as well as the woful Fountain of all other Evil. When Sin is [...]nished with Sin, or when for Sin men are left unto more Sin, Then, The [...] does [...]vil pursue Sinners, with the most horri [...]le Vengeance of God. I find, some In [...]erpreters give this as the sense of the [...]entence here passed upon Sinners; Evil [...]ursueth Sinners; That is to say, Sin [...]ers will have their Sinful and Evil Habits follow them, till they do Eternally [...]erish in them. A Lust is an Evil. Ne [...]er, Never does Evil more terribly pur [...]ue a Sinner, than when he is given up [...]o the Lust of his own Heart. But such oftentimes is the Dreadful Wrath of [...]he Holy and Jealous God against a Sinner, as to leave him, to be Enslaved by a raging Lust as long as he lives. Thus we read, Psal. 81. 11. They would [...] hearken to my Voice; So I gave them [...]p to the Lust of their own Heart. A [Page] sinner is given up to the power of Lust; A Lust of intemperance, a Lust of Unchastity, a Lust of Covetousness and Earthly-mindedness. This Lust will now Pursue him all his Dayes; Tho' his Condition be changed, Tho' his Relation be changed, yet his Lust continue [...] the same, and Pursues him in all his New Conditions and Relations: He goes perhaps to get rid of his Lust, by some Devotionary methods, but they signify no more than the Green Wythes about Sampson, for the Restraining of it; While he remains an Unregenerate Sinner, and a stranger to Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, it will Pursue him all his Dayes. And hence it comes to pass, that an astonishing Blindness and Hardness comes upon the mind of a Sinner, and a lamentable Indisposition to Repentance. Oh! We have s [...]n, we have seen prodigious Instances! I have read of a Malefactor, one that had been Condemned to Dy for Stealing and Murder; That even in the very Hours of his Execution, he Proclamed his Impenitence: His Fellow-sufferer could say to him, Luk. 23. 40. Dost th [...][Page]not Fear God, seeing thou art under Condemnation? But I say unto you, Sinners can't be Pursued with a greater Evil, than [...] Soul insensible of the Evil, that Sin is bringing upon them! There have been Sinners actually [...]iezed by a Law of Death, for Capital Crimes; These Criminals in their very Chains, have been so stupified, as to flatter themselves that there was no Danger near unto them; They have [...]t may be spent their Time in Drinking, [...]n Gaming, in Profane Frolicks, when every Jingle of their Chains would have [...]ung that Peal in their Ears, Wretch, Thy Damnation slumbers not. And at last, when the Sword of Justice, has been just lifted up, to Cut them off, the marks of their Late Repentance have been how Strain'd, how Forc'd, and how wretchedly Defective! Tis because Evil pursues the Sinners; They have so provoked the Spirit of God, that He lets that worst of all Evils, Pursue them to the last; A Soul that cannot by Repentance be recovered out of the Snare of the Devil.

But then there succeeds another Evil. Horror of Conscience is an Evil that pursueth [Page]Sinners; A most horrid Evil. An [...] Conscience, is an Evil with a witness. [...] Sinners, by being and by doing Evil, [...] b [...]ing upon themselves that Comprehensible Evil; Heb. 10. 22. An Evil Conscience. A Guilty Conscience, does pursue the Sinners, with direful Intimations [...] the Divine Displeasure against them with fearful Expectations of a fiery Indignation to devour them. Sinners carry [...] bout, a wonderful Faculty in their Soul which will pass a Judgment on them [...] under the Judgment of God. GOD the Judge of all, hath so Inwrought and [...] [...]aid this Faculty into the Souls of Sinners that tho' they use all the Arts imaginable, to Sear it, or Doze it, or Smother it, it will never be Extinguished. When Sin is perpetrated, a Guilt comes to [...] upon the Conscience; the Conscience [...] feel, and own, and roar the Obligations now lying upon the Sinner, to undergo the amazing Revenges of God. This Evil pursueth Sinners; and some Expositors take this to be the Special Evil intended, in that Oracle now speaking unto us. A Sinner needs no other Pursuers [Page] [...]iamsi nullus alius accedat, vel Index, [...] Judex; It was said, Prov. 28. 1. The [...]icked flee, when no man pursueth. A wick [...]d man has in his own Conscience a Thousand Pursuers: His own Conscience will [...]og him, as an Officer Commissioned by the God of Heaven, and will take him, and hold him, and [...]ale him, before the Tribunal of God. Of the Sinner we [...]ad, Job 15. 21. A dreadful Sound is in his Ears. A Guilty Conscience makes a Dreadful Sound in the Ears of the Sinner; [...] Cries, it Shri [...]ks, it Thunders; The [...]finite God is Angry with thee, thou impious [...]reature; and thou shalt be made a miserable Sacrifice to the Burning Anger of Heaven, in the Bottom of Hell, for thy [...]! I will show my Young People, where they shall have this Dreadful Sound most Articulately uttered; It is in those [...]emendous Words of God, unto Young Sinners; Eccl. 11. 9. Know thou, That [...] all these things, God will bring thee into Judgment.

But, the Evil that pursueth Sinners, methinks, I see it on a Pale Horse;

For,

[Page] Lastly, Hell follows. There is an E ternal Evil which Pursues the Sinner. An Everlasting Banishment from God▪ the Chief Good, must needs be very Evil. When Sinners are fallen into a Damnation and Banishment, from the the Gracious Presence of God, it must be said, Ezek. 7. 5. An Evil, an only Evil, Behold, it is come. But this formidable Evil is Pursuing of you, O Unwary and Fool-hardy Sinners. Men do now say unto the Almighty, Depart from us, we desire not the Knowledge of thy wayes: Therefore this Evil does Pursue the Sinners; That the Lord Jesus Christ will say unto them, Depart from me, I know ye not, ye workers of Iniquity. Men do now Refuse to come unto the Lord Jesus Christ, for His Blessing; This Evil does Pursue the Sinners, The Lord Jesus Christ will pronounce this Doom upon them, Depart ye Cursed. Men are now as hot as Fire, in Thirsting and in Driving after the Pleasures [...] Sin; This Evil does Pursue the Sinners; They shall be cast into an Intolerable Fire and there Cry out▪ I am Tormented in this Flame! Men do [Page] now Despise the pleasant Lord, and Kick against Heaven, and all the Glories, and the Offers of it; This Evil does Pursue the Sinners; They shall be cast into an Hell, where the Smoke of their Torment shall ascend for ever & ever. Men do now hearken to the Devil, and Prefer & Obey his Commands, doing the works of Darkness; This Evil does Pursue the Sinners; They shall be Imprisoned in Utter Darkness, with the Devil and his Angels. Oh! Matchless Evil! To ly under Eternal Impressions and Vexations, from the wrath of an Infinite God! Sinner, How canst thou bear the Thought of such an Evil! Secure Sinners will ask, How can the Minister prove, That there is in another World an Evil Pursuing of them? Prove it! Ah, Sinners, you your selves afford a Proof of it. You see, That Sinners often Oppress and Harass Innocent men, with Tortures that cannot be Painted out. Sinners have Racked, and Booted the Servants of God, and Burned them alive, and Broke them on the Wheel, & Bastinado'd them to Death. Now, if there be a Just God, which the very Devils[Page]Believe and Tre [...]b [...]e! These Bloody Sinners must themselves Endure as Grievous things as ever they inflicted on the Servants of God. In this world, they do not Endure those things; they swim in all the Delights of the Louvre; they Live, they become Old, yea, they are mighty in Power; Their Off-spring also is Established before their Eyes. It follows then undeniably, That there is another World, wherein there is laid up for Sinners an Evil, more Hideous and Exqisite, than can be Expressed by the Tongue of any Mortal.

This, This is the Evil that Pursueth Sinners; This is the Heritage appointed unto them of God

III. How does Evil pursue Sinners? We shall find something Observable in its Pursuing of them. The Notion of a Pursuit in the Case, is f [...]ll of Instruction.

First, Evil Pursueth Sinners; It argues, that Evil does by Law belong to Sinners. To pursue Sinners, is to Prosecute them at Law. Sinners have broken the Law of God. By the Law of God, there is a Misery most justly belonging unto [Page] them. That Misery is the Evil pursuing of them. Hence we are told, Joh. 3. 18 They are Condemned already. Sinners are obnoxious to Evil, by that Law, that is alwayes Holy & Just & Good; by that Law, that God will never balk, but forever Magnify it, & make it Honourable. How comes Evil to pursue Sinners? Truly, Sinners are Condemned unto Evil, by the Law of that God, of whom it is Acknowledged; Hab. 1. 13. Thou art of purer Eyes than to behold Evil. There will be a most spotless Justice in all the Evil, that shall come upon Sinners; They cannot justly Complain of any Evil that shall come upon them: Why should a Sinful man Complain? A Sinner for the punishment of his Sin? Think, O Sinners, Think with your selves; O wretched man that I am; The Law of the Righteous God has Condemned me to Dy.

Secondly. Evil Pursueth Sinners; And what are Sinners then, but Runawayes, but Malefactors! Pursued Folks are supposed such. It seems, that Sinners have an Hue-in-Cry after them! Sinners are bound unto the Service of [Page] God: They are in most indispensable Bonds to be the Servants of the Lord Jesus Christ. But what? They come to that vile Resolution; Psal. 2. 3. Let us cast the Cords▪ from us. They refuse to serve the Lord; They will serve the World, the Flesh, the Devil; The Lord Jesus Christ is too good a Master for them. The Fugitives when they leave that Master, they fall into Ten Thousand Iniquities; They turn Robbers; They Rob the Great God of His Dues; They are Murderers, Traitors, Rebels; They break out into open Rebellion against the Great King of Heaven and Earth. Tis for these things, that the Hue-in-Cry is gone out after them, and Evil is Pursuing of them. We read of some, Job. 30. 5. They Cryed after them, as after a Theef. Sinner, so, Even so, art thou Cried after; The Destroying Judgments of God are Crying after thee.

Thirdly. Evil Pursueth Sinners; It shows, That tho' Sinners cannot alwayes escape Evil, yet they do for a while escape it; and they dream that they shall alwayes escape it. Evil is for a [Page] while, it seems only upon the Pursuit of Sinners; it has not yet Overtaken them. We read, Eccl. 8. 11 Sentence against an Evil work, is not Executed [...]eedily. And wi [...]le Sinners are yet only Pursued of Evil, Oh! the Security of the Silly ones! They fondly and vainly fancy, that Evil shall never overtake them. A most unreasonable Fancy! Delay is no Payment. Sinners, it must be said unto you, as it was said unto them of old; Num. 32. 23. Behold, ye have sinned against the Lord; & be sure your sin will find you out. Your Sin; that is to say, the Punishment of your Sin: This is like a Blood-hound upon the Scent, swiftly pursuing of you; 'Twill come up with you, Be Sure of it! Be Sure of it! Sometimes a Remarkable Evil does Overtake the Sinner before he Dies. There are some Sins, that seldome go unpunished in this Life. Gross Wrongs to our Neighbours, are in this Life usually paid home unto us. Cheaters find it so; Robbers find it so; Oppressors find it so; and so do Relatives that carry it unkindly to one another. And, I wish, that People, whose [Page] Conversation is full of Reproaches, or Invectives against other People would consider of it. Abusive People are not only Chastised, by strange Accidents, that bring all their base Talk to the Ears of the Innocent persons, whom they have abused, but also the Hand of God so orders it, that they shall be overtaken and overwhelmed, with as heavy loads of Obloquy. Consider this, O ye Tongues, whom she Fear of God bridles not; & be afraid of Sinning as you use to▪ do! Again, There are atrocious Crimes, the Crimes which the Bible calls, The Crying ones; those Crimes do in this Life usually meet with the Vengeance of God. Men that are Wicked overmuch, what becomes of them? Oftentimes, they don't live out half their Dayes; oftentimes God brands them with marks of His Vengeauce while they Live. The Barbarians themselves could expect it concerning Barbarous Murderers, That Vengeance would not suffer them to live. But be sure, At his Death, Then, Then a Sinner shall be overtaken with Evil unto the uttermost. Then will the Sinner feel the fulfilment [Page] of that word; Job 27. 22. God shall cast Plagues upon him, & not spare; tho' he would sain flee out of His Hand. Oh! what would the Sinner then give, that he could flee from the dreadful Hand of God! But, Sinner, The threatned Evil is now come, it is now come! There is no Fleeing from it! The Rocks cannot hide thee; The Mountains cannot cover thee from the Wrath of God; Tho' they di [...] into Hall, thence my Hand shall take them; tho' they climb up to Heaven, thence! will bring them down; tho' they hide themselves from my sight in the Bottom of the Sea! [Have not our Pirates found it so? wherever they hide themselves, I will search & sieze them, [...]aith the Lord.

Finally. Evil Pursueth Sinners; It is hinted, That it shall be a Retaliating Evil. A Sinner being one that pursues Moral Evil, tis but a Retaliation, that he should be pursued of Evil: And there is oftentimes a most Notable Retaliation in the very Kind of the Evil. The hint is further given in the next Clause; To the Righteous, Good shall be repaid. [Page] Even so, In the Evil that pursues th [...] Sinner, there shall be a Repaiment; Th [...] Sinner shall be Repaid in his own Co [...]. They that would have thrown Daniel to the Lions, are themselves thrown to the Lions. They that cast the Israelites into the River, are themselves cast into the Sea. Human is hang'd on the very Gallows, that he prepared for Mordecai. El [...] and David indulge their Children in Sin; and their Hearts are broken by their Sinful Children. The Field is large; I must not now Expatiate. A sinner shall see some surprizing Circumstance, either in the Sort, or in the Place, or in the Time, or in the I [...]strument of his Punishment, that shall make him with Surprize and Horror Cry out, like him; Judg. 1. 7. A [...] I have done, so God hath Requited me. Briefly, When Evil falls upon the Sinner, it shall be with such Victorious Demonstrations of Equity in the Glorious God, that all Heaven and Earth shall say, The Sinner is fairly dealt withal [...] ▪ The Sinner himself shall Cry out, a [...] the Emperour Mauritius did, when h [...] [Page] saw himself stript of all, and saw his family lying in Blood before his Eyes; Righteous art thou, O Lord, and most Righteous are all thy Judgments.

But let us Apply these Faithful and Awful sayings.

APPLICATION.

And,

I. Who are most nearly concerned in the Application of these things, but Sinners? Let Sinners then be in the first place Examined & Characterized. When we see such a black and a dense Cloud, charged with hot Thunderbolts, gathering [...]ver our Heads in this Word of God, Evil Pursueth Sinners; methinks, we should all stand trembling before the Lord, and Crying out with him, Joh. 13. 15. Lord, Who is it? Lord, Am I one of the Sinners? There is a Proclamation issued forth, from the Great GOD, for every Sinner to be taken up, and brought in, that the Justice of Heaven may proceed against him; Evil is thus Pursuing of the Sinner. Now tis of the Extremest Consequence, [Page] to know, what are the Ma [...] of the Sinner in the Proclamation; How [...] the Sinner described there? Sinner, [...] not thy heart ake, to hear thy self described.

Sirs, If you meet with one who [...] never yet felt Sin as the Greatest Evil, & priz [...]d Salvation frrom Sin as the Greatest Good; If you meet with one, who can Sin in Gr [...]sser Miscarriages, without Reluctance, and can go on in Sin without Repentance; If you meet with one who never yet by Faith carried a Soul distressed with Sin, unto the Lord Jesus Christ, for Deliverance out of its Distresses; This This is a Sinner! Ah! Lord, We mourn, we mourn, to see how many of our Young People, have the black spots of the Sinner upon them!

Yet more particularly. Is there one whose Head has Vain Thoughts Lodging in it? One whose Eyes are full of Adultery? One whose Ears are more delighted with Scurrility tha [...] with Spirituality? Or, (If he Speak, you may know him:) Has he a Mo [...]th full of Rotte [...] Communication? Or, does he not care to li [...] up his Hands in Prayer to God: Or, (Mind how he goes:) Does he Stumble every [Page] step of his walk, & fall into any Slough of Wickedness, as often as he comes a'near [...] Or, (Mind, whom he Consorts withal:) Does he choose to sit with Vain Persons? This is the Sinner, whom Evil does Pursue. If you meet with one that [...]as these Marks upon him, you may so address him; 2 Sam. 12. 9. Thou art the Man! O Conscience, Thou Officer of God; I Charge thee, That i [...] thou find such an One in thy search, thou do in the Name of the Great GOD lay an Arrest upon him: Arrest him for a Sinner: Evil, Evil, is Pursuing [...] of him!

But now,

II. What is the most pertinent Application to be made unto Pursued Sinners? It may pertinently enough turn upon [...] very pungent Questions.

The First Question.

Sinners, What are you doing? Alas, you are bringing of Evil, much Evil, sad Evil, upon your selves. It may be said unto the Sinner, as Hab. 2. 10. Thou hast sinned against thy own Soul. And it may be said, Thou art by Sin bringing Evil upon [Page]all thy Interests. Oh! Take the Warning of God!

First; Be assured, O Sinners, you [...] not find any Good in Sin. Sin, Tis nothing but Evil. Sin. It will bring all Evil. The works of Sin, they are Unfruitful works. Tis an Appeal we may make to all the Sinners in the world Rom. 6. 22. What fruit have you had? All Deceived Sinner, Dost thou please thy self, as if thou were't Pursuing of Good▪ Those Pleasures are not Good; They debauch, they betray thy Soul into interminable Torments. All this while, Evil is Pursuing of thee. What, what is the whole Employment of the Sinner? Oh Dismal Account, that must be given of it! It is a continual [...]loughing and Sowing, to produce an Harvest of Eternal, Evil. Or, to take an Account of it from the Scripture of Truth; Tis a treasuring up of Wrath, against a Day of wrath! Oh, Wretched Employment! An Employment for none but a Mad-man!

And then, Serondly; Be assured O Sinners, you have no Reason to be Merry, or Easy, or Sleepy, in a state of Sin. You [Page] behave your selves, as if nothing were Amiss. What? When there is Evil pursuing of you! It was among the sighs which a poor man once poured out before the Lord; Job 13. 26, 27. Thou writest bitter things against me; Thou lookest narrowly to all my Pathes; Thou settest a Print upon the Heels of my Feet. Even of such Bitter Things may a Sinner make a Soliloquy unto his own Soul.

‘Oh! There is an Order from the Justice of God, for Evil to take me up. God has look'd narrowly to all my Pathes; God follows the Track of the Heels of my Feet: EVIL, Evil will be upon me, for ought I know, before to morrow morning. Oh! Why, should I go on securely in any way of Wickedness? God be Merciful to me a sinner.’

Oh! That the Sinner would thus Bethink himself! To deal plainly; Suppose a Warrant were out, for the Apprehending of one, whose Transgressions had rendred him worthy to Dy. Would it not be an Unparallel'd Phrensy, for such an one, to be Singing, Dancing, and Carousing; or, to be Sleeping on both Ears, as if no [Page] Hazard were near unto him? This, This is thy Phrensy, O Merry Sinner! A Terrible Evil will presently be upon thee, with a Warrant from God; and thou art insensible of thy Terrible Hazard.

Thirdly; Be assured, O Sinners, That some Sinners are ordinarily Pursued with Evil in more than ordinary Circumstances. There are such things commonly done upon some Sinners, that compel every man to say, Verily, There is a God who Judgeth in the Earth!

My Hearers, I will presently point you to certain Sinners, that you shall see hung up in Chains before your Eyes, by the stupendous Judgments of God; and then write upon them, Evil Pursueth Sinners. That, That shall be the Motto for them.

Shall we begin, with the mention of that, which is the usual Beginning of all Wickedness? That is to say, Sabbath-breaking. Have you not seen Evil Pursuing of Sabbath-breakers? Yes, By breaking the Fourth Commandment they come to the vilest Breaches of all the rest: Evil has often Pursued them to the very Gallows. [Page] One that was Executed a while ago in London, Earnestly Cryed out, O Young People, Don't mispend the Lords Day, Don't mispend the Lords Day; It was that which led me to all my Wickedness. And the Minister that Published the Narrative, has this passage; ‘I do not know (sayes he,) that ever I observed any Repentance in a Condemned Malefactor, who did not bitterly Lament his Neglect of his Duty to God on His Holy Sabbath.’ I think, I have my self observed very much to this purpose.

Oh! that Notorious Drunkards would come to themselves, and Soberly lay to heart the Evil that is Pursuing of them! They Drown themselves, in a world of Iniquity and Calamity, while they Live; [If one that is Dead-Drunk, may be said, to Live!] And when they Dy, tis usually before their Time; they Dy Tragically; They come to Tragical Ends, & Grievous Deaths. There is hardly a Town in the Countrey, but what has had frightful Exemples! A Noted Minister in Frie [...] land some few Years ago, Published an Attested History, of a Drunkard, who [Page] had a very strange thing befalling him; The Devil burn't him alive. Ah Drunkard, Thou art but Inflaming thy self; & preparing to be a Companion for Devils, in Flames that never shall be quenched; and Reeling and Staggering, and Tumbling down into a fiery Pit. One Mr. Abbot; a Worthy Minister has written the Story of one Mr. Rogers, a Young Gentleman, whom that Minister had frequently, but fruitlesly, Rebuked for his Drunkenness. God struck him not only with Sickness of Body, but also with Terror of Mind; he kept Crying out, I have been a fearful Drunkard, & now, Oh! How much rather had I burn in that Fire on the Hearth, then go burn in the Fire of Hell, for my Drunkenness! Be Warned by me, (said, he,) I have cast off Christ, & now Christ has cast off me; and I must away to Hell, & ly in an hot Furnace for Millions of Millions of Ages!

And will the Sinners that are given to Swearing & Cursing, a little Recollect themselves! O Tongues, that are set on Fire of Hell; Don't you think, That there is Evil Pursuing of you? An Evil, for Tongues that have not been kept from Evil! Such [Page] Tongues, one cannot but with wonder [...]hold, how much they are under a most sensible and palpable P [...]ssession [...] the Devil. Can they miss of Evil, whose Communication so cometh of the Evil One? The Owners of such Tongues, (for they have said, Our Tongues are our own!) must one Day [...] their Tongues for Anguish, [...] Cry out, Oh! For a drop of Water to [...] my Tongue! Wretch, Dost thou call to the Almighty to Damn thee? This is [...]o out-sin the Devil himself; The Devil himself Cryes out, O Torment me not! Well, The Damnation is Pursuing of thee; Oh! but thou wilt not be able to bear it! Some [...]leful Creatures, as they have been pouring out whole Volleys of Heaven-daring Blasphemies, have been struck. Dumb in the very moment, yea, and struck Dead with Thunder and Lightning. I can tell you, whose Eyes have seen, what I am going to tell you. An horrid Fellow aboard a Ship, was belching out his Affronts to Heaven, and Swearing & Cursing at a most hideous rate. God struck the Wretch Dead with a Flash of Lightning, in the midst of his Blasphemies But [Page] when they came to Examine what Wound [...] he had about him, they could not find [...] but this, That his Tongue [...] pierced by the Lightning, Exactly as it had been [...]red with an [...] Iron. most proper Evil, for a Blasphemer be Pursued withal!

There is at this very time a Pirate the Prison, who some Years ago, as [...] was, wickedly Swearing & Cursing; [...] immediately struck Dumb, in the mid [...] of his Outrages; he continued so, an astonishing Spectacle unto all the Neighbours, for diverse Dayes together. [...] appeared [...]enitent, he wrote for the Prayers of Good men; he made his [...] of Reformation. God Restored him he Sinned yet mere; and now, thing, is come unto him.

And shall not Adulterers too be Pursued of Evil? Judge you, when you have read the Hand-writing against them; Heb. 13. 4. [...]ore mangers and Adulterers God will Judge. Oh! That the Adulterous Generation, would make their due and wise Remarks, upon what they [...] befalling of them, who by, Adulteries destroy[Page]themselves! And let them Remark this one thing among the [...] Holy Perkins, who took much care [...] Condemned Prisoners, did Remark it; [...]hat they who Dyed on the Gallows for [...]aling, often Confessed unto him, that [...]ey had been also Guilty of Adulteries.

Disorders in families, Oh! how much Evil does Pursue such Evil Orders! When [...] do not Instruct, & Restrain their Children, but Indulge them in all the [...] which their Folly shall ask for; Tis often so, when tis an Only Child: This Evil Pursues those Unhappy Parents; Thy Children shall make themselves Vale! All the [...] shall talk of them as vile Persons! And [...] shall grieve thy Heart, & the increase [...] thy House shall Dy in the flower of their Age! When Children carry it Undutifully to their Parents, what will become of them? The Gibbets in all Nations have Groaned under the weight of the Monsters. All Ages have rung, with the Evil that has Pursued those Children. A most Exemplary Wrath of God still comes upon those Children of Disobedience: Tho' [...]ey have worn Crowns upon their Heads [Page] their very Crowns have not been able to shelter them.

There is another sort of Sinner [...] Namely, Th [...]s. By Theeves, I mean all that go to feather a Nest, by any Dishonest Practices: Be it by Gaming; Be [...] by Fraudulence; Be it by Extortion; Be [...] by Bribery; Be it by Purloining, or be [...] by Piracy; Or be it by seeing a Thee [...], [...] Consenting with him: They are all Theeves in the Reckoning of God, and of His Eighth Commandment. But what will be the Fate of the Sinners? We are told, God is an Avenger on all such! I Remember. That not very long ago, I had occasion to Preach a Sermon at the Prison, upon those words, Jer. 17. 11. He that get Riches▪ and not by Right, shall leave them in the midst of his Days, & at his End he shall be a Fool. A Great Number of the Sinners then present, had that Commination of God, soon Executed upon them at the Gallows; The English Nation did with Amazement behold the Evil so pursuing of them! Oh, The [...] Displeasure of God! That now a Greater Number of such Sinners have arisen [...] [Page] arrived among us. Will our Merciful God, at last Sanctify these Displayes of [...] Vengeauce; That never any more of them that see or hear these things, may after this, go to get Riches & not by Right. Let all People Hear & Fear, and never do thus wickedly any more! Yea, Since the [...]rivateering Stroke, so easily degenerates into the Piratical; and the Privateering Trade, is usually carried on with [...]o Unchristian a Temper, and proves an [...]let unto so much Debauchery, and Iniquity, and Confusion, I believe, I shall have Good men Concur with me, in wishing, That Privateering may no more [...] practised, except there may appear more hopeful Circumstances to Encourage it.

Are these the only Pathes of the Destroyer, wherein Sinners have Evil pursuing of them? No, There are many, many more. But there is Especially One that leads into all the rest; One that has proved signally Fatal to the poor Sinners that are now going to Dy for Piracy. Alas, They have Ruined one another; The Sinners Enticed one another; They said, [...] with us, Let us lurk privily for the[Page]Innocent without a Cause. We shall find all precious Substance. You see what Evil it has brought them to. My Son, walk [...] thou in the way with them. Oh! The Snares of Death, which are laid in Wicked Company! Evil Company, To chuse That, and use That, and love That; This is the way to be Pursued of Evil. Tho' we don't look for a Coherence, between the Proverbs of Solomon▪ yet the Holy Spirit hath invited us, to take Notice of some Coherence here. It had just been said, A Companion of Fools shall be Destroyed: And the very next words are, Evil Pursueth Sinners. To be a Companion of Fools, is to lay ones self open to all the Evil that can be. He that will delightfully Embrace the Society of the Wicked, will soon have cause to Cry out with him, Prov. 5. 14 I was almost in all Evil. Oh! that All People, and particularly. Young People, would Beware of Evil Company. Beware, O my Tempted Child, beware, lost the Evil which Pursues those Extravagant Sinners, do strike them, while thou art in their Company, & strike thee for being in their Company. Beware, [Page] lest thy Bad Company draw thee into all Evil▪ and lest thou get a Snare to thy Soul.

Don't sleight these Warnings of God. Let the Evil that Pursues the Atheist, make you afraid of abandoning your selves to Irreligion and Profanity. The Holy Greenham, in his works tells a Story of a man, I suppose known to him, who became a wicked Atheist. The man derided a God, an Heaven, an Hell, and all Religion. He became guilty of Stealing, and was Condemned to Dy for his Felony. The Godly Ministers could not Recover him from his Atheism. His Atheism accompanied him to the very Gallows. But just as he was turning off, he Cryed out, For Christs sake, stay a little. They staid until he spoke these words; Oh! Let the world say what they will, Now I know, There is a GOD; And this God will be forever Just unto His Enemies, but He will forever show Mercy unto His Children! And upon those words, he was turned over, to appear before that Infinite GOD. I will say but this; If any of my Hearers, will not Adore a GOD, and not Receive with all possible Reverence the Cautions and [Page] Counsels of His Word, there is that Evil Pursuing of them, which will shortly make them Know that there is a GOD, and that with God there is terrible Majesty.

And what is a Deist better than an Atheist? I wish the most Conspicuous Revenges of God, upon the most famous Professors and Promoters of Deism, in leaving them to Murder themselves, were more Considered in the English Nation. Self-Murder is rarely Committed by any but those who are first fallen into a proper P [...]ssession of the Devil. Behold, how Evil, does Pursue the Sinners! They that have Refused and Reviled the Saviour of the world, must be Exemplarily given into the Hands of the Destroyer!

I will di [...]mi [...]s my Remark and Rebuke of Atheism, with minding you, of an Exemple well known to all the People. Here was a while ago a Person in our Prison, who was the Son of a Reverend and an Eminent Minister, who Dyed for his Religion. This Graceless Fellow said unto some in this place, while he was following his Lewd way of Living, That he would▪ never be such a Fool, as to be Hanged for Religion,[Page]as his Father was. He was as bad as his word! He was not Hanged for Religion; he was Hanged for Piracy, and for Murder! He was Twice Hanged, before his Execution could be accomplished; & he was Hanged a Third time, in Chains, where Thousands daily behold the Spectacle.

The Sinners Pursued of Evil, may Laugh and Scoff at these things; and perhaps the Preacher may be derided for his Telling Stories in the Pulpit. Sinners, I wish that you don't prove some of the Stories. I am Credibly informed, That a principal Person among the Pirates now going to Dy, upon the Gallows, was in one of his former Voyages, Flouting and Railing against a Minister in this place, who had never deserved it. And a more considerate man then present, Rebuked him for it; but in his Rebuke Expressed his Thought, how it would be when he should have occasion for that very Minister to speak with him. You shall however be told one more, and I will at present have done with you. The Famous Hemingiu [...] in his Exposition upon John reports▪ That a Lewd Fellow who was a great Mocker [Page] at Religion, hearing a Sermon at which all the rest were deeply affected, show'd so much Contempt, that the Minister took Notice of it; the Minister said nothing▪ but with a sorrowful Sigh from his heart silently lifted up his Complaint unto God. The wretch goes out of the Church; and as he went out, a Tyle fell from the house that Killed him on the spot. Alas, [...] worse Evil will Pursue, them that mock a [...] the Warnings of God.

These Faithful Warnings against Sin, how can I better terminate them, than with the Dying words of a Malefactor, who Dyed a very Memorable and Exemplary Penitent! His words were to this purpose. ‘Oh! That all People would be warned to beware of the Beginnings of Sin. When I was first Enticed into Evil, I was Tender and Fearful of it; but I did not hearken diligently to the Word of God, nor to the Voice of Conscience that checked me; I went on; By degrees I was Emboldened in Sin; At last, it became as familiar as my daily Food. Oh! As you love your Souls, Take heed of the Beginnings of Sin. Oh That I [Page] could prevail with Young Persons, to cast away Sin Betimes, and Check it is the first Beginnings of it!’

The Second Question.

Sinners, What will you do? Evil is Pursuing of you, even of as many of you, as are yet in your Unregeneracy. And,

First; You cannot Avoid the Evil. Which way, I marvel, which way can you propose to Avoid it? Will you Abscond? No; That cannot be done. You are advised; Psal. 139. 7. Lord, whither shall I flee from thy presence? Will you Resist? No; That cannot be done. You are advised; Ezek. 22. 14. Can thine Heart endure, or can thy Hands be strong, in the Day that I shall deal with thee, saith the Lord. Or, will you Run so fast, that the Pursuer cannot come up with you? No, No; He has told you, Mal. 3. 5. I will be a swift Witness against them, that fear not me, saith the Lord of Hosts.

And then, Secondly; You cannot Endure the Evil: Tis Intolerable! Tis Intolerable! It is Cryed out, Prov. 18. 14. A wounded spirit, who can bear? When a few Drops of that Evil, which is impending [Page] over you, has fallen on a Soul, a Wounded Spirit has been the Effect of it. But that Wounded Spirit has made the Miserables Cry out with Cain, My Punishment is greater than I can bear! We have known some Languishing under a wounded Spirit among our selves; and they have kept Shrieking out, Oh! I am all on Fire under the Wrath of God! I am on a light Fire under the Wrath of God. And then, they have actually made Choice of Strangling rather than Life. What then will i [...] be, to Ly among the Damned in the place of Dragons? Full of Consternation is that Advice; Heb. 10. 31. It is a fearful thing to fall into the Hands of the Living God! One that lay under the Terrors of God upon his Wounded Spirit, heard some Talk, about the Fire, and about being Roasted in the Fire, & he fearfully Roared out; Oh! All of this is but a Metaphor, to what I do feel! Sinner, wilt thou venture on? Thou art falling down into an Evil, to which the most Fiery Tortures, are but a Metaphor! It was Exclamed of old; Psal 76. 7. O God, who may stand in thy sight, when once thou art Angry?

[Page] Come then; There is this to be done, O Sinners, That the Evil which Pursues [...]o [...] may not come at you. Fly, O Fly, unto the City of Refuge. [See Heb. 6. [...]8.] It is the Lord JESUS CHRIST, who is the Only Refuge for a Soul Pursued of Evil. Oh! Let a Pursued Soul makes its Flight into Him, and unto the Mercy of God in Him.

As it was said, Josh. 2. 16. Get you to the Mountain, lest the Pursuers meet you. Even so, I say, Get you to the Lord JESUS CHRIST, that so the Pursuers may not come at you. Repair by Faith, unto that Hiding place; Repair Immediately; O Delay not, O Dally not; I must hasten you, as the Angel did Lot; Arise, Make hast, lest thou be Consumed.

The Great Thing to be demanded of you is, That you give the Consent of your Souls, to be found in the Lord JESUS CHRIST; Or, Consent, most Willingly, Heartily, Joyfully, to be the Lords. How, How shall this Point be gained? When the Spirit of God came upon Amas [...]i, 1 Chron. 12. 18.] he Cryed out, Thine are we, O David, and on thy side, thou [Page]Son of Jesse. Might the Spirit of God come upon our Hearers, we should so [...] have that Cry going up to Heaven from them, Thine are we, O Jesus, & for the [...] Thou Son of God. Oh! That the Spirit of God; and of Grace, would th [...] Operate upon us! Then, Then, [...] should be no longer Pursued of Evil.

To Conclude;

It may justly be Expected, That we should all Endeavour to Improve wha [...] we behold of Evil Pursuing Sinners in the surprizing Instances, which by the Providence of God, are newly fallen out among our selves.

There has been a Time, when some have come and Seduced and Enchanted several of our Young Men, to Piratical Courses; and there were some Unhappy Advantages, which the Sinners took, to shelter themselves in the Prosecution of their Piracies. But the Government of New-England will by a severe Procedure of Justice, forever make it an Unjust thing, to Reflect on the Countrey, as if such dangerous Criminals might hope ever to be safely Nested here.

[Page] All the Serious and Sensible People in [...] Land, have a great Horror upon [...]eir minds, That when they see a Theef, [...]ere may be no Consenting one way [...] another with him.

And I have hitherto Preached so Historically that I will even keep to that [...]rain, in offering the Advice proper on [...]his Occasion.

In the Year 1657, there was Executed in London a Young man, for Theft and Murder. The History was Published under this Title, The Penitent Murderer; and at the End of it, there was an Excellent Paper, which Eighteen of the Principal Ministers in the City, Published as their Advice to the City, & Nation [...]n that occasion. The Sum of it, was;

That men should be very Thankful to God, for Restraining Grace.

That men would greatly lay to Heart the Crying Sins to be found in a place where the Gospel shone so Gloriously; and Admire the Patience of God!

That men would Bless God, for living in a place where wholesome Laws are Executed.

[Page] That Magistrates, would have the [...] Zeal heightned for the Suppression [...] Wickedness, and of Wicked Houses.

That Ministers would be Excite [...] more vigorously to Deter men from Sin, than ever.

That Governours of Families, would more Conscientiously Discharge the [...] Duties to and in their Families, let [...] their Perishing Children and Servant rise up in Judgment against them; and Especially maintain the Worship of God in their Families, and have the Lords Day strictly observed in them.

And that Young People, would greatly take heed of lesser Sins, which make way▪ for Greater ones; and be careful of their Company; and Read the Scriptures, (but Shun Play-books;) and Entertain High Thoughts of Holiness and Holy men; and keep the Sabbath, and spend some time daily in Secret-prayer; and Love them that go to Curb them in the wayes of Sin; and E [...]ter betimes in the wayes of God.

And now, What need of saying any more?

FINIS.

Information about this book

Title statement

Faithful warnings to prevent fearful judgments. Uttered in a brief discourse, occasioned, by a tragical spectacle, in a number of miserables under a sentence of death for piracy. At Boston in N.E. Jun. 22. 1704. : [Five lines of quotations]

Mather, Cotton, 1663-1728.

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Publisher

Text Creation Partnership,

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Ann Arbor, MI :

Date

2007-10.

ID [DLPS]

N00981

ID [TCP]

N00981

ID [STC]

Evans 1175

ID [NOTIS]

APX1954

ID [IMAGE-SET]

1175

ID [EVANS-CITATION]

99018655

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Early American Imprints, 1639-1800 ; no. 1175.

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(Evans-TCP ; no. N00981)

Transcribed from: (Readex Archive of Americana ; Early American Imprints, series I ; image set 1175)

Images scanned from Readex microprint and microform: (Early American imprints. First series ; no. 1175)

Source

— Faithful warnings to prevent fearful judgments. Uttered in a brief discourse, occasioned, by a tragical spectacle, in a number of miserables under a sentence of death for piracy. At Boston in N.E. Jun. 22. 1704. : [Five lines of quotations], Mather, Cotton, 1663-1728..

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48 p. ; 15 cm. (12mo)

Printed & sold by Timothy Green, at the north end of the town.,. Boston, :: 1704.. (Attributed to Cotton Mather by Holmes.)

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