pieces A mighty Lord Christ is at whose Command Death shall deliver again all that for so many years he had imprisoned in the Grave he has indeed the Key of Death and Hell too Rev. 1. 18. both are under his Power at his Command also the Heavens shall pass away with a great noise the Elements shall melt with fervent heat the Earth also and the works therein shall be burnt up There is no dealing with this Judge by way of resistance it concerns us all to be diligent that we may be found of him in peace without spot and blameless 2 Pet. 3. 10 14. 4. Christ the Judge will come with a most glorious Attendance How awakening to the World will the Voice of the Arch-Angel and the Trump of God be Christ will appear with a light far above the brightness of the Sun not a Member of his but shall shine like that glorious Luminary Mat. 13. 43. Then shall the righteous shine as the Sun in the Kingdom of their Father And what a spectacle will all the Saints together be as so many millions of Suns shining at Once and their Lord in the heighth of Glory at the head of them He will be revealed also with his mighty Angels these excellent Spirits at his Command ministred unto his Members on Earth and they will wait upon the Head at the day of his appearing and his Kingdom There is much Work for the Angels to do at the Worlds end they are compared to Reapers that are safely to gather the Wheat and to bind the Tares in bundles for the fire Mat. 13. 41 42. The Son of Man shall send forth his Angels and they shall gather out of his Kingdom all things that offend and them which do iniquity and shall cast them into a furnace of fire there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth The greatest Train of Nobility and Courtiers that attend at the Coronation of the highest Emperour on Earth are but a poor shew to an innumerable Company of Angels for all in Heaven will be with Christ at Judgment to do him honour who is indeed the Head of all Principality and Power Thus of the Judge In the second Place I am to speak of the Persons that are to be judged The Text takes in All therefore none shall be exempted and none in a vain and foolish imagination should exempt themselves It will be a general Assize at which all the Sons and Daughters of Adam shall appear 1. The highest and greatest of Men will be brought to Judgment Death makes bold with them as well as others and enters the stateliest Palaces the strongest Forts as well as the Cottages of the meanest The Rulers and Conquerors of the World that caused Terror in the land of the living yet they are made to bear the shame of their Weakness and Mortality they are brought down to the Pit their Swords are laid under their Heads their Hands being able to hold them no longer Ezek. 32. 27. And if Death is not afraid to seize them surely Christ will not be afraid to Judge them This mighty Lord regards not the persons of Princes nor the rich more than the poor Job 34. 19. I have said ye are Gods speaking to the great Ones of the World but ye shall dye like Men Psal 82. 7. Princes are greater Worms other Men are lesser but all must call Corruption Father and when they come to stand before Christs bar foregoing earthly Dignity will be insignificant all must stand upon even ground And truly those great Ones of the World that have abused their Power and by a bad example drawn many to Sin and to Hell after them their greatness will but Increase their Account and Misery 2. As the greatest so the Meanest must be brought to Judgment though there is never so vast a multitude God takes notice of them all now and none of them must think to ofcape in a crowd then The Apostle speaks plainly of Individuals Rom. 14. 12. So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God Those that live most private and retired are under Gods continual Inspection they that are of the lowest rank and quality whom there are that disdain so much as to look upon yet God sees them The Sun shines upon a Mole-hill as well as upon a Mountain upon a Shrub as well as upon a Cedar upon a Fly as well as upon an Emperor and truly the All-seeing Eye of God beholds the low as well as the high and there is not any one of them all but shall be made to render an account of all his doings 3. Righteous Ones must stand before Christs Judgment-seat All his Members must appear before Him their Head but shall be dealt with after a different manner from others Grace and Love makes a difference now but how highly magnified will the Grace of Christ be in the difference it makes at that Day to find Mercy of the Lord in that day which the Apostle Prays Onesiphorus might find 2 Tim. 1. 18. when the greatest part of the World shall with a strong hand the Ear being deaf to all their cryes be turned into everlasting fire this is great Mercy indeed great as the Heaven is high above the Earth The Righteous shall appear but they shall be set at their Lords right hand to shew his peculiar Favour to them and they shall joyfully own what that Hand has done for them Christs Appearing will be glorious and so will be the appearing of his Saints then 't will be understood what 't is to be a Saint Col. 3. 4. When Christ who is our life shall appear than shall ye also appear with him in Glory A Question is here started by some Whether the Sins of the Righteous shall be then made known The Scripture plainly tells us That when the Sins of such come to be sought for there shall be none and that they shall not be found none of them shall be imputed or laid to their charge none shall be so discover'd in Judgment as to rise up in Judgment against them to Condemn them But since there will such a light shine at that day that will make all things manifest both good and evil suppose the Iniquities of the Righteous should be made known to the whole Creation such will be their Purity such will be their Blessedness and Joy that there will not be the least room for shame or sorrow at the discovery But when all the Sins that have been Forgiven and Purged shall be revealed others as well as themselves will be filled with Wonder at the Blood of Jesus and the powerful Grace of God. 4. As the Righteous so the Wicked must stand before Christs Bar they would fain not come thither but there is an irresistible Power to force them The Malefactor who is Condemned for Murther Rape or Treason would fain decline the Judges View he is Self-condemn'd and therefore fears the Judges Sentence but the Gaoler the
will judge and punish the wickedness of which Man takes no notice This Doctrine of a Judgment to come of future Rewards and punishments is written in the heart of Man by Nature and he is fain to offer great violence to his own Soul before he can wear off what is written there and tho a Sinner become ordinarily very Stupid and Atheistical yet the thoughts and fears of Judgment will sometimes in spight of him return upon him The Apostle speaks of Conscience bearing witness and Thoughts accusing and excusing and then presently speaks of the Day when God shall judge the Secrets of Men by Jesus Christ Rom. 2. 15 16. Conscience judges at present and hints a future judgment 2. There is not such a Discrimination made in this World between the Righteous and the Wicked as is suitable to the difference that Grace has made between them Therefore there is a Day coming when there will be such a Discrimination Solomon tells us that in the course of Divine Providence at present no Man can know either Love or Hatred by all that is before him All things fall alike to all there is one Event to the Righteous and to the Wicked to the good to the clean and to the unclean to him that Sacrificeth and him that Sacrificeth not as is the good so is the sinner and he that Sweareth as he that feareth an Oath Eccles 9. 1 2. Nay often times the worst of men have in this present Life the best on 't We read Luke 16. of a wicked Rich Man receiving his good things cloathed in Purple and fine Linnen and faring Sumptuously every day A poor Man ready to starve for Hunger was laid at this Rich Man's Gate his Body was full of sores and yet this Mans Soul was sanctified with Grace a good Man he was though here he received evil things since thus it is now there is a day coming when 't will be otherwise Job having spoken of the Prosperity of the Wicked in this World strongly argues that in the next World there will be a dreadful after-reckoning Job 21. 30. The Wicked is reserved to the day of destruction they shall be brought forth to the day of Wrath This is the day I am speaking of a day of the revelation of the righteous Judgment of God Rom. 2. 5. Who then will render to every man according to his works to them that by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality eternal life but to them that are contentious and do not obey the truth but obey unrighteousness indignation and wrath tribulation and anguish upon every soul of man that doth evil of the Jew first and also of the Gentile v. 6 7 8 9. 3. Christ hath Promised his Church that he will come again to Judgment and hath raised her hopes and expectations of his coming Rev. 3. 11. Behold I come quickly hold that fast which thou hast that no man take thy Crown Heb. 10. 36. For yet a little while and he that shall come will come and will not tarry He thus speaks to his Disciples Let not your hearts be troubled ye believe in God believe also in me I am indeed about to leave you but I go to prepare a place for you and assure your selves I will come again and receive you to my self that where I am there may be also Joh. 14. 1 5. Christ is the Amen the true and faithful Witness he will certainly be the Judge The Church will assuredly see him at last upon the great White Throne and her self safe and triumphant at his right hand When he comes how will he be glorified in his Saints and how will he be admired by all Believers in that Day 2 Thes 1. 10. 4. There are several things that are hastening Christs coming to Judgment The World grows old in Wickedness and all the Sins of the World have tongues to cry for the appearing of a Judge to pay their deserved Wages the World grows riper and riper for Vengeance dryer and dryer for that Fire that is to burn it The Church of Christ is also hastning Christs Appearing with their incessant Cryes Come Lord Jesus Come quickly Rev. 22. 20. The Spirit and the Bride say Come not only unto Sinners to come to Christ but unto Christ himself to appear that he may put an end both to Sin and Suffering That 's the longing and language of the Spouse Cant. 8. 14. Make haste my Beloved and be like a Roe or a young Hart upon the mountains of spices And this is not the Voice only of the Church on Earth but they in Heaven wish for and intreat the same thing How long Lord holy and true is heard from the Souls under the Altar Rev. 6. 10. In the last Place I come to the Application I begin with Inferences from the Doctrine 1. If there will be a Day of Judgment hence I inferr that there is a present Providence Will the Lord judge all at last surely he observes all now The Lord Jesus would have all the Churches to know as well that he searches the Reins and Heart as that he will render to every man according to his Works Rev. 2. 23. Whether thy Eye be upon God or no his Eye is never off from thee 't is indeed in every place beholding the evil and the good What a foolish Creature hast thou reason to call thy self who considerest not in thy heart that God remembers all thy Wickedness Hos 7. 2. and Gods remembrance at last will rub up thine and what thou now forgettest will sadly be recalled to thy Mind 2. Shall all be Judged hence I inferr the Love of God to the Righteous and his hatred of Iniquity Not one righteous Man but shall be acquitted and received by the Judge not a righteous action or sincere intention but shall be rewarded It will be found at the last day that a Widdows Mite given with a Charitable spirit and according to the ability was a great deal in Gods Treasury and that a Cup of cold Water given to a Disciple in the Name of a Disciple was well taken and shall not go unrewarded Mat. 10. 42. And there has not been there is not a Wicked Man on Earth but his Sin that has been hunting and pursuing to overthrow him will then find him out Psal 11. 5 6. because the Lords Soul hates the workers of Iniquity therefore upon the wicked he will rain snares fire and brimstone and an horrible tempest this shall be the portion of their Cup By fire and brimstone and tempest understand a suddain grievous surprizing and intolerable Punishment and by snares understand that they in Hell shall never be able to extricate themselves out of that Misery into which their Wickedness has brought them 3. If all shall be Judged hence I inferr the truth of the Doctrine of the Resurrection The whole Man has sum'd the whole Man shall be judg'd and punished for sin Believers
but they would not open How often did the Spirit strive with them to stop them in Hells road and to turn them into the way of Peace but they were stiff-necked and always resisted the Holy Ghost They will remember their Preachers Pains and Prayers and labour and travel of Soul how they lifted up their Voices to awaken them out of their Sin and Security how they intreated them to be reconciled to God and to turn into the fate and blessed Paths of Righteousness but they were Deaf and obstinate nothing would prevail with them and the remembrance of all this will be bitter bitter bitter to them 4. In Hell there will be torment in the Body and the Members of it and such as no body ever felt or was capable of bearing here on Earth The Stone the Cholick and the Strangury the greatest Torture that ever the hand of Man inflicted are no more comparable to the Pains of Hell than the smallest Prick of a Pin is to a Dagger that strikes quite through and gives the Heart a deadly Wound The Senses of the Damned shall have that which will be exceedingly afflicting What woful Spectacles will their Eyes behold What dismal Noyses will fill their Ears how fierce and unquenchable are the Flames that they shall feel all their parts shall be in pain not so much as one free The whole Body was defiled and at Sins service all the Members were yielded as instruments of Vnrighteousness 't is but righteous that all should be Punished Why are the Bodies of the Wicked raised at the last day surely that they may bear their part in the Condemnation which the whole Man by Sin has deserved This Resurrection is certain but 't is a dreadful Resurrection which is a Resurrection to Damnation Joh. 5. 29. In these Torments you may well suppose that Death will be wisht for and that the Damned would rejoyce if they could find a Grave but alas after the Resurrection the first Death is no more The Damned in a sad sense do put on Incorruption and Immortality they can never dye and cease to feel their Pains they must always live a Life ten thousand times worse than Death and there is no remedy O you Wicked Men where 's your true Love to your Bodies that you seem to be so tender of I beseech you mind your Souls and love your Bodies better than by Sin to expose them to the Vengeance of eternal Fire You see how in Hell there is a Deprivation of good an Instiction of evil pain and torment I add 3. In Hell there is an Eternity of both the deprivation will be without Hope of Restitution and the Torment will be without any end without the least Mitigation Eternity is an amazing word the thing it self much more amazing Who can see to the end of Eternity who can see half way into Eternity Time is continually passing but Eternity never in the least spends 't is not capable of any diminution after myriads of Ages 't is still as bulky and whole as ever If Hell were Ten thousand times hotter than it is yet were it but a Temporal Punishment and at last to end 't would be Nothing in comparison But since those that are thrown into it must lye in it for ever Hells Eternity is the very Hell of Hell. In Eternity whether of Joy or Woe there is tota simul perfecta possessio the whole of it perfectly possess'd at once Hell is not parcel'd out unto the Damned but they continually feel the whole of it This is terrible there is not the least part of the punishment that ever they are exempted from undergoing out 't is much more terrible that their Suffering must be always and never have a Conclusion Divines have stretch'd their Wits to represent Eternity that apprehensions of it might be more suitable and affecting but were never able to reach it We can no more comprehend Eternity than a Nut-shell can contain the whole Ocean Suppose that all this World were fill'd with Sand from the Earths Centre round and up to the highest Heaven and once in a Thousand Years one single Sand should be taken away How sad would it be to lye in Torment till the whole vnst heap were gone But after so many Millions and Millions of Years for the Damned to be every whit as far from the End of their Misery as they were the very first moment they began to feel it here all words fall short and I must conclude in Astonishment Do not think that these are frightful things invented by Vs to scare you into better manners When we warn and tell you of the Eternity of Hells punishment we speak the certain Truth of the Eternal God. In the second place I am to prove the Doctrine That they who will not turn to God shall most certainly be turned into Hell. The Arguments to prove this are these 1. The first shall be drawn from the Wrath of God. This is revealed from Heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteouness of Men Rom. 1. 18. They that are called to turn and yet refuse that Wrath abides upon them still unbelief and impenitency bindes as it were all their Sins fast upon them and they must needs remain under Wrath also Joh. 3. ult He that believeth not the Son shall not see life but the Wrath of God abideth on him Nay Wrath instead of being appeased is increased by contemning the Gospel-offer of Gods favour and mercy in Christ And where will unpacified Wrath at length issue See Deut. 32. 22. A Fire is kindled in mine Anger and it shall burn to the lowest Hell. 2. A second Argument shall be drawn from the Truth of God. He has threatned Hell for the punishment of unconverted Sinners Psal 9. 17. The Wicked shall be turned into Hell and all the Nations that forget God Let there be never so many of them Hell has room enough to hold them and their multitude will not be any Security The Truth of God is engaged to make good all his promises to the Faithful and also all his threatnings to the Wicked A man must believe the Promises in order to the accomplishment of them But tho the Threatnings are dis-believed they will be fulfilled and the greater the unbelief the more certainly and sorely will they overtake and lay hold on the Vnbeliever The Lord is to be credited when he speaks because he is a God that cannot Lye but when he adds his Oath to his word what he sayes is the more firmly to be assented to His Covenant of Grace is confirm'd by an Oath and when he could Swear by no greater he Swore by himself And his Oath also confirms his Threatnings of Wrath Heb. 3. 18 19. And to whom Swear he that they should not enter into his Rest but to them that believed not So we see that they could not enter in because of Vnbelief 3. Another Argument to prove that unconverted Sinners shall be turned into Hell
shall be drawn from their present Impunity Escaping now scot-free we may conclude the greater certainty of a future reckoning They that will not turn to God we see that many of them are in Health at ease enjoy peace and plenty and Sentence against their evil works being not now executed and they hereupon being fully set to do Evil 't is reasonable to believe there will be and 't is very Righteous there should be a terrible Sentence of Condemnation and that Sentence put in Execution upon them in the other World. 4. They that will not turn to God at the Gospel call shall be turned into Hell for they slight the only Saviour Christ calls himself a Door so he has been from the beginning of the World so he will be to the End of it There is no Door through which Hell can be escaped but this Unconverted Sinners wil not come to Him that they may have Life Joh. 5. 42 therefore they are unavoidably Siezed by eternal Death Corruptible things as Silver and Gold they know how to value but the precious Blood of Christ is not prized and not being Sprinkled with the Blood of Christ our Passover who was Sacrificed for us the Destroyer has power over them and they fall into eternal Predition In the third place I am to vindicate the Righteousness of God in thus dealing with and eternally punishing them that will not turn to Him And here 1. Let the Majesty and greatness of God be consider'd against whom all Sin is committed How much greater a Crime is it to strike a Prince upon the Throne than to strike a Peasant How much is Sin gratned being committed against the Highest Majesty of all who is infinitely Superiour to all other Powers Psal 104. 1. O Lord my God thou art very great thou art Cloathed with Honour and with Majesty Psal 145. Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised and his greatness is unsearchable Sin is a Transgression of a Law enacted by the King of Heaven and is indeed a disowning of his Soveraign Authority as if he had no right to rule the Sinner Think of the infinite distance between the God who is offended and Man that is the Offender and how much Sin offends for it disowns his Government and strikes at his very Being for the Sinner wishes there were no God to be subject to I say think of all this and you will perceive that Sin deserves everlasting Punishment The carnal Mind thinks Hell too much for a Sinner to feel because it measures God by it self and thinks too little of the Glorious Jehovah 2. Sinners can never by all that they suffer themselves satisfie for their Iniquities therefore their punishment in Hell is justly endless No meer Creature can make satisfaction for Sin. If Christ the Mediatour had not been over all God blessed for ever by his Death and all his Sufferings he would never have made Peace His God-head put a real and infinite value upon the price he paid and made it sufficient for our Redemption The Damned in Hell cannot satisfie the Justice of God for their Transgressions therefore they justly are kept eternal Prisoners there It is above five Thousand Years ago that the Evil Angels were cast down to Hell by the punishment they have undergone have they made any Satisfaction for their offences No no still they have continued in their Enmity and deserved more punishment And from Satans utter alienation from God and all goodness we may infer that Hell is not a place to mend any but Sin is hight'ned those that were had on Earth become worse in Hell and are unalterably confirm'd in Evil. 3. The punishment of Sin in Hell is justly Eternal because Sin is insatiable Suppose a Sinner could live in this World to Eternity there is corruption enough in his Nature to make him an Offender of God unto Eternity If he were an everlasting Liver upon Earth he would be an everlasting Transgressour If the Carnal Heart would but speak out that would be its Language I would desire no other no greater happiness than that I might live here for ever that I might Sin here for ever This insatiable Nature of Sin this inclination and desire of the Sinner is known to the Heart-searcher therefore the punishment he inflicts is very Righteous tho 't is everlasting 4. For the Vindication of the Righteousness of God take notice what has been offered unto Sinners and rejected Christ is offered his justifying Righteousness his unsearchable Riches all his Fulness all the Benefits which he has purchased at so dear a Price and yet the offer is made light of How much is contemn'd when Christ is Contemn'd and how much of Sin is there in the Contempt The blessed God in the Glorious Gospel does call to Sinners to turn to him and what does he offer His own all-sufficient-self I my self am yours if you will turn to me and become sincerely mine I will be a God to you all my attributes shall be for you I will be your Shield and your exceeding great Reward and your Portion for ever Now for a Sinner to turn a Deaf Ear to all this is such a Sin as does deserve the Eternal loss of what is offer'd and the feeling of everlasting Wrath is just since such infinite and everlasting Goodness has been despised I might also add that the Sinner is told of this Eternal Punishment before-hand therefore if his Lusts are so dear that he will venture to be Damned rather than part with them when those Lusts that War against his Soul have quite undone him and brought him down to Hell indeed he cannot charge God with Injustice but he must blame himself because when warned of Hell and Wrath he would not fear and Flee from it I come now to the Applacation I begin with some Inferences that may be drawn from the Doctrine 1. If Sinners that will not turn shall be brought down to Hell certainly Sin is another kind of thing than is commonly imagined Oh Sin how much art thou mistaken Thou art very little understood on Earth In Heaven thou art better understood by Saints and full glad they are they are quite rid of thee In Hell thou art better understood by Sinners and they must Groan for ever under the weight of thee O all of you Study Hell more if you would know Sin more fully Gods severity towards Man for Sin argues it a very vast Evil. I am perswaded that all the Men upon Earth that all the Saints and Angels in Heaven since they cannot comprehend the greatness and goodness of God neither can they comprehend all the Evil that is in Sin And if God alone does fully understand how Evil Sin is he alone is the competent Judge what Punishment is due to it O exceeding sinful Sin Rom. 7. 13. thou canst not be called by so bad a Name as thy own is 2. Learn from hence the Misery of unconverted Sinners Are there
their Brother comes to remembrance with great anguish and trouble Gen. 42. 21 22. They said one to another We are verily guilty concerning our Brother in that we saw the anguish of his Soul when he besought us and we would not hear therefore is this distress come upon us therefore behold also is his blood required Conscience does Comment upon Affliction and has its terrible glosses These blows are given thee for thy secret filthiness for thy intemperance for thy injustice for thy earthlimindedness for thy doing the Work of God Heartlesly and negligently Observe what Conscience now says for the Master Sin it takes special notice of 5. That is a Master Sin which when the Sinner is almost perswaded to be a Convert hinders him from being a Convert altogether That Jacob might have Corn he was contented that ten of his Sons should go and fetcht it but how loath was he to let Benjamin go When a Sinner is convinced of the necessity of Conversion he may consent to part with two or three or ten Sins but that which is most beloved he huggs still that Sin and he must never part When the Sould is ready to be espoused to Christ This Sin stands up and forbids the Banes. We read of a young man in the Gospel soberly inclined he saw the necessity of eternal Life and the value of it he comes to Jesus and says Good Master What shall I do that I may inherit eternal Life Our Lord tells him of the commands the young man is glad of this for as to the letter of the second-Table-precepts he had been a strict observer of them all from his Youth up At length our Lord who knew Love to the World was his Master Sin bids him to go and sell all that he had on Earth and follow him and he should have a more enduring and better Treasure in Heaven But his Love to the World hindred his Believing and Conversion he goes away very sorrowful for he was very rich Mat. 19. 21 22. His Riches were very unreasonably and excessively loved he cleaves to Mammon and leaves the only Saviour 6. That is a Master Sin which pretends most highly to consult the Sinners safety gain and pleasure To be safe to be advantaged and delighted are things very taking to Humane Nature pretences this way are prevalent but all Sins pretences are vain When our Lord commands that the right eye should be pluckt out the right hand cut off the meaning is not that Christianity binds us cruelly to dismember our selves Indeed the abuse of our members is severely forbidden but our members themselves are not to be parted with but employed after an holy manner That therefore which our Lord intends is this either that we should be as without an eye to behold vanity and tempting Objects as without an hand to work that which is evil Or that though Sin be naturally as dear to us as our right eye as seemingly necessary as our right hand yet we must part with it and not spare it to the hazard ruine of our selves for ever Mat. 5. 29 30. I might also add that Sinners are apt above all to wish that the Master Sin were no Sin at all And because the Law forbids it they hate the Law and the motions of their wicked Hearts towards it are more strong and violent And here is a notable difference between an unsanctified and a sanctified Heart The unsanctified Heart wishes that the Law were less Holy that Sins were no Sins but the Heart that is sanctified does not desire the Law were less strict and pure but that it self were more pure and more conformed unto a Law that is so good and excellent it does not desire a Liberty to commit Sin but that all the remaining Justings of the Flesh that way were more throughly mortified In the third place I am to produce the Reasons why this Master Sin ought especially to be abandoned 1. Because this is Gods Principal Enemy All Sin is against him but this is a special Provocation in the the eyes of his Holiness and Glory The Apostle tells us that Love is the greatest Grace and Christ himself says that Love is the first and great Commandment The Master Sin which is most beloved which takes away the affection of the Heart which God chiefly requires must needs provoke Him unto great Jealousie This is the Presumptuous Sin 't is greatly offensive for deservedly 't is called the great Transgression Psal 19. 13. 2. The Master Sin should be abandon'd because in a special manner it separates between God and the Soul that is guilty of it Sin has many bad effects but a worse can't be named than this Isa 59. 2. Your iniquities have separated between you and your God and your sins have hid his face from you that he will not hear Let the Saints in Heaven speak what 't is to see the Face of God! Oh the evil that is in Sin which causes the Face of God to be hid from the Sinner Every Sin may be compared to a cloud but the Sin which does most easily beset us is the blackest the darkest cloud of all which does most totally deprive us of the Light of Gods Countenance 3. If the Master-Sin be not abandon'd no other Sin whatsoever can be truly repented of A man may indeed abstain from some Sins but he does not abstain from them as Sins and because they are displeasing to God because contrary to his will and because they hinder Communion with God if he did then certainly he would keep himself from the beloved Sin which is principally hateful to God and the grand obstruction of fellowship with Him. 4. The Master Sin should be abandon'd because this is so great a grief unto the Holy Spirit of God. How often does he tell the false Professour of his lying Tongue and the unjust Professour of his unrighteous dealing The good Spirit vouchsafes to strive with very wicked men and moves them to hate the Sin which they unreasonably Love to their own ruine But if Sin be loved still the Spirit is grieved and vexed And is it safe to grieve and vex the Sanctifier the Comforter No. Read what follows upon vexing the Spirit Isa 63. 10. But they rebelled and vexed his Holy Spirit therefore he was turned to be their Enemy and he fought against them 5. The Master Sin should be abandon'd because 't is this chiefly that keeps the Lord Jesus our of the Throne Why do so many say in their Hearts we will not have Christ to Reign over us The reason is because they are resolved their fleshly and their wordly Lusts shall rule there still And if Christ rule not 't is in vain to expect he will save for he is the Author of Eternal Salvation unto them that obey him Heb. 5. 9. Nay as he will not save them that will not be subject to him so he has threatned to slay them As for those mine Enemies that would not