justly do against finners in punishing, as they would have done against him, in finning. Laftly, (tho' I put not the fires of the matter here, yet) it is just and reasonable the damned fuffer eternally, fince they will fin eternally in hell, "guafhing their "teeth." (Matth. viii 12.) under their pain, in rage, envv, and grudging, (compare Acts vii. 54. Pfal. cxii. 1c. Luke xiii. 28.). and blafpheming God there, (Rev. xvi. 21.) whither they are "driven away in their wickedness," Prov. xiv. 42. That the wicked be punished for their wickedness, is juft; and it is noways inconfiftent with juftice, that the being of the creature be continued for ever; wherefore it is jut, that the damned, continuing wicked eternally, do fuffer eternally for their wickednefs. The mifery under which they fin, can neither free them from the debt of obedience,, nor excufe their finning, and make it blameless. The creature as a creature, is bound unto obedience to his Creator, and no punishment inflicted on him, can free him from it, more than the malefactor's prifons, irons,. whipping, and the like, do fet him at liberty to commit anew the crimes for which he is imprisoned or whipt. Neither can the torments of the damned excufe or make blameless their horrible finning under them, more than exquifite pains infl.cted upon men on earth can excufe their murmuring, fretting, and blafpheming against God under them for it is not the wrath of God, but their own wicked nature, that is the true caufe of their finning under it and fo the holy Jetus bore the wrath of God, without fo much as one unbecoming thought of God, and far lefs any one unbecoming word.

apply it.

:

USE I. Here is a Meafuring-reed: O! that men would First, Apply it to your time in this world, and you will find time to your 'be very fhort. A profpect of much time to come, proves the ruin of many fouls. Men will be reckoning their time by years, (like that rich man, Luke xii. 19, 20.) when it may be there are not many hours of it to run. But reckon as you will, laying your time to the measuring-reed of eternity you will, fee your age is as nothing. What a fmalland inconfiderable point is fixty, eighty, or a hundred years, in respect of eternity? Compared with eternity, there is a greater difproportion, than between a hair's breadth and the circum. ference of the whole earth. Why do we fleep then in - fuch a fhort day, while we are in hazard of lofing reft through the long night of eternity? 2dly. Apply it to your endeavours for falvation, and they will be found very fcanty. When men are preffed to diligence in their falvation-work, they are ready to

fay

fay," To what purpofe is this wafte?" Alas! if it were to be judged by our diligence, what is it that we have in view; as to the most part of us, no man could thereby conjecture that we have eternity in view. If we duly confidered eternity, we could not but conclude, that to leave no means appointed of God, uneffayed, till we get our falvation fecured, to refuse rest or comfort in any thing, till we are sheltered under the wings of the Mediator, to purfue our great intereft with the utmost vigour, to cut off lufts dear as right hands and right eyes, to fet our faces refolutely again all difficulties, and fight our way through all the oppofition made by the devil, the world, and the flesh, are all of them together little enough for eternity.

1

"For

USE II. Here is a Balance of the Sanctuary, by which one may understand the lightness of what is falfly thought weighty; and the weight of fome things by many reckoned to be very light. First, Some things feem very weighty, which weighed in this balance, will be found very light. (1) Weigh the world, and all that is in it," the luft of the flesh, the luft of the eyes, "and the pride of life;" and the whole will be found light in the balance of eternity. Weigh herein all worldly profits, gains and advantages; and you will quickly fee that a thoufand worlds will not quit the cost of the eternity of woe. "what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lofe his own foul?" Matth. xvi. 26. Weigh the pleasures of fin, which are but for a feafon, with the fire that is everlasting, and you must account yourselves fools and madmen, to run the hazard of the one for the other. (2.) Weigh your afflicti ons in this balance, and you will find the heaviest of them very light in refpect of the weight of eternal anguish. Impatience under affliction, efpecially when worldly troubles. do fo imbitter mens fpirits, that they cannot relish the glad tidings of the gofpel, fpeaks great regardle finefs of eternity. As a fmall and inconfiderable lofs will be very little at heart with him, who fees himself in hazard of lofing his whole eftate; fo troubles in the world will appear but light to him who has a lively view of eternity. Such a one will floop and take up his crofs, whatever it be, thinking it enough to efcape eternal wrath. (3.) Weigh the most difficult and uneafy duties of religion here, and you will no more reckon the yoke of Chrift unfupportable. Repentance and bitter mourning for fin on earth, are very light in comparison of eternal weeping, wailing, and gnashing of teeth in hell. To wrestle with God in prayer, weeping and making fupplication for the blefling in time, is far cafier than to

ly

ly under the curfe through all eternity. Mortification of the most beloved luft is a light thing in comparifon with the fecond death in hell. Laftly, Weigh your convictions in this balance. O! how heavy do thefe ly upon many till they get them shaken off! They are not difpofed to fall in with them, but strive to get clear of them, as of a mighty burden. But the worm of an ill confcience will neither die nor fleep in hell, though one may now lull it asleep for a time. And certainly it is easier to entertain the sharpeft convictions in this life, fo as they may lead one to Chrift, than to have them fixed for ever in the conscience, while in hell one is totally and finally feparated from him.

unpros

SECONDLY, But on the other hand, (1.) Weigh fia in this balance, and tho' now it feems but a light thing to you, ye will find it a weight fufficient to turn up an eternal weight of wrath upon you. Even idle words, vain thoughts, and fitable actions, weighed in this balance, and confidered as following the finner into eternity, will each of them be heavier than the fand of the fea: time idly fpent will make a weary eternity. Now is your feed-time; thoughts, words and actiOns are the feed fown; eternity is the harveft: though the feed now lies under the clod unregarded by moft men, even the leaft grain fhall fpring up at length; and the fruit will be according to the feed, Gal. vi. 8, " For he that foweth to his flesh, shall "of the fh reap corruption, (i. e. deftruction); but he that "foweth to the Spirit, fhall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.” (2.) Weigh in this balance your time and opportunities of grace and falvation, and you will find them very weighty. Precious time and feafons of grace, fabbaths, communions, prayers, fermons, and the like, are by many now a days made light of; but the day is coming, when one of thee will be reck oned more valuable than a thousand worlds, by thofe who now have the leaft value for them. When they are gone for ever, and the lofs cannot be retrieved; thefe will fee the worth of them who will not now fee it.

USE III. and laft. Be warned and stirred up to fiee from the wrath to come. Mind eternity, and clofely ply the work of your falvation. What are you doing while you are not fo doing? Is heaven a fable, or hell a mere fcare-crow ?-Muft we live eternally, and will we be at no more pains to fape everlafting mifery Will faint wishes "take the kingdom of heaven "by force?" And will fuch drowly endeavours as most men fatisfy themselves with, be accounted" flying from the wrath to come ?? Ye who have already fled to Chrift, up and be

doing ye have begun the work, go on, loiter not, but “work "out your falvation with fear and trembling," Philip. ii. 12. "Fear him which is able to deftroy both body and foul in hell,” Matth. x. 28. Remember ye are not afcended into heaven; ye are but in your middle ftate: The everlafting arms have drawn you out of the gulf of wrath ye were plunged into, in your natural ftate; they are ftill underneath you, that ye can never fall down into it again: nevertheless ye have not yet got up to the top of the rock; the deep below you is frightful; look at it, and haften your afcent. Ye who are yet in your natural ftate, lift up your eyes, and take a view of the eternal state. Arife ye profane perfons, ye ignorant ones, ye formal hypocrites, ftrangers to the power of godlinefs flee from the wrath to come. Let not the young adventure to delay a moment longer, nor the old put off this work any more. "To-day if ye will hear "his voice, harden not your hearts," left he fwear in his wrath that ye shall not enter into his reft. It is no time to linger. in a state of fin, as in Sodom, when fire and brimstone are coming down on it from the Lord. Take warning in time, they who are in hell are not troubled with fuch warnings, but are inraged against themfelves for that they flighted the warning, when they had it.

Confider, I pray you, (1.) How uneafy it is to ly one whole night on a foft bed in perfect health, when one very fain would have fleep, but cannot get it, fleep being departed from him. How often will one in that cafe with for reft! How full of toffings to and fro! But ah! how dreadful muft it then be to ly in forrow, wrapt up in fcorching flames thro' long eternity, in that place where they have no reft day nor night! (2.) How terrible would it be to live under violent pains of the cholic or gravel, for forty or fixty years together, without any intermif fion! Yet that is but a very fmall thing in comparison of eternal feparation from God, the worm that never dieth, and the fire that is never quenched, (3.) Eternity is an awful thought! O long, long endless eternity! But will not every moment in eternity of woe, feem a month; and every hour a year, in that moft wretched and defperate condition? Hence ever and ever, as it were a double eternity. The. fick man in the night, tofling to and fro on his bed, fays it will never be day; complains that his pain ever continues, never, never abates. Are thefe petty time eternities, which men form to themfelves, in their own imaginations, fo very grievous? Alas! then how grievous, how utterly unfupportable muft. real eternity of woe, and all manner of miferies be! Laftly, There will be space enough there

-to

to reflect on all the ills of one's heart and life, which one cannot get time to think of now; and to fee that all that was faid of the impenitent finner's hazard was true, and that the half was not told. There will be space enough in eternity to think on delayed repentance, to rue one's follies, when it is too late, and in a ftate paft remedy, to speak forth their fruitless wishes. "O that I had never been born! That the womb had been my grave, and I had never feen the fun! O that I had taken warning in time and fled from his wrath while the door of mercy was ftanding open to me! O that I had never heard the gospel! that I had lived in fome corner of the world where "a Saviour and the great falvation were not once named !”. But all in vain. What is done cannot be undone; the opportunity is loft, and can never be retrieved; time is gone, and cannot be recalled. Wherefore improve time while you have it, and do not wilfully ruin yourfelves by ftopping your ear to the gospel-call.

And now if you would be faved from the wrath to come, and never go into this place of torment, take no rest in your natural ftate; believe the finfulness and mifery of it, and labour to get out of it quickly, fleeing unto Jefus Chrift by faith. Sin in you is the feed of hell and if the guilt and reigning power of it be not removed in time, they will bring you to the fecond death in eternity. There is no way to get them removed, but by receiv ing of Chrift, as he is offered in the gospel, for juffification and fanctification: And he is now offered to you with all his falvation, Rev. xxii. 12, 17.” And behold I come quickly, and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work fhall be. And the Spirit and the bride fay, Come. And let him that heareth, fay, Come. And let him that is a-thirt, Come. And whofoever will, let him take the water of life freely." Jefus Chrift is the Mediator of peace, and the Fountain of holiness: He it is who "delivereth us from the wrath to come. There is no condemnation to them which are in Chrift Jefus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit," Rom. viii. 1. And the terrors of hell, as well as the joys of heaven, are fet before you, to ftir you up to a cordial receiving of him with all his falvation; and to determine you unto the way of faith and holinefs, in which alone you can efcape the everlasting fire. May the Lord himself make them effectual to that end.

Thus far of Man's ETERNAL STATE: the which, because it is eternal, admits no fucceeding one for ever.

FINI S.