cufed of Cruelty, for he gives the stubborn Sinner but that, which he did deliberately pitch upon, and affected; and tho' no Man doth ordi narily chufe Punishment, much less everlasting Calamity, for it's own felf, yet as long as they do with vehement affection long after that, which hath this Calamity infeparably annexed, we juftly fuppofe, that they agree to fuffer that Calamity, as well as to enjoy the thing, which is the others infeparable Companion. He that is certain, that the smell of fuch an Herb, or Flower, is poisonous, and will kill him; if notwithftanding this conviction, he will smell to it; it's apparent that he makes choice of his Death and Ruin; and tho' it may be replied, That while the Sinner doth fo he is no better than distracted; and who will punish a Mad-man for affronting him? Yet it is fuch a madness, as he may eafily cure himself of, if he be not unwilling; and the madnefs is the more inexcufable, because Reafon is wilfully turned out of doors, and he rather feigns himself mad, than is fo.

There is not a Sinner, that lives under the Gofpel, but he must know, that he who doth not practically believe the Gospel, or, which is all one, lives in wilful contempt of the Laws of the Gofpel, fhall certainly be damned; for the Gofpel is fo full of thefe Threatnings,that he that doth but come to any place, where this Word of Life is preached, if he be not deaf, muft neceffarily hear it; nay, if he will but make the leaft enquiry, and fet himself to confider ferioufly, whether that Gofpel be of God or no, he cannot but find, that it is the Son of God,

even he, who can as foon lose his Being, as tell a Lye, that hath, with all the Proteftations imaginable, threatned this everlasting condemnation, to Men, that are refolved to prefer fatisfaAion of their Lufts, before all his wifeft and wholefome Precepts.

This being known by all that have any reafon or understanding, as much as that Felony, or Burglary, is Death by the Law, if in defpight of this knowledge, and perfwafion, the hard-hearted Wretch will venture upon a Life of Difobedience and Contempt, to which Damnation is infeparably annexed; and rather than leave off, will make God contradict himself, act contrary to his Threatnings, falfifie his Word, as if he intended not to do what he faith: What can I think, but that the vain Man is in love with his own Eternal Destruction?

In love with it? So one would think, that fees him drive to everlasting Death, as furiously as Jebu did to Jezreel, and make more hafte to invade the Gates of Hell, than Elijah, for all his fiery Chariot, did, to get to Heaven. The Man that runs through Swords and Daggers, breaks down Walls and Fences, poifons the Principles of Sobriety Providence hath lodged in his Breast, strangles the kind Suggeftions of his own Confcience, cracks the Bolts and Bars of a virtuous Education, feeks out Dangers, and precipitates himfelf into them, and with the noife of his Riot, ftrives to overcome the Calls of the Holy Ghoft within; defies all prefent Convictions; difregards the groans, and cries, and tears, and wounds of a crucified Saviour,

that would keep him from being undone; vanquishes God's methods to catch him into Repentance; breaks through all the prohibitions of the Gospel, through Vows, and Promises, and Sacraments, and most folemn Engagements; Charges all the threatnings of a jealous God, and fights his way through Rocks of Oppofitions, and all to get to Hell and Damnation,fure makes that his choice; and if fo, God doth him no injury in giving him his own Hearts defire.

A Sheep, or a Horse,certainly can never counterbalance the Life of a Man; how fhould it, when Man is worth more than a World, and all things are put under his Feet,all Sheep and Oxen, and the Beasts of the Field, the Fowls of the Air, and the Fish of the Sea, and whatsoever paffes through the paths of the Sea? Yet he that knows he shall be hanged if he steal either, and will, in defpight of the Penalty, venture merely to gratifie his fickly Fancy, juftly suffers the punishment, which feems to bear no proportion with the things he ftole; the Juftice of the Punishment is founded in the Malefactor's Choice, and fo we find it in the cafe before us; the Bleffing and the Curse is laid before the fenfual Man, Life and Death are propofed to him, he's put to his choice, which of thefe he'll have: He freely and wilfully chufes Death and the Curfes, maugre all that God, or his Angels, or his Ministers, can fay to the contrary; and it's but juft, fince he thus fights against God, and feems refolved to crofs all God's endeavours to purifie and turn him, and will have

his wrath and indignation, and scorns his Mercy; God fhould let him have that Fire and Brimftone, which is the portion of the Sinner's Cup, and which he is fo very greedy after, as if he were afraid he fhould never be so happy, as to obtain or be Master of it.

Indeed, the more I think of it the more I find, that it is not God so much that condemns him to Eternal Mifery, as the Sinner himself, 'Tis he that's thus barbarous to his own Soul, and 'adjudges himself to that Worm which dies not. He kiffes that confuming Fire, as if it were the Light of God's Countenance, and feems to envy the Devils their happiness, he doth fo long to be a fharer of it. He fnatches Damnation out of the Hands of God's Juftice, and while God offers to keep it from him, makes a long Arm to reach it.

God, alas! doth do what he can to fave him,his Bowels yearn over him, and nothing would please him more than to fee his penitential Tears. He is ready, with the good Father, Luke 15.20.to run, and to have compaffion on him, as foon as he doth but refolve to leave the Kingdom of Darkness; even that God, who would have all Men to be faved, and come to the knowledge of the Truth: He waits to be gracious, and juftly expects that the Vineyard, on which he hath beftowed great coft and pains, fhould bring forth Grapes. He doth not afflict the Children of Men willingly, he delights not in their Tortures. He dehorts and difcourages them from being acceffary to their own Ruin. He profeffes, that in all their Affliction he is afflicted; and that when he

doth

doth afflict them, it is because there is no likely way befides to bring them to a fenfe of their Duty. He gives them time and space to repent; he careffes them with his Heaven; he can do no lefs in Juftice, than prepare a Hell for the stubborn Offender; this is the only way to vindicate the honour of his Law: But then he would have him fhun that Tophet, and walk in the way that leads to Life, and promises him to rejoice over his Repentance, and to crown his ferious Endeavours with all that's rich and glorious. All the Mercies, Afflictions, Judgements, Providences he fends upon him, are to diffuade him from walking in the way to Deftruction; he wooes the proud Creature to his dying Day, and stands between him and eternal Anguish, while the Wretch faucily thrufts the eternal God away, and will storm the fatal Gatę; God would hold him, but he breaks loose from him, and flings himself into the Devil's Arms; and then, sure it is not God fo much that condemns him to everlafting Horrour and Anguifh, as himself.

But if it were not fo,that there is fucha Punishment threatned in the Gofpel, is beyond difpute. All the Evangelifts,all the Apostles of our Lord, and what is more, our Lord himself spake of it, and knowing the Terrors of the Lord,they warn every Man. And his threatning, to be fure, is not like the Ceremonial Law, which was but a fhadow of things to come, and fo fell of it self, when the substance appear'd. In this threatning there are no Types, and therefore we can look for no Abolition; this is God's peremptory determination, this way he is unalterably refolv'd to

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