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difobedient and trampleft under Foot the Lord Jefus that is now offered unto thee in his Gofpel? For this let us be affured of, that if we draw our Love and Obedience from God, he will withdraw his Bleffing from us.

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From whofe Face fled, &c.

Severity of the Fudge defcribed.

N the defcription of the Judge it is further added, that from the Face of this Judge, both the Heavens and the Earth fled away. And this doth fhew the wonderful Severity of this great Judge of Heaven and Earth. We know that Men fly from thofe things they fear and dread: So here the Heaven and Earth do fear the glorious Prefence of Jefus Chrift, the great Judge of the whole World, and feek to hide themselves that they may not appear before them. This flying of the Earth and Heaven, hiding themselves that they dare not appear in the Prefence of Chrift, doth fhew the wonderful Majesty and great Severity and Terror of Chrift Jefus the Judge.

Object. But the Heavens and the Earth are void of Senfe; they are great and glorious Creatures. Again, they be very goodly and beautiful Creatures. Befides all this, they never committed any Sin: How cometh to pass then, that they fhall fly and hide themfelves from the Prefence of the Son of God?

Anwer. They never finned indeed, but yet the Sin of Man is of that force, that it hath infected both the Earth we tread on, and the Heavens

Over our Heads, yea, all Creatures for Man's Sin are fubject to Vanity, Rom. 8. 20. Oh then fe how odious a thing fin is in the fight of Almighty God; what a vile thing, that the contagion and infection thereof, fhould hurt and infect the whole Heavens, and make them that they dare not abide the glorious Prefence of God their Creator? O fhould we not abhor Sin as the vilest thing in the World? We are afraid of the Plague, because it infecteth and killeth Mens Bodies: But the Plague of Sin is a thousand times more to be abhorred and fled from, feeing it poisons and infects both Body and Soul; and is fo contagious, that the Creature is afraid to behold the Face of the Son of God; for in that Day the Sun fhall be dark, and the Moon fhall be turned into Blood. This is that which is able to turn a wicked Man from his finful ways, and return unto God: The Remembrance of this Day of Judgment, and of our Sins which caufe it, fhould make them be wary how they mifpend their time in vain and idle Thoughts. This kept holy David fo much in awe, when he heard of the Panishment due to him for his Sins, he prefently repented him of the Evil, and the Lord forgave him. Likewife in the 112 Pfalm, faith he, I have feared thy Judgments, thy Judgments were always in my fight. It is a fearful thing to lie in Sin, and it is a fearful thing to fall into the Hands of the everliving Lord, for he is a confuming Fire; yet if we will confefs our Sins, he will as foon forget and forgive them. God is not like a Marfhal of a Field, nothing but pre

fent

fent Death for every Fault. No, he gives Men warning, before he ftrikes, and bids us repent and turn unto the Lord our God. He gave warning by Jonah to Nineveh; and tells them, Tet forty days and Nineveh fhall be destroyed: The Ninevites prefently repented and were converted; the Sound of Jonah's Words caufed not only the Subjects, but the very King of that great City, to come from his Throne of State, and to throw off his rich Robes, and put on Sackcloth, and fit in Ashes, with weeping, fafting and great mourning; and if we be put in mind of our Sins and ftill run on in our Wickedness, we must expect the Punishment which fell upon Sodom and Gomorrah; for if we neglect God's Favours and caft them behind us, we must one Day expect his Punishments. We know that we have finned, and that his Wrath burneth as hot as Fire, and fhall we not feek to quench it by our Tears of Contrition: It is our own fault if we be confumed having fo many fair Proffers from God's Hands offered us. Shall God's Word move Rocks and Mountains, and fhall not his Word, nor his Love, nor his Threatnings move us to hearken to his Laws? Sin poyfons all the inward Parts and Faculties of Man, and it is the only cause of all thofe Judgments that will one Day fall upon us; and that we must give an account of all our Mifdeeds before God and all his holy Angels in Heaven, who cannot behold his Majefty buc, with dazzled Eyes. And fo much fhall ferve to fhew how heinous a thing Sin is.

Obferv. Seeing both Heaven and Earth fhall

fly

fly and perish from before the glorious Prefence of Chrift Jefus; nay, they fhall burn with Fire, as Peter faith, 2 Pet. 3. 10, 11. All our goodly Houses, all our Gold and Silver, and coftly Apparel fhall be burnt with Fire. This may teach us Moderation and Sobriety in the ufe of God's Creatures. What Folly is it to spend all that a Man hath, to build a stately Houfe, and yet in the end it must be confumed with Fire and become nothing else but Fuel for the Fire.

Secondly, Seeing that Heaven and Earth, thefe great and glorious Creatures, these beautiful and excellent Works of God's Hands, which have no fenfe nor feeling, nor have finned, fhall fly before the Son of God, as being not able to endure his Prefence: Alafs, what fhall wicked and hard-hearted Sinners do? What fhall become of the vile Wretches of the World, which live and delight in Sin? Where fhall the ungodly and finners appear? What will become of the Blafphemers and Adulterers; if the Heavens and the Earth, those great and amiable Creatures, which fin not, fhall not be able to stand in his Prefence; then I fay what will become of all prophane and ungodly Sinners? Alafs they fhall be even at their Wits end, not knowing in the World which way to turn them, nor where to fly for Succour: Where fhall they feek for Refuge, when as the Judge himself is their Enemy? Who dares plead for them? Dare any Saint or Angel? No, no, no Saint nor Angel dares open his Mouth to fpeak one Word in their behalf: neither can any Crea

ture

ture deliver them from the dreadful Vengeance of this terrible Judge What drowlinefs is in us?: Nay, what carefnefs doth poffefs our Minds, if we will top our Ears like the deaf Adder, at the preaching of God's Word, that is daily in our Land, and every Hour almost delivered amongit us? Can we not remember? Are we choaked with the Cares of this World?: Is our Memory fo fhort, or have we drank fo much of the Cup of Forgetfulness, that we cannot remember what our Saviour faith plainly, Except ye repent ye shall also perish?

The Scripture in divers places fets out unto us the Severity of the Judge at the time of his coming, especially against the Wicked and hardhearted Sinners, by that Thunder that shall be heard from Heaven; by the Voice of the ArchAngel, as it were the Herald that fhall go be-fore Chrift by the Sound of a Trumpet; by the Judgment it self that then shall pass upon the Wicked, Mat. 25. 41. Go ye curfed into everLafting fire prepared for the devil and his angels,

c. By that Fire that fhall go before Jefus Christ, Pf. 50. 3. Our God shall come and shall not keep filence; a fire fhall devour before him, and it shall be very tempestuous round about him. And again, 2 Theff. 1. 8. He shall come in a flame of fire, rendring vengeance, &c. By that shame and contempt that shall light upon the Ungodly in that Day. Dan. 12 C And many of them which fleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, &c. fome to shame and Shame and perpetuntempt; by the total difcovery of all the Evils they have.com

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