The worst of Plagues; What it is, and How to shun it. BOSTON: 29 d. III m. 1715.

WHO can hear these [...], without [...] Heart aking at the Hearing of [...] Who can without a Trembling Soul, have the Thunder of these Words in his Ears, and not earnestly [...] the Stroke of such a [...] Who among us will upon [...] forbear the just Exclaim [...] my Flesh Trembles for [...] afraid of thy Judge [...].

The Books written [...] [Page 4] Solomon, seem to have those two Titles assign'd unto them. Eccl. XII. 10. Acceptable Words, and Words of Truth. It has been thought by some, That when Solomon speaks of his, Verba Delectabilia, or, Acceptable Words, he may mean his Book of Canticles. And when he speaks of his, Verba Fi­delia, [...]or, Words of Truth, he may mean his Book of Proverbs. Behold, One of those Words of Truth, which we are to Believe and Receive, as Faithful sayings, and worthy of all Ac­ceptation.

The Verse before us, is like that Miraculous Pillar, which gave Con­ [...]ct unto Israel in the Wilderness; It has a Bright side, and a Dark side, belonging unto it. On the Bright [...] of this Oracle, we see the Shel­ter, the safety, the universal Hap­piness of the Godly Man. Happy is the Man that feareth always.

There is indeed a Fear that is far from any Happiness. Not Happy, but Wretched, the Man who feareth w [...] ­ther the Mercy of God in Christ [Page 5] can be extended unto so great a Sin­ner as he knows himself to be. Not Happy, but Foolish, the Man, who torments himself with Fears of those Evils, whereto we are Obnoxious in this present Evil World. Not Happy, but Faulty is the Ma [...]; who by the Fears of Death spoils [...] Joys of Life. Not Happy, but Reprehensible is the Man, who lets his Heart sin [...] with Fears that the Church of God shall utterly Sink. When we are in the Covenant of Grace, it will be an un­happy Thing for us to Fear that, [...] one Article of it shall not be [...] unto us. There is also a [...] Fearfulness, which is an Unhap­piness to them that Labour under [...]. But then, Oh! Happy the Man, who has the Fear of God always Govern [...] his Heart and Life. Happy [...] who never lays aside a [...], and of the Evils [...] he exposed by [...], who feareth always, [...] [...] ­ceived by his own Heart, [...] Deceitful above all Things, Happy [...] [Page 6] Man, who feareth always, lest this World so Entangle him, as to make him neglect the Affairs of another and a better World. Happy the Man, who feareth always, lest when he has Lovely Things about him, he set his Love too much upon them. Happy the Man, who feareth always, lest he shall give at last, but a poor Ac­count of the Talents whereof he is Accountable.

But now let us take a view of the Dark side, which threatens Mischief and Misery to the Wicked Man. The Character of a Wicked Man is, He hardens his Heart. And the Conse­quence hereof is, He falls into Mis­chief.

The DOCTRINE before us will be.

[Page 7] There are some Awful PROPO­SITIONS, which we must now at­tend unto.

The Grand Concern, of Suffering and of Dying People. BOSTON, 9 d. IV m. 1715.

WE have before us, what calls not only for our At­tention, but also for our Astonishment. Who can be­hold the Son of God in our Flesh; becoming Obedient unto the Death of the Cross, that so the [...] which the sinful Children of Men have by their Sin offered unto the Law of God, might be [...] by so matchless a Sacrifice! [...] [Page 42] behold, the Just suffering for the Un­just, and one most Holy, Harmless, Undefiled, [...] from Sinners, treated as if He had been the Chief of Sin­ners? Who can behold this, and not be Astonished at it? The Justice of the Infinite GOD, never Triumphed so Gloriously▪ But one signal Arti­cle in the Humiliation of our dear Saviour, was the fulfilment of that Prophecy; Isa. LIII. 12. He was [...] with Transgressors. His Ad­versaries contriv'd this Ignominy for Him, that there should be Two Ca­pital Offendors Crucified with Him; An Ignominious Infliction, whereof the Pagan Deriders of Christianity, as long after as the Days of Hieroc [...]es, made their Advantage. The Cri­minals, doubtless were not simple Thieves; A Flagellation with Restitu­tion would have been all their Pun­ishment, if Theft had been all their Crime. It seems, as if they had been Robbers and Cut-throats; too dange­rous Creatures, to have their Live; indulged unto them. What was done [Page 43] in, and for, and by, one of these Malefactors, is what will call us to be still Astonished. Of these two Malefactors, wherein some find a Type of those two People, the Jews and the Gentiles; the one continued an obdurate and obstinate Wretch, and as he lived so he died, Aban­doned of God. The other became a true Penitent, and an astonishing Monument, of what the Sovereign Grace of God may do for the worst of Sinners in the World. He em­ploy'd the last six or seven Hours of his Life on the Cross, at such a rate, that one may see the whole Race of Christianity run in half a Day and the Ground wonderfully swal­lowed in a most expeditious Piety. The common Opinion is, That the Grace of God first found him here; and that he came to the Cross, no other than a finished Villain, but was here in his last Moments turned into a Child and Saint of God. But some rather incline to the Opinion. That the Spirit of God, might [...] him, [Page 44] and very much Enlighten him, and Rectify him, while he was in the Gaol, none can say how long before his Execution; and that he might come to the Cross in some degree, furnished with that Principle of Grace, which now broke forth, in its most lively and wondrous Operations. Be it how it will; Here is a Specimen of what Sovereign Grace may do, for a Sinner in the last Moments of his Life; yea, of what Sovereign Grace may do for a Malefactor who dies [...] the Gallows!

The first Effort, which we see of the Divine Principle, in the Soul of this Penitent, is, His Rebuke upon his Fellow-sufferer. He saw and heard the Outrages of the Monster; he [...] his Outrageous Affronts unto the Glorious Redeemer, whom his own Soul now Glorified as the Son of God, and the [...] of the Dead; [...] he Faithfully and Zealously [...] him for his Behaviour▪ where [...] he proclaimed that the [...] of God [...] horribly wanting in him▪

[Page 45] An Ingenious Man some Ages a­go, wrote a Learned Book, about, The Metamorphosis of an High-way Man into an Apostle. And he brings in Christians, like Bees, gathering of Delicious Honey, from the Flowers growing in the Field, which the History of the Penitent Thief affords unto us. Christians, you are this Day to join with me in that Em­ployment. Here is Honey out of the Rock!

I have read a Rhetorical Flight, calling this Penitent Thief, The First­born among the Children of a Crucified Saviour. I do not wonder, that I find Chrysostom calling him, A Prophet, and Athanasius calling him, A [...] Evan­gelist. It is indeed a very Remarka­ble Thing, That when our Saviour was forsaken of all His Disciples, and when He had not one left in the World openly to appear for Him, a Conver [...]ed Thief is imploy'd [...] Prea­cher of His Glories. Ah! Lord, Ra­ther than there shall be none to Preach, thy Glories, there shall be Instruments [Page 46] called for that Work from Quarters th [...] none could have imagined! The Cross itself shall be so far from stopping the Preaching of the Gospel, that you shall find it admirably done from the very Cross itself. You are now to hearken unto a Sermon preach­ed from the Cross. Never had there been such a Sermon heard from such a Pulpit before; Never such a Prea­cher! A Thief turn'd into a Saint. A Prisoner turned into a Minister; into a sort of an Apostle. A Bloody Ene­my of God, become the only Believer and Confessor of His Christ, openly appearing in the World. Oh! the wonderful Changes wrought by the Grace of our God! Methinks, an [...] extraordinary Matter, may be ex­pected from such an extraordinary Preacher. You may look to be En­tertained with something that shall be well worthy of your Observation.

Behold, a Sermon preached unto a Malefactor, a Poor, Blind, Harden­ed Malefactor under Sentence of Death [...]ea, now arriv'd unto the last Mo­ments [Page 47] of his Life under the Ex­ecution of the Sentence. 'Tis preach­ed by one, who had been Guilty of the same Crimes; but was come unto the Repentance, which would assure the pardoning Mercy of God unto him. They that begin to Fear God themselves, are sollicitous to bring others unto the Fear of God; but none more, than such as have been Wicked with or like themselves; none so much as their Companion [...] ▪ in Wickedness. Our Penitent here, commends unto his Dying Brother, the only. Thing that can secure the Welfare of a Soul after Death; pro­cure a Safety to a Never-dying Soul; and Reproves his want of that Thing, 'Tis, The Fear of God.

The DOCTRINE which I am now to give you, is;

I. The first observable Thing that now occurs unto us, is; That Real, Vital, Saving RELIGION does consist in the Fear of God; A Religious Fear of the Glorious God.

The Thing which the Convert Inculcated on his Friend under Con­demnation, is, All that Religion, which will bring unto Salvation. The Term used for it, is, The Fear of God. The Censure due to a Man of no [...]eli­gion, is; Thou dost not Fear God.

There are some general Expre­ssive; and Instructive Terms, by which the Whole of Practical Religion is de­scribed unto us. It is called, The [...] of God, a Trust an Hope, a De­light in Him, a [...] of God, and [...] Calling on Him. It is called, [...], and Repentance, and Newness of Life, and, A good Conversation in Christ and, A patient Continuance in [...] doing. Oh! Make a Tryal of your­selves [Page 49] by these Discriptions of Re­ligion; Try, See, Find, whether the Experience of such Things will En­title you to the Denomination of Truly Religions.

But, the Fear of God, is one of those notable Terms. And now, Come ye Children who would Profess Religion, and be found the truly Reli­gious Children of God; I will [...] you what is that Fear of God, which is demanded of you.

First. In true Religion, the Fear of the Divine Displeasure, whereto all Sinners are obnoxious, drives a [...] unto the JESUS, who saves His Peo­ple from their Sins. The Fear of God contains in it, a Fear of His Displea­sure, to which we are by Sin become obnoxious. One that has the Fear of God, can say, Lord, My Flesh trembles for fear of thy Displeasure, and I am a­fraid of the Judgments to which my Sin exposes me. But so far the Divels themselves may go; They tremble; worse than Divels they who do not so! But [...] Fear wherewith we are [Page 50] to be moved, must put us upon doing what we are to do, that we may be Saved. It must cause our Flight unto the only SAVIOUR. This is the Fear of God in the right Notion of it. Thus you have been taught it in Psal. CXLVII. 11. The Lord taketh Pleasure in them that fear Him, that hope in His Mercy. It is the MES­SIAH of God, in and by whom His Mercy reaches us. A Fear without Hope of that Mercy, is the Despair of them that are cast into outer Dark­ness. The Fear which Awakens and Animates our Flight unto that Mercy, [...] the Fear of God in the True, Clear, [...] Operation of it.

Ah, Soul fallen from God! Thou must see thyself by thy Sin lying [...] to the Anger of God! A strange [...]ishment waiting for thee, O worker of Iniquity. Hearken to this. Destru­ction from God must be a Terror to thee; Thou hast cause to be terri­bly Distressed in the Apprehensions [...] it. In this Distress, a Glorious CHRIST is to be set before thee, [...] [Page 51] thy only Saviour! A JESUS, who Delivers from the Wrath to come. 'Tis requisite, that thou fly unto thy JE­SUS as thy only Refuge. Look unto the Sacrifice of thy JESUS for thy Propitiation. Look unto the Righte­ousness of thy JESUS, for thy Justifi­cation. Put thyself under the Conduct of thy JESUS, that thou mayst be brought unto Life Eternal. This [...] the Fear of God. Here, here is true Religion. Unto one who does this; there shall be fulfilled that Word▪ Mal. IV. 2. Unto you that fear [...] Name, shall the Sun of Righteousness arise, with Healing in his Wings. Tru­ly, They that Fear the Name of [...] are they that have their Eye to [...] Sun of Righteousness, and g [...]t [...] the shadow of His Wings, for [...] Healing of all that is amiss in [...] Condition. Gloriously this [...] God, shining in our Convert [...] Cross. [...]st thou fear God; O [...] rate Soul? Yes, Thy Look [...] His JESUS to be thy Saviour; [...] declare thy Fear of God.

[Page 52] Secondly. In True Religion, the Religious Fear of [...] against God, Restrains and Governs the Soul, and makes every Sinful Thing, a Fearful and an Hateful Thing unto the Soul. When the Fear of Sin Re­strains and Governs the Mind ex­ceedingly, then the Man Fears the Lord exceedingly. The Fear of Sin, is [...] main Ingredient in the Fear of God. We read. Prov. VIII. 13. The fear of the Lord is to hate Evil. The Man who Fears God, is one who shuns Evil; one who has an Horror of SIN, as the worst Evil. Whatever such a Man takes to be a Sin, he is afraid of it; he would not be more afraid of a Fiery Furnace. A Tempta­tion to Sin, is rejected by such a Man, with a vast Abhorrence of it.

The Fear of Sin in True Religion, issues from an Awe, and an awful Sight which a Believer has of some Things that are not [...]een.

First; The Presence of GOD, is Awful to a Man that Fears Him. The Fear of God will make a Man [Page 53] Realize the Eye of God. One that Fears God, is under the Power of this Apprehension; O Lord, Thou art ac­quainted with all my ways: O Lord, There is not a Word in my Tongue, but thou knowest it: O Lord, Thou knowest my Thoughts afar off. This makes him afraid of every Sin; afraid of even the most Secret Sin. If a Sinful and Vicious or Foolish Thought break into his Mind, he is afraid of afford­ing it a Lodging there. An Omni­present GOD, is much Considered, much Reverenced, by the Man that, Fears Him. Such an one may say, I have set the Lord always before me. He Labours, he Watches, he Wishes, That he may behave himself always as before the Lord.

Again; The Judgment of GOD is Awful to such a Man. The Fear of God assures a Man of a Judgment to come; and it makes him Tremble at the Apprehension of being Pro­nounced, Guilty, in that Judgment, The time of the Dead, when they shall be Judged, is the Time, when a Re­ward [Page 54] shall be given to them that Fear God. They that Fear God, have their Eye much on the Time, when the Dead shall be Raised and Judged, and on the Reward which is then to be given to the Children of Men. One that Fears God, is very Thought­ful of the Day, when we must every one stand before the Judgment Seat of Christ; the Day when God will bring every Work into Judgment. The Dread of this Day, is to such a Man, The Terror of the Lord. His great Study is, Oh! That in the Day of God, I may give up my Account with Joy, and not with Grief! Oh! That I may do nothing that may prove to my Disadvantage in the Day when I give up my Account unto God! The Fear of God is not in the Man, who is not so disposed, so affected. I am sure, in the Convert on the Cross, these things were very Visible.

Thirdly. True Religion, which Fears God, will Religiously and Con­scienciously endeavour to Serve God. The Worshippers of GOD, are called, [Page 55] Those theat fear Him. The Worship and Service of GOD, is called, His Fear. We read of one, Act. X. 2. He was a Devout Man, and one that feared God, and prayed unto God always. The Fear of God will put a Man upon all the Devotions of a Godly Life. The Fear of God will bring forth Prayer to God: Secret Prayer, Private Prayer, Public Prayer; All Prayer with Per­severance in it. When Men cast off this Fear, then they restrain Prayer. The Fear of God, will fill the Life of a Man with Work for God. It will make a Man Abound in the Work of the Lord. It will make a Man Diligent in the Work of both His Callings, the Spiritual and the Temporal. Conti­nual Acknowledgments of God, are in the Endeavour of the Man that Fears Him. We are so called upon▪ Prov. XXIII. 17. Be thou in the fear of the Lord all the Day long. 'Tis done in our conformity to that Rule of Piety, Acknowledge the Lord in all the Ways. This Fear of God will bring a Man to that Perswasion, I have to do [Page 56] with God in every Thing. And from so sweet a Root, as the Fear of God, there will issue and flourish a Love to Man. The Fear of God will make a Man afraid of doing or wishing any Hurt unto his Neighbour; It will make him contrive to be a Blessing in his Neighbourhood; It will make him a Good Man, and a Doer of Good. This, this is to Fear God.

But, certainly, you can scarce hear these Instructions, without expecting two Things to be immediately pres­sed upon you.

First. O view yourselves in this Impartial Glass, and see what you are Try and see, whether you have the Fear of God in you, or no. It was enquired; Psal. XXV. 12. What Man is he that fears the Lord? Let every one of us make the Enquiry, Am I the Man that fears the Lord? Let there be no such Token of Death upon us, as may give Cause for our being so questioned thereupon, Dost not thou fear God? Examine, Whether upon the Question, you can say, Yes, I [Page 57] prize CHRIST, I hate Sin, I walk with GOD, and Labour to please Him. Oh! be not at Rest until you come to this.

Secondly. You see, and, Oh! will you not seek, a Blessing of which you have cause to be exceedingly, un­speakably desirous. 'Tis, The Fear of God. A Man cannot infuse the Fear of God into his own Heart. It is the Grace of GOD. Oh! Let us make our Supplication to GOD, for this Grace. If any of you lack this Wisdom; this Beginning of Wisdom,—Let him Ask it of God. It was an hopeful Cha­racter of some; Neh. I. 11. Thy Ser­vants who desire to fear thy Name. Oh! may all of you come into it; and make that Petition, O Great GOD; Let there be an Heart in me to fear thee! 'Tis a Petition to be made Im­portunately, to be made Continu­ally!

II. The Second observable Thing which we have before us, i [...]; That when People who suffer Evil Things, continue to do Evil Things, it argues [Page 58] that the Fear of God is wanting in them. Oh! Grievous Thing! Did the Sun ever look upon a more Griev­ous Thing! Ah, Forlorn Soul, where­in such a Grievous Thing shall be exemplified! When a poor Man Con­demned unto various and grievous Miseries, went on in Gross Mis [...]ar­riages, and the Cross itself would not make him turn unto God, this pro­cured that Righteous Reproof unto the miserable Creature, Dost not thou fear God? It shew'd great Want of the Fear of God.

Let us a little Inform ourselves, How it is.

First. Some that suffer very sad Things, do not Reform the Sins, which have brought their Sufferings▪ It may be said of some, as in Jer. V. 3. O Lord, Thou hast Consumed them, but they have refused to receive Corre­ction. Our Afflictions come to us, with a Message from God. The Mes­sage, and Language of them, is; Oh! Repent of thy Way, and of thy Doings, which have procured these things unto [Page 59] thee; Of the Wickedness, which has pro­cured thee all this Bitterness. Yet many Afflicted ones there are, whose Af­flictions do not bring them to Re­pentance. Their Iniquity is not thereby Purged, and the Fruit thereof is not the taking away of their Sin. The Duty they Omitted before their Afflictions, tho' they are Afflicted, yet they continue in their Omission of it. The Trespass they committed before their Afflictions, tho' they are Afflicted, yet they continue in their Commission of it. Tho' they have born Chastise­ment, they are not Inquisitive what those Offences may be, for which they have been Chastised; and they do not say, What is meet surely to be [...] unto God, I will not Offend any more▪ Tho' the Holy One have Stricken them for their Sinning against Him, yet they are not more afraid of Sin­ning, than formerly. Tho' God be vexing them with all Adversity; [...] it an Evil World unto them, [...] they are not more weaned [...] Love of the World. Tho' [...] [Page 60] an Afflicted Life, yet they do not lead a more Prayerful, a more Fruitful, a more Heavenly Life; a Life of more Communion with God. Tho' the Rod be Employ'd upon them, yet they do not Hear the Red. They have their Cross, but no Peaceable Fruits of Righteousness growing upon it.

Secondly. Some who Sinned be­fore they Suffered, fall into New and more Sins, after their Sufferings. Evil Men wax worse and worse under those Things, which they should have grown Better upon. We read of such [...] Incurable; 2 Chron. XXVIII. 22. In the time of his Distress, did he Tre­spass yet more against the Lord. There are many Fools, who because of their Transgressions, and because of their Ini­quities, are Afflicted. And yet they add new Transgressions, and add new Iniquities, unto the old Score of their Enormities; This they do after their Afflictions. They have Sinned, and they have Smarted; And, for all this they have Sinned still; and they have [Page 61] added new Sins unto the vast Heap of their Provocations; and been more Sinful, in further Out-breakings, and Outrages of Impiety. 'Tis especially thus, when People do like the Wick­ed Thief on the Cross, Blaspheme God under their Afflictions; When they are full of Discontent, full of Impati­ence, full of Murmuring under their Afflictions; full of Envy against those who do not endure the like Afflicti­ons; When they take Indirect Courses to escape their Afflictions, unlawful Methods to abate their Afflictions. That ever the World should have such Monsters in it!

Thirdly. Such Incorrigible ones discover themselves to be destitute of the Fear of God. We may on this oc­casion say that in Psal. XXXVI. 1. The Transgression of the Wicked saith within my Heart, There is no fear of God before his Eyes. The Charge may be very plainly proved upon them.

First. If we see Suffering [...] upon [...] People, God expects that [...] Him, and improve in all [...] [Page 62] upon such Admonitions. Thus we read; Zech. UI. 7. I have cut off the Nations,—I said, Surely thou wilt fear me, thou wilt receive Instruction. Surely then, if we do not receive Instruction from Suffering upon ourselves, 'tis plain, that we do not Fear God. When others are Scourged, God expects that we should all Hear and Fear, and no more do Wickedly. Surely then, if they that are under the same Condemna­tion, go on to Sin under their Scour­ges, these do not Fear God. There can be no doubt of this!

Secondly. They who get no Good by their Sufferings, forget that they have to do with God in their Suffer­ings. Were People sensible that God sends their Sufferings on them, and comes looking for the Fruit of His Dis­pensations, they would certainly get some Good by them. We read, Job V. 6, 8. Affliction comes not forth of the Dust, neither doth Trouble spring out of the Ground.—I would seek unto God. Were we sensible, that we have to do with an Higher than all Second [Page 63] Causes in our Sufferings, they would certainly bring us nearer to God. But now, if Men cast off the Sense of God, it is plain, they also cast off the Fear of God. It is undoubtedly, so.

Thirdly. They that are Incorrigible Sinners under Sufferings, are unque­stionably Unconverted Sinners. We read; Psal. CXIX. 71. It is good for me, that I have been Afflicted, that I might learn thy Statutes. It is then good for us that we have Suffered any Humbling Things, when we are quickened in and by our Sufferings, to Learn, and to Love, and to Do the Statutes of God. There is a true Conversion to God, in doing so. Un­der Sufferings, to be brought into the Frames, and unto the Rules of a New-Creature; under Sufferings, to be brought into the Covenant of God, and of His Grace, and unto a con­sent unto all the Articles of [...] un­der Sufferings, to Embrace a Precious CHRIST, in all His Offices, for and with all His Benefits; And under [Page 64] Sufferings to have all Sin rendred A­bominable to us; This is to get Good by Sufferings. But they who are Strangers to these things, are Un­converted Sinners. And all Unconvert­ed Sinners, are Strangers to the Fear of God. Unto every Unconverted, and Unregenerate Soul, Thou hast forsaken the Lord thy God, and my Fear is not in thee, faith the Lord God of Hosts. This cannot be questioned.

Lastly. Sinners Incorrigible under Sufferings, proclaim themselves with­out Fear that the Justice of God, may yet bring more heavy Sufferings upon them. They make a Fearless, Dar­ring, Hardy Challenge to the Justice of God. God threatens them who are Incorrigible under their Sufferings, at that rate; Lev. XXVI. 23, 24. If ye will not be Reformed by these Things, then will I Punish you yet seven times more for your Sins. God will go on, Punishing the Incorrigible Sinner, and Multiplying His Plagues upon him, until he has destroy'd the Sin­ner wonderfully. God will go on still in His Inflictions, if the Sinner will go on still [Page 65] in his Trespasses. Yea, 'Tis the tre­mendous Commination of God; After thy Hardness and Impenitent Heart, O Incorrigible Sinner, thou shalt find thou hast been treasuring up Wrath against the Day of Wrath, and thy wo­ful Portion will be in the Perdition of Ungodly Men. But, the Incorrigible are not afraid of what a just God will do unto them. No, you Wretches, whose Heart-strings are Sinews of Iron, you Fear it not! This fully proves the Indictment, That the Male­factors have not the Fear of God before their Eyes.

These Things cannot well go off, without this Direction unto us. My Brethren, Give this Demonstration; that you have the Fear of God; Hav­ing suffered Evil Things, do not per­sist, Oh! no longer persist, in Doing any Evil Things. Be prevailed withal, to make this Use of all your Suffer­ings. Consider, What is the Errand which the Affliction I now suffer is come upon? Make that Request unto God; Job X. 2. Shew me wherefore thou con­tendest [Page 66] with me. But then, Repent, Oh! Repent of the Miscarriages, which have procured such a Suffering for you. It is a memorable Word; Rev. III. 19. As many as I Love, I Rebuke and Cha­sten; be Zealous therefore, and Repent. Christians, If you grow more Zealous of all good Works, and Repent of all your Evil Works, there has been the marvellous Love of God, in Rebuking and Chastening of you. Conform to the Will, Comply with the Call, of Him, who sends all your Sufferings, as His Messengers, upon you. Be Sol­licitous for nothing so much as this; Oh! that my Sufferings may not be lost upon me! This will Demonstrate, That you Fear God. And, O Lord, How great is thy Goodness, which thou hast laid up for them, who so do Fear [...]!

III. The Third [...] Thing, in which the [...] the Trumpet is to wax yet Louder and Louder unto us, is this: 'Tis a Dreadful Thing for any one to Dye without the Fear of God.

[Page 67] Why was the Convert so much in Earnest, that his poor Friend might have in him the Fear of God? Why, He was just a Dying. He was to Dye that Afternoon. If he Dy'd before he had the Fear of God wrought in him, he must pass into a very Bad Condition after Death. Had it not been so, to what purpose had it been so earnestly to inculcate the Fear of God upon him! Truly, If any Man Dye, before he have a Soul Impreg­nated, Rectified, Purified, by the Fear of God, the least that can be said, is; It had been good for that Man, that he had never been Born. If the Life of Man come to an end, before the Fear of God has begun to Regulate his Life, his Death will bring a dread­ful Change upon him. 'Tis a fear [...] Thing for a Soul to go [...] of the World, not marked with the Fear of God for Blessedness in another [...] Never, never was there heard a mo [...] Astonishing Thunderclap, than that Word; Joh. VIII. 24. Ye shall Dye in your Sins. This, this will be the Fa [...]e [Page 68] of them, who Dye without the Fear of God. They Dye in their Sins, and their Death is a Trap-door, that lets them down into horrible Miseries.

The Pulpit must now become a Sinai. And since you are now to stand before a Flaming Mountain, Be afraid, O ye Sinners in our Zion; Let Fearfulness also Surprize you, O ye Hypocrites thereof. I am to tell you;

First. The Future State will be a Dismal State unto them, whose Death finds them in ill Terms with God. We have all possible Assurance, that after Death Men pass into a Future State. After Death a Judgment. A Redee­mer, who by Rising from the Dead, asserted Himself to be the Eternal Son of God Incarnate, has assu­red us of it. The Future State, as it will be Inconceivably Happy to some, so it will be Unutterably Dole­ful to others. It will have such a Distribution as that; Matth. XXV. 46. The Wicked shall go away into ever­lasting Punishment; but the Righteous [Page 69] into Life Eternal. Particularly; There are some, who at their Death have their Spirits turned among Divels: One may almost say, turned into Divels. They are confined unto very uneasy Confusions: Rueful Chains of Darkness are laid upon them. They languish under the amazing Terror of a Wrath to come; a Fiery Indigna­tion that shall one Day Devour them. He will one Day Raise them from the Dead: But it will be, that He may inflict a Second Death upon them; and a Death which will have in it, a Torture suitable to the Demerit of their Offences: A Torture whereto all the Racks and Fires here, are but Metaphors. A Guilty Conscience will remain in their Spirits, and the Wrath of God therewith forever Tor­turing of them. Thus, even thus, the Enemies of God are to be dealt withal.

Secondly. The People whose Death finds them without the Fear of God, are such as Dye in ill Terms with God: And, Oh! What, what will the Fu­ture State be unto them! We read; [Page 70] Psal. XC. 11. Who knows the Power of thine Anger? Even according to thy Fear, so is thy Wrath. Men shall be treated by the Wrath of God, accor­ding to the Fear of God which there has been in their Souls. By the fear of God Men get from under His Wrath. But if they are without the fear of God, they have His Wrath for­ever abiding on them. For,

First. If People Dye without the fear of God, they Dye Unpardoned: And this Entails the formidable Wrath of God upon them. We read; Psal. CIII. 11, 12. Great is His Mercy to­wards them that fear Him. He removes our Transgressions from us. But if Peo­ple do not fear God, their Sins are lying on them, sticking to them; not one of a Thousand, alas, not one of their many Thousands, removed from them. The Wrath of God therefore falls upon the Man, who Dies with­out the fear of God. He is not at Peace with God, and so he can't avoid the Wrath of God. But, Oh! How dread­ful a Thing to fall under the Wrath [Page 71] of the LORD GOD ALMIGHTY! How fearful a Thing to fall into the Hands of the Living God! The Wrath of God sometimes lays People under incredible Torments in this World. But undoubtedly, the Tormenting Blows and Scalds, which the Wrath of God will give unto the Children of Wrath in the World to come, will ex­ceed all that is ever seen in this World. Oh! Never yet were those unsearchable Treasures of Wrath so broken up, that any People alive upon Earth, have had a full Display thereof. But there is this Terror of the Lord added unto the dismal State of it Sinner lying under this Wrath; We know no Period of it! The Lamenta­tions will not be, All our Days are passed away under thy Wrath. No, The Days will Never, Never, Never be All passed away. Nor will they be Days neither. They will be Nights rather than Days. 'Tis all utter Darkness. There will be Blackness of Darkness forever. O Dreadful! To be Exiled from GOD! And with an everlast­ing [Page 72] Exile! To be made Vessels of Wrath, wherein the Wrath of God a­gainst Sin, shall hang up Everlasting Monuments and Spectacles! This is the Portion of them who Dye with­out the fear of God: This the Heritage of them who do not get into the Favour of God before they Dye.

Secondly. If People Dye without the fear of God, they Dye with a Vene­ [...]ious Nature still unchanged; and so they carry an Eternal Fuel for the Wrath of God into Eternity with them. We read, Rom. VIII. 7. The Carnal Mind is Enmity against God. Until the fear of God come into the Mind, the Sinner has a Carnal Mind that re­mains uncured in him. Now there is no prospect for the Cure of that Carnal Mind, when a Sinner is fallen under the Revenges of God, for his Enmity. No, He that is Unjust will still be Unjust; and he that is Filthy will be Filthy still. A perpetual En­mity to God is then rivetted into the Mind of the Sinner; Never, never [...] be gotten out. But what will be the [Page 73] Consequence of this Enmity? It must needs make the Future State a very Dismal one. A perpetual Enmity to God, must needs involve the sinful Wretch in a perpetual Wretched­ness. No Comfortable Visions of God can be allow'd unto him, whom God counteth for His Enemy. Continual Re­bukes from God, will be thundered upon him. Irregular Passions will keep his Enraged Soul in a perpetual Storm. His Desires will never be gra­tified, but be always creating of Troubles unto him. He will Hate God, and God will Vex him; and the Vengeance of Heaven will be per­petually Triumphing over him. This 'tis to Dye without the Fear of God: This must they look for, who Dye without Wisdom.

And now, Oh! the Importunity, the Fervency, the Energy, which the EXHORTATION should be urged withal!

See to it, O all ye People, every one [...]f you, See to it, That you Dye not [Page 74] without the fear of God, and, Alienated from the Life of God.

My Hearers, We are every one of us all, under a Condemnation of Death. Know you not? Alas, you are obliged every Day to see the Execu­tion of it; It is appointed unto Men once to Dye. The irreversible Sentence is gone out from the Mouth of God; So Death has passed upon all Men, for that all have Sinned.

What? My Friend, Under this Condemnation, and not Fear God! O our Dying People,—And I Address every one of you all, under that Ap­pellation; O our Dying People, Why will you Dye, and not get the Fear of God into your Souls before you Dye?

First. There are None of you, but for ought you know, may Dye very Speedily, yea, may Dye very Suddenly. Unto the Youngest and unto the Strongest of you all, and unto them that are most ready to put far away the Evil Day, it may be said, as in Prov. XXVII. 1. Boast not of To- Morrow, for thou knowest not what a [Page 75] Day may bring forth. Children, It highly Concerns every one of you, to Retire this very Evening, and Commune with your own Hearts; and ask, Have I yet attained unto the fear of God?—Ask, Is my Soul yet Renew­ed with the fear of God? And send up your Cries from the Dust unto the Lord; Even those Cries; Psal. LXXXVI. 11. Lord, engage my Heart to fear thy Name. You are not sure that you have one Week more to Live. 'Tis Time to lay hold on a Mercy, for the ensuring whereof you are not sure of having any more Time allow'd unto you.

Secondly. There are Some of you, who know, that you are just going to Dye.

Aged People surely cannot but know this. I am therefore to say unto you; An Aged Person without the fear of God, Oh! 'Tis one of the most Melan­choly Sights that can be look'd up­on. What? Past Fifty, and come to the Use of Glasses, and flying down to the Grave, with the Haste of an [Page 76] Eagle to the Prey; and still without the fear of God! Oh! Lamentable! I entreat you, I entreat you, Syrs, to make Haste in lifting up your Cries unto God. Oh! God of all Grace, Im­plant thy Fear in my Soul before I die! Oh! Let not my Death surprize me, be­fore the Grace of thy Fear has Enlighten­ed me! And Oh! be at no Quiet, until you feel the Working of it. Your Epitaph will else quickly be that; Eccl. IX. 3. Madness is in their Heart while they Live, and after that they go to the Dead.

But of those who are sure of hav­ing the Arrest of Death presently served upon them, there is none that has a more affecting Assurance of it, than a poor Daughter of Death, who is this Afternoon to have her Soul Required of her. Ah! poor Crea­ture! Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art under a Condemnation, to a Tragi­cal Death which is to be this After­noon executed on thee; and within three or four Hours, thy Soul will be Required of thee; within three or four [Page 77] Hours thy Soul must make its Ap­pearance before a Terrible GOD! Oh! What, what will be the Con­dition of that Perishing Soul, if no Fear of God be found in it, when it Appears before Him?—

There is indeed a vast Abundance even to a Profusion, of Instructions, bestow'd more Privately on such Male­factors as Dye among us: No Place upon Earth does equal this Place for that Exercise of Charity. And this poor Creature has had a very parti­cular Share thereof: Not only have the Ministers of the Gospel done their Part, in Visiting of her, but also many Private Christians have done theirs, in a most Exemplary man­ner. As of old in Jerusalem it was the Usage of the Ladies, to [...] for the Dying Malefactors, that [...] which was called, The [...] the Condemned, so the Young Gentle­women here in their Turns, h [...]e Charitably gone to the Prison [...] Day for diverse Weeks together, and because of her not being able to Read, [Page 78] have spent the Afternoons in Read­ing Portions of the Scriptures, and other Books of Piety, to this Con­demned Woman, and giving their Ex­cellent Counsils unto her. Never­theless, we chuse in a more Publick way also to direct a few Words of our Sermons, unto such Persons; when we have them among our Hearers; Because, the Preaching of the Gospel, is the Grand Ordinance of our Saviour, for the Conversion of a Sinner from the Error of his way; and we would wait upon our Glorious LORD, in that way which he has Ordained, hoping, still hoping, to see a Soul saved from Death!

Wherefore once more, O misera­ble Woman, entring into an Eternity to be trembled at; Once more, thou shalt hear the Joyful Sound of the Gospel, inviting thee to the Fear of God, and the Faith of thy only Savi­our. And if there be not in this Last Essay, a more saving Impression from the Glorious Gospel of the Blessed God made upon thee, than thou hast yet [Page 79] felt from any former ones,—Oh! the dreadful, dreadful Consequences! What will become of thee!—Can thy Hands be Strong, or can thy Heart endure, in the View of what a Terri­ble GOD will order for thee?—Be­hold, Ah! poor Margaret, Behold a mighty Congregation of People, with Hearts Bleeding for thee, and Wishing and Praying and Longing to see the fear of God making some Discoveries in thee. And shall thy Heart still remain unaffected with thy own Condition; discovering still a total Estrangement from the fear of God! No Tears are enough, Tears of Blood were not enough, to be em­ploy'd on so prodigious a Spectacle!

I am sorry, I am sorry, that I find myself obliged so much to speak it. Even since thou hast been under Con­demnation, thou hast not feared God. Not many Hours are passed, since I saw in thee, so much Rage, and so; Unrighteously harboured, and so Inde­cently Vomited, against some Ver­tuous Children of God, that it [...] [Page 80] too Evident, this fear of God had not yet begun to soften thee.

But if the fear of God enter not in­to thy Soul, before thy Soul be dri­ven out o [...] thy Body, which will be now,—alas, before many Minutes more be expired, thy Desolate, For­saken, Miserable Soul, can have no part in the Kingdom of God. My Soul cannot be safe, if I forbear to tell thee so!

Ah, poor Creature, Art thou wil­ing to Dye unreconciled unto the God, whom thou hast Affronted with infinite Provocations? To Dye, and fall into the Mouths of Dragons, who have so long poisoned thee, and en­slaved thee? To Dye and be cast into the Eternal Burnings, from whence the Smoak of the Torment will ascend forever and ever? What? Shall all the Means of Good, which in a Religious Place have, been used for thee, with hopes that they might find out one of the Elect of God, serve only to aggravate thy Eternal Con­demnation [Page 81] at the last? Oh! Dread­ful Consideration!

But, Oh! Be Astonished at it! There is yet a Door of Hope set open for thee; It will for one Hour it may be, stand open yet! Oh! Be full of Astonishments at such an Heart-melt­ing Declaration, as is now to be made unto thee. A Compassionate SAVIOUR, is yet willing, to Cleanse by Soul with His Blood, from the Sins, which by casting off the fear of God thou hast fallen into; yet wil­ing to create in thee a Clean Heart, [...]at shall be filled with the fear of God, if he be sought unto; yet call­ing to thee, O look unto me and be Sa­ved! And yet affording unto thee that Encouragement, in Joh. VI. 27. He that cometh unto me, I will in no wise cast out.

And, Oh! What wilt thou now [...]o under these Astonishing [...]? Wilt thou not improv [...] these few Minutes with a most [...] industry and Agony? Do [...] [...]e no longer such an Hard-hearted [Page 82] Prodigy! Fall down before thy SA­VIOUR, and cry out; O my Savi­our; Take pitty on my Soul, and now at the Last, let Sovereign Grace break forth, with a good Work of thy fear in my Soul! Cry out, O my Saviour, Let my Sin be all pardoned, and let all Sin be as Abominable unto me, as it is unto all that fear thy Name! Let thy Outcries pierce the very Heavens.

But, be it known unto thee, If the fear of God be in thee, it will be a thing more Bitter than Death unto thee, that thou hast Sinned against His Glorious Majesty; Thy Malice a­gainst every Neighbour will be ex­tinguished; Thou wilt submit with Patience, to the Punishment of thy Iniquity; And thou wilt be an Ho­ly, Humble, Thankful Soul, and quite another Creature!—God of His Infinite Mercy make thee so!

Tho' I have now no more to say unto this poor Creature; yet I have something to say unto all this Con­gregation of God; and her Circum­stances [...]urnish me with an Awful Occasion for it.

[Page 83] I wish, Oh! I wish, the Testimo­nies of a thorough Repentance in her, were more Conspicuous. But I would make the best Use I can, of what Little has been obtained.

This Woman in her better Frames, has very Voluntarily over and over again, testified her Desire, to do what Good may be done, by an Instrument, that she has put into my Hands; Signed with her own, before several Witnesses, after every Clause thereof had been distinctly Considered with her. An Instrument which▪ I shall now Read unto you.—

[Page 86] The Violent Passions whereinto this Woman has been Transported since her calm and free Exhibition of this Instrument, leave us at a perfect Loss what to make of her. We can do no more, but leave her to the unknown Mercy of God.

But my Hearers, You can your­selves now generally make agreeable Remarks, on this Instrument; And you will not let such an uncommon Engine of Piety be lost among you.

But, I hope, Undutiful Children es­pecially will tremble at the Spectacle which God this Day hangs up for them all with a Trembling Soul to look upon. Undutiful Children, How often, how often have you now heard from the Gallows, those dole­ful Eiulations, Disobedience to Parents is what brings to this! Yea, 'tis a won­derful Thing I am now to tell you. This poor Creature here, cannot now forget it. In a mad Rage once, [Horrible to be spoken!] she Cursed her own Mother. And her enraged Mother then uttered that Impreca­tion [Page 87] upon her, I wish thou mayest Dye upon the Gallows! And now, see what it is come to! Oh! do not you go on in your Disobedience. If you have given your Parents cause to Com­plain, that you have made Heavy Hearts for them, Repent of what you have done; and Obey them, Oblige them, Comfort them. What will the Holy GOD else leave you to? Child, If thou wilt not hearken to my Counsil, I know that God has determined, He will destroy thee!

And, Oh! that all Profane Delays of Repentance, might after this appear more Frightful, from a fresh and a black and a stupendous Experiment, that has been made of the Danger in them. This poor Creature, upon her very first Imprisonment, had the best Advice that could be given un­to her, to spend her Time unto the best Advantage. But a vile Person in the Prison perswaded her, that he should make his Escape, and would carry her off; and all should be well. I know not how to relate the Hideous [Page 88] Hardness of Heart, which this Foolish Perswasion betray'd her to. But I cannot perceive any of all her Follies, to be now more Cruciating to her, than what were the Fruit of this Perswasion. Particularly, That now she minded nothing of Repentance, until her Condemnation; And God knows, what poor Work she has made of it since, tho' the Honour­able Judges have Mercifully allow'd so much Time unto her.—O Pro­crastinating Sinners, If by secure Delays of Repentance, you so Vex the Holy Spirit of God, as to procure His Departure from you, what Hard­ness of Heart may you be given up unto! Wo to them, when I depart from them, saith the Lord.

But now at last, Shall the Sins of Unchastity undergo one Contusion more? Good God, make it an Effectual one!

Abominable Sins! The Sins where of our Holy JESUS, hath from Hea­ven sent this Notice to us, I hate there! The Sins, which the Holy Scripture [Page 89] points out, as a fatal Ditch, a filthy Pit, set open for the Abhorred of the Lord. How Mischievous the Abomi­nations! What Wounds, what Wounds, do they leave upon the Souls of Men! What Wounds upon all their Interests! What Infatuations do accompany them! Oh! the Hideous Havock, which the Sins of Unchastity make among the polluted Children of Men! The Ruines which they undergo from the Fleshly Lusts, that War against our Souls!

Ah, Tempted Souls; I don't pro­pose that you should make any Rash Vows, under the Anguish which the [...]lthy Fires may give unto you. I know, you'l break them if you do. But the best Proposal is, To Hum­ble yourselves in the Dust before the Lord. What else can you do, when the Serpents of the Dust are Coiling a­bout you? From thence, lift up your, Cries unto your Saviour, O my dear Saviour, I shall Sin against thee, if thou forsake me. Oh! Forsake me not utterly▪ Oh! Pity me; Oh! Rescue me. The Blood of thy Cross has purchased for me [Page 90] the Death of my Inordinate Lusts. Oh! Give me the Grace, which thy Death has purchased for me. Let my Lusts all Dye before it! O Succour my Tempted Soul; And, O Holy Spirit of Grace, do thou take Possession of me, and Purify me, Purify me Wonderfully! Thus keep Crying to your Holy Lord. Who can tell, how He will Send from above, how He will Take you, how He will Draw you out of many Waters!

I cannot but think, That there is a Voice of God unto the Country in this Thing; That there should be so many Instances of Women Exe­cuted for the Murder of their Bastard-Children. There are now Six or Se­ven such unhappy Instances, that are upon Record, and made Pillars of Salt in Printed Memorials. Lo, God [...]nds out. His Voice, and that a mighty Voice, in these Things. Lord, Help us to understand thy Meaning in them.

Certainly, There is a Loud Voice and Call from God unto Good Men, to consider more than ever; What Sacred Exorcisms are to be used, that [Page 91] the Unclean Spirit may be suppressed in the Land.

Most certainly, There is this Voice of GOD: Let all People beware how they give way to lesser Begin­nings in the Sins of Unchastity. Oh! People can't see, where they shall stop, if once they give the Reins to Impetuous Impurities.

Most certainly, All of us that may upon Reflection find any Stumbles into the Sins of Unchastity, may now hear this Voice of GOD unto us; O Bewail your Impurities; and Abhor yourselves before an Holy GOD; and get the Cleansing Blood of your Saviour sprinkled on your Souls. And may we not apprehend one thing more! Several Bastard-Children have been Murdered in this Place; But there has not unto this Day been any Detection of the Murderers. There is this Day a Voice of GOD, and lo [...], it is a mighty Voice, unto th [...]se Bloo­dy Creatures; Oh! Let not the Pati­ence, and Forbearance of God be lost upon you, Wonder at it, That God has not all [Page 92] this while delivered you up, to the Sword of Justice. Let the Long-suffering of God be for your Salvation. O Turn to God, with [...] Repentance, lest He leave [...] something that all the People shall be [...] at!

I have done. I have these Faith­ful Warnings in the Hands of GOD, for Him to make them Efficacious. O Glorious LORD, Give thou, for Thou alone canst [...] an Efficacy to them!

The Divine Compassions Declar'd and Magnified, To Engage and Encourage the greatest Sinners to a Speedy and Earnest Repentance.

THESE Words are among the many Endearing Argu­ments and Addresses, where­with the Great GOD persues wilful and obstinate Sinners; if it [...]ight be possible at last to softe [...] 'em unto Repentance.

THE Wicked Jews had [...] a strange Opinion of the Blessed [...] [Page 4] as if he took all Advantages against 'em, to Punish 'em; and particularly that they suffered for their Fathers Sins It was become a kind of Proverb a­mong 'em, tho' it carry'd a plain Reproach and Impeachment of the Di­vine Judgments; that the Fathers had eaten four Grapes, and the Children [...] Teeth were set on Edge. The Objection was Foolish as well as Profane; for it is no ways Unjust in GOD to inflict Temporal Evils upon the Chil­dren for their Parents Sins: For a great many present Punishments of the Sins of Parents, do by a natural and unavoidable Tendency involve their Posterity in Calamities and Miseries.

IN the Chapter GOD asserts in Ge­neral His own Soveraignty and Justice that all Souls are His, and that the Soul that Sins shall die. But more especially there are four things pretty much insisted on; as Mr. Henry di­vides the Chapter: That it shall [...] ill with the wicked Man, tho' he ha [...] a good Father; that it shall [...]e we [Page 5] with the good Man, tho' he had a wicked Father; that it shall be well with Penitents, tho' they began ne­ver so ill; and that it shall be ill with Apostates, tho' they began never so well.

UNDER the Third of these Heads our Text falls; Have I any Pleasure at all that the Wicked should die? saith the Lord GOD: and not that he should return from his ways and live?

LET us attentively Consider, Who it is that speaks, and What is said. Saith the Lord GOD: He it is that speaketh from Heaven, and see that you refuse Him not. What Attention, Re­verence, Fear and Faith do we owe [...]nto His Words? whether of Grace or of His Anger and Wrath.

OBSERVE the Thing sai [...] and the Form wherein it is clothed. Have [...] Pleasure at all? No, [...] not the least, that the Sinner [...]: But on the contrary, [...] in­stantly, unspeakably Pleasing [...] Great and Holy GOD, that [...] from his evil ways and live▪ [...] He [Page 6] desires, this wou'd delight Him; this He aims at, and endeavours in all His Addresses unto perishing Souls for their Salvation.

HE can Appeal to Sinners them­selves and refer it to them to judge, Have I any pleasure at all that the Wicked should die? Besides the vehement Nega­tion on God's part herein imply'd, it is as much supposed that the Sinner can't deny or oppose the Truth of what is here affirmed. So that the Doctrine before us is this:

IN speaking to this Doctrine, I shall only 1. Premise a few Words for the stating and limiting the Truth as­serted; and then 2. Exemplify, Illu­strate and prove it by an Induction of undeniable Instances.

[Page 7] I. I would Premise a few Words for the Stating and Limiting the Truth before us: Which may serve as so many Negative Propositions, to tell us what is not meant to be affirmed. As,

1. IT is a most certain Truth, that GOD has Pleasure in hating Sin. He has the highest Complacency in His own Holiness, the Rectitude of His own Nature; and consequently in the Aversations of that Holy Nature: He is not a God that can have Pleasure in Wickedness, neither can Evil dwell with Him; He hateth all the workers of Iniquity. Psal. 5. 4. Even a sanctify'd Nature on Earth, so far as its mea­sures of Sanctification are, doth more or less find great Pleasure in its Aversations to Sin. They that love the Lord hate Evil. There are all the Pleasures of Love to GOD in the hatred of Sin. All [...] is not Grievous and Painful; all [...] Re­gular and truly Natural, is [...] and Pleasant: Pain proceeds only from the Irregularity of a thing, its being Wrong. The Blessedness and [Page 8] Joy of GOD is in His own Holi­ness. The hatred of Sin is therefore Essential to GOD and to His Bles­sedness. So that tho' GOD has no Pleasure that the Wicked should die, yet has He Pleasure in hating the Wicked, as such, and their ways: The Wicked and him that loveth Violence His Soul hateth. Psal. 11. 5.

2. MOREOVER, God has Pleasure in Glorifying His Justice in all the De­mands of it against the Wicked. The Justice of GOD is an Attribute Es­sential to Him. It necessarily follows upon the Rectitude and Holiness of His Nature, together with His Do­minion and Government. If there be one most Holy Lord and Governour of the World, I'm sure that it is Essential to Him to Punish Sin at such Times, and in such Manner and Circumstances, as His Wisdom, Purity, the Order and Good of the World, and His own Honour and Glory do direct unto. So far God's Punishing Sin by a necessity of Nature is Intelligible, and Certain; and no [Page 9] farther can I apprehend it. GOD's Holiness, Honour & Justice is dearer to Him than a thousand Worlds; Pereat Mundus sed fiat Justitia; let the World be Burnt up, but let Ju­stice be Glorify'd. The Goodness and Mercy of GOD can have no Pleasure in any Display of itself, any further than is consistent with the Satisfa­ction and Glory of Justice. They do not Lust against each other; oppose, repine at, or glory over one ano­ther: No; they agree, unite, and are both Glorious in the Exaltation of either. Goodness in GOD is as much for the Preservation of the Rights of a Holy and Wife and Perfect Admini­stration of Government, as strict Justice is; and Justice delights in the Exal­tation of Mercy these preserv'd, as much as it does in the Inflictions of the Punishments which they call for. Hence GOD is just to forgive, as well as to punish. It is as Delight­ful to GOD to glorify His Ju­stice as His Mercy. The one is as dear to Him as the other. They ne­ver [Page 10] Rival, but infinitely Delight in each other. St. James has a Passage that may be easily mis-understood: Jam. 2. 13. Mercy rejoiceth against Judgment. If you should understand this of Mercy in GOD, it could be only spoken Popularly; as among Men Mercy shown to the Evil that deserve it not, seems to get the Victo­ry and Ascendant. But indeed the Apo­s [...]e there speaks of Mercy in Man, when that is in its Display and Ex­altation, triumphing over the Wick­edness and Enmity and Injuries of others; it gives a Person Comfort and Rejoicing in his prospect of the Judg­ment of God: For he shall have Judg­ment without Mercy, that sheweth not Mercy; and Mercy rejoiceth against Judgment. So that it is not spoken of the Mercy of GOD rejoicing against His Judgment; but of the Grace of Mercifulness in the Saint, enabling him to rejoice against the threatning and Condemnation of the Law.

TO return from this Digression. Tho' GOD has no Pleasure that [Page 11] the Wicked should die, yet has He Pleasure in Glorifying His Justice in all the Demands of it upon the Wicked: That is infinitely Pleasant to Him.

3. LET it be also further observed, as another great Maxim of Truth; That GOD has ineffable Pleasure in fulfilling and performing His Word. Whe­ther it be the Promises or the Threat­nings thereof; the Words of Grace or those of Terror. They are both the unchangeable Truths of GOD, and according to His most Blessed and Perfect Nature; and the Plea­sure of GOD is equal in the fulfil­ment of either. As for GOD His Work is Perfect; He is a GOD of Truth and without Iniquity, Just and Right is He. He has not more Pleasure in holding the Universe in its Order, than He has in fulfilling of His Words; the Word which threatens the Wicked with Death. Yea the Heavens and the Earth shall pass away, sooner than one Jot or Tittle of God's revealed written Truth. More settled is this [Page 12] than the Ordinances of Heaven, and the Beauty and Glory of the Uni­verse more depends on this than on their Order and Motion. Hence 'tis that He will Laugh at the Calamity of the Wicked, and Mock when their Fear cometh. Prov. 1. 25. There can be no room for Pity when Holiness Justice and Truth stand forth and demand Execution. GOD is Plenteous and Abundant in Truth as well as Mercy and Goodness. Just and True are His Ways, true and right His Judgments, and therefore He necessarily takes Pleasure in them. The strength of Israel cannot lye nor repent, for He is not a Man that He should repent. Psal. 89. 34. Neither will I alter the thing that is gone out of my Mouth.

4. AND lastly. We must also lay down this for an undoubted Truth, That the Sufferings of the damned can­not give God Perturbation or Disrest. Tho' GOD has no Pleasure that the Wicked should die, yet if they die in their Sins it gives Him no Inquietude, Uneasiness or Disturbance. He is [Page 13] Over all blessed for ever. GOD lives in a full Complacency and in ever­lasting Rest. Uninterrupted, and ne­ver to be diminished is His Satisfa­ction in Himself: With Him is the Fountain of Light, and there can be no Darkness at all near Him.

GOD is liable to no Passion, or disorder of Affection. Heaven is the Temperate Region. Humane Passions have their Transports and their Pain; and to ac­comodate Himself to us and affect us God speaks of Himself after the man­ner of Men; but let us beware of thinking GOD altogether such as our­selves. What is imperfect in us, we must infinitely remove from GOD, when we conceive and speak of Him. We may as well make to our­selves a Graven Image of Humane Form and call it GOD, because that GOD has spoken of Himself as having an Eye to see, an Ear to hear, a Mouth to speak, and a Hand to strike; as con­ceive of GOD after the Imperfection of our own Souls in the workings of their Affections. The first would be on­ly [Page 14] to make a Dead Lifeless Image of GOD; the last to impute Evil and Moral Disorders to Him.

IF we Punish from Anger it roils us: if Pity remain it grieves us. If Joy seizes us, and Love work strongly in us, they overcome us almost: But much more if Wrath and Hatred move us, we suffer most ourselves in the Punishments we lay on others. But it is not so with God: Tho' we read of His Wrath, yet must we not ‘suppose or imagine any Painful Im­pression on the Divine Mind. He nei­ther feels the Miseries He pities; nor is vext at the Sins which He detests.’ The Divine Mind is ever Serene, Calm and Impassible; and ‘we must abstract all that in our Conceptions of Him,’ which spring out of the Imperfection either of Nature or Happiness.

SO far I have labour'd to State and Limit the Truth before us; to clear and deliver it from those Ca­vils and Objections that may rise against it in our Minds. Tho' GOD [Page 15] has no Pleasure that the Wicked should die, yet it is infinitely Plea­surable to Him to hate Sin, to glo­rify His Justice, and to perform His Truth and Threatnings against Sin; and the Miseries of them that perish are no grief or offence of Heart unto Him.

II. I now pass unto the Second Thing propounded, which is; To illu­strate, prove, and exemplify the Doctrine by an Induction of diverse Instances: all which shall confirm and shew that GOD has given us abundant Assu­rances that He has no Pleasure in the Death of Sinners, but in their Re­pentance.

1. AND as it is fit, I will begin, first with the positive Affirmation hereof in the Word of GOD. And this is in­stead of a thousand other Proofs, if GOD had said it: His Truth endureth [...]ro out all Generations. Yea the GOD of Truth has passed it into an Oath, which is the highest Confirmation and [...]n End of all Strife or Dispute; It shows the Immutability of His Counsel, [Page 16] wherein it is impossible for GOD to change; and so is a Ground for the strongest Confidence, and Consola­tion to them that fly for Refuge from Guilt and the Avenger of Blood to lay hold on the hope of Forgivness and Life Eternal. Now this Oath we have in Form and express Terms: Ezek. 33. 11. Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the Death of the Wicked, but that the Wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways, for why will ye dye, O House of Israel? How solemn is this Assurance given to Sinners? and what could GOD do more to assure them? Is it not a wonderful Condescention in the Great GOD to superadd His Oath unto His Word? to swear to what He had once said, that so His Word might make the deeper Im­pression on us? whereas any one Word of GOD, the Eternal Truth is instead of ten thousand Oaths. Therefore He swears by Himself, there being no Greater to swear by: As I live, saith the [Page 17] Lord, I have no &c. GOD is Sincere ‘and Faithful in all that He says; He deals plainly with us and speaks what He intends:’ His Words are the true Image and Declaration of His Mind. And He has told us of Himself, that He would have all Men to be saved. 1 Tim. 2. 4. that He is not willing that any should Perish, but that all should come to Repentance. 2 Pet. 3. 9.

NOW shall we believe GOD, or shall we make Him a Liar? shall we scruple and doubt after His positive Word is passed? No; let GOD be true; let His Word be magnified, in GOD let us praise His Word! that Word by which the World stands! until the time come when the Angel lifts up his Hand to Heaven hereafter and swears by him that liveth for ever and ever, that time shall be no mercy and then by the same word shall all things be dissolved.

2. GOD has given assurance to Sinners that He hath no pleasure in their Death, in the Revelation which [Page 18] He has given us of His own merciful Nature. When He descended to Pro­claim His Name to Moses, in how many Attributes of Grace was it, as the Saviour of Sinners and ready and abundant to Pardon? The Lord Gra­cious and Merciful, Long-suffering and abundant in Goodness; keeping Mercy for thousands &c. How many Words are here heap'd up to show how much the glory, nature and will of GOD is in the Salvation of Sinners, their Repentance and Pardon? Mercy, Grace, Patience, Goodness, Faith­fulness all glorified in forgiving Ini­quity, Transgression and Sin. And to Magnify this the more to Sinners for their Comfort and to draw forth their confidence therein, and ado­rations thereof, we read that He is [...] in Mercy, and plenteous in Mercy; of the greatness of His Mercies, and the multitude of His Mercies; His manifold Mercies and His tender Mer­cy; and all imploy'd for the help and relief of perishing Sinners. P [...]al. 51. 1. According to the multitude of thy tender Mercies, blot out my Transgressions.

[Page 19] 3. THE Relation wherein GOD stands to His Creatures, may afford Assu­rance unto Sinners that He has no pleasure in their Death, save only as the Honour, Holiness and Justice of His Government do necessitate it.

WE are all the Work of His Hands: One GOD created us. Now GOD has implanted in us, a natural and ne­cessary, but most free chosen and delightful Regard to our own; whe­ther our own, Works, or our Off­spring. We desire to see those that come of us Happy; in all their Afflictions we deeply share and are afflicted; it is very painful to us to see them suffer; On the other hand, How does it please us to see them Happy? what Content have we in their doing and faring well? how do we Rejoice in their Prosperity? And has not GOD a higher and superior Regard, think we, to all His Works?

DO we not esteem it a proper suitable and wi [...]e Inclination in Us? most Beneficial and most Just? Cer­tainly [Page 20] it is. But far more Necessary is the High Creator, the Father and Preserver of all things! If His tender Mercies were not over all His Works, what would become of them?

WHAT wise Man has pleasure in the Destruction of his own Work? when he has done it with any De­gree of Art, bro't it to some great Perfection, and to an equal Useful­ness and Service? Does he not che­rish it and tender it? And are not the Glorious and perfect Works of GOD dearer to Him, and more pre­cious in His Sight?

TRUE, To His own Honour and Glory, the Ends of His Holiness Wisdom and Justice, and the common Good of all His Creation, it is meet & good that a Million of Creatures be thrown away in a day into an Eter­nal Perdition: for what are these un­to the Honour and Government of GOD? and to His Glory from Infi­nite Millions of Holy and better Creatures, and their joynt-happiness? 'Tis but as an Achan sacrificed out of [Page 21] the Congregation to the Justice of Heaven, and for the Preservation of the Whole! But otherwise, the GOD who made us, the Rock that form­ed us, certainly bears a very gracious Inclination to us and our happiness: the Misery of His Creatures can in it self alone be no pleasure to Him.

SEE the Context: v. 4. Behold, all Souls are mine; As the Soul of the Fa­ther, so also the Soul of the Son is mine; the Soul that sinneth it shall die. God, the Fa­ther of Spirits, is a lover of Souls; He thro'ly knows the Excellency and price of them; and what the loss and what the Misery of His Immortal Workmanship is; and it can't be plea­sing to Him to behold it.

[THEREFORE He at first Cre­ated Man on Earth, as He did the Angels in Heaven in a state of Ho­liness and Happiness. It was His pleasure that we should have liv'd happy for ever. He made all things Good, and formed Man in His own Image. He planted the Tree of Life, the Sacrament of Immortality, in the [Page 22] midst of Paradice; He forbad and warn'd Man of one baneful Tree set there to try and prove his Obedience and Gratitude to his Creator. Death and Misery was thus forbidden in the Causes of it; Life and Happi­ness were before given and the care­ful Preservation of them was thus requir'd. It was with great Displea­sure that He saw Man naked and ruined. What is it that you have done? said He—and drove them out of Paradice into Labours and Sorrows, in a World which their Sin had blasted. The Creators Rest was glori­ous, when He saw all things that He had made, and behold they were very Good and Happy; and this wou'd have been the Rest of His Soul for ever to have seen His Creatures ever have remain'd so under His Blessing.

TO Conclude, GOD had no plea­sure in the Fall of Angels, nor of Man; He made them both Happy: He has pleasure in the Angels that stand, and in the Sinners whom His Grace [Page 23] recovers. He chose not their Sin and Ruin, tho' He permitted their own profane Choice; and for it He curs'd them in His Wrath and sore Dis­pleasure.]

4. THE very Threatnings of the Law against Sin, the Threatning of Eternal Death in case of Impenitence in Sin, shows that GOD has no pleasure that the Sinner should die, but that he repent and live.

THE Intention of the Threatning is in Mercy to the Sinner, to pre­vent his Sin and Destruction: it is to deter and affright us from Sin, that so the woful Effects thereof may not fall upon us. GOD shows us the Evil of Sin, and what a dangerous thing it is to commit it, that we may tremble at the Motion of it, and fly therefrom.

CAN we think that He who warns us of our Danger desires that it should befall us? No, far from it: It were the most cross and perverse Imputation that can be; most absurd, and also most ungrateful and bafe.

[Page 24] THE Threatning does not make the Effect of Sin to be what it is: No; that had been the same without the Publication of the Curse. That the Wicked shall die is founded in the very Nature of Sin; the Holi­ness and Essential Dominion of GOD make that Necessary.

It is not owing to the Absolute and meer Will of GOD, that he who Sins shall die; but to the Holiness and Rectitude of the Divine Nature, and to the wise and Righteous Administra­tion of His Government.

THE Threatning of God's Word only lets us know what will be and must be in case of Sin; what the Wis­dom and Justice of GOD make Ne­cessary. And why is this made known to us by the Word, but for our Warn­ing; that we may not by Sin, and by continuance therein, bring Death and Damnation upon our selves.

LET us look into Humane Govern­ments and their Laws. These ordain Death in many Cases as the Sanction necessary to the Ends of Govern­ment, [Page 25] or to [...] merit of the Crime. But shall we think now that it is the Will and Pleasure of the Govern­ment that any shou'd commit these Capital Crimes and suffer Death there­for? Or when the Judges legally Condemn the Convicted Person, and see that the Malefactor be Executed, does it follow that they have plea­sure in the Criminals Death? No, GOD forbid. Yet the Provision of the Law, and the Execution of it is Wise, Necessary, Good; and a ten­der Care for the Publick. It is to pre­vent Transgression that Death is made the Punishment; and for this End the Punishment is told and warn'd of? and the Meaning hereof can be no other than this—that the Authority have no pleasure that any should trans­gress and Suffer; but however it pleases rather that a Transgressor do suffer than that Right and Wrong, Good and Evil be Confounded; the Order of the World and the Welfare of it lye at the Mercy of every Licentious Wretch.

[Page 26] THUS the Threatning of Death against Sin shows that GOD has no pleasure that the Sinner should die.

AND the Juditial Executions of Pro­vidence in this Life do really speak the same thing. Providence hangs up one Criminal in Chains for Warn­ing and Terror unto others. As of old the Reason of the Severities and Executions of the Law was this; Deut. 13. 11. And all Israel shall hear and fear and do no more wickedly. The Tragic End of one may thus prevent the Transgression and Perishing of many others. The Terror of the Punishment strikes many with Hor­ror at the Tho't of the Fact. Smite the Scorner, and the Simple will beware.

IT may be a Mercy to the Body to cut off a Gangreen Member; and so to the Community to stone an Achan. The Public Justice may be Inexora­ble to a private Criminal, because the public Compassions to the whole Community prevails. It is Expedient that one Man should die, and that the whole▪ Nation perish not. The Sinner [Page 27] may bring it to that sad pass as to himself, that the Divine Justice may fix on his Eternal Ruine and cut him off in his Sin; and yet the Wise and Gracious GOD may Mercifully or­der and turn it to the saving many other Souls from Death.

5. GOD's sending His own Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, to die for us, is the highest Argument of all that He has no pleasure that the Sinner should die. No greater Testi­mony could GOD give of His Desire of our Salvation. And therefore has He no pleasure that the Sinner shou'd die, because His Soul has the utmost Complacency and fullest Satisfaction in the Death of Christ; by whom we have received the Attonement.

THE express End of the Incar­nation and Sufferings of the Son of GOD was to save Souls from Death. And what a Price was this for a Soul! now was the Heart of GOD set up­on saving Sinners? We see HIM of whom are all things, and by whom [...] all things, sent upon the Work of [Page 28] our Redemption from Sin and Death. What a Desire then had GOD there­of?

THIS Divine and Glorious Person submitted for this End to the deepest Humiliation and Abasement, to bit­ter Sorrows and to an accursed Death. He was made Sin and a Curse to de­liver us from the same. He paid in Ransom for our Souls His own Life, His precious Blood. Not only did the Son of GOD become Man, but a Sacrifice to satisfy the Justice of GOD for Man's Sin. And therefore did His Father love him, because He laid down His Life for us. What pleasure then has He in the Life and Salvation of poor Sinners?

WHY else has He provided for it at such an Expence of Grace? and why is the Call, the Offer, Tender and Promise of Life thro' Him so earnestly urged on us? Had GOD desired our Death He might have left us in our Blood, and never have said unto us, Live. But we see that He had pleasure in the Death of His [Page 29] own Son, rather than we should die in our Sins. 1 Jo. 4. 9. In this was manifest the Love of GOD, because He sent His Only-begotten Son that we might live thro' Him.

6. AND lastly. It may be argued from Stories of Scripture Penitents, that the Holy GOD has no pleasure that the Sinner should die, but rather that he repent and live. Where is the Instance of a Penitent whom GOD has not readily and with plea­sure receiv'd and pardoned? When David had so hainously sinned, yet did he no sooner confess, but GOD remitted. When Peter had so hai­nously denied Christ, but thereupon had wept bitterly before GOD, his Sin was never once mentioned a­gainst him by his Saviour. When Manasseh humbled himself greatly before GOD, the Lord GOD of his Father, tho' he had before exceeded in wicked Transgressions, yet was the Lord entreated at his Tears.

WITH what Tenderness and Mer­cy did Christ ever receive the Peni­tent [Page 30] Sinner? The Woman at His Feet, washing them with her Tears, how did He as it were forget, and forbid the Mention of her Sins? The weep­ing Person also bro [...]t to Him for His Condemnation, how gently did He re­claim, by confounding her more guilty Accusers?

WHEN the Publican stood Abased in the Temple, Imploring Mercy in deep Confusion of Soul, and smit­ing on his own Breast from the Con­science of Guilt and Fear of Wrath; how graciously was he dismissed with a Pardon? And when the Prodigal return'd unto his Father from his Rebellion and his Riot, saying, Fa­ther I have sinned against Heaven and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy Son; how tenderly was he received? Luk. 15. 20.And when he was yet a great way off his Father saw him, and had Compassion on him, and ran, and fell on his Neck and kissed him. What Joy and Pleasure, Mirth and Feasting, Music and Dancing also follow'd that blessed Evening? v. 23. [Page 31] Bring hither the fatted Calf and kill it, and let us eat and be Merry; for this my Son was dead and is alive again, he was lost and is found.

THESE Instances are so many strong Proofs of GOD's Pleasure, not in the Death of Sinners, but in their Repentance.

USE I. WE see the Adorable Good­ness of the Lord our GOD, the Glory and Riches of His Grace and Mercy. The Exaltation of it lies in this, That tho' Sin be infinitely hateful to Him, and provoking, yet that he seeks and endeavours the Repentance of Sin­ners with so great Desire. O how glorious, how dear and amiable shou'd this render the Name and Ways of our GOD unto us! Mic. 7. 18, 19. Who is a GOD like unto Thee, that par­doneth Iniquity, and passeth by Trans­gression—? He retaineth not His Anger for ever, because He delighteth in Mer­cy. He will turn again, He will have Compassion upon us: He will subdue our Iniquities: and Thou wilt cast all their Sins in the depth of the Sea.

[Page 32] II. WE learn what Compassion we owe unto the Wicked, and how we should endeavour their Repentance and Salva­tion. It should be a most sorrowful thing to us to see Men Sin against GOD and damn their own Souls. There should be Joy on Earth as there is in Heaven over one Sinner that repenteth. Our hearts desire and prayer for others should be that they may be saved, and we should count our selves happy if we may be any ways Instrumental therein. This is true Love to Men, true Devotion to­ward GOD.

III. OUR Doctrine brings Convi­ction to the Wicked, the Ungodly and Impenitent, and on diverse Accounts do they stand Condemned by it.

1. AS having pleasure in their own Death. GOD says to them, Why will you die? This He Charges upon you, and justly Complains of it. He says, You hate your own Soul, you love Death. O how Unnatural and worse than Brutish is this? A natural brute Beast flies from Death, and from every­thing [Page 33] that hurts its Life; but mad as Men are, they Murder their own Souls, void equally of pity and of fear.

2. OUR Doctrine reproves and con­demns all them thao have pleasure in the Sins of others: whether Tempting them to Sin, Approving them, Indulg­ing them in it, or Rejoicing at it and Insulting over them. The latter is as barbarous, as the former treacherous; but all Impious. Rom. 1. 32. Who knowing the Judgment of GOD, that they who do such things are worthy of Death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them. Rom. 14. 15. Destroy not him—for whom Christ died.

3. Satan is highly pleas'd and grati­fied in thy Sin and Impenitence. He de­sires thy Damnation: he seeks thy Death. You grieve and offend GOD, and Murder your self, to gratify his Spleen; to satisfy his Lust against thy Soul. As the Fowler is pleased to see the Bird taken in his Snare; as the Lion is pleas'd when he is de­vouring [Page 34] the Prey, or as a malicious Enemy when he has his will and lust upon his hated Foe; so is the Devil pleas [...]d in the Ruine of thy Soul. There is Joy in Hell at thy Sin, and in thy Destruction.

4. THY Damnation will be owing to thy self at last, thy own wilful Choice of Death in the Causes of it. Thou art a Self-destroyer, and canst have no Excuse, nor lay the Blame of thy Eternal Misery on any one but thy self. Thou hast a Devil and art Mad, he goeth about to kill thee. With the furious Demoniac thou stabbest thy self. You act against the deepest Prin­ciple in Nature, even Self-preservation. A Devil let loose upon you could not do you more hurt than you do to your self. False, pitiless, cruel and base to your self. And such Refle­ctions will be your exquisite and eternal Torment.

IV. ON the other hand, The Doctrine is full of Comfort and Encou­ragement to every poor and contrite Spi­rit, that trembleth at GOD's Word, [Page 35] feels the plague of its own Heart, and fears the Wrath of GOD; that is mourning in the Conscience of Sin, and in the Apprehension of the Curse due thereto.

IS Sin your Burden, GOD your Fear, Grace your Desire? and do you doubt whether GOD will delight to shew thee Mercy? let me rebuke thy Unbelief, and warn thee of the Wickedness thereof.

THO' your Sins are many, great and hainous; tho' they may have been long persisted in and often re­peated; yet GOD seeks thy Repen­tance, and desires you wou'd turn and live: He would glorify His re­newing Grace, and His pardoning Mercy upon thee. Have you consider­ed and turned? then all your Trans­gressions shall not be mentioned against you; you shall surely live, you shall not die.

TRUE, You deserve Death for past Sins, and GOD might have struck you dead in 'em, if He had any pleasure in your Death: but He [Page 36] spares you, and continues the Offers of Grace, Pardon and Life to you.

OUR Text for ever forbids and rebukes Despair, wou'd revive the Spirit of the Humble, and encou­rage them that are of a fearful Heart: It wou'd lift up the weak hands, and strengthen the feeble knees; make the lame man to leap as an Hart, and the tongue of the dumb to sing.

V. AND lastly, Let the Use be in an earnest Exhortation unto Repentance. The Use which the Context makes for us: v. 31, 32. Cast away from you all your Transgressions, whereby ye have transgressed, and make you a new Heart and a new Spirit; for why will ye die, O House of Israel? For I have no plea­sure in the Death of him that dieth, saith the Lord GOD: wherefore turn your selves, and live ye.

I will only urge this by these two Considerations.

1. THE Goodness of GOD shou'd lead you to Repentance. GOD seeks your Repentance from the most tender Compassion to thy poor Soul. O let [Page 37] it soften thy hard Heart: do not har­den it against the Mercies of GOD: let Divine Goodness win and melt it: let thy Saviour's love to thy Soul, constrain and draw forth thy Soul unto Him again Let the Tears and Blood of thy Saviour affect thee. It is a dreadful Case to perish in con­tempt and in spite of Infinite Mer­cy it self, labouring to hinder thy Ruine.

2. IF the Goodness of GOD cannot lead thee to Repentance, then GOD will have pleasure in they Eternal Dam­nation. He wou'd not now have you die; it wou'd please Him to see you repent and live; but if you de­spise and slight this His Goodness, and continue to do so, and die Im­penitent, the Wrath and Vengeance of GOD will then take place, and have its Satisfaction. He that made you will not have Mercy on you, and He that formed you will show you no Fa­vour.

TURN or die. O might the Word fasten on the foolish Heart of every [Page 38] one that goeth on still in his Tres­passes. Think not at last of finding Mercy, nor of dying in Peace, tho' you for the present go on in Sin: the Lord will not spare you, but the Anger of the Lord and His Jealousy will smo [...]k against that Man, and all the Curses of the Law shall lye upon him, and the LORD shall blot out his Name from under Heaven. Jer. 13. 14. I will not pity, nor spare, nor have Mercy.

FOR our Text and Doctrine we have the Oath of GOD; As I live saith the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure that the Sinner should die: but have we not His Oath too for the Impe­nitent Sinners Destruction? Deut. 32. 40, 41. For I lift up my Hand to Heaven, and say, I live for ever. If I whet my glittering Sword, and mine Hand take hold on Judgment; I will render Vengeance to mine Enemies, and will reward them that hate me.

[Page 39] BUT I cannot Conclude without casting an Eye of tender Compassions on the poor Condemned Person before us; and O that GOD wou'd please to Enable her to apprehend the a­bounding Riches of His Glorious Grace and Compassions to the chief of Sin­ners, and glorify the same unto her.

YOU have heard, poor Margaret, (and O might it be to your everla­sting Comfort and for your eternal Salvation that you have heard) that the Holy and most Merciful GOD has no pleasure at [...]ll that the Sinner should die, but that the Sinner do repent and live. Now why should not your Soul be overcome, and all the Wick­edness thereof, by the Mercies of GOD? why should not thy hard Heart be softened and melted into floods of Tears for thy Sins, that the pardoning Mercy of GOD may be magnified toward thee!

[...] your Sins more in num­ber and kind, and more hainous than they are; were thy Soul fouler and more stained with lust and with the guilt [Page 40] of blood too than it is; (tho' it be very bad, and how can you think it cou'd be worse than it is?) yet there is no reason for thee to despair of GOD's Mercy. It is only thy own hardness and Impenitency that can exclude thee from it. The glorious GOD pi­ties thee, the People of GOD pity thee; O miserable Woman pity thy self, have compassion on thy own Soul, and cry mightily to thy Savi­our that thou mayest find Mercy.

NEITHER GOD nor Man have pleasure in thy Death. Thy Judges on Earth have no pleasure in thy Condemnation and Execution, but they can't answer it to GOD or Man to spare thee and suffer thee to live. The Murderer by the Law of GOD must surely be put to Death, and he that sheddeth mans blood by man must his blood be shed. But tho' it be unavoidable that you must die by the Hand of Ju­stice here, yet let me however tell thee that GOD has no pleasure in your Eternal Death. Indeed GOD has infinite pleasure in hating your Sin, [Page 41] and in glorifying His Justice in all the Demands of it against you if you continue Impenitent; God will with Ineffable pleasure fulfil and ex­ecute all His Threatning against Im­penitent Sinners, and your Eternal Sufferings in Hell will never give Him any perturbation and disrest. But GOD has as much pleasure in fulfill­ing all His gracious Promises to the repenting Sinner, the penitent Be­liever in Jesus Christ. Say unto them, as I live, saith the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure, &c.

WHEREFORE Believe me, Mar­garet; (or rather Believe the true and Merciful GOD, who has said it in His Word, and revealed so much of His own Merciful Nature to thee that thou mayest believe it; and has given His own Son to die for the chief of Sinners, and has chosen many such unto Eternal Salvation by him) Be­lieve me I say, in what I therefore speak to you from the Blessed GOD; If you do at last die in your Sins and perish for ever [...] is [...] [...]our [...] have [Page 42] pleasure in your own Death and Eternal Destruction, and none else but the Devil who has Instigated you to commit the deadly Sins which you have done; none but that Enemy of your Soul will be pleas'd and gratified in your final perishing.

THY Damnation will be owing at last to thy self, thy own Choice thy own Wilfulness. You won't [...] ­pent and be saved. You will not go to Christ that you may have Life. Turn you, turn you, why will you die?

IT is true you can't change your own heart, nor give your self Repentance, nor can we work it in you: But GOD can do it by His Word and Spirit: O might it please Him to do it now, or at least before you die, that you may not die for ever and ever; that the second Death may not have dominion [...]ver you.

BUT let me tell you what GOD will bring you to if ever He give you Repentance unto Life. He will make Sin infinitly odious to thy Soul and very bitter. He will make thee very vile and loathsome in thy own [Page 43] Eyes. He will fill thy Soul with bit­ter Sorrow and Mourning for thy Sins; and with deep Humiliation and Abase­ment before Him and in the sight of all Men as not worthy of the least Mercy from Him, but of Wrath unto the uttermost: He will fill thy Mouth with agreeable Confessions against thy self, unto the Glory and Honour of His Justice and Holiness, and to thy own shame and confusion of Face; which justly belongs to thee. Instead of vain Excusings of thy self, and hard Reflecting upon others, GOD will bring thee if He shews thee Mercy to own and fear His Justice, and to lay thy hand upon thy own heart and smite there, and say, GOD be merci­ful to me a vile Criminal, that deserve no Mercy! O wilt thou not thus fear GOD, being under His Condemnation, and that most justly!

AND after GOD has shown thee the Cursed Nature and Demerit of Sin, and thy own great Sinfulness, and wro't thee into the bitterest Mourning and deepest Humiliation [Page 44] [...]n that account; so that thou shalt [...]eely confess, that if He damn thee [...]or ever He is most holy and just in doing so; then He will also discover [...]o thee the Glory of His own Grace and Mercy in saving such a wretch as thou [...]rt; in pardoning such Guilts as thine are. He will bring thee to ad­mire and adore His Love in Christ Jesus to poor miserable Souls! He will make Christ Glorious in thy Eyes, and Precious to thy Soul. You will be Amazed at it, and Confounded within your self, to think—did the [...]on of GOD come and die for me? did Christ come and shed His blood for me? will GOD look upon such a one as I am? [...]ay I find Mercy before a Holy GOD [...]ter all my Pollutions and with these [...]ains of Blood upon my Soul? O the Ad­mirable Goodness of a Holy GOD! O the Excellency and Loveliness of my Saviour! O the transporting Hope of finding Mercy yet at last! so the poor dying Thief on the Cross turn'd himself to Christ and said, Lord, remember me! and so he [...]eard Christ say in answer to his [Page 45] Prayer, To day thou shalt be with me! Ah poor Margaret, why should not you lift up your Soul unto your Savi­our in His Kingdom, and make that Prayer? and why may not you hear that Answer from His glorious Lips?

O that thy Soul were prepared for the Consolations in Christ! that God might pour the soft healing Oyl into thy wounded Soul! that there were a contrite Heart to seek receive and feel it! How wretched and misera­ble are you if you must die next week without a Sign or any Sense of GODs having savingly touched thy Heart! How can you think of dying without Repentance and without the hopes of a better Life? without a sutable sense of thy Sin, or hope of an Interest in Christ, and the Mercy of GOD thro' Him!

THE greatest Compassion and Tenderness to thee at present is, to awaken in thee, if it might be possible, a sense of the Terrors of GOD, and of His Wrath impending over thee, unless you find Grace from Him to make [Page 46] your Escape therefrom by true Re­pentance and Faith in the Lord Je­sus Christ. If your Wounds be not Open'd they will never be Cleans'd, and if they be not cleans'd they can never heal, but will Gangreen and Rot.

WHEREFORE, In the Name of GOD I beseech you to confess your Sins and repent; even all the Sins of your whole Life, but especially those which have bro't you to this tragic End and accursed Death. And Fear, O fear and tremble lest by Impenitence and hard­ness of Heart you fall and sink under the Wrath and Curse of GOD in tho Eternal World which is to come; [...] that second and more dreadful Execution of a poor Soul which is after [...]eath; for what is the hanging of a dying Body on a Gibbet to the cast­ing of an Immortal Soul into the Lake that burneth with Fire and Brim­stone which is the second Death.

WOMAN! If you will earnestly seek to Christ for Mercy, Pardon and Cleansing thro' His Blood. He [Page 47] will with a great deal of pleasure give you of His Grace and Spirit, and pre­pare you for His Eternal Mercies! but if you do it not Instantly, having but a few Days more to live, the Holy Jesus who has died to save Sinners will say concerning you, My Soul shall have no pleasure in thee, but in thy Eternal Death: which GOD of His Infinite Mercies in Jesus Christ forbid and have Mercy on thy Soul.