ther which is in heaven. Many will say unto me in that day, Lord, Lord, &c. then will I profess unto them, I never knew you. Depart from me ye that work iniquity. Matth. xiii. 49, 50. So shall it be at the end of the world, the Angels shall come forth, and fever the wicked from among the just, and shall caft them into the furnace of fire; there hall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Matth. xxv. 46. The wicked shall go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into life eternal, John V. 28, 29. The hour is coming, in which all that are in the graves Shall hear his voice, and shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life, and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation. Rom. ii. 6. St. Paul tells us that there is a day of wrath, and of the revelation of the righteous judgment of God, who will render to every man according to his deeds; to them who obey not the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish upon every foul of man that doth evil. 2 Theff. i. 7, 8, 9. that the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven, with his mighty Angels in flaming fire, taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ; who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his his power. Nothing can be more plain and express than these general declarations of the wrath of God against finners; that there is a day of judgment appointed, and a judge constituted to take cognizance of the actions of men, to pass a fevere sentence, and to inflict a terrible punishment upon the workers of iniquity.

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More particularly our Lord and his Apostles have denounced the wrath of God against particular fins and vices. In several places of the New Testament, there are catalogues given of particular fins, the practice whereof will certainly shut men out of the kingdom of heaven, and expose them to the wrath and vengeance of God. 1 Cor, vi. 9, 10. Know ye not, that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived, neither fornicators nor idolaters, laters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. So likewise, Gal. v. 19, 20, 21. The works of the flesh are manifest, which are these, adultery, fornication, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, herefies, envyings, murthers, drunkenness, revellings, and fuch like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in times past, that they that do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. Col. iii. 5, 6. Mortify therefore your members upon earth, fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry, for which things fake the wrath of God cometh on the children of difobedience. Rev. xxi. 8. The fearful and unbelieving, (that is, those who rejected the Chriftian religion, notwithstanding the clear evidence that was offered for it, and those who out of fear should apoftatize from it) the fearful and unbelieving, and the abomiable, (that is, those who were guilty of unnatural lusts, not fit to be named) and murderers, and whoremongers, and forcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, (that is, all forts of falfe and and deceitful and perfidious perfons) shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone: which is the fecond death.

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And not only these gross and notorious sins, which are fuch plain violations of the law and light of nature; but those wherein mankind have been apt to take more liberty, as if they were not fufficiently convinced of the evil of them; as the refifting of civil authority, which the Apostle tells us, they that are guil. ty of, hall receive to themselves damnation, Rom. xiii. 2. Profane swearing in common converfation, which St. James tells us brings men under the' danger of damnation, chap. v. 12. Above all things, my brethren, swear not, left ye fall under condemnation. Nay our Saviour hath told us plainly, that not only for wicked actions, but for every evil and finful word, men are obnoxious to the judgment of God. So our Lord aflures us, Matth. xii. 36, 37. I say unto you, that

that every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give an account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned. He had spoken before of that great and unpardonable sin of blaspheming the Holy Ghost; and because this might be thought great feverity for evil words, he declares the reason more fully, because words shew the mind and temper of the man, ver. 34. For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth Speaketh. "The character of the

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man, is shewn by his words," faith Menander. Profert enim mores plerumque oratio (faith Quinctilian) & animi secreta detegit; A man's speech difcovers his manners, and the secrets of his heart; ut vivit etiam quemque dicere, Men commonly speak as they live; and therefore our Saviour adds, A good man out of the good treasure of his heart, bringeth forth good things; and an evil man, out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth evil things: but I fay unto you, that every idle word, πᾶν ῥῆμα ἀργὸ, by which I do not think our Saviour means, that men shall be called to a folemn account at the day of judgment, for every trifling, and impatient, and unprofitable word, but every wicked and finful word of any kind: as if he had faid, Do you think this severe, to make words an unpardonable fault? I fay unto you, that men shall not only be condemned for their malicious and blafphemous speeches against the Holy Ghost; but they shall likewise give a strict account for all other wicked and sinful speeches in any kind, though much inferior to this. And this is not only most agreeable to the scope of our Saviour, but is confirmed by some Greek copies, in which it is wῶν ῥῆμα πονηρόν, every wicked word which men shall speak, they shall be accountable for it at the day of judgment. But this by the by.

Our Saviour likewise tells us, that men shall not only be proceeded against for fins of commiffion, but for the bare omission and neglect of their duty, especially in works of mercy and charity; for not feeding the hungry, and the like, as we see, Matth. xxv. and that for the omiffion of these, he will pafs VOL. V.

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that terrible sentence, Depart ye cursed, &c. So that it nearly concerns us to be careful of our whole life, of all our words and actions, since the gospel hath so plainly and exprefly declared, that for all these things God will bring us into judgment. And if the threatenings of the gospel be true, what manner of persons ought we to be, in all holy conversation and godliness?

Secondly, As the threatenings of the gospel are very plain and express, so are they likewise very dreadful and terrible. I want words to express the least part of the terror of them; and yet the expressions of fcripture concerning the misery and punishment of finners in another world, are such as may justly raise amazement and horror in those that hear them. Sometimes it is expressed by a departing from God, and a perpetual banishment from his prefence, who is the fountain of all comfort and joy, and happiness; sometimes by the loss of our fouls, or ourTelves. What shall it profit a man to gain the whole word, and lose his own soul ? or, (as it is in another evangelift) to lose himself? Not that our being shall be destroyed; that would be a happy lofs indeed, to him that is fentenced to be for ever miferable; but the man shall still remain, and his body and foul continue to be the foundation of his mifery, and a scene of perpetual woe and discontent, which our Saviour calls the destroying of body and soul in hell, or going into everlasting punishment, where there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth, where the worm dies not, and the fire is not quenched. Could I represent to you the horror of that dismal prison, into which wicked and impure souls are to be thrust, and the misery they must there endure, without the least spark of comfort, or glimmering of hope, how they wail and groan under the intolerable wrath of God, the infoIent scorn and cruelty of devils, the severe lashes and stings, the raging anguish and horrible defpair of their own minds, without intermission, without pity, and without hope of ever seeing an end of that mifery, which yet is insupportable for one moment; could I represent these things to you according to the

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the terror of them, what effect must they have upon us? and with what patience could any man bear to think of plunging himself into this misery? and by his own wilful fault and folly to endanger his coming into this place and state of torments? especially if we confider, in the

Third place, that the gospel hath likewise declared, that there is no avoiding of this mifery, no hopes of impunity, if men go on and continue in their sins. The terms of the gospel in this are peremptory, that except we repent, we shall perish that without holiness no man shall fee the Lord; that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God. And this is a very pressing confideration, and brings the matter to a short and plain issue. Either we must leave our fins, or dy in them; either we must repent of them, or be judged for them; either we must forsake our fins, and break off that wicked course which we have lived in, or we must quit all hopes of heaven and happiness, nay, we cannot escape the damnation of hell. The clear revelation of a future judgment is so pressing an argument to repentance, as no man can in reason resist, that hath not a mind to be miferable. Now (faith St. Paul to the Athenians) he straightly chargeth all men every where to repent, because he hath appointed a day in the which he will judge the world in righteousness.

Men may cheat themselves or fuffer themselves to be deluded by others, about several means and devices of reconciling a wicked life, with the hopes of heaven and eternal salvation; as by mingling some pangs of forrow for fin, and some hot fits of devotion with a finful life; which is only the interruption of a wicked course, without reformation and amendment of life: but, let no man deceive you with vain words, for our blessed Saviour hath provided no other ways to save men, but upon the terms of repentance and obedience.

Fourthly, This argument takes hold of the most desperate and profligate sinners, and still retains its force upon the minds of men, when almost all other confiderations fail, and have lost their efficacy upon

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