PROPOSITION I.

Sin is an Evil not to be made light of. Several things may be mentioned which are sad Evidences, Convictive Demonstra­tions of the Truth before us.

Demon. 1. Sin is the greatest Evil. There is not, nor can there be another Evil, so evil as Sin is. The Scripture calls it by the Name of Evil. Psal. 34 13. Keep thy tongue from evil, that is from Sin. And Vers. 14. Depart from evil, and do good. The good there spoken of is moral good▪ And the Evil is moral Evil, i e. Sin, which by way of Eminency is said to be evil. Yea, it is not only an Evil, but the Evil. Joh [...] [...] 15. I pray not that thou wouldst take them out of the world, but that thou would it keep them from the evil: viz. from Sin, which is the evil the evils. It is Sin which has made all other things evil. It has made the best and most excellent Creatures in the world to become the worst. It has made the Fallen Angels to [...] Evil Angels: Whereas in their First [Page] [...] [Page] [...] [Page] Estate they were Glorious Creatures Sons of God, and Morning Stars. How great must that Evil be, which can turn an Angel into a Devil? Sin has done this, and that as to millions of them. There are more Devils then there are men in in the World; since there is no man, but there are Devils to Tempt him unto sin; and we read in the Gospel of thousands of Devils possessing one miserable man. It is Sin that has made so many Devils. Man was a glorious Creature before he was a Sinner. The most glorious Crea­ture that ever was made, next to the An­gels. Psal. 8.5. thou hast made him a little lower than the Angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour; but Sin has made him the worst Creature on the Earth. It has made him to be worse, nay, to be more irrational than the beasts that perish. How often are Sinners charged with act­ing more unreasonably than the beasts do. Isa. 1.3. The Ox knows his Owner, and the Ass his Masters Crib, but Israel doth not know, my people doth not understand. Alas! they were worse then bruits, who will pay some acknowledgment to their Fee­ [...]er. A Beast wont meddle with that which he knows by an instinct of natu [...] [Page 7] is poysonful and hurtful to him; yet thus irrational are men. Altho' they are told, and cannot but know that Sin is deadly poyson, and that if they commit such Sins, their Souls must dy for it; for all that they will venture. Sin has made men to be thus unreasonable. Nor is there a­ny Creature on earth an enemy to God, but only man, and Sin has made him so. It is Sin that has made this World to be an Evil World. Gal. 1.4. This present evil world. Had it not been for Sin, this World had never been an Evil One. It has brought a Curse and Misery on the Creation, so that the whole Creation sighs under it, and groans to be delivered from that corruption, bondage, vanity and mi­sery which the sin of men has caused it to become subject unto. Rom. 8.22. There had never been any other Evil, if it had not been for Sin. No man would ever have known by an experience of it, what Evil meant. Hence the forbidden Tree was called the Tree of knowledge of good and evil. Gen. 2.17. Men should have had an experimental knowledge of Good only, and not of Evil, if they had not sinned, Sin then is the greatest evil. [...] an only evil; Other Evils have some [Page 8] mixture of good in them, but Sin hath not so; Nor is it possible ever to make it good; Nor has it in its own nature a­ny tendency unto good. It is not the cause of any good. It is true, that Sin may through the wisdom power and goodness of God, ordering and over-ru­ling all things, be an occasion of good. This we see in Onesimus, who was gui [...]ty of theft, and ran away from his Master, and was Committed to Prison, where the Apostle Paul became the Instrument of his Conversion. Philem. 10. A great sin may be an occasion of the Conversion, and so of the Salvation of a Sinner, but not the cause of it. A corrupt Tree can not bring forth good fruit. Does a Foun­tain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter. No Fountain can yield both salt water and fresh. Iam. 3. 11, 12. All the waters of sin, are salt and bitter. Nor does any thing but what is bitter, come out of this Fount [...]n. If we compare Sin with other Evils, we shall see that it is worse than any of them all. It is a grea­ter evil than any Affliction. A man had beetter [...] many Afflictions than one sin. Affliction tho' evil has some good in it, but so has not Sin. David said, it is [...] [Page 9] for me that I have been afflicted. Psal. 119.71. He does not say, it is good for me that I have sinned. Gods Children find Afflictions to be profitable things unto them. He does chasten them for their pro­fit Heb. 12 10. Therefore they may bless God for sending Afflictions on them. It is reported concerning that Holy man, Mr. Dod, that when a very bitter Afflicti­on befel him, Well (said he) I will go into my Study and bless God for this Afflicti­on, for I am perswaded that He intends to do me good by it. But a man may not say, I thank God I was left, to commit such a sin. The Lord has promised that He will in faithfulness afflict his Children; He will hedge up their way with Thorns, to prevent them from sinning. In the Covenant of Grace there is a promise of Physick as well as [...] Food: Afflictions are Physick for the Soul; but the Lord has not promised that He will leave his Ser­vants to fall into great sins, although He has promised that if they do so, He will recover them out of their [...]. Outward Afflictions will not cause God to depart. When Ioseph was Sold into Egypt, God was with him. Act. 7.9. His Serv [...]s [...] experience more of his presence with [Page 10] them, then when under sore Afflictions and Temptations. When they walk through the midst of the Valley of the shadow of death He is with them. Psal. 23.4. But Sin will cause God to depart. A Prophet said, The Lord is wtth you, whilst you are with him, but if you forsake Him, He will forsake you. 2 Chron. 15.2. When Israel Sinned, the Lord withdrew from them, and told them that if they did not put away the accursed thing, He would be with them no more. Iosh. 7.12. Sampson found this to be true by woful experience, although He was not at first sensible of it. Judg. 16.20. He wist not that the Lord was departed from him. It was because he had Sinned, that the Lord departed from him. When the case is so with a man, that he must either suffer or sin, if he is wise, he will chuse to suffer any thing rather then sin. Moses did like a Wise man, when he chose rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, then to enjoy the pleasures of Sin. Heb. 11.25. For the greatest Affliction has not so much evil in it as the least Sin. Death is a more formidable evil than Affliction: But Sin is far more evil then Death it self. Solo­mon found it to be more bitter than [...] [Page 11] Eccles. 7.26. And so shall every Sinner find it to be, either by bitter Repentance for it, or else by being punished for it, when Repentance will be too late. Men ought to resist unto blood striving against sin. Heb. 12.4. They ought rather to loose their blood, to part with their lives, then to Sin against God, Thousands of Saints have chosen Death rather than Sin. It is said of the Primitive Martyrs, they Loved not their lives unto death. Rev. 12.11. They might have lived much longer if they would have Sinned to save their Lives; but they chose rather to dy than to sin: Some of the Blessed Martyrs chose to be tortured to death, rather than to commit a seemingly little sin. Ecclesiastical Sto­ry informs of one that had his life offered to him on condition that he would con­tribute but so much as one half penny to encourage the Building of an Idolatrous Temple; but he chose rather to dy by most Exquisite Torments. And the Scrip­ture speaks of them who were tortured not accepting deliverance. Heb. 11.35. When that bloody Tyrant Antiochus told those Martyrs he would spare their lives if they would but eat one mouthful of Swines [...] they chose rather to be tortured to [Page 12] death, than to transgress the Law of God, although it were but in a Ceremony. Sin is a greater evil than Hell it self. Yea, there is more evil in one sin, then in all the Everlasting Burnings of the bottomless pit. The Holy God has made Hell to punish Sinners. He has ordained Tophet of old, He has made it deep and large, the pile thereof is fire and much wood, the breath of the Lord like a stream of brimstone does kin­dle it. Isa. 30.33. But God is not the Au­thor of Sin. He is the punisher of it, has made a strict Law against it; bu [...] never was or can be the Author of it. Now if Sin be the greatest Evil, more evil than Affliction, then Death, then Hell it self, it ought not to be made light of.

2. Sin displeaseth God. Therefore it should not please men Z [...]ch. 1.2. The Lord has been sore displeased with your Fa­thers. He would never have been dis­pleased with them at all, if it had not been for Sin. The sins of men are called their Offenses. Hos 5.15. until th [...]y acknow­ledge their offence. Shall a poor creature make a light matter of offending the Al­mighty? Sin cannot but be displeasing to God, because it is contrary to his reveal [...] [Page 13] Will. Every Sin is a violation of that Law which is expressive of the Holy Will of God. It is indeed a despising of the Law. Lev. 26.15. If ye shall despise my Statutes. Sinners cast away the Law of the Lord of Hosts, and despise the Word of the Holy One of Israel. Isa. 5.24. A Sinner is a practical Blasphemer; he saith of the Law of God, that it is no good Law; that it is a Law not worth the re­garding. Neh. 9.26. They cast the Law be­hind their backs, as a man casts a thing that he despiseth, behind his back. A Sinner Iudgeth the Law. Jam. 4.11. by trans­gressing it, he judgeth it to be a bad Law. Is such blasphemy a light matter, or to be mocked at? Sin is Rebellion against the Lord. Hos. 13.16 Samaria has rebelled a­gainst her God. Sinners make an Insurre­ction against Heaven. Mic. 2 8. They are risen up against me as an Enemy. They take up Arms against the Infinite and E­ternal Majesty. Act 5 39 They are found even to fight against God. Sin grieveth the Heart of God. When the Old World became exceeding sinful, it repented the Lord that he made man on the Earth, and it grieved him at the heart. Gen. 6.6. [...] the Children of Israel were in the [Page 14] Wilderness. Forty years was he grieved with a sinful generation. Psal. 95.10. The Lord speaks of the sins of men as if his heart were broken by them. Ezek. 6.9. I am broken with their whorish heart, which has departed from me. And shall men make light of that which is so grievous to God! Sin is a dishonour to his Name. Rom. 2.23. By breaking the Law thou dishonourest God. Some sins especially cast horrible contempt on the Glorious Name of God. Sins against knowledge (which the Scrip­ture calls presumptuous Sins do so. Numb. 15.30. The Soul that does ought presumptu­ously reproacheth the Lord, as if he were ei­ther an Ignorant or an Impotent God: As if he either did not know that such an affront was offered to his Name, or had not power to revenge it. Sin is a practi­cal disowning and denying the glorious Attributes of the Ever Blessed God. When men sin, they do not really believe the Omnipresence of God. Ezek. 8.12. They say the Lord sees us not, the Lord has forsaken the earth. There are Sinners, that if they thought a man, nay, a child of seven years old, that could tell of it, saw them, they would not commit that sin. Do they then really believe that God seeth [...] [Page 15] That He by [...] they must be Judged another day, looks on them all that while! By sin men defy his Power: Sinners give the Almighty the challenge. Isa. 5.19. They said, Let him make speed and hasten his work, that we may see it, and let the Counsel of the Holy One of Israel draw nigh and come, that we may know it. q. d. He has threatned us a long time, but why does not he do what he threatens? Let him come and do his worst, the sooner the better, we fear him not. We must not suppose that they did in words thus ex­press themselves, but this was the language of their sinful practices. They lived as if they had been really of that opinion, as if they thought they could be too hard for the Almighty. Sin calls the Truth of God into Question God says, If thou dost transgress my Law, ye shall surely dy for it: But Sin and the Devil says, it may be not for all that. Gen. 3.8. Therefore it must needs provoke him. How are men provoked if their fellow creatures give them the Ly? And will not the most High God be offended, when wretched men shall make him a Liar? Sin strikes at the very Life and Being of God: It says, [...] there is no God in Heaven. It is an [Page 16] Iniquity to be punished by the Judge, for it denies the God that is above. Job 31.28. So far as a man is a Sinner, he is an A­theist. Psal. 14 1. The fool has said in his heart that there is no God. It is hardly pos­sible for a man with a rational soul really to believe that there is no God; but the fool wisheth there were none. And he does not believe that there is such a God as indeed there is. He is ready to think that God is altogether such another as himself, which is to Ungod him. He says in his heart, that God is not so Holy a God as his Ministers and as his Word declareth him to be, which is in effect to say, that He is no God: For if He should be less holy then He is, He should cease to be God. Holiness is called the Life of God. Eph. 4.18. Wherefore Sin which strikes at the Life of God, is the highest Treason. And is it then to be made light of? By what has been said, it is manifest, that Sin is highly displeasing to the Lord; and the Lord himself has in more ways then one made it known, that Sin does provoke the Eyes of his Glory. He has made men and Angels to see that he can not endure it, by his punishing of it. Sometimes the Holy God has [...] [Page 17] dreadful punishment on his Creatures for one sin. So He did on all the Angels that sinned. Iude 6 The Angels which kept not their first estate, he has reserved in Ever­lasting Chains under darkness, unto the Iudg­ment of the Great Day. Would the Great God banish millions of those most Glo­rious Creatures out of Heaven, and damn them to Chains of Everlasting Darkness, for one sin, it Sin were not an evil infi­ni [...]ely displeasing to him! So Adam and all his Posterity, of which there are thou­sands of millions, are made miserable for one sin. They are all condemned to dy for that one sin. Rom. 5.12. By one man Sin entred into the world, and death by sin, and so death passed upon all men. And in verse 14. It is said, that Death reigned from A­dam to Moses, even over them that had not Sinned after the similitude of Adams Trans­gression. There were about two thousand and five hundred years from Adam to Moses. All that lived in that Time, even Infants, and all who never sinned after the similitude of Adams Transgression, yet are dead, because of that sin of his. So all that have lived and died in succee­ding Ages. In ver. 18. the Apostle says, [...] by the offence of one, (or as the words [Page 18] di henos paraptomatos may be read) by one offence Judgment came upon all men to Condemnation. No Sin of Adam, excepting one, was imputed to his Poste­rity, viz. his first sin in eating the forbid­den fruit; for after that he ceased to be a publick person representing all mankind; so then, for that one sin, he and all his Po­sterity were condemned to Death. Be­hold yet further the severity of God. He has sometimes punished seemingly little sins after a dreadful manner, that men might see how their sins displease him, and that they might tremble to sin against him. When Nabad and Abihu instead of taking fire from the Altar according to Divine Institution, would follow their own in­vention, and make use of another fire, without any warning given to them to repent of their sin, God killed them in a moment; there went out fire from the Lord and devoured them, and they dyed. When in the Wilderness a man did but gather a few sticks on the Sabbath day, God from Heaven commanded that that man should be stoned to death. When Uzzah in­considerately took hold on the Ark, intend­ing no harm, only to keep it from falling God smote him for his error; and [...] [Page 19] dyed by the Ark of God. When the men of Bethshemesh looked into the Ark, probably with no ill design, only to see whether the Philistans had not taken some­thing out of it, the Lord smote of the people, fifty thousand and threescore and ten men. I Sam. 6.19. some have wondred how that could be, because Bethshemesh was a small Town, not containing fifty thousand, nor so many as five thousand; but as 'tis pro­bable the people round about the Country hearing that the Ark was come to Bethshe­mesh, came flocking thither, and did ir­reverently look upon it, (which they might not do) and some would be look-into it; and for this error, above fifty thousand, not of the men of Bethshemesh only, but of the people, lost their lives. So highly is God offended at sin. But his Holy Displeasure at sin appears in nothing so much, as in the dreadful suf­ferings of the Lord Jesus Christ, when he stood in the room of Sinners, sustai­ning their person before God his Fa­ther. Rom. 8.32. He spared not his own Son. Christ is Gods own Son, and a Son that never offended him in any thing. Christ is dearer to God than [...] Angels in heaven, or men on [Page 20] earth. Neverthess, when He became a Surety for Sinners, God would not spare him, nor abate him any thing of the punishment due for sin. The truth is, God never pardoned any sin without satisfaction made for the in [...]ury done to his Name thereby. No sin but God either has punished it in the Surety and Saviour of Sinners, or he will punish it in the Sinner himself to all Eternity. And shall wretched Creatures make a light matter of that which is so hateful unto God! This therefore shall be the next Demonstration of the Truth be­fore us.

3. The Sins of the E [...]ect were the procu­ring cause of all the bitter Sufferings which Iesus Ch [...]ist the Son of God Endured. Christ had no Sin of his own to suffer for. Dan. 9.26. M [...]ssiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself; not for any thing that He had done amiss. Inasmuch as the Man Christ Jesus is the Son of God, or one in person with the Eternal Son of God, it was im­possi [...]le that He should Sin: In Him dwells the fullness of the God-head bodily, and therefore He neither did nor could Sin. But the Sins of His People [Page 21] imputed to him. 2 Cor. 5.21. God ha's made him to be Sin for us who knew no Sin, that we might be made the Righteousness of God in him. God ha's imputed the guilt of the Sins of his Elect unto his Son Jesus Christ, who out of Love to his Fathers Glory and the Salvation of his People, was willing that it should be so: He was therefore made a Sin Offering, that so God might deal with us as if we were Sinless and Righteous. Because Christ sustained the person of Gods Elect, the punishment which was due to them fell upon him Isa. 53.5, 6. He was wounded for our Transgression, he was bruised for our Iniquities. The Lord ha's said on him the ini­quity of us all; that is the punishment due to us all ha's been laid upon Him. This was taught by the Sacrifices under the Law. The Creature offered as a Sacrifice must be killed, by which the off [...]rer con­fessed that he deserved to dy for his Sins, only the Creature was to dy for him The Gospel of which, was, That Christ, dying in our stead ha's Saved us from E­ternal Death. G [...]l 3 13. Christ has redeem­ed us from the Curse of the Law being made a Curse for us The Curse of the Law is [...] [...]pressibly dreadful thing; neverthe­less, [Page 22] Christ the Son of God became Subject to it, because of our Sins, that he might deliver us from the Curse. What terri­ble things did Christ suffer for our sakes? Never man did, nor could suffer so much as He the blessed Son of God endured on our account. Isa. 52.14. His visage was so marred more than any man and his form more thaen the sons of men. His Holy Bo­dy endured most exquisite pain and mise­ry. 1 Pet. 2.24. Who his own self bore our sius in his own Body on the Tree. When he was Crucified, his holy hands and feet had nails driven through them▪ whereby he was fastned to the Cross, because our works and walkings had been evil in the sight of God. Those sinewy parts, the hands and feet cannot be pierced through without inexpressible pain. In this mise­ry did the Son of God hang on the Cross for six hours one after another, that so we for our sins might not be hung up in Everlasting Chains of misery as we de­served. But Christ's Bodily Sufferings, were nothing t [...] the sufferings of his Soul. He poured out his Soul unto death; His Soul was made an offering for sin. He felt the pangs of the Second Death [...] pain whereof is unconceivable. [...] [Page 23] therefore in an Agony in the Garden, and sweat great drops of blood, and prayed with strong cries and tears, that if it were possible that Cup might pass from him. Can we think that the Son of God would have been in such an Agony, if he had been to suffer no­thing but a bodily death? Would the thoughts of that have put him into a bloody Sweat! Shall we imagine that he had less courage in him then some of the Martyrs! But if Christ endured all this for our sins, shall we make a light matter of Sins. The consideration of what Christ suffered for our Sins, should make us afraid of the least Sin, and not to make a light matter of any Sin: No not of idle words. No man ever spoke an idle word in his life, but either Christ dyed to obtain the pardon of it; or, he that has been guilty of it, must dy for ever for it. Nor was there ever a sinful, no nor so much as a vain thought in the heart, but if Christ the Son of God had not dyed to obtain the forgiveness of that thought of thy heart, thou must have lain under the Curse [...] Wrath of God for it throughout [...]. Say now, is Sin to be mocked

[Page 24]4. Sin is the procuring cause of all those Iudgments which men are exposed unto Jer. 4.18. Thy way and thy doings have procured these things unto thee: This is thy wickedness, because it is bitter, because it reacheth to [...]hine heart. What bitter sorrows and miseries do some Sinners undergo? They may thank Sin for it all. Should they then mock at, and make mirth with sin? There are three sorts of Judgments which Sin exposeth men unto; all which show that it is not an evil to be made light of.

1. There are Temporal Iudgmen [...]s. All the Afflictions which besal the Sinner whilst in this World are the fruit of Sin. Psal. 107.17. Fools because of their Trans­gression, and because of their Iniquity, are af­flicted. Poverty is a great affliction, and Sin is the cause of it. That provokes the Lord to send Impoverishing Judgments on a whole Land sometimes. Isa 42.24. Who gave Iacob for a Spoil, and Israel to the Robbers? End not the Lord he against whom we have sinned? M [...]n loose their Estates by Enemies, [...] water, by Fire. [...] if it had not been for Sin, none of all this would ever have been. For a man [...] loose his good Name is a greater evil [...] [Page 25] to loose his Estate, since a Good Name is better than Riches; but this also is the effect of sin. Prov. 14.34. Sin is a reproach to any people: Some sins especially are an everlasting reproach to the person that shall be known to be guilty of them. A­bove all other transgressions, vile breaches of the Seventh Commandment are so. The man that shall be proved guilty of them, hath lost his good name for ever. Prov. 6.32, 33. whoso committeth Adultery with a woman, lacketh understanding, a wound and dishonour shall he get, and his re­proach shall not be wiped away. That Sin will be a disgrace to him as long as he li­veth, and after he is dead too. All bodi­ly diseases , and death it self is the fruit of sin. Had it not been for sin, Soul and Bo­dy had never been rent asunder. It is for sin that some Dy in youth, because they have been wicked overmuch, they dy before their time; and it may be by tragical and dismal deaths, by grievous deaths. They are crushed in the Gate. The Sword of Justice cuts them off for being Criminals, and not worthy to live. There is a great variety of Temporal [...]udgments, and all are the fruit of sins: [...] on particular persons, on Fami­lies, [Page 26] on Nations, are the fruit of sin. How terrible is God in his doings sometimes towards the children of men, in respect of publick National Judgments, which their sins pull down upon them? So on the Old World, when the Windows from on High were opened, and God poured down the Cataracts of his Wrath on a sinful sinning World: How many milli­ons were swept away with that Beesom of Destruction? Sin caused all the men, and women, and Children in the whole World to be drowned in one year, excep­ting eight persons only. What a fearful day did Sin bring upon Sodom and Gomor­rah, when all the people in those Cities were destroyed in one moment? It was Sin that provoked the Lord to rain down fire and brimstone, and an horrible Tem­pest upon them. In our days, yea not five years ago, we have heard of Earth­quakes that have swallowed up whole Ci­ties at once, and no less then an hundred and forty thousand Souls then perished. Is Sin which brings such Tremendous Judgments on the World to be mocked at, or made light of?

2. There are Spiritual Iudgments, which altho men are least sensible of ther [...] [...] [Page 27] far more dreadful than any Temporal Ones. As the Soul is far more worth than the Body, so Spiritual Judgments which lite on the Souls of men, are more to be trembled at, than those which con­cern the outward man only. These are the woful fruit of Sin. The Loss of the Divine Image is a Spiritual Judgment. Sin has brought that misery upon every man in the world. Rom. 3.23. All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God. There was in man before he sinned, knowledge and wisdom, which made him resemble God, but sin has taken from him that glory. But the Image of God in man did chiefly consist in that Holiness where­with his Soul was beautified. Without Holiness the Angels of Heaven would be Damned Devils, and the Saints in Glory Damned Ghosts: But this Sin has depri­ved men of. So that by nature no man has the least spark of grace or holiness in him Rom. 3.10. There is none righteous, no not one. But instead thereof, all man­ner of spi [...]itual plagues has Sin brought on the miserable Souls of men. A blind mind is a Spiritual Judgment which every [...] is smitten with. He is blind, and [...] see afar off. Persons that have di­seased [Page 28] Eyes, the light hurts them; they see the worse for it. So does the light of th [...] [...]ospel as to those that have minds prejudiced against the Truth: Therefore Christ said, For Judgment am I come, that they which see might be made blind. Joh. 9. [...]9. Hardness of heart is a Spiritual Judg­ment: None of the ten plagues of Pha­roah were so dreadful as that; but it is sin that hardens the hearts of men. Heb. 3.13. Take heed lest your hearts be hardned through the deceitfulness of Sin. There are some, that there was a time when if they had committed such a Sin, Hell would have been in their Consciences for it, but now they can do it, and laugh and make a mock at what they have done. Thus are they smitten with Judicial Hardness of heart. The Lord never punisheth sin more fearfully then when he punisheth Sin with Sin. It may be a Sinner has been guilty of the sin of Uncleanness. God to punish for it, leaveth him to com­mit that Sin again, and saith, Let him that is filthy be filthy still. Or it may be, he shall be left to another Sin, it may be to Murder it self, which is the greatest Sin against the Second Table of the [...] Law. Yea, (which is awful to [...] [Page 29] Sins of Omission provoke the Lord to leave men to sins of Commission. Psal. 81.11, 12. Israel would none of me. So I gave them up to their own hearts lust. Hear­ken [...]ou that live in the neglect of Religi­ous Duties: You that live without Prayer in your Families. I have a dismal Story to tell you, and yet a true one. There was a man Condemned and Executed for an odious Crime, (whom God out of his Infinite Grace made a remarkable peni­tent) he then said, that he believed his Sins of Omission, and in special his negle­cting Prayer in his Family, provoked God to leave him unto other sins, and at last to that sin for which he justly suffered Death. Then let no man among you that has a Family, dare to live without Prayer therein.

3. Sin is the procuring cause of Eternal Iudgment. Mat. 25.46. The Wicked shall go away into Everlasting Punishment. Sin brings upon men not only the first, but that which is infinitely more terrible, The Second Death. The first death is soon o­ver, but the pains and pangs of the Se­cond Death will never be over. The first death is of the Body only, but the [...] Death is of the Body and Soul [Page 30] too. Fear not them that can kill the Body, but fear him that can kill both Body and Soul. How can the Soul which is Im­mortal be killed? The Soul that's damn­ed is killed. After the Resurrection and the Last Judgment the Sinner must Body and Soul be cast into the Ever burning Lake. Murderers and Whoremongers, and all Liars shall have their part in that Lake which burns with fire and brimstone which is the Second Death. Rev. 21.8. In those E­verlasting Burnings must they be world without end. This comes of sinning a­gainst God. If it had not been for Sin, there would have been no death, no hell. It is sin that has kindled the Fire that ne­ver shall be quenched. Sin has filled the bottomless pit with all the fire and brim­stone that is there. It is sin that has fil­led it with all those Treasures of Wrath that can never be consumed. Shall we then make a light matter of Sin? Shall we be such Fools as to mock at it? But thus for the fourth demonstration of the Truth before us.

5. One Sin unrepented of will be the ruin of a precious and Immortal Soul. The Soul of a man is a most precious thing. How often have you been put in mind of [...] [Page 31] Scripture, which a Religious man once advised a King to think of every day, that Scripture: Mat. 16.26. What is a man profited if [...] shall gain the whole world, and loose his own Soul? Or, what shall a man give in exchange for his Soul? Altho' Sin­ners like fools as they are, know not the worth of their own Souls, their Adversa­ry the Devil knows it, and therefore will promise them any thing if they will but let him have their Souls: He'l never stick at the price; he'll promise them the En­joyment of that which their hearts are most set upon. He'll promise them they shall have the things of the world; the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life; but if these things are bought with the price of an Immortal Soul they are dearly bought indeed. That Soul which is more worth than a world, sin hurts it. Heb. 2.10. thou hast sinned a­gainst thy Soul. Sin wrongs the Soul. Prov. 8.36. He that sinneth against me, wrongs his own Soul. Sin brings woes upon the Soul. Isa. 3.9. They declare their Sin as So­dom, they hide it not, wo unto their soul. They in Sodom were not afraid nor asha­med to sin in the open street. So there [...] some among us that will Curse and [Page 32] Swear as they go along the street. They declare their Sin as Sodom,, wo unto their soul. There are some that are seen drunk and staggering as they go along in the street; They declare their sin as Sodom, wo unto their soul. There are some that when others are by, so impudent are they as that they will be wanton and lascivi­ous in their carriage, and utter obscene filthy words, proceeding from a more fil­thy heart: They declare their Sin as So­dom, wo unto their soul. Yea, Sin brings Everlasting Wo, it brings destruction and ruin on the Souls of men: Sins against the Body are also against the Soul: Abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the Soul; yea, which destroy the soul. Prov. 6.32. He that committeth adultery with a woman, destroys his own soul. Now what an Evil is Sin which has destroyed millions of Immortal Souls, which nothing else could hurt if it were not for sin? Nay, one sin, if loved and lived in will be the ruin of a Soul. Therefore the Scripture says, Re­pent and Turn your selves from all your Trans­gressions, so Iniquity shall not d [...] your ruin. Ezek. 18.30. But if there be one sin per­sisted in without Repentance, that one will be the ruin of that miserable [...] [Page 33] Soul. That one sin of Drunkenness, That one sin of Uncleanness, That one sin of an Unbridled Tongue, That one sin of Lying, That one sin of scandalous Coveteousness, That one sin of unmortified Pride if not turned from, will be the Eternal Ruin of the Soul.

All these things Considered, surely sin is an Evil not to be mocked at, not to be made light of. Before I proceed to the remaining Propositions for opening the Doctrine before us, we shall conclude at present with a word of Application. It is this, Oh Repent of Sin. This is that which all men are concerned to hear. Do you think that in such an Assembly as is here this day, I will say nothing but what concerns a poor Condemned pri­soner? Nay, but let me speak that which concerns us all. The Exhortation unto Repentance doth so. Act. 17.30. God Commands all men every where to repent. For all men have sinned. If there is a man in this Congregation that never sin­ned, Let not that man repent; but such an one there is not, nor in the whole world, nor ever was there since Adam, except only the Man Christ Iesus. As for [...] that have repented truly and sincerely, [Page 34] yet they are to renew their Re­pentance. Especially, if they have been guilty of backslidings from God, or have through Temptation fallen into any known Sin, it concerns them Solemnly to renew their Repentance for that par­ticular Sin. When the Churches in Asia were like the Churches in New-England, very much degenerated, Christ from Heaven called upon them to Repent, not­withstanding they had repented many years before that. Yea, though a man should walk with never such exactness before the Lord, so as not to fall into any Sin against his Conscience for many years together; for all that he must con­tinue repenting all his dayes. Let ungod­ly Antinomians upon whom God ha's sent strong Delusion, say and think what they please, a Christian must never cease re­penting of Sin. That man who pretends to Peace & Assurance of his Justification without this, does but deceive his own Soul. He does but walk in the light of a fire which himself ha's kindled, and continuing so to dy, he shall lye down in Sorrow when repentance will be too late. Shall a man have the guilt of heinous sins upon his Soul, and shall he not carry [...] [Page 35] with him a Spirit of Mourning all his days! There is no man here, but the guilt of heinous Sins have been upon his Soul▪ Adams Sin, Original Sin, the Sin of un­belief are exceeding great Sins. Never­theless, every one of us ha's been guilty of them all. They that never repented of these or any other Sin, how are they concerned Now to repent? Know there­fore that you must either live or dy for­ever according as you shall obey this Commandment of the Gospel. It is said of the Gentiles, that God gave them Re­pentance unto Life. Act. 11.19. So then Life is concerned. As for Impenitent sin­ners, they are all under a sentence of Condemnation. The Law ha's found them guilty: And God the Iudge of all ha's Condemned them to dye Eternally. It is in vain for any Sinner in the world to think that the sentence of Death which God ha's pronounced upon him shall be reversed, or his Sins pardoned if he re­pent not. Yea, it is in vain for him to hope that because he pretends to Faith in Christ his Sins shall be remitted. For that Faith in Christ which is not attended [...] unfaigned Repentance is no true [...] Christ ha's therefore Commanded [Page 36] that Repentance and Remission of Sins should be Preached in his Name. Act. 24 47. To Preach remission of Sins in the Name of Christ, without Preaching Repentance is to profane that Sacred Name. Oh then if ever you would have your Sins par­doned, and so your Souls to live for ever, Repent and turn from all your Trans­gressions. And therefore think seriously and sadly of the day of Judgment. God Commands all men to repent, because he ha's appointed a day in which he will Iudge the World in Righteousness, by that man whom he hath ordained. Act. 17 31. Would you have all your Secret Sins revealed in the hearing of Heaven and Earth? If you would not, repent of them all▪ that so they may be blotted out of that book where they are all written. Remember this awful word; If thou shouldest dy with the guilt of but one Sin on thy Soul Unrepent­ed of, at the day of Iudgment thou wilt wish that thou hast never been-born. And to a­waken them unto repentance, let Sinners know that that great day of the Lord is near at hand. Christs coming to Judge the Earth is not so far off, as carnal hearts wish, and as a secure world does imagine. Most of those things which the [...] [Page 37] ha's said must come to pass before the Se­cond Coming of Christ, are already full­filled. And therefore that glorious day cannot be very far off. As therefore the Lord said when the time was near wherein his Evangelical Kingdom was to be revealed. Mark 1.15. The time is ful [...]filled, and the Kingdom of God is near at hand, Re­pent and believe the Gospel. Thus now, many of those things which the Scripture ha's foretold the accomplishment of, are fullfilled, and the Kingdom of Iudgment is near at hand, Repent ye therefore. Oh what a blessed thing would it be, if none in this numerous Assembly might be found amongst the Impenitent in that day.

But let me direct this Exhortation par­ticularly, To that Mi­serable Condemned Young Creature, Sarah Threeneedle. who is here before the Lord in this house this day. Poor Wretch! hearken as for thy Life and Soul. I know you have with you some Printed Sermons which were Preached on Occasion of the Execution of some who were Condemn­ed for the same bloody Crime which you [...] Convicted of, and must dye for. [Page 38] Nevertheless, a few things let me now speak to you in the Name of the Lord.

Consider. 1. You have been a great Sin­ner: And in very Truth a great Fool. Although you are little & young in years, you are great in Wickedness. It is seldom seen that one so young as you are, ha's been guilty of such Prodigious wickedness. You are (as I understand) hardly Nineteen years old, and yet ripe for a Lamentable Destruction as to your Body, if not as to your Soul. You are known to be guilty of Fornication and that more than once, and with more persons than one, as young as you are: Oh horrid Shame! But be­sides that, you have been guilty of Mur­der: Yea, and of unnatural Murder too. Can a woman forget her Sucking Child that she should not have Compassion on the Son of her Womb? She may, but then she must be unnatural. And so monstrously unna­tural have you been, as not to have Com­passion on the Son of your Womb: but to be guilty of Murdering it, whose blood Cryes for Vengeance against you, from the ground where you exposed it to death. You have defiled the Land wherein you live. It should be an humbling Consid [...]ration to you, that all this Provinc [...] [...] [Page 39] New-England must fare the worse, and be exposed to the wrath of Heaven if you should be suffered to live any longer in it: for so does the Scripture speak. Numb. 35.31, 33. You shall take no satisfaction for the Life of a Murderer which is guilty of blood. You shall not pollute the Land wherein you are, for blood it defileth the Land, and the Land can not be cleansed of the blood which is shed therein, but by the blood of him that shed it. Methinks you should sometimes hear the blood of your woful Infant, Crying, Ven­geance! Vengeance! Lord, upon my unna­tural Mother, who murdered me as soon as I came into the World. And what if you murdered its Soul as well as Body? What then do you think will come on you? Nevertheless as vile a Sinner as you have been.

Consider 2. If you go to the Lord with a truly penitent heart, God will for Christ sake forgive your sin. This will God do, not for the sake of your penitence, (be asha­med and confounded thou sinful Crea­ture) but for the sake of the merit of the Death of his own Son, who shed his Blood, that so the bloodiest Sinners who penitently believe on his Name, might be [...] and saved from Eternal Death. [Page 40] That Sentence of Death which is passed on you as to your Body, cannot be re­versed; but the Sentence of Everlasting Death may. As yet it is possible that you may be saved from the Second Death. There is merit enough in the Death of Christ to make atonement for as great Sinners as you are. His Blood is a Foun­tain set open for Sin and for Uncleanness. Zech. 13.1. But to whom is it set open? To them that mourn in Jerusalem. Thy heart has been an Hell of Sin: A Sink of Uncleanness, but if thy heart be broken for your sins, the opened Fountain of the Blood of Christ will make that horribly defiled Soul to become pure, and it shall live. The Lord Jesus Christ excludes none from partaking in the Salvation purchased by the price of his Blood, be­cause they have been great Sinners. He came into the world to save the chief of Sinners. As great sinners as ever lived in the world, upon their repenting and be­lieving on his Name, have through the exceeding abundant Grace of God, had all their sins forgiven. What black Sin­ners had some of the Corinthians been, be­fore their Conversion? They had been guilty of Fornication, and besides [...] [Page 41] Unnatural Wickedness; but when they re­pented and believed on the Name of Je­sus Christ the only Son of God, they were washed, and sanctified, and justified in the Name of the Lord Iesus, and by the Spirit of our God. 1 Cor. 6.9, 10, 11. David committed Adultery, and to hide his Sin became guilty of Murder; but upon his sincere repentance, God forgave the Ini­quity; that is, remitted the punishment of his sin, as to that Eternal Death which his sin deserved. His prayer was heard, when he said with a truely penitent heart, Deliver me from blood guiltiness, O God. Psal. 51.14. What a bloody Sinner had Manasseb been? He [...] streets of Jerusalem with innocent blood; but when the Providence of God brought him into Chains (as he has done you) he hum­bl [...]d himself greatly before the Lord, and prayed unto him, and he was entreated of him If you would do so, who knows but that the merciful God would look upon you? Some of those Jews who were the betrayers and murderers of the Son of God himself, which was the greatest Crime that ever men were guilty of, yet upon their repenting and believing on him [...] they had with wicked hands Sl [...]in [Page 42] and Crucified, obtained through him the forgiveness of that, and all other sins which they had been guilty of. Such In­stances are recorded in the Scripture, that so no Sinners, (no, not the greatest) might despair of finding mercy upon true Repentance towards God, and Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Consider 3. If you dy in your sins without Repentance, you shall receive no ordinary dam­nation: Because you have sinned not only against the Law of God more heinously than many have done, but also against the Gospel of Christ. You have refused to hear the [...] reached many a time when you might have done it. I remem­ber one that was Executed in this Town many years ago, for the same Crime which you have been guilty of, and must dy for; Confessed that his neglecting to hear the Word of God, which he fre­quently absented himself from on the Lords Days, lay as an heavy burden on his Conscience; and so it should do on yours. To go to Hell from under the Gospel is a fearful thing. Since you Im­prisonment, nay, since your [...] on, yea, and this very day, the [...] [Page 43] of the Gospel has been offered to you. It is an astonishing thing, that the Great God should offer a pardon and Eternal Salvation to such an one as you are; but Infinite Grace doth so. How shall you escape the sorest Damnation, if you re­gard not this offer of mercy. If Indians that never heard of the Name of Christ, commit such sins as you have done, they must go to Hell for it, but not to such a fiery place there as you shall, because of your disobedience to the Calls of the Gos­pel. It will be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah at the Day of Judgment, then for the despisers of the Gospel, and of the Grace of God. [...] 14, 15.

Consider 4. Within a few dayes you will be in Eternity, and then Repentance will be too late. Within a few dayes you will be gone down into the Pit, and they that go down into the pit, cannot hope for Gods Truth. When once your Soul is separated from your Body, there is a Gulf fixed: It is fix­ed in a Gulf of Eternity, and that is a great Gulf indeed. Within a few minutes after your Soul is out of your Body, you [...] where you must be throughout [...] Ages. If Death find you a peni­tent [Page 44] Believer, as soon as ever your Soul is out of your Body, Holy Angels will carry it to a better World than this is; but if otherwise, cruel Devils will go with it to a place of torment; and there must it re­main until the General Resurrection, when Soul and Body shall appear before the Judgment Seat of Christ, you must be tryed and judged over again in that day, when all your secret sins will be laid open before Angels and men. The man (Christ Jesus the Son of God) whom God has ordained to be the Judge of the whole World, will then Sentence you to Death, yea, to be Burnt to death. Thou thinkest it is [...] thing (and so it is) that you are Sentenced to be hanged to death; [...]ut Oh! what will it be when the Son of God shall doom thee to Eternal Fire, and Command his Holy Angels to see Execution done upon thee accordingly. They will cast thee, Body and Soul into the Fire. Dost thou not remember how Dives cryed out being in Hell and in Torments, O for a drop of water to cool my tongue, for I am tormented in this flame. Woful Wretch! As thou hast sinned with thy Body, so must thy Body as well as thy Soul burn for it. Those bloody [...] [Page 45] which have murdered thy child must be in torments. That wick [...]d tongue which has told many a ly, must be in torment; yea, thy whole Body must be cast into Hell. And how long must you be in this misery. After thou hast been in that Fire as many millions of Ages as there are sands on the Sea shore, thou shalt be no nearer to an end of it, then thou wast the first hour that it came upon thee. This! This! will be thy portion as sure as this Bible is the Word of God, if thou dyest an impenitent, Un­believing Creature. Oh! Consider of it. Some words of Coun [...]el, Let me set before you.

1. Endeavour that your Sorrow for Sin may be a Godly Sorrow. For Godly Sor­row works Repentance which is unto Sal­vation. 2 Cor. 7.10. Do not mourn for Sin, only because you have hurt your self by being such a Fool. You have disgraced your self, and ruined your self. Or, because you have brought dishonour upon all your Relations, and in a special manner on your Parents. That should indeed be an heart breaking thought [...]: you: but most of all you should mourn [...] because thereby you have disho­noured [Page 46] the Name, and grieved the Spirit of God.

2. Do not persist in any Sin. It is not confessing but forsaking Sin that will prove you to be a true penitent. Turn from all sin. Stand not in any Lye. I charge you before God, and as you will answer it at the peril of your Soul, that you nei­ther clear any guilty, nor accuse any In­nocent person of committing Folly with you. I speak this the rather because you have accused one who not only denies what you have charged him with, but ha's appealed to God concerning his In­nocency. Having done so, in case he should be guilty, I am perswaded the wa­ters of Jealousy will come into his Bowels, and like Oyl into his Bones. God who will not hold them guiltless that take his Name in Vain, useth to make those that Tempt him to shew his Omniscience by appealing to Him when they know themselves guilty, to become awful Ex­amples of Divine Vengeance. But I am willing to hope better things, and if there be nothing against him besides the accusa­tion of so Wick [...]d and Lying a Creature as you have been, there is no suffici [...] reason for uncharitable thoughts. [...] [Page 47] you have accused him falsly, you can ne­ver make him amends for the wrong you have done to him: And if you persist in a false accusation you destroy your own Soul. It is impossible that you should be Saved if you do so. Will you go out of the world with a Lye in your mouth, as Ananias and Sapphira did? Would you have your Soul to go to be where their Souls are? Instead of persisting in any sin, do what in you lyeth, that God may have Glory. The penitent [...]hief on the Cross, in the little Time that he lived after his Condemna [...]ion, brought much honour to the Name of God, and of Jesus Christ. Oh that you would endeavour to do so. And therefore warn o [...]hers to beware of t [...]ose sins which have brought you to this. You say that you believe your Disobedi­ence to your Parents ha's provoked God thus to leave you. Truly Disobedience to Parents is an unnatural wickedness. It may very well be that as a punish­ment for it, you have been left to that unnatural Murder, for which now you must dy. But caution others against that sin. And do you Children and [...] persons; hearken to this. Here is [...] your eyes, a poor young Creature, [Page 48] come to a mise [...]able End: And she saith, her Undutiful Carriage towards her Fa­ther and Mother, has provoked God thus to cut her down out of time. And will you then dare to be Undutiful Children If you love your Lives, make conscience of the Fifth Commandment, and let there be none found among you that shall set light by Father and Mother.

3. Go to Iesus Christ. If you cannot go to him with a penitent heart, go to him for one. Him has God Exalted to be a Prince and a Saviour to give Repentance unto Israel and forgiveness of Sins. Act. 5.3 Oh Pray and Cry to him: Pray him to pour his Blood on thy Soul: That will break the Rockiest heart, the most Adamantine heart in the world. Pray as David did▪ Psal 51.2 Wash me throughly from mine iniquit [...], and cleanse me from my Sin. Purge me with Hysop and I shall be clean. Thus does he pray that his Soul might he wash­ed in the blood of Christ. [...] have not you need to pray after the same manner? If that precious blood be sp [...]inkled on you, then notwithstanding your sins have been as Scarlet and red like Crimson they shall be as white as Snow.

PROPOSITION. II.

THERE are some, yea many who make light of Sin. Notwithstanding Sin is such an evil as has been declared, and they that make a light matter of being guilty of it, shew themselves to be Fools▪ the world is full of such Fools. This will appear, if we consider who they are that do thus.

1. They that have little or no remorse for Sin. Who lay not sin to heart when Com­mitted either by themselves or others. An instance hereof we have in Iosephs then ungodly Brethren, who after they had thrown him into the pit, it is noted con­cerning them that they Sat down to eat bread. Gen. 3 7.25. Intimating that they had little sence of the evil they had done. They were not grieved for the Affliction of Io­seph, nor yet for their own sin in the wrong they had done him. Had they had a due sence thereof, they would have [...] little heart to eat bread. There are [Page 50] few in the world that lay sin to heart as they should do. The Prophet complained that there were in a manner none. Jer. 8.6. I hearkned and heard, but no man repented of his wickedness, saying what have I done. There are great sins, which but few have a due sence of their guiltiness before God in re­spect of them. Adams Sin was a great one: An hainous transgression is expressed, by saying, Like Adam they have transgressed the Covenant. Hos. 6.7. He sinned against a positive Express Commandment to the contrary. Hast thou Eaten of the tree where­of I commanded thee that thou shouldest not [...]at, said God unto him. So that he sinned against knowledge. Wherefore, sinning against knowledge, is called a sinning after the Similitude of Adams transgression. Rom. 5.14. There was horrid unbelief in that sin. Adam gave more credit to the Devil in the Serpent who said, you shall not surely Dy, than to the God of Truth, who said, you surely shall. There was intolerable Pride & Discontent in that sin. When God his Maker had made him Lord over all the Creatures on the face of the Earth, he was not satisfyed with that, but aspired to be a God too. There was Sacriligious ingratitude in that sin of Adam, since [...] [Page 51] God had been so bountiful as to give him free leave to eat of all the Trees in Eden excepting one, he would be Stealing that too. Yet this grievous sin is by a Righte­ous Imputation the sin of every man. The Papists say of their Bonaventure, In hoc ho­mine non peccavit Adam, that he had no guilt of Adams sin upon him. But the A­postle tells us, that in Adam all have sinned. Rom. 5.12. Yet how few are there that have any sence of their guiltiness on the account of this great iniquity? Or, that did ever mourn before the Lord for it? That which we commonly (from Austin who first and fitly gave it that Name) call Original Sin, or (as the Apostle expresseth it) the Sin which dwells in us, is no little evil. That corruption of nature which men bring into the world with them, is evil beyond all expression. The Apostle sayes that Sin taking Occasion by the Com­mandment wrought in him all manner of Con­cupiscence. Rom. 7.8. Such wickedness is there in the nature of men, that because the Commandment sayes, you shall not do such a thing, they are the more set upon doing it. Actual sins are only the filthy streams which proceed from that [...] fountain of Original Sin. The [Page 52] Scripture speaks of the Exceeding Sinfulnes [...] of that sin. Rom. 7.13. It is Sinful Sin▪ It is impossible to call it by a worse name than it self, or to give it a worse Epithite, than that of Sinful. Yet how do men make light of this sin? Jews and Papists in their writings will hardly own it to be a sin. And there are many who never did shed one tear, or send one sigh up to Heaven, because of the guiltiness of their Souls before the Lord, by their Ori­ginal Corruption. The sin of unbelief or disobedience to the Gospel is a great sin. The Spirit of God will one day Convince the world of Sin, that is to say, Convince them that they have been guilty of a great and hainous sin, because they have not be­lieved on Christ. Joh. 16.9. Disobedience to the Gospel is a greater evil than disobe­dience to the Law, and will be followed with a severer Judgment at last. Heb 12.28, 29. He that despised Moses Law dyed without Mercy: of how much sorer punish­ment suppose you, he shall be thought worthy that has trampled under foot the Son of God. The unbeliever has done so. A vile Lust has been more esteemed by him, than the Son of God himself. Yet how few are there, that have bewailed their guilti [...] [Page 53] before the Lord by reason of this sin? There is no man that has not been guilty of numberless Actual Sins. David was sensible of this: he saw his sins were like a mighty Army which he could not see to the end of them, and his heart failed him, he was ready to dy away at the sight of them. Psal 40.12. To the same purpose Ezra, and others of the Lords Servants. Ezr. 9.6. Iniquities are increased over our heads. They had more sins than there are drops of water in a deep river enough to drown them: And our trespass is gone up unto the Heavens▪ An heap of Sand which shall reach as high as the Hea­vens, must have an infinite number of Sands in it: So is every man guilty of an Infinite number of sins. But how few are sensible of this? Men do not mourn for their own sins, much less for the sins of others. The holy Apostle reproveth the Corinthians in that when one in their Communion was found guilty of Incest, they had not Mourned. 1 Cor. 5.2. They would have done well to have set some time apart to Fast and Mourn because of the dishonour done to the Name of Christ, and the wound which Religion received by means of that Scandalous person. The [Page 54] Psalmist could say, not only that he beheld the Transgressors and was grieved, but that Rivers of waters run down his Eyes because men kept not the Law of God. Psal. 119.136. How few can say after him?

2. They that seek to Excuse and Extenuate Sin, make too light of it. Thus our first Parents did. The woman who was first in the Transgression, would lay the blame at the Serpents door: The Serpent beguiled me. Thus Eves Children think to Excuse or Extenuate their sin by laying the fault on the Devil. Why would you do such an evil thing? The Devil Tempted me say they. The man sought to make some excuse for himself by accusing his Wife▪ & silently reflected on the providence of God, The woman whom thou gavest me she gave to me of the Tree and I did eat. Gen. 3.12. Thus sinners to Extenuate their Crimes will reflect upon God: They say, If God had given me Grace, I should not have done so wickedly. Ever since Adams fall it has been natural for men to excuse and extenuate their faults either by blaming others, or by some other pretext. When Aaron committed a great Sin in making the Calfe in the Wilderness, what a frivolous excuse did he make for him­self, [Page 55] that the people brought him some Gold, and he cast it into the fire, and there came out a Calfe. Exod. 32.24. As if it had been only by Chance and not of Choice that a thing like a Calfe came out of the fire. The Jewish Rabbis in their writings excuse that fact of Aaron, pretending that he de­signed not to make such an Idol, but that there was an Extraordinary operation of the Devil in that matter; but this fiction of theirs is against the Scripture, which declares the activity of Aaron in the form­ing of that Idol. Verse 4. He fashioned it with a graving tool: but then he had ano­ther excuse to lessen his Crime. Verse 22. Thou knowest the people they are set on mis [...]chief: he would lay all the fault at their door. If a good man, a Saint of the Lord, as Aaron was, will when under Temptati­on find excuses for great sins, will not sinners do so much more? We read con­cerning Saul, when he spared Agag & the Amalahites substance, contrary to the Ex­press Commandment of God, he endeavour­ed to extenuate his Crime, by pretending that he was afraid to displease the peo­ple. 1 Sam. 15. 24. I have transgressed the Commandment of the Lord, because I feared the people, and obeyed their voice. And he [Page 55] had another excuse, viz. that the best of the sheep and of the oxen were spared for Sacrifice unto the Lord. vers. 15. Thus men think to extenuate the evil of their sin, by pretending that they intended no hurt in what they did: But Sin is such an Evil, as the best intention in the world can never make it to be good. Others think to excuse what they have done a­miss, by pretending that if it were sin, yet it was no great sin. Ephraim said, they shall find no iniquity in me that were sin. Hos. 12.8. He means, no Iniquity that were a great sin. Nevertheless, he loved to Oppress; but thought that such Oppression as that which the Prophets charged him with, was no such great sin. Men are apt to say of their sins, as Lot said of Zoar, Gen. 19.20. It is a little One? Is it not a little One? They call their sins peccadillo's; whereas no sin can be so absolutely consi­dered. Altho some sins compared with others are small, nevertheless, that which is (as the least sin is) an offence against the Infinite Majesty, cannot be a little Evil. Papists have invented distinctions to make their sins appear little▪ Some are venial they say, and not mortal; so they distinguish Lies into pernicious and officious. As if [...] [Page 57] tell a Ly to do a Neighbour a kindness, were no evil. But the Scripture teacheth us better. Rom. 3.8. we may not do evil that good may come of it. When that Case was proposed to Austin, whether a man might not tell a Ly, if he could thereby▪ save his friends Life, he answered, No, by no means. Nay, (said he) if it were possible for thee to save the Soul of thy friend by telling a Ly for it, thou mayst not do it: And though this may seem severe, it is sound Doctrine. For no man can tell a Ly without dishonouring God, by sinning against him: And it were better that a­ny man in the world should perish, then that God should be dishonoured.

3. They that justifie them selves or others in sin, make too light of it. To justifie and patronize evil deeds, or evil persons, is worse then only to extenuate what has been amiss. It is therefore said, that he that justifies the wicked is an abomination to the Lord. Prov. 17.15. If a man knows another to be wicked, and shall then and therefore justify him, he is an abominati­on to the Lord. Nevertheless, a good man being under temptation may justifie himself when he has erred greatly. So did Ionah; when it was said to him, dost [Page 58] thou do well to be angry? He replied, I do well to be angry even unto death. Whereas he had no just reason at all to be angry, much less even unto death, that is as long as he lived. But they are ill men who will justifie themselves or others in scan­dalous sins. Isa. 5.20 We unto them that call evil good, and good evil, that put dark­ness for light, and light for darkness, that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter. They that stand to vindicate scandalous evils a­gainst the express Word of God, do so. Thus did Saul, for which cause Samuel charged him with Rebellion and Stub­bornness. 1 Sam. 15.23. He sinned against the express Commandment of God, and that was Rebellion. He stood to justifie himself, saying, he had not sinned, but done as he ought to do; and this was Stubbornness. The like Stubbornness we see in Dathan and Abiram, of whom it is recorded that they came out and stood at the door of their tents. Numb. 16.27 which was boldly to declare that they would stand to what they had done. They had sinned and provoked the Lord exceeding­ly, by abusing the two best men in the world. They had reviled Moses and Aa­ron, and now would impudently come [...] [Page 59] and stand at their doors, to signifie that they would stand to what they had done in villifying those Eminent Servants of God; so light did they make of that their sin. There are those that will plead for Baal. There are none so bad, but some or other will plead for them; yea, tho' they have been guilty of Murder it self. There are those that are not afraid nor ashamed openly to avow the vilest Opi­nions, and the lewdest practices: The Church of Rome does so. And therefore 'tis said, that on her forehead is a name written, The Mother of Harlots. Rev. 17.5. They are not ashamed to justifie Idolatries. They are not ashamed to maintain that for their Ecclesiasticks, to marry is a sin, but for them to have Concubines is no sin. In Rome it self, filthy harlots are openly tolerated: Thus on her forehead is written the Mo­ther of Harlots. It was said to the Apo­state Church of Israel, thou hast an Whores Forehead. Jer. 3.3▪ because they did justi­fy themselves in great Impieties; like lewd Harlots, who are not ashamed of the vilest Abominations. Alas! that there are men and women in the world so far degene­rated, not only from righteous, but from [...]tional Creatures, as not to be ashamed [Page 60] of their living and doing more like bruit [...] than men; of such does the Prophet speak, Jer. 6.15. Were they ashamed when they had committed Abomination? They were not a­shamed, nor would they at all blush. And do not such fools make a mock at sin?

4. They that take pleasure in sin make too light of it. There are wretched Creatures that Sin is their delight. Prov. 15.21. Fol­ly is a Ioy to him that is destitute of Un­derstanding: They rejoyce in Iniquity: It is their chief delight. Prov 4.16. They eat the bread of wickedness, and drink the wine of violence. They take as much plea­sure in sin as an Epicure does in feasting: Hence, they have greedy appetites after sin, as in vers. 16. They cannot sleep except they cause some to fall. An hungry man can't sleep until he has eat something; no more can they until they have accompli­shed their wicked desires. There is no wicked man, but some sin or other is sweet unto him. He keeps it under his tongue, he spares it, and forsakes it not, it is sweet in his mouth. Job 20.12, 13. which is a sign of an Hypocrite. A sincere Child of God may fall into sin, but he does not love to do so: Sheep may fall into the mire, but they do not love to be ther [...] [Page 61] They are Swine and not Sheep, that love to be wallowing in the mire of their Ini­quities: They are in a state of damnation. 2 Thes. 2.12. They all shall be damned that take pleasure in unrighteousness. Neverthe­less, thus it is with many: There are some that will boast and brag of their Impieties, like bloody Doeg. Psal. 52.1. Why boasteth thou thy self in mischief, O mighty man. When he had shed the In­nocent Blood of some unarmed men, he boasted of his being a mighty valourous man; he would then brag of his Loyalty, as if he did a great matter to confirm the Crown on Sauls head. There are that will brag of those things, of which they ought to be ashamed. Phil. 3.19. whose glory is their shame. They will glory and boast of their being drunk, or wanton, or of their lying and cheating. Nay, some are so wicked, as to brag of their commit­ting abominations which they did not commit. Prov. 10.23. It is a sport to a fool to do mischief; or (as the Hebrew word imports) to do very wickedly. There are who will speak of what sins they have been guilty of, and then laugh at it, and make others laugh with them. It may be [...] will tell of the sins and follies of their [Page 62] youth to make sport. How unlike are such unto David, who prayed that God would not remember the sins of his youth. Psal. 25.7. And yet he had as unstained a youth as most in the world. He feared the Lord from his youth; nevertheless could remember some sins and vanities of his youth; & a sorrowful (not a pleasant) remembrance it was to him. He would not tell of the vanities of his youth to make others merry. There are some that take pleasure in seeing others sin; which argues an high degree of Impiety. Rom. 1.32. They not only do things worthy of death, but take pleasure in them that do them. Yea, there are that when they cannot commit sin themselves, delight in seeing others do it; which is perfect Diabolism. The De­vils are not drunk themselves, nor do they commit Adultery, being Spirits and not Bodies, they are not capable of com­mitting those sins, but they take pleasure in seeing men commit those sins. If there be any pleasure in Hell that is it.

5. They that cause others to sin, make light of it. As if the burden of their own sins were too light for them, and therefore they must contract the guilt of other mens Iniquities. Thus did Iereboam the Son of [Page 63] Nebat, He [...] Israel to sin. And so did Rehoboam, He forsook the Lord, and all Israel with him. 2. Chron. 12.1. One may cause others to sin, by requiring them to do it. Thus Absalom caused his Servants to be­come gullty of Murdering his Brother Amnon. He said to his Servants, smite him, kill him, Have not I commanded you? 2 Sam. 13.28. So Iezebel wrote a Letter in the Kings Name to the Elders in the City of Iezrael, who she knew would do any thing the King and Court would have them do, requiring them to take away the Innocent Life of Naboth, by a form of Law, and under a pretence of Executing Justice on a Traytor: One may caus [...] [...]nother to sin by instigating them thereun­to. Ahab sold himself to work wicked­ness, whom Iezabel his Wife stirred up. 1 King. 21.25. Or, by giving bad Coun­sil. It is said concerning Ahaziah, that his Mother was his Counseller to do Wickedly. 2 Chron. 22 3. Or by Teaching them how they may accomplish any evil design. So Ionadab became guilty of Amnons Incest, by giving him subtile Counsil how he might Compass his wick­ed desires. 2 Sam. 11.2, 3. So again, one may cause others to sin by perswading & [Page 64] enticing them thereto. Prov. 1.10. My Son if sinners entice thee consent thou not. Thus young people do often draw one another into the Snares of Sin and Death by per­swasions: Come (sayes a vile Compani­on) lets go to such an house, There we shall find what we would have: By this means a silly Creature is drawn into the sin of Drunkenness, Idleness, and it may be into worse wickedness. Most certainly they know not what a dreadful thing the guilt of sin is, that are thus willing to have not only their own, but other mens sins to Answer for in the great day of Judg­ment. It may be the Conscience of sin­ners which is now asleep will awake and roar upon them ere long, perhaps on a death bed, and then they will be in an­guish to think how they have made o­thers to sin. There was lately a remar­kable instance of this in a person of Qua­lity Sir Duncomb Colchester, a Gentleman in Glocestershire, who had drawn many in­to intemperance and other sins, but it pleased God by visiting him with Sick­ness on his body to shew him his trans­gressions that they had exceeded, and then he could not be at rest in his Spirit, until he had caused a writting to be publickly [Page 65] read in the Congregation, Solemnly warn­ing all others that should hear of it not to do as he had done in making others to drink to excess, or in other respects to Sin a­gainst God: soon after which warning he dyed, about four years since.

6. They [...] mock and deride at those who reprove ther [...] [...] their Sins, make a mock at Sin. There are such: If a Neighbour re­proveth them, it may be they will jeer him to his face, or when he is gone they will rep [...] what he said, and deride him for it: Or, if a Relation, nay a Father re­prove them, they'l but make a may game of all. When Lot advised his Sons in Law of the imminent danger of destructi­on which was hanging over their heads, he was to them as one that mocked. Gen. 19.14. They hardly thought he was in earnest: What the Town be destroyed within such a time, Thats a Jest indeed! They thought he did either dote or dream. Thus when Parents warn their Children of that Everlasting destruction which is near unto them, they account it little less than dotage in them. Nay, some will deride at Ministers of God for their Ser­mons. 2 Chron. 36.16. They mocked the Messengers of God, and despised his words. [Page 66] Instead of trembling before the Threat­nings of the word of God, they did but mock at them. Therefore did the pro­phet say▪ be not ye mockers lest your hands be made strong ▪ Isa. 28.21▪ 22. There are some that have a form of Godliness, but are enemies to the power of it; if Christ himself should Preach to them, and warn them against their particular beloved sins, they would deride at the Sermon. Luke 16.14. The Pharisees who were covetous de­rided him. When the Lord told them of the danger their Souls were in by Cove­tousness, which was their particular and beloved Sin, they did blow their Noses (as the Greek word there used signifyeth) at what they heard, h. e. they entertain­ed it with the greatest Contempt and Scorn.

7. There are some who take pains to do wickedly. Of such does the Prophet speak. Isa. 5.18. Wo unto them that draw iniquity with Cords of Vanity. When men do not only set their wits on work to make vain excuses for Sin, but are at a great deal of labour and toyle for their compassing of their evil designs, they draw iniquity with Cords of Vanity, and Sin as it were [...]ith Cartropes. Traces are made unto wh [...]h [Page 67] Cartropes are fastned and beasts put forth their strength in drawing the Cart with them: Such beasts are some Sinners; they Sin with all their might. When they are about a Sinful work they will do it with both hands. Mic 7.3. They do evil with both hands earnestly. They will sit up late and rise early in the Service of Sin: they are intent upon nothing so much as how they may accomplish their Sinful desires. There is many a Sinner that if he would but be as industrious and diligent in Ser­ving God as he is in Serving Sin and the Devil, he would be an happy man for­ever. It was a doleful and dreadful word which Cardinal Woodlsey uttered not long before he dyed miserably, That if he had been but as faithful and diligent in Serving God as he had been in Serving the Kings In­terest, God would not have cast him off in his old age as that King did. Alas! the practice of many Sinners, is, as if they thought they could not go to Hell fast enough, nor get there soon enough: Such mockers at Sin, and such fools are they.

We proceed therefore unto,

PROPOSITION. III.

That Sinners are Fools. The things which [Page 68] have been spoken prove them to be so. None but Fools would make a light mat­ter of such an Evil as Sin is. But further to inlarge on the Probation of the Truth before us.

1. The Scripture every where speaks of Sinners as of Fools. How often are they in the Holy Writings, (in the Book of Iob; and in the Psalms, and in Proverbs, and Ecclesiastes) called fools. The Scripture says of them that they are foolish. Psal. 5.4. The foolish, i. e. Sinners shall not stand in thy sight. When they come to be tryed for their lives before Gods Tribunal, they will not be able to stand in the judgment. The Hebrew word HOLEPIM, there Transla­ted foolish, signifieth mad men, or such as rave with folly; Sinners are subject to moral madness: If they were not raving mad they would never do as they do. Madness is in their hearts as long as they live, and after that they go to the dead, nay, to the damned. Sinners are said to be without knowledge. Psal. 14.4. Have all the workers of Iniquity no knowledge. Truly, there is not one of them all that has any saving knowledge; such of them as are wise to do evil, to do good they have no knowledge. Isa. 27.11. It is a [Page 69] people of no understanding. They are called simple ones. Prov. 1.22. How long ye simple ones will ye love simplicity. Hence the Scrip­ture compares them to Beasts, because they act as if they were devoid of all reason or rational understanding. Psal. 49.10. Wise men dy, likewise the bruitish person: Who but a Sinner is that bruitish person? A Sin­ner is resembled to the most stupid of all Beasts; To the Ass, to the wild Ass, nay, to the wild asses colt. Job 11.12. Man is born like the wild asses colt. A Sin­ner is a born fool: They are compared to the silly Birds, to simple fearful Doves. Hos. 7.11. Ephraim is like a silly Dove without heart. Yea, they are compared to Ostriches. Lam. 4.3. The Ostrich is both a very foolish and an unnatural Bird. Job [...]9.16, 17. She is hardned against her young ones as though they were not hers because God has deprived her of wisdom, neicher has he impart [...]d to her understanding. Such an Ostrich has the Condemned Prisoner (who was here the last Lords day) been. She has been hardned against her young one, as if it had not been hers. Yea, though it was crushed to death she regarded it not. True spiritual wisdom and understanding is in fearing the Lord, which is contrary [Page 70] to sinning against him. Psal. 111.10. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and a good understanding have all they that do his Commandments. As for Regenerate Souls, God has made them to know wis­dom in the inward parts. They that are wise unto Salvation are wise indeed; and therefore Godly men are the only wise men, and will be found to be so at last. Yea, wiser than the greatest Clerks or Politicians in the world, that have not Grace in their hearts. A man may excel in political wisdom, and in philosophical wisdom, and yet a poor illeterate obscure person, that makes no figure in the world, but Loveth and Serveth God and Jesus Christ, will be found a wiser man than the other, because of his being wise unto Salvation; which is the only true wisdom. It is rel [...]ted concerning two Learned men, that as they were Travelling to the Coun­cil of Trent, they espied a poor Shepherd in the Woods, with Tears running down his Cheeks. They asked him the reason of his weeping, who replied, you may see there an ugly Toad: I cannot but weep, to think of the goodness of God towards me, who instead of making me a Toad, has made me a man with a rational Soul [Page 71] capable to know, and love, and serve God. At this the two Learned men fell a wee­ping too, saying to one another, this poor illeterate Shepherd will go to Heaven when he dyeth; for he loveth God and serveth him; but we with all our Learn­ing are like to go to Hell: He is an hap­pier and wiser man than we are. So then there is no Sinner in the world that is a wise man, if we speak of true hea­venly wisdom. For,

2. Sin is the greatest Folly. Psal. 85.8. Let them not turn again to folly, i. e. to Sin. Prov. 8.11. As a dog returns to his vomit, so a fool returns to his folly. A Dog has not the reason to consider and think with himself, that the thing which he vomi's up, was it which made him sick, & there­fore he returns to it again. Just so it is with Sinners. It may be they have felt pain by their sins, their Bodies have been hurt thereby: And it may be their Con­sciences have smarted for what they have done; yet they will commit those Sins a­gain. Thus do they return to their fol­ly. Such fools are they. All Sin is folly: For it is against the rules of wisdom: All the Precepts contained in the Law or Word of God are wise precepts. There [Page 72] is no Sin but it is a Transgression of one or other of them. Jer. 8.8, 9. How do you say, we are wise? They have rejected the Word of the Lord, and what wisdom is in them? Sin is a departure from God the fountain of all wisdom: And therefore the more men sin, the more unwise are they. The greatest Sinners are the greatest fools in the world. In the greatness of their folly they go astray. Prov. 5.23. And as all Sin is folly, so there are some Sins which are in a most peculiar manner so. Sins of Uncleanness are most abominable folly. When Shechens had defiled Dinah, it was said of him, that he had wrought folly in Israel, which thing ought not to be done. Gen. 34.7. Sins of that nature bruitify men. They act more like bruit beasts then like men with rational Souls. The wise man speaketh of a young man that was observed to go to the house of an Harlo [...], there to debauch himself, of whom he giveth this character, that he was a young man void of understanding, and that he went after her, as an Ox goeth to the Slaughter, and as a Fool goeth to the correction of the Stocks. Prov. 7.7, 22. Such bruitish folly are such Sin­ners guilty of,

3. A Sinner has all the properties of [Page 73] a Fool belonging to him: he that has all the properties of a Fool is one. That property which the Text before us speaks of is enough to prove the Sinner to be a Fool if there were nothing more. A Fool will laugh and make himself merry▪ with that which is matter of grief and sorrow. And do not Sinners do so, like mad Fools. Prov. 26.18. As a mad man who casteth fire brands, arrows, and death, so is the man that deceiveth his Neighbour and sayes, am not I in sport? A mad man will throw whatever comes next to hand, though it be a Fire brand, or a dart, or any thing else that shall cause death, and makes sport of it: If he wounds his Neighbour for which he ought to be grieved, that is [...] sport to him And thus it is with some mad Sinners: They will devise slanderous Lyes of their Neighbour to the wounding of his reputation, and then say, they did but Jeast. The good Companionship of rude Sinners, is (as one expresseth it) no better than Horse play: They will strike one another. When they are in their drink, and in their mad frolicks, they will tell of one anothers Secret sins, and so expose their Neighbour to reproach & shame: And this is their sport. Mad [Page 74] People will sometimes when the phrenzy takes them kill their own Relations, and (though they have cause to mourn for what they have done all their dayes) they rejoyce in it. We are informed of a Tra­gical instance of this nature which hapned in a place in Wales not five Months ago. A distracted man in a mad fit killed his Wife and all his four Children in one bloody morning, without any remorse for what he had done. Another sad instance there is in this Land is a neighbour Colo­ny: A poor woman now in Prison, cut the throat of her own Son, at which she rejoyceth, imagining that she has notably imitated the Faith of Abraham in Sacri­ficing her Son A mad man will some­times cut and wound his own body, and then Laugh at his own misery. And do not distracted Sinners do thus and worse than this? They gash and wound their own Souls by their Sins, and yet laugh at what they have done. It is impossible for a man to make himself Drunk, or Unclean, or to tell a known Lye, without making a wound in his Conscience, which he will be sensible of whenever he shall come to himself and see his undone Soul bleeding to death. But at present they may mo [...] [Page 75] at their own misery, which declares their folly and madness. Besides this which is expressed in the Text before us, there are other properties of a Fool to be affirmed of him that is a Sinner. e. g.

1. Indocibility is the property of a Fool. He is unteachable: Suppose he should have the best Instructors in the world, he will not learn wisdom, nor get understand­ing. The Sinners amongst the Jews had Prophets to Instruct them, and yet they would not Learn. Isa. 28.13. The word of the Lord was unto them▪ Precept upon Precept, Line upon Line, here a little and there a little▪ God dealt with them as we do with Chil­dren that must learn first one line & there another, and but a little at a time. And or all that, they would learn nothing: They were ever Learning, but never able to come to the knowledge of the Truth; so unteachable were they. If a Fool be Corrected as well as Instructed, yet he will not learn. There is no beating of knowledge into him: And is it not so with Sinners? There is many a Sinner that has smarted for his sin & folly, & yet he has not the sence to reform hi [...] wayes. Many a drunkard that has suffered much in his Estate, and in his Relations, and in [Page 76] his Soul and Body, because of that sin, and for all that, he has neither the Grace nor Wit to leave that sin: Though he has been stricken and beaten for it, he will seek it yet again. Prov. 23.35. What a Fool is such a sinner? We see every day that what the wise man speaks is true. Prov. 27.22. Though thou shouldst bray a Fool in a Morter with a Pestle yet will not his foolish­ness depart from him. In old Time one kind of grinding which people used was to put their parched Corn into a Morter, and so to grind it to powder. The grains of Corn tho' much hardned, would by a Pestle beating it in the Morter be reduced to soft Meal; but a Sinner is such an hard hearted Fool, that though the plagues of the Lord be never so heavy upon him, he will not amend nor leave his [...]olly. Let him be put into the Morter of Divine wrath, and bruised with the Iron Pestle of Judgments one after another, he is and will be foolish still. Though the Lord has stricken him, he receiveth not Cor­rection, his heart is harder than a Rock, he refuseth to return. Would any [...] but a Fool be thus obstinate?

2. It is the property of a Fool to mind only what is present, but to be careless of [Page 77] what shall be hereafter. A wise man will lay up a good foundation against the Time to come: he'l provide against a rainy day. Prov. 10.5. He that gathereth in Summer is a wise Son. He that is wise will in Summer provide against Winter. It is said of the Ants that they are exceed­ing wise, because they prepare their meat in the Summer. Prov. 30.25. Alas! Sinners have not this wisdom. They are like beasts without reason who only indulge their present senses, but have no thoughts where they must be, or how they shall live a few years hence. If men were wise they would be often thinking of another world. They would prepare for Death, and provide for Eternity. Deut. 32.29. O that they were wise that they understood this, that they would Consider their latter end. They that are wise will consider their latter end. They will remember Death & Eternity. Why are some of the Virgins in the Para­ble called Foolish Virgins, but because they did not take care to get Oyl into their Vessels, Grace into their hearts, and so be provided and prepared for the day of the Lords coming! There is no sinner in this world, but he must shortly go out of it, and go into another world where he must be for [Page 78] ever and ever: And yet he remains un­prepared and unprovided for that world. What inexpressible folly is this? I re­member a Reverend Author speaks con­cerning a certain noble man that had a Servant belonging to his Family that was counted a Fool, ‘to whom he delivered a Staff and bid him keep that Staff until he should meet with one that was more Fool than himself, and give it to that man: Within a while hi [...] Lord fell sick unto Death: His Fool servant comes to him, and sayes, what are you dying? Yes, saves his Lord: And whither are you going? Into another world sayes he: And when will you come again says his Fool to him, a Month hence, or a year hence, or how long first. I must never come again, says his Master, and I shall never see thee any more. And (said the Servant) have you made any provision for that world which you are going into, never to come here again? No, said his Lord, I have not: No (said the poor Fool) then He give you your Staff again, for I my self was never more Fool then so: Not to think of a world to which I must go, and from which I must never return is greater folly than [Page 79] ever I was guilty of, said that poor Wretch to his rich and great Master.’

3. It is the property of a fool to refuse a good offer. When that is offered to him, which would make him happy, if he had an heart and wisdom to embrace it, he foolishly neglects his opportunity. Prov 17.16. Wherefore is there a price in the hand of a fool to get wisdom, seeing he has no heart to it. Thus it is with Sinners: They have Spiritual Riches offered to them in the Gos­pel; they are told of that which will en­rich their Souls, and make them for ever. The Unsearchable Riches of Christ will do so. And that is freely offered to them in the Gospel. Where that is preached, God from Heaven makes an offer of his Son to be an Husband and a Saviour to every Soul that will believe on him; but foolish Sin­ners make light of this offer, altho they never had, nor never shall have another offer like unto it. Mat 22.4.5. All things are ready; come unto the Marriage, but they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his Farm, and another to his Merchandize. And are not they fools that will refuse an offered Christ for a Farm? And all the Riches of the Son of God, the Heir of all things, for the Merchandize of this world? [Page 80] Christ also offereth himself in the Gospel, but Sinners refuse him. Wisdom, that is Christ, complains of this folly in Sinners. Prov. 1.24, 25. I have called, and ye refu­sed, I have stretched out my hand and no man regarded, but ye have set at naught all my counsel. And that which addeth to the folly, is, that Sinners do thus again and a­gain, many a time and often. The Lord Jesus Christ is graciously pleased to offer himself to them with all his saving bene­fits, but they continue in their refusals of him. Mat.23.37. O Ierusalem, Ierusalem, h [...]w often would I have gathered thy Children together, as an hen gathereth her Chickens un­dor her wings, and ye would not. Thus did they go on to reject the happiest offer that ever was made unto men.

4. It is the property of a fool to make an ill choice: Not only to refuse a good offer when he may have it, but to take a bad one. It has been the manner in Ci­vil Courts, when any person has been im­pleaded for a fool to try him by offering a piece of Gold and a Counter, something of great value, or an apple; if he chuseth the Counter rather than the Gold, the Ap­ple rather than the Jewel, then he is cast for a fool, and his Estate taken from him, [Page 81] [...]nd given to a wiser person. But thus it [...] with Sinners, they chuse trisles rather [...]an treasures, pebbles, (all the things of [...] world are no better when compared with spiritual and eternal good things) [...]ather than the pearl of great price. They [...]hat chuse Earth rather than Heaven, make [...] bad choice; yet this is the Sinners [...]hoice. When Christ said to the young man in the Gospel, Mat. 19.22. Go and sell what thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven, and come and follow me; when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. When it was put to his choice, we would part with Christ and Heaven, rather than forgo his worldly Interests. A rich Cardinal was not asha­med to profess that he would not part with his Estate in Paris, for a portion in Paradise. There is not an ungodly man in the world, but if God should say to him, thou shalt have thy choice, either to live upon this Earth for ever, and there to enjoy all sensual delights, or go to Hea­ven, and there enjoy the pleasures which are at Gods Right hand for evermore; he would chuse Earthly rather than Heaven­ly Pleasures. But what a [...] choice [Page 82] do they make, who chuse Hell rather than Heaven! This Sinners do. They love death. When life and death, hea­ven and hell are set before them, they chuse death and hell. Ezek. 33.11. Why will you dy. They will, they chuse death in the causes of it: The things which will certainly end in death, are the things which they chuse. For a man to chuse Eternal rather than a Temporal Death, is a very unwise choice. It was well & wisely said by one of our English Martyrs when one tempted him to Conform against the light of his Conscience, to the Superstition of the Times; because he would loose his life if he did not, and (said the Tem­ter) death is bitter, and life is sweet: To whom the Martyr replied, but Death E­ternal is more bitter, and Life Eternal is more sweet. Alas! Sinners have not the wisdom to consider this. Ioshua said to the Children of Israel, Chuse you whom you will Serve, but I and my House will serve the Lord. Thus when it is said to a Sinner, chuse whom thou wilt have to be thy Master; he makes the unhappiest choice that possibly can be: he chuseth the worst Master that ever any one did serve: For he chuseth to be a Servant of Sin: he had [Page 83] rather be a Slave than a Free man; yea, a Slave to Sin and Satan, then the Lords Free-man.

5. It is the property of a fool to con­tend with one that is too strong for him. A Wise man will sit down and consider with himself, whether he is able with ten thousand, to meet with him that cometh against him with twenty thousand. Luk. 14.31. Better sit still then rise and fall. But Sinners have not the understanding to consider this. They are so foolish as to set themselves against one that is Infinite­ly too strong for them. Is a Sinner a fit match for the Almighty? Is he able to make his patty good with that God before whom the Nations are as the drop of a bucket, and counted as the small dust of the ballance, yea less then nothing and vanity? Is he able to make his party good with that God, who holds all the water of the Sea in the hollow of his hand, and who measures Heaven with a span. O Sinner, consider with thy self, what thou will do, when God shall strike thee with those hands which have made heaven and earth. Do we provoke the Lord to jealousie, are we stronger than he? 1 Cor. 10.22. What infinite folly are they guilty of that do so? [Page 84] Nevertheless the Sinner does so. Job 15.25, 26. For he stretcheth out his hand against God, and strengthens himself against the Al­mighty, he runneth upon him, even on his neck, upon the thick bosses of his buckler. The Threatnings and Sanctions of the Di­vine Law are the bosses of his buckler; but the Sinner regards them not. But canst thou stand it out against God? Can thy hands be strong, or can thy heart en­dure in the day that the Lord shall deal with thee? Hast thou an arm like God? or canst thou thunder with a voice like him? dost thou not know that his Power is Irresistible? When he casts forth his Lightnings, what man is there that can stand before the Thunder of God? It is reported concerning Ca [...]igula, that for all he was Emperour of the World, when he heard it Thunder, he would run under his bed to hide himself. Histories inform us of Kings that have been Slain with Lightning when they have been surround­ed with Armies to defend them. Who can stand before the Omnipotent God when once he is angry? Rocks cannot, for the Rocks are thrown down by him, when his fury is poured out like fire. The Fa­mous Island of Sicily ▪ saw this to be true [Page 85] not many years since. And the Kingdom of Naples saw it but a few months ago; when Rivers of Fire broke out of a Moun­tain near unto them. Mountains cannot stand before his Indignation: For he O­verturns the Mountains in his anger, and those Pillars of Heaven tremble at his re­proof: Nay, Angels the mightiest and most powerful Creatures in the World cannot stand before him: He spared not the Angels that sinned, but cast them down to Hell. It was Inexpressible folly in the Apostate Angels to set themselves against their Almighty Creator? Well might Eli­phaz say, His Angels he charged with Folly. Job 4.18. If then silly Worms on the Earth shall rise up against him, are they not fools for so doing.

6. It is the property of a fool to make foolish bargains: So does the Sinner do; for he barters away his precious Soul, and that for a thing of naught. There is no Sinner, but he has a Jewel belonging to him, more worth then all this world, namely, his precious and immortal Soul; this he parts with, and what has he in exchange for it? Nothing more than the pleasures of sin for a season. Was it not ext [...]eam folly in Esau to sell his Birthright [Page 86] for a mess of pottage! but what horrible folly is it for a man to sell his Soul for the enjoyment of a sensual Lust? Rather then deny his sensual appetite in respect of a lust of Drunkenness, or of a lust of Un­cleanness, he'll loose his soul. What grea­ter folly can there be then to part with pleasures for evermore in Heaven, & to go into Eternal Torments, and all to enjoy the momentany pleasures of Sin? It was a sad word which a miserable man once uttered on a death-bed. I have (said he) enjoyed the pleasures of sin for a little while, and now I must be in torment for infinite mil­lions of Ages.

Thus have we seen the Doctrine open­ed and confirmed in the particulars which have been mentioned. For the Improve­ment of it, we shall speak a few things briefly. Let the first USE be for In­struction, in two particulars.

Inf. 1. What folly are they guilty of who make light of the greatest Sins? There are those in the world that do so. Profane Swearing is a great Sin: Therefore does the Scripture say, above all things Swear not, neither by Heaven, neither by the Earth, nei­ther by any o [...]her Oath, lest you fall into Con­demnation. James 5.12. Yet there are some [Page 87] who make light of this horrible Sin. If they be but a little provoked they'l Curse & Swear like Devils incarnate: And then think to Excuse it, by saying, such an one provoked me. And art not thou a Fool to provoke the Eternal God, only because thy Neighbour has provoked thee? There are Oaths unto which men to shew how light they make of being guilty of them, have given the Name of Petty Oaths: They think that for them to Swear by their Faith and by their Troth is a small evil if any at all: but it is a great Sin to do so. All Swearing by Creatures is a grievous sin. To Swear by things that are no Gods is great impiety. Ier. 5.7. But the man that Swears by his Faith & Tr [...]th, Swears by things that are no Gods How shall the Lord pardon them for this without Re­pentance. Drunkenness is a great and a Damning Sin: The word of the Lord says expressly that no man that is a Drunkard shall inherit the Kingdom of God. 1 Cor. 6.10. Yet are there not those that make a mock of this Sin. Yea, that will make others Drunk on purpose, that so they may have something to laugh at, and to make themselves sport with. Ah! what Fools are they that will make themselves [Page 88] merry with that, for the which they mu [...] be shut out of Heaven for ever! Th [...] Sin of Uncleanness is an abominable ini [...]quity: The abhorred of the Lord shall fal [...] into it. Well did Ioseph say, when hi [...] impudent Mistress tempted him to that folly, How can I do this great Wickedness & Sin against God: Nevertheless, some that are guilty of it say, They have done no Wick­edness. Prov. 30.20. There was an unhap­py Prince not long since, who by his Whoredoms & Adulteries debauched three Kingdoms. A man was hardly esteemed a Gentleman except he were a vile person. But if he would make no Conscience of the Seventh Commandment that would recommend him. What stupendous folly is it, to Commit the most disgraceful Sins without either remorse or shame, especi­ally for persons of Quality to do so, who ought to be Examples of Vertue. When Thamar was Sollicited by a Courtier and a Royal Person to Consent unto a great Sin, she said, (and it was well and wisely spoken) And I whither shall I cause my shame to go; and as for thee, thou shalt be as one of the fools in Israel. 2 Sam. 13.13. As for them who make a mock of the greatest Sins, (be they who they will) if ever [Page 89] God intend them mercy he will make them sensible of the greatness of their folly. There was a great instance hereof in the late Earle of Rochester, who had been as great an Atheist as perhaps was in King Charles his Court. But when God opened his eyes on a death-bed, he said to his former Companions: (and gave it un­der his hand that it might make the great­er impression on them) he warned by me, as ever you regard the welfare of your immortal Souls, no more to mock at sin. And another late Example like to this was in Sir Alan Broderick, who had been one of the greatest Debauches of this Atheistical age, but when he was dying he bewayled his having spent so great a part of his Life in the Sports and follies of Sin, professing that now he saw the Folly and Unreasonable­ness of Sin, so as that no Temptation in the world could prevail with him to sin any more as formerly.

I [...]f. 2. Sinners are to be pitied and mourn­ed over. We bear with Fools: I [...] we know them to be such, we pity them and bear with their folly; Sinners are the mi­serablest [...]ools in the World: And shall no body pitty them? If we should see distracted persons destroying their own [Page 90] bodies would we not pity them, and be sorry for h [...]m: How much more when we see di [...]acted Sinners destroying their own Souls What though they desire none of our pity? And what though they should wrong us, and reproach and revile us, yet let us pity them for they know not what they do. The Time will come when they will see and be ashamed of their fully: Though for the present because madness is in their hearts, they are not ashamed, nevertheless they shall be made sensible. Isa. 26.11. They will not see but they shall see and be ashamed. Either God will Convert them and to make them see their folly: Grace is Wisdom in the in­ward parts. True Repentance is (a resi­pience) a growing wise again. Hence it was said of the returning Prodigal, that He came to himself. Luk. 15 17. He was not him­self when he spent his Estate in riotous Living. If he had not been mad he would never have done so; but he saw his folly in departing from his Fathers house where he had bread enough and to spare, & in bringing upon himself poverty, and mise­ry, and death. Or, if Sinners are not in a way of unfeigned Repentance, made to see their folly whilst they are in this world, they will see it and lament it for ever in [Page 91] [...]nother world: When they are put in Prison, and cast into the Dungeo [...]; so are they that are mad sometimes brought to themselves. Thus when Sinners shall be cast into that Dungeon where is b [...]ackness of darkness for ever, they will be made sen­sible of their folly. Therefore we should pitty and mourn over them: They that are Regenerate and made wise unto Salvation, should pitty the folly of unregenerate ones, and the rather because they themselves once were such. Tit. 3.2, 3. Let us shew all meekness towards all men, for we our selves were sometimes foolish.

USE 2. Let us be Exhorted to practise as the Doctrine calls for. And how is that? Ans. Instead of many particulars, I shall mention but two.

1. This Doctrine calls upon us to be deeply humbled for Sin. What has a fool to be proud of? No Sinner has cause to be proud of any thing, but to come down and sit in the dust before the Lord all his dayes. It is an humbling thing to be left to an act of folly, but what then is it to have an heart full of nothing else but fol­ly? so has the Sinner. Rom. 7 18. I know that in me, that is in my flesh dwelleth no good [Page 92] thing. They that are only flesh, that have nothing but nature in them, have nothing but sin and folly dwelling in them; and they have been guilty of innumerable acts of extream folly, the thought whereof ought to humble them. Every Sinner may make Sauls confession. 1 Sam 26.21. I have sinned, I have played the fool, I have erred exceedingly. Sinners have been doing nothing but playing the fool all their dayes. For what have they been doing? What have they been thinking of? What have their cares been exercised about all their dayes? only or chiefly about their Bodies, and not their Souls; not how they may make sure of Heaven, but how they may live, and get Estates on the Earth. This their way is their folly. Psal. 49.13. And they into whose hearts God has put spiri­tual wisdom, have cause sad enough to walk humbly all their dayes, remembring what fools once they were. Remember what you were in times past. Eph. 2▪11. How sinful, how foolish! There was a Time when you had no spiritual wisdom in you; a time when you were in igno­rance; a time when you knew not God. Let us remember those dayes. and the fol­ly of them, and let the thought of them [Page 93] keep us humble as long as we shall have a day to live. Moreover, there is a great deal of folly still remaining in the wisest and holiest heart on the earth: We see it in David, a man wise like an Angel of God, yet what pride and folly did he discover in causing Ioab to number the people, which he himself was very sensible of afterwards, confessing his sin and folly, and begging pardon for it. 2 Sam 24.10. Lord, take away the iniquity of thy Servant, for I have done very foolishly. We see the like in Hezekiah. What foolish pride did that wise and good man discover to be in his heart, when the Ambassadors from Babylon came to him. God left him that he might know what was in his heart; And he saw such pride and folly there, as brought him upon his knees before the Lord. 2 Chron. 32.26. Hezekiah humbled himself for the pride of his heart. And the Truth is, that the more wisdom and grace any man has in his soul, the more has he of a deep and humbling sence of the folly which is in his heart. This we see in the holy Psalmist, who expresseth him­self with such humble words as those, in Psal. 73.22. So foolish was I and ignorant, I was as a beast before thee. And we see [Page 94] it in Agur. Prov. 30.2, 3. Surely I am [...] [...]ruitish than any man, and have not the understanding of a man, I neither learned wisdom, nor have the knowledge of the Holy. Such a deep and humbling sence had he of his own weakness, and want of wis­dom.

2. Oh turn from Sin immediately. If Sin is folly, then to turn from Sin unto the wayes of Holiness, is wisdom. Sin­ners leave your folly. You will never be wise until you turn from sin. Oh then, cease to do evil, and learn to do well: And do it now▪ The voice of the Pro­phe [...]s of God in all their Sermons was, Turn ye now every one from his evil way, Jer. 25.5. You can't turn from sin too soon, but you may think of turning when it will be too late. Why will you retain such an enemy as Sin? If a man should have a Serpent in his bosome, would he not get rid of it immediately. Sin is such a Serpent; it will fling thee to death, if thou doft not make haste to get clear of it. To delay this matter is dangerous fol­ly. If Lot had delayed his going out of Sodom one day longer, he had lost his life. So has many an unhappy man lost his Soul, by delaying his Repentance one [Page 95] day. Oh stay no longer lest haply the day of grace should be ended, and the door of mercy shut against thee. Remem­ber the Foolish Virgins, who when it was too late cryed, Lord, Lord, open to us. What is the dismal cry of the Damned in Hell for ever? Yea, what is the cry of those that have gone out of our Congregations, from the hearing of Sermons to Hell? Is it not this? Wo are we for ever, because we did not Turn from sin soon enough? Wo unto us for ever, because we delayed our Turning from sin! we thought we would repent some time hereafter, but before that time came, Death Seized on us, and now it is too late. Oh that Sin­ners would consider this▪ Oh that they would be wise unto Salvation. Turn now unto God in Jesus Christ, and all your past sins and follies shall be forgiven. And for your Encouragement in Turning to the Lord, remember that God has promi­sed, that his Elect shall Turn into the way of Hol [...]ness, and the wayfaring men though fools shall not err therein.