Vol. II. intolerable as 'tis reprefented. It can never become God to threaten what it will not become him to execute. If the Punishment be in it felf unjust and unreasonable, it can never become the Governour of the World to enact and eftablish his Laws by fuch a Sanctibut if it be juft and reasonable, God will ever be the fame, his Nature is immutable, and there can be no Ground to think that God will not exercife Juftice, when the Day of Grace, the Day of Mercy is past. on; J. 3dly, We are hence taught what a Value we ought to fet upon our Redemption by Chrift. To redeem us from the Dominion of Iniquity, to redeem us from the Wrath to come, how unfpeakable a Mercy was this? Ah, were the Eyes of our Understanding enlighten'd, were our Hearts purify'd, that we could difcover all the Deformities of Sin, that we could truly fee it as it is! Ah, were we but ftrong in the Faith, that we had but a lively Idea and ftrong erfwafion of the Mifery of the damn'd Spirits, and of the Blis and Glory of the heavenly Inhabitants ! How fhould we rejoyce in the Lord? How How fhould we publish his wondrous Ser. VI Works with the Voice of Thanksgiving? And how would the Love of CHRIST tonftrain is to live, not to our felves, 14, 15. but to Him who died for us, and rofe again! The End of the Sixth Sermon. 2 Cor. iv. 133 SERMON VII. The Deceitfulness of Sin. [The First Sermon upon this Text.] EPH. V. 6. Let no Man deceive you with vain Words, for because of these things cometh the Wrath of God upon the Children of dif obedience. W HAT the things are a- Vol. II. of Darkness, Uncleanness, Covetousness, cor- K 3 Wrath Vol. II. Wrath of God is level'd only against scandalous and enormous Crimes, fhould from thence infer, that he is not concern'd in my Text or Difcourfe, (tho' indeed he be) for Men are very apt to think well of themselves, and with the Pharifee to thauk xviii. 11. God, that they are not like this or that Publicane, while in the mean time they Rev. iii. are in the ftate of the miferable Laodicean. 15. 30% Luke To prevent this I think fit to tell you from innumerable other Places of Scripture, that Hell is prepar'd as well for the Matt. 25. flothful and unprofitable as wicked Servant; that he who fools away Life fhall as certainly perifh, as he who confumes it in Rioting and Drunkenness, in Chambering and Wantonnefs; he that neglects and flights Religion as well as he, who is an open and profefs'd Enemy to it. And hence it is, that the Apoftle not content to have forbidden us the Works of Darkness in my Text, and the two Verfes inmediately following it, he does in the Ninth Verse put us in mind of the Fruit of the Spirit, For the Fruit of the Spirit is in all Goodness, and Righteousness and Truth. And this he does to let us know, that to fecure our felves from the Wrath to come, 'tis not enough not to do Evil, but we muft do good; 'tis not enough not to walk as Children of Darkness, but we must walk as |