AND if the Dreadful Sound be now repeated in our Ears, it is with such an Accent as this upon it, Hear this, and know it for thy Good. The Dreadful Sound shall not be made Audible unto us, upon any Design but this, That we may become those whom it shall not belong unto; That we may Escape the Things contained in it, That we may be Saved with Fear, and be Perswaded into the Methods of our Salvation, Knowing the Terror of the Lord.

If it be Enquired, Who 'tis that has the Dreadful Sound in his Ears? The Answer must be fetched out of the preceeding Verse, 'Tis the Wicked Man. If you can say with Job, Lord, Thou knowest I am not wicked; Then, all the while you have the Dreadful Sound in your Ears, it will be drowned with the Joyful Sound [Page 2] of your Deliverance from all these Terrible Things. But the same Job said, If I be Wicked, Wo unto me! If any of you, my Neighbours, are conscious of your coming under that Character, the Dreadful Sound in your Ears, 'tis fit you should be made sensible of it, that so being moved with fear, you may do those things which will prepare you for a more Joyful Sound. The Best Thing that can be done for you is, That the Dreadful Sound in your Ears, may awaken you into that cry, O wretched one that I am, who shall deliver me!

A Servant of GOD, here maintains this As­sertion; That perpetual Pain is the Portion of a Wicked Man. The Life of a Wicked Man is all spent in continual Throws, to bring forth, nothing but that ugly Monster Sin; which when it is Finished brings forth Death. We La­ment the Condition of some who are several Days in Travail: But Oh! how Lamentable the Condition of a Wicked Man, who Travaileth in pain all his Days! Yea, the Pain of a Wicked Man, is in this point, worse than the Pain of a Woman in Travail. For when she is Delivered, she remembreth her anguish no more, for the Joy of what is Born into the World. But so far is the Pain of a Wicked Man from ending in Joy, that it hath no End at all. He Tra­vaileth in Pain all his Days.

My Text is a Demonstration and an Illus­tration of what is thus asserted. A Dreadful Sound, or a Sound of Terrors, is in his Ears. And this is the awful DOCTRINE to be now insisted on, ‘[Page 3]THERE are Things which make a Dreadful Sound in the Ears of a Wicked Man.’

A Wicked Man does not always hear the Dreadful Sound. There is a deep sleep for the pre­sent prevailing on a Wicked Man. Though the Dreadful Sound be in his Ears, yet he stops his Ears against it. But there will a Time come, when the Dreadful Sound will force its way into his Ears; he will be no longer able to stop his Ears. I was going to say, it shall now do so! It must be the Work of them who ma­nage the Publick Exhortations, to make this Dreadful Sound become as Articulate, as Intelligible, as Efficacious as may be, in the Ears of their Auditors. 'Tis our Commission to ut­ter the Dreadful Sound; We are to say that thing, and Cry aloud, and lift up our voice like a Trumpet in saying of it, Isa. I [...]I.2. We to the wicked, it shall be ill with him.

In pursuance of this Commission, we will first make this Enquiry,

WHO is the Wicked Man?

And surely, When it is asked, Who is the Wicked Man? It must needs be a Dreadful Sound, in the Ears of the Man to whom it shall be with Conviction said, Thou art the Men. For this to be spoken from the Word of GOD unto any Man, Thou art a Wicked Man; verily There cannot be a more Dreadful Sound heard among the Children of Men. I shall proceed upon it; Who is the Wicked Man?

[Page 4]It must be answered, First, More Negatively. 'Tis not meerly to be a Sinner, that will con­ [...]e a Wicked Man. Eliphaz does not say or every Man who may fall into a Sin, A Dreadful Sound is in his Ears. For, There is not a Just Man upon Earth, who doeth good and sin­neth not. It has been truly observed, The Best of Saints while here on Earth are Sinners; but the worst of Saints are not Wicked. Indeed, There can be no Sin committed, but there is­sues from the Law of GOD a Dreadful Sound unto the Sinner. No Man can Sin, but the Law of GOD will upon it say unto him; Ezek. XVIII.4. The Soul that sinneth, it shall die. But then, the Gospel quells the Dread­ful Sound of the Law, by leading us to that which speaks better Things. And tho' the Be­liever of the Gospel, is not presently barred from all Falls into Sin, yet the Guilt of the Sin into which he falls, is taken from him; and he is rescued from that Love of Sin ▪ which deno­minates a Wicked Man. When he falls into Sin, he falls into that which he Loves not. He may say with him; Rom. VII.15. It is what I allow not: It is what I hate. And so he is not a Wicked Man: Bone vir, hoc nibil ad Te. The Dreadful Sound is not for him.

Wherefore, Secondly; and more Positively. A Wicked Man is a Sinner, who Loves to be a Sinner. 'Tis the Love of Sin that is the Mark which distinguishes a Wicked Man. 'Tis that Wicked Love of Sin, which is incon­sistent [Page 5] with the Love of GOD, and with the dispositions of Piety, by which the true Fear of GOD is to be distinguished. This will be discovered in several Properties of a Wicked Man.

First, A Wicked Man is one under the Reigning Power of Sin. We read, Rom. IV.14. Sin shall not have dominion over you, for ye are under Grace. If Sin have Dominion over a Man, he is not under Grace, or in good Terms with GOD; No, but he is a Subject of that Wicked Kingdom, in which every Subject is a Vassal. A Wicked Man has not the steps of his Life, Or­dered by the Word of GOD: He leads a disor­derly Life, because Iniquity has Dominion over him. A Wicked Man is one of those who are called, The Servants of Sin, and The Servants of Corruption, and The Captives of the Devil. It may be said of him, He serves divers Lusts. His Lusts have an absolute Command over him. The Motions of His Lusts have an irresistible Force upon him He can't Resist his Criminal Propensities. He can't mortify his Carnal Ap­petites. His unmortified passions for Vile Things are too Potent for him. His Vices lay Chains upon him; draw him hither and hither to his Confusion. Tho' he knows it will confound him to Sin in such and such things, yet he must needs go, when he feels himself driven into it. He is entirely governed by vicious Incli­nations.

Secondly, Sin has the Full Consent of a Wicked Man. We read, Hos. 5.11. He wil­lingly [Page 6] walked after the Commandment. That is to say, Commanded Idolatry. When Sin is pro­posed, and a Man goes willingly into the propo­sal, this Willingly is Wickedly. Indeed, there is no Sin without some degree of Consent. There goes a Consent of the Will unto ever, Act of Sin. But then there is a difference between the Consent which a Godly Man yields unto Sin, and the Consent given by a Wicked Man. When a Godly Man Sins, his Fault rather lies in this, that he does not Deny, than that he does Con­sent. As when a thing is put unto the Vote, a Man who does not oppose, but only suspend his Vote, in some sort, yields his Consent. As our Caryl expresses it; ‘A Child of GOD, when a Temptation comes, he does not give a direct, Yea, of Consent; but when he Sins, he does not give his, No, so livelily as he ought to do.’ His Consent unto Sin is a kind of a middle Act; it lies in his not Refusing to Sin, his not Refusing, Rejecting, Repelling the of­fer with such Vigour as he ought to do. But now, a Wicked Man Sins with a Full Consent: He is one who Chuses to Sin: Yea, He is one who prefers a way of sin. The Will of a Wicked Man fully closes with Sin. He has his Will when he does a sinful Thing. If his Understanding remonstrate unto the Folly of what he is going to do, yet his Affection thoroughly espouses it.

Thirdly, A Wicked Man does Resolve to Sin. We read, Eccl. VIII.11. The heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil. There [Page 7] are those who have an Heart fully set, upon sinning; such Sons of Men are the Children of Wickedness. A Wicked Man, if he make Prayers against Sin, yet he brings not hearty Desires against Sin. A Resolved Sinner is a Wicked Man. His Resolutions are, To morrow shall be as this day, and much more abundantly. A Godly Man is one who Cleaves to GOD with a Full Pur­pose of Heart. The main purpose of his Heart is for Godliness in all the Exercises of it. When he Sins 'tis beside his purpose; his purpose was to have done otherwise. He is out of his way when he does amiss: The well meaning Traveller has missed his way. As it has been Remarked, Peter denied the Lord, it was not because he Resolved so to do; but rather because he Resolved so much in his own strength to do otherwise. A Wicked Man is one who Resol­vedly sets himself in a way that is not Good. He can Sin on Deliberation, and he does it with Resolution.

Fourthly, 'Tis the Delight of a Wicked Man to Sin. We read, Prov. X.23. It is a sport unto a fool to do mischief. When Men can sport themselves in Sin, then mischievous is their Wickedness; 'tis mischievous Madness. To a Virtuous Man, Sin is the greatest sorrow: To a Wicked Man, Sin is the greatest pleasure. The Man who pleases GOD, is one who takes plea­sure in doing so. He Chuses the things that please GOD. The Wicked Man is one who pleases himself rather than GOD, and never more than in sinning against GOD. We have been told, [Page 8] That there are such Things as, The pleasures of sin. 'Tis the guise of a Wicked Man to count them so. A Wiser Man counts them Torments, Horrors, bitter Miseries. The Rule is, Delight thy self in the Lord, and he shall give thee the desires of thy heart. A Wicked Man is one who does Delight in sinning against the Lord. There­in he has the Desires of his Heart. It is a Grief unto a Good Man to Sin. A Wicked Man is glad when he Sins; Glad when GOD is griev'd.

Fifthly, Custom in Sin is the consummation of Wickedness; the finishing stroke in a Wick­ed Man. He is, as I may now agreeably ex­press it, an Ethiopian in Wickedness. We read of some, Jer. XIII.23. Who are accustomed to do evil; and can leave it off no more than the Ethiopian can Change his skin. They that are Ac­customed to do evil are Wicked Men. A Wicked Man is one who makes a Trade of Sin. A Gracious Man may Sin and may Repeat the Sin. But then, he breaks off the Custom, with begging & pleading for help against the Sin. He makes many a com­plaint against the Sin. He never gives over com­plaining, till he has got the Victory. A Wicked Man is Customarily so: He is one who is com­monly overtaken with such Things as he knows to be Abominable Things, hated by the Soul of GOD. It is the Custom, the Course, the Way of a Wicked Man, to do those Things, which he knows are Forbidden by GOD, and Offensive to Him. Tho' he knows that he Trespasses in what he does, yet a Wicked Man will go on [Page 9] still in his Trespasses; and make a Custom of do­ing the Things which he does not think to be Right. When these Five Brands are set upon a Sinner he may be turned loose into the Com­mon, to graze among Wicked Men. This is a Lover of Sin, and must go in the company of wicked Men; which is also what he Loves to do: 'Tis the Note of such an one, That he Loves to do so; Loves to Flock with the Birds of his Feather, though never such unclean and hateful ones. This, This is the Man, that must have in his Ears, a Dreadful Sound. This before we go any further must be spoken to him, than which there cannot be a more Dreadful Sound; Thou art a Wicked Man; And the Portion of the Wicked belongs unto thee.

But we are now come to our second Inquiry,

WHAT are the Things which make a Dread­ful Sound in the Ears of a Wicked Man?

In general, There is this Dreadful Sound in the Ears of a Wicked Man; Man, Except what thou hearest in the Tenders of the Gospel, there is nothing that makes a Joyful Sound unto thee. A Wicked Man is one under the Curse of GOD. Now, as it was of old said, How shall I curse, whom God hath not cursed? So it may be said, How can they be blessed, whom God hath cursed? None can speak a Comfortable thing unto the Cursed of GOD. There is this Dreadful Sound in the Ears of the Wicked. Isa. LVII.21. [Page 10] There is no peace, saith my God, unto the wicked. Every Thing is a Micajah to a Wicked Man; it Prophecies nothing but Evil unto him. All the Objects which surround a Wicked Man, say this unto him, I am sent with heavy Tidings unto thee. All the Creatures are up in Arms against them, who persist in Rebellion against the Glo­rious GOD. Hear ye Rebels; were ye not very deaf, you might hear this Dreadful Sound from all the Creatures unto GOD crying a­gainst you, Shall we smite them, O GOD, shall we smite them! Yea, The whole Creation is groaning against you for the Abuses you put upon it. There is a Dreadful Sound in the Groans of the whole Creation, to be delivered from your Abuses.

But more particularly,

I. The Threatnings which are denounced in the Word of GOD against every Wicked Man: Certainly, these must needs make a Dread­ful Sound in the Ears of a Wicked Man. When the Commandments of GOD were given from the Flaming Mountain, there was a Dread­ful Sound in the Ears of the People. We read, Exod. XIX.16. There were Thundrings and Lightnings, and the voice of a Trumpet ex­ceeding loud, so that all the people that were in the camp trembled. The Commandments of GOD are armed with Tremendous Threatnings against the Breaches of it. The Law has its Penalties for the Breakers of it The Threatnings in the [Page 11] Word of GOD, against the Wickedness, wherein the Law of GOD is violated, what are they but Thundrings and Lightnings; and the Voice of a Trumpet exceeding Loud, making a Dreadful Sound in the Ears of a Wicked man. O most Hard hearted one, why dost thou Tremble so lit­tle under the Fulminations? We read, Rom. I.18. The wrath of GOD is revealed from Heaven, against all Ungodliness & Unrighteousness of men. 'Tis Re­vealed & Proclaimed, & Published in the Threat­nings of His Word. But, What a Dreadful Sound is made by these Threatnings in the Ears of all Ungodly and Unrighteous men? Hearken to the Dreadful Sound, which the Word of GOD makes, in the Threatnings of it. Hear attentively, the Noise of His Voice, and the Sound that goeth out of His Mouth. The Voice roareth; He Thundreth with the Voice of His Ex­cellency. He Thundreth marvellously with His Voice; the Dreadful Things which He will do unto the Wicked: Things which we cannot com­prehend! Is there not a Dreadful Sound in that word of GOD! Eccl. VIII.13. It shall not be well with the wicked. Is there not a Dreadful Sound in that word of GOD! Psal. XXXII.10. There shall be many Sorrows to the wicked. Is there not a Dreadful Sound in that word of GOD! Prov. XIII.21. Evil pur­sueth sinners. In the Predictions of what was to befal a wicked World, we read of a Treble Wo-Trumpet; whereon, Rev. VIII.13. An Angel fly­ing thro' the midst of Heaven, sayes with a loud Voice, Wo, wo, wo to the Inhabitants of the Earth. [Page 12] Even so, The Threatnings in the Word of GOD, make this Dreadful Sound, Wo, wo, wo to the wicked lovers of Sin. Some little Rumbling of the woful Sound shall be now heard among you.

First, There is in the Word of GOD, a Dreadful Sound of Temporal woes threat­ned unto the Wicked. What a Dreadful Sound may the wicked hear in that word! Deut. XXVIII.59 The Lord will Make thy Plagues wonderful. There are many Woes which the word of GOD threatens unto the wicked, in the concerns of this Life; and at length an Early Death, and a Grievous Death. As the Promises▪ declare Godliness to be profitable unto all things, thus the Threatnings declare Wickedness to be Detrimental unto all things. O wicked [...] Hear the Dreadful Sound; It foretels [...] Devourers to sieze upon thy Harvest; foretels GOD making thee Sick in smiting of thee; [...] foretels, a Reproach that shall not be wiped away It foretels, tbe Raising up of Adversaries to m [...] lest thee; It foretels, a Vexation with all Adver­sity; It foretels, a Life consumed in the Anger of GOD; and Finished with a very Hastened and Unhappy Period.

But the Dreadful Sound of the Trumpet is to wax Louder and Louder.

Secondly, There is in the Word of GOD a Dreadful Sound of Spiritual woes threat­ned unto the wicked What a Dreadful Sound may the wicked hear in that word! Exod. IX.14. I will send all my plagues upon thy [Page 13] Heart. There are many Woes which the word of GOD threatens unto the Spirits of the wick­ed, in a Blind Heart, an Hard Heart, an Heart forsaken of GOD. The Threatnings assign for the Souls of them who do wickedly, such Ar­rows from the Quiver of GOD, as carry more horrid wounds with them, than any that can be shot into their Bodies. O wicked man, Hear the Dreadful Sound. It is this, Thou art yet in thy Sins; and unreconciled unto GOD. It is this; The world has laid its Enchantments on thee, and thy only Food is the Dust of the Earth. It is this; Thou art a Slave unto Satan, led cap­tive by him, to do his will. It is this; Thy Lusts are thy lords, and thou art always toiling to fulfill the Desires of thy Flesh and of thy Mind. It is this; Thou hast those chains of Darkness on thee, which will not let thee know the way of Peace. It is this; Thy Soul has deplorable Distempers in it, and thou art pining away in thy Iniquities!

But now, the Third Trumpet is to Sound. The Woes of that are to come quickly. 'Tis to tell you of the Things, which the Last Trumpet will bring upon a wicked World.

Thirdly. There is in the Word of GOD, a Dreadful Sound of Eternal Woes threatned unto the wicked. What a Dreadful Sound may the wicked hear in that word! Mat XXV.46. The wicked shall go away into Everlasting Punishment. The Woes which the word of GOD threatens unto the wicked in this World, are [Page 14] horrible enough: But Oh! what a Dreadful Sound may the wicked hear, in the Threat­nings of the Woes that are to be in Another World inflicted on them! Is there not a Dreadful Sound in that word, The wicked shall be turned into Hell! Is there not a Dread­ful Sound in that word, The Rich man dies and is buried, and in Hell he is in Torments! Do not the Threatnings of, A strange punishment reserved for the workers of Iniquity, make a Dreadful Sound in thy Ears, O wicked man? O lovers of Sin; When you are wandring from GOD; You may hear the Dreadful Sound of His Threatnings, That you shall one Day be Banished from GOD. When you are all on Fire, in Thirsting after unlawful Things, You may hear the Dreadful Sound of His Threatnings, That a Devouring Fire and Everlasting Burn­ings will be appointed for you. Oh! Dreadful Sound! Thus it is, that the GOD of Glory Thunders! Thus it is, that the Voice of the Lord, divides the Flames of Fire.

II. The Voice of a Guilty Conscience cannot but make a Dreadful Sound in the Ears of a wicked men. We read, Prov. XX.2. The Fear of a King, is as the Roaring of a Lion. A Guilty Conscience tells a wicked man what he has to fear from the Vengeance of the Great King whose Name is Dreadful. And the Roaring of a Lion makes not a more Dreadful Sound. When the Mind of Man is first created by GOD, there is a Spirit in it, which has a principle of Re-Union [Page 15] to the Glorious Creator of it. The prin­ciple of Re-Union to GOD, in that Spirit of Man which is the Candle of the Lord, performs the Office of a Conscience, in speaking from and for GOD unto Man. The Conscience may thro' the prevalence of Impieties, and Impurities, and Carnalities be laid in a Slumber. But GOD will in His time awaken the Conscience of a wicked man out of its dozing Slumber, and then it will do like the Angel, of whom we read, He cryed with a loud Voice, as when a Lion roareth. The Conscience of a wicked man speaks thus unto him, Thou hast in thy sinning thousands of times denied the GOD that is Above; and made thy self worthy of a Destruction from GOD. O Dreadful Sound! The Conscience of a wicked man speaks this un­to him; Thou art in ill Terms with Heaven, and thou hast the wrath of GOD abiding on thee. O Dreadful Sound! The Conscience of a wicked man speaks this unto him; The wrath of GOD▪ unto which thou art Obnoxious, is Intolerable, is Insuppartable; 'Tis a fearful thing to fall into the Hands of the Living GOD! O Dreadful Sound! Surely, 'Tis a Dreadful Sound which is in the Ears of a wicked man, when an Officer of the Great GOD within him, tells him, That he lies under that Anger of GOD, before which the Mountains Quake, the Hills Melt, the Rock fall, and there is no standing before the Indig­nation! Tells him, That he must have a cer­tain fearful Expectation of Judgment, and of a fiery Indignation to devour him!

[Page 16] III. The Voice of Death Approaching can make no other than a Dreadful Sound in [...] Ears of a wicked man. Of Death we read, [...] XVIII.14. It is the King of Terrors. How can it be any other to a man, whom it strips [...] all he Enjoys, and throws down unto a Place of Torment! The Messenger of Death, must needs make a Dreadful Sound in the Ears of a man, who perceives himself ready to be seized, and has no view of any but Endless Torments, after the seizure made upon him. Should a Prophet of GOD, come and say, O man, Thy Time is come; within a Week thou shalt be called before thy Judge, and the Place that has Known thee, shall Know thee no more: O Belshazzar, would not thy Counte­nance change upon it, and thy Knees even smite against one another! A Man who has no prospect of a Blessedness after Death, and indeed has made no Provision for it, may yet apprehend▪ yea, cannot but apprehend, his Death Approaching. He sees the Dispatch which Death makes upon all round about him, and he cannot but say, What man shall live, so that he shall never see Death at all! He feels the Advance which Death makes upon himself in his own Infirmi­ties, and he cannot but say, I know, that thou [...] bring me to Death. Nature & Reason speak this to a wicked man; It is appointed for man [...] to Dy; and thy Death, O Man, is unavoida­ble. Thou mayst not, thou canst not continue always [...]. O Dreadful Sound! Nature and Reason [...] this to a Wicked Man; Thou art in a very [...] while to Dy; the Day of thy Death, it is Near, [Page 17] it is Near, and it hasteth greatly. When a few years at most, are past, thou shalt go whence thou shalt not return. O Dreadful Sound! Na­ture and Reason speak this unto a wicked man, Thy time to Dy may be Nearer than thou art a­ware of; Thou knowest not the Day of thy Death. It may surprize thee suddenly presently, This very Day. Thou knowest not what a Day may bring forth. O Dreadful Sound! Surely, 'Tis a Dread­ful Sound which is in the Ears of a wicked man, when he is in the Terrors of the shadow of Death; when the Terrors of Death are fallen upon him; when the Angel of Death is coming towards him, and Swearing by Him who Lives for ever and ever, That his Time is just coming to an End!

IV. Hitherto the Dreadful Sound which may reach and fill the Ears of the Wicked man in the present State, has been insisted on. But it must now be added, That there is yet a more Dread­ful Sound, which the Ears of a Wicked man shall in the Future State be thunder struck withal. Yea, the Anticipation thereof, why should it not now, make a Dreadful Sound in thine Ears, O Thou Forgetter of GOD! One might wonder, if that should not now be a Dreadful Sound in the Ears of a Wicked man; Eccl. XII.14. GOD will bring every work into Judgment. The men­tion of a Judgment to come, in the Ears of Go­vernour Foelix, made such a Dreadful Sound, that we read, He trembled at it. But then, Oh! what a Dreadful Sound will they that must awake unto shame & everlasting contempt, have [Page 18] in their Ears, when the Trumpet of GOD shall be Sounded, Arise, ye Dead, and come to Judg­ment! A Summons to appear before the Judg­ment-Seat of GOD, O! what a Dreadful Sound must it be in the Ears of the Wicked man, who can look for nothing but a Discovery of all his wickedness in the Great Congregation, and a Condemnation to such a Loss and such a Pain, as cannot be without Horror thought upon! When the Glorious Judge of the Word proceeds to pass the Sentence on the Wicked; Oh! the Dreadful Sound of it! You have the Dreadful Sound, Matth. XXV.41. Depart from me, ye cur­sed, into Everlasting Fire, prepared for the Devil and his Angels. Unto them that are now wick­edly saying to the Almighty, Depart, I desire not the Knowledge of thy ways; What a Dread­ful Sound will there be in this Doom from the Glorious One, Depart from me, I know thee not! Unto them that now wickedly decline to ad­dress the Son of GOD for His Blessing, What a Dreadful Sound will there be in this Doom from the Glorious One, Depart Thou Cursed! Unto them who are wickedly Hot upon the gratify­ing of their Evil Desires; What a Dreadful Sound will there be in this Doom from the Glo­rious One, Depart into the everlasting Fire, from whence the smoke of the Torment shall ascend for ever and ever! Unto them who have wicked­ly despised the pleasant Land, and trod under foof the [...] of Heaven▪ What a Dreadful Sound will [...] be, in this Doom from the Glo­rious O [...] [...]nto an Hell, where shall be [Page 19] weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth for ever more. Unto them who have wickedly hearkened unto the Devil more than unto their Saviour, What a Dreadful Sound will there be in this Doom from the Holy One; Depart, into a Lodging with the Devil and his Angels▪

O Dreadful Sound!

Truly, The whole Portion of the Wicked in Both Worlds, is that which makes a Dread­ful Sound, in the Exhibitions of it. The Roaring of the New Volcano among the Western Islands, or the Noise made by all the rest of the Ignivomous Mountains is nothing to the Dread­ful Sound of GOD from Heaven declaring what shall be done unto the Wicked. The Cataracts of Niagara make not such a Dreadful Sound; The Dreadful Sound of the Waves that strike aganist the Mountains of Angamannia, that not only Dea­fens but even Sickens the Approaching Mariners, & frights them out of their Wits; I say unto you, It is not a thousandth part so forminable.

But now the Intention of all these Exhibiti­ons and Admonitions. This is, My Friends, to Save you from the Dreadful Sound. We read, Psal. LXXXIX.15. O Blessed are the People who do know the Joyful sound! Verily▪ If you make a due use of the Dreadful Sound, which terrifies you, it will soon make you par­takers of a Joyful Sound, which, O Blessed are the People, whom it pertains unto!

The Advice to you, is, Let none remain any longer among the Wicked. Souls, Depart from the Tents of the Wicked men, lest ye be consumed [Page 20] in all their Sins. 'Tis done▪ By Considering, by Acknowledging, by Bewailing of all your Wick­edness: O Bemoan your selves; I have Sinned, and I have done very foolishly. 'Tis done, By Repairing to the Blood which will wash away your Wickedness; O make this Plea, take this Hope; The Blood of JESUS CHRIST the Son of GOD, cleanses from all Sin. 'Tis done, By abandoning every way of Wickedness. O cease to do Evil, and learn to do Well; and Remember, 'Tis he who Confesseth and Forsaketh, that shall find Mercy.

A Serious and Thorough Repentance, is the Thing, whereto all the Wicked are to be Encou­raged. But, Oh! what a Joyful Sound is there now to be in your Ears for your Encou­ragement! Behold I bring you Good Tidings of Great Joy! There comes from Heaven unto you this Joyful Sound; Be you never so Wicked, You may turn to GOD, and upon your doing so, you shall find a Pardon. O the Joyful Sound of that word; Isai. LV.7. Let the wicked forsake his way, & Return unto the Lord, who will have Mercy, and unto our GOD, for He will abundantly Pardon. There comes from Heaven unto you this Joyful Sound; Be you never so Wicked, there is a Great SAVIOUR willing to Receive you, and Redeem you, if you come unto Him. O the Joyful Sound of that word! Joh. VI.37. Him that comes unto me, I will in no wise cast out. Let this Joyful Sound melt and break your very Hearts within you. There is not one of you all that has yet fallen into the [Page 21] Unpardonable Sin. If you had, you would not be here. There is not one of you all, whose Day of Grace is yet over with them. If it were, you would not feel such Motions in your Souls as you do. The worst of you all, may yet Re­turn to GOD, and in doing so, He will be Re­conciled unto you; yea, He does Beseech you to be Reconciled unto Him.

And now, O you, whom the Dreadful Sound has driv'n, and this Joyful Sound has drawn, unto Repentance, and, ye Converts of Zion, who begin to Live unto GOD, Hear, Hear the Joy­ful Sound, which you are now to be dismiss'd withal.

You are now to have in your Ears that Joy­ful Sound, Be of Good cheer, Thy Sins are for­given thee. That Joyful Sound is now for you, This is a dear Son, This is a pleasant Child, I will surely have Mercy on him. That Joyful Sound is now for you; All things shall work together for Good unto them that Love GOD. Yea, To you there belongs that Joyful Sound, O Death, where is thy sting? O Grave, where is thy victory?

And, O you that Live unto GOD, and hate every false way; After your passing thro' the valley of Death, & again coming out of the Grave, you shall hear this Joyful Sound from the Mouth of the Glorious Lord; Math. XXV.34. Come, ye Blessed of my Father, Inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the Foundation of the World.

Oh! may the Sound thus heard from the Two Mountains of Ebal and of Gerizzim, have a due Impression upon you!

[Page 22]¶ BUT that the Designs of REPENTANCE may be the more Effectually prosecuted, there must be made more Audible, a Dreadful Sound, which the Providence of the Glorious GOD has lately produced among us, and which requires to be most seriously attended to.

There is a Remarkable One, in the Condition of that Son of Death, who appears in Chains this Day among us, and who is within these Two or Three Hours to flee down to the Pit; there may be no staying of him.

A Dreadful Sound there is in the Ejulations of this poor Creature, upon the View of what he has done, and of what he is now to Suffer for it. His Weeping & Howling for the Miseries that Come upon him, do make this Dreadful Sound in our Ears; Wickedness! What will it bring to! What will it End in! Oh! Let all Israel Hear and Fear, and let none do any more so Wickedly!

No doubt, it makes a Dreadful Sound in the Ears of this Wicked Man, to be told; ‘Man, within a few Hours the Lamp of thy Life, is to be put out with Shameful, Painful, Tragical Circumstances. Thy Soul, thy never dying Soul, must within as Few Hours, appear before a Great and a Terrible GOD, who has been infinitely Offended by thy Wickedness, and whose Anger,—Who, Who knows the Power of it?’

The Ghost of his Murdered Wife; This too must needs make a Dreadful Sound in his Ears. It crys, Vengeance, Vengeance upon the Murderer! [Page 23] All the Country hears the Cry; and the Sword of GOD in the hand of His Ministers, is drawn upon it.

It adds doleful Murmurs to the Dreadful Sound, That this Wretched Ethiopian has been so distinguished from the most of his Complexi­on; and been admitted unto such very Distin­guishing Privileges. He was favoured with a Religious Education, which Enabled him to Read the Oracles of GOD, and learn the Prin­ciples of Christianity; and then had an Eman­cipation into a Liberty, which he has been too unthankful for. He made a Profession of Re­ligion, and was Baptised, and stood a Candidate for Communion in the Church; which indeed the Faithful Pastors, fearing that Hypocrisy in him, which is now discovered, wisely delay'd unto him. Now, for One who so Knew the Will of our Glorious Master, to do as he has done; for One under such Obligations, to be a Pat­tern of all Goodness unto other Ethiopians, to prove of so Doubly and so Deeply Black a Cha­racter; Oh! how Many & how severe Stripes, in the Infernal Prison must such an One be worthy of! Ungrateful Wretch! What art thou worthy of!

Miserable Man; I hope, you take Notice of what I speak to the People of GOD concerning you. But, Oh! Be astonished at what I must after all speak unto You upon it. In the midst of all this Dreadful Sound, there is a Joyful Sound, which you are to be advised and ap­prised of: That Joyful Sound; There is a SA­VIOUR, [Page 24] in whose Blood there is, A Fountain set open for Sin and for Uncleanness. You may come to that Open Fountain; and Plead the Blood of your SAVIOUR for your Pardon. The most Bloody Sinners may do so; They that have a Blood-Guiltiness upon them, are Allowed, yea, Commanded, so to do. Even His own Murderers did it, and found Mercy with Him! Do it; and Beg at the same time, O my SA­VIOUR, Change my Heart; Bestow a New Heart, a Soft Heart, a Clean heart, a Good and Honest Heart upon me! Thy Soul shall become as White as the Snow and the Wooll, upon thy doing of it. We read of, Ethiopia stretching out the Hand unto GOD our SAVIOUR. O Forlorn Ethiopian, yet Stretch out those Bloody Hands of thine unto thy SA­VIOUR; Do it, Surprized, and Conquered by that Grace of His, which now sends this call unto thee; Lay hold on me, Perishing Sinner, Lay Hold on me, and thou shalt yet come into the Peace of GOD. In so saying, I speak the Last Words, that I shall ever speak unto you.

But there are especially Three Brief Re­marks, which I shall make on the Dreadful Sound, which our Ears are all now struck with­al. There are indeed especially Three Sorts of Persons, that are very notably concerned in it.

First. Relatives, and especially the Nearest Relatives, those that are in the Conjugal Rela­tion; Let Them hear the Dreadful Sound, and beware of all Ill-carriage to one another. To [Page 25] see, A Man hanged for Murdering his Wife; 'Tis a fearful Spectacle! The Ears Tingle at the Hearing of such a thing; the Blood runs cold; a Shuddering Horor succeeds upon it. But more than Once, has this Country now seen the Horrid Spectacle; seen it with Amaze­ments! And Other Places are no Strangers to it. Alas, That ever the Curse of GOD upon a Sinful World, should come into so Extreem and Shocking an Operation! That they, who by the Institution of GOD, should be Meet Helps to one another, and as the Apple of their Eye to one another, should prove Geat Plagues, and such a continual Eye-sore to one another▪ That they who should be, to one another, the Desire of their Eyes, come to hate the Sight, and seek the Death of one another!— My Friends, Take heed of all Discord, and watch against all Tendencies to any Alienation of Affection from One another If once you Give place to the Devil, You know not how it will terminate; what he may drag you to! Especially, Let all Husbands Keep up a lively Remembrance, yea, and a lively Resemblance too, of the Good­ness which our dear SAVIOUR treats His Church withal: His Church, which that Good One, so Tenders, and Pitties, and Forgives, and Comforts, and Provides for, and counts nothing too Good for, and calls, The dearly Beloved of my Soul! Husbands, Love your Wives, as CHRIST has loved the Church, and given Him­self for it. If it had been possible for me to have spoken in Higher Terms, I would have done it!

[Page 26]But, is the Black Thing that you have in Irons here before you, the only One that may be charged with Murdering his Wife among us? No; Let all Base, and Bitter, and Froward Husbands consider of it. Husbands that follow Courses which Grieve, and even Kill their Wives; Husbands who like the Beast we read of, Speak like Dragons, and whose Words are drawn Swords upon their Wives; Husbands whose vile Carriage leaves to their Wives no comfort of their Lives; it may be, they Starve them; however they break their Hearts for them; the poor Wives dy before their Time, and if their Broken Hearts might have the cause of their Death Legible upon them, there would be found some such words as these; A Cruel Husband has hastened it!

Ye Abominable Fellows; Leave off the Trade you are driving of; If Man do not, the Glori­ous GOD will deal with you as the worst of Murderers; — I am sure, Your Family-Sacri­fices must be very poorly managed. Your Prayers together will hinder your Quarrels, if your Quar­rels do not hinder your Prayers. But O Pray­erless ones, If you go on to cast off your Prayers, little can you foresee what you may be left unto. The Man whose Dying Hour is now not many Minutes off, tells me, That he usually kept up his Daily Prayers, but he had No Pray­ers, No Prayers! — on the Day before the Dark Night, wherein, you see what GOD left him to. Consider this ye that forget GOD.— For there are some Husbands in this Town, I [Page 27] am afraid, I am afraid, what a provoked GOD may leave them to!

Secondly. The Ethiopian, and Other Slaves among us, may hear a Dreadful Sound in the Fate of their Unhappy Brother here before them; and they are to take warning from it. There is a Fondness for Freedom in many of you, who live Comfortably in a very easy Ser­vitude; wherein you are not so Well-advised as you should be. If you were Free, many of you would not Live near so well as you do. Be your Servitude never so hard, yet Patience will be your Duty under it, while GOD shall order it for you. Be sure, the Yoke will gall the less, for your being Patient under, what GOD will have to be, The Thing Appointed for you. But when your Servitude is Gentle, and you are treated, with more than meer Humani­ty, and fed and cloth'd and lodg'd, as well as you can wish for, and you have no Cares upon you, but only to Come when you are called, and to Do what you are Bidden; certainly you should Glorify GOD with a sweet Contentment of Mind, in the Lot which He has assigned you. Become the Servants of CHRIST, and you are made Free-men immediately. Get the Know­ledge of a Glorious CHRIST; Give your selves unto Him; Let not a Day pass you without Secret Prayer before Him; Don't venture to Sin against Him; or do any thing that you Know He has forbiden you: Obey faithfully them that have the Rule over you, propoun­ding to yield Obedience unto Him in doing so; [Page 28] Study to please your Superiours, because you shall please Him in doing of it. Then, tho' you are poor Slaves, yet you will be Children of GOD, and Brethren to the Best of Men; and your Slavery will very quickly, very quickly, Expire in a Glory wherein you shall walk with your SAVIOUR in White, and have a part in the Royal Priesthood. But what I would yet more particularly and pertinently and power­fully inculcate upon you, is This; I hope the most of you live with such as are so far from Envying you the Benefits of Christian Know­ledge, that they would be unspeakably Glad of seeing you arrive to the Greatest Improve­ments in it; yea, Glad of Sitting down with you at the Table of the Lord. Now, I lay the charges of GOD upon you, That the more you Know, the more you be careful to Do according to what you Know: And afford not the least shadow of any occasion, for that False com­plaint, That the worst Servants are those that have had most Instruction bestow'd upon them. And, That if you should at length be so Lifted up to Heaven, as to be openly Received among the Disciples of our SAVIOUR, You be not Haughty, because of the Holy Mountain, which you are brought unto: No, but be the more Humble, the more Dutiful, the more Diligent, for what you have arriv'd unto. Pride goes be­fore Destruction. See what the Pride, of your Conceited, and Vain glorious and Ostentatious Brother here, has gone before!

[Page 29]Thirdly. Oh! That all the Wicked doers, who [Except they Repent!] must be cut off from the City of GOD, were well aware of the Dreadful Sound, which their perished Companions in Sin, send unto them. When you are alarum'd with the Dreadful Sound of One cut off in and for his Wickedness, Let the Dreadful Sound from O­thers, who have in any sort been so, help to rowse you out of the Slumbers, wherein you ly Obnoxious to a Damnation that Slumbers not. O All People whose Transgression sayes, There is no Fear of GOD before their Eyes; But Espe­cially, O Young People, who are yet as foolish as the wild-Asses Colt, which you will be, till you are Born again; Hearken, Hearken to the Dreadful Sound, wherewith, Oh! That you were duely terrified! Have you not seen ma­ny of your Companions in Sin, distressed, yea, destroyed by the Stupendous Judgments of GOD, and brought unto Untimely Ends? But what? Have they not Mourned at the Last, and cryed out, How have I hated Instruction▪ and my Heart despised Reproof? And have not Obeyed the Voice of my Teachers▪ nor inclined mine Ear to them that instructed me! And will this Dread­ful Sound make no Impression upon you? Have not their Groans been▪ Oh! That I had not been led away with such wicked Company! And, Oh! That I had nor put off my Conversion to GOD! And, Oh! That I had not thrown away my Time, and my Soul, in those things whereof I am now ashamed! And will this Dreadful Sound ▪ make no Im­pression upon you? Young Man, Then lay [Page 30] thine Ear to the Sides of the Pit; Listen to the Cries of them who are in the Dismal Vault be­low, so Shut up that they cannot come forth. Is there not a Dreadful Sound among them, who are ground between the Milstones of Infinite Wrath, and crying out, The Almighty Troubles me! And will this Dreadful Sound signify no­thing with thee? If according to the Wish of the Rich Man in the Parable there should One come unto thee from the Dead, that has it may be accompanied thee in some of thy Lewdnesses and Madnesses; and thou shouldest hear him, crying out, Oh! The Torments which my Sins have brought me to! Would the Dreadful Sound of such a Spectre be nothing to thee? What the Prophets now speak unto thee, is as much, as if One came unto thee from the Dead! And wilt thou pay no Regards unto it?— I trem­ble, I tremble, to think, how many stand in the way of that flaming Thunder-bolt, which I will now throw down among you, and you may then go away and Mock & Scoff at it, and have the Bands of Death made Strong upon you, if you please! Prov. XXIX.1. He that being often Reproved, hardeneth his Neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without Remedy.

But, Oh! What shall be done for the Chil­dren that have hitherto been so Irreclameable? We must not yet give them over.—Lord, We will yet Look up unto thee for them.