SERM.

65

judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be juftiCXII. «fied, and by thy words thou fhalt be condemned." He had spoken before of that great and unpardonable fin of "blafpheming the HOLY GHOST;" and because this might be thought great feverity for evil words, he declares the reafon more fully, because words fhew the mind and temper of the man, ver. 34. "For out of the abundance of the heart the "mouth speaketh." "The character of the man "is fhewn by his words," faith Menander. Profert enim mores plerumque oratio (faith Quintilian) & animi fecreta detegit; "A man's fpeech difcovers his "manners, and the fecrets of his heart; ut vivit "etiam quemque dicere, men commonly speak as they live;" and therefore our SAVIOUR adds, "A good man out of the good treafure of his heart, bringeth forth good things; and an evil man out "of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth evil "things but I fay unto you that every idle word, σε πᾶν ῥῆμα ἀργόν,” by which I do not think our SAVIOUR means, that men fhall be called to account at the day of judgment, for every trifling and impatient and unprofitable word, but every wicked and finful word of any kind, as if he had faid, do you think this fevere to make words an unpardonable fault? I fay unto you that men fhall not only be condemned for their malicious and blafphemous fpeeches against the HOLY GHOST; but they fhall likewife give a strict account for all other wicked and finful speeches in any kind, tho' much inferior to this. And this is not only moft agreeable to the fcope of our SAVIOUR, but is confirmed by fame Greek copies, in which it is πᾶν ῥῆμα πονηρόν, " every wicked

σε

word which men fhall fpeak, they fhall be ac"countable

countable for it at the day of judgment." But SER M. this by the by.

Our SAVIOUR likewife tells us, that men fhall not only be proceeded against for fins of commiffion, but for the bare omiffion and neglect of their duty, especially in works of mercy and charity'; for not feeding the hungry, and the like, as we fee, Matth. xxv. and that for the omiffion of thefe, he will pass that terrible fentence, "Depart ye curfed, "&c." So that it nearly concerns us to be careful of our whole life, of all our words and actions, fince the gospel hath fo plainly and exprefly declared, that "for all these things GOD will bring us ❝ into judgment And if the threatnings of the gospel be true, "what manner of perfons ought we to be, in all holy converfation and godli"" nefs ?"

66

Secondly, as the threatnings of the gospel are very plain and exprefs, fo are they likewife very dreadful and terrible. I want words to exprefs the least part of the terror of them; and yet the expreffions of fcripture concerning the mifery and punishment of finners in another world, are fuch as may juftly raise ainazement and horror in those that hear them. Sometimes it is expreft by "a departing from GOD," and a perpetual banishment " from his prefence," who, is the foundation of all comfort, and joy, and happiness; fometimes by "the lofs of our fouls," or ourselves. "fhall it profit a man to gain the whole world and lofe his own foul ?" or, (as it is in another evangelift) "to lofe himself?" not that our being shall be destroyed; that would be a happy loss indeed,

66

"What

to

CXII.

SERM. to him that is fentenced to be for ever miserable;
CXII. but the man fhall ftill remain, and his body and

foul continue to be the foundation of his misery, and
a scene of perpetual woe and discontent, which our
SAVIOUR calls the deftroying of body and foul in
"hell,"or"going into everlasting punishment, where
"there fhall be wailing and gnashing of teeth,
"where the worm dies not, and the fire is not
"quenched." Could I reprefent to you the hor-
ror of that dismal prison, into which wicked and
impure fouls are to be thruft, and the mifery they
must there endure, without the leaft fpark of com-
fort, or glimmering of hope, how they wail and
groan under the intolerable wrath of GoD, the in-
folent fcorn and cruelty of devils, the fevere lafhes
and ftings, the raging anguifh and horrible defpair
of their own minds, without intermiffion, without
pity, without hope of ever feeing an end of that
mifery, which yet is unfupportable for one mo-
ment; could I represent these things to you accord-
ing to the terror of them, what effect muft they have
upon us and with what patience could any man
bear to think of plunging himself into this mifery?
and by his own wilful fault and folly to endanger
his "coming into this place and state of torments ?”
efpecially if we confider in the

Third place, that the gospel hath likewife decla-
red, that there is no avoiding of this mifery, no hopes
of impunity, if men go on and continue in their
fins. The terms of the gofpel in this are peremp-
tory, that "
except we repent, we shall perish ;'
that" without holiness no man fhall fee the LORD;"
that "the unrighteous fhall not inherit the king.
"dom of GOD." And this is a very preffing con-

fideration,

fideration, and brings the matter to a fhort and SER M, plain iffue. Either we muft leave our fins, or die CXII. in them; either we muft repent of them, or be judged for them; either we must forfake our fins, and break off that wicked courfe which we have lived in, or we muft quit all hopes of heaven and happiness, nay, we cannot "efcape the damnation

of hell." The clear revelation of a future judgment is fo preffing an argument to repentance, as no man can in reafon refift, that hath not a mind to be miferable. "Now (faith St. Paul to the "Athenians) he ftraightly chargeth all men every "where to repent, because he hath appointed a day in the which he will judge the world in righ"teoufnefs."

Men may cheat themfelves, or fuffer themselves to be deluded by others, about feveral means and devices of reconciling a wicked life, with the hopes of heaven and eternal falvation; as by mingling fome pangs of forrow for fin, and fome hot fits of devotion with a finful life; which is only the interruption of a wicked courfe, without reformation and amendment of life: but let no man deceive you

with vain words ;" for our bleffed SAVIOUR hath provided no other way to fave men, but upon the terms of repentance and obedience.

Fourthly, this argument takes hold of the most defperate and profligate finners, and flill retains its force upon the minds of men, when almost all other confiderations fail, and have loft their efficacy upon us. Many men are gone fo far in an evil courfe, that neither fhame of their vices, nor the love of GOD and virtue, nor the hopes of heaven are of any force with them, to reclaim them and bring them

to

SERM. to a better mind: but there is one handle yet left, CXII. whereby to lay hold of them, and that is their fear.

This is a paffion that lies deep in our nature, being founded in felf-prefervation, and sticks fo closely to us, that we cannot quit ourselves of it, nor fhake it off. Men may put off ingenuity, and break thro all obligations of gratitude. Men may harden their foreheads, and conquer all fenfe of fhame; but they can never perfectly ftifle and fubdue their fears; they can hardly fo extinguish the fear of hell, but that fome sparks of that fire will ever and anon be flying about in their confciences, efpecially when they are made fober, and brought to themfelves by affliction, and by the present apprehenfions of death, have a nearer fight of another world. And if it was fo hard for the heathen to conquer thefe apprehenfions, how much harder muft it be to chriftians, who have fo much greater affurance of these things, and to whom "the wrath of GoD is fo clearly revealed from

..

heaven, against all ungodlinefs and unrighteouf"nefs of men ?"

Fifthly, no religion in the world ever urged this argument upon men, with that force and advantage which christianity does. The philofophy of the heathen gave men no fteady affurance of the thing; the most knowing perfons among them were not agreed about a future ftate; the greateft part of them fpake but doubtfully concerning another life. And befides the natural jealoufies and fufpicions of mankind concerning these things, they had only fome fair probabilities of reason, and the authority of their poets, who talked they knew not what about the elyfian fields, and the infernal regions, and the three judges of hell; fo that the wifeft among them had hardly affurance