1 fafety, or bear us out; for we cannot judge right, unlefs we judge of ourselves according to the word of God; and to judge of ourfelves thus, is to judge according as God judgeth. What God takes us to be, that we are; but we are not always what we takes ourselves to be. Some take themfelves to be Chriftians, who yet are but anti-chriftians. Some take themselves to be friends to God, who yet are enemies: There is a generation that are pure in their own eyes; and yet is not wash'ed from their filthiness. A generation of finners, that live in fin impenitently, do make room for a deluge of wrath. One Achan troubles the whole camp of Ifrael: and what wrath then may multitudes of finners bring upon a church and people! The text fpeaks of a multitude; and, perhaps, multitudes of impure and unfanctified finners were never greater than at this day wherein we live; and hence it is a day of wrath: for, it could never be more truly faid in any period, than of our day, There is a generation that are pure in their own eyes, and yet is not washed from their filthiness. We have already improven this doctrine in an use of information, lamentation, reproof, and examination; we now proceed to another ufe of the point. The fifth ufe that we make of the doctrine fhall be for terror to all that are not washed from their filthiness; but are filthy ftill, impure ftill; were never renewed, never purified, never fanctified: but remain under the power of fin and corruption; and are utter strangers to all that purity that hitherto I have been fpeaking of. There is ground of terror to all the wicked of the world, that are altogether filthy, and to believers, who are partly fo, and do not watch, but indulge themselves much in impurity. ift, This doctrine affords ground of terror to the wicked, that never were washed from their filthiness, but are going on in a course of fin, drunkenness, whoredom, revelling, and all manner of immoralities. Alas, Sirs! confider how miferable you are, and are like to be. Look to your fad and difinal cafe in life, in death, and and at the day of judgment. And, O if the Lord would awaken your confcience, seriously to ponder your dangerous fituation. [1] Look to and be perfuaded of it, that you are truly miferable in life. And, 1. While in that impure ftate, you are an utter ftranger to God; At that time ye were without Chrift, being aliens from the commonwealth of Ifrael, and strangers from the covenant of promife, having no hope, and without God in the world, Eph. ii. 12. You are without God, the author of hope; without Chrift, the foundation of hope; without the covenant of promife, the ground of hope; without the grace of hope: you are in a hopeless cafe, while you refuse to fly for refuge to the hope fet before you; to Christ, for wisdom, righteoufnefs, and fanctification. 2. You are contrary to God, and God is contrary to you: your nature is contrary to God, and God's nature is oppofite to you. Your principles, your practice, your nature, your aims, your mind, your affections, are all oppofite to God, while you are altogether filthy. 3. You are out of cafe for communion and fellowship with God. What! communion between light and darknefs! Nay; you have communion and familiarity with the devil: The Strong man armed keeps the house. The whole world lieth in wickedness, in time, in the arms of the wicked one. You are, as it were, fait lulled afleep in the arms of the devil. 4. You are a flave and a drudge to every luft. And, alas! what base degeneracy, that now, your immortal foul is a drudge to the devil, a flave to luft, a fervant of fin, and an affociate with the wicked! 5. You are under the curfe while in that fituation. See what a number of dreadful curfes you are under, mentioned Deut. xxviii. 15,-20. Curfed fhalt thou be in the city, and curfed fhalt thou be in the field. Curfed hall be thy basket and thy store. Curfed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy land, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep Curfed fhalt thou be when thou comeft in, and curfed shalt thou be when thou goeft Fff 2 out, &c. out, &c. Curfed in your name, it fhall root; curfed in your house, it is the habitation of the wicked; curfed in all your religious performances, for your prayer is an abomination to the Lord; and curfed in all your civil actions, for the very plowing of the wicked is fin.. 6. You are under all the difmal èvils that attend this impurity; fuch as, to be abhorred of God, a torment to yourself, ufelefs in the world, an apoftate from God, an object of wrath, and at last excluded from heaven. (1.) One evil attending this impure ftate, is, that the man is abhorred; he is an object of God's abhorrence, if he be filthy ftill: for, God is of purer eyes than to behold iniquity; and he cannot behold it so as to take pleafure in the finner. Do you think that God can take pleasure in a man who is wallowing in his fin? No; there muft, be a covering from the eyes of God's holinefs and I know no covering and mantle but one of two, either the red fcarlet covering of the Redeemer's blood; or the dark and black mantle of avenging wrath to eternity, to vail it from the eyes of the omnifcient and omnipotent God. (2.) Another evil, befide what hath been mentioned, is, that this impurity is a torment to the man. So much defilement, fo much vexation; and the more purity, the more peace and inward ferenity: Great peace have they that love thy law, and nothing shall offend them; but no peace, faith my God, to the wicked. (3.) There is this evil in it also; this impurity makes a man ufelefs in the world. A man that is wallowing in wickedness, he is the most useless creature in the world; that which the pfalmift calls altogether filthy, the apostle quotting it, Rom. iii. 12. calls it altogether unprofitable; to let us fee, that the man that is altogether filthy or defiled, he is as ufelefs as a veffel, the naftiness of which is fo incorporated with it, that it can never be used again. (4.) This defilement makes way for apoftacy. The man that is destitute of gospel purity, is in a state wherein he is capable of total apoftacy. The true gold will abide the fire; but the furnace carries off the drofs. The good wheat will abide the wind; but the wind carries carries away the chaff. They altogether filthy are; They all afide are gone. What makes fo much defection and apoftacy in our day? Why, men abandon their profeffion, abandon their principles, grow remifs in their practices, relinquish their firft zeal, and leave their first love: why, they are defilled; they are not washed from their filthiness. (5.) This defilement makes way for wrath and judg ment to be poured forth: For these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of difobedience, Col. iii. 6. Trouble and anguish to every foul of man that doth evil; for, the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of man, Rom. i. 18. A day of wrath, a day of calamity is threatened, because of the impurity of the generation, that are not washed from their filthiness. (6.) This deflement excludes from heaven. No pollution can dwell in the higher houfe; when it began to enter, the authors of it were caft down to hell: There fhall in nowife enter into it any thing that defileth, or that worketh abomination, or maketh a lye, Rev. xxi. 27. Is not all this most terrible! [2.] As you are miferable in life, fo you will be miferable at death: then confcience begins to rore; for its black book is opened, and the long roll, the black roll of fins appear; and then the devil, who lulled you afleep in fin, and tempted you to fin, will prefent the heinoufnefs thereof, and tempt you to difpair. Then your friends, relations, comforts, and enjoyments of the world, will bid you an eternal adieu: and then no more offers of Chrift, or grace, or falvation. Sin, the fting of death, not being taken away, death will be moft terrible and dreadful. When the awful meffenger approaches, with his difmal appearance armed with his mortal dart, ready in an instant to strike through the miserable creature, with what amazement will the poor foul be filled! How unwelcome will the near approach of this mighty 'conqueror be to the poor fin ner! [3] The polluted foul will not only be miferable at death, but also at the day of judgment: for, Christ will be be revealed from heaven, taking vengeance on them who know not God, and obeyed not the gospel. Then the awful and final fentence will be pronounced, Depart from me, ye curfed! Ah! terrible fentence! Depart from me! Depart from the chief good and happiness, to be miserable to eternity! In this fentence is wrapt up all mise and what will fruftrate all the vain expectations of the wicked at that day. If you fhould fay, O! let us not go far away: Nay; depart from me, out my fight and prefence; and that is far enough to them: for ever banished from the prefence of God, the prefence of bliss. O! if we must depart, let us depart with a blessing: No; depart from me, ye curfed: depart with the curfe of God, the wrath and vengeance of God! O! if we muft thus depart, let us go to a good place: No; depart from me, ye curfed, unto fire: the place of torment, the place of perdition, the place of burning. O! if it must be to fire, let it be but for a fhort time: No, no; depart to everlasting fire, to dwell there through an endlefs eternity; depart to everlasting fire, fire that cannot be quenched; Where the worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. O! if it must be fo, let us depart with good company; let us have fome heartfome company with us: No, by no means; depart with the devil and his angels. Oh! the miferable cafe of those who live and die in their fin! They must be fent to the devouring Tophet! to swim for ever in the river of fire and brinftone! Ah! dreadful ftate! You will appear before the judgment-feat in the devil's livery; and must share of his mifery to eternity. Inconceivable and permanent mifery! 2dly, This doctrine affords ground of terror alfo to believers, who, though they are washed habitually from their filthinefs, yet ly under much actual pollution, without due application to the fountain; there is ground of terror from this doctrine to fuch. Though we cannot preach the fame terror to them, as to the wicked; and cannot fay they fhall be condemned, or go to hell, or yet become liable to the curfe of the law; yet the Lord hath a rod for the back of his children: If they break bis law, though he pardon their fin, yet he may take vengeance |