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you and try you ; to examine you, and prove your reins. If other helps fuffice not to bring all to an iffue, but you are fill at a lofs, open your cafes faithfully to fome godly and faithful Minifter, Mal. ii. 7, reft not till you have put the bufinefs of your eternal welfare out of question. O! Searcher of hearts, put thou this foul upon, and help him in his fearch.

CHA P. V.

Shewing the Miferies of the Unconverted.

So of every O unfpeakably dreadful is the cafe of every unconverted foul, that. I have fometimes thought, if I could but convince men that they were yet in a great measure unregenerate, the work would be done.

But I fadly experience, that fuch a spirit of floth and flumber poffeffeth the unfanctified, that though they be convinced they are unconverted, yet they carelessly fit ftill: and what through pleasures, or worldly bufinefs, or noife and clamour of earthly cares and affections, the voice of confcience is drowned, and men go no farther than fome cold wishes, and general purposes of amending.

'Tis therefore of high neceflity that I not only convince men that they are unconverted, but endeavour to bring them to a sense of the fearful mifery of this ftate.

But, What tongue can tell the heirs of hell fufficiently of their mifery! Where is the ready writer, whofe pen can decypher their misery that are without God in the world? Who knoweth (faith Mofes) the power of thine anger ? And how

Yet

Thall I tell men that which I do not know? so much we know, as one would think would fhake the heart of that man that had the least degree of fenfe.

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But could I uncover the face of the deep and the devouring gulph of Tophet, in all its terrors, and open the gates of the infernal furnace, alas he hath no eyes to fee it. He neither doth, nor'

can know the things of God, because they are fpiritually difcerned. He is a child of darkness, and walks in darknefs, Yea, the light in hin is darkness.

Shall I found in his ear the terrible trump of God's Judgments, that one would think should make both his ears to tingle, loofe his joints, and make his knees fmite one against another! Yet, alas, he perceives me not, he hath no ears to hear.

Which way then shall I come at the miferable objects that I have to deal with? Who shall make the heart of stone to relent? Or the lifeless carcafe to feel and move? That God that is able of ftones to raife up children unto Abraham, that loves to work like himself, beyond the hopes and belief of man; that peopleth his church with dry bones; he is able to do this. Therefore I bow. my knee to the most high God; and as our Saviour prayed at the fepulchre of Lazarus, fo doth your mourning minister kneel about your graves, and carry you in the arms of prayer to that God in whom your help is found.

O thou all-powerful Jehovah, that workeft, and none can let thee! that haft the keys of death and hell, pity thou the dead fouls that lie here entombed, and roll away the grave-ftone, and fay, as to Lazarus when already itinking, Come forth. Lighten thou this darkness, O inacceffible Light, and let the day-fpring from on high vifit the dark regions of the dead, to whom I fpeak; for thou canft open the eyes that death itself hath clofed, thou that formed!t the ear, canst restore the hearing; fay thou to thefe ears, Ephphatha, and they fhall be opened. Give thou eyes to fee thine excellencies; a taste that may relish thy fweetness ; a fcent that may favour thy ointments; a feeling

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that may difcern the privilege of thy favour; the burden of thy wrath, the intolerable weight of unpardoned fin; and give thy fervants order to prophely to the dry bones, and let the effects of this prophecy be as of thy prophet, when he prophefied the Valley of dry bones into a living army exceeding great. But I muft proceed, as I am able, to unfold that mystery, which no tongue: can fully unfold, no heart can fufficiently comprehend. Know therefore, that while thou art unconverted,

1. The infinite God is engaged against thee.

Thou art not only without God, but God is against thee. O! if God would but ftand a neuter, though he did not own or help the poor finner, his cafe were not fo deeply miserable, though God fhould give up the poor creature to the will of his enemies, to do their worst with him; though he fhould deliver him over to the tormentors, that devils might tear and torture him to their utmoft power and fkill, yet this was not half fo fearful. But God will fet himfelf against the finner; and, believe it, 'Tis a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. There is no friend like him, no enemy like him. As much as heaven is above the earth, so much more horrible is it to fall into the hands of the living God, than into the paws of bears or lions, yea, furies or devils. Thy deftruction fhall come from the prefence of the Lord, 2 Theff. i. 9. "Tophet is deep and large, and the wrath of the Lord, like a river of brim. ftone, doth kindle it, Ifa. xxx. 33. If God be against thee, who fhall be for thee? fin against another, the Judge fhall judge him; but if a man fin against the Lord, who fhall intreat for him? 1 Sam. ii. 25. Thou, even thou art to be feared and who fhall ftand in thy fight, when thou art once angry ?"

If one man

Sinner! methinks, this fhould go like a dagger to thy heart, to know that God is thine enemy: O

whither

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whither wilt thou go ? Where wilt thou fhelter thyfelf? There's no hope for thee, unless thou lay down thy weapons, and fue out thy pardon, and get Chrift to ftand thy friend, and make thy peace if it were not for this, thou mighteft go into fome howling wildernefs, and there pine in forrow, and run mad for anguifh of heart and horrible despair: but in Chriit there is a poflibility of mercy for thee, yea, a proffer of mercy to thee, that thou mayeft have God to be more for thee than he is now against thee; but if thou wilt not forfake thy fins, nor turn thoroughly, and to fome purpose, to God by a found Converfion, the wrath of God abideth on thee, and he proclaimeth himfelf to be against thee, as in the prophet Ezekiel, v. 8. Therefore thus faith the Lord God, Behold, I, even I am against thee."

First, his Juftice is like a flaming fword unfheathed against thee: If I whet my glittering fword, and my hand take hold on judgment, I will render vengeance to mine adverfaries, and will reward them that hate me; I will make mine arrows drunk with blood, &c. Deut. xxxii. 41, 42.

Divine Juftice is very strict, it must have fatiffaction to the utmost farthing, it denounceth indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguifh to every foul that doth evil. It curleth every one that continueth not in every thing that is written in the law, to do it. The Juftice of God to the unpardoned finner, that hath a fenfe of his mifery is more terrible than the fight of the Judge and bench to the robber, or of the irons and gibbet to the guilty murderer. When Jultice fits upon life and death, O what dreadful work doth it make with the wretched linner! Bind him hand and foot and caft him into outer darkness; there fhall be weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth, Mait. xxii. 13. Depart from me ye curfed into everlasting fire, Matt. xxv. 41. This is the terrible fentence that Juftice pronounceth. Why finner, by tais fevere Juftice must thou be tried! And, as God liveth,

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this killing sentence fhalt thou hear, unless thou repent and be converted.

Secondly, The power of God is against thee. The glory of God's power is to be displayed in the wonderful destruction of them that obey not the gofpel, 2 Theff. i. 8, 9. He will make his power known in them, Rom. ix. 22. Ø man! art thoù able to make thy party good with thy Maker ? No more than a reed against the cedars of God, or a Cock-boat against the tumbling ocean.

Sinner, the power of God's anger is against thee, and power and anger together make fearful work: twere better thou hadst all the world in arms against thee, than to have the power of God against thee. There's no efcaping his hands, no breaking his prifon, "The thunder of his power who can understand? Job xxvi. 14. Unhappy man that fhall understand it by feeling it! If he will contend with him, he cannot answer him one of a thousand. He is wife in heart, and mighty in ftrength who hath hardened himfelf against him and profpered, who removeth the mountains, and they know it not; who over-turneth them in his anger; who shaketh the earth out of her place, and the pillars thereof tremble; who commandeth the fun, and it rifeth not, and fealeth up the ftars? Behold he taketh away, who can hinder him, who will fay unto him, what doest thou? If God will not withdraw his anger, the proud-helpers do ftoop under him." Job ix. 3, 4, 5, 6, &c. And art thou á fit match for fuch an antagonist ? O confider this, you that forget God, left he tear you in pieces, and there be none to deliver you, Pfalm 1. 22.

Thirdly, The truth of God is against thee. If he be true and faithful, thou muft perifh if thou goest on. Unless he be falfe to his word, thou must die, except thou repent. If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful, he cannot deny himfelf. That is, he is faithful to his threatenings, as well as promifes, and will thew his faithfulness in our confusion, if

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