the kingdom of God, Isa. v. 11, 12, 22, Gal. v.

21.

4. Liars. The God that cannot lie hath told them that there is no place for them in his kingdom, no entrance into his hill; but their portion is with the father of lies (whose children they are) in the lake of burnings, Psa. xv. 1, 2, Rev. xxi. 8, 27, John viii. 44, Prov. vi. 17.

5. Swearers. The end of these, without deep and speedy repentance, is swift destruction, and most certain and unavoidable condemnation, James v. 12, Zech. v. 1, 2, 3.

6. Ruiters and backbiters, that love to take up a reproach against their neighbours, and fling all the dirt they can in his face, or else wound him secretly behind his back, Ps. xv. 1, 3, 1 Cor. vi. 10, and v. 11.

7. Thieves, extortioners, oppressors, that grind the poor, over-reach their brethren, when they have them at an advantage: these must know that God is the avenger of all such, 1 Thess. iv. 6. Hear, O ye false, and purloining, and wasteful servants! hear, O ye deceitful tradesmen! hear your sentence:God will certainly hold his door against you, and turn your treasures of unrighteousness into the treasures of wrath, and make your illgotten silver and gold to torment you, like burning metal in your bowels, 1 Cor. vi. 9, 10, James v. 2, 3.

8. All that do ordinarily live in the profane neglect of God's worship, that hear not his word, that call not on his name, that restrain prayer before God, that mind not their own,

nor their family's souls, but live without God in the world, John viii. 47, and xv. 4, Psa. xiv. 4, and lxxix. 6, Eph. ii. 12, and iv. 18.

9. Those that are frequenters and lovers of evil company; God hath declared he will be the destruction of all such, and that they shall never enter into the hill of his rest, Prov. xiii. 20, Ps. xv. 4, Prov. ix. 6.

10. Scoffers at religion, that make a scorn of precise walking, and mock at the messengers and diligent servants of the Lord, and at their holy profession, and make themselves merry with the weakness and failings of professors hear, ye despisers, hear your dread. ful doom, Prov. xix. 29, 2 Chron, xxxvi. 16, Prov. iii. 24.

Sinner, consider diligently whether thou art not to be found in one of these ranks; for if this be thy case, thou art in the gall of bitterness, and bond of iniquity; for all these do carry their marks in their foreheads, and are undoubtedly the sons of death.

And if so, the Lord pity our poor congregations. Oh, how little a number would be left, when these ten sorts are left out? Alas, on how many doors, on how many faces must we write, Lord, have mercy upon us! Sirs, what shift do you make to keep up your confidence of your good estate, when God from heaven declares against you, and pronounces you in a state of damnation? I would reason with you, as God with them; How canst thon say, I am not polluted? Jer. ii. 23. See thy way in the valley, know what thou hast done. Man, is not thy conscience privy to thy tricks

of deceit, to thy chamber-pranks, to thy way of lying? Yea, are not thy friends, thy family, thy neighbours, witnesses to thy profane neglects of God's worship, to thy covetous practices, to thy envious and malicious carriage? May not they point at thee as thou goest, There goes a gaming prodigal; there goes a drunken Nabal, a companion of evil doers; there goes a railer, or a scoffer, a loose liver? Beloved, God hath written it, as with a sun-beam, in the book out of which you must be judged, that these are not the spots of his children, and that none such (except renewed by converting grace) shall ever escape the damnation of hell.

Oh, that such of you would now be persuaded to repent and turn from all your transgressions! or else iniquity will be your ruin, Ezek. xviii. 30. Alas for poor hardened sinners! must I leave you at last where you were? must I leave the tipler still at the alebench? must I leave the wanton still at his dalliance? must I leave the malicious stillin his venom? and the drunkard still at his vomit? However, you must know that you have been warned, and that I am clear of your blood. And whether men will hear, or whether they will forbear, I will leave these scriptures with them, either as thunder-bolts to awaken them, or as searing irons to harden them to a reprobate sense: Ps. lxviii. 21. God shall wound the head of his enemies, and the hairy scalp of such an one as goeth on still in his trespasses. Prov. xxix. 1. He that being often reproved, hardeneth his neck, shall sud

denly be destroyed, and that without remedy. Prov. i. 24, &c. Because I have called, and ye refused: I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded, &c. I will mock at your calamity, when your destruction cometh as a whirlwind.

And now I imagine, many will begin to bless themselves, and think all is well, because they cannot be spotted with the grosser evils above-mentioned. But I must further tell you, that there are another sort of unsanctified persons, that carry not their marks in their foreheads, but more secretly and covertly in their hands. These do frequently deceive themselves and others, and pass for good Christians, when they are all the while unsound at bottom. Many pass undiscovered, till death and judgment bring all to light. Those self-deceivers seem to come even to heaven's gate with confidence of their admission, and yet are turned off at last, Matt. vii, 22. Brethren, beloved, I beseech you deeply to lay to heart, and firmly to retain this awakening consideration, That multitudes miscarry by the hand of some secret sin, that is not only hidden from others, but (for want of observing their own hearts) even from themselves. A man may be free from open pollutions, and yet die at last by the fatal hand of some unobserved iniquity. And there be these twelve hidden sins, by which souls go down by numbers into the chambers of death: these you must search carefully for, and take them as black marks, (wherever they be found) discovering a graceless and unconvert.

ed estate. And as you love your lives, read carefully, with a holy jealousy of yourselves, lest you should be the persons concerned.

1. Gross ignorance. Ah, how many poor souls doth this sin kill in the dark, Hos. iv. 6, while they think verily they have good hearts, and are in the ready way to heaven! This is the murderer that dispatcheth thousands in a silent manner, when (poor hearts!) they suspect nothing, and see not the hand that mischieves them. You shall find, whatever excuses you have for ignorance, that it is a soul-undoing evil, Isa. xxvii. 21, 2 Thess. i. 8, 2 Cor. iv. 3. Ah! would it not have pitied a man's heart to have seen that woful spectacle, when the poor Protestants were shut up a multitude together, in a barn, and a butcher comes, with his inhuman hands warm in human blood, and leads them one by one, blindfold, to a block, where he slew them (poor innocents!) one after another, by the scores, in cold blood? But how much more should our hearts bleed, to think of the hundreds in great congregations, that ignorance doth butcher in secret, and lead them blind. fold to the block? Beware this be none of your case; make no pleas for ignorance: if you spare that sin, know that it will not spare you. Will a man keep a murderer in his bosom?

2. Secret reserves in closing with Christ. To forsake all for Christ; to hate father and mother, yea, and a man's own life for him; this is a hard saying, Luke xiv. 26. Some will do muek, but they will not be of the reli