Christs Certain and Sudden Appearance to Judgment, Chapter 13

Christs Certain and Sudden Appearance to Judgment · Chapter 13

p. 225CHAP. XIII.

The Application.

THe Lord Jesus Christ will certainly and quickly appear.

The day is appointed by the eternal and unalterable decree of God, and he hath revealed the thing, though not the time, in his word of truth; the day approacheth, it cannot be far off; time is flying away upon swift wings; the day of the World is almost spent, the shaddowes of its evening are stretched forth to a great length; yet a p. 226little while, and Christ will be here; he will appear in his glory; never did eye of Man behold such glory and majesty in the greatest earthly Potentate, as will be seen in the Lord Jesus Christ on this day; all the state, and pomp, and splendor, and glittering glory, which some Princes have been decked withall in their Triumphant showes, is no more to be compared with the pomp and splendor of the Lord Jesus Christ in this appearance, than the shining of a Candle, or Glow-worm, or rotten stick in the night, is to be compared with the shining of the Sun in its noon-day glory: Ere long the great Gates of Heaven will lift up their heads, and those everlasting Doors (within which Christ doth, for the present, remain) will be opened; and then this King of Glory will come forth, and come down with marvellous splendour and brightness of Majesty; It is said, Psal. 47. 5. God is gone up with a shout, the Lord with the sound of the Trumpet; then God will come down with a shout, the Lord with the sound of a Trumpet, 1 Thess. 4. 16. The Chariots of the Lord are twenty thousand, even thousands of Angels: Psal. 68. 17. All the holy Angels shall attend upon him, and blow the Trumpet before him, at this last Assizes, to awaken and summon on the World to judgment: then the Sun in the Firmament will be darkned, when this more glorious Sun doth appear; then the whole frame of Heaven will shake, and the foundations of the Earth will be moved, the everlasting Mountains will bow, and the perpetual Hills will shrink; yea the Heavens will pass away with a great noise, and like a skroll be rolled together, and the Elements will melt with fervent heat, and the Earth w…l be on Fire, and every Mountain p. 227and Island will flee away from before his face; then the Sea will roar, and all living Creatures, likely, will be in a strange consternation; then the wicked Tribes of the Earth will mourn, and the Saints will rejoyce at this glorious appearance of the great God, and their Saviour.

But who will be alive on this glorious day? who will be the Spectators of these great things? whose eyes shall behold this blessed sight? who shall see the Lord Jesus come in such glory? many Kings and Prophets, and righteous Men desired to-see Christ come in the flesh, and did not see him; and to hear the things which he taught, but they did not obtain their desire; many Generations were asleep in their Graves before Christs first appearance; the righteous saw him afar off, and darkly, in types and figures; few lived in the dayes when our Saviours abode was upon the Earth; he had not many Disciples whom he made happy with his personal acquaintance and abode with them; A great access there hath been since Christs departure unto the Church, who though they have loved him, and believed in him, yet they never saw him with bodily eyes: Three things one desired to see, Christ in the flesh, Paul in the Pulpit, and Rome in its glory; but past things are fled out of sight, and the wishes of such things are …o no purpose; death hath closed the eyes of many millions of Christs Disciples, who have heard the report of him, but never saw him: And is not their hopes of seeing Christ perished in the Graves with their bodies, which are turned into rotten…ess and purrefaction? and are not we all hast…ing towards those dark Chambers, where no …eam of light doth shine, and nothing can be p. 228seen? the righteous indeed which remain, when Christ doth come down, will be happy, when they see their Lord in the aire, but if we die before the time, what shall we be the better?

Beloved, let me tell you, or rather believe the Word of God, which doth tell you, that all of you will be spectators of the great things which shall come to pass at the last day; all Generations of Men and Women that ever lived upon the face of the Earth, and are sleeping in the dust, shall then be awakened, and raised, and be alive together, and you shall be found alive amongst them: that which our Saviour spake to the chief Priests and Elders of the Iewes, before whom he was accused, and stood as a Prisoner. Hereafter yee shall see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of Power, and coming in the Clouds of Heaven: Matth. 26. 64. The same may I say unto all you that hear me this day, hereafter yee shall see the Son of Man coming in the Clouds of Heaven: Rev. 1. 7. Behold he cometh with Clouds, and every eye shall see him. These very eyes with which you look upon me, or one upon another, shall see the Lord Jesus Christ come in the aire; these very cares with which you hear me preach this Doctrine unto you, shall hear the sound of the last Trumpet, and the great shout with which Christ will descend out of his Fathers Pallace into this inferiour World; these very bodies which are standing or sitting in this place, must stand before Christs Tribunal Seat at the last Day.

Death hath a Commission from God to pull you out of your habitations, and drag your bodies into its Prison, and this enemy is upon the way, and hath you all in pursuit, and how neer he is come p. 229to your Doors you do not know; his arrows are flying about your eares, and you will be smitten sooner or later, either when you are younger or older, none can escape his stroke; your time is wasting, your Glass is running, and ere long you will be expiring your last breath, and these bodies which you are cloathing, and feeding, and providing for every day, will lie a dying, and be carryed by your mourning friends, to your Graves; And as certain as Death, so certain will your Resurrection be at Christs coming. Christ hath received a Commission from God to judge the World, and he will come down from Heaven with the Keyes of Death and Hell, and open the Doores, where you shall have your lodging, and bring you forth to judgment; I must awake on that day, if I fall asleep into my Grave before, and arise, and give an account of my self, and the souls committed to my charge, unto my Lord and Master; and you must awake also, and give an account of your selves and actions, unto the glorious Judge; your lives then will be reviewed, your actions will be examined, and it will be known then what you have been doing ever since you came into the World, how you have spent your time, how you have improved the seasons and means of grace; then it will appear who are Christs sheep, and who the Goats, however they now flock together sometimes in one company; who are wise, and who the foolish Virgins, however now all have Lamps shining; then it will be known who have been wise unto salvation, who have made their peace with God in the way, who have furnished their hearts with grace, laid up their treasure in Heaven, and improved their talents for their Masters p. 230use upon the Earth, and who have foolishly slipt and sinned away the harvest, and day of grace, neglecting Christ, and the things which belonged to their peace and happiness, until they were hid from their eyes, who have been hypocrites and unbelievers, and served divers lusts, instead of serving the Lord of life and glory; and all ungodly sinners will be found out and punished: then all of you, yea the whole World will believe the doctrine, which we now preach concerning the vanity of the Creatures, the evil of sin, the necessiry of Christ, the excellency of grace, the happiness of Gods Children; and O what will the pardon of sin, the favour of God, the least measure of grace be worth then? our Doctrine concerning these things is as true now, and the worth to Christ and grace, and salvation as great, though then Mens valuation will be greater, because the worth will be more apparent.

But give me leave to apply this Doctrine concerning the certainty and speediness of the coming of Christ to Judgment.

1. To Sinners.

2. To Believers.

3. To both.

1. I shall speak to sinners.

1. To discover them.

2. To awaken them.

3. To exbort them.

1. For the Discovery of Sinners.

Will the Lord Jesus Christ certainly and quickly appear to Judgment? and must the whose World be summoned unto his Bar? surely then it p. 231doth above all things concern all of you to sit down, and consider how you are provided for this day; all of you will be spectators of Christ, and his glory on that day; but you will not be idle spectators, as sometimes you have been of great shows in the City, whilst it was yet standing, which have passed away, and you have gone away without much regard of the things you have seen; No, you will all be most highly concerned in this appearance of Christ, more then Persons, who are to be tryed for their lives, are concerned at the appearance of the Judge, who comes to pa…s sentence upon them; you will all be tryed on that day, and your everlasting weal, or wo will depend upon the account you shall give, and the sentence which shall be pronounced upon you by the great Judge: therefore let me beseech you all to examine your selves, whither you are prepared for this day of Judgment; it will be a woful day to such sinners, whom the Lord Jesus will condemn unto everlasting torments; and are there no such Persons amongst you? are there no ungodly ones gathered together into this place? are all of you Saints, and Children of God? if you are not such, you will wish you had been such at that time; but are you all such now? the worst of you may be such, if you seriously, diligently, and timely seek such a priviledge, but are you such yet? are there not many here, whom the Lord Jesus Christ will come in flaming Fire to take vengeance upon? It would take up too much room to speak of all those sinners whom Christ will condemn, especially having already spoken particularly of them under the conviction, from pag. 87. to 115. But briefly and more summarily for the discovery of such Persons, p. 232that you may examine your selves whether you are in their number, The sinners which Christ will condemn at his appearance may be known by these Characters: They are,

1. Carnal.

2. Sensual.

3. Earthly.

4. Devilish.

1. Christ will condemn such as are carnal; I mean such as are in the flesh, such as are in the state of nature, such as never were regenerated, or born again by the Word and Spirit, as never have had experience of a work of grace upon their hearts; such as are blind, and never had their eyes opened to see their sin, and their Saviour, who are muffled up in the darkness and hoodwinked with the vail of ignorance and unbelief, and upon whose eyes there are such thick scales, that the glorious light of the Gospel hath never been discerned by them in a spiritual and saving way; such who are asleep, and never had their consciences awakened out of their carnal security, whose consciences are seared as with a ho… Iron, and permit them to sin with little check or controll; such who are dead in sin, and never were quickned by the Spirit of life; such as are slaves to their lusts, and under the reigning power of sin, and never were delivered from this worse than Turkish bondage; that never were converted, and savingly changed; never were humbled and emptied of themselves, never truly repented, and mourned for sin, never were powerfully drawn unto, and savingly closed with Jesus Christ; that never were renewed in their minds and hearts, transformed after the p. 233Image of God, transplanted into the garden of the Lord, and engrafted into the new stock; such in whom all old things remain, and are wholly carnal, in the same state in which they were first born; their persons will all be condemned by the Judge, Iohn 3. 3. Matth. 13. 3. Rom. 8. 13. 2 Cor. 5. 17. Eph. 4. 22, 23, 24. 1 Cor. 15. 50. Matth. 5. 8. Heb. 12. 14. Luke 13. 3. Revel. 21. 27.

2. Christ will condemn the sensual: I mean such who are so far from denying themselves, crucifying the flesh, mortifying the deeds of the body, taking up the cross, walking in the narrow way of …trict obedience, striving to enter in at the strait gate, which alone can bring unto eternal life and happiness, and subjugating their thoughts, wil, & affections unto the government of Christ, and so living as if they were his servants indeed whose name they bear; that they labour either to imprison, or banish, or hide themselves from the light of those truths which would reach them these things, to bribe or muzzle conscience which would urge them, yea to shake off the government of reason it self, which would put a curb upon them, and so give up themselves to licentiousness, making provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof with all greediness; such who are so far degenerated and fallen from that primitive holiness which nature was endued with at the first creation, that they have lost the relicts of Gods Image, and blotted out the characters of his law engraven upon the hearts of all men, and have made themselves like beasts, yea more vile than the beasts that perish; such are they that are sensual and luxurious, and seek for their chiefest p. 234happiness in pleasing their sensual appetites; such are drunkards, and gluttons, and adulterers, who wallow in the mire of such sins, who spend their daies in such pleasures, and gather as much of them as they can finde, without any regard to Gods Law, which doth forbid them, or to those higher, sweeter pleasures which they are capable of, and might obtain if they did seek after them in the way which God hath appointed; All these which fulfil the desires of the flesh are children of wrath, Ephes. 3. 3. and they which please themselves, and live deliciously here, will have torment and sorrow given them by Christ at his appearance, Rev. 18. 7. Luke 6. 25.

3. Christ will condemn the earthly, such who lay up for themselves treasures on earth, and neglect the heavenly treasure, Matth. 6. 19, 20. who love the world, and things in the world, and have no true love to the Father, who is the God of love, and the chief good of mankind, 1 Ioh. 2. 15. All covetous worldlings will be condemned by Jesus Christ for their heart Idolatry, Eph. 5. 5, 6. especially unjust and unrighteous persons, oppressors and extortioners; earth will be all the portion of such who make choice of it, no room will be found for them in the Kingdom of heaven, 1 Cor. 6. 10.

4. Christ will condemn the Devilish; all such as are children of the devil, as bear his Image, and do his work, that yield themselves to be his slaves and servants, and endeavour the promotion of the interest of his Kingdom; all such as are under the power of Devilish pride, and Devilish envy, and Devilish malice; all Devilish lyars, and Devilish slanderers, and Devilish persecutors p. 235of Gods people: In a word, all such persons as live in a course of sin, and never brake off the trade thereof by repentance, and obtained a pardon of sin through faith, and yielded up themselves unto the obedience of the Gospel will be condemned by Christ at his appearance.

Beloved, examine your selves seriously hereby, and what hath been before said, whether you are not in the number of these persons; whether none of you are carnal, in a state of nature; whether none of you, are sensual or earthly; whether none of you are children of the Devil; whether none of you are Drunkards, Adulterers, Liars, slanderers, unjust, unrighteous, and withall impenient persons, unbelievers, and children of disobedience, against whom the wrath of God will be revealed, when the Lord Jesus Christ shall be revealed from Heaven to Judgment.

2. For the awakening of sinners. Will the Lord Jesus Christ certainly and quickly appear to judgment? methinks this doctrine should awaken sleepy sinners, and arouze them out of their carnal …ecurity. Doth conscience accuse you, and secretly tell any of you, that you are in the number of those persons whom the Lord will condemn at the last day, and sentence unto Hell; methinks it should make you startle, and look about you; methinks it should make your hair stand an end, and every joynt to tremble; methinks it should fill you with fear, and imprint such trouble upon your spirits, as would damp all your p. 236earthly comforts and delights, to confider the danger which ye are in by reason of sin… the guilt of which doth still lie upon you. Every word of this Doctrine is awakening.

1 Awake sinners, awake! Christ will appear to judgment. Christ will appear, whom you have read of, and heard of, and have had frequent proffers of, but could never be prevailed to accept of; Christ will appear in his glory, in whom you could see no beauty, or desirableness; Christ will appear as a Iudge, whom you might have had for your Saviour. Sinners, the Judge of the whole world will appear, and can you sleep under the guilt of sin? He will be a most glorious, powerful, wise, holy, righteous, strict, furious, inexorable Judge, as hath been shown from p. 65. to p. 73. and yet are you secure and fearless? you have heard God's terrible voice in the City, and that hath not awakened you; and will not Christ's appearance to Judgment awaken you neither? You have been asleep under the sound of temporal judgments, and can you sleep under the thoughts of the last judgment, when the punishment, which shall then be inflicted, will be eternal?

2. Awake, sinners awake! Christ will certainly appear to Judgment; if there were only a peradventure of Christs coming to Judgment, methinks it should awaken the guilty, but when there is a certainty of it, how should it awaken you? as certainly as God is true, as certainly as the Scriptures are his Word, as certainly as you are creatures, and sinners; so certainly will the Lord Jesus Christ appear to judge the ungodly World for sin, at the last day. England hath of late been under p. 237the stroke of several temporal Judgments; and England is in danger of further and greater calamities; God may put a more bitter Cup into our hands to drink, than yet we have tasted of; the danger of which should awaken secure sinners, because they cannot promise to themselves any shelter at such a time: yet there is a possibility that the Lord may be entreated to spare, and put up his Sword, and prevent our ruine, which we have deserved; but the day of Judgment is most certain; God, who cannot change, hath decreed it: God, who cannot lie, hath revealed it; the iniquities of the World, which are great, do call for it; therefore it must be, the day will certainly come; and yet can you sleep in sin? If a Thief knew after he had robbed his neighbour, that he should certainly be taken and judged, and condemned, and pun…shed, it would affright him; you may know that Christ will certainly come to judgment, and that all guilty sinners shall be brought forth and condemned, and should not this awaken you, especially since if you sleep on, your damnation and eternal punishment, will be certain?

3. Awake sinners, awake! Christ will quickly appear to Judgment. The coming of the Lord draweth nigh; the Judge standeth at the Door; the Lord will suddenly come down; when you least expect it, the Lord may be here; and can you sleep, when the appearance of Christ is so sure, and so neer too? can you slumber, when your judgment lingreth not, and your damnation slumbreth not? If the day of general Judgment should be protracted for some time longer, until all the Elect be gathered, and the things foretold in the …ord, be fulfilled; yet your time for preparation p. 238may be almost spent, you may suddenly go down into your Graves, where there is no operation; and can you sleep in sin, when you are liable every day to the stroke of death, which will cut you off from all opportunities of making your peace with God for ever, and deliver you up at the last day into the hands of the Judge, under the same guilt as it found you, when it first laid its arrest upon you?

4. Awake sinners, awake! when Christ doth appear, yee also shall appear; when Christ is descended from Heaven, yee shall be raised from the Earth; you shall be awakened out of the sleep of death, and will not you be awakened out of the sleep of sin? If there were any hopes, that by getting into your Graves before this day, you could hide your selves, and lie buried there for ever, you might be the more secure; but when your death is not more certain, than your resurrection will be, when the appearing of Christ to judgment is not more certain, than your appearance on that day to be judged, you have reason to shake off sleep, and bethink your selves how you are provided; Death will be terrible to you, if it come with the sting of sin in its mouth, if it shoot its poisoned arrowes into you; but your resurrection will be a thousand fold more dreadful, if you awake at the last day with the guilt of sin in your consciences; Sinners, think what terrours will invade you, when you are raised out of your Graves; when you first lift up your heads and eyes to Heaven, and see the Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Judge of the World, come down with millions of mighty Angels, cloathed with vengeance, like flames of Fire, and look down with a furious countenance p. 239upon you; when in your rising you hear the sound of the Trumper, and such a shout given in the aire, as will make a louder noise, than if twenty thousand great pieces of Ordnance were shot off together, just before you; when you have a summons given you, and you are dragged with the rest of the damned crew, which have lived in all ages of the World, to the Tribunal Seat of Jesus Christ; O how will you quiver, and tremble, and be filled with confusion then? and yet can you sleep securely now, as if you were not at all concerned?

5. Awake sinners, awake! when Christ doth appear, you shall be judged by him: Then the Books will be opened, where all your actions are recorded; then your sins (now it may be forgotten and slighted) will be called to remembrance, and your secret sins, which now you are ashamed of, will then be made manifest before the whole World; your old sins will be reviewed; your old uncleanness, your old drunkenness, your old unrighteousness; and you will be made to hear of all your sins, past and gone many years before, in such a manner, as shall make your eares to tingle, your hearts to quake, and tremble; and when Gods justice shall arraign you, and the Devil accuse you, and your conscience shall bear witness against you, and the Lord Jesus Christ shall pronounce the Sentence upon you, Depart from me yee cursed into everlasting Fire, prepared for the Devil and his Angels; and the Saints it may be accompany him with a loud shout, Even so Amen, or say with one voice, Go yee cursed into everl…sting Fire, and so pass from you into Heaven, and leave the Devil and his Angels to drag you unto torments, p. 240and when you see there is no remedy, no reversing of your condemnation, and the Devils seize upon you, and tear you, and hale you away. O how terrible will this Judgment be unto you? O how will the terrours of the All-mighty flow in upon you? how will your consciences gnaw, and sting, and torment you? how will your spirits fail and sink within you, and hearts melt like drops of water? How will you weep, and wail, and gnash your teeth? and cry out in the fearfulness and horrour of your spirits, Woe, woe, woe be unto us that ever we were born! Woe, woe, woe be unto us that ever we have sinned!

6. Awake sinners, awake! The execution of the Sentence, which Christ will pronounce upon you for your sins at the last day, will be in Hell: and do you know what Hell is? what tongue can express the future torments, which the damned shall endure? what heart can conceive the miseries, which God hath prepared for sinners in Hell? yet look into the Perspective-Glass of the Word, and you may perceive something of the dreadfulness of the punishment, which will be inflicted upon you, if you be found in your sins at Christs second appearance.

1. Sinners, consider the greatness of the punishment; you must dwell with devouring Fire, and inhabit most horrible burnings; and think with your selves how you will be able to endure, to have those bodies (unto whom the prick of a Pin is so irksome, and a little scorch of a culinary Fire is so painful) cast into the great Furnace of Fire, which God will kindle with his breath; which will turn them it may be, into a burning Coal, that shall not waste, neither ever be co… sumed; p. 241be sure will torment them with a thousand-fold more accute sense of pain, than the body is capable now of feeling, under the most exquisite torments; think what the overwhelming grief, what the horrible anxiety, what the despairful agonies, what the hideous terrour and unexpressible anguish of your souls will be under the immediate sense of Gods wrath and indignation, and the thoughts of that glory and happiness of Heaven (once proffered unto you, but refused by you) which you will then perceive your selves shut out from for ever.

Awake sinners, awake! will you sleep in sin until you are awakened in the midst of flames? will you not leave off sinning, until you have sinned your selves into Hell? will you needs run into these burnings? Awake! open your eyes a little and look down, and see how deep the Pit is, into which you are leaping, it is a bottomless Pit, from whence there will be no returning; consider how hot the Fire of Hell will be, unto which you are hastning, it will be an inconceivable hot Fire, of which there will be no avoiding, if you go on in that broad way of sin, which is leading you thereunto: Awake, and look up sinners, there is a Door open, the Door of mercy is open, and the Door of Heaven is open, and will you shut your eyes, and turn your backs upon God, and refuse the proffers of grace which are made to you? will you trample Crowns under your feet, and slight future glory and happiness, which now is possible for you to obtain? will not this tear your hearts in Hell, to remember that you have been the cause of your own ruine, and brought misery upon your p. 242selves, that you suffered your selves to be cheated by the Devil, and your own deceitful lusts, of the unspeakable joyes and glory of Heaven, which God did once make tenders of unto you?

2. Sinners, consider the sureness of the punishment of Hell; it is most certain that God hath prepared such a punishment, and it is certain that you shall endure this punishment, if you abide under the guilt, and persevere in the way of sin, which you now are walking in; God hath threatned this punishment, and his justice doth require it and his truth doth engage him to execute his threatned wrath, and inflict this deserved punishment upon you; and can you then have the least hopes to escape it? will God, can God prove a lyar, to save you from the torments of Hell? I… it not equal that you should reap that which you have sown, that you should gather and taste the bitter fruits of your own evil wayes? if you sowe to the flesh, will not torment be the fruit hereof… if you sowe sin, will not you reap Hell?

Awake sinners, awake! are not all your hopes of happiness in the uncertain and empty Cisterns of the Creatures meet dreams, when such dreadfull miseries are so surely prepared for you? and what senseless dreames then are your hopes of Heaven and Salvation, whilst you are going on in the way of sin to Hell, and destruction? Is there any mercy for impenitents? Is there any pardon for unbelievers? Doth God love those which are haters of him? shall those live with him, who have no likeness unto him? to joyn these things together which God hath never joyned. is like the senseless fancies in the sleep of strange Chimaeraes and Monsters, which nature never produced: Awake p. 243sinners, it is but an idle fancy to joyn Heaven to the end of a sinful course; no! the footsteps of sin will certainly take hold of Hell; and without holiness none shall see God; and as one saith, Sooner may Angels turn Devils, Men beasts, and Beasts stones, and all the World just nothing, than that an unholy Person should have an entrance into Heaven; yea, and that it is as possible that God should cease to be God, as that any Man, not made after the Image of God, should be received into the blessed Vision, Possession and fruition of him in Glory. Sinners, if there be no room for you in Heaven, and your entrance there is impossible, whilst you are in a state of nature; then your punishment in Hell is sure, which methinks should awaken you.

3. Sinners, consider the neerness of the punishment of Hell: I mean the soul-punishment, which will be the greatest part of the punishment; the perfect and full punishment of body and soul cannot be far off, because the time of Christs com…ng is not far off; but the punishment of your souls will begin, so soon as your lives come to an end; no sooner will your souls be separated from your bodies, but they will appear before God, to …eceive their particular judgment; and they will …e banished his glorious and comfortable presence, and filled with horrour through the impressions of Gods wrath.

Awake sinners, awake! you lie upon the brink of …he Pit, you are sleeping over the burning Lake; you are like Saylors, which drop asleep on the top of a Mast, whom a great wind would blow into …he Sea; so the wind of death, which may sud…enly beat upon you, will blow you into Hell, p. 244into the Ocean of Gods wrath; and can you secure your selves a moment from the stroke of death? when you are most secure, may not death be most neer? when you think you shall live many years to eat, and drink, and take your pleasure like the rich fool in the Gospel, may not deat… knock at your door that night, and break in upon you, and fetch away your bodies to the grave, and Devils drag your souls to Hell?

Awake then, before you sleep the sleep of death awake out of the sleep of sin, think with yo… selves, this night we may be in Hell, and free, … rather bound in Chains of Darkness and horro… amongst the damned; or to morrow we may b… in torments with Cain and Iudas, with the Dev… and his Angels: and therefore give not sleep … your eyes, nor slumber to your eye-lids, until yo… have redeemed your selves out of the snare of th… Devil and sin, as a Bird out of the snare of th… Fowler, or a Roe out of the hand of the hunter.

4. Sinners, consider the everlastingness of yo… punishment in Hell; when your Souls are on… in, they shall never come forth, until they … brought forth unto the last Judgment at Christs a… pearance; and when soul and body are joyne… and sentenced to this place of torment, and thru… into it, the Door will be shut upon you, and yo… will be locked in, so that it will be impossible s… you to get forth for ever; your bodies as well … souls will be immortal, and the Fire of Hell wi… be everlasting, those flames will never be quenc… ed, and your torments will never be ended; wh… you have been ten thousand times ten thousa… millions of years in Hell, it will not bear the p…portion of a moment of time, to the unmeasu…rable p. 245space of Eternity, in which you must be tormented for sin; your punishment will alwayes be in the beginning of it, never, never, never will it come to a conclusion, nor your to any hopes of it; as long as God lives, and Heaven continues, which will be for evermore, so long will Hell continue, and you abide in extremity of torments, without any possibility of release and deliverance.

Awake sinners, awake! think how horrible the thoughts of Eternity in Hell will be; Extremity! and Eternity! will be the great aggravation of your misery; methinks the danger of such torment should fill you with such fear and terrour, that nothing should be able to remove, until you had secured your selves by an interest in him, who alone can deliver from the wrath to come; and yet can you be secure, when you are in the greatest danger?

Awake, think whether the pleasures of sin for a season, are to be compared with the eternal tor…ments of Hell; or the uncertain treasures of Earth, with the eternal store of Gods wrath, or the empty vanishing wordly honour, with the exceeding and everlasting weight of misery, which the damned shall sink under in Hell? If any sleepy sinners begin to startle with such thunder-claps of Judgment, and being unwilling to part with their sins, feel their hearts to rise within them against the message and Messengers, for thrusting such harsh things into their eares, for molesting their spirits, and disturbing the peace which they have hitherto had in their sinful way: cannot Ministers let us alone, will they be called to an account for us? will they suffer for us? and why do they thus affright us with Peales of Judgment?

p. 246Beloved, we Ministers are set as Watchmen to sound the Trumpet, and warn you of Judgment, which if we should neglect to do, your blood would be required at our hands, Ezek. 33. from the 1. vers. to the… 1. And we shall be called to an account, for the Souls committed to our charge, Heb. 13. 17. And therefore having notice given us by God in his Word of the coming of Christ to judge and punish the ungodly World at the last day, and knowing the terrour of the Lord, how terrible the day of Judgment will be unto you, if you be found amongst the ungodly, and how terrible the day will be unto us, if we be sound unfaithful to your souls, we warn you, and perswade you to flee from the wrath to come; and can you blame us then for using harsh language, when we cannot omit it without danger to our selves and your souls? when otherwise we cannot be faithful to you, nor to our Master, who hath sent us to declare these things? we might indeed (like some) sla…ter you, and sooth you up in a way of sin; we might speak smooth things unto you, and prophesie deceits; but what advantage would it be unto you to be deceived? if you were pleased with us, and did commend us here, I am sure you would curse us for our unfaithfulness hereafter; Sinners, it is not cruelty, but pitty and mercy to shoot the sharp arrows of Gods threatnings into your consciences; it is not out of hatred, but tender love to your souls, that we endeavour to thrust the sword of the spirit into your bosomes, that if possible we might wound sin to the heart, and fetch forth the blood thereof, as it were, which if it still live in you, will be your ruine: Christ will certainly and quickly be here, and when he p. 247doth appear, we shall appear to be judged, and is it not good you should know it before hand, that you might be prepared?

If any be so awakened by this Doctrine concerning Christs coming to Judgment, that they begin to feel a sting and wound in▪ their spirits, and are so perplexed with fear of being condemned for their sins, which their consciences do accuse them of, that they know not what to do, yet are willing to take any course to prevent their ruine and those dreadful miserics which they are in danger of at that day. I shall speak unto such by way of Counsel and Exhortation.

3. For the Exhortation of Sinners.

Will the Lord Jesus Christ certainly and quickly appear to Judgment? there are two things I would exhort sinners unto, that they may escape the wrath of God, which on that day will be revealed and inflicted upon all the wicked of the Earth.

1. Flee from Sin.

2. Flee unto Christ,

If you would flee from wrath and Hell.

Or, 1. Repent of Sin.

2. Get an interest in Christ.

And then you may be able to stand with confidence before the Son of Man at his appearance, yea, whatever your sins be now, do these two things effectually, and when Christ doth appear you also shall appear with him in glory.

1. Sinners repent of sin. Acts 17. 30, 31. God commandeth all Men every where to repent, this is a duty which God requires of all, Because he hath p. 248appointed a day, in the which he will judge the World in righteousness, &c. This is the Argument to enforce the duty. It is your duty to repent, because you have sinned, and God commandeth you to do it; and it is your interest and concernment to repent, because God will judge the World by Jesus Christ for sin, and condemn you if you be found impenitent. Sinners, you have tasted the sweetness of sin, in the Commission of it, O labour to taste the bitterness of sin in your repentance for it; your sins have been displeasing to the holy and jealous God…et them be displeasing to your souls; your sins have wounded the Lord Jesus Christ, let them pierce your hearts; the spirit of God hath been grieved and quenched by them, be you grieved and troubled for them; grieve for sin, not only because of its consequential evil, but also because of its incrinsecal evil; not only because it is like to damn you, but also because it hath so much defiled you; not only because it is likely to sink you into Hell amongst Devils, but also because it hath debased you, and made you more vile than the Beasts that perish.

Sinners mourn for sin: Be afflicted, mourn and weep: Let your laughter be turned into mourning, and your joy into heavinesse, Jam. 4. 9. Get your proud hearts humbled, and your hard hearts broken for those sins whereby you have broken Gods Law; get your hearts broken for sin, and get your hearts broken from sin; Break off your sins by Repentance; Cast away all your transgressions like menstru…us cloathes, saying, get ye hence, Isa. 30. 22. Let the wicked forsake his way, & the unrighteous man his thoughts, & turn to the Lord, &c. Isa. 55. 7. Thrust these Iuhabitants out of doors who have so long p. 249had possession; suffer not to lodge any longer within you; remember that they are Vipers which will poyson you, that they are enemies which will wound and kill you: Do not harbour sin any longer, do not entertain it with smiles and a pleasing countenance, but with teares and frownes: Get your hearts set against sin; labour for deep-rooted hatred of it, and accordingly behave your selves towards it; get the strong holds of sin demolished in your hearts; get the rooms in which your lusts have scattered defilement, washed with the teares of Repentance, and the blood of Jesus Christ: let Christ have his Throne where sin hath reigned; let your thoughts and affections be brought into captivity and obedience unto Jesus Christ: Keep the door of your hearts with all diligence, least your old enemy enter again upon you: Flee from sin as from a Cockatrice, and if you be pursued, man…ully resist, resist even unto blood, striving against sin; never parley with sin, hearken not to any tearms of composition; Be not enticed unto sin by pleasing baits, neither be affrighted to sin by frowns and threatnings: Fight the good fight of Faith; Turn by repentance from sin, break off the course of sin, and walk not in the way thereof, and turn by repentance unto the Lord; let the Biass of your hearts be turned unto him; Deliver up your selves unto the obedience of his Law, yield your selves unto God, &c. Rom. 6. This is Repentance. And that you may repent of Sin:

1. Examine your selves: Christ will examine you at the last day, and you must give an account unto him; examine your selves and call your selves to an account, that you may repent and prevent the future misery which will be the p. 250consequent of sin; Finde out your sins that you may mourn and turn; that which the eye seeth not, the heart will not, cannot be affected withal; Consult the Register of your consciences, turn over the leaves and read what is recorded in that Book: open your hearts to the beams of the light of the Word, and be ready to receive the convictions of the Spirit; Find out your sins, your original sin, the defilement of your natures, your actual sins, your great Conscience-wounding sins; find out your bosome-sins, which your hearts are most nearly joined unto, and are most loth to part withal; finde out your Constitution-sins, your Calling-sins, the sins which bear the greatest sway, and are most supported by the interest of the flesh, and your hearts are ready to cloak and cover under the veil of excuses and plausible pleas: Think how you will be able to answer for them at the great Day, to the Heart-searching Judge.

Sinners, finde out your sins, otherwise your sins will finde you out, and Christ will finde you out, and Wrath will finde you out, and then woe be unto you.

2. Iudge and condemn your selves for your sins: this is the way to escape the judgement of God, 1 Cor. 11. 31. If you judge others, you shall be judged, Matth. 7. 1. but if you judge your selves you shall escape; and therefore

3. Make confession of sin; Spread the black Catalogue of your sins before the Lord; come with ropes about your necks, and tears in your eyes, and sorrow in your hearts unto the Throne of Grace, and fill your mouthes with humble acknowledgements of your sins: rip up your hearts before the Lord: open before him your soars: stand p. 251no… in your own defence and justification, but fall down prostrate at God's feet, and confess what sinfull natures you have, what vile hearts, what wicked lives you have lead; confesse how you have broken his Law, and disobeyed his Gospel; charge upon your selves the guilt of your particular and most heinous sins, and do not extenuate but aggravate them with all the circumstances you can think of; look upon your selves as cursed wretches whilest under the guilt of sin, as miserable, lost, forlorne creatures, whilest God is your enemy and his wrath abideth on you; acknowledge your sins and the demerit of your sins, that you have deserved not only temporal plagues, but also eternal torments; that you have forfeited all outward mercies, and are unworthy of the least grace and favour, much more unworthy of eternal life. Lye very low before God, …ick the dust; look upon your selves as Wormes, as Toads, yea as more vile and more full of poyson.

4. If under the view of sin and confession thereof, you finde your hearts hard and senslesse like rocks, or Adamantine stones within your hearts, yet be not discouraged; the sense of hardnesse is some beginning of softnesse; but do not rest in beginnings: take pains with them to get them melted throughly, to get them broken to pieces: Read and consider, and apply, and urge at the Throne of Grace the gracious Promise, Ezek. 36. 26. I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and give you a heart of flesh. Be sensible of your own inability of your selves to repent of sin, and perswaded th… it is Go…s grace; remember it is free, but withal that … promised; beg the influence of his Spirit upon your hearts to mel… p. 252them; beg the application of the blood of Christ to mollifie them: the blood of the Goat only can break an Adama…t stone, and it is the blood of Christ the Scape-goat which alone can break the hard hearts of sinners.

If any be discouraged with the difficulty of Repentance, that it is hard to obtain, and a very grievous thing to endure; Let them

1. Consider; That Repentance is necessary: it is necessary Virtue praecepti, by vertue of Gods Precept; it is a necessary Duty; Acts. 17. 30. God commandeth not only some men, but all men: not only in some place, but every where to repent: and it is necessary virtute medij, as it is a means to avoid misery and obtain happinesse; you must sow in tears, if you would reap in joy; and you must go forth weeping bearing precious seed, if you would return again rejoycing bringing your sheavs with you, Psalm 126. 5. 6. The showers of tears make way for the Sun-shine of comfort here: and the wet seed-time of Repentance, is necessary to the harvest of everlasting glory and joy; and if Repentance be difficult: yet since it is absolutely necessarie, this should be so far from discouraging you, that it should quicken you unto more diligent endeavours after it.

2. Consider, that Repentance is attainable; the vilest sinners may be enabled through Gods Grace to repent, as well as the most holie Saints at their first turning unto God. It is difficult unto you, yea impossible for you to repent of your selves, because there are no seeds of this Grace in Nature, but it is easie with God to work you to it, and he can carrie you thorow the difficultie; pray to God for this grace, & endeavour to repent p. 253and in your endeavours God may assist; God is easie to be entreated, and is readie to give this Grace unto them that desire it.

But some are discouraged from Heb. 12. 17. where it is said, that Esau was rejected, and found no place for repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears: hence concluding, that though they seek repentance carefully with tears, they may be rejected, and finde no place for repentance.

I answer, 1. That this place which speaks of Esau's rejection, hath not a reference to his rejection by God (though that may be included in it) but his rejection by his Father Isaac, in reference to the Blessing, which his younger brother Iacob had by a wile got before him. 2. That Esau there did not seek to God for repentance, but he sought to his Father for his blessing. 3. That he did not seek repentance for himself, but he sought with tears to his Father, that he would repent his giving the blessing to Iacob, and give it unto him. Such as with tears seek repentance of God, it is a signe they have some measure of this Grace.

3. Consider, the worth and excellency of this Grace; though it be difficult, yet it is excellent, Pulchra sunt difficilia, the best things are not obtained without difficultie; had you this grace, you would not be without it for a world, you would not change your tears and sorrow for sin, for all the sweetnesse and pleasure that others finde in the commission of it; if you did but truly repent, you would not think it so grievous a thing to be bourn, but the more you had of it, the more you would desire, and be best pleased, when you could act this grace most stronglie.

4. Consider, that the greatest dissiculty is at first: p. 254Flesh may contradict and violently oppose the beginnings of Repentance, which doth so manifestly seek its ruine and destruction; but after you are accustomed to the yoke, you will finde it more easie; after you have got mastery over your flesh, and have attained some degrees of mortification, you will finde it suitable to the new man to live in the exercise of Repentance, and reap much sweetnesse from it.

5. Consider, That you must repent and mourn for sin here, or you will be damned and burn for sin for ever; You cannot avoid grief for sin, if you have it not in this world, you will be sure to have it in the other world; And is it not a thousand-fold more eligible to grieve for sin here? especially considering,

1. If you repent of sin now, your grief will not be in extremity: it will have some allay, some alleviation, some mixture of secret comfort, at least something will be given in to support, when you are even ready to be overwhelmed: when the heart is most broken and contrite under the sense of sin and apprehensions of Gods wrath, yet God will not suffer the Spirit to fail before him, Isa. 57. 15, 16. the Lord will keep up the soul from quite sinking: and I am confident, that such persons as are most heavie laden with grief for sin, would not change their condition when at the lowest ebb, with the most prosperous worldling: But if you repent not till hereafter, your grief will be extream, without the least mixture of comfort or support. In hell you will have nothing but weeping, and wailing, and gnashing of teeth; you will be there utterly consumed with terrours, quite overwhelmed with sorrows, & be alwaies sinking in p. 255the bottomlesse-pit under the weight of grief, which will be un-supportable.

2. Your repentance of sin now will be pleasing unto God: We read, Luke 15. how well pleased the Father was when his Prodigal son returned home, and with grief did acknowledge that he had sinned against Heaven and against him; and was not worthy to be called his Son; the Father meets him in the way, and kisseth him, and cloatheth him with the best Robe, and kills the fatted Calf for him, and maketh merry with him; so, though you have been prodigals hitherto, have gone astray from God, and wasted your time, and talents in the service of the Devil, and your own lusts; yet if at length you come to your selves, & with repentance, and humble confession of your sins, you return unto the Lord, he will pitty you, his bowels will yern towards you whilst you are yet upon the way; and he will meet you, and embrace you, and cloath you with the Robes of his sons righteousnesse, and be pleased with you, and rejoyce over you; yea, and the Angels also will rejoice in your conversion; there will be joy in Heaven at your repentance amongst the Angels, and joy on earth amongst the Saints, Ministers will be pleased and rejoice; they will pittie you and pray for you; and Saints will be pleased and be ready to help and advise you; but Gods pittie is beyond all. See how God is taken with repenting Ephraim, Ier. 31. 18, 19, 20. I have surely heard Ephraim …emoaning himself, &c. Surely after I was turned, I …epented; and after I was instructed I smote upon my …high, I was ashamed, yea even confounded, because I …id bear the reproach of my youth; there you have the description of Ephraim' … repentance; and O p. 256the sweet words of most tender Love which the Lord doth express himself in, towards Ephraim under his repentings! Is Ephraim my dear son? is he my pleasant childe? for since I spake against him, I do earnestly remember him still? therefore my bowels are troubled for him; I will surely have mercy on him, saith the Lord. But if you repent not till hereafter, your grief will not only be extream, but also you will have no eye to pittie you; God will not pittie you in the least, but laugh at your calamitie, his bowels will be shut against you; your grief then will not be pleasing in the least, and your cries and complaints of sin then will be like the howling of a Dog in his eares: He will then instead of meeting you to embrace you, he will meet you to destroy you; instead of speaking kindly to you, he will speak to you in his wrath, and vexe you in his hot displeasure; Angels and Saints will then turn from you, and Devils will drag you with them into torments.

3. If you repent of sin now, you may obtain th… pardon of sin; I will surely have mercy on him, saith the Lord, concerning repenting Ephraim, Jer. 31▪ 20. He that confesseth his sins, that is, with repentance, so as not only to grieve for them, but also to leave and for sake them, shall finde mercy, Prov. 28. 13. Yea; God hath promised abundantly … pardon such as forsake their evil wayes, and by repentance turn to him, Isa. 55. 7. and if sinners ceas… to do evil, and learn to do well, that though their sin… be as scarlet, they shall be white as snox, though they be red like Crimson, they shall be as wool, Isa. 1. 16▪ 17, 18. And not only his mercy, but also his justice and faithfulnesse is engaged to pardon such as acknowledge their sins with repentance, and p. 257apply themselves to him by faith: 1 Ioh. 1. 9. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. The Door of mercy is now open to all true penitents, and the golden Scepter of Grace and Reconciliation is hel… forth unto them; the Lord Jesus Christ is now interceding at the right hand of God, ready to make their peace with God; but if you do not repent until hereafter, a pardon will be unattainable; there will remain no sacrifice for sin; then the day of grace will be quite spent; and the Door of mercy will be fast shut: then Jesus Christ will have finished his interceding work, and it will be impossible to obtain remission.

4. If you repent of sin now, you may get strength against sin; you shall be delivered from the reigning power of sin presently, and you shall be freed from the rage and tyranny of sin by degrees, and at the last you shall obtain a perfect freedome from the being of sin, and be wholly delivered from the bondage of corruption. But if you do not repent until hereafter, you will for ever abide under the power of sin, you will not only be tormented in Hell, but also be for ever sinning in Hell.

5. If you repent of sin now, you will escape the panishment of sin: I do not speak of some temporal calamities, which God may exercise his people withall in this World; but you shall assuredly be kept from the eternal punishment of Hell, which shall be inflicted upon the ungodly World; but if you do not repent of sin until hereafter, your punishment will be unavoidable, no cries nor teares will then save you from the torments of Hell, p. 258which you will be condemned unto; now you are condemned for sin, whilst unbelievers, but in this World the sentence is reversible, you may fly from the Bar of justice, to the Throne of Grace, and if with repentance and faith you apply your selves unto Jesus Christ, he will deliver you from the wrath to come, and free you from condemnation; but hereafter, when the Lord Jesus Christ shall appear unto Judgment, and summon you, and examine you, and finde you guilty, and pass sentence upon you, to depart into everlasting Fire; this sentence will be irreversible, and your repentance will be too late to procure freedome from, or the least mitigation of your punishment.

6. If you repent of sin now, your grief will be but for a time; for a season, a short time, a few dayes, a night, a moment, a short moment, 1 Pet, 1. 6. Rev. 2. 10. Psal. 30. 5. Isa. 54. 6, 7. Weeping may endure for a night, …ut joy cometh in the morning; God will not permit you to weep and grieve for sin long; it is not a life of grief which he calleth you unto, but a life of faith and love; it is not grief for it self which he requireth, but in order unto your comfort, and therefore it shall not be of long continuance; your grief for sin doth make way for spiritual comforts, for the joyes of the holy Ghost, which after sorrowing times the Lord doth often give in abundantly unto his Children in this World; in which they finde incomparably more sweetness, than ever they could finde sweetness in sin, or bitterness in sorrow; they have pleasures of a higher and more transcenden… nature; be sure your grief for sin will make way for your everlasting joyes in Heaven, where all p. 259teares shall be wiped away from your eyes, and all sorrow and sighing shall be removed from your hearts, and you shall obtain gladnesse unspeakable and everlasting. But if you do not repent until hereafter, as the pleasures which you finde in sin, will be but for a season, and your tryumphing but short, Death be sure will put a conclusion unto all: so your grief for sin then will be long, the daies of darknesse and sorrow will be many, yea your grief will be eternal.

Repent then sinners, repent; Christ will come certainly to judgment, therefore repent truly; and Christ will come quickly to judgment, therefore repent speedily. Protract not the time, endeavour presently without any further delay. Considering.

1. Your particular judgment may be suddenly, and the time of your preparation may be spent quickly; You may be within a few moneths or weeks, or daies, yea, it may be within a few houres smitten by Deaths arrows, and there will be no place for repentance and preparation in the other world.

2. If you defer your repentance, it is a thousand to one that you never repent as long as you live, If your life should continue many yeares; because not one in a thousand that defer their repentance, do afterwards repent; there are millions in hell that lived under the light of the Gospel who intended to repent, but were prevented by death before they were aware; and it is a thousand to one if you defer any longer, but ere long you will be received into their number; have not you deferred your repentance before this till such a time and such a time? and yet when such times have p. 260come again and again, have you not deferred it still? and will not your deceitful hearts still finde as plausible excuses till it be too late? Remember this sinners, that it is a thousand to one but you will be damned, if you any longer defer your repentance.

3. The longer you defer your repentance, the more difficult will you finde the work to be, because you will be the faster bound in Sathans chains, and not so easily loosned; because you will be the faster asleep in sin, and not so easily awakened; because your hearts will grow the harder by the Jong practice of sin, and not so easily broken; because your sins will be the more encreased which you must repent of; because your time will be the more decreased which you are to repent in; so that if it should come to passe (which is a thousand to one) that you should repent after procrstination or deferring repentance; yet you will finde the work to be very difficult.

4. Think what glory you may bring to God, what service you may do if you repent and reform presently; all which time, whilest you defer repentance, is spent in the service of the Devil and your own lusts, unto the dishonour of God.

5. Think what measures of grace and comfort you may attain here, and what degrees of glory you may attain hereafter, if you repent without delay, which by deferring the work, you are like to lose.

6. If you defer Repentance, it is a question whether your last repentance will be true; and if it should be true, it is a question whether ever you p. 261shall obtain the evidence of the truth thereof.

7. And lastly, If you defer your repentance, God may never call you to repentance; Yea, he may give you up to a judiciary hardnesse, and seal you up unto condemnation, swearing in his wrath that you shall never enter into his Rest.

Thus much for the exhortation of Sinners to repent.

2. Sinners, will the Lord Iesus Christ certainly and quickly appear to judgment, be perswaded then to flee to him, and get an interest in him before his appearance. I am sure that there is none of you, but would be glad of an interest in Christ when he cometh in his glorie to judge the world; the vilest persons upon the earth, those who despise and reject Christ now, those who hate and scorn the wayes of godlinesse, as being too mean a way for their high spirits, would give ten thousand worlds if they had them, for the room of the meanest Believers who have an interest in Christ at that day; But let me tell you sinners, that this world is the onelyonly place, and this time while the day of Grace doth last, is the onelyonly time of obtaining such a priviledge as this is; if you have not an interest in Christ whilst you live, it will be impossible to obtain it after death, or at the resurrection; If you are none of Christs now, he will not know you, nor own you at the day of his glorious Appearance.

1. Get an interest in Christ as your high Priest and Advocate; Be sensible of your sins: be assured of his death for sin and satisfaction to Gods p. 262justice; Be perswaded of his intercession at the right hand of God, and that he is able and willing to save you; apply your selves to him, that through him you may obtain remission of sins, and an inheritance amongst the Saints; and if through the mediation of Christ now, you obtain a pardon of all your sins here: how welcome will your Redeemer be unto you, and with what joy will you lift up your heads out of your graves when the day of your Redemption and perfect Salvation is come, and your Saviour doth appear to take vengeance upon unpardoned sinners, but shall own and acquit you before the whole world.

2. Get Christ to be your Master; Enter your selves amongst his Servants and Disciples: submit to his Teachings: learn his Lessons; believe and obey his Commands: follow his Example; promote his honour and interest in the world; be readie to do, or suffer any thing for him; and when your Lord and Master cometh in his glorie, you will finde that it was not in vain to serve him, though in wayes harsh and grating to flesh and blood. O what a Reward will be give then to his Servants! What a crown of glorie will he put upon their heads! It is a sweet encouraging Promise which Christ hath made now, and will make good to all his faithfull servants at that day, Iohn 12. 26. If any man serve me, let him follow me, and where I am, there shall my servant be; if any man serve me, him will my Father honour.

3. Get Christ to be your Husband. Sinners, We Ministers are sent to invite and wooe you to enter into this most near and sweet Relation unto Jesus Christ; we are to tell you of the beautie and excellencie of his Person, of his Love and tender p. 263affection to poor sinners, of his willingness to be yours, and to make you sharers in his riches; O accept of him, it is the best motion that ever was made to you, and it may be the laft motion: accept of Christ to be your husband, lay off your filthy Garments; put on the white Robes of his righteousness; joyn your hearts to him; divorse your selves from sin, and dedicate your selves unto Christ alone; and if Christ be your husband, O how joyful will his appearance be unto you, when you shall see his glorious face, and sweet smiles, and be received into his embracements, and be carried by him into his Fathers house, where you shall live with, and delight in his loves for evermore.

4. Get Christ to be your Captain; list your selves under his banner; wear his Colours; arme your selves with his Weapons; follow his conduct; fight against his Enemies; endure hardness as good Souldiers, and do not shrink when you are put upon the tryal: and if you have an interest in this Captain, and be victorious here over your spiritual enemies; when your Captain doth ride in Triumph at the last day, you shall be caught up into the Clouds, and Triumph with him, and receive a Crown of Glory from him which fadeth not away.

Sinners, get an interest in Christ in all his Offices, in all his Relations; it is he only can save you from sin, and wrath, and eternal death. It would be too large a subject here to treat of salvation by Christ, and the way of attaining it; I may (God giving leave) hereafter treat purposely on some words whereby we may be saved, from Acts 11. 14. He shall tell thee words, whereby thou p. 264and thy House shall be saved, which I thought to have added to the end of this, with some words of advice unto young Men, from 1 Ioh. 2. part of the 14. vers. I have written unto you young Men, because yee are strong, and the Word of god abideth in you, and yee have overcome the wicked one. All which I did indeed at the first inte…a to have joyned together in one small Volume, with God's terrible voice in the City; but thoughts have so multiplyed in putting them into writing, that I am even forced to separate them into three parts, which I thought at first the room of one would hold.