of God, but likewife with an inward call, by his Spirit applying his word, enabling him to believe in the only-begotten Son of God, and bearing teilimony with his fpirit, that he was a child of God. And it was by this very means they were all fan&tified. It was by a fenfe of the love of God, shed abroad in his heart, that every one of them was enabled to love God. Loving God, he loved his neighbour as him. felf, and had power to walk in all his commandments blamelefs. This is a rule which admits of no exception. God calls a finner his own, that is, juftifies him, before he fanctifies. And by this very thing, the confcioufness of his favour, he works in him that grateful, filial affection, from which fpring every good temper, and word, and work. 13. And who are they that are thus called of God, but those whom he had before predeftinated, or decreed to conform to the image of his Son? This decree (ftill fpeaking after the manner of men) precedes every man's calling. Every be liever was predeftinated, before he was called. For God calls none, but according to the counfel of his will, according to this podes, or plan of acting, which he had laid down before the foundation of the world. Who are glorified? 14. Once more. All that are called were predeftinated, fo all whom God has predeftinated he foreknew. He knew, he faw them as believers, and as fuch predeftinated them to falvation, according to his eternal decree, He that believeth fhall be faved. Thus we fee the whole procefs of the work of God, from the beginning to the end. None but thofe who were firft fanctified. None but those who were firft juftified. None but thofe who were firft predeftinated. Who are predeftinated? None but thofe whom God foreknew as believers. Thus the purpose and word of God stand unshaken as the pillars of heaven, He that believeth fhall be faved: he that believeth not shall be damned. And thus God is clear from the blood of all men; fince whoever perifhes, perifhes by his own act and deed. They will not come unto me, fays the Yyy Saviour Saviour of men: and there is no falvation in any other. They will not believe; and there is no other way either to present or eternal falvation. Therefore their blood is upon their own head and God is ftill juflified in his faying, That he willeth all men to be faved, and to come to the knowledge of his truth. 15. The fum of all is this. The Almighty, all-wife God, fees and knows from everlafting to everlasting, all that is, that was, and that is to come, through one eternal now. With him nothing is either paft or future, but all things equally prefent. He has therefore, if we speak according to the truth of things, no foreknowledge, no after-knowledge. This would be ill-confiftent with the Apoftle's words, With him is no variableness or fhadow of turning or with the account he gives of himself by the Prophet, I the Lord change not. Yet when he fpeaks to us, knowing whereof we are made, knowing the fcantinefs of our underflanding, he lets himself down to our capacity, and speaks of himself after the manner of men. Thus in condefcenfion to our weakness, he speaks of his own purpose, counfel, plan, fore-knowledge. Not that God has any need of counfel, of purpose, or of planning his work before-hand. Far be it from us, to impute thefe to the Moft High; to measure him by ourfelves! It is merely in compaffion to us, that he fpeaks thus of himself, as foreknowing the things in heaven or earth, and as predeftinating or fore-ordaining them. But can we poffibly imagine, that thefe expreffions are to be taken literally? To one who was fo grofs in his conceptions, might he not fay, Thinkeft thou that I am fuch a one as thyself? Not fo. As the heavens are higher than the earth, fo are my ways higher than thy ways. I know, decree, work, in fuch a manner, as it is not poffible for thee to conceive. But to give thee fome faint, glimmering knowledge of my ways, I ufe the language of men, and fuit myself to thy apprehenfions, in this thy infant ftate of exiflence. 16. What is it then that we learn from this whole account? It is this and no more. 1. God knows all believers. 2. Wills that that they should be faved from fin. 3. To that end juftifies them. 4. San&ifies: and 5. Takes them to glory. O that men would praife the Lord for this his goodness! and that they would be content with this plain account of it, and not endeavour to wade into those myfteries, which are too deep for them to fathom! Armagh, June 5, 1773. 1. Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. E VERY truth which is revealed in the Oracles of God, is undoubtedly of great importance. Yet it may be allowed, that fome of those which are revealed therein, are of greater importance than others; as being more immediately conducive to the grand end of all, the eternal Salvation of men. And we may judge of their importance, even from this circumftance, that they are not mentioned once only in the facred Writings, but are repeated over and over. A remarkable inftance of this we have, with regard to the awful truth which is now before us. Our bleffed Lord, who ufes no fuperfluous words, who makes no vain repetitions, repeats it over and over in the faine chapter, and as it were in the fame breath. So verfe 43, 44, If thy hand offend thee, if a thing or perfon as useful as a hand, be an occafion of fin, and there is no other way to fhun that fin, cut it off. It is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell: into unquenchable fire, where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. So again, verse 45, 46, If thy foot offend thee cut it off. It is better for thee to enter halt halt into life, than having two feet to be caft into hell: into unquenchable fire, where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. And yet again, ver. 47, 48, If thine eye, a perfon or thing as dear as thine eye offend thee, hinder thy running the race which is set before thee, pluck it out; it is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes to be caft into hell-fire; where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. 2. And let it not be thought, that the confideration of these terrible truths, is proper only for enormous finners. How is this fuppofition confiftent with what our Lord speaks to those who were then doubtlefs the holieft men upon earth? Luke xii. 1. 4, When innumerable multitudes were gathered together, he faid to his difiiples, (the Apofiles) first of all I Jay unto you, my friends, fear not them that can kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do: but I fay unto you, fear him, who after he hath killed, hath power to caft into hell: yea, I fay unto you, fear him! Yea, fear him under this very notion, of having power to caft into hell: that is, in effect, fear left he fhould caft you into the place of torment. And this very fear, even in the children of God, is one excellent means of preferving them from it. 3. It behoves therefore not only the outcafls of men, but even you his friends, you that fear and love God, deeply to confider what is revealed in the Oracles of God, concerning the future state of punishment. How widely diflant is this from the most elaborate accounts which are given by the Heathen Authors? Their accounts are (in many particulars at leaft) childish, fanciful and felf-inconfiftent. So that it is no wonder, they did not believe themfelves, but only related the tales of the vulgar. So Virgil ftrongly intimates, when after the laboured account he had given of the fhades beneath, he fends him that had related it out of the Ivory gate, through which (as he tells us) only dreams pafs: thereby giving us to know know, that all the preceding account is no more than a dream. This he only infinuates; but his brother Poet, Juvenal, fpeaks out, flat and plain. Effe aliquos manes, & fubterranea regna, Nec pueri credunt, nifi qui nondum ære lavantur. Even our children do not believe a word of the tales concerning another world. 4. Here on the contrary, all is worthy of God the Creator, the Governor of Mankind. All is awful and folemn; fuitable to his wifdom and juftice, by whom Tophet was ordained of old: although originally prepared, not for the children of men, but for the devil and his angels. The Punishment of those who in fpite of all the warnings of God, refolve to have their portion with the devil and his angels, will according to the antient, and not improper divifion, be either Pana damni, what they lofe, or Pana fenfus, what they feel. After confidering thefe feparately, I fhall touch on a few additional circumstances, and conclude with two or three Inferences. I. 1. And firft, let us confider the Pana damni, the Punishment of lofs. This commences in that very moment, wherein the foul is feparated from the body: in that inftant the foul lofes all thofe pleafures, the enjoyment of which depends on the outward fenfes. The Smell, the Tafe, the Touch delight no more: the Crgans that miniftered to them are spoiled, and the objects that used to gratify them, are removed far away. In the dreary regions of the dead, all these things are forgotten: or if remembered, are only remembered with pain, fecing they are gone for ever. All the pleafures of the imagination are at an end. There is no Grandeur in the infernal region: there |