Chap, 6.

་

under the Terror of this Sentence.

61

"have finally rejected the Gospel? Am I not to this Day. ", under the Sound of it? The Sentence is not yet "gone forth against me, in so determinate a Manner as "to be utterly irreversible. Through all this gloomy "Prospect one Ray of Hope breaks in, and it is possi❝ble I may be delivered.

"Reviving Thought! Rejoice in it, O my Soul, though "it be with Trembling; and turn immediately to that "God, who, though provoked by Ten Thousand Of"fences, has not yet sworn in His Wrath, that thou shalt 66 never be permitted to hold further Intercourse with "Him, or to enter into His Rest (m).

"I do then, O blessed Lord, prostrate myself in the "Dust before Thee. I own, I am a condemned and "miserable Creature. But my Language is that of the “humble Publican, GOD be merciful to me a Sinner (n)! "Some general and confused Apprehensions I have of a "Way by which I may possibly escape. O GOD, what

ever that Way is, shew it me, I beseech thee! Point it "out so plainly, that I may not be able to mistake it! "And Oh, reconcile my Heart to it, be it ever so hum"bling, be it ever so painful!

(C Surely, Lord, I have much to learn; but be Thou cr my Teacher! Stay for a little Thine uplifted Hand; "and in Thine infinite Compassion delay the Stroke, till I enquire a little farther, how I may finally "avoid it!

(m) Psal. xcv. 11,

(n) Luke xviii, 13.

F

CHAPA

62

The helpless State of a Sinner.

Chap. 7

CHAP. VII.

The helpless State of the Sinner, under Condemnation.

The Sinner urged to consider, how he can be saved from this impending Ruin. §. 1, 2. (1.) Not by any Thing he can offer. §. 3. (2.) Nor by any Thing he can endure. §. 4. (3.) Nor by any Thing he can do in the Course of future Duty. §. 5. (4.) Nor by any Alliance with Fellow-Sinners, on Earth, or in Hell. §. 6-8. (5.) Nor by any Interposition, or Intercession of Angels or Saints in his Favour. §. 9. Hint of the only Method, to be afterwards more largely explained, Ibid. The Lamentation of a Sinner in this miserable Condition.

§. 1. INNER, thou hast heard the Sentence of GOD, as it stands upon Record in His sacred and immutable Word. And wilt thou lie down under it in everlasting Despair? Wilt thou make no Attempt to be delivered from it, when it speaks nothing less than ETERNAL DEATH to thy Soul? If a Criminal, condemned by Human Laws, has but the least Shadow of Hope, that he may possibly escape, he is all Attention to it. If there be a Friend, who he thinks can help him, with what a strong Importunity does he intreat the Interposition of that Friend? And even while he is before the Judge, how difficult is it often to force him away from the Bar, while the Cry of Mercy, Mercy, Mercy, may be heard, though it be never be so unseasonable? A mere Possibility that it may make some Impression, makes him eager in it, and unwilling to be silenced and removed.

§ 2. Wilt

Chap. 7. He has no Sacrifice to atone for Sin. 63

§. 2. Wilt thou not then, O Sinner, ere yet Execu tion is done, that Execution which may perhaps de done this very Day, wilt thou not cast about in thy Thoughts, what Measures may be taken for Deliverance? Yet what Measures can be taken? Consider attentively, for it is an Affair of Moment. Thy Wisdom, thy Power, thy Eloquence, or thine Interest, can never be exerted on a greater Occasion. If thou canst help thyself, do. If thou hast any secret Source of Relief, go not out of thyself for other Assistance. If thou hast any Sacrifice to offer; if thou hast any Strength to exert, yea, if thou hast any Allies on Earth, or in the invisible World, who can defend and deliver thee; take thine own Way, so that thou mayest but be delivered at all, that we may not see thy Ruin. But say, O Sinner, in the Presence of God, what Sacrifice thou wilt present, what Strength thou wilt exert, what Allies thou wilt have recourse to, on so urgent, so hopeless an Occasion. For hopeless I must indeed pronounce it, if such Methods are taken.

§. 3. The Justice of GOD is injured: Hast thou any Atonement to make to it? If thou wast brought to an Enquiry and Proposal, like that of the awakened Sinner, Wherewith shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself before the high GOD? Shall I come before Him with Burnt-Offerings, with Calves of a Year old? Will the Lord be pleased with Thousands of Rams, or with Ten Thousands of Rivers of Oil (a)? Alas! wert thou as great a Prince as Solomon himself, and couldst thou indeed purchase such Sacrifices as these, there would be no Room to mention them. Lebanon would not be sufficient to burn, nor all the Beasts thereof for a Burnt-Offering (b). Even under that Dispensation, which admitted and required Sacrifices in some Cases, the Blood of Bulls and of Goats; though it exempted the Offender from farther temporal Punishment, could not take away Sin (c), nor prevail by any Means to purge the Conscience in the Sight of God. And that Soul, that had done Ought presumptuously was not allowed to bring any Sin-Offering, or Trespass-Offering at all, but was condemned to die without Mercy (d). Now Gop and thine own Conscience know, that thine F 2 Offences

(a) Mic. vi. 6, 7.

(b) Isai. xl. 16. (d) Numb. xv. 30,

(c) Heb. x. 4.

(04 No Sufferings of his own will save him,

Chap. 7, (Offences have not been merely the Errors of Ignorance and Inadvertency, but that thou hast sinned with an high Hand in repeated aggravated Instances, as thou hast acknowledged already.-Shouldst thou add, with the wretched Sinner described above, shall I give my First-boru for my Transgression, the Fruit of my Body for the Sin of my Soul (e)? what could the Blood of a beloved Child do in such a Case, but dye thy Crimes so much the deeper, and add a yet unknown Horror to them? Thou hast offended a Being of infinite Majesty; and if that Offence is to be expiated by Blood, it must be by another Kind of Blood, than that which flows in the Veins of thy Children, or in thine own.

§. 4. Wilt thou then suffer thyself, till thou hast made full Satisfaction? But where shall that Satisfaction be made?—Shall it be by any Calamities to be endured in this mortal momentary Life? Is the Justice of Gop then esteemed so little a Thing, that the Sorrows of a few Days should suffice to answer its Demands?— Or dost thou think of future Safferings, in the invisible World? If thou dost, that is not Deliverance; and with Regard to that I may venture to say, when thou hast made full Șatisfaction, thou wilt be released: When thou hast paid the utmost Farthing of that Debt, thy Prison Doors shall be opened: In the mean Time, thou must make thy Bed in Hell (f): And Oh, unhappy Man, wilt thou lie down there, with a secret Hope, that the Moment will come, when the Rigour of Divine Justice will not be able to in lict any Thing more than thou hast endured, and when thou mayest claim thy Discharge as a Matter of Right? It would indeed be well for thee, if thou couldst carry down with thee such a Hope, false and flattering as it is: But alas, thou wilt see Things in so just a Light, that to have no Comfort but this, will be eternal Despair. That one Word of thy Sentence, EVERLASTING Fire; that one Declaration, The Worm dieth not, and the Fire is not quenched: will be sufficient to strike such a Thought into blank Confusion, and to overwhelm thee with hopeless Agony and Horror.

§. 5. Or do you think, that your future Reformation and Diligence in Duty for the Time to come, will procure

(e) Mic. vi. 7.

(f) Psal. cxxxix. 8.

your

Chap. 7. nor any Obedience he is able to perform.

65

your Discharge from this Sentence? Take Heed, Sinner, what kind of Obedience thou' thinkest of offering to an holy GoD. That must be spotless and complete which His infinite Sanctity can approve and accept, if He consider thee in thyself alone: There must be no Inconstancy, no Forgetfulness, no Mixture of Sin attending it. And wilt thou, enfeebled as thou art, by so much original Corruption, and so many sinful Habits contracted by innumerable actual Transgressions, undertake to render such > au Obedience, and that for all the Remainder of thy Life?› In vain wouldst thou attempt it, even for one Day. New Guilt would immediately plunge thee into new Ruin. But if it did not; if from this Moment to the very End of thy Life all were as complete Obedience as the Law of GoD required from Adam in Paradise, would that be sufficient to cancel past Guilt? Would it discharge an old Debt, that thou hast not contracted a new one? Offer this to thy Neighbour, and see if he will accept it for Payment; and if he will not, wilt thou presume to offer it to thy God?

§. 6. But I will not multiply Words on so plain a Subject. While I speak thus, Time is passing away, Death presses on, and Judgment is approaching. And what can save thee from these awful Scenes, or what can protect thee in them? Can the World save thee, that vain delusive Idol of thy Wishes and Pursuits, to which thou art sacrificing thing eternal Hopes? Well dost thou know, that it will utterly forsake thee, when thou needest it most; and that not one of its Enjoyments can be carried along with thee into the invisible State: No, not so much as a Trifle to remember it by; if thou couldst desire to remember so inconstant, and so treacherous a Friend, as the World has been.

§. 7. And when you are dead, or when you are dying, can your sinful Companions save you? Is there any one of them, if he were ever so desirous of doing it, that can give unto GOD a Ransom for you (g), to deliver you from going down to the Grave, or from going down to Hell? Alas, you will probably be so sensible of this, that when you lie on the Border of the Grave, you will be unwilling to see, or to converse with those, that were

once

(g) Psal. xlix. 7,