VOL. Lord is known by the judgement which he execu II. teth; and then it follows, The wicked shall be turned into bell, and all the nations that forget Well! When they 66 come Ir is very true, the glory of GoD's juftice requires (as the Author had obferved) that wicked men be punished. For to fuppofe that GoD will make thofe happy, who live in a criminal forgetfulness of him, is a kind of outraging all his perfections; and no more to be imagined than that he will make an innocent being, for inftance, an angel that never fell, eternally miserable out of mere fovereignty and pleafure. Neither reafon, nor revelation represent the Almighty as fo terrible to the innocent, or fo eafy to the guilty. But to affert that wicked men, perfifting in forgetfulness of God and a courfe of fin, will be punished in the day of wrath; is to affert a very great and awful truth, and very probably is all that the Author meant by this paffage. But however, as the learned bifhop Patrick obferves, the fenfe of the place feems to be this; that Gop makes use of wicked men, as well as all things elfe, to answer the ends of his providence in this world. As for inftance; by the ambition of tyrants he inflicts thofe calamities, which he defigns upon a wicked nation or people. But the fenfe after all needs not to be fo confined. GOD has made all things for bimfelf; or, as the words may be rendered, he has made all things to correfpond, or anfwer to each other: yea even the wicked for the day of evil. That is, not only to be his fcourge or inftrument of bringing calamities upon others in this life, but has fuited and proportioned the punishment of evil men to their deferts; or has fettled the connexion between vice, and mifery in the world to come: juft as he has fixed the relation of virtue, to future happiness; or, as it is elegantly expreffed, made righteoufnefs and peace to kifs each other, ❝ come to be turned into hell, and to fall under S ER M. "the preffures of everlasting wrath and mifery, XXI. "then they will not forget God; then they will "know the GoD, they never knew before; then they will remember him, though now they "never think of him. Let them now try (faith "GOD) whether they will forget me, now that "I have them under my wrath and vengeance. "While they are in this world, they banish me "out of their hearts, and thoughts; I cannot get one fpare thought from them from one day to another; but when they come to feel "me, and the power of my anger, they will 66 then know that, which they would never "know before." Thus you fee, that God's justice, his law, and his glory require, that those wicked perfons who forget Gon fhould be turned into hell. I fhall close all with fome few words of application. I. WE may hence learn, that religion confifting of mere externals will never fave any man. A perfon may be a wicked man, and liable to be turned into hell, notwithstanding any religion that lies in mere outfide fhew. You fee this plainly, that men are liable to be turned into hell for their forgetfulness of GOD. Why, a man may forget Gon, and yet live under ordinances, and under the Gofpel. A man may forget GOD, and yet may be a moral man and just and righteous in his dealings among men. And therefore, it is nothing that lies in mere externals, that will either denominate a man religious, or that will fave him from pe 3 rishing: VOL. rifhing. A man may go to the utmost extent II. of all outfide religion, and yet forget Gon; be wicked all the while, and fo turned into hell at laft. And therefore, it is a vanity for men to deceive themselves into an hope, that all is well with them; and that all fhall go well with them at laft, because they are profeffors, and injoy Gospel privileges; or because that no man can challenge them with fraud, injury, or wrong done to their neighbours. It is a vain thing for them to think that therefore they are fafe, and in no danger. They are all the while forgetters of GOD, and that is enough to befpeak them wicked; let them, in other refpects, be what they will. And therefore you are to know, that it is not taking up a profeffion, or this and that form of religion, that will intitle a foul to glory and falvation at laft; but it must be the having of fuch a work done upon the heart, as will turn the ftream of a man's foul towards Gop, and carry his thoughts and affections after him. It is this, or nothing, that must make you Christians, and fave you from hell, It is but too common a vanity in these days, wherein we live, for men of carnal hearts and corrupt minds; that could never indure to be at the pains and expence to wait upon God in the way of his ordinances, in order to have their hearts thus changed and turned unto God: it is, fay, a common vanity with fuch perfons to think that all their bufinefs, in order to fecure themselves and provide for their own fafety and welfare, fare, is to take up a certain form of worshiping SERM. and ferving God. Alas! a man may perifh, XXI.” and go to hell, whatever form he is of, if he has a carnal heart; a heart that doth not delight in GOD: this will be fufficient to damn a man at laft, let him take what course, or be of what religion he will. And it is a plain cafe, it speaks an unfound, fhifting heart, which cannot indure that fuch a work as this fhould be done, but flinks away from it. Such are pinching and galling ways; and therefore they feek for ease, and rest, some other way, and for a cheaper method of getting to heaven; as if going into fuch at party would fave a man. Why, alas! it will not do it. It must be a change wrought upon the heart and foul, that will take it off from this world, and pitch it upon GOD; if we would have an intereft in him, or live in his bleffednes another day. There are thofe, who are fike the perfons faint Paul fpeaks of to Timothy. The time (fays he) will come, when they will not indure found doctrine; but after their own lufts fball they beap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; and they fhall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned into fables. Thus it is with many wretched fouls in the ways of God:while they have been walking in them, it may be they have been barren and unfruitful, through their carnal hearts, which cannot indure to have any thing done to the purpose; therefore they defire to find an eafier way than this. They run 2 Tim. 11.3, 4. to VOL. to other teachers, having itching ears; and II. think of going to heaven upon other terms, by only taking up other forms, and changing the way of their religion. This speaks a heart to be unfound; as it is a fign of an unfound body, that can reft itself in no pofture, but lies tumbling and toffing in the bed. It hath reft no where; when it hath rolled one way to another, it must come back to the fame pitch and posture, it was in before. Why, the man is not well! alas! the fault is not in the bed, but in the body; it is because the body is not well, but unfound and unhealthy, that it cannot reft. And fo men under the ordinances of the Gospel difpenfation cannot find reft to themselves. They cannot indeed find fault with them; but they have fleshly carnal hearts, that cannot indure any thing fhould be done to change, and turn them unto GOD; and therefore they seek out new ways, that they may get to heaven in a cheaper, and an easier manner. And if fuch fouls have a mind to go in those ways, that were never known or heard of before, for fo many years, they will. not find what they feek. For, alás! a carnal heart will carry its own peft, and trouble about it, wherever it goes: and they will be forced either to say at last, the old way of real religion is beft; or else they will caft off all religion, and there will be the end, as experience in this cafe doth abundantly witness. П. |