Sermons and Discourses Volume 8, Sermon 7
SERMON VII.Serm. 7. The final Iſſue of Sin, an Argument for Repentance. The Third Sermon on this Text.
ROM. VI.21, 22.
What fruit had ye then in thoſe things, whereof ye are now aſhamed? For the end of thoſe things is death. But now being made free from ſin, and become Servants to God, ye have your fruit unto Holineſs, and the end Everlaſting Life.
THESE words are a Compariſon between an Holy and Virtuous and a Sinful and Vicious Courſe of Life, and ſet before us the manifeſt Inconveniences of the one,Vol. 8. and the manifold Advantages of the other. I have enter'd into a Diſcourſe upon the Firſt of theſe Heads, viz. The manifeſt Inconveniences of a ſinful and vicious Courſe: And the Text mentions theſe three.
I. That it is Unprofitable.
II. That the reflection upon it afterwards is matter of Shame. Theſe Two I have ſpoken largely to. I ſhall now proceed to the
III. And laſt Inconvenience, which the Text mentions, of a ſinful and vicious Courſe of Life, viz. That the final Iſſue and Conſequence of theſe things is very diſmal and miſerable; The end of thoſe things is Death. No Fruit then when ye did theſe things; ſhame now that you come to reflect upon them; and Miſery and Death at the laſt.
There are indeed almoſt innumerable Conſiderations and Arguments to diſcourage and deter men from ſin; the Unreaſonableneſs of it in it ſelf; the Injuſtice and Diſloyalty, and Ingratitude of it in reſpect to God; the ill Example of it to others; the Cruelty of it to our ſelves; the Shame and Diſhonour that attends it; the Grief and Sorrow which it will coſt us, if ever we be brought to a due Senſe of it; the Trouble and Horror of a guilty Conſcience, that will perpetually haunt us; but above all the miſerable Event and ſad Iſſue of a wicked Courſe of Life continued in, and finally unrepented of. The Temptations to ſin may be alluring enough, and look upon us with a ſmiling Countenance, and the Commiſſion may afford us a ſhort and imperfect Pleaſure: but the Remembrance of it will certainly be bitter, and the End of it miſerable.
And this Conſideration is of all others the moſt apt to work upon the generality of men, eſpecially upon the more obſtinate and obdurate ſort of ſinners, and thoſe whom no other Arguments will penetrate; that whatever the preſent Pleaſure and Advantage of ſin may be, it will be Bitterneſs and Miſery in the end.
The two former Inconvenieces of a ſinful Courſe, which I have lately diſcourſed of, viz. That ſin is Unprofitabte, and that it is Shameful, are very conſiderable, and ought to be great Arguments againſt it to every ſinner, and conſiderate Man: and yet how light are they, and but as the very ſmall duſt upon the balance, in compariſon of that inſupportable weight of Miſery which will oppreſs the ſinner at laſt! Indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguiſh upon every ſoul of Man that doth evil. This, this is the ſting of all, that the end of theſe things is death.
It is very uſual in Scripture to expreſs the greateſt Happineſs, and the greateſt Miſery, by Life and Death; Life being the firſt and moſt deſirable of all other Bleſſings, becauſe it is the Foundation of them, and that which makes us capable of all the reſt. Hence we find in Scripture, that all the Bleſſings of the Goſpel are ſumm'd up in this one word, John 20.31. Theſe things are written, that you might believe that Jeſus is the Chriſt, the Son of God, and that believing ye might have Life through his Name. 1 Joh. 4.9. In this was manifeſt the love of God towards us, becauſe God ſent his only begotten Son into the World, that we might live through him. So that under this Term or Notion of Life, the Scripture is wont to expreſs all happineſs to us, and more eſpecially that eternal Life which is the great Promiſe of the Goſpel. And this is Life by wa… of Eminency; as if this frail and mortal and miſerable Life, which we live here in this World, did not deſerve that Name.
And on the other Hand, all the Evils which are conſequent upon ſin, eſpecially the dreadful and laſting Miſery of another World, are called by the Name of Death, The end of theſe things is Death. So the Apoſtle, here in the Text, and 23. v. The wages of ſin is Death, not only a Temporal Death, but ſuch a Death as is oppoſed to Eternal Life; The wages of ſin is Death: but the gift of God is Eternal Life through Jeſus Chriſt our Lord. So that Death here in the Text is plainly intended to comprehend in it all thoſe fearful and aſtoniſhing Miſeries, wherewith the wrath of God will purſue and afflict ſinners in another World.
But what and how great this Miſery is, I am not able to declare to you; it hath no more enter'd into the heart of man, than thoſe great and glorious things which God hath laid up for them that love him: and as I would fain hope, that none of us here ſhall ever have the ſad experience of it; ſo none but thoſe who have felt it, are able to give a tolerable deſcription of the intolerableneſs of it.
But by what the Scripture hath ſaid of it in general, and in ſuch Metaphors as are moſt level to our preſent Capacity, it appears ſo full of Terror, that I am loth to attempt the Repreſentation of it. There are ſo many other Arguments, that are more Humane and Natural, and more proper to work upon the Reaſon and Ingenuity of Men; as the great Love and Kindneſs of God to us; the grievous Sufferings of his Son for us; the Unreaſonableneſs and Shamefulneſs of ſin; the preſent Benefit and Advantage, the Peace and Pleaſure of an Holy and Virtuous Life; and the mighty Rewards promiſed to it in another World, that one would think theſe ſhould be abundantly ſufficient to prevail with men to gain them to goodneſs, and that they need not be frighted into it, and to have the Law laid to them, as it was once given to the People of Iſrael, in thunder and lightning, in blackneſs, in darkneſs and tempeſt, ſo as to make them exceedinly to fear and tremble. And it ſeems a very hard Caſe, that when we have to deal with men, ſenſible enough of their Intereſt in other Caſes, and diligent enough to mind it, we cannot perſwade them to accept of Happineſs, without ſetting before them the Terrors of Eternal Darkneſs, and thoſe amazing and endleſs Miſeries, which will certainly be the Portion of thoſe who refuſe ſo great an Happineſs; this I ſay ſeems very hard, that men muſt be carried to the Gate of Hell, before they can be brought to ſet their faces towards Heaven, and to think in good earneſt of getting thither.
And yet it cannot be diſſembled, that the Nature of men is ſo degenerate, as to ſtand in need of this Argument; and that men are ſo far engaged in an Evil Courſe, that they are not to be reclaimed from it by any other Conſideration, but of the endleſs and unſpeakable Miſery of impenitent ſinners in another World. And therefore God, knowing how neceſſary this is, doth frequently make uſe of it; and our Bleſſed Saviour, than whom none was ever more mild and gentle, doth often ſet this Conſideration before men to take them off from ſin, and to bring them to do better. And this St. Paul tells us, Rom. 1.18. is one principal thing which renders the Goſpel ſo powerful an Inſtrument for the reforming and ſaving of Mankind, becauſe therein the wrath of God is revealed from Heaven, againſt all ungodlineſs and unrighteouſneſs of men.
So that how harſh and unpleaſant ſoever this Argument may be, the great ſtupidity and folly of ſome men, and their inveterate obſtinacy in an Evil Courſe makes it neceſſary for us to preſs it home, that thoſe who will not be moved, and made ſenſible of the danger and inconvenience of ſin by gentler Arguments, may be rous'd and awakened by the Terrors of Eternal Miſery.
That the laſt Iſſue and Conſequence of a wicked Life will be very Miſerable, the general Apprehenſion of Mankind concerning the fate of bad men in another World, and the ſocret miſgivings of mens Conſciences, gives men too much ground to fear. Beſides that the Juſtice of Divine Providence, which is not many times in this World ſo clear and manifeſt, does ſeem to require that there ſhould be a time of Recompence, when the Virtue and Patience of good men ſhould be Rewarded, and the Inſolence and Obſtinacy of bad men ſhould be Puniſh'd. This cannot but appear very reaſonable to any Man, that conſiders the Nature of God, and is perſwaded that he governs the World, and hath given Laws to Mankind, by the obſervance whereof they may be Happy, and by the neglect and contempt whereof they muſt be Miſerable.
But that there might remain no doubts upon the Minds of men, concerning theſe matters, God hath been pleas'd to reveal this from Heaven, by a Perſon ſent by him on purpoſe to declare it to the World; and to the truth of theſe Doctrines concerning a future ſtate and a day of Judgment, and Recompences, God hath given Teſtimony by unqueſtionable Miracles wrought for the Confirmation of them, and particularly by the Reſurrection of Jeſus Chriſt from the Dead, whereby he hath given an aſſurance unto all men, that he is the Perſon ordained by God to Judge the World in righteouſneſs, and to render to every Man according to his deeds; to them, who by patient continuance in well doing ſeek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal Life; but to them, who obey not the truth, but obey unrighteouſneſs, indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguiſh upon every ſoul of Man that doth evil.
So that how quietly ſoever wicked Men may paſs through this World, or out of it, (which they ſeldom do) Miſery will certainly overtake their Sins at laſt; unſpeakable and intolerable Miſery, ariſing from the anguiſh of a guilty Conſcience; from a lively Apprehenſion of their ſad Loſs; and from a quick ſenſe of the ſharp Pain which they labour under; and all this aggravated and ſet off with the Conſideration of paſt Pleaſure, and the Deſpair of future Eaſe. Each of theſe is Miſery enough, and all of them together do conſtitute and make up that diſmal and forlorn State, which the Scripture calls Hell and Damnation.
I ſhall therefore briefly repreſent (for it is by no means deſirable to dwell long upon ſo melancholy and frightful an Argument,)
Firſt, The principal Ingredients which conſtitute this miſerable State. And,
Secondly, The Aggravations of it.
Firſt, The principal Ingredients which conſtitute this miſerale State; and they are theſe three which I have mentioned.
I. The Anguiſh of a guilty Mind.
II. The lively Apprehenſions of the invaluable Happineſs which they have loſt.
III. A quick Senſe of the intolerable Pains which they lie under.
I. The Anguiſh of a guilty Conſcience. And this is natural; for there is a Worm that abides in a guilty Conſcience, and is continually gnawing it. This is that our Saviour calls the Worm that dyes not. And tho' God ſhould inflict no poſitive Puniſhment upon Sinners, yet this is a Revenge which every Man's Mind would take upon him; for things are ſo order'd by God in the original Frame and Conſtitution of our Minds, that on the one hand Peace and Pleaſure, Contentment and Satisfaction do naturally ariſe in our Minds from the Conſcience of Well-doing, and ſpring up in the Soul of every good Man: And on the other hand, no Man knowingly does an evil Action, but his guilty Conſcience galls him for it, and the remembrance of it is full of Bitterneſs to him.
And this the Sinner feels in this World; he diſguiſeth and diſſembleth his Trouble as much as he can, and ſhifts off theſe uneaſie Thoughts by all the Diverſions he can deviſe, and by this means palliates his Diſeaſe, and renders his Condition in ſome ſort tolerable unto himſelf: but when he is alone, or caſt upon the Bed of Sickneſs, and his Thoughts are let looſe upon him, and he hath nothing to give them a Diverſion, how does his Guilt ferment and work! and the Feaver, which lurkt before, does now ſhew it ſelf, and is ready to burn him up; ſo that nothing can appear more diſmal and ghaſtly, than ſuch a Man does to himſelf.
And much more, when Sinners come into the other World, and are entred into the Regions of Darkneſs, and the melancholy Shades, where Evil Spirits are continually wandring up and down; where they can meet with nothing either of Employment or Pleaſure, to give the leaſt Diverſion to their penſive Minds; where they ſhall find nothing to do, but to reflect upon, and bemoan themſelves; where all the wicked Actions that ever they committed ſhall come freſh into their Minds, and ſtare their Conſciences in the face. It is not to be imagined, what ſad Scenes will then be preſent to their Imaginations, and what ſharp Reflections their own guilty Minds will make upon them, and what Swarms of Furies will poſſeſs them.
So ſoon as ever they are entered upon that State, they will then find themſelves forſaken of all thoſe Comforts which they once placed ſo much Happineſs in; and they will have nothing to converſe with, but their own uneaſie ſelves, and thoſe that are as miſerable as themſelves, and therefore uncapable of adminiſtring any Comfort to one another. They will then have nothing to think on, but what will trouble them; and every new Thought will be a new increaſe of their Trouble. Their Guilt will make them reſtleſs, and the more reſtleſs they are, the more will their Minds be enraged; and there will be no end of their Vexation, becauſe the Cauſe and Ground of it is perpetual. For there is no poſſible way to get rid of Guilt, but by Repentance; and there is no Encouragment, no Argument to Repentance, where there is no hope of Pardon. So that if God ſhould hold his Hand, and leave Sinners to themſelves, and to the Laſhes of their own Conſcience, a more ſevere and terrible Torment can hardly be imagin'd, than that which a guilty Mind would execute upon it ſelf.
II. Another Ingredient into the Miſeries of Sinners in another World, is the lively Apprehenſion of the invaluable Happineſs which they have loſt by their own Obſtinacy and fooliſh Choice. In the next World wicked Men ſhall be for ever ſeparated from God, who is the Fountain of Happineſs, and from all the Comforts of his Preſence and Favour. This, our Saviour tells us, is the firſt part of that dreadful Sentence that ſhall be paſſed upon the wicked at the great Day; Depart from me; which Words, tho' they do not ſignifie any poſitive Infliction and Torment, yet they import the greateſt Loſs that can be imagined. And it is not ſo eaſie to determine which is the greateſt of Evils, Loſs or Pain. Indeed to a Creature that is only endowed with Senſe, there can be no Miſery but that of Pain and Suffering: but to thoſe who have Reaſon and Underſtanding, and are capable of knowing the value of things, and of reflecting upon themſelves in the want of them, the greateſt loſs may be as grievous and hard to be born, as the greateſt pain.
'Tis true, that ſinners are now ſo immerſt in the groſs and ſenſual delights of this World, that they have no apprehenſion of the Joys of Heaven, and the Pleaſures of God's preſence, and of the Happineſs that is to be enjoyed in Communion with him, and therefore they are not now capable of eſtimating the greatneſs of this loſs. But this inſenſibleneſs of wicked men continues no longer than this preſent ſtate, which affords them variety of Objects of Pleaſure and of Buſineſs to divert them and entertain them: but when they come into the other World, they ſhall then have nothing elſe to think upon, but the ſad Condition into which they have brought themſelves, nothing to do but to pore and meditate upon their own Misfortune, when they ſhall lift up their Eyes, and with the rich Man in the Parable, in the midſt of their Torments, look up to thoſe who are in Abraham's boſom; and their Miſery will be mightily increaſed by the Contemplation of that Happineſs which others enjoy, and themſelves have ſo fooliſhly forfeited and fallen ſhort of; inſomuch that it would be happy for them, if that God, from whoſe preſence they are baniſht, that Heaven from which they have excluded themſelves, and that everlaſting Glory, which they have deſpiſed and neglected, might be for ever hid from their Eyes, and never come into their Minds.
III. This is not all, but beſides the ſad Apprehenſion of their Loſs, they ſhall endure the ſharpeſt Pains. Theſe God hath threatned ſinners withal, and they are in Scripture repreſented to us, by the moſt grievous and intolerable Pains that in this World we are acquainted withal, as by the Pain of Burning. Hence the wicked are ſaid to be caſt into the Lake, which burns with fire and brimſtone, and into the fire which is not quenched; which whether it be literally to be underſtood or not, is certainly intended to ſignifie the moſt ſevere kind of Torment; but what that is, and in what manner it ſhall be inflicted, none know but they that feel it, and lie under it. The Scripture tells ſo much in general of it, as is enough to warn men to avoid it; that it is the effect of a mighty Diſpleaſure, and of Anger armed with Omnipotence, and conſequently muſt needs be very terrible, more dreadful than we can now conceive, and probably greater than can be deſcribed by any of thoſe Pains and Sufferings which now we are acquainted withal; for who knows the power of God's anger, and the utmoſt of what Almighty Juſtice can do to Sinners? Who can Comprehend the vaſt ſignificancy of thoſe Expreſſions, Fear him, who after he hath killed, can deſtroy both body and ſoul in Hell? and again, It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God? One would think this were Miſery enough, and needed no farther Aggravation; and yet it hath Two terrible ones, from the Conſideration of paſt Pleaſures which Sinners have enjoyed in this World, and from an utter Deſpair of future Eaſe and Remedy.
1. From the Conſideration of the paſt Pleaſures which Sinners have enjoy'd in this Life. This will make their Sufferings much more ſharp and ſenſible; for as nothing commends Pleaſure more, and gives Happineſs a quicker taſte and reliſh, than precedent Sufferings and Pain, there is not perhaps a greater Pleaſure in the World, than the ſtrange and ſudden Eaſe which a Man finds after a ſharp fit of the Stone or Cholick, or after a Man is taken off the Rack, and Nature which was in an Agony before is all at once ſet at perfect Eaſe: So on the other Hand, nothing exaſperates Suffering more, and ſets a keener Edge upon Miſery, than to ſtep into Afflictions and Pain immediately out of a ſtate of great Eaſe and Pleaſure. This we find in the Parable was the great Aggravation of the rich Man's Torment, that he had firſt received his good things, and was afterwards Tormented. We may do well to conſider this, that thoſe Pleaſures of Sin which have now ſo much of Temptation in them, will in the next World be one of the chief Aggravations of our Torment.
2. The greateſt Aggravation of this Miſery will be, that it is attended with the Deſpair of any future Eaſe; and when Miſery and Deſpair meet together, they make a Man compleatly miſerable. The duration of this Miſery is expreſt to us in Scripture, by ſuch words as are us'd to ſignifie the longeſt and moſt interminable duration. Depart ye curſed into everlaſting fire. Matt. 25.41. Where the worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. Mark. 9.43. and 2 Theſſ. 1.7. It is there ſaid, that thoſe who know not God, and obey not the Goſpel of his Son, ſhall be puniſht with everlaſting deſtruction from the preſence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power. And in Rev. 20.10. That the wicked ſhall be tormented day and night for ever and ever. And what can be imagined beyond this? This is the perfection of Miſery, to lie under the greateſt Torment, and yet be in deſpair of ever finding the leaſt Eaſe.
And thus I have done with the Firſt thing I propounded to ſpeak to from this Text, viz. The manifeſt Inconveniences of a ſinful and vicious Courſe of Life; that it brings no preſent Benefit or Advantage to us; that the reflection upon it cauſeth Shame; and that it is fearful and miſerable in the laſt Iſſue and Conſequence of it. What fruit had you, &c.
I ſhould now have proceeded to the Second Part of the Text, which repreſents to us the manifold Advantages of an Holy and Virtuous Courſe of Life; 22.v. But now being made free from ſin, and become the ſervants of righteouſneſs, ye have your fruit unto holineſs, there's the preſent Advantage of it; and the end everlaſting life, there's the future Reward of it. But this is a large Argument, which will require a Diſcourſe by it ſelf, and therefore I ſhall not now enter upon it; but ſhall only make ſome reflections upon what hath been ſaid, concerning the miſerable Iſſue and Conſequence of a wicked Life impenitently perſiſted in.
And ſurely, if we firmly believe and ſeriouſly conſider theſe things, we have no reaſon to be fond of any Vice; we can take no great Comfort or Contentment in a ſinful Courſe. If we could for the ſeeming Advantage and ſhort Pleaſure of ſome ſins, diſpenſe with the Temporal Miſchiefs and Inconveniences of them, which yet I cannot ſee how any Prudent and Conſiderate Man could do; if we could conquer Shame, and bear the Infamy and Reproach which attends moſt ſins, and could digeſt the upbraidings of our own Conſciences, ſo often as we call them to remembrance, and reflect ſeriouſly upon them; tho' for the gratifying an importunate Inclination, and an impetuous Appetite, all the Inconveniences of them might be born withal; yet methinks the very thought of the End and Iſſue of a wicked Life, that the end of theſe things is Death, that indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguiſh, far greater than we can now deſcribe or imagine, ſhall be to every ſoul of Man that doth evil, ſhould over-rule us. Tho' the violence of an irregular luſt and deſire are able to bear down all other Arguments, yet methinks the Eternal Intereſt of our precious and immortal Souls ſhould ſtill lie near our Hearts, and affect us very ſenſibly. Methinks the Conſideration of another World, and of all Eternity, and of that diſmal fate which attends Impenitent Sinners after this Life, and the dreadful hazard of being miſerable for ever, ſhould be more than enough to diſhearten any Man from a wicked life, and to bring him to a better Mind and Courſe.
And if the plain Repreſentations of theſe things do not prevail with men to this purpoſe, it is a ſign that either they do not believe theſe things, or elſe that they do not conſider them, one of theſe two muſt be the reaſon why any Man, notwithſtanding theſe terrible threatnings of God's Word, does venture to continue in an Evil Courſe.
'Tis vehemently to be ſuſpected, that men do not really believe theſe things, that they are not fully perſwaded that there is another ſtate after this Life, in which the righteous God will render to every Man according to his deeds; and therefore ſo much Wickedneſs as we ſee in the lives of men, ſo much Infidelity may reaſonably be ſuſpected to lie lurking in their Hearts. They may indeed ſeemingly profeſs to believe theſe things; but he that would know what a Man inwardly and firmly believes, ſhould attend rather to his Actions, than to his Verbal Profeſſions: For if any Man lives ſo, as no Man that believes the Principles of the Chriſtian Religion in reaſon can live, there is too much reaſon to queſtion whether that Man doth believe his Religion; he may ſay he does, but there is a far greater Evidence in the Caſe than Words; the Actions of the Man are by far the moſt credible Declarations of the inward Senſe and Perſwaſion of his Mind.
Did men firmly and heartily believe that there is a God that governs the World, and regards the Actions of men, and that he hath appointed a day in which he will judge the World in righteouſneſs, and that all Mankind ſhall appear before him in that day, and every Action that they have done in their whole lives ſhall be brought upon the Stage, and paſs a ſtrict Examination and Cenſure, and that thoſe who have made Conſcience of their Duty to God and men, and have lived ſoberly, righteouſly, and godly in this preſent World, ſhall be unſpeakably and eternally Happy in the next; but thoſe who have lived lewd, and licentious lives, and perſiſted in an Impenitent Courſe, ſhall be extreamly and everlaſtingly miſerable, without Pity, and without Comfort, and without Remedy, and without Hope of ever being otherwiſe; I ſay, if men were fully and firmly perſwaded of theſe things, it is not Credible, it is hardly Poſſible that they ſhould live ſuch Prophane and Impious, ſuch Careleſs and Diſſolute Lives, as we daily ſee a great part of Mankind do.
That Man that can be aw'd from his Duty, or tempted to Sin by any of the Pleaſures or Terrors of this World, that for the preſent enjoyment of his Luſts can be contented to venture his Soul, what greater Evidence than this can there be, that this Man does not believe the threatnings of the Goſpel, and how fearful a thing it is to fall into the hands of the living God. That Man that can be willing to undergo an hard Service for ſeveral years, that he may be in a way to get an Eſtate, and be rich in this World; and yet will not be perſwaded to reſtrain himſelf of his Liberty, or to deny his Pleaſure, or to check his Appetite or Luſt, for the greateſt Reward that God can promiſe, or the ſevereſt Puniſhment that he can threaten; can any Man reaſonably think, that this Man is perſwaded of any ſuch Happineſs or Miſery after this Life, as is plainly revealed in the Goſpel, that verily there is a reward for the righteous, and verily there is a God that judgeth the Earth? For what can he that believes not one ſyllable of the Bible, do worſe than this comes to?
A ſtrong and vigorous Faith, even in Temporal Caſes, is a powerful Principle of Action, eſpecially if it be back'd and enforc'd with Arguments of fear. He that believes the reality of a thing, and that it is good for him, and that it may be attained, and that if he do attain it, it will make him very happy, and that without it he ſhall be extreamly miſerable; ſuch a Belief and Perſwaſion will put a Man upon difficult things, and make him to put forth a vigorous endeavour, and to uſe a mighty induſtry for the obtaining of that, concerning which he is thus perſwaded.
And the Faith of the Goſpel ought to be ſo much the more powerful, by how much the Objects of hope and fear, which it preſents to us, are greater and more conſiderable. Did men fully believe the Happineſs of Heaven, and the Torments of Hell, and were they as verily perſwaded of the truth of them, as if they were before their Eyes, how inſignificant would all the Terrors and Temptations of Senſe be to draw them into Sin, and ſeduce them from their Duty.
But altho' it ſeems very ſtrange, and almoſt incredible, that men ſhould believe theſe things, and yet live wicked and impious lives; yet becauſe I have no Mind, and God knows there's no need to increaſe the number of Infidels in this Age, I ſhall chuſe rather to impute a great deal of the wickedneſs that is in the World, to the Inconſiderateneſs of men, than to their Unbelief. I will grant that they do in ſome ſort believe theſe things, or at leaſt that they do not disbelieve them; and then the great cauſe of mens ruin muſt be, that they do not attend to the Conſequence of this Belief, and how men ought to live that are thus perſwaded. Men ſtifle their Reaſon, and ſuffer themſelves to be hurried away by Senſe, into the embraces of ſenſual Objects and things preſent, but do not conſider what the end of theſe things will be, and what is like to become of them hereafter; for it is not to be imagined, but that that Man who ſhall calmly conſider with himſelf what Sin is, the ſhortneſs of its Pleaſure, and the Eternity of its Puniſhment, ſhould ſeriouſly reſolve upon a better Courſe of life.
And why do we not Conſider theſe things, which are of ſo infinite Concernment to us? What have we our Reaſon for, but to reflect upon our ſelves, and to mind what we do, and wiſely to compare things together, and upon the whole matter to judge what makes moſt for our true and laſting Intereſt? to Conſider our whole ſelves, our Souls as well as our Bodies; and our whole duration not only in this World, but in the other, not only with regard to Time, but to Eternity? to look before us to the laſt Iſſue and Event of our Actions, and to the fartheſt Conſequence of them, and to reckon upon what will be hereafter, as well as what is preſent; and if we ſuſpect or hope or fear, eſpecially if we have good reaſon to believe a future ſtate after Death, in which we ſhall be happy or miſerable to all Eternity, according as we manage and behave our ſelves in this World, to reſolve to make it our greateſt Deſign and Concernment while we are in this World, ſo to live and demean our ſelves, that we may be of the number of thoſe that ſhall be accounted worthy to eſcape that Miſery, and to obtain that happineſs, which will laſt and continue for ever.
And if men, would but apply their Minds ſeriouſly to the Conſideration of theſe things, they could not act ſo imprudently as they do, they would not live ſo by chance and without deſign, taking the Pleaſure that comes next, and avoiding the preſent Evils which preſs upon them, without any regard to thoſe that are future, and at a diſtance, tho' they be infinitely greater and more conſiderable: If men could have the Patience to debate and argue theſe matters with themſelves, they could not live ſo prepoſterouſly as they do, preferring their Bodies before their Souls, and the World before God, and the things which are Temporal before the things that are Eternal.
Did men verily and in good earneſt believe but half of that to be true, which hath now been declared to you, concerning the miſerable ſtate of impenitent Sinners in another World, (and I am very ſure, that the one half of that which is true concerning that ſtate hath not been told you) I ſay did we in any meaſure believe what hath been ſo imperfectly repreſented, What manner of perſons ſhould we all be, in all holy converſation and godlineſs, waiting for, and haſtening unto (that is making haſte to make the beſt preparation we could for) the coming of the day of God!
I will conclude all with our Saviour's Exhortation to his Diſciples, and to all others; Watch ye therefore and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to eſcape all theſe things, and to ſtand before the Son of Man: To whom, with the Father and the Holy Ghoſt, be all honour and glory, world without end. Amen.