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SERMON I.

Of the Neceffity and Nature of our Preparation for the Day of Judgment.

[The Firft Sermon on this Text.]

I

AMOS iv. 12.

Therefore thus will I do unto thee O Ifrael: and because I will do this unto thee, pres pare to meet thy God, O Ifrael:

T

HE Prophet, as the Em-Vol. II
baffador of Go D, begins

this Chapter, with a De-
nunciation of aftonishing
Evils; and from thence

concludes with this Exortation, Theres

fore thus will I do, &c.

B

The

Vol. II. The Literal Sence runs thus. GOD is coming forth against thee as an Arm'd Man, or rather as a Mighty Hoft, His Fury is kindled against Thee, and He is Arm'd with all the Inftruments of Deftruction and Death; it behoves Thee therefore either to fummon up all thy Force and Courage, that thou may'ft be able to fuftain His Fury: Or if this be an Attempt too defperate to be thought on, prepare thy self by Repentance and Submiffion to Attone it.

This being the immediate Design of the Words, Commentators, according to the ufual manner of interpreting the Old Teftament, with reference to the Do&trines of the New, have by an easy Allufion applied this to the Day of Judgment. As if the Prophet, when he fpake to the Jews in a Litteral, had at the fame time spoken unto us in a Mystical Sence, after this manner. O you the Ifrael of GOD, you to whom God vouchfafed his Oracles, you to whom he vouchfafed the Prefence of his own Son in the Flesh, you whom the Son of GOD purchas'd by his own Blood, you whom he has invited by great and precious Promifes, you whom he calls Day after Day, by the Voice of his Apoftles and Prophets, by the Voice of repeated Providences,

vidences, and by the Charms and Invi- Ser. I. tations of his own bleffed Spirit; I denounce unto you, that He is coming forth out of his Place to Judge the World, that this Day will be a Day of Vengeance, a Day of Darkness, and of Glominefs, a Day of Terror and Rebuke to all those who have rejected GOD, who have difobey'd his Voice, who have broken his Covenant; for He will call fuch to an Account for all their Evil Deeds, and hard Speeches, for all their Contempt of Mercy and Abuse of Grace; and that Day fhall burn as an Oven, and the Wicked fhall be as Stubble, in this only differing, that they and their Flame fhall be Eternal, and they fhall be Eternally fen fible of the Pain: And because GOD will do this unto thee, therefore prepare to meet thy God O Ifrael, therefore prepare either to encounter and outbrave Almighty Wrath, and to endure and despise Ĕternal Pains: Or if thou thinkeft thou canst not resist God in his Fury, nor be åble to dwell with Everlasting Burnings, then prepare to Attone the one, and prevent the other, by Repentance and Submission.

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Taking the Words in this Sence, I fhall speak to three Things.

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Vol. II.

I. I fhall Difcourfe of the Neceffity of our Preparation for the Day of Judgment.

II. Of the Nature of fuch a Preparation.

III. I fhall propound to you fome
Motives to this Preparation..

I. Of the Neceffity of this Preparation. St. Jerom gave it as a Rule for thofe of his Order to obferve, that they fhould always have this Voice founding in their Ears, Awake and come to Judgment. The Day of Judgment is a wonderful Day, a Day on which depends the Fate of the whole World, a Day wherein the Power, Juftice, Goodness and Wisdom of GOD will be exalted in an unconceivable Height and Glory.

If we confider the Nature of the Trial; the Secrets of all Hearts will be then reveal'd, not only the Works of Retirement and Darkness; but even every Design and Intention of the Heart ftript of that Disguise it went abroad in; nay, the very Defires of the Soul of Man, which like Fire pent up, were ftifled within the Inclosures of the Mind,

and

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