DOCTRINE I. Many that enjoy the Means of Grace, with the Peo­ple of God, here; shall be thrust out of their Com­pany, and out of Heaven into Hell, hereafter.

[Page 9] In this Doctrine there are contain'd, or im­plied these four Propositions.

• [I.] The Elect and Reprobates, Saints and Hypocrites, do now sit together under the Means of Grace.
• [II.] They shall be Separated in the other World.
• [III.] Their Distance shall be as great, as it is between Heaven and Hell.
• [IV.] This dreadful Separation shall be forced on the Wicked, sore against their Wills.

PROP. I. The Elect and Reprobates, Saints and Hypocrites, do now sit together under the Means of Grace. Ezek. 33.31. They sit before thee as my People, and they hear thy Words. Mat. 13.30. Let both grow together till the Harvest. When we behold a Congregation of professed Christians, tho' we dare not ordinarily look on any Person in it, and say, We know that Man or Woman to be unconverted; nor may we be infallibly certain that any Number of them have experien­ced a saving Change: Yet we may conclude that such as attend the Means of Grace together, are of these two sorts, Mat. 25.1, 2. Then shall the Kingdom of Heaven be likened unto ten Virgins, which took their Lamps, and went forth to meet the Bridegroom: And five of them were wise, and five were Foolish.

If you enquire, Whence is it, that the same Means prove effectual to the Conversion and Sal­vation of some; and ineffectual to others?

I answer;

1. It's thro' the Faith of some, and the Un­belief of others. Act. 28.23, 24. And when they had appointed him a Day, there came many into his [Page 10]Lodging, to whom he expounded and testified the Kingdom of God; perswading them concerning Jesus, both out of the Law of Moses, and out of the Prophets, from Morning to Evening; And some believed the Things that were spoken, and some believed not. Joh. 1.11, 12. He came to his own, and his own received him not: But as many as received him, to them gave he Power to become the Sons of GOD, even to the Believers on his Name. Mark 16.16. He that Believes and is Baptised shall be saved; but he that Believeth not shall be Damned. Heb. 3.18, 19 And to whom sware he that they should not enter into his Rest, but to them that believed not? So we see they could not enter in because of Unbelief. Heb. 4.2. For unto us was the Gospel preached as well as unto them; but the Word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with Faith in them that heard it. 1 Thes. 2.13 When ye received the Word of God, which ye heard of us; ye received it not as the Word of Man; but as it is in Truth the Word of God; which effectually worketh also in you that believe. If Men did humbly and diligently wait on God under the precious Means of Grace, and faithful­ly receive the Truth they hear, in the Love of it; the Truth would sanctify and save them: but God has resolved that all shall be Damned, who believe not the Truth; but have Pleasure in Unrighteousness. And how justly are Unbe­lievers made to take their Part with all Liars, in the Lake that burns with Fire and Brimstone; seeing they have made God a Liar, because they have not believed the Record God has given of his Son. Thus Israel destroys himself doubly, by refusing the Help of him who is mighty to Save

[Page 11] 2. Satan, (when and where he is permitted so to do) can and does hinder the Efficacy of the Means. This wicked One is still present with us while we hear the Word of the Kingdom; and has a thousand Ways to hinder our profit­ing thereby; when he cannot divert us from attending thereon. He has Power to work in­ternally on our Fancies, as well as to steal away our Thoughts and Affections by every external Object. He can recal into our Mind Things past, and ingage the Invention and Affections about the Imployments and Injoyments that are fu­ture. This subtil Crafts-master knows how to insinuate Prejudices against the Preacher; or if we admire him, and highly commend the Ser­mon; that shall pass for doing the Word; espe­cially if we can remember a considerable Part of the Sermon, tho' we never practise any of it. Satan has, no doubt, a great Hand in it at least, when by any of these, or the like Ways we de­ceive our own Souls. Jam. 1.21, 22. Wherefore lay apart all Filthiness, and Superfluity of Naughti­ness; and receive with Meekness, the engraffed Word, which is able to save your Souls: But be ye Doers of the Word and not Hearers only, deceiving your own selves. He joins also with our deceitful Hearts, while our Thoughts are busie in making Application of what we hear, to others; This is for such an one; and it may be that very Person thinks we should do well to take it to our selves; and so both the one and the other loseth the Benefit of a seasonable Truth, for want of Self-application. Again, Our watchful Adversary takes the Advantage of our Heedlessness and [Page 12]Ignorance: Mat. 13.19. When any one heareth the Word of the Kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked One, and catcheth away that which was sown in his Heart. How great soever our natural Darkness is in spiritual Things; yet this Prince of Darkness has Power to increase it; 2 Cor. 4.3, 4. If our Gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the God of this World hath blindeth the Minds of them that believe not, lest the Light of the glorious Gospel of Christ, who is the Image of God, should shine unto them.

Thus, the Destroyer of Souls will, if possible, keep out Conviction, and prevent the new Birth, by hindering Conception: But if once the secure Soul be alarm'd by Conviction, then Satan be­stirs himself to put out this Fire: and has as many Devices in carrying on this Part of his hellish Trade as the other: he'll perswade the sad Soul to make use of merry Company, as an happy Expedient to drive away Melancholy; while he fills the Head and Heart with a thousand Cares and Fears about the Body, and Things of the present Life. He could put it into Cain's Head to build a City; and bribe Felix's Con­science with the Hopes of a more convenient Season: And when he can no longer make poor Sinners believe that there is Time enough before them, he will then tell them that their Season is past, or they are not elected, or have committed the unpardonable Sin: But before it comes to this, he will, if possible, beget and maintain in them a vain Hope that they are already Convert­ed; at least quiet them with this, that they shall do as well as Others; if such as they are Perish, [Page 13]then wo to Multitudes; as if the most should not be damned. If they rest not here, as being loth to go to Hell for Company, he knows how to per­vert the Doctrine of Man's Impotency: It is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sh [...]weth Mercy. If God has a mind to convert you (says the Tempter) he'll do it without asking your Leave; or needing your Help; if not, all your Endeavours will nothing avail; wickedly separating what God has joyned together, Phil. 2.12, 13. Work out your own Sal­vation with Fear and Trembling; for it is God that worketh in you both to will and to do, of his own good Pleasure. 2 Thes. 2.13. God hath from the Beginning chosen you to Salvation, thro' Sanctifica­tion of the Spirit, and Belief of the Truth. God's electing Love and unchangeable Purpose will be no City of Refuge for him that (by going on presumptuously in Sin) destroys his own Soul: not is the irresistable Efficacy of soveraign Grace laid down in the Scripture for a Pillow of Sloth: The Means, and the End are inseperably con­joined. Yet 'tis ture,

3. That God does freely bless the Means to some, and righteously withold a Blessing from others, who sit under the same Means. We find, when our Lord had been just speaking (Mat. 11.24.) of the intolerable Aggravation of the Gospel Sinners eternal Punishment; at that Time (ver. 25, 26.) Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of Heaven and Earth, because thou hast hid these Things from the Wise and Prudent, and hast revealed them unto Babes: Even so Father; for so it seemed good in [Page 14]thy Sight. So Chap. 13.10. Christ having mentioned three Sorts of Hearers to whom the Means of Grace were ineffectual, when but one Part of four brought forth any Fruit to Perfec­tion; His Disciples ask the Reason of his judicial Proceeding with the Multitude; he answers them, ver. 11. Because it is given unto you to know the Mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven; but to them it is not given. And ver. 13. Therefore speak I to them in Parables, because they seeing see not, and hearing they hear not, nor do they under­stand. And in them is fulfilled the Prophecy of Isaiah, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and not preceive: For this People's Heart is waxed gross, and their Ears are dull of hearing, and their Eyes they (Mark it, they themselves) have closed, lest at any Time they should see with their Eyes, and hear with their Ears, and should understand with their Hearts, and I should heal them. They will not, therefore they shall not hear and see: They have closed their Eyes, and stop'd their Ears, and hard­ned their own Hearts wickedly, wilfully, persump­tuously; therefore God will judicially blind and harden them. And are not God's Ways equal? And are not ours unequal? Is he bound to bestow his Grace on obstinate Sinners that will not stoop to Christ's Terms? Joh. 5.40. Ye will not come to me, that ye might have Life. How could Grace be [...], if GOD were not at Liberty to bestow it on whom he pleases? Mat. 20.15. Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with my own? Have we not all signed and come short of the Glory of God? Suppose the whole Race of Fal­len [Page 15] Adam had Perished together with the whole Number of apostate Spirits: where had been the Wrong? Or, if it had pleased God to have par­doned and restored some few of the Fallen An­gels; had that been any Wrong to the rest? If he makes some of the rebellious Children of Men willing in the Day of his Power, can o­thers challenge any such Favour at his Hands? Especially considering they are not willing to be made willing in God's Way. Why may he not deny a Blessing to some that enjoy the Means of Grace, as well as deny those Means to the most; especially after Sinners have long slighted and neglected, at least, if not opposed the same? How many fair Seasons have trifling Sinners al­ready lost? And how long is the Lord of Angels oblig'd to wait that he may be gracious to such as have full oft and sorely griev'd and vex'd his holy Spirit? If he be resolv'd to glorify the Riches of his free Grace abundantly to and upon some, and so will overcome their Resistance; is he bound to do it for all? Proud ignorant Worm! Thou mightest as well demand an earthly King­dom, because Saul and David were raised from seeking Asses and following Sheep, to feed and rule God's People: Or find Fault with the holy One of Israel, that he does not give thee the Spirit of Prophesy; because he took Amos from among the Herdmen of Tekoa. Why dost not thou quarrel with the Lord of Hosts, that he does not make the Sun to stand still, & give thee more Day­light to finish thy Work; or cause it to go back­ward to confirm the Truth of his Word to thee; seeing he has done so much at the Word of [Page 16] Joshua, and to help the Unbelief of Hezekiah? If God make us wise to Salvation, he does a mil­lion times more for us than if he should give us the Wisdom of Solomon: And the least Dram of saving Grace is more worth than all his Riches: Wisdom is more precious than Rubies; and all the Things that thou canst desire, are not to be com­pared to her, Prov. 3.15 And shall the Devil's Children, who could wish in their Hearts, that there were no God to take Vengeance on their cursed Abominations; and were it not for meer Self-love and slavish Fear of Hell, without the least Regard to God's Honour, could be glad with all their Hearts to wallow in Sin remorse­less till Dooms-day, or to the Age of Methuselah; yea, for ever to be let alone, that they might enjoy the Lusts of the Flesh, the Lusts of the Eye, and Pride of Life, rather than to glorify God on Earth, or enjoy him in Heaven: Shall I say, these Heirs of Hell, who have cause to stand and wonder that they have a Crumb of Bread to eat, or a Drop of Water to drink, or one single Breath of Air, and a Minutes Respite from going down to the Pit; shall they think much of it, that God does not take them into his Arms, wash them in his Son's Blood, and presently assure them that they shall be equal to Angels, and live happily to Eternity: Yea that he should do all this, and more than ever entered into the Heart of Man to conceive, because, after their unmannerly Fashion, forsooth, they have ask'd it of him; and they can do no more; if God won't convert them, and bless the Means to them, they can't help it; all Things were de­creed [Page 17]before they were born, or the World made. It's for the Sake of such contradicting Blasphemers I have thus inlarged, that if it may be, their Mouths may now be stopped, (for every Mouth shall be stop'd at last) now I say, while there is Hope of Mercy on their Submission to divine Soveraignty; yielding themselves up into his Hands as Prisoners, Rebels, Traitors to be disposed of at his Pleasure; heartily subscribing this unquestionable Truth, that if God damn them eternally he does them no Wrong; but if infinite Mercy save them, free Grace shall have the Glory for ever, and for ever. Come Sinner, its better to submit, than to be found a Fighter a­gainst God; for did ever any harden himself a­gainst GOD and Prosper?

If any should be bold further to ask, why seeing God doth know to whom the Means will prove ineffectual, and every Tree that will re­main barren, he will notwithstanding plant and continue them so long in his Vineyard?

This one Text of Scripture might be thought enough to silence them; Nay, but O Man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the Thing formed say unto him that formed it, Way hast thou made me thus? Has not the Potter Power over the Clay, of the same Lump to make one Vessel to Honour, and another to Dishonour? What if God will­ing to shew his Wrath and make his Power known, endured with much Long. suffering the Vessels of Wrath, fitted to Destruction, Rom. 9.20, 21, 22. The apostate Spirits might as well ask why God would create them, seeing he knew they would fall! i. e. by their own wilful Folly: And these [Page 18]Potsherds might as well strive with their Maker about his giving them their Being, and bestowing any temporal good Thing upon them; and quar­rel with infinite Goodness, because he makes his Sun to shine, and Rain to fall on the Unjust; and is in a thousand Instances kind to the Un­thankful and to the Evil; giving them fruitful Seasons, filling their Hearts with Food and Glad­ness; all which, he foreknows, they will, many of them, abuse to the Aggravation of their Guiltiness, inflaming their Reckoning, and in­creasing the eternal Weight of their Punishment in the coming World.

Come Sinner, Consider the Matter calmly; shouldest thou do well to be angry with thy best Friend, for his giving thee Sense and Reason, Beauty and Strength, Riches and Houour, thy necessary Food and Sleep, because thou (being a Lover of Pleasure more than God) doest con­sume all upon thy Lusts, and art like therefore to be judged by that Word, Rev. 18.7. How much she hath glorified her self, and lived deliciously, so much Sorrow and Torment give her. This is to find Fault that rational Creatures have Good and Evil set before them, and are left to their own Choice; yet not without solemn Advice, a strict Charge, and most loving and earnest Intreaties that we chuse the Good, and refuse the Evil; that we prefer the most suitable, satisfying, last­ing Good, before that which will neither fill the Soul nor so much as continue, beyond an inch of Time, to beguile it with it's deceitful, empty Pleasingness.

[Page 19] Indeed we have lost all Power and Will to spiritual Good; and for that very Reason, God may justly require what we are not able to per­form; because he once gave us a Sufficiency of Strength to do his whole Will; and tho' we had not this Stock in our own Hands, yet 'twas in the Hands of our own natural Father, whose Interest was greater in securing it, than ours could be: And you know, if a wealthy Parent should, in a mad Fit, throw his Treasures into the Sea, set Fire to his Houses, alienate his Lands, and dye deeply in Debt, his Children must be poor and miserable. If a Noble-man commit Treason, his Heir can inherit nothing but his Father's Dishonour; especially if, growing up, he disco­ver a like-Disposition to Rebellion.

Besides, Sinners are not willing to do what they can; there's no external Duty but what they might perform before they have, and in or­der to their obtaining sanctifying Grace. They might pray oftner and more earnestly, if they would; from the External Acts of Sin, they might in great measure abstain, unless by long Custom they have wilfully made Sin, as it were necessary, so that they cannot now cease from Sin; and yet they would abstain from the out­ward Act of their darling and dearest Lust to escape temporal Death, if that were to be the certain and immediate Punishment of the next. Act of Drunkenness, Whoredom, or so much as being found in evil Company. Men would speak the Truth, and bite in their Oaths and Curses, if for every Lie and profane Speech they were to be burnt through the Tongue with a red hot Iron.

[Page 20] In a Word, It cannot be said that, ever since the World began, any one of God's covenant People, Jew or Gentile, enjoying the Means of Grace, having a long standing in God's Vine­yard, did all that was in his Power to do, and yet perished because God denied him Grace.

Moreover, The new and living Way of Sal­vation, by Faith in Christ; the Way that infinite Wisdom has laid out; requires that the Tenders of Life be made indefinitely to Nations, Places, Congregations and Families of Elect and Repro­bates together; there would be else no ground of Faith in the conditional Promise, Mark 16.15, 16. Preach the Gospel to every Creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but be that believeth not shall be damned. If a whole Congre­gation were known to be Reprobates, there could be no Hope: if they were all Elect, and known to be so, there could be no such Hazard run, no Venture made, which is the Case of a poor self-condemned Sinner, first receiving the Gospel, and casting himself on the undeserved Mercy of God, in Christ in the Way of Faith; not know­ing what may be the Issue; but knowing this, that God can do a vile Worm and guilty Rebel no Wrong.

But the awakened, trembling Sinner, that is afraid of nothing so much as God's just Revenges, will say, Destruction from God is a Terror to me! You have vindicated the Judge of all the Barth: I know he will do right: But have you no Word of Comfort or Incouragement for the Malefactor at the Bar?

[Page 21] I Answer, in a Word, and so conclude this first Proposition, You have the very same Bible to read, and the same Gospel to hear, that has in­couraged Thousands and Millions, that are now either Saints in Heaven, or Converts on Earth: The Elect are Children of Wrath by Nature, as well as others, Eph. II. read from ver. 1. to 5. There is no Difference (saith the same Apostle,) for all have sinned, and come short of the Glory of God: Being justified freely by his Grace, thro' the Redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a Propitiation, thro' Faith in his Blood,—that be might be just, and the justi­fier of him that believes in Jesus, Rom. 3.21. to 26. And by him all that believe are justified from all Things, Act. 13.39. It may be you are a first­rate Sinner, that have committed all Unclean­ness with Greediness: then pray with David, Psal. 25.11. For thy Name's sake, O Lord, Pardon my Sin, for it is great. Thou complainest that thy Heart is hard as a Rock; then lay hold on that Promise, Ezek. 36.26. I will take away the stony Heart, &c. Thou canst not repent nor believe the Gospel, if thou dyest for it; Christ is exalted to give Repentance first, and then Pardon, Act. 5.31. He is the Author and Finisher of Faith, Heb. 12.2. Look to him and thou shalt be saved. And the more vile and forlorn and desperate thy Case, as to Man, may be; tho' thy Soul is bleeding to Death at ten Thousand mortal Wounds, thou art but the fitter Object for the great Physician to glorisy his Skill upon, 1 Tim. 1. [...]5. This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Jesus Christ came into the World [Page 22]to save Sinners, of whom I am chief. Only abuse not this Grace of God, which brings Salvation no otherwise than as it teaches to deny Ungod­liness and worldly Lusts, and to live soberly, righteously and godlily in the World: Not in our own Strength; but by his Power, who work­eth in us to will and to do of his own good Pleasure. You may be bold with Christ; but not with Sin.

PROP. II. The Elect and Reprobates, Saints and Hypocrites, (tho' they now enjoy g spel Privil­edges, and fit under the Means of Grace together, as we have heard; yet they) shall be separated in the other World.

1. Their immortal Souls shall be seperated at Death. As they live together, so they may die together; the Time, the Place, the Manner, and all external Circumstances of their Death may be the same: and not only so; but the internal Concomitants thereof may be, in some Respects the same also; for, as they have lived and civilly conversed together in the World, so they have maintained religious Communion with one another: They have pray'd and fasted to­gether, heard Sermons and received the Sacra­ment together; (tho' with different Frames, and quite contrary Ends) and when they come to die, the Hypocrite's Hope, such as it is, may hold out as well as the sound Christian's: He may have inward Peace, and die like a Lamb, as they say: Yea, he may seem to have the Advantage of the assaulted Christian; against whom Satan comes with great Wrath, knowing he has but a short Time: And GOD for holy [Page 23]Ends may hide his Face, or look with a frown­ing Countenance on his dear Child, the very Hour that he receives his departing Spirit into everlasting Arms of Mercy; whenas the Wicked have no Bands in their Death: when a strong Man armed keepeth his Palace, his Goods are in Peace: A deceived Heart turn'd him aside from the strait Gate of Conversion at his first setting out, and led him out of the way of true Peace all his Life long; and now at last conspires with Satan, and carnal or over-charitable Relations and Visitants, to send him out of the World in a false Dream: God is Merciful; Christ died for Sinners; Thou hast lived well, and done Good in thy Generation; All have their Failings! Thus a false Title to an eternal Kingdom is easily prov'd, in a blind Court; when the right Heir of Salvation may have all call'd in Ques­tion; many false Allegations, by the Accuser of of the Brethren brought in against him; Thou hast done just nothing for God, but much against him; in all thy fair out-side Shows and Forma­lities, Self was at the bottom; thou didst never make God's Glory thy pure single Aim in any one Duty of Piety, Righteousness, or Charity; much less in the Course of thy Life; and dost not thou know, besides all this, (says Satan) the Wickedness that thine own Heart is privy to; what thou hast been, and done; both before, and since thy hypocritical Profession? Thus, I say, the Child of Light tho' passing safely to eternal Day, may, have his Sun ev'n setting in a Cloud; his Evidences so blotted, that he is ev'n forc'd to quit Claim to the Inheritance of [Page 24]the Saints; or at least may die between Hope and Despair.

In a Word; both the thorough Christian and the Formalist may be either willing or afraid to die; and when the living Soul is departed, the dead Corps of the one and the other lie together in the same Burying-Place; but their Souls shall be separated: they don't ascend to Heaven to­gether; nor sink down to the bottomless Pit to­gether; nor continue wandring in the lower Region of the Air together: but are dispatch'd to distant Places, and far more different States: (of which in the next Proposition;) Thus their Souls are separated at Death. And,

2. Their whole Persons shall be separated at the Day of Judgment. When, and where, and how­soever the Godly and the Wicked have ended their Days on Earth; how ever their dead Bo­dies have been disposed of; whether burn'd to Ashes, or devour'd by wild Beasts, Fishes, or Worms: when Christ shall come to his last Judg­ment, all shall rise again, both the Just and Un­just; and tho' the dead in Christ shall rise first, yet we shall all appear before the Judgment-Seat of Christ, to give an Account of our Works, and to receive a Reward according to them: In or­der to which, the Omniscient, Impartial Judge will make an exact Separation between the Righ­teous and the Wicked, the Upright and Unsound. They may grow together till the Harvest, but no longer; tho' one Field may hold the Tares, and the Wheat, yet not one Garner: The Chaff is of use to preserve the good Grain in the Field and Mow; and after Threshing they lie together [Page 25]for a small space; but when winnowing Day comes, the Chaff shall be driven away: he who has his Fan in his Hand, will throughly purge his Floor: there shall not be left so much as one Hull of Chaff among the Wheat; or one Grain of Wheat carried away with the Chaff. A Scheme of this great Days Work we have, Rev. 20.11, 12, 13. Mat 25.31,—When the Son of Man shall come in his Glory and all the Holy Angels with him, then shall be sit on the Throne of his Glory; and before him shall be gathered all Na­tions; and he shall separate them one from another, as a Shepherd divideth the Sheep from the Goats. And he shall set the Sheep on his right Hand; but the Goats on the left.

The Wicked (tho' they had little Cause for it) hated the Godly, and thrust them out while on Earth; and now, when they would fain creep in among them, they shall be thrust out; they shall be offended at their Company no more.

The Godly, on the other Hand, while they were in their militant State, could not wholly re­frain the unpleasant infecting Society of the Wicked, unless they would go out of the World: but now their righteous Souls shall be no more vexed with the filthy Conversation of the Wick­ed: nor shall they have so much as one seeming Saint in their heavenly Fellowship, to lose their Love upon: They shall doubtless miss many whom they expected to have seen at Christ's Right Hand; but they shall suspect none that are there. There is not a single Guest at the Lord's Table now without the Wedding Garment, but the Master of the Feast can single him out, [Page 26] Mat. 22.12. Christ knows perfectly now, and then the World shall perfectly know who are his, and who are not; for an exact and visible Se­paration shall be made between them. That's the second Proposition.

PROP. III. Their distance of Place, and differ­ence of State, will be as great as is between Heaven and Hell.

Luk. 16.22, 23. And it came to pass that the Beggar died, and was carried by the Angels into Abraham's Bosom: the Rich Man also died and was buried: And in Hell he lift up his Eyes, being in Torment; and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his Bosom. Ver. 26. And besides all this, between us and you there is a great Gulf fixed, &c. They are separated one from another, by Christ, as a Shepherd divideth his Sheep from the Goats; but the local Distance between Christ's right and left Hand is but small, during the Judgment-Day; in the Conclusion of which, having now met for the last Time, they shall be parted at the greatest Distance for ever; Mat. 25.46. These shall go away into everlasting Punishment: but the Righteous into Life eternal.

It would be beside my Purpose, to speak large­ly here of the inconceiveable Glory of Heaven, or of Hell's intolerable Torment; the two Places and double State of the Godly and Wicked, Saved and Damned: It's mainly, the peculiar Aggravation that impenitent Unbelievers will find and feel of their eternal Misery, Anguish and Vexation of Soul, from the large and deep Sense and Apprehension they shall have of the [Page 27]everlasting Happiness, Glory and Joy unspeak­able of such as obeyed the Gospel, while them­selves despised and rejected it; that the Sub­ject before us offers to our Consideration; of which in the other Doctrine. Only by the way,

1. We may consider the Kingdom of God mention­ed in the Text, as a Place and State of perfect Rest and Peace, Light and Love, Joy, Honour and Glory. A Kingdom prepared by the King, eternal, immor­tal, invisible, (who is infinite in Power and Love) to entertain Millions of his Subjects, that are all Kings and Priests; his adopted Children, his only Son's Wise; yea, his own spiritual Children by Regeneration; Renewed after the I­mage of their Heavenly Father, and Partakers of the divine Nature. A Kingdom that cannot be mo­ved; an everlasting Kingdom, in which as was said, every Subject is a King; not like earthly Monarchs, but as far above them in Honour, Glory and Delight, as they are above their mean­est Subjects; and ten thousand times more: for they shall wear Crowns, not of Gold that perish­eth, but a Crown incorruptible, 1 Cor. 9.25. A Crown of Righteousness, 1 Tim. 1.8. A Crown of Life, Jam. 1.12. A Crown of Glory, that fadeth not away, 1 Pet. 5.4. And if it be called a Crown of Gold, Rev. 4.4. there's a vast di­ference between the Gold here on Earth, and the Gold of Heaven, Rev. 21.21. And the Street of the City was pure Gold, as it were Transparent Glass; (and if this be the Pavement for their Feet, that shall be the Crown for their Heads!) The brightest and richest Things on Earth are but [Page 28]a poor and dark Resemblance of the Riches and Glory of Heaven. Heaven is a far more exceed­ing and eternal weight of Glory. In a Word; the Glory of Heaven is summarily comprehended in these two Things.

• (1.) The everlasting Enjoyment of all desira­ble Good, even to full Satisfaction. One infinite Good is all Good, and can't but fill the Soul that enjoys it. In thy Presence is fulness of Joy, and at thy right Hand there are Pleasures for evermore, Psal. 16.11. So that if God should say to any, the least Saint, as to Solomon; Ask what I shall give thee; he would answer, I have enough, I have all, I can desine no more; I can hold no more nor wish to hold more ravishing Joy and transporting Glory than I am filled with, unto overflowing. Their Bodies shall be as Strong, Healthy, Agile and Beautiful as can we wish'd; their Souls as knowing and holy, wise and good as the Angels. Their Society and familiar Com­panions shall be such as are perfect in Know­ledge and Love; Angels and Saints like them­selves: Their Employment shall be most hor­oarable and delightsome; to behold the Face of God, and lie in the Bosom of Christ; and drink of that new Wine with him in his Father's Kingdom; and joyn in Consort with the whole heavenly Host, that shall sing the Song of Moses and the Lamb for ever and ever. But after all that can be said, it does not yet appear what we shall be; It is enough that we shall be like our heavenly Father, for we shall see him as he is; 1 Job. 3.2.
• [Page 29] (2) As no Good in Kind or Degree shall be wanting in Heaven; so not the least shadow of any kind of Evil is felt or feared there.
  • [1.] No Moral Evil: Not so much as one vain Thought to all Eternity. The Children of the Resurrection shall never more displease their heavenly Father, offend their elder Brother, or any of their Brethren; nor have their Consci­ences ever prick'd with the least Briar of Sin; yea, they shall be far above all Temptations unto Sin. There is no Serpent in the second Adam's Paradise.
  • [2.] No Penal Evil: Not so much as the re­mission of one Degree of Glory: the abatement of one Ray of Light, from his blessed Face, who is the Light of that glorious City, for ever: No bodily Pain, or uneasy Thought in the Mind; not the least disrespect, or failure of the most perfect Love, from any Fellow-Citizen of Hea­ven, for ever and for ever. And as there shall be no room to Desire that it might be better; so there's no possibility that ever any fear of its being worse, should once enter into their Hearts thro' Eternity: Perfect Love casteth out Fear, 1 Joh. 4.18

2. We might also transiently consiler Hell, as a Place and State of the blackest Darkness, the most exquisite Torment and extreamest Horror, Despair and Raging Blasphemy. A Place of Howling, Roaring, Yelling, Shrieking, — But Words utterly and infinitely fail of expressing to the Life, the Heart-rending Pangs of the Second Death. It is Metaphorically, and in Scripture Language a Prison; a Lake of Fire and Brim­stone; [Page 30]a Bottomless Pit; a Furnace of Fire; Everlasting Fire, prepared for the Devil and his Angels; a Place where the Worm dieth not, and the Fire is not quenched: The Vengeance of Eternal Fire, 1 Pet. 3.19. Mat. 13.50. and 25.41. Rev. 19.20. and 20.3. Mark 9.47, 48. Jude ver. 7. Now, if the Bodies of the Damned shall be tormented with material Fire and Brim­stone, it must needs be dreadful! As, if we should see a great Copper containing the quantity of many Tuns, fill'd with Brimstone; then melted over a mighty Fire; then set on a Flame, as you have seen a Kettle of boiling Tarr in the Ship-wrights Yard; and Men, Women and Children thrown into it alive; this would be terrible to the Beholders; much more to the Persons thus executed; though the Pain and Horror would in this case, be over in a few Minutes: how intolerably dreadful will it be then for Sinners to be cast alive (as 'tis said they shall be) into a Lake of Fire, burning with Brimstone, Rev 19.20. So Mat. 13.40, 42, 43. As there­fore the Tares are gathered and burnt in the Fire; so shall it be in the End of the World: The Son of Man shall send sorth bis Angels, and they shall ga­ther out of bis Kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity: and shall cast them into a Furnace of Fire. Rev. 20.15. And wohsoevet was not found written in the Book of Life, was cast into the Lake of Fire.

Suppose the Water of some large and deep Pond were turned into boiling, flaming Brimstone; and the Devils, in visible Shapes should be suf­fered to drag our Neighbours and Friends, one [Page 31]after another, according as the Measure of their Sins should be silled up, and cast them away a­live into that boiling Pond; Oh! How terrible would this be to the poor Wretches, and to the Beholders? How doleful their Shrieks, and fearful Lamentations! How would it Pierce even an Heart of Stone, to see this acted before their Eyes, in the open Day; or to hear the dismal Cries of our Neighbours, drag'd along the Streets before our Doors by Night; and dearest Relati­ons hawl'd out of their Beds, and carried away by main Strength, to that supposed Hell on Earth: And suppose further, that God should keep them alive in that fiery Pond, from one Year and Age to another; and we could walk safely by the Sides of, it and round it, and see the poor, undone Creatures swimming about in the midst of the Flames; and hear their fruitless Cries for one drop of Water; as the rich Man, Luk. 16.23, 24. And in Hell he lift up his Eyes being in Torment; and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his Bo­som: And he criedand said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his Finger in Water and cool my Tongue, for I am tormented in this Flame. What Ada­mantine Heart would not bleed at such a Sight and Sound! Now what is acted invisibly every Day is indeed more amazingly dreadful, if we could realize it: For, what ever the Body could suffer in these material Flames, the suffering of immortal Souls must needs be greater; and Souls are dragg'd to Hell by Multitudes, of all Nations every Day: As the Soul (we know by Experience) can taste much higher Delight [Page 32]in God, than the Body can enjoy in the sweetest Pleasures of Sense; so why should not the Soul be capable of suffering more bitter Torments than can be inflicted on the Body? The Spirit of a Man (saith the sacred Text) will sustain his Infirmities; (i. e. bodily Infirmities; as holy Martyrs have sung for Joy at the Stake) but a wounded Spirit who can bear? Who knows the Power of thy Anger? According to thy Fear, so is thy Wrath. The Heart of Man is not capable of apprehending such Terrors as God can inflict: While I suffer thy Terrors, I am distracted, said a holy Man under Apprehensions of divine Wrath. What would the Damned then say, if they could speak out all they feel under the immediate Im­pressions of Fury incensed to the uttermost, with­out the least allay of so much as sparing Mercy? — And, as for the Body if there shall be no ma­terial Fire in Hell to burn it; if those inexpres­sible Torments are only shadowed out by flaming Brimstone because this is most dreadful to Sense; as the Glory of Heaven is metaphorically set forth by eating Bread and Drinking Wine, Feasting, Singing, and Nuptial Joys; then it will follow, that the Torments of the Damned will be un­speakably greater than it could be to lie frying in the hottest Fire, World without End, — As the Joys of Heaven are above the Joys of Marriage, Victory, Feasting and Harvest; and that glorious City of God above more beautiful, rich and magnificent than such an one as John saw, Rev. 21. A City of pure Gold, like clear Glass; the Walls of Jasper; the Foun­dations garnished with all manner of precious [Page 33]Stones; the twelve Gates of entire Pearls: hav­ing a pure River running through the City clear as Chrystal; and in the midst of the Street of it, (which also was paved with Gold as it were transparent Glass) and on either side the River was there the Tree of Lise, which bare twelve manner of Fruits, and yielded her Fruit every Month; and the Leaves of the Tree were for the healing of the Nations: So, why may not the Torments of Hell as far exceed those of a material Lake of Fire, as Heaven shall transcend the Beauty and Glory of such a City? Especial­ly if we consider how God will set himself to glorify his Power as well as Justice on the Dam­ned for ever, Rom 9.22.2 Thes. 1.9. Now if we can't bear the Top of a Finger, for a few Minutes, in the Flame of a Candle, much less an Hand or Foot in a fiery Oven; what will it be to be swallowed up in a flaming Lake of the most terrible, raging Fire? Sure they can have no Rest, Day nor Night, the Smoke of whose Torment ascends for ever and ever. But, as I said, it is the Suffering of the Soul, the immortal Soul of the Damned Sinner, that is (as one ex­presses it) the very Soul of his Sufferings: God's Fury shall be poured out like Fire on the naked Soul, lying open to the heavy Strokes of his mighty Arm; that almighty Arm that made the World, stretched forth the Heavens as a Curtain, and weighs the Mountains in Scales; what heavy Blows can such an Arm strike! Oh! it must needs be a fearful Thing to fall into the Hand of the living God! Tis dreadful, to fall into the Paws of tearing Lions and Bears robbed of their [Page 34]Whelps; the Hands of wicked Men and cursed Devils; but all is nothing to the Wrath of the Almighty; when his abused Mercy shall all turn into Fury and fiery Indignation: So that the Generation of his Wrath must endure intolerable Pains, without the least Intermission or Mitiga­tion: It will be impossible for them to divert their Tho'ts for so much as one poor Moment, for Millions of Millions of Ages, from the most do­lorous Subject of their Wo and Misery. If they could slumber a few Minutes, or sleep one wink in all that eternal Night, so as but to Dream of present Ease or a future End of their Torments, it might seem to yield some shadow of Relief: but neither can that be; nor shall they ever have a Friend in Heaven or Hell, to speak half a Word of Comfort in their Ears: If the Rich Man had not had his good Things to the very last Dropt, in this World, he had not been denied the cold Comfort of a little Water to cool the tip of his Tongue, in Hell's Flame.

Moreover, The Damned shall then know as­suredly (tho' they now reason to the contrary) that their Destruction is of themselves: it shall be evident to them, that all this intolerable, reme­diless interminable Misery is the Fruit of their own wilful Folly: Could they but think and be preswaded in themselves, that the Decree of God had forced them to Sin, they might fancy some Relief in such a blasphemous Thought; but the whole weight of Guilt will lie and bear on their own Consciences; (of which more in the Second Doctrine) Indeed they shall be forced to bear the just Demerit of their Sins; which is the last Pro­position under this First Doctrine.

[Page 35] PROP. IV. This dreadful Separation shall be forc­ed on the Wicked, sore against their Wills. They shall be thrust out! When Persons voluntarily forsake, or fairly take leave of their Company, and walk out of Doors, they are not said to be thrust out: But these shall be turned out by Force and driven away. Not that they shall now be­gin to love the Lord Jesus Christ, and such as he is not ashamed to call his Brethren: 'Tis not from any spiritual Affection to holy Persons or Employments, that they shall be averse to this Separation and Exclusion; but altogether from Self-Love and the dread of Hell-Fire, enkind­led by divine Anger, which who knows the Power of? According to his Fear so is his Wrath. This will force the foolish Virgins to cry, Lord, Lord, open to us, Mat. 25.11. And the Guests that come too late, Luk. 13.25. to make the same exceeding bitter and fruitless Cry. And if they turn to the Rocks and Mountains, (Rev. 6.15, 16, 17.) They will also be deaf to their Request. Their Sentence is dreadful, (Mat 25.41. Go ye Cursed into Everlasting Fire, prepared for the Devil and his Angels;) but hear it they must: and Execution must be done, as sure as ever the Sentence is pronounced: These shall go away into Everlasting Punishment, ver. 46. The Wicked shall be turned into Hell; and all the Nations that forget God, Psal. 9.17. They shall be bound Hand and Foot, and cast into Outer Darkness, Mat. 22.13. They loved the Com­pany of the Saints on Earth only with a carnal Affection or Liking, and for Self-Ends; and now at last, they can no more delight in perfect Holi­ness [Page 36]then they could in their imperfect Sancti­fication on Earth, not being renewed and made holy themselves: So that Heaven it self would be an uneasy Place to them, if such defiled ones could be admitted into the holy City: and to keep an eternal Sabbath in nothing but holy Exercises (for carnal Professors, who seem to rejoyce in Hopes of going to Heaven, have very gross and wrong Conceptions of the Nature of its Glory and Happiness) must needs be tiresome to such as say of the short Intervals of holy Time, When will they be over and gone, that we may be in (our Element) the Employments and En­joyments of the World again? Amos 8.5. And of every holy Service, Behold, what a Weariness is it? Mal 1.13. Yet for an unholy Heart (that hates God, and can never love any that have the Image of Christ, as such) to be confin­ed with an holy Society, and to heavenly Ex­ercises, tho' it be far less desirable to such an one, than an earthly Paradise; yet is it more tole­rable than to lie down in Sorrow, and dwell with everlasting Burnings. Thus the Separation that shallbe made another Day between Saints and Hypocrites, shall be forced on the Reprobates, sore against their Will. And thus we have finish­ed the Doctrinal Part of the First Point.

DOCTRINE II. That the Damned in Hell shall have such Apprehen­sions of the Saints Happiness in Heaven, as will dreadfully Aggravate their own eternal Misery.

[Page 37] It's true, the revelation of Heaven's Glory does little affect christless Sinners now, because of their great Darkness and Infidelity. As the ungospel­lized World know nothing of the holy City; so all unconverted Christians are great Strangers to that future, glorious State. Carnal Professors may speak much about Heaven; and Men of Learn­ing write whole Volumns concerning the State of the Blessed in the other World; but they know nothing experimentally of the matter as holy Souls do. A Day in God's Courts, or one Hour's Com­munion with Christ at his Table; Yea, a quarter of an Hour's Fellowship of the Spirit, in Closet Prayer, or Evening Meditation, does give the most illiterate true Believer to understand more of Heaven, than many Years study of the acutest Doctor, from whose carnal Wisdom these Things are hid.

Holy Mr. Flavel profess'd, that he knew more of the Life of Heaven, by the ravishing Foretastes he had of Glory, in one solitary Journey in the way of divine Meditation, than ever he learned by all the Books he had read, and Discourses he had entertained about it.

Heaven consists mainly in the satisfaction of holy Desires and Longings, which the unsanctified know nothing of. They may think it a good Thing, and great, to be equal to Angels, in Ho­nours and Delights; To be free from Pain, Want, Labour, Care and Fear; and to be filled with Joy; but what that Joy is, they apprehend not; and the Nature and Taste of the Water of Life, they are wholly Strangers to: 1 Cor. 2.14. But the natural Man receiveth not the Things of the [Page 38]Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; neither can be know them, because they are spiritually dis­cerned. Yea, even gracious Souls (the best of them all) see now but through a Glass darkly; and the most have but small Sips: — If so be ye have Tasted, — 1 Pet. 2.3. It does not yet appear, to the high raised Apprehension of the most heavenly Christian, what he shall be. 1 Joh. 3.2 Beloved, now are we the Sons of God; and it does not yet appear what we shall be. How in­seriour then must the Apprehensions of Repro­bates (whose Eyes the God of this World hath blinded) needs be, of the Happiness of glorifyed Saints; if they would allow themselves Time to think on such a Subject: But no sooner shall their bodily Eyes be closed, than those of their Mind shall be fully opened, to take a clear View of their own Misery, and to apprehend very much of the Saints Felicity.

More Particularly: First, The Damned in Hell have the fullest. Knowledge that can be, by Sense and Experience, of that Evil which the Saints are delivered from. Now herein consists a great Part of the Saints Happiness in Heaven: for if there be Pain of Loss as well as Sense in the Damned, there must be a proportionable Joy of Deliverance, as well as Fruition, in the Saved. A very great Part, no doubt, of the ravishing Joy and Extasies of Love, that, the glorifyed are transported with, arises from the Consideration of what they are perfectly and for ever saved from; even the Pains of Hell, and the Blasphemies of the Dam­ned; some Taste of which they had under the [Page 39]Spirit of Bondage, and from Satan's fiery Darts; (yea, and out of their own Hearts also have proceeded Blasphemies;) and more is understood of the Power of God's Anger, in the State of perfect Knowledge; yet there can be no humane Knowledge like that of Experience: The Dam­ned have reason to know what a Felicity it would be to be saved from Wrath; and are now con­vinced, by most cogent Arguments, that Heaven, considered only as it is described, Rev. 21.4. And God shall wipe away all Tears from their Eyes; and there shall be no more Death, neither Sorrow, nor Crying; neither shall there be any more Pain; it was well worth the seeking. Thus the Dam­ned must needs have most large and quick Ap­prehensions of one Part of the Saints Happiness in Heaven. As the saved best know, what lost Souls have lost with their Souls; so, on the con­trary, as was said.

Secondly, The Damned will for ever remem­ber what they shall have seen and heard, of the beginning of the Saints Happiness, after the Re­surrection, before their final Separation. With what beautiful, shining, glorious Bodies they are raised: what Joy appears in their Countenance: how congratulated by Angels and Fellow Saints: what dear Love Christ expresses to them; and what Honour he does visibly and openly put upon them; while they are caught up in the Clouds, to meet the Lord in the Air, and to sit at his right Hand, as Assessors in Judgment 1 Thes. 4.17. 2 Cor. 6.2, 3. And they shall hear all their Graces and Duties, of active and passive O­bedience, especially their Alms-Deeds, honour­ably [Page 40]and particularly mentioned, to a Cup of cold Water, given to any out of christian, brotherly Love: all their Care and Diligence to please GOD, and honour Christ in the World, and do Good in their Generatian; every Prayer that they have made in secret Corners; all their hear­ty Sighs and Groans under the Burden of Sin; and inward Desires and Longings after, and Delight in Christ, Sabbaths, Ordinances, and Christian Conference, shall be mentioned before the World: And then shall the King say to them on his right Hand, Come ye blessed of my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you before the Foundation of the World: and all in the hearing of wretched Cast-aways, that their Judgment may be the more clear, and their Condemnation the more aggravated: For the perfect remem­brance of so much of the happy, glorious State and Case of the Saints, at the last Day, as they have been made to see and know, before their entrance into Blackness of Darkness, shall remain with them for ever, to help keep alive a Sense of what they have lost, by their Folly and Unbelief.

And then, Thirdly; Their Understandings will be greatly inlarged to take in, who can tell what Ideas of Heaven's Glory, and the Saints Felicity, for their own endless Vexation. If the Unsanctified may, by common Illumination, know something of the Powers of the World to come, here, Heb. 6.5. Hereafter (though they shall taste nothing of the Goodness of God's Word past, yet) they shall know more of the World then come, unspeaka­bly more than now can enter into their Hears to [Page 41]conceive. As their Bodies shall be strengthned to endure the hottest Fire of God's burning Wrath, without consuming a jot; so their Ap­prehensions may be proportionably inlarged, a­bove what they now can reach unto; and their Memories may be strengthned to recal and retain every aggravating Circumstance of all their Sin on Earth, Luk. 16.25. Son Remember,—

We know that Thought and Consideration is essential to the humane Nature; and it is known, by universal Experience, that by this natural Power of the Soul, we are able to bring Things out of Sight, and at the greatest Distance; yea, Things past or future, and purely spiritual too (as well, though not so easily as the Objects of Sense) into plain View as it were before our Eyes; or as if such Things were sounding in our Ears. Thus, when a Man is on a desolate Island at Sea, or close Prisoner in a strange Land; how sensibly does he represent to himself the happy Freedom of others, in their own beloved Coun­try, commodious Habitations, with Meat and Drink to the full, and change of Raiment; warm Beds; their Wives with them, and Children a­bout them; while himself is destitute of all these Comforts; and this makes his Iron Fetters to eat into his very Soul: how much more in the Case before us, in which not only is the dis­proportion a million Times greater, but the Capa­city also of apprehending, comparing, &c. shall be inconceiveably inlarged; and the Damned, as was said, have nothing to divert them from a con­stant, deep and fixed Meditation on this very Subject.

[Page 42] It remains yet to be considered, more distinct­ly, how these Apprehensions of the Damned in Hell, concerning the Saints Happiness in Heaven, shall aggravate their own eternal Misery. That their Misery shall be Eternal is evident from many plain Scriptures, that have been already mentioned; and it must of necessity be so, for in Hell God will not punish them less than their Iniquities deserve, which are infinite, in regard of the Object against whom they are committed: Now it being impossible that a finite Creature should, in the longest space of Time, make full Satisfaction to an infinite GOD, (as Christ, who was an infinite Person, did for the Elect) there­fore their Punishment must be infinite in Dura­tion: besides, the earnest Wish, and hearty De­sire of every Bond-slave of Satan is, that he might live for ever on Earth, in Health, Honour and Prosperity, that so he might fulfil the Desires of the Flesh and the Mind, (i. e. that he might Sin) for ever. So that there is a Sort of Infinite­ness in the Evil of Sin: Nothing indeed, if we speak absolutely, can be infinitely Evil: there is but one Infinite, and he is infinitely Good: Yet, Reprobates are as it were guilty of an infinite Evil; both as Sin is contrary to the Nature, Will and Honour of a Being, infinite in Great­ness and Goodness, Equity and Holiness; and also, in that there is a Disposition to Sin, in such as are not changed, that will never cease; but if the Sinner were under a I aw to Eternity, he would be a Transgressor to Eternity; if God should heap Mercies on him to Eternity, he would abuse them to Eternity. Now the least [Page 43]Degree of Torment, to last for ever, is horrible to think of! Such as never had sufficient Means of Salvation; that never once rebelled against the Light of the Gospel, though (dying Christ­less) their Punishment will be more tolerable than ours if we die in Unbelief; yet to lie in the softest Fire for ever, how Dismal! Yea, if it were but to undergo the grievous Pain of a Tooth, for ever and for ever, it would tire out the long­est Patience! But now, when all the bitter, bit­ing, stinging Ingredients imaginable, and far beyond conceit, shall be com-mixed in the Cup of divine Wrath, for the Gospel-Sinner to drink off: what Tongue can express, or Heart con­ceive one thousand millionth Part of their pain­ful Anguish! If we could suppose that all the Angels had fallen, and all the Race of Adam had perished remedilesly; so that there had been no Abraham's Bosom, nor Lazarus to have lien in it; no glorified Saint or Angel, with whose Happiness to have compared our Misery; yet eternal Damnation would have made every Fugi­tive from God to cry out, My Punishment is greater than I can bear! But they are not Suppo­sitions, they are Realities that we have to do with: and the Aggravation of the Misery of some, arising from their Apprehension of the Happiness of others, their Fellow-Creatures, and once Fellow-Sinners, may be considered, first, more Generally, as it concerns all the Damned; and then more Particularly, as it concerneth such as perish from under the Gospel.

[Page 44] I. More Generally.

The Gentile Nations that perished (by Thou­sands and Millions) for lack of Vision, for so ma­ny Ages, while God (in a way of New-Covenant Mercy) knew only the Jewish Nation, the Seed of Abraham; giving his Word to Jacob, his Statutes and Judgments to Israel: All these Nations (I say) whom God suffered to walk in their own Ways, will be inraged with self-tormenting Madness, that the Lord should send all his Servants the Prophets unto Jacob whom he loved, and make his Word in their Mouth, effectual to the Conversion and Salvation of so many Thousands of them; while these Sinners of the Gentiles could not hear for want of a Preacher, Rom. 10.14. And the Ungospellized Nations, now since Christ came and brake down the Partition Wall between Jews and Gentiles, will have the same bitter Pill to chew, while they consider how that some in all Ages, of one Na­tion or other, and some of all Nations, in one Age or other, are redeemed and saved; this will make them lament and blaspheme, that the Gospel was not sent to their Nation, and in their Day on Earth. Now to take the whole World of Reprobates together, in what ever Age or Nation they lived, that perish either for lack of Vision, or for rebelling against the Light of Na­ture and Scripture both; we may a little consi­der, in a more general Way, how it will vex and torment all the Damned, while they view and survey in their Heaven-piercing Thoughts, the Place and State of the Glorified; and consider,

[Page 45] 1. That there was a possibility of their having been all happy, as well as they that are so, or instead of them; there being nothing in the Nature of God or Man against it. Indeed, the Purposes of God are unalterable; it being im­possible that he should see any manner of Cause or Reason, in Time, to change his Mind, which he saw not perfectly from Eternity to have hindered his purposing any Thing but what he should resolvedly bring to pass, in its Season: and in this respect, its impossible that any one Thing in the World should be any otherwise than it is, has been, and shall be: and on the other Hand, 'tis, in it self, a Thing possible with God to turn the Devils into holy Angels again; and doubtless the eternal remembrance of what they once were, and what their then Fellow-Servants now unchangeably are, does double their own Torment and Vexation; as well as Christ's tak­ing on him, not the angelical but human Nature. But now the Case is different with Men; they were all alike ruined in the first Adam; and alike capable of recovery by the second: so that Thousands of Millions will say, in Hell (and vex themselves for ever with such fruitless Wishes) Oh! That the Gospel of Salvation had been sent to us: Oh! That we had but heard the joyful Sound: Oh! That we had lived in such Times and Places as were blessed with Sab­baths, Ministers and Bibles. And ten thousand Times ten Thousand, Oh! That the Gospel had been made effectual to us: But more of this afterwards.

[Page 46] 2. There are the same natural and vehement Desires, and Thirstings of Soul after Happiness in them that are saved and in them that perish. By Nature they are both alike capable of, and the one as well as the other eager in pursuing after Happiness: Only this is the Happiness of the Elect; when God is effectually calling such as he had Fore-known and Predestinated, he opens their Eyes and causes them to see and know that Happiness does not lie in the Pleasures, Profits and Honours of the World that now is, where they have been climbing high, digging deep, and turning every Stone, in search of this Treasure; till the Spirit of Grace and Truth conducts them into the Field where it lies hid from all natural Men, who are yet solicitously inquisitive after the chiefest Good of the rational Creature; Psal. 4, 6, 7. Many there be that say, Who will shew us any Good? Lord, life thou up the Light of thy Countenance upon us: Thou hast put, gladness in my Heart, more than in the time that their Corn and their Wine increased. Corn is our natural Life and Strength; Wine is the joy of Man's Heart: The former one of the most necessary, the latter one of the most excellent Products of the Earth; yet both, together with all overflowing abundance of Milk and Honey, Silver and Gold, make up but an empty and transient Felicity for an immortal Spirit. Where is the Blessedness you spake of? May the deceiv­ed Worldling say to himself, on his Bed on Sor­row, when the Night of Death has overtaken him: (for when his Sparks of worldly Wisdom and Wealth, or legal Righteousness are gone out, [Page 47]he must lie down in Sorrow; the Mouth of the Lord hath spoken it; this shall ye have of mine Hand, Isa. 50.11) Hadst thou not an Under­standing to distinguish between Light and Dark­ness; a Will to chuse the Good and refuse the Evil; Affections to embrace a suitable, satisfy­ing, immortal Good; an hungry Soul panting after some living Spring, and boundless Ocean, to fill its immense Desires? And couldest thou find nothing but Husks and Dust of the Earth, the Swine and Serpents Meat, to feed upon? Who knows the Power that these Self-reflections will have, to Torment undone Reprobates of all Times and Places, Nations and Generations, from first to last? They were naturally alike capable of eternal Felicity with others; and had the same vehement, incessant Desires to be Hap­py: Yea, this Capacity, and these Desires too will remain with them for ever, to increase their Torment: For though we can't Hope for a Good we know unattainable, yet we may Desire it.

3. The Truth in Hand, thus generally consi­dered, is further evident from our own Experi­ence, in the trifles of this vain World and mo­mentany Life. The Trouble and Vexation of proud, discontented Folks under their Afflictions and Crosses; Poverty, and low, despicable Cir­cunstances is more than doubled by the conside­ration of the Riches and Prosperity, Ease and Preferment of others, whom they envy. If none were above them they would not think them­selves low, though on the same level they now are. Rachel's want of Children had been a tolerable Evil, if Leah also and the Handmaids [Page 48]had been Barren. The Principle from which we are most strongly inclined, thus to rub our Sores with Salt and Vinegar, is rooted in our very Nature: We see the Fruits of it in our Children, when they are very little, and as they grow up: How discontented is one little One in the Family with his old Coat, when his Brother first puts on a new one; though he made no com­plaint before: if we give but an Apple to one he rejoyces, but then give two unto another and the first will think he has less than none, unless he may be made equal with his Mate. The elder brother in the Parable nurmurs, because the younger is so joyfully received and entertained. The Case of Josepb and his Brethren serves fur­ther to illustrate and comfirm the Matter: You know how to apply it.

II. We come now, more particularly to con­sider the inexpressible Vexation and Anguish of Gospel-Sinners in Hell; unconceivably aggra­vated from the clear and large Apprehensions they shall have of the Saints Happiness in Hea­ven. We know that the Essence of Damnation, of the Torments of Hell, does consist in the Sin­ners Separation from the infinitely glorious JEHOVAH, the only satisfying Portion of the immortal, heaven-born Soul; and the immediate Impressions of his Wrath, who is a consuming Fire: The loss of the Society both of Saints and Angels is small to this, if we consider them as separable. And on the other Hand, All that the Legions of Devils could do against us were, in comparison of falling into the Hands of the [Page 49]living GOD, less than the trouble of a few Mos­chetto's, to being cast into a Den of hungry Lions: However, to think of sitting down with Abraham, &c. in the Kingdom of God is a com­fortable Thought, to his natural or spiritual Chil­dren; and to be separated from godly Friends and Neighbours, and for ever excluded the Place of their eternal Abode, will be tormenting. Ah! to left up their Eyes being in Torment and see so many Thousands of all Nations, Kindreds, People and Tongues, standing before the Throne, and before the Lamb, cloathed with Robes, made White in his Blood, with Palms in their Hands, Crowns on their Heads, and fulness of Joy in their Hearts; serving God Day and Night (where indeed there is no Night) in his Temple, where he that sits on the Throne shall dwell among them; and the Lamb, who is in the midst of the Throne shall feed them, and lead them to living Fountains of Water; where God shall wipe away all Tears from their Eyes; this Sight of the Eye will affect and afflict, pierce and rend the Hearts of the Damned; especially such as perish from under the Gospel: For, Consider;

1. They were not only as capable of enjoying &c but all this was offered to them, as well and as much as unto them who accepted the Offer; Mark. 16.15, 16. Go Preach the Gospel, to every Creature: He that believeth and is baptized shall be Saved. Heb. 4.2. For unto us was the Gospel preached as well as unto them; but the Word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with Faith in them that heard it. Luk. 14.16, 17. A certain Man made a great Supper, and bade many; [Page 50]and sent his Servants at Supper time to say unto them who were bidden, Come, for all things are ready. Isa. 55.1, 2. Ho, every one that thirst­eth, come to the Waters; and he that hath no Mo­ney, come, buy Wine and Milk, without Money and without Price. Joh. 7.37. In the last Day, that great Day of the Feast, Jesus stood and cried, say­ing, If any Man Thirst, let him come to me and Drink. Joh. 6.37. Him that comes to me, I will in no wise cast out. Rev. 3.20. Behold, I stand at the Door and knock; if any Man hear my Voice and open the Door, I will come in to him, and sup with him, and he with me.

To set down all the Offers and Tenders of Grace and Mercy, that God is freely making to all Sorts of Sinners under the Gospel (one only ex­cepted) would be to transcribe a great Part of the Bible: That most liberal Offer, Rev. 22.17. deserves a peculiar Remark; And the Spirit and the Bride say, Come: And let him that heareth, say, Come: And let him that is athirst, come: and whosoever WILL, let him take the Water of Life freely. In this, almost the last and sweetest In­vitation in the holy Book, we may observe several Things.

• [1.] The Thing offered is Grace and Glory: The Water of Life is used in both Senses, Joh. 4.10 Rev. 7.17. And they are inseparably linked together, Psal. 84.11. Rom. 8.30. All that God effectually calls by his Grace, he will bring infallibly to Glory.
• [2] This Offer is made to all that hear the Gospel, without Exception: 'Tis not made to young Sinners in their Prime, excluding the an­cient [Page 51]and gray-headed: not to the Wise and Learned, excluding the Weak and Ignorant; nor to the well educated Children of godly Pa­rents, who are outwardly Sober and Honest, ex­cluding the Profane and abominably Wicked: Not only to such as have never yet quenched the Spirit; but to them also who have always resisted the Holy Ghost: (Forty Years long was I grieved, &c.) Not to these and those only; but to one and all universally: Whosoever will let him come. And then;
• [3.] The Condition is only a willingness to accept the Offer; Whosoever will; which is not an antecedent willingness to our actual coming; as if none were concerned in this Offer, but such as the Tenders of Grace do find ready bent to accept of Life; but the Offer is made to such as have a Will not to come to Christ for Life: Life is set and held before our Eyes; and if, at any time, we like the free offer of Grace and Glory, on no other Condition but our acceptance, tis freely ours; if we desire to have it without buying, we may have it for asking; yea, we may have it for taking. When Christ says, If any Man thirst; let him come, Joh. 7.37. The slothful, or desponding Sinner says within him­self, That is not for me; for I do not Thirst: but this Clause added to the former in the text under Consideration, Let him that is athirst come; and who soever will let him take the Water of Lise freely, leaves the Unbeliever speechless: for what will the Sinner say, I am not willing to be con­verted and saved, made holy and happy, in God's Way? What Pity then can you expect, while you thus wilfully perish?

[Page 52] As if a Malefactor at the Foot of the Ladder, should refuse such an offer as this from the Mouth, or under the Hand and Seal of his gracious Prince and Judge; Condemned and hopeless Rebel! If thou wilt fall down on thy Knees and accept this free and full Pardon, thy Sentence is revoked, thy Treason forgiven, and thy Estate and Honour with thy Life shall be restored; nor must this Clause of necessity come in, if thou canst give Security for thy good Behaviour and [...] Loyalty: For Christ says, If you are but willing to take me for your Lord and King as well as Priest and Prophet, I will give you a loyal Heart; I shall stand bound for your good Behaviour, Jer. 32.40. I will make an everlasting Covenant with you, that I will not turn away from you to do you Good; but I will put my Fear into their Hearts, that they shall not depart from me. Of them that thou gavest me, have I lost none, Joh. 18.9.

Gospel Sinners in Hell do know to their Cost, even to Killing Vexation and raging Madness with themselves, that what I have now laid down from the Scripture is true; and that they are Damned for ever because they were not willing to be eternally Happy; and purged and sanctified in order there unto: Jer. 13.27. O Jerusalem, wilt thou not be made clean? When shalt it once he? Luk. 13.34. O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killest the Prophets, and stonest them that were sent unto thee: how often would I have gathered thy Children together, as a Hen doth gather her brood under her Wings; and ye would not?

Ohject. But will it be no extenuation of their eternal Vexation (the fruit of their wilful Folly) [Page 53]for the Damned to remember that they have read and heard such Texis as these, Joh. 6.37.44. All that the Father giveth me shall come to me. No Man can come to me, except the Father, which hath sent me, draw him. So, ver. 64, 65. Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not, and who should betray him. And be said, there­fore said I unto you, that no Man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father. Act. 13.48. As many as were ordained to eternal Life believed. Joh. 10.26. Ye believe not, because ye are not of my Sheep. Rom. 11.7. The Election hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded. Infer­ring from these, and such like Scriptures, that because God never exerted his Almighty Power, to draw them to Christ, it was impossible they should, by any Power of their own believe unto the saving of their Souls, Eph. 1.19, 20. And because they were not of the Number given to Jesus Christ, therefore (may they say) Christ had no Warrant to save them; Joh. 17.2. As thou hast given him Power over all Flesh, that he should give eternal Life to as many as thou hast given him. Joh. 12.39.40 Therefore they could not be­live, because that Esaias said again, He hath blinded their Eyes, & hardned their Hearts, that they should not see with their Eyes, nor understand with their Heart, and be converted, and 1 should heal them.

Answ. Such Thoughts as these will afford them no relief at all: As it did not excuse their Sin in not believing, so it will not extenuate their Punish­ment. This will be evident if we consider a few things.

• [Page 54](1.) That the Heathen, who never had any Gospel Offers, are left without Excuse; Rom. 1.18,—For the Wrath of God is revealed from Hea­ven, against all ungod [...] [...] unrighteousness of Men, who hold the Truth in Unrighteousness: Be­cause that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them: For the invisible Things of him from the creation of the World, are clearly seen, being understood by the Things that are made; even his eternal Power and God-head; so that they are without excuse: because that when they knew God, they glorified him not, &c. Their not knowing God-Man, the Mediator, (who was the Hope of Israel, and the Saviour thereof) did no ways excuse them for their (so vilely) dishonouring God the Creator, ver. 22, 23. And worshipping and serving the Creature, in his stead, ver 25. Now if they concerning whom it is said, how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard, are yet without excuse; and must bear the Wrath of God for ever, because they did not the Good they knew, and did Evil against the Light of Nature; how speechless then will Jerusalem Sinners be; such as have lived in Chorazin and Bethsaida; and with Capernaum, have been lifted up to Heaven? Mat. 11.20—Wo unto thee Chorazin, &c. Surely the Heathen may speak it after Christ, and say, If we had had your Sabbaths, Ministers, Bibles, and Ordinances; we would never have slighted such precious Priviledges; Ezek 3.5, 6, —Surely, had I sent thee to them, they would have hearkened unto thee.

  [Page 55] But,

• (2.) We find no relief in like Cases, of a tem­poral Nature, by this way of arguing. As now, Suppose a Man should first drown his Conscience and Reason in Strong Liquor; and then, coming home at midnight, should in his drunken Fit, set Fire to his House, where his Wife and Children are in Bed and asleep, and burn them all alive; would it afford such a mad Fool any relief, when laid in Irons, or bound to the Stake, to think that he had only done (as'tis said of Herod, and Pontius Pilate; the Jews and Gentiles) what God's Hand and Counsel determined before to be done, Act. 4.27, 28. Or, Suppose a Num­ber of Men to run themselves deeply in Debt, and having nothing to pay, they are to be fold for Slaves; but before the Time comes for their being Shipp'd off, the Creditor has compassion on them, and sends to the Prison, a faithful Servant or beloved Son, to make them all this gracious offer, That if they will own the Debt, and but say they would gladly discharge it if they were able, his Father or Master will frankly for give all that they owe, and give it under his Hand and Seal for present Security, till, in a short Time, they shall not only be delivered out of Prison, but put in a sure way to live at Ease and to the Full, in Wealth and Honour, more than Heart could wish: Now, if one and ano­ther should thankfully embrace the offer; but the biggest Part are of another Mind; they either deny or lessen the Debt, discredit or slight this good News; and even scorn to be beholding to the Compassionate Creditor; till his abused [Page 56]Clemency turn into pitiless Fury; the Proud ungrateful Debtors are sold, that Payment may be made: How would it vex them, now, in the House of Bondage to consider, how faitly they were offered, and how foolishly they refused offered Mercy; notwithstanding the Decrees of God are every whit as much concerned in deter­mining, and his Providence in bringing about all these temporal Thing, which concern the Chil­dren of Men in this World, as in Things relating to our Souls, and the future, everlasting State: And if Men have no relief here in temporal Dis­tresses, and bodily Miseries, which they wilfully bring upon themselves, by their own foolish mad­ness, from the consideration of God's unalterable Decrees; how should the Damned then mitigate their Sorrows by any such Reflections? It can never be; as will further appear if we consider,
• (3.) That the Decrees of God do not force Men to Sin; nor by any forcible restraint keep them back from their Duty. Hence'tis said in the forementioned Case of our Lord's Crucifixion, Act. 2.23. Him being delivered, by the determinate Counsel and Fore-Knowledge of God, ye have taken, and with wicked Hands have crucified the Lord of Life and Glory They put Christ to Death just according to the Purpose of him who worketh all Things after the counsel of his own Will; and exactly according to the Scriptures, that could not be broken; yet they did it with wicked Hands. And even Judas, the most wicked of them all (Joh. 19.11. He that delivered me to thee hath the greater Sin) that were conerned in Christ's Death, does fulfil the Scripture and God's [Page 57]Decree, Act. 11.16. Men and Brethren; This Scripture must needs have been fulfilled, which the holy Ghost, by the Mouth of David, spake before, concerning Judas, which was Guide to them that took Jesus; compared with Act. 4.27, 28. Yet, if you consider the Account that the same Spirit of Truth gives of the Matter, by Matthew, in Chap. 26.14, 15, 16. Then one of the Twelve, cal­led Judas Iscariot, went unto the chief Priests, and said unto them, What will ye give me, and I will deliver him unto you? And they convenanted with him for thirty Peices of Silver; and from that time be sought Opportunity to betray him. Behold, and see if there be any force put on Judas, by the Decree of God! Behold, how voluntary and deliberate he is in this cursed Action! He was not sent for, but went to the high Priests: They put him not at all upon the hellish Treason, before he begs the Office of a Traitor; What will you give me, and I will deliver him unto you? And having made his self-undoing Bargain, 'tis said, he sought Opportunity to betray him.

Neither do the Decrees of God, his determinate Counsel and Fore-knowledge hinder any Man from doing his Duty; Jer. 7.27. Thoushalt speak, &c. but they will not hearken unto thee, And why? Be­cause they walk in the Counsel and Imagination of their own evil Heart: As ver. 24. So Ezek. 34, — Son of Man, Go, get thee to the House of Israel; and speak, with my Words unto them. But the House of Israel will not hearken unto thee; for they will not hearken unto me: (And why) Be­cause all the House of Israel are Impudent and hard hearted, ver. 7. God indeed knows that many [Page 58]will die in their Sins, for want of Faith in Christ; but he knows also that it is not so much because they cannot believe, as because they will not come to Christ that they might have Life. How evident then is it to all, but such as wilfully shut their own Eyes, how little relief it can be to the Damned for them to think in the Flames of To­phet, That God did from all Eternity Decree to leave them to their own Choice; and then to punish them for their wilful Unbelief and Im­penitency.

Thus much for the first Confideration, viz. That Gospel, Impenitent Sinners, not only have a Capacity of being Happy; but Grace and Glory were freely offered them, as well and as much as to others; but they wilfully rejected the Offer; yea tho' they were frequently and earnest­ly intreated to accept the same; and had all manner of Arguments used with them, to per­swade them to turn and live: which may be distincty considered, as another Evidence of the doctrinal Truth, now under Consideration.

2. The Damned in Hell shall have their Hell-Fire inflamed and inraged, while they will for ever remember, how perfectly Happy the glorifi­ed Saints are, in accepting those very Offers they themselves refused; yea after very frequent and most importunate Intreaties that they would ac­cept of Life and Immortality, brought to Light by the Gospel. It will ever be fresh in their Minds, how the Ambassadors of Christ have pleaded with them: begging, as if it had been a Starving Beggar, pleading for an Alms; or a condemned Man, begging for his Life, that they [Page 59]would think on their Ways; consider their lat­ter End; prize and improve all Seasons of Grace; seek the Lord, in Season and in Earnest; Make much of Time, even the Minutes of pre­cious, fleeting Time; giving all Diligence to make their Calling and Election sure; working out their own Salvation, with Fear and Tremb­ling; striving to enter in at the strait Gate; and taking the Kingdom of Heaven by Force; 2 Cor. 5.20. Now then, we are Ambassadors for Christ; a though God did beseech you by us; we pray you in Christ's Stead be ye reconciled to God.

They will remember how often such Scrip­tures as these were repeated in their Ears; O that my People were Wise, that they understood this; that they would consider their latter End. Wilt thou not be made clean; when shall it once be? Be instructed, O Jerusalem; lest my Soul depart from thee, How shall I give thee up, Ephraim? How shall I deliver thee, Judah? Turn ye, Turn ye; why will ye die, O House of Israel? As I Live, saith the Lord, I have no Pleasure in the Death of him that dieth: Turn you therefore from all your evil Ways; so Ini­quity shall not be your Ruin. Wash you; make you clean; put away the Evil of your Doings, from before mine Eyes; cease to do Evil; learn to do Well: Come now, let us reason together saith the Lord: Though your Sins are as Scar­let, they shall be as white as Snow; though they be red like Crimson, they shall be as Wool. Seek ye the Lord, while he may be found; call ye upon him while he is near: Let the Wicked forsake his Way, and the unrighteous Man his [Page 60]Tho'ts, and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have Mercy upon him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon: For my Tho'ts are not your Tho'ts, neither are your Ways my Ways, saith the Lord: For as the Heavens are higher than the Earth, so are my Ways higher than your Ways, & my Tho'ts than your Tho'ts. Ask and ye shall receive; Seek and ye shall find; Knock and it shall be opened unto you. Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you Rest. Take my Yoke upon you, and learn of me, for I am Meek and lowly in Heart; and ye shall find Rest to your Souls: For my Yoke is easy, and my Burden is light. O do not that abominable Thing which my Soul hates, saith the Lord.

These and a thousand more like Passages, which they have read and heard in Time, will a million million Times over pass through their thoughtful Minds in Hell: And they will be forced to call to Mind all the strong Reasons and powerful Ar­guments that Christ's Ministers have used with them; if possible to have gained their Consent to their own eternal Happiness, on Gospel Terms; and to have kept them back from this Place of Torment. How they have been warned with many compassionate Tears of Grief and Love, to flie from the Wrath to come; and pleaded with by all the Regards they owed to the creating Mercy & redeeming Love; God's Glory, and their own Safety & Comfort; present Peace and everlasting Rest: arguing from the necessi­ty and utility of a found Conversion and Gospel Conversation; & from the incomparable, super­lative [Page 61]Delights of Communion with God: en­treating them to have some pity on their poor, perishing Souls; and not to destroy themselves, and sell eternal Joys for an empty Song, a Blad­der full of Wind, a dry Leaf, a momentany Bubble, Vapour and Smoke, the Dream of a Shadow, less than nothing, and Vanity of Va­nities: (Such is all sinful Delight.)

It will be impossible for the Prisoners of eter­nal Darkness, who once had the Light, to forget how they were told of this bottomless Pit and burning Lake, to fright them from Sin; and how the Glory of Heaven was displayed, to allure them to Christ. All that ever they heard or read, con­cerning his transcendent Beauty, and unsearcha­ble Riches; what he had done for them, would be to them, and bring them to, if they would but have given the Consent of their Hearts to an Espousal with the Prince of the Kings of the Earth, the Heir of all Things. Moreover, all Counsels and Directions how they should seek God so as to find him; and infallibly secure an Interest in Christ; that were plainly laid down before them, in publick or private; but they had no Heart to any Thing but Sin; they could find no leasure to think on these Things in Time; and now they can't but vex their Souls to Death with the Thoughts of them to Eternity.

3. Gospel Sinners, in the Place of Torment, will remember what variety of Means God used with them, in their life Time, as well as with others that are saved: Not only by his written Word, (unfolded, applied and enforced, in many excellent Books put into their Hands) and the [Page 62]publick Ministry; (Either in a more stated Course, or Sermons that they have occasionally heard, from one Minister and another, both a­broad and at home) but by Mercies and Af­flictions also, has the Lord been seeking to reclaim and reform them, Isa. 1.2 Hear, O Heavens, and give Ear, O Earth, for the Lord hath spoken; I have nourished and brought up Chilaren, and they have rebesled against me. Jer 5.23, 24 But this People hath a revolting and rebellious Heart, they are revolted and gine: Neither say they in their Heart, let us now fear the Lord our God, who giveth Rain; both the former and the latter, in his Season: He reserveth unto us the appointed Weeks of the Harvest. Did they not know how they ought to have feared the Lord and his Goodness; of which not only the Earth was full; but God filled their Hearts with Food and Gladness: Their Life, and Health, and Limbs were precious in God's Sight: Their Houses he filled with all good Things: Their Fields and Flocks he made fruitful; and often spake to them in their Prosperity; drawing them with the Cords of a Man, with the Bands of Love: Rem. 12.1. I beseech you therefore Brethren, by the Mer­cies of God, that you present your Bodies a living Pacrifice, holy, acceptable to God; which is your reasonable Service: but they would not hear: Thus they despised the Riches of divine Good­ness, Forbearance and Long suffering, so kindly taking them by the Hand, to lead them to Re­pentance; while the Sun-Beams of Love and Bounty, instead of melting, did harden their im­penitent Hearts: and now they must pay for all in Hell I indignation and Wrath, Tribulation and [Page 63]Anguish, are but the Treasures that they had been hoarding up, all their Life long, against this Day of Wrath. If these ungrateful Wretches had never heard the Gospel; yet common-Mercy, thus shamefully abused, would have been an authentick Witness for God, against the Sinner: Act 14.17. Nevertheless, be left not him­self without Witness, in that he did Good, and gave us Rain from Heaven, and fruitful Seasons, silling our Hearis with Food and Gladness.

And then every worldly Cross and Trouble in the Flesh; all Vexations and Afflictions, where­by an Hedge of Thorns was made in all their sinful Ways; which yet their insatiable Lusts, and Head strong Passions brake through; will come in as so many Items against them: And because the Lord thus purged them, and they were not purged: but in their Affliction tres­passed yet more against the Lord, therefore his Fury shall rest on them for ever! They would neither hearken to the Voice of his Word nor Rod, Ministers, Parents, godly Neighbours, Death of Friends, narrow Escapes, recovery from Sickness, deliverance out of Captivity: and a thousand thousand more of particu­lar Intimations concerning their Duty & Interest; Warnings of their Sin and Danger, will dwell in their Thoughts, and fret their galled Consciences in Hell, World without End! Especially while they consider, how that Thousands of glorified Saints, never had such a great variety of long continued Means and Methods used with them, as themselves have had, Ezek 24.13. This is the third Aggravation of the Gospel Sinner's Dam­nation.

[Page 64] 4. They will also remember, as what variety of Means the Lord used with them, so how, by his good Spirit, he was wont to strive with them in and by the Means of Grace. How they were convinced of this and that Sin, together with the Evil and Danger of it: The Spirit of God has stood in their way of Disobedience, either with the drawn Sword of some dreadful Threatning, or else with jealous Indignation, mixed with lov­ing Compassion, beseeching the tempted Soul to forbear its darling Lust, Jer. 44.4. O do not this abominable Thing that I hate. Convicted also they have been of their neglect of that and the other Duty, which they ought to have attended and performed: And when the Wrath of God, revealed from Heaven, shall be poured out upon them, for their profaning or not calling on the Name of the Lord; then they will remember how they stifled Convictions, and held the Truth in Unrighteousness, Jer 10.25. Rom 1.18. And Oh! they will never, never forget, how the good Spirit of God has taken them by the Hand, and led them into a Corner, to confess and bewail their Sins; to cry and lament after the Lord; but they have soon quenched all these good Mo­tions, and turned again to Folly; hardned their Hearts still more and more, through the deceit­fulness of Sin; and then more obstinately resist­ing the Holy Ghost, till there was no Remedy. Gen. 6.3. 2 Chron. 36.16. Or else delaying to put their good Purposes in Execution till Death and Darkness made it too late, Joh. 9.4. The Night cometh wherein no Man can Work: And now they find and feel Blackness of Darkness, [Page 65]reserved for them for ever; because while they had the Light (not only of Scripture Revelation, but of spiritual Illumination, and Conviction) they walked not in the Light, but despised and rebelled against it, Prov. 1.23,— Turn you at my Reproof; behold, I will pour out my Spirit, &c. Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretch­ed out my Hand, and no Man regarded: But ye have set at nought all my Counsel, and would none of my Reproof; I also will laugh at your Calamity, and mick when your Fear cometh: When your Fear cometh as Desolation, and your Destruction as a Whirlwind: When Distress & Angussh cometh upon you. Oh! This is a fearful Aggravation of Sin and Punishment, that they should (not only shut their Ears against the Word, but (make their Heart as an Adamant, lest they should bear the Law; and the Words which the Lord of Hosts hath sent in his Spirit, Zech. 7.12. Therefore (as it follows there) came great Wrath from the Lord. Nothing can more incense the burning Wrath of God, than for Men to kick against his tender Bowels of Compassion and Pity. Oh! To have his loving Kindness abused; this goes to the Heart of God! Yea, it was this that alienated the Heart of God from his Covenant People of old; whom he sometimes calls the dearly beloved of his Soul. Isai. 63.7,— I will mention the Loving Kindnesses of the Lord, and the Praises of the Lord, according to all that the Lord hath bestowed on us, and the great Goodness towards the House of Israel, which he hath bestowed on them, according to his Mercies, and according to the Multitude of his Loving Kind­nesses: For he said, Surely they are my People, Chil­dren [Page 66]that will not Lie; so be was their Saviour. In all their Afflictions he was afflicted, and the An­gel of his Presence saved them: In his Love and in his Pity he redeemed them; and he bare them, and carried them all the Days of old: But they rebelled, and vexed his holy Spirit; therefore he was turned to be their Enemy, and fought against them. And be sure, whatever the Lord mentions in his Word, as an Aggravation of the Gospel Sinner's inexcu­sable Transgression and Disobedience here, shall come into his Mind, as an Aggravation of the just Recompence of his intolerable Reward here­after.

But here lies the Force of the Argument, we are upon; That as those who die in their Un­belief, had the same precious Means of Grace, that, in the Almighty Spirit's Hand, proved ef­fectual to the Salvation of others; so they had the same blessed Spirit of Grace to strive with them; but their Neck being as an Iron Sinew, and their Brow Brass, they did wickedly and wilfully oppose him. Act. 7.51. Ye stiff necked, and uncircumcised in Heart and Ears; ye do always resist the Holy Ghost And hence, what bitter weeping, doleful wailing, and outragous gnash­ing of Teeth will there be, among you Christ-despising Sinners, when you shall see your Friends and Neighbours, of the same Town & Church, in the Kingdom of God, and you your selves thrust out; for neglecting the same Means of Grace, rejecting the same Offers of Grace, and for re­sisting the same Spirit of Grace, that they wise­ly improved, thankfully accepted, and did not always resist; but sooner or later, cherish and comply with.

[Page 67] Object. It's true, we do always resst the Holy Ghost; and always shall, unless Omnipotency take away this Resistance and Enmity?

Answ. Supposing the objector to be convinced of Sin, and in some Measure humbled out of Self; a more tender Answer must be given here, than to the blasphemous Quareller, under the first Doctrine.

And,

(1) It's true, that the corrupt Hearts of Men do as naturally oppose and resist the Spirit of Grace, when he comes to convince of Sin and Righteousness, &c. as Water does quench Fire. Those that are now converted Saints upon Earth, and such as are glorified Saints in Heaven, did once resist, even as others, for a Time, yea, al­ways did they continue resisting the Holy Ghost, till irresistible Power & Grace did take away this natural Resistance, and slay this rooted Enmity of their carnal Minds against God and Christ. And even still, in the Hearts of True Converts, who have Flesh as well as Spirit, there is too much Resistance remaining. 'Tis to such as are sancti­fied, as well as others, that the Apostle speaks, when he says, 1 Thes. 5.19. Quench not the Spi­rit. Yet, this cursed Enmity of our Hearts a­gainst God, is altogether unreasonable & inex­cusable: We must not plead for it; nor by any Means seek to excuse our not submitting to God, by our Enmity against Him. This would be, as if a Traitor should plead his Hatred of his gra­cious Prince, as an Excuse for his Treason and Rebellion! Joh. 15.25. They hated me (says Christ) without a Cause.

[Page 68] (2) It's both a great Mercy and good Sign, (at least of our being in a hopeful Way for a well grounded Peace) thus far to be convinced of Sin. When we come to know the Plague of our own Hearts, and come to see the need we have of an all-wise and omnipotent Physician, this is a good Step. We have been tampering, and trying many Ways to heal our selves; and sometimes the Wound has seem'd to be skin'd over; but it breaks out again: Prayers & Tears, Reformation and Resolution won't do; we utterly despair of Relief in this Old Covenant, Self-righteous Way: And now, if it please God also to humble us at his Foot, under a Sense of our utter Unworthiness that ever soveraign Grace should lend an helping Hand, or so much as cast an Eye of Pity towards us, the preparatory Work is then wrought: The Self-condemned Sinner has nothing else to do, but to believe in him, who of God is made unto us Wisdom, Righteousness, Sanctification and Redemption.

It's true, Faith also is the Gift of God; and the Effect of his Power; even the exceeding Greatness of his mighty Power, Eph. 1.19. But when the convinced Sinner is once brought to yield himself up into the Hands of divine So­vereignty; to be disposed of at God's own, meet good Will & Pleasure; then the Work of Con­version is as good as wrought: never did any such Soul miscarry. Jam. 4.6, 7 God resisteth the Proud; but giveth Grace to the Humble: Sub­mit your selves therefore to God. Humble your selves in his Sight, and he shall lift you up, ver. 10.

But,

[Page 69] (3.) Although sinful, apostate Man can't over­come this contrariety of his Heart to the holy Nature and Will of God, nor of himself cease to oppose him, when he comes by his Spirit to destroy natural & righteous Self; and to create the Man a new in Christ Jesus to good Works; yet the poor Rebel has Power to cry unto Him that is able to subdue all Things to himself, that he would be pleased, for his own Name's sake, to pull down all the strong Holds of proud Self-love, carnal Reason, and worldly Wisdom: Casting down Imaginations, and every high Thing that exalteth it self against the Knowlege of God; and bringing into Captivity every Thought, to the Obedience of Christ, 2 Cor. 10.4.5.

In short, This is the important Case thou want­est to be resolved in; What shall I do that I may wark the Works of God? Take the Resolution thereof in Christ's own Words, Joh. 6.29. This is the Work of God, that ye believe in Him whom he hath sent. Christ is the Author of eternal Salvation to all, and only to such as thus obey him. This Obedience of Faith is a Fruit of the Spirit, now striving with thee: But, My Spirit shall not always strive with Man, (saith the Lord, Gen. 6.3) If you continue to rebel, and vex the Holy Spirit there will be no Remedy: And in Hell thou wilt remember how that Life and Death was set before thee; how thou wast in­treated to chose Life; how the Matter was urg­ed upon thee, by the ministry of the Word, and Motions of the Spirit: And will not this be a fearful Aggravation of thy eternal Misery, to [Page 70]think, how that by quenching the Spirit, thou hast kindled a Fire in God's Anger, that burns to the lowest Hell; where the Worm dieth not, and the Fire is not quenched?

5. Such as perish from under the Gospel, shall find themselves lost and damned for ever, not because they had sinned; but because they did not repent of their Sins: not so much for that they had broken the Law of God, as for their rejecting the Offers of Grace by Jesus Christ. 'Tis true, they were conceived and born under a twofold Guilt, and so doubly cursed by the just Imputation of Adam's Sin, and a depraved Na­ture, the necessary consequent: But thus the whole Race of Adam died in him; and these as well as others should have been made alive in Christ, had they come unto him; or be willing that he should come into them. Joh. 5.40. Ye will not come unto me, that ye might have Life. Rev. 3.20 Behold, I stand at the Door, and knock: If any Man hear my Voice, and open the Door, I will come in to him, and sup with him, and he with me. Their Childhood and Youth was Vanity: Many also of those who are saved, forgot their Crea­tor in the Days of their Youth: But they re­membred their Redeemer before it was too late, which these never did; and this neglect prov'd their Ruin.

In short, Gospel Sinners, lifting up their Eves in Torment, will see, not only Abraham. Isaac and Jacob but Manasseh, Magdalen and Paul, in the Kingdom of God, and themselves thrust out; not because they had been greater Sinners, but because they were impenitent Unbelievers: and [Page 71]how will it tear the damned Wretch in Pieces, to consider that his Companions in Sin, yea, some of the Ringleaders in Sin, did consider and turn from all their Abominations, and were washed and made white in the Blood of the Lamb; which was every way sufficient to have cleansed him also from all his Sin, 1 Joh. 1.7. Here's the Extremity of Folly, and Heighth of Mad­ness! To follow a Multitude in sinning, but never to follow any in repenting and believing: Mat. 21.31, 32 Jesus saith unto them, Verily, I say unto you, that the Publicans and Harlots go in­to the Kingdom of God before you. For John came unto you in the way of Righteousness, and ye believed him not: but the Publicans and the Harlots believ­ed him. And ye, when ye had seen it, repented not afterwards that ye might believe.

6. From all the fore-going Particulars laid to­gether, it follows, That when the Gospel Sinner comes to the Place of Torment, he shall plainly see, that his Destruction is of himself: Hos. 13.9. O Israel, Thou hast destroyed thy self. Life and Death have been set before them; they have their own Choice. Deut. 30.15, & 19. I call Heaven and Earth to Record this Day against you, that I have set before you Life and Death; Blessing and Cursing. They had what best liked them; Carnal Delights while they lived, and Hell Tor­ment afterwards; rather than godly Sorrow with eternal Joy. 2 Tim. 3.4. Lovers of Pleasures more than Lovers of God. Luk. 6.21, 25. Blessed are ye that Weep now, for ye shall Laugh: Wo unto you that Laugh now, for ye shall Mourn and Weep. They loved the mortal Poison of Sin (because it [Page 72]was sweet in the Mouth, Job 20.12. and therefore loved Death (in it's Seed;) yea, (which is worse) they hated the Prince of Life; even JESUS, who would have delivered them from the Wrath now come upon them. Prov. 8.36 He that sinneth against me, wrongeth his own Soul: all they that bate me, love Death. Alas! If damned Sinners could possibly be so deceived as to perswade themselves, that they were, by the irresistible Temptations of Sa­tan, necessitated to commit Sin; or forcibly kept back from repenting and believing the Gospel, by God's unalterable Decree, Hell would be no Hell to them, in comparison of what the Guilt of Self and Soul-murther will make it. They shall know assuredly, That the very Reason why they miss'd of Christ, and Grace, and Heaven, was because they loved Sin, Self and the World better. Thus the Thing is in it self, and it will appear so to you, Gospel impenitent Sinners, when Enoch's Prophesy shall be fulfilled, Jude ver. 14, 15, 16. Behold, the Lord cometh with ten Thousand of his Saints, to convince all that are Ungodly, of all their hard Speeches, which ungodly Sinners have spoken against him. These are Murmurers, Complainers, walking after their own Lusts; and their Mouth speaketh great swelling Words. If I had not come, and spoken to them, they had not had Sin: but now they have no Cloke for their Sin, Joh. 15.22.

Object. How shall the Damned see it to be thro' their own Default that they perish, seeing they had no Power to believe unto the saving of their Souls. It was as possible for the Heathen to believe in him of whom they had not heard, as for these who had Preachers to believe, without the exceeding greatness [Page 73]of the Almighty's Power, irresistibly enabling them: and not being chosen to Salvation by the Father, nor of Christ's Sheep, for whom he laid down his Life; the Spirit was not sent to sanctify them; and with­out Faith and Holiness (which are both above their Power) it being impossible to please God here, or see him with Comfort hereafter: How is it the Repro­bates own Fault, that he misses of Heaven?

Answ. This Objection, as to the Substance of it, has been answered before; and such as replied against God were silenced; or at least, had suffi­cient Conviction offered, from the Word of God, to stop their Mouth: But I would now further satisfy some upright, but weak Christians, who are sometimes, by Satan's Temptations, the car­nal Reasonings of the Truth's bitter Enemies, and their own remaining Enmity as well as Dark­ness, stumbled and perplexed, not a little about this Matter.

And,

[1] It must be granted, that no Sinner can come to Christ for Salvation, till drawn by Al­mighty Power, by all conquering Grace. Joh. 6.44, 65. No Man can come to me, except the Fa­ther, which hath sent me, draw him. No Man can come to me, except it were given to him of my Fa­ther. And it must also be acknowledged, that whatever Means God uses with them that were not chosen to Salvation, yet he does not secretly and irresistibly draw them to Christ, Rom. 11.7. The Election obtained it; the rest were blinded.

But,

[2] It is, nevertheless, the Reprobates own Fault that he goes on in Sin, rejecting Christ, till he die impenitently in Unbelief: For,

[Page 74] (1.) He knew nothing but he might be elected. It is a Thing that can't be known in this World; unless to such as have committed the unpardon­able Sin; or to others who know infallibly that such an one has blasphemed against the Holy Ghost, and done despite to the Spirit of Grace. The Elect are Children of Wrath by Nature, as well as others, Eph. 2.3. And the very same gracious Offers, and conditional Promises were made to the one and the other. Christ did not dissemble when he dropt those compassionate Tears on obstinate Jerusalem, and weeping, said, How often would I have gathered thy Children to­gether, as an Hen gathers her Chickens under her Wings, and ye would not. If such as shall be rejected by Christ the Judge, had been willing to come to Jesus the Saviour; or but willing to open the Door and let him come into them, and had been denied any Part in him, meerly because they were not elected, it were then another Case; but they had no Mind to come to Christ for Justification; nor that he should come to sanctify them, Job. 5.40. Jer. 13.27. The Fault is there­fore their own; and they are without Excuse.

(2) Had they been perswaded that they were elected; yet, their blind, proud, and base Hearts would have opposed an holy JESUS, a crucifyed Saviour; and rejected him with Contempt. Many of the Jews called Abraham their Father; yea, they boasted that God was their Father; and doubted not but he had chosen them, and had set his Love upon them; yet could they not by any Means, no not by Miracles be perswaded to be­lieve on Christ, Job. 8.39, 41, 47, 59, & 9 13, to [Page 75]34, & 10.42 to 53. & 12 37. So that it was no conceived impossibility of believing, because they were not elected, that hindred these from coming to Christ; but their Ignorance of him, and En­mity against him; for which they must blame themselves, because they rejected Knowledge, and cherished their malicious Envy: And both Jews and Gentiles are alike in this; they both conspired to crucify their common Saviour, Act. 4.25, 26, 27. And both continue to oppose his Doctrine, 1 Cor. 1.23. We preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling Block, and to the Grecks foolishness. And even they that are saved, before their effectual Calling, have still Hearts as wick­ed as were the elect Israelites Hands, who were converted by Peter's Sermon, Act. 2.22,—So that as, neither Election it self, nor the Know­ledge of it (if we could be sure of it before our Calling) is sufficient to draw us to Christ; so, neither can Reprobates plead their Non-Election, as any Excuse for their not believing; as well on these two Accounts already mentioned, as in some other Respects, that may be added.

(3.) Many of them that perish, are such as al­ways denied and hated the Doctrine of personal Election from Eternity; and were for the Doctrine of Free-Will, as it stands in opposition to that of Free-Grace; holding that God desires the Salva­tion of all that have the Gospel alike; that Christ died for them all, one as much as another; and that the Spirit strives no less with such as finally resist him, than with them that comply with his Motions, so as to Repent and Believe the Gos­pel. That some of my Hearers are (or at least [Page 76]have been) of this Perswasion, I must believe, be­cause they have plainly told me as much; and their uneasiness, discovered in Words & Actions, when the contrary Doctrines are asserted, is a further Demonstration of it.

It is not now my Business so much to confute the erroneous, as to satisfy the Weak, how the Doctrine of Election, &c. (which passes by the greatest Part, even of such as live under the Gospel) can stand with their perishing thro' their own Default: And I have gained one Point further towards their Satisfaction, when they shall see, how that such as are for universal Redemp­tion, and profess to believe that God has given to them (and all) Power sufficient, in the use of Means, to obtain Salvation; if yet they miss of their Expectation, and be found Enemies to Christ at last, they must needs be speechless, and bear the Blame of their Self-Destruction for ever. For what can they say, when the final Sentence is passed, why it should not be executed upon them? Why did they not turn and live; since they boasted of a Power to do it? Or rather, Why did they not acknowledge they had none, and go to Christ for it, who never rejected any that, lamenting their Ignorance, Impotence, En­mity and utter Unworthiness, came a begging to him for Wisdom, Righteousness, Sanctification and Redemption.

(4.) It is true, such as perish were not given to Christ to be redeemed and saved; and so, not irresistibly drawn to him. Joh. 6.37. All that the Father giveth me, shall come to me. But who, and what was it that drave them away from [Page 77]Christ? Was it not their causeless Hatred of him? Job. 15.25. And what was it that drew them the quite contrary Way? Was it not their love to Sin, Self and the World? Mat 22.5, 6. Luke 14.16, to 20. 2 Tim 3.4. And what will they say for themselves, when Christ shall ask them another Day, Why they did not come to him at the call of the Gospel? Why, if they speak the Truth, they must needs say, We did not Love thee: We saw no Form nor Comeli­ness in thee, why we should desire thee. It is true, we heard, by the Report of the Gospel, that thou wer't fairer than the Children of Men, Psal. 45.2. yea, altogether lovely, Cant. 5.16. But we could not think it was true. Isai. 53.1, 2, 3 Who hath believed our Report? — He hath no Form nor Comeliness: and when we shall see him, there is no Beauty that we should desire him. He is despised and rejected of Men; — We hid, as it were our Faces from him; He was despised, and we esteemed him not. Why did they hate God and Christ? Was it because they were not loved by God, and chosen in Christ, before the Foun­dation of the World? No; for the Elect hated the Lord before Conversion. Was it because most of them had never seen Christ? No; Joh. 15.24. But now, have they both seen and hated, both me and my Father. 1 Pet. 1.8. Whom hav­ing not seen, ye love. Had they any Reason to hate one that bled and died for his Enemies, and mourned and wept over such as were implacably so? No; Joh. 15.25. They hated me without a Cause. And now, judge I pray you, betwixt Christ, and such as despised, rejected and hated [Page 78]him; and preferred every Trifle, yea, their cussed Lusts, that were Soul Murderers, before him; whither they are not justly condemned for loving the World as their God, and hating Christ worse than they did the Devil; or Sin, which is the only Thing that makes the Devil hateful: Such then as love Sin more than Christ, can't be said to hate him less than they do the Devil. Sure none will pity them, or plead for them in that Day, when they see what a CHRIST it was that they hated, and what hatred it was they bare him; and for what, even the holy Image of his Father, and that too it may be under a fair outside shew of Love to him. Luk. 22.47,—Judas, one of the Twelve, went before them, and drew near unto Je­sus to kiss him.

(5) What, though Sinners have no Power to Repent and Believe the Gospel, with such a Faith as works by Love; yet they that perish are without Excuse, in that it was not only through Man's wilful Apostacy from God, that he came to need a Saviour (Eccl. 7.29. God made Man upright: but he hath sought out many Inventions) which he could never oblige God to provide for him: but it is also the Reprobate's own Fault that he heaps up actual Transgressions of his own, for which he needs Repentance; and when he has done, he is so far from repenting heartily of his Sins, that he either hates to be reformed, or traiterously sets up his external, partial Reformation in the Saviour's Throne. Whose Fault was it that Adam finned? And whence came the Sinner's corrupt Nature: that Ignorance and Enmity, which is the Root of all the Unbelief, [Page 79]Disobedience and Impenitency therein, for which they are deservedly punished? Was any Violence offered to the pure Will of Man at first? And does not his corrupt Will act freely still? Did the Creator, or any Creature force the Hands of our first Parents to the Tree of Knowledge; or that forbidden Fruit into their Mouths? And having lost their original Rectitude, they could not convey it to their Posterity. Or, is the uni­versal Law of Nature unjust; that every sort of Creature should propagate it's Kind, in it's own Likeness? Gen. 1.12, 21, to 28. compar'd with Chap. 5.3. Adam begat a Son in his own Likeness, after his Image: i. e. as he was a Man, and as he was a Sinner. Now, if God made Man in his own Image, after his own Likeness; and when he comes to judge him, he finds him in Satan's Likeness, with the very Image of the Devil up­on him, Go, ye cursed, into Everlasting Fire, pre­pared for the Devil and his Angels, will be no un­righteous Sentence; for Israel hath destroyed himself first; and then refused Help through Christ. Reader, If thou art not found thus guil­ty at last, thou shalt not be condemned.

(6) I might appeal to your own Experience, whom the Spirit has convinc'd of Sin; whether you did not see and know it to be your own Fault that you had finned against God; and doubly so, that you had rejected Christ's Authority, as your rightful Lord and King, and his Mercy, as your only Saviour from Sin and Wrath. Suppose, you that are effectually Called had only heard the external Sound of the Gospel, and experienced only a common Work of the Spirit; (thus many [Page 80]are called, who are not chosen, Mat. 22.14) had you not perished through your own Default? What Thoughts had you of your selves, when you were under the humbling, preparatory Work of the Spirit of Bondage? Did you not plainly see it to be your own Fault that you had finned, and not repented? Were you not brought (tho' it may be, it was long first) to justify God if he should cast you off for ever, because you had forsaken Him? Did you not acknowledge, from the bottom of your Hearts, that if God should deny you his Grace, and leave you to your selves, he could do you no Wrong? Now, either you did wrong in thus judging your selves, or God does right in condemning others, that neither can nor will believe and repent; but are condemned to die, not because they cannot, but because they will not turn and live. Is it not just, that the Soul which Sins should die and perish, except he repent? And just it cannot be, unless his fin­ning and not repenting be his own Fault: Hos. 9.15, 17, & 10 2. I hated them for the wickedness of their Doings. My God will cast them away, be­cause they did not hearken unto him: Now shall they be found faulty.

(7.) Finally. If nothing else will satisfy us, let the uncontroulable, indisputable Supremacy; the absolute, unlimitted Sovereignty; the essential, spotless Righteousness, and infinite Holiness of that GOD who taketh Vengeance, silence all our carnal Reasonings; and set us down satis­fied with what the Scriptures of Truth inform us concerning this Matter. Now, it is evident by the Word of God, that all impenient Unbelievers [Page 81]shall be damned, Mark 16.16. Luk. 13.3. It is also clear, that no Sinner can believe to the saving of his Soul, except almighty Power draw him to Christ, Joh. 6.44. Eph. 1.19, 20. Nor does the Spirit of God thus irresistibly work Faith in any, but such as were given to Christ, and ordained to eternal Life, thro' him, Joh. 10.16, 26. Act. 13.48. Yet, that the Unbeliever, obstinately refusing the only Remedy; and God being no ways obliged to overcome this obstinacy, is guilty of his own Death; and must blame himself that he perish­eth in his Sins, is what the Scriptures also do a­bundantly assert; either more directly, or by necessary Consequence: Joh. 3.19. This is the Condemnation, that Light is come into the World, and Men love Darkness rather than Light. Prov. 8.36. He that sinneth against me, wrongeth his own Soul; all they that hate me, love Death. Joh. 15.22. If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had Sin, but now they have no Cloke for their Sin. Mat. 22.11, 12, to 15. And when the King came in to see the Guests, he saw there a Man which had not on a wedding Garment: And he saith unto him, Friend, How camest thou in hither, not hav­ing a wedding Garment? And he was speechless. Them said the King to the Servants, Bind him Hand and Foot, and take him away; and cast him into outer Darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of Teeth: For many are called; but few are chosen. The whole World of Reprobates shall be like this Man: their Mouths shall be stop'd: Rom. 3.19. That every Mouth may be stopped; and all the World become guilty before God: If God hath said it, tho' Man may contradict it; Let God be true; but [Page 82]every Man a Liar; as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings; and overcome when thou art judged, Rom. 3.4.

There be many hard Speeches, uttered against Christ's Ambassadors, while they shun not to de­clare the whole Counsel of God, which will at last be found to have been spoken, by ungodly Sinners against CHRIST; who will, very shortly, make good Enoch's Prophesy, Jude ver. 10.14, 15. But these speak Evil of those Things which they know not,—And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying; Behold, the Lord cometh with ten Thousands of his Saints, to execute Judg­ment upon all; and to convince all that are ungodly among them, of all their ungodly Deeds, which they have ungodly committed; and of all their hard Speeches, which ungodly Sinners have spoken against him. What, though we can't answer Objections so as to stop others Mouths; nor to the silenc­ing of our own carnal Reasonings, and vanquish­ing Temptations, for the present; let us leave that Work to Christ; in whom are hid all the Treasures of Wisdom and Knowlege; and in the mean time, hold we close to this, and be sure we keep our hold-fast, that the Word of God is true, the Judge of all the Earth will do right; the foolishness of God is wiser than Men: His Judgments are a great Deep! which the short Line of humane Reason can never sound: What then can be more reasonable, than that our Reason should be brought into Captivity un­der the Dominion of Faith; 'till Faith shall be swallowed up in Vision? And then we shall know as much of these Things as we can desire [Page 83]to know; even to full & everlasting Satisfaction. Indeed, if we could now or then comprehend fully the eternal Counsels of him whose Under­standing is infinite, they would not be worthy of GOD, only Wise: Nor are the Doctrines of God's Sovereignty, and Man's Impotency; Eter­nal Election, and Free Grace, to be at all sus­pected, because many wise Men after the Flesh, and most wicked Men, not having the Spirit, do oppose them: On the other Hand; ‘It is an Effect of Election (saith Mr. Norton) to be af­fected with the Decree of Election. As God openeth himself in no Truth more than this; so they that love to see the shining Face of God in Christ, delight in no Truth more than this.’ In this Way, the Riches of Free Grace are glorified to the uttermost; and the poor trembling Believer's Salvation is secured infalli­bly, abundantly! Whereas, even Adam in Pa­radise, (with all his large Stock of Grace, tho' he had no inward Lust to entice and draw him away) being left to himself soon fell; and Milli­ons of Angels in Heaven, not being elected (as those that stood are said to be, 1 Tim. 1.21.) left their own Habitation, even without a Temp­ter. And yet the poor self conceited Wretch, that knows nothing of the Breadth and Rigour of the Law, or the Riches of Free Grace in the Gospel; nothing of God, or himself, or any Thing else as he ought to know; when he hears the Doctrine of Election preached, either quar­rels at it, or is discouraged if he gives any Credit to it. It seems to stand in the Way of his Sal­vation: Oh! If it were not for this Doctrine, [Page 84](thinks the proud self Justiciary) I should do well enough: Whereas, all the grounded Hope thou can it have, is from this Doctrine. Were there not a Remnant according to the Election of Grace, God's Israel, all New-England, yea, and the whole Gospel World would have been like Sodom, and like unto Gomorrah; not one Soul would have been saved, any more than the fallen Angels. So that not only the Believer, but the uncon­verted Sinner has cause to bless God for Electi­on, which refuses not any on the Account of Weakness or Vileness. If then thou seest thy self as unable to believe as a dead Man to rise and walk; and as unworthy that Christ should give thee Life, as are the very Devils; venture all on this Bottom; Christ has not excepted me, in the general Invitations of the Gospel; Whoso­ever will, let him take of the Water of Life freely, Rev. 22.17. Nor may I excuse my self from obeying the Command of God, 1 John 3.23. This is his Commandment, that we should believe on the Name of his Son Jesus Christ: And tho' I have a natural, strong, rooted Averseness and Enmity, as well as Impotency, that keeps me from osing the only Remedy; yet, GOD can make me willing in the Day of his Power, Psal. 110.3. And, if the Eye of electing Love shall pity me, and the Hand of irresistable Power shall draw me, I shall be an eternal Monument of free Grace: Nor will I dare to sit still and cry, God help me, any more than to rise up in my own Strength; but wait in the Use of all Means of Grace, avoiding all the Occasions of Sin; and if [Page 85]I perish, I perish justly; if I am saved, 'twill be a wonderful, wonderful, wonderful Salvation!

Let the Enemies of this Doctrine themselves be Judges, whether this be not a more likely Way to obtain the Favour of God, than their Way of contradicting, quarrelling, objecting; or abus­ing the Doctrine unto a slothful Neglect of the Means; a profane Course of Life, and desperate Way of Sinning; if they are elected they shall be saved, do what they will; if not, they shall be damned, do what they can. They might: as well say, when they are grievously wounded in their Bodies, have their Bones broken, or are dangerously sick; we will use no Means; if it be appointed we shall live, we shall live, do what we will; if our Time be come to die, we shall die, do what we can.

But, to return from this Digression (which may possibly, meet with some lost Sheep, that must be bro't in:) The Objection I am answering (which fell in our Way, as we were arguing the Truth of the second Doctrine, from a sixth Considera­tion, viz. That when the Gospel-Sinner comes to the Place of Torment, he shall see and know that his Destruction is of himself; and conse­quently the Apprehensions he shall have of the Saints Happiness in Heaven, will the more dread­fully aggravate his own eternal Misery:) I say, the Objection pleads that the Reprobate is not guilty of Self-Destruction, because not elected, redeemed and sanctified by the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit: but having found him guilty before God, by clear Scripture Evidence; notwith­standing all that may be pleaded in his Behalf; [Page 86]we re-assume our former Argument, and close the sixth Consideration, that we may pass to the Seventh: And do Gospel Sinners indeed pull down everlasting Destruction upon their own Heads? What Tongue then can express, or Heart conceive, the least Part of that Soul-killing Rage against themselves, that self-tormenting Fu­ry, that must needs eternally possess their Souls in Hell; while they shall behold all those, who took a wiser Course, in the Kingdom of God, and themselves thrust out, because they re­fused to enter in: Here I am, (and shall be, for as many Millions of Ages as there were Minutes from the Creation to the Resurrection; and when that is past, ten Hundred Thousand Million Times more will remain behind;) Here I am, torment­ed in this Flame; seventy Times seven fold hot­ter than Nebuchadnezzar's fiery Furnace; and I wilfully threw my self into this boiling Lake of Fire and Brimstone; O cruelly wounding Tho't! Reader, think not any Pains too much by which thou mayst escape these cruel Lashes of a self­tormenting Conscience!

7. And lastly, Such as have once had the Price of the Gospel in their Hands; but had no Heart to improve it, shall for ever remember in Hell, how they sold their immortal Souls, and eternal Joys, for vanishing Trifles; empty Nothings!

How did it vex Esau, when he had swallowed down and digested a few Spoonfuls of Pottage, to think that his Birth-right was gone, (and the Blessing must go after it) Heb. 12.16. Lest there be any Fornicator, or profane Person, as Esau, who for one Morsel of Meat sold his Birth-right; For, [Page 87]ye know, how that afterwards, when he would have inherited the Blessing, he was rejected, and found us Place for Repentance, though be sought it carefully with Tears. Gen. 27.34. And Esau cried with a great and exceeding bitter Cry, and said unto his Father; bless me, even me also, O my Father. And Esau lift up his Voice and wept, ver. 38.

So will the damned Gospel-Despisers weep and wail, and gnash their Teeth, while they consider what they had in Exchange for those Rivers of Pleasure, that flow at God's right Hand for e­vermore; even a little bitter sweet Pleasure; for an Inch of Time; a thin Bubble of worldly Hon­our; small, inconsiderable, unsatisfying, unpro­fitable Gains: As that Prince, who, in his Ex­tremity sold a Kingdom for one Draught of Wa­ter; lamenting, sighing, and too late repenting, said, For how short a Pleasure have I sold a Kingdom! Men will say, I have been fool'd out of so much Land, Money, Goods, &c. and never so much as drank for it. And what have poor lost Souls now to shew for a fair Inheritance above the Stars; which they sold for a Song? How inconsiderable a Part of this inconsiderable World had they; and for how small a Moment did they enjoy this Dream of a Shadow, at the Price of their Souls? Whereas, if they could have grasped and held Possession of the whole World, from the Beginning to the End of Time, on such Terms; it had been a losing Bargain; an undoing Bargain! Mat. 16.26. For what is a Man profited, if he shall gain the whole World, and lose his own Soul? Or, what shall a Man give in Exchange for his Soul?

[Page 88] If a Man parts with a rich Commodity, or a large Inheritance, for a valuable Consideration; though he should something under sell, it does not much trouble him: Or if he loses a good Bargain, he keeps his Money, and that comforts him: But if he should in a mad Fit, sell first his House and Land, and then his Wife and Children into perpetual Slavery; and all for a Whistle and a Rattle, a guilded Box and a gay Picture; would it not vex his Soul to Death, when he should come to himself, and solemnly reflect on what he had done? Yet this were a tolerable good Bargain, in Comparison of what is made by many Gospel Sinners among us: And whether you believe it or not, sure we are that damned Souls in Hell do know, that the Heighth of their extream Folly has been above all Comparison; and their eternal Vexation of Soul shall be proportionable. Such a Time I was tempted by the Pleasure of Sin, and at another Time the Hook was baited with Gain; but my Conscience told me it was Sin, the Wages of which is Death; and the Word of God informed me, that they which do such Things shall anot in­herit the Kingdom of God; yet, I did not for­bear; and now Heaven is gone, and I die like a Fool!— These will be intolerable Thoughts! And yet such as perish from under the Gospel must dwell with such Thoughts, for ever and e­ver. Oh! that Men were wise, to prevent this in Time. Thus much for the Second General Head of our Discourse, under the Second Doc­trine.

[Page 89] III. We might in the third and last Place, yet more particularly make mention of several Sorts of Gospel Sinners, whose eternal Misery shall be peculiarly aggravated; not only above that of the Heathen, but above the Punishment of many of their Fellow-Gospel Sinners; As,

1. Such as have lived in Times and Places when and where many have been converted; Churches greatly inlarged; Multitudes flocking after Christ; Sinners of all sorts and sizes repent­ing and believing the Gospel, Mat. 21.32. John came unto you in the Way of Righteousness, and ye believed him not; but the Publicans and Harlots be­lieved him: and ye, when ye had seen it, repented not afterwards, that ye might believe him. Many of their Acquaintance, of the same Town, in the near Neighbourhood; some of the same Knot of Good-Fellowship, (as they say) their Compani­ons in Sin, it may be out of the same Family, have turned to the Lord; yea, out of the same Bed one has been taken and the other left: A Yoke-Fellow, a Brother or Sister, a Parent or Child has been perswaded to enter in at the strait Gate; and then by earnest Intreaties and good Instructions, or at least a convincing, winning Example, they have sought to draw you with them, in the Way Everlasting; but you would not hearken; therefore an infinite Evil must come upon you. And when you shall hear many Gos­pel Sinners pleading, that tho' Religion was pro­fess'd where they lived, yet it was little practic'd; and if something of the Form was kept up, yet the Power of Godliness was derided by the most; [Page 90]and what Hazzards they must have run if they had followed the Lord fully! You shall then re­member, that though you might have advantag­ed your Reputation with your Neighbours, by denying all Ungodliness and worldly Lusts, and by living Soberly, Righteously and Godly; and though you were often ashamed to be found in bad Company, and it was a Discredit to you to turn your Back on the Lord's-Table; and more so to be loose and vain in your Conversations, and hard in your Dealings, notwithstanding your Profession; yet, neither Duty nor Interest, no, not the temporal, spiritual and eternal Advan­tages that were on Religion's Side, could prevail with you to profess and practise as holy Souls did: It therefore remains, that you chew ever­lastingly on this bitter Pill; which, if it were possible for your own Consciences to forget, we may suppose Millious of Gospel Sinners to cast in your Teeth, and say, If we had had half the Encouragements to an holy Life, that others were surrounded with, we would never have been so fond of Damnation, as to have crossed even our worldly Interest in pursuing it.

2. Such as have had singular Advantages above others, and that many Ways: by their Educati­on in the Days of their Youth: they have been trained up in the Way they should go; many Thou­sands of Prayers made with them and for them, in the Family; besides ten Thousand Petitions put up for them by a pious Father, a gracious Mother, in secret Places; who have also, all the Time of their Childhood and Youth, been dropping sweet and solemn Words of Council and Warning into [Page 91]their Ears; as holy David and Bathsheha did by young Solomon, as himself tells us, Prov. 4.1, 2. — Hear, ye Children, the Instruction of a Father; and attend to know Understanding: For I give you good Doctrine, forsake you not my Law. For, I was my Father's Son; tender and only beloved in the sight of my Mother. He taught me also, and said unto me, Let thy Heart retain my Words: Keep my Commandments and live. Get Wisdom, get Un­derstanding; forget it not; neither decline from the Words of my Mouth. Wisdom is the principal Thing; therefore get Wisdom; and with all thy get­tings get Understanding. And ver. 13, 14, 15. Take fast hold of Instruction, let her not go; keep her, for she is thy Life. Enter not into the Path of the Wicked; and go not in the Way of evil Men-Avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it, and pass a­way. Put away from thee a froward Mouth, and perverse Lips put far from thee, ver. 24. Oh! 'Tis an unspeakable Advantage to have a pious Education, holy Examples, good Books, all imaginable Helps, in our tender Years, and after we are grown up: And yet these priviledged Souls, who have had all manner of Helps and precious Means, in publick and private, shall see some, who have been under all Kinds of Disad­vantages and Hindrances, in the Kingdom of God, and themselves thrust out; but it will kill their Hearts. So much for the second Sort.

3. Such as have had many Convictions, strong Terrors, good Purposes, promising Beginnings; but their Goodness has quickly vanished and dis­appeared, like the Morning Cloud and early Dew, Hos. 6.4. These shall come to a fearful End; [Page 92]unless it please the Lord to move again upon their Hearts, and give them an Heart to comply with those Motions, 2 Pet 2.20, 21, 22. For of after they have escaped the Pollutions of the World, through the Knowlege of the Lord and Savicur, Jesus Christ, they are again intangled therein, and over­come; the latter End is worse with them than the Beginning. For it bad been better fir them not to have known the Way of Righteousness, than after they have known it to turn from the holy Commandment, delivered unto them. But it is hapned unto them ac­cording to the true Proverb; The Dog is turned to his own V mit again; and the Sow that was washed, to her wallowing in the Mire. And as this Relapse aggravates their Sin, so their Punish­ment will be doubly aggravated; That they should begin well, and be almost peswaded, and yet fall off and fall back,—and then that they should sin worse than ever before; at least in this Respect worse, because greater Mercy is a­bused; more Light sinned against; Job 24.13. They are of those that rebel against the Light: But they shall never forget how near they once were to the Kingdom of God, Mark 12.34. From whence they are, notwithstanding, fallen into the Bottomless Pit; and, how great is their Fall! How much deeper are they fallen than others, who were never listed up so high! How much better had it been for them not to have had this internal Knowledge, by the Spirit's Con­viction and Illumination, added to their more common Knowledge by Reading, Hearing, &c. unless they had better improved it? 'Tis a [Page 93]dreadful Thing to increase Knowledge only to the increasing of eternal Sorrow.

4. Such as have made an high Profession, laid themselves under the strictest Covenant Engage­ments, and frequently renewed their Baptismal Vows at the Lord's Table. That many such shall go to Hell, is a no less certain than sad and awful Truth, Mat. 7.21, 22. and 8.11, 12. and 25.10, 11, 12. But we needed to have looked no further than the Verses immediately preceed­ing our Text, for the Confirmation of this so­lemn Truth, Luke 13.26, 27. Then shall ye (and others like them, in after Times) begin to say, We have eaten and drunk in thy Presence, and thou bast taught in our Streets. But be shall say, I tell you, I know you not whence ye are: Depart from me all ye Workers of Iniquity. That the professed Followers of an holy JESUS and Pretenders to the strictest Piety should be found the Devil's Children, and Workers of Iniquity, is not more absurd and impious, than their Condemnation will be just, and their Punishment intolerably ag­gravated: Not because they made so high a Profession; but that they aimed no higher than Self in it. They abuse the richest Favours that are capable of being abased to the Subject's Ruin. They have violated the strongest Engagements that such unsanctified Wretches could be brought under. And perhaps too, they have cloaked their selfish, worldly, hellish Designs with religi­ous Pretences: ‘As if one should stop an Oven with a King's Robes.’ And shall not their Shame before the World, and Suffering in the Place of Torment, bear a just Proportion to their [Page 94]Iniquity and Hypocrisy? This is the Man (it will be known to all) that made not GOD his Hope and Strength; but boasted in the Height of his Privileges, and trusted in the abundance of his Sacrifices: The Righteous shall laugh at him, Psal 52.6. And the very Devils will re­proach him. Yea, such of his Acquaintance in the World as never pertended to such high Things in Religion (tho' they must be damned, not only because they did not believe with their Hearts, but because they did not confess with their Mouths too; both being our indispensible Duty, Rom. 10.10.) yet may taunt at these Hypocrites. But the worst is, GOD has allotted them one of the hottest Rooms in Hell, Mat. 24. ult. Where their own Consciences will for ever sting their Souls with the Remembrance of how much they promised, and how little they per­formed. How publickly and solemnly they re­nounced the Flesh, the World and the Devil; and yet, at least more hiddenly, either in Words and Actions, or, be sure, in Heart and Affecti­on, did follow what they had call'd Heaven to witness of their abandoning. What, for such as have full often drunk of the Cup of the Lord; the Cup of Blessing; the Cup which Christ calls the New Testament in his Blood; instead of go­ing to drink of the new Wine with Christ in his Father's Kingdom, to have the Cup of Fury and Indignation, Trembling and Astonishment forced into their Hands; full of the Wine of divine Wrath, even the fierceness of his Wrath, with­out any Mixture of Mercy; and to be made to drink it up, Dregs and all; (for the very Dregs [Page 95]of God's Fury are wrung into this Cup) tho' it be Eternity to the Bottom, they must drink it off! But they had better have professed less; or rather more truly, and have practised ac­cordingly.

5. Such as have contemned, maligned and most uncharitably censured the precious Saints of GOD, and meek Followers of JESUS, on account of their natural and moral Infirmities, real or supposed; or else because of the outward Meanness of their Condition in the World; yea, very likely, for their real Piety, Integrity and conscientious Walking; but always under Pre­tence of something else. Now these are of three Sorts;

• (1) Profligate Wretches, who, like Cain, bear a deadly Hatred against the Faithful in Christ Jesus, even because their own Works are evil, and the Believer's righteous; 1 Joh. 3.12, 13. Not as Cain, who was of that Wicked-One, and slew his Brother; and wherefore slew be him? Because his own Works were evil, and his Brother's righteous. Marvel not, my Brethren, if the World hate you. And the Apostle, in these last Words, does but declare what he heard from Christ's own Mouth: That which we have seen and heard, (saith he, Chap. 1. ver. 3.) declare we unto you, Thus spake our blessed Lord to his Disciples, John 15.18, 19, 20. If the World hate you, ye know it bated me before it bated you. If ye were of the World, the World would love his own: But because you are not of the World, but I have chosen you out of the World, therefore the World hateth you. Remember the World that I said unto you; [Page 96]The Servant is not greater than the Lord: If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you. There is Persecution with Fire and Swore; and there is Persecution with the Tongue, which is as a sharp Sword, drawn and whet; set on Fire of Hell, Psal. 57.4 My Soul is among Lions; and I lie even among them that are set on Fire; even the Sons of Men, whose Teeth are Spears and Ar­rows, and their Tongue a sharp Sword. Psal. 64.3 Who whet their Tongue like a Sword; and bend their Bows to shoot their Arrows, even bitter Words. Isa 57.4. Against whom do ye sport yourselves? Against whom make ye a wide Mouth, and draw out the Tongue? Jam. 3.6 The Tongue is a Fire, a World of Ini­quity: — It is set on Fire of Hell. Yea, such as profess Love and Friendship to God's Chosen and called Ones, being unsanctified themselves, have bitter Enmity against them; and may prove the worst of Persecutors; Psal. 55.12, 13, 14. For it was not an Enemy that reproached me, then I could have born it; neither was it he that bated me (i. e. with a manifest Hatred) that did magni­fy himself against me; then I would have bid my­self from him. But it was thou, a Man mine E­qual, my Guide, and mine Acquaintance. We took sweet Counsel together, and walked unto the House of God in Company. And ver. 21. 'tis added, The Words of his Mouth were smoother than Butter; but War was in his Heart; his Words were sifter than Oyl, yet were they drawn Swords. And the very same malicious, persecuting Spirit discovers it self in these Gospel Time: Gal. 4.28, 29. Now we, Brethren, as Isacc was, are the Children of Promise. But as then, he that was born after [Page 97]the Flesh, persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now. Profane Sinners hate the Godly: and carnal Professors, who have but the Form of Godliness, can't affect such as have and shew forth the Power of it; for though it pleaseth them in some Respects, yet it crosseth them many Ways. The Flesh and Spirit are Contraries.
• (2) The strict Legalist, who trusts in himself that he is righteous, and despiseth others. If he be in Church-Fellowship, he thinks scarce any good enough for his Communion, Isa. 65.5. Which say stand by thy self, come not near me, for I am holier than thou. If a Non-Communicant, he thinks the Church so corrupt that he must not hold Communion with them. Are they Men expert in the Letter of the Scriptures? Then they think as the Pharisees spake, (John. 7.49.) of poor, weak, tho' true Believers; This People who knoweth not the Law, are cursed. Are their Heads barren even of common Knowledge in re­ligious Matters? Yet their Hearts (they profess and verily think) are as good as the best Profes­sor of them all.
• (3.) Proud and haughty Spirits, if they make some figure in the World, and are Men of Rea­son: (in their own Account at least) these scorn God's Chosen and precious Ones, because, for the most part, they are poor in the World; James 2.5. Hearken, my beloved Brethren, hath not God chosen the Poor of this World? But we unto you that are rich; for ye have received your Consolation, Luke 6.24. And not many of God's Elect, but are poor also in Gifts and Endowments [Page 98]of the Mind, whether natural or acquired. Not many wise Men after the Flesh are called: But God hath chosen the foolish, weak, yea and base Things of the World, and such as are de­spised hath God chosen, 1 Cor. 1.26, 27, 28. But wo to such as despise, and offend, and cen­sure, and persecute so much as one of these lit­tle Ones that believes in Christ; it were better for him that a Mill-Stone were hanged about his Neck, and he were cast into the Sea. Be it on one Account or another, that these and those have despised, disaffected, judged and wronged the Saints of God; when they shall see at last, how that they were the only Excellent of the Earth; precious in the Sight of God as the Ap­ple of his Eye; and even Kings in disguise: When they shall see them in their royal Appar­rel, and a Crown royal set upon their Heads, (for thus shall it be done to the Men whom the King of Saints delighteth to honour) how will it cut them to the Heart, and make them gnash their Teeth! How will it ashame and confound them! How will they for ever vex and torment themselves with what they shall have seen and heard, in that Day of Judgment and Recompence! How will GOD repay into their Bosoms, with a Vengeance, all the Indignities they have offer­ed his dear Children! And indeed, there needs no more to make them miserable, with a Wit­ness, than for them to be given up into the Hands of their own self-tormenting Thoughts, and cruel Reflections: And must these Objects of our Envy, Malice and [...], be embrac'd in the Bosom of divine Love; exalted to an e­ternal [Page 99]Throne, and triumph over us, who had thought them as bad as we were, or our selves much better than they were? Are these the Persons, whose Infirmities we derided, whose Company we scorned, and whose very Devotion we mocked? Oh! that we had rather lov'd them, honour'd them, done like them, though we had far'd like them, and like Christ in the World; so should we now have been like them, whom we see (to our inexpressible Vexation and Confusion) to be like Him, in Beauty & Glory: These Reflections, these bitter, cruel Self-Reflec­tions, are the never-dying-Worm.

6. Such as have had confident Hopes, and high raised Expectations of going to Heaven, their Fall will be the greater. Some there are among the Children of Men who are far from being the Sons of God; yet they lot upon it that they shall go to Heaven when they die, as much as they expect an Harvest after Seed-Time. I spake before of grosser Hypocrites, who deceive others with their outside Shews; but now I aim at close, formal Hypocrites, who deceive them­selves. Are we blind also? If any Man seem to be religious, (so many do in open View of the Church and World, deceiving Men by their outward Appearance, on which only Man can look; but the Apostle adds) deceiving his own Heart. These are either more grosly ignorant, such as think that being baptized, if they carry soberly before Men, especially if they make a Profession too, and perform Duties of Religion in publick and private, they shall undoubtedly be saved. Or else they are such as go far beyond [Page 100]these, not only in historical Knowledge and out­ward Practice; (in which they may exceed even true Christians) but in real Experience of com­mon Illumination, strong Convictions, & much Comfort in Duty and after Trouble. They oft try themselves and are as oft acquitted by false Signs, or true ones misapplyed. They are well thought of by others like themselves, and even admired by some true Christians; yea, ap­prov'd possibly, by such as are discerning Chris­tians, and by Ministers; and they know it, and this s;eals their Delusion, and raises their Expec­tation to a great Height: So that they may be wonderfully consident of being own'd by CHRIST himself, whose flaming Eye will discover them to themselves and the World, to their unspeak­able Shame, and more dreadful Disappointment. The higher they were raised by GOD, in com­mon Gifts of the Spirit; by Men, in charitable Expressions, and real Affection, thro' mistake; and by themselves, through Satan's strong De­lusions, in glorious Expectations, the deeper will they fall. Stand still, Reader, pause a lit­tle, —and think (what Words can't express) of the Dreadfulness of such a Disappointment!

7. Such as heave had the Unsoundness of their Hopes for Heaven, again and again, plainly discovered; insomuch that their false Peace has been greatly disturbed; and at Times, they have been even convinced that their State and Condition was bad; that they were yet in the Gall of Bitterness and in the Bonds of Iniquity; that another Manner of Work must pass on them, or they perish for ever. Yet, for all this, like [Page 101]fool-hardy Wretches, they have shut their Eyes against this Light of Conviction, (that might have prov'd the Dawning of sound Conversion, and eternal Salvation to them;) and ventured on over the Precipice, chusing the Terrors of the Second-Death, rather than the Pangs of the New-Birth; and to be at the Cost of laying a new Foundation. Sometimes they have thought they would let go their false Hold; but then, finding themselves destitute of any Footing, fall­ing and sinking, and fearing they should be dash­ed in Pices or drowned, they must catch hold of something; some where they must fasten; Des­pair is dreadful! And being ignorant of the Way of Salvation, by believing in him that justifies the Ungodly, Rom. 4.5. (which indeed is a Mis­tery, hidden from the greatest Part of Professors) they must (I say) catch hold some where, as drowning Men; and the rotten Stick of self­righteous Performances is what comes next to Hand, and they can reach no further: If they think, now they will come off from Self and Duties, and lean on CHRIST only, 'tis with a Faith of their own forging; they do but re­pair the old House, which must be pulled down to the Ground, and removed, every Stick of it, and the Foundation ripped up, that they may be created a new, in Christ Jess to good Works: founded on him, and built up in him: But, Oh! how averse are our old Covenant Hearts from this new and living Way, when opened in the Gospel! Salvation by Works, a Dispo­sition to work for Wages and earn Heaven, was the first Liquor that was put into the Vessel of [Page 102]humane Nature and it strongly savours of it to this Day; according to the true Proverb, That which is bred in the Bone, will never out of the Flesh.

Thus, I have diverted a little, to shew you one main Cause of that extreme Difficulty Minis­ters find, in removing Men from their old, false Foundations: And when they have done all, Multitudes will hold fast their own Self-Deceiv­ings. They will put new Patches on the old, ragged Garment; they will seem to mend their Pace; but 'tis in the old, broad, beaten Path. Yea (to retun) they will shut their Eyes (as was said) against the plainest Conviction; and ven­ture on in a Way, they are so oft and faithfully told, will end in their shameful and intolerable Disappointment.

Thus the Damned in Hell, especially such as perish from under the Gospel, and peculiarly some Sorts of Gospel Sinners that have been mentioned, shall have such Apprehensions of the Saints Happiness in Heaven, as will dreadfully aggravate their own eternal Misery.

So much may serve for the Doctrinal Part of the second Point.

The APPLICATION of the Whole remains.