fhould not have been fo maffy and glorious and where would have been the exercife and trial of all your graces? your patience in tribulations, your meek, quiet, and contented fpirit, when the vileft of men were exalted, and did abound in temporal enjoyments, fharing the earth among them, as if they alone had only derived their pedigree from Adam? where had been manifefted your confi. dence in your heavenly Father, if fenfe had not feemed to contradict the promifes? Thus was the draught of my infinite wifdom, that your way to the crown fhould be through all manner of trials, afflictions, and oppofitions. Great was your agony with devils, with wicked men, with your inbred corruptions, with many external difafters; even unto hunger, thirf, nakednefs, and fore trouble for your daily bread: and fhould it not have been thus for, if no enemies, no fighting; if no fighting, no victory; and if no victory, no triumphing: is not here a golden chain of wonderful wifdom and love? Poffefs for ever this glorious kingdom, my valiant ones, a kingdom ordained for you mot freely and abfolutely, without refpect to work or excellency: yet, poffefs it by way of conqueft: my free grace, given to you in time, do I crown with this eternal and exceeding weight of glory: all this kingdom is for every one of you, as if there were none elfe; all of you are poffeffors of all things. I have redeemed you from eternal wrath, mifery, and finning; I have purchased all things for you; I have prayed to my Father, that you, whom he had given me, might be for ever with me where I am, to behold my glory, which he hath given me; for he loved me, before the foundation of the world. These, lo, all thefe ar your portion. Earth was a portion for the baftard Quly only; and therefore 1 divided it moft largely amongst them, cafting crowns and principalities, and the greateft earthly things of time, to the vileft of them to indulge your childishness, I gave fometimes to fome of you large portions of the earth; for many ends, known only to myself, and for giving you a breathing time, left the spirit that I had made fhould have been brought to nothing: but earthly portions were only fit for bafe fpirits; poor and empty were the donations I vouchfafed upon them, in comparifon of this. When I give to you, I give like a king indeed: when I have afcended on high, and led captivity captive, I fhare no lefs among my friends, than everlasting, everflourishing kingdoms and principalities; and this is the manifeftation of free love, before the cornerftone of the earth was laid here, as every where, doth my abfolute fovereignty fhine. I am Alpha and Omega. No caufe of my actings without myfelf: by me, through me, and for me are all things: for you have I chofen veffels of glory and honour, that on you I might fhew forth that infinite bounty, love, and compaffion that dwelleth in mc.' 58 Reprobates are already judged, and condemned; and all their faculties are filled with the dreadful roarings of the Lion of the tribe of Judah. How doth our holy One fill the fenfes of curfed reprobates with his dreadful voice, wherewith ten thoufand worlds might be fhaken to nothing! how doth the Lion of the tribe of Judah roar forth! Be cternally confounded, from my amiable prefence, vile wretches, you are a fmoak in my noftrils, a fire that burneth all the day long. Your foul abhorreth me, O prodigious monflers! and my foul abhorreth you. Betwixt us this unquench P.3 able able hatred fhall increafe throughout eternity: as your hellish violence, and monitrous abomina. tions do increafe, eternally will I kindle the flames of my fury upon you; fo fhall I be eased, refreshed, and comforted: I have been wearied with refraining: now is this unquenchable fury, that burned in my breast, broken forth, and my foul is delighted. Did fuch an hellish madness poffefs you, as to think you might efcape my avengeful hand? And knew ye not yourselves, bits of crea tures, rebelling against me, the omnipotent Sovereign of all things? Let your ownfelves accufe yourfelves of your horrid villany against me, the boundlefs original of all excellencies, "lovelinefs, and fwectnefs, which you experienced, ungrate wretches: did you prefer, and love, and defire only yourfelves? fhall the creature be set up above the Creator? The monftruofity of this doth eternally affright you. Yourselves are intolerable torments to yourfelves: for you behold your vilenefs as it is. Did you not think, because of my filence, that I was like to bafe you? But now I will eternally reprove you, and fet your fins before your eyes:. now you fee your wretchedness. What think you of your holding the truth in unrighteoufaefs? fo that you became vain in your imaginations, and your foolish heart was darkened; profeffing yourselves wife, you became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God, into the vain fancies of your defperately deceitful hearts; ftill looking upon him, as one like your. felves. What think you of delighting more in created enjoyments. than in me, the fountain of all? Your affections bended moft to nothings and vanities; the fountain of all bleffednefs you abhorred. Did you, not fay, Let him depart from from us for we defire not the knowledge of his name? What profit is there in ferving him? what pleafure in being in his fellowship? yea, what a weariness is it? Let us have earthly enjoyments, and we defire no more; thefe are the only things we delight in. What think you, that you are born enemies, haters of me from your very firft. original? With your firft breathings of life, did you breathe forth malice against your Creator, Preferver, and Benefactor; and what can you do eternally, but roar with your malicious blafphemies? But what availeth either your malice, or goodnefs? I am infinitely above all creatures. What is that to me, whether creatures obey, or difobey? What are you, that I should be mindful of you, and bring you into judgment? What are you, that my anger fhould burn eternally against you? Yet is it my pleafure, that upon you be manifefted the glory of my avenging justice: As I have fworn, fo have I performed, that every knee fball bow to me. You ftiffnecked wretches, would ye not yield to the fceptre of my government? I will make you ftoop and lick the dut like ferpents, under my feet, and the feet of my chofen, whom you hated and defpised, in a vain world. I alone will be exalted, and my glory will 1 not give unto another. Would you not be the actual inftruments of my glory? I will eternally make you the paffive proclaimers thereof your curfings and howlings fhall fet me on high, even proclaim the glory of my fpotlefs holiness, throughout all ages. Curfed creatures, whom my hands formed to ferve, and obey, and glorify me; fhall I not recompenfe your hatred and rebellion upon your own heads? fhall not my foul be fully avenged upon you? You are the abomination of my my foul; and therefore vengeance fhall be my eternal delight. I am of purer eyes than to be. hold iniquity: triumph I not? I the righteous Lord love the righteous; my countenance doth be hold the upright: but the wicked, and him that loveth violence, my foul abhorreth. According to my abfolute fovereignty, might I have made out of you any thing I pleased; but thus have I done, that the glory of my fpotless holiness might eter nally fhine forth: but as I faid, fo have I done; and it is known, whose word ftands, yours or mine. Said you, in the ftoutnefs of your hearts, Our tongues are our own, who are lords over us? We are lords, we will no more come unto thee. Ard fhall you not find, to your eternál mifery, who is the great Former, and abfolute Sovereign of all things? And you the vileft of all vilenefs, to whom moft lovingly I offered my heart, my blood, my life, my kingdom, and all things; and yet you flighted and neglected all, as things of no great Excellency O mine enemies, mine enemies! flain and destroyed ye shall be eternally before mine eyes. I have no enemies like you, unto whom I moft condescendingly revealed my will, appoint. ing your lot within the pale of the church. I have found you, O mine enemies, you haters of my holinefs, and defpifers of mine excellency, who at the most loved a form of godliness, but denied the power thereof. Did I rife up early and late, crying unto you? did I befeech, intreat, proteft, ob-. teft, figh, weep and groan over you, that you would come out from your vain converfation, and partake of a bleffed communion with my Father and me? and fhall I not cause you howl, and roar, and weep, and gnash your teeth, in utter darknefs for ever and ever? Have I not intreated long? : |