Cross or any thing to molest us had it not been for sin yet are we apt to over-look it and yet have our finger always upon the Sore we cry out Oh my Back my Belly my Bones my Heart but seldom Oh my Sin we are like hâ—m that complains of the pain in his Foot but not of the Shooe that pincheth him of the Gout Stone Strangury Surfeit but not of the Intemperance that is the cause Pharaoh cries out Take away the Frogs the Lice the Darkness let there be no more Hail but not take away the Sin the hardness of Heart that brought them God when he threatens Death for sin threatens also all the Causes and Fore-runners of Death and all the Evils which accompany a sinful Life for these are the Natural Productions of sin and much worse Fruit it bears if Repentance prevent it not and like a mighty Wind blows it not down before it come to Maturity otherwise it will be bitter Fruit We have far greater cause to cry out Oh my filthy Sins Oh my Pride my Passion my Covetousness my Deadness Dulness Formality Hypocrisie c. than Oh my dead Father my Husband my Son my Daughter We should cease quarrelling God and turn the edge of our Anger Sorrow and Indignation against Sin and against our selves for our sin and so our Quarrel will be much more just 'T is a stubborn Child that when corrected for a known fault will rather quarrel his Father than acknowledge his own Guilt We are apt to cry out Oh my Loss Oh my Cross than Oh my Sin my Infidelity my inordinate Affections which forces God thus to Correct me Let us remove the Cause and the Effect will cease Thus you see whether we consider sin in it self in its pestiferous infectious Nature or whether we consider it in its direful Effects the Miseries that attend it we have more cause to bewail it than any Loss or Cross that can befal us for sins sake as the Cause is worse than the Effect 3. But this is not all for sin procures Spiritual Judgments as well as Temporal and these are far more deadly and dangerous for these Distempers reach the Soul when the other touch only the Body or Estate Sin defiles and deforms all the Powers and Faculties of Soul and Body Sin is so Infectious and Contagious and the Effects thereof so Malignant that the greatest and most dangerous Plague-sore even that which rendeth the Soul from the Body is not so dangerous 'T is sin that hardens the Heart and turns it into the Nature of a stone We read of a stony heart and of all the Plagues that fell upon Pharaoh this was the worst and a greater than this cannot befal a Mortal Man in this Life God complains of this That the house of Israel were impudent and hard-hearted Ezek. 3.7 c. And the great Gospel-promise is To take away thâ— stony heart and give them hearts of flesh And as it hardens the Heart so it blinds the Mind which by reason of sin is Naturally Judicially and Wilfully blind the Image of God consisted in Knowledge Righteousness and true Holiness these by the Fall were lost and Ignorance Wickedness and Profaness the very Image of the Devil were engraven in their stead 1 Cor. 3.14 And Men walk in Darkness till the Scales of Ignorance are wiped from their Eyes and Christ's Spiritual Eye-salve applyed Rev. 3.18 A natural maâ— cannot perceive the things of the spirit for they aâ—â— spiritually discerned Many also are Judicially blind God in his just Judgment giving them up to strong delusion to believe lies Mat. 13.13 c. They are Wilfully blind and God will not Cure them like Hagar they cannot see the Well of Water that is before them They are wilfully Ignorant that they may sin the more freely The God of this world hath blinded their eyes 2 Cor. 4.4 He draws a Curtain between them and the Light and holds his black hand before their faces and were they anatomized his Image would be found â—ngraven upon their hearts Light is come into â—â—e world and men love darkness rather than light â—ecause their works are evil They are willingly â—gnorant of what they are not willing to know â—hey have also cauterized Consciences seared with 〈◊〉 hot Iron and reprobate minds Rom. 1.28 And â—istempered and disordered Affections set upon â—rong Objects loving what they should hate â—nd hating what they should love fearing Men â—nd their threatnings and despising God and his â—hreatnings being given up to vile affections Rom. â— 26 1 Tim. 4.2 Yea they are given up to â—tubbornness of Will Judges 2.19 And of this â—e have Pharaoh for an Example that was beâ—ome Cannon-proof that all the Judgments â—rought upon Egypt could not work upon him â—uch are mentioned Jer. 44.19 that would bake â—akes to the Queen of Heaven let God himself say what he would to the contrary they will set up â—heir Post by God's Post and prefer their Dagon â—efore the Ark therefore God gives up such to â—trong delusions to believe lies Rom. 1.24 The Memory also though strong enough to retain what is bad yet 't is like a leaking Vessel that cannot retain any thing that is good In a word â—ll the Powers and Faculties of the Soul are polâ—uted and the Members of the Body are the unhappy Instruments to act the wickedness the Soul contrives So that a Toad or Serpent is not fuller of Poison than Man's heart is naturally of Sin and Wickedness and of noxious Qualities the Fruits and Effects of which if timely Repentance prevent not will be the loss of God's Favour which is better than life in whose presence is fulness of joy and at whose right hand are pleasureâ— for evermore Psal 16.11 The loss also of an Interest in the Blood of Christ will follow which is of more value than the World it self for such trample upon the blood of the Covenant as an unholy thing Heb. 10.29 Yea they do despight unto the Spirit of God and put themselves from under the favourable Protection of God and thaâ— Guard of Angels that God sends forth as ministring Spirits for the good of those that love him and makes Men uncapable of the sweet Communion of Saints which David made his chiefesâ— Delight on Earth Psal 16.2 It deprives them of the Peace of Conscience a Jewel of inestimable worth and brings many times such a Storm there that all the World cannot allay aâ— in Cain Judas Spira and many more that Bird in the Bosom when it sings sweetly makes better Melody than all the World can do Sin also deprives Men of all true Interest and Spirituaâ— Right to all our outward Enjoyments a Civiâ—â— Right we may have but a Covenant-Right we cannot have in a Natural condition for these things are not given but lent to a wicked Man and an Account will be required to the utmost Farthing In a word unrepented sin deprives Men of an Interest in God in
then the Soul will know the worth of the things she hath lost and what a foolish bargain she made when God and Heaven and Happiness were parted with for a Lust this will be a bitter Corazine and an eternal Torment to a miscarrying Soul when she knows and know she will what it is to enjoy those Rivers of pleasures which are at the right-hand of God ouâ— sight of Christ ouâ— glimps of Heaven one hours converse with Angels and glorified Saints would dash the Glory of Ten thousand Worlds out of countenance this Beatifical Vision this enjoyment of God in Glory is a Saints greatest Happiness and well it may We mourn and overmourn for little petty Crosses or Losses in our temporal Estate but the loss of a thousand Worlds will not equal this a glimps of whose Face in Glory would make amends for all the Losses Crosses Pains and Torments which here we can suffer for his sake 'T is His Presence that makes Heaven to be Heaven and his Absence is Hell it self the enjoyment of him here in a small measure is Heaven upon Earth and when he withdraws himself from the Soul 't is a very Hell but the blinded World is not sensible of his worth ignotis nulla cupida nothing but Ignorance could stave off our Affections from him yet many though they cannot live without him yet value him not they have not Bread to eat or Clothes to put on nor a Breath to breathe but what he gives them yet dare they abuse their Meat to Gluttony their Drink to Drunkenness their Breath to blaspheme his holy Name But what will those do when there shall be an everlasting separation between God and them The loss of a Jewel is not much to one that values it but as a common Stone but when they come to know its worth it will more trouble them I have read of a Diamond taken from the Duke of Burgundy slain by the Switzers that was sold for a crown by the Soldier that took it and so passed from one to one â—â—ll at last it was bought for 20000 Ducats which as some value it was above 7000 Pound and put into the Pope's triple Crown See what Ignorance may do But Ignorance of God will prove the most dangerous mistake There are many in our Age like David's Fool that say in their Hearts there is no God nay too many that proclaim it with their Tongues but e're long they will be fain to eat their words There is not one of them but e're long will be fully convinc'd for there is no Atheist in Hell the Devil though full of other Sins is not guilty of this Many here have Souls to little purpose but like Salt to keep their Bodies from Putrefaction for as they think there is no God so they live as if there were none Many of these have been convinc'd of their Error even in this Life by the Judgments of God the rest will soon after but these men I suppose rather desire there were no God than believe it Many that own a God fancy to themselves one of their own making a God all of Mercy and no Justice they think he that made them must save them but the Devils find it to the contrary 'T is true he was merciful when he drowned the old World burnt Sodom and Gomorrah with Fire overthrew Pharaoh and his Army in the Red-Sea slew in one night in the Camp of Sennacherib 185000 and will be so at the day of Judgment when he throws the Devil and his Angels and all unrepenting Sinners into Hell And they will find him just as well as merciful and one that will make good his Threats as well as his Promises He hath Power in his Hand to do both and will be no respecter of Persons for if they are wicked by what Name or Titles soever they are dignified or distinguish'd suffer they must Tophet is ordained of old even for the King it is prepared He hath made it deep and large the pile thereof is fire and much wood and the breath of the Lord as a river of Brimstone doth kindle it Isa 30.33 Now they say to God Depart from us we desire not the knowledge of thy ways Job 21.14 But e're long God will say to them Depart from me ye wicked into everlasting fire prepared for the Devil and his Angels c. Mat. 25.41 Now they will not know God and then God will nor know them Mal. 7.22 Now the rottenness of their Hearts blisters out in their Lips and Tongues and they belch out their unsavoury Breath into the very Face of God himself Now they will none of his counsel but set as nought his reproofs but he will laugh at their destruction and mock when their fear cometh Prov. 1.24 But how light soever they value him now they shall know his Worth to their eternal Torment for they shall for ever lose him and all comfortable Relations to him and with him all that good is the Joys of Heaven the Society of Angels and glorified Saints these indeed they little regard here but they will know their Worth better hereafter It hath been the Speech of some of that Fraternity That if they thought the Puritans and such they called all holy sober serious men were in Heaven and their own Good-fellows and Pot-companions were in Hell they would chuse Hell before Heaven And they are like enough to have their Choice but e're long they would willingly eat those words of theirs Now they hate persecute and revile them and glad they are to be rid of them then they shall be far enough out of their company and out of their reach They think they are not worthy to live in the World whom God thinks the World is not worthy of Heb. 11.35 c. They are cutting off the Bough they stand upon and taking away the Pillars that uphold the Building they laugh at their own Misery and sport themselves with their own Folly they reioice to see their own Houses on Fire and to see their own Wickedness prosper which will be their Ruine but when the mad Fit is over and over it will be e're long when they consider what they have been doing their Note will be changed and their Sport spoiled they will find time enough for Repentance and for every dram of Mirth they will have a pound of Sorrow When God forsakes them and forsaâ—e them he will if they forsake not their Sins whither will they go for help Their Pot-Companions cannot help them for they are under the same Condemnation the World cannot help them for the Earth and all the Works therein shall be burnt up their Riches Honours and Pleasures shall be left behind the Rocks and Mountains cannot cover them these melt at the presence of the Lord their Companions can do them no good they will curse the time that ever they saw the Face each of other the Ordinances which they slighted are then ceased the Ambassadors
Boys will be such indeed when they come there for Roaring and Yelling will be their best Musick and all shall dance after this Pipe and bear a share in this Consort Oh that Men would be wise before it be too late and Hell hath shut her Mouth upon them for then they will have no rest day nor night but it is the duration that makes up the Misery compleat Did the Torments endure but a Hundred or a Thousand Years though it were long yet it would be some comfort that an end would come but the word Never is a Hell in the midst of Hell Were a Man in perfect Health and Strength adjudged to lye upon a soft Feather Bed without stirring Hand or Foot for a Year's space though he had the comfort of Friends Meat Drink and other Necessaries it would be thought a great Punishment much more if he lay upon a red-hot Gridiron and could be preserved with Life But what is either of these to Hell-Torments or a Year to Eternity But their Torment must run parallel with the Life of God the days of Heaven and the longest line of Eternity and when they have past as many Thousand Millions of Years as there are Piles of Grass upon the Earth Stars in Heaven Hairs upon Man Beasts Sands upon the Sea-shore Feathers upon all Fowl and Scales and Fins upon all Fish yet will their Misery be no whit abated or any nearer to an end than the first day they were cast into it for were this innumerable Number taken from Eternity it is never the less Oh Eternity Eternity who can judge of thee or find thee out If the Earth were converted into Paper and the Sea into Ink and every Grass-pile into Pens and every Sand upon the Sea-shore were a skilful Arithmetician and all of them with their conjoyned Labours when they had cast up their greatest Sums and added them together yet would it not reach Eternity Nay if the whole Firmament were written from end to end with Arithmetical Figures it would fall short Oh what then but Horror and Despair will seize upon miscarrying Souls when all their hopes are dash'd then will they seek Death but shall not find it Oh that these pains would break my Heart and end my Life say they Oh that I might at last be extinct or that these Infernal Spirits would tear me in pieces till they had rent me to nothing Oh that I had never had a Being cursed be my Father that begat me and the Womb that bare me cursed be those Companions of mine that helped to undo me and betray me into my Enemies hands Such as these are like to be the wishes that Eternity will extract from tormented Souls O that the consideration thereof would make Men wise before it be too late But if Death find us unprepared this that I have described will be our condition for ever which God forbid Lesson 6. The Sixth Lesson that this Providence teacheth us is this That seeing this our Friend is taken away in the midst of her days in her full strength while her breasts were full of milk and her bones moistened with marrow Job 21.24 This teacheth all but especially us that are of greater Age that survive her how necessary 't is for us to make Preparation for our own Death for if God deal thus with the green Tree what shall be done to the dry Young Men may dye Old Men must dye for we know neither the day nor the hour wherein our Lord and Master will come 'T is good therefore to watch every day and every hour we know not when he will send his Messenger to us to Command us to give an account of our Steward-ship for we shall be no longer Stewards We usually say That should be well done that can be but once done but we can dye but once 't is appointed unto all men once to dye and after death the Judgment Heb. 9.27 Here is no room for a second Error as we say in War As the Tree falls so it lyes whether to the North or to the South so as Death leaves us so Judgment shall find us Now Death is no Fear-babe t is the King of Terrors and a Terror to Kings Hell is no Scare-crow neither Eternity a Jesting matter the Soul that is in danger is no Trifle but our chiefest Jewel and Salvation and Damnation are matters of Moment things of great Concern Now a Man would think that in Matters of such Concern it were not needful to use many words to make us mind it when we are earnest enough in lesser matters but 't is evident we are all faulty in some degree or other and the most altogether negligent Were but our Houses on fire over our heads we need not many Arguments to seek to save our selves and to quench the Fire Were we in danger of Drowning we need not many Arguments to perswade us to lay hold upon something or other to help us out Were we pursued with an implacable Enemy that sought our Lives or with a roaring Lion or ranging Bear we should double our Diligence and amend our Pace and use all means to escape the Danger And is the Soul so contemptible a thing that we matter it so little It is without our Diligence prevent it in danger to be drown'd in the Lake of Perdition and to be burnt in the Fire that never goes out and is pursued with those Infernal Furies that seek to devour her and yet we make but a little hast to rescue her But are our Houses our Estates our Bodies or our Lives to be preferred before the Immortal Soul the best part of Man And is a Moment of Time more to us than Eternity Do we take so much care what to eat and what to drink and wherewith to be cloathed and so little how the Soul is fed or cloathed decked or adorned This doubtlesly would bespeak our Folly Whatever the World dream or say to the contrary Heaven will be found to the Possessors of it a real Happiness and whatever Cost or Charge Pains or Labour we bestow a good Peny-worth and Hell will be found a real Misery and whatever we have into the Bargain we shall be losers the Rich Glutton found it so and many more here the worm dyes not and the fire never goes out One day in Heaven will make us forget all our Miseries on Earth and one day in Hell will make us forget all our fore-past Pleasures Now while we are unprepared for Death there is but the thread of our Lives between us and endless easeless and remediless Torments and this must needs be an uneasie condition to a considerate Man And which makes it the worse Death is always gnawing at this thread which if once broken all the World cannot piece it or yield us any relief Now in serious matters wise men should be serious Beggars when their wants are serious they will leave their Canting and beg in earnest as also