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intend a Punishment beyond the Grave. For into this all fhall be turned; Though : they live never fo Godly. Pfal. 49. 48. That man is he that liveth, and shall not fee Death? But fome shall awake to Shame and Everlasting Contempt. Dan. 12. 2. And therefore, for all our Sadduces hafte, When they Dye, there is not an End of'em: Nor does the Immortal Soul then prove Mortal too: (At which their Doctrine feems to drive;) But they'll be Heard of again, in a Life of Mifery; which holy Scripture calls the Second Death. Rev. 21. 8. The Lake which burns with Fire and Brimstone is the Second Death. And they shall be Tormented day and night, For ever and ever, chap. 20. 10. Such as are Condemned by the Judge Eternal, shall go away into Everlasting Punishment. Mat. 25. laft ver. And our Church is very exprefs; (Hom. of Nat. and Paff.) That Man by the Fall, is not only become Mortal; But a Lump of Sin; A Bondflave to the Devil; a Reprobate, Caft-away, and Fire-brand of Hell; and by the Just Judgment of God, condemn'd to Everlasting Death.] Our Lord Jefus then did not come into the World, only to preferve men from Non-entity; That they might not drop into Nothing: But to deliver us from the Wrath to come. I Thef. 1. left ver. This moft dreadful Everlafting Judgment of God, is his Wrath pour'd out upon the veffels of Wrath, fitted to deftruction.

Rom.

Rom. 9. 22. an Errand and Atchievement indeed Worthy the Bleffed Son of God, to come into the World upon. And they that take no notice of this, unlefs to Contradict, and cavil against it, If their Law and their Phyfick be no better than their Faith and Divinity; The World might not much be damnified; though they should fcorn any further to oblige it with their Practice. We fee, the Knowledge of Bodies and Worldly Eftates does not presently give a man Insight into the things that depend upon Divine Revelation. No, there's an Unguent, which all their Philofophical skill in Nature cannot difCover. And yet it helps even the Illiterate to know all things pertaining to Salvation: better, and more to the purpose, than many Rabbies and Scholars, that fo much Scorn and Defpife them. And that is, The Untion from the Holy one, 1 John 2. 20. A Learning that makes them know themselves; and their Wo-need of a Saviour; and makes 'em cry to him, in the Anguifh of their Souls; (as ready to Sink and drop into Hell:) Lord, Save us, or we perish. We are Undone for ever; If thou be not our Strength and our Redeemer. When fo many, that feem much Above them, are fill of the Laodicean Temper; Rev. 3. 17. To fay, They are Rich, and increas'd with Goods, and have need of Nothing; and Know not, That they are Wret

Which to Save us from, was

ched,

ched, and Miferable, and Poor, and Blind, and Naked. They Believe not a word, What our Church, (according to the holy Scriptures,) Art. 9. teaches, That [man is so very far gone from original Righteousness; that the Fault, Corruption, and Infection of Nature in every person born into the World, deferves God's Wrath and Damnation.] And that therefore, we can never think to Ingratiate our felves with the Majefty Offended; by Offering any thing of our Own. But as 'tis, (Art. 11.) [We are counted Righteous before God, only for the Merit of our Lord and Saviour Jefus Chrift, by our Faith; and not for our own Works and Defervings.]

The Rueful work which Sin has made in our Souls; To throw us into a state, not only of Strangeness to God, but of Enmity against him, Batters down all the Pride and Confidence of fuch, as feriously ponder and lay it to heart. And when we are once foundly Convinced of our Sin and Misery; What a Holy Majefty we have offended; and what an Intolerable Punishment we have Deferved: Sure we fhall not prefume then, That we can Save, as we have Deftroyed, our felves: But fhall be glad to take our Reconciliation, as a precious Favour; at the hands of that Almighty Saviour, on whom God has laid our Help: Being Juftified freely by his Grace through the Redemption that is in Jefus Chrift. Rom. 3. 24.

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But

But men at Eafe, and never yet Pinch'd and Diftrefs'd with the grievous Preffure of their Sins, and God's deferved Plagues, are no competent Judges of these matters: whatever otherwife are their Abilities. In the heat of Contention, they'll rather Scoff at 'em, and Play with 'em; than put in for their Share in the Bleffed Benefit of God's Providing. They are Subtile, and Tortuous, and Endless, in Oppofing the Righteousness of God. Their fout Stomachs know not how to Admit of it. They'll feek all Subterfuges in the World to Avoid it. And if they can find any Lurking-hole elsewhere; They'll never come upon their Submiffion to Chrift Jefus.

Indeed it is the great work of the Spirit of God, fo to bring down the Soul; and to Convince the World, of Sin; as well as of Rightcoufnefs. John 16. 9, 10. By a deep Humiliation, to prepare men heartily to Yield unto God's Method of Juftification: To Stop every Mouth, and lay all the World Guilty before him: Rom. 3. 19. To make them Abhor themselves; and fubscribe to the Juftice of Heaven, pronouncing Damnation upon their Sins: And make 'em Renounce all hope of Relief, from any Righteoufnels of their Own; and to Depend all upon the Lord their Righteoufnefs, for Juftification in God's fight.

The Whole need not a Phyfician: But the

Sick at Heart, will be glad to hear of Help. After they have been Haraffed with the Terrors of the Law, and pull'd down with the Spirit of Bondage; and the Confcience of Sin has brought 'em to fee, what a Fearful thing it is, to fall into the hands of the Living God: Then they'll know how to Prize the Grace of the Gospel; and the bleffed News, that calls 'em to Believe in him, that has Satisfied the Precept, and undergone the Penalty, of the Law, for 'em. When they have been Groaning under the fore Oppreffion; They'll have little Lift to Refift the Heavenly Grace, which bids 'em, Caft their Burden on the Lord. Guilt Awakened, makes men highly Concerned: And indeed only the Convinced Sinner is Capable, to let this Grace fink down into his Heart. Such as are Prick'd at Heart, Bowed and Broken with the Burden of Sin, will hafte away for Refuge to the Hope fet before 'em: And Look to Jefus, as the Wounded did to his Type. Numb. 21. 9. Such as know God's Glorious Holiness, and their own Sorry Righteousness, will Defpair of Themselves; and never Venture, with their Briars and Thorns, upon a Confuming Fire.

But who fo Bold, as they that are yet in their Natural Blindness? In whom the God of this World has Blinded the Eyes of them that Believe not. 2 Cor. 4. 4. I cannot but call it Blindness; for all their Parts and Learning. For Paul was not inferior to the beft of em; F

for