where were the proportion? Moreover, fin deferves the mifery, but our best works do not deferve the happiness: yet both are set before us; fin and mifery, holiness and happiness. What reafon is there then to complain? (2.) How fevere foever the threatnings be, yet all has enough ado to reach the end of the law. Fear him, fays our LORD, which, after he hath killed, hath power to caft into hell; yea, I fay unto you, fear him, Luke xii. 5. This befpeaks our dread of divine power and majefty; but yet how few fear him indeed! The LORD knows the finner's heart to be exceedingly intent upon fulfilling their lufts: they cleave fo fondly to thofe fulfome breafts, that a finall force does not fuffice to draw them from them. They that travel through defarts, where they are in hazard from wild beafts, have need to carry fire along with them: and they have need of a hard wedge that have knotty timber to cleave; fo a holy law must be fenced with a dreadful wrath, in a world lying in wickedness. But who are they that complain of that wrath as too great, but those to whom it is too little to draw them off from their finful courfes? It was the man who pretended to fear his Lord, because he was an auftere man, that kept his pound laid up in a napkin: and fo he was condemned out of his own mouth, Luke xix. 20, 21. 22. Thou art that man, even thou whofe objection I am anfwering. How can the wrath thou art under, and liable to, be too great, while yet it is not fufficient to awaken thee to fly from it? Is it time to relax the penalties of the law, when men are trampJing the commands of it under foot? (3.) Confider how God dealt with his own Son, whom he fpared not, Rom. viii. 32. The wrath of God feized on his foul and body both, and brought him into the duft of death. That his fufferings were not eternal, flowed from the quality of the fufferer, who was infinite; and therefore able to bear at once, the whole load of wrath: and upon that account, his fufferings were infinite in value. But in value, they must be protracted to an eternity. And what confidence can a rebel fubject have to quarrel (for his part) a punishment execute on the King's Son? (4.) The finner doth against God what he can. Behold thou hast done evil things as thou couldft, Jer. iii. 5. That thou haft not done more, and worse; thanks to him who reftrained thee; to the chain which the wolf was kept in by, not to thy felf. No wonder God fhew his power on the finner, who puts forth his power againft God, as far as it will reach. The unregenerate man puts no period to his finful courfe; and would put no bounds to it neither, if he were not reftrained by divine power for wife ends and therefore it is juft he be for ever under wrath. (5.) It is infinite majefty fin ftrikes againft; and fo it is, in fome fort, an infinite evil. Sin rifeth in its demerit, according to the quality of the party offended. If a man wound his neighbour, his goods muft go for it; but if he wound his prince, his life nuft go to make amends for that. The infinity of God makes infinite wrath the just demerit of fin. God is infinitely difpleafed with fin: and when he acts, he muft act like himself, and thew his difpleafure by proportionable means. Laftly Laftly, Thofe that fhall lie for ever under his wrath, will be eternally finning; and therefore muft eternally fuffer: not only in respect of divine judicial procedure; but because fin is its own punishment, in the fame manner that holy obedience is its own reward. The Doctrine of the Mifery of Man's natural State applied. USE (1) Of information. Is our state by náture a state of wrath? Then, 1. Surely we are not born innocent. These chains of wrath, which by nature are upon us, fpeak us to be born criminals. The fwaddling bands wherewith infants are bound hand and foot as foon as they are born, may put us in mind of the cords of wrath, with which they are held prifoners, as children of wrath. 2. What defperate madness is it for finners to go on in their sinful course: What is it but to heap coals of fire on thine own head, and lay more and more fuel to the fire of wrath, to treasure up unto thyfelf wrath against the day of wrath, Rom. ii. 5. Thou mayft perish, when his wrath is kindled but a little, Pfal. ii. 12. Why wilt thou increase it yet more: Thou art already bound with fuch cords of death, as will not easily be loofed: what need is there of more? Stand, careless finner, and confider this. 3. Thou haft no reason to complain, as long as thou art out of hell. Wherefore doth a living man complain? Lam. iii. 39. If one who has forfeited his life, be banished his native country, and expofed to many hardships; he may well bear all patiently, feeing his life is fpared. Do ye murmur, for that ye are under pain of fickness? Nay, blefs God ye are not there, where the worm never dieth. Doft thou grudge that thou art not in fo good a condition in the world as fome of thy neighbours are? Be thankful rather, that ye are not in the cafe of the damned. Is thy fubftance gone from thee? Wonder that the fire of God's wrath hath not confumed thyfelf. Kifs the rod, O finner, and acknowledge mercy: for God punifheth us less than our iniquities deferve, Ezra ix. 13. .4 Here is a memorandum, both for poor and rich, (1.). The pooreft that go from door to door, and hath not one penny left them by their parents, were born to an inheritance. Their first father Adam left them children of wrath; and continuing in their natural state, they cannot mifs of it; for this is the portion of a wicked man from God, and the heritage appointed to him by God, Job xx. 29. An heritage, that will furnish them with an habitation, who have not where to lay their head: they fhall be caft into utter darkness, Matth. xxv. 30. for to them is referved the blackness of darkness for ever, Jude 13. where their bed fhall be forrow; They fhall ly down in forrow, Ifa. 1. 11. their food fhall be judgment, for God will feed them with judgment, Ezek. xxxiv. 16 and their drink fhall be the red wine of God's wrath, the dregs whereof all the wicked of the earth fhall wring out, and drink them, Pfal. lxxv. 8. I know, that these who are deftitute of worldly goods, and withal void of the knowledge and grace of God, who therefore may be called the devil's poor, will be apt to fay here, We hope God will make us fuffer all our misery in this world, and we fhall be happy in the next: as if their miserable outward condition in time, would fecure their happinefs in eternity. A grofs and fatal mistake! And this is another inheritance they have, viz lies, vanity, and things wherein there is no profit, Jer. xvi. 19. But the bail fhall fweep away the refuge of lies, Ifa. xxviii. 17. Doft thou think, O finner, that God who commands judges on earth, not to refpect the perfon of the poor in judgment, Ley. xix. 15. will pervert judgment for thee? Nay, know for certain, that however miferable thou art here, thou shalt be eternally miferable hereafter, if thou liveft and dieft in thy natural ftate. (2.) Many that have enough in the world, have far more than they know of. Thou hadft, (it may be) O unregenerate man, an estate, a good portion, or a large stock left thee by thy father; thou haft improven it, and the fun of profperity fhines upon thee; fo that thou canft fay with Efau, Gen. xxxiii. 9. I have enough. But know, thou haft more than all that, an inheritance thou doft not confider of: thou art a child of wrath, an heir of hell. That is an heritage which will abide with thee, amidst all the changes in the world; as long as thou continueft in an unregenerate ftate. When thou fhalt leave thy fubftance to others, this thall go along with thy felf, into another world. It is no wonder a flaughter ox be fed to the full, and is not toiled as others are, Job xxi. 30. The wicked is referved to the day of deftruction; they shall be brought forth to the day of wrath. Well then, Rejoice, let thine heart chear thee; walk in the ways of thine heart, and in the fight of thine eyes live above reproofs and warnings from the word of God; fhew thy felf a man of a fine fpirit, by cafting off all fear of God; mock at ferioufnefs; live like thyfelf, a child of wrath, an heir of hell: But know thou, that for all these things, God will bring thee into judgment, Ecclef xi 9. Affure thy felf, thy breaking fhall come fuddenly, at an inftant, Ifa. xxx. 13 For as the crackling of thorns under a pot, fo is the laughter of a fool, Eccl. vii. 6. The fair blaze and great noife they make, is quickly gone; fo fhall thy mirth be. And then that wrath that is now filently finking into thy foul, fhall make a fearful hilling. 5. Wo to him, that, like Moab, hath been at ease from his youth, Jer. xlviii. 11. and never faw the black cloud of wrath hanging over his head. There are many who have no changes, therefore they fear not God, Pfal. Iv. 19. They have lived in a good belief (as they call it) all their days; that is, they never had power to believe an ill report of their fouls,ftate. Many have come by their religion too eafily; and as it came lightly to them, fo it will go from them, when their trial comes. Do ye think men flee from the wrath, in a morning dream? Or will they flee from the wrath, they never faw purfuing them. 6. Think 6. Think it not ftrange if ye fee one in great diflrefs about his foul's condition, who was wont to be as jovial, and as lit de concerned about falvation, as any of his neighbours. Can one get a right view of himself, as in a ftate of wrath, and not be pierced with forrows, terrors, anxiety? When a weight, quite above one's ftrength, lies upon him, and he is alone; he can neither ftir hand nor foot: but when one comes to lift it off him, he'll ftruggle to get from under it. Thunder-claps of wrath from the word of God conveyed to the foul by the Spirit of the Lord, will furely keep a man awake. Laftly, It is no wonder wrath come upon churches and nations, and upon us in this land, and that infants and children ye unborn fmart under it. Moft of the fociety are yet children of wrath; few are fleeing from it, or taking the way to prevent it; but people of all ranks are helping it on. The Jews rejected Chrift; and their children have been smarting under wrath thefe fixteen hundred years. God grant that the bad entertainment given to Chrift and his gospel, by this generation, be not purfued with wrath on the fucceeding one. USE (2) Of Exhortation. And here, .1. I thall drop a word to thefe who are yet in an unregenerate state. 2 To thofe that are brought out of it. 3. To all indifferently. 1. To you that are yet in an unregenerate ftate, I would found the alarm, and warn you to fee to yourfelves, while yet there is hope. O ye children of wrath, take no reft in this difmal ftate; but flee to Jefus Christ the only refuge. Hafte and make your escape thither. The ftate of wrath is too hot a climate for you to live in, Micah ii. 10. Arife ye and depart, for this is not your reft. O finner knoweft thou where thou art? Doft thou not fee thy danger? The curfe has entered into thy foul: wrath is thy covering; the heavens are growing blacker and blacker above thy head: the earth is weary of thee, the pit is opening her mouth for thee; and fhould the thread of thy life be cus this moment, thou art henceforth past all hopes for ever. Sirs, if we faw you putting a cup of poifon to your mouth; we would fly to you and fnatch it out of your hands. If we faw the houfe on fire about you, while ye were fast afleep in it; we would run to you, and drag you out of it. But alas! ye are in ten thousand times greater hazard; yet we can do no more but tell you your danger; invite, exhort,-befeech, and obteft you, to look to your felves; and lament your stupidity and obftinacy, when we cannot prevail with you to take warning. If there were no hope of your recovery, we thould be filent, and would not torment you before the time; but tho' ye be loft and undone, there is hope in Ifrael concerning this thing. Wherefore, I cry unto you in the name of the Lord, and in the words of the prophet, Zech. ix. 12. Turn ye to the firong hold, ye prifoners of hope. Flee to Jefus Chrift out of this your natural ftate. Motive 1. While ye are in this ftate, ye muft ftand or fall according to the law, or covenant of works. ye understood this aright,. it would ftrike through your hearts, as a thoufand darts. One had better better be a flave to the Turks, condemned to the galleys, or under Egyptian boge, than be under the covenant of works now. All mankind were brought under it in Adam, as we heard before: and thou in thy unregenerate itate, are still where Adam left thee. It is true, there is another covenant brought in: but what is that to thee, who art not brought into it? Thou must needs be under one of the two covenants; either under the law, or under grace. That thou art not under grace, the dominion of fin over thee, manifeftly evinceth; therefore thou art under the law, Rom. vi. 14. Do not think God has laid afide the firft covenant, Matth. v. 17, 18. Gal. iii. 1o. No, he will magnify the law, and make it honourable. It is broken indeed on thy part: but it is abfurd to think, that therefore your obligation is diffolved. Nay, thou muft ftand and fall by it, till thou canft produce thy discharge from God himself, who is thy party in that covenant; and this thou canit not pretend to, feeing thou art not in Chrift.. Now, to give you a view of your misery, in this respect, consider thefe following things, (1.) Hereby ye are bound over to death, in virtue of the threatning of death in that covenant, Gen. ii. 17. The condition being broken, ye fall under the penalty. So it concludes you under wrath. (2) There is no falvation for you under this covenant, but on a condition impoffible to be performed by you. The juftice of God muft be fatisfied for the wrong you have done already. God hath written this truth in characters of the blood of his own Son. Yea, and you must perfectly obey the law for the time to come. So faith the law, Gal. iii. 12. The man that doth them, fhall live in them. Come then, O finner, fee if thou canst make a ladder, whereby thou mayft reach the throne of God; ftretch forth thine arms, and try, if thou canst fly on the wings of the wind, catch hold of the clouds, and pierce through these visible heavens; and then either climb over, or break through the jafper walls of the city above. These things fhalt thou do, as foon as thou fhalt reach heaven in thy natural ftate, or under this covenant. (3.) There is no pardon under this covenant. Pardon is the benefit of another covenant, with which thou haft nothing to do, Acts xiii. 9. And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Mofes. As for thee, thou art in the hand of a merciless creditor, which will take thee by the throat, faying, Pay what thou oweft; and caft thee into prifon, there to remain, till thou haft paid the utmost farthing: unless thou beeft fo wife as to get a cautioner in time, who is able to answer for all thy debt, and get up thy difcharge. This Jefus Chrift alone can do.. Thou abideft under this covenant, and pleadeft mercy: but what is thy plea founded on? There is not one promife of mercy or pardon in that covenant. Doft thou plead mercy, for mercy's fake? Justice will step in betwixt it and thee; and plead God's covenant threating, which he cannot deny. (4) There's no place for repentance in this covenant, fo as the finer can be helped by it. For as foon as ever thou finnoft, the law lays its curfe on thee, which is a dead weight thou |