then compare themselves with what they may easily discern and find of their present state and case. The most general consideration that you can have of or concerning your own nature is, I am a sort of creature, that can think, that can use thoughts well; do but look to your present state, the common state of men according to that representation and description that is given us of it; "all the imaginations of the thoughts of man's heart are only evil, and that continually," Gen. vi. 5. What? can any man imagine that God did make a thinking creature; endowed a creature with a power of thought, originally from the beginning, to think nothing but what was evil, and continually evil? And let but men see whether this be not a true account of themselves, that the Scripture gave so long ago. If they would but inspect and look into themselves, would they not be enforced to say, Have I not thoughts full of vanity, full of earthliness, full of impurity, from day to day? And, unless they be imposed and thrust in upon me, am I not a stranger to serious thoughts, to divine thoughts, to heavenly thoughts? Therefore the matter will again strike conscience with its own light. I am not only a creature, but a fallen creature; sure God never made me such a creature as I am become, as I have made myself; a creature, endowed with so noble intellectual powers, to debase myself; to make so sublime a thing, as an intelligent immortal mind, perpetually to grovel in the dust, and enslave itself to sensual and brutal lusts, and to mean and base designs that time measureth; and to leave myself to sink and perish eternally at length; so that to this very soul and spirit, for want of being employed about a good suitable to itself, and means and methods of compassing that, nothing but misery can be its portion. The thing speaks itself; I am a fallen creature, and as long as this continues my posture, and the state and temper of my mind and spirit, I may see the matter will issue ill at last. I am a degenerate creature, especially if it be considered how the stream and current of my thoughts and affections run out towards other things, as they stand in competition with the eternal, ever blessed God; for can any man think God made a creature to despise himself? to neglect himself, and to prefer the most despicable vanities before himself, when he hath made him capable of knowing, minding, adoring, and serving him? Thence also it would be collected, I may hence judge, whether also my present state is a safe state, or a bad state. It is a lamentable thing to be a fallen creature, fallen from its pristine excellency; and it may easily be collected hence, it is an unsafe state; for if I am fallen low already, I am still liable to fall lower; and I cannot tell whither I may fall, how low I may sink, and what finally will become of me; for I am falling lower and lower all the while I am a stranger to God, and a vassal to sensual inclinations. And I here again appeal, doth not all this speak to conscience? And doth not every one find in himself somewhat to which all this doth approve itself, and commend itself; so that he must needs say, In my very conscience this, is true cannot now run through what I have to say hereupon Pause hereupon a little, and consider what this is like to come to at last. If a man do, in a stated continual course from day to day, and from year to year, run counter to the judgment of his own conscience; if he lives continually a rebel against conscience, (for that is to be a rebel against God too,) what will it come to? Oh! might that be but seriously considered of, sure it would be of use to us, to bring us to a suitable disposition to hear of other things that will be of the greatest following concernment to us in order to our future and eternal welfare. SERMON II.* 2 Cor. iv. 2. Commending ourselves to every man's conscience. THAT which we have in hand of the several things observed to you from the text and context, is, That the great * Preached January 18th, 1690. | things of religion do carry with them a self-recommending evidence to the consciences of men. And we have shown, first, what that principle is, here called conscience. And, secondly, have touched upon the proof of the assertion. The principle itself which is to be applied and appealed to, was considered as to its prospect and retrospect. As to the former, it is the business of conscience to see before us, to discern the way we are to go. If a man do not, with good conscience, proceed in his way; if he go wavering, and with a suspenseful mind, and in continual doubt, shall I, in so doing, do right or wrong? Such an one can never steer his course, acceptably to God, or comfortably to himself; and, according to its retrospect, conscience is to make a stand, look back upon the way that a man hath taken, and thereupon make its judgment; whether he hath done aright, or wrong, in either respect, conscience is to judge; to judge of practice both as to what is done, and what is to be done: and it is principally conscience, in reference to its prospect, that we have to do with here: though it is one and the same principle that doth both; and the turn is quick and easy, from looking forward to what we are to do, to looking backward to see what we have done; and to see what may belong to us by way of reward, or by way of penalty hereupon. And so we proceed to prove the assertion; and here again you were told, that both such things as are within the discovery of natural light, and which relate to religion; and such things too, as are supernaturally revealed one way or other, come to have this self-recommending evidence to the consciences of men ; and this we proposed to prove to you, by some instances, upon which such an appeal is to be made to conscience itself, which is the clearest and most convictive way of proving any thing in the world; when we therein speak to the very inward sense of a man's own mind. And we propounded to give instances, under these four heads; to wit, of truths, of precepts, of prohibitions, and of judgments, or divine determinations concerning what is due unto a person, as he is found complying, or not complying, with the Divine preceptive will, in point of penalty or reward. We did propose to give instances of truths which concern-1st, The beginning of all things.-2dly, The apostacy of man.-3rdly, His redemption by Christ;-and 4thly, The final issue of all things. And as to the two first of these, you had instances the last day. Now to go on, 3. To instance somewhat concerning the redemption of man by Christ; as that man, being in so lost and forlorn a condition, God did send his own Son down into this world to be a Redeemer and Saviour to him. This is a thing, not evident at first sight; it was not upon the first proposal discovered; it is not as soon as we hear it evident to any of us; but it may admit to be clothed with that evidence wherewith it must recommend itself to the consciences of such as shall consider. There is enough to make it plain, both who he was that came under the notion of a Redeemer into this world, and what he came for; that doing the part of a Redeemer, was really the design and end of his coming. 1. Who he was. That he was what he gave himself out to be the Son of God; that he came down as a God, to dwell awhile in this world among men, having made himself like us, and become one of us. Though this, I say was not evident at first view, there was enough to make it evident; that is, that he who was spoken of under the name of the Son of God, a thousand years before foretold: any man that should consider it, must needs say, he came, accordingly came about such a time which was In my conscience this is so; this is the Son of God. Psalm ii. 6. "I will declare the decree, thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee." This was said one thousand years before he came : and whereas, it was so plainly said, he should come about such a time as he did, within the time of the second temple, and that he did appear under such a character as could agree to none but this very person; when he come, his glory immediately shone as the glory of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth," John i. 14. It sparkled round about wherever he came, in whatsoever he spake, in whatsoever he did. We beheld his glory, as the glory of the only begotten of the Father: this could be no other but the Son of God; this could not but speak itself; and this still cannot but speak itself in the consciences of those that do consider; and that he was afterwards testified unto, by a voice from heaven, from the excellent glory, again and again, in the hearing of a competent number, and at some other time, of very numerous witnesses;-This is my Son, my beloved Son, hear him; I recommend him to you, I set him over you, I make him arbiter of all your affairs, attend him, submit to him (hearing him imports so much.) This must speak in every conscience of considering men: this is very true, that he must be the Son of God! He that wrought such wonders in the world; restoring (upon all occasions as they occurred to him) hearing to the deaf, sight to the blind, soundness to the maimed, and life to the dead, even by a word speaking; all these things being purposely recorded, that we might know that this Jesus was Christ, the Son of God; and that by believing, we might have life through his name, John xx. 31. He certainly was the Son of God. Here is sufficient evidence that doth speak the thing to any man's conscience that doth consider;-yea, he that did display such beams of his majesty and glory, living in flesh, that even the devils themselves were constrained to do him homage, under that notion, "the Christ, the Son of the living God;" surely this must tell any man's conscience, this cannot but be so, it must be so; he, whose death in the circumstances of it, (the sun darkened, the earth shaken, the graves opened,) extorted an acknowledgment from that pagan captain; "Verily, this is the Son of God:" he that afterwards was declared to be the Son of God, with power, by the Spirit of holiness that raised him from the dead; upon all this, the matter speaks itself to the consciences of considering men;-this cannot but be the Son of God. And then, 2. That this great Person, this glorious Person, should die (as we know he did) upon a cross; that certainly speaks the end of his coming into the world, as a Redeemer; it could not be that one who was so plainly demonstrated to be the Son of God, should die for his own fault, or otherwise, than by his own consent, when it had been the easiest thing in the world to him to have avoided that fate, of dying like a malefactor on a cross. He had legions of angels at his command, and ways enough to have warded off the blow: it was neither by his default, nor without his consent, that he did die; this speaks itself evidently to every conscience of man. Then what was it for? It could be upon no other account than to redeem and save lost sinners: so that the design is thus generally evident; that is, is capable of being evidenced, made evident to any conscience of man that doth consider; and more especially that he died to procure the pardon of sin for poor sinners; died that they might be exempted and saved from the necessity of dying, that is, eternally: and that he died to recover men from under the power of sin, nothing is in itself more evident, if you consider this in the place wherein it stands, and which belongs to it in the series of Gospel doctrine; that is, it can never be, that so great, so wise, so holy a person as the Son of God was, should die to procure pardon for men, and yet leave them slaves to lust and sin. It is evident to every conscience of man, that if he died to save sinners, he died to sanctify, as well as pardon them and that he was exalted to be a Prince and a Saviour, to give repentance and remission of sins both together, Acts v. 31. That his dying could not but have that design; that "he bare our sins in his body on the tree; that we, being dead to sin, should live unto righteousness,' 1 Peter ii. 24. Being healed, by his stripes, of the wounds, and distempers, and diseases, that infested our spirits; and this all carried so much evidence with it, that (as the apostle saith to the Galatians) they must be bewitched, that do not see and look into the inmost verity that lies in such truth; the very inwards of that truth. There is a centre of truth, a centring of truth, and if you do not refer the beams of that truth to the centre they proceed from, truly they are insignificant little things, and as little capable of subsisting apart, as the beams of the sun would be, cut off from the sun. You must make a rational design of this whole business, suitable to the wisdom of a Deity, and suitable to the vast comprehension of a Divine mind, or you do nothing. Then, I say, look upon these things as they do refer to one centre and juncture of Divine truth; and all runs into this, That Christ died upon this account, and with this design, that he might pardon and transform men together; that he might pardon them and renew them; pardon them and make them new creatures; pardon them, and divest them of the old man, and put on them the new man: for can any considering conscience of man admit the thought, that he died for sinners to procure them pardon. leaving them enemies to God as they were; leaving them with blind minds as they were; leaving them with natures poisoned with enmity and malignity against the Author of their beings as they were; and yet design these persons to blessedness? That were to design an impossible thing; to design that man, or that sort of men, to a blessed state in heaven, that have at the same time a hell within them. One that hath not a holy nature, hath hell within him. This speaks itself to any conscience of man that doth but consider;-do but think, and you must say, In my conscience it must be so; so that, if any do not subject their souls to the design of that Gospel that hath revealed this to them, it may be said to them, Oh! foolish creatures, that you should not believe this truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth crucified among you; (Gal. iii. 1.) that have had such a representation of a crucified Christ, and never made it your business to know for what,-what was the design of it. I pray what did it finally aim at, but to Christianize the world, so far as his design should extend and have its effect? That is, to turn them into the image of that Christ, that was crucified for them; to make them pure, and holy, and heavenly creatures, and devoted to God as he was. And as the apostle adds here," If our Gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:" if so plain a Gospel as this, that carries such evidence with it to the consciences of men, cannot yet be understood, it shows what a dreadful character these souls lie under; these must be struck with a penal blindness, and with a diabolical blindness withal, which is equivalent with this phrase of being bewitched; "in whom the God of this world hath blinded the eyes of them that believe not," as the next words are in the 4th verse of this chapter. And so much, therefore, concerning the design of redemption by the Son of God, who came down unto this world upon this account, may be represented with that evidence, as to command any conscience of man that con siders, into an assent: This cannot but be so, in my conscience this is so. And then, 4. Concerning the final issue of all: there is such truth shining, as much needs strike conscience, if it be attended to; it is clothed with that evidence, or easily admits to be, as must overpower the consciences of men into an assent. As, 1. Concerning the final issue of things; that this present state of things shall have an end. Any body that considers, cannot but say, in my very conscience it cannot but be so, it must be so; things are not to run on always sure as they now do. This state and posture of things certainly is not to be eternal; for it is a likely thing, that God will perpetuate his own dishonour, that he will have the generatíons of men in a continual succession to rise up one after another, full of alienation and estrangement from the Author of their being, and always to live upon the earth, while they live to no other purpose than to express their contempt of him that gave them breath? Will not this have an end? Sure any conscience of man must need say, This state of things will have an end, 1 Peter iv. 7. So that when this truth is spoken to us; "the end of all things is at hand," is approaching; (to that fore-seeing Spirit, that spake those words, and whose breath they were, the end of all things is at hand, just at hand; there is no conscience of man that allows itself to think, but must think so it will be, and this state of things cannot last always; though we are taught that while things do continue thus, it is with design, and it is from patience; and that design shall be accomplished, and that patience must have its limits and bounds. We are told it is not from negligence, but from patience; it is not that God doth neglect or disregard the state of things; it is not from supine ossitancy, but Divine patience. Why, in my very conscience, this is true, must every one say that considers; He that hath made such a world as this, and been the immediate Author of such a sort of intelligent creatures in it, who are to have imme- | all thy might, and with all thy mind, and shalt love thy diate presidence and dominion here in this present lower world; it is not to be imagined that he doth neglect the creatures that he hath made, and made after his own image; stamped with his own likeness; it is not likely he should be indifferent how they live, what they do, and what their posture and dispositions towards him are: any man that thinks, must needs say this is very true, it is God's patience, not his negligence, that such a sort of creatures are so long, from age to age, suffered to inhabit this world, and breathe upon this earth. Therefore when it is told us from the divine word, "The Lord is not slack concerning the promise of his coming, as some men count slackness; but is patient and long-suffering towards sinners, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance" (2 Peter iii. 9.) such truth when it is laid before us, is so con-natural, so agreeable to the very conscience of man, that he must say, This sure is true, it falls within my mind; my mind gives it, it cannot be from negligence, or unconcernedness; but from wise designing patience, that things run on in this course so long. And then again, 2. This cannot but be evident concerning the end of all things, to those that consider, that sure their end will be glorious, suitable to their glorious beginning and glorious Author; that God will, in putting an end to things so like himself, and so, as it is worthy of God, there is no doubt but he will: any conscience of man must needs say so. God will do at length like himself; men have done all this while like themselves; they, like men, have transgressed, and perpetuated, to their utmost, their rebellions in this world against their rightful Lord; thus they have been in all things while doing like men; and God will at length do like God, no doubt but he will. There can be in him no variableness, nor shadow of turning; his nature alters not; he is the I Am, and is what he is; and therefore, there will be an issue of all things, that will demonstrate, to all apprehensive creatures, the glory of the great Lord of heaven and earth; even to the highest, and in ways most suitable to himself; that is, it shall go well with all that have been sincere lovers of him-devoted to him, studious to please him; that valued his favour, and despised it not as the most do; but for the rest, this world, the stage of their wickedness, where they have been sinning from age to age, is reserved on purpose for the perdition of ungodly men; and reserved unto fire for that end and purpose, 2 Peter iii. 7. That things will end thus, as to all those that know not God, and were in conspiracy against him and his Messiah; saying, "Let us break their bonds asunder, and cast away their cords from us," Psalm ii. 3. And that never turned, never made their peace; that the day that comes for them, it must be to consume them in the common ruin, when the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements melt with fervent heat, and the earth and all things therein be consumed and burnt up; for this world is reserved unto fire, for the perdition of ungodly men as we see the expressions are, 2 Peter iii. 7. And thus are they to have their perdition in those flames, that is, that the fire of the Almighty, which will at last catch hold of this world, whereby the heavens shall be shrivelled up as a scroll, and pass away with great noise; then it will be seen, that both ways God hath done like himself; he hath done suitably to an excellent, great, and glorious majesty, long despised by the work of his own hands. Now, when these things come to be represented, they do carry in them that evident appearance of verity and truth, that more than very similitude, that every conscience of man must say, These things are very agreeable to truth, cannot but be true. There is a con-naturalness between the soul of man and truth, between the mind of man, the conscience of man that is to judge of truth, so that any must say that consider, It cannot but be thus; in my very conscience it will be so. Then to go on, 2. To the next head, that of precepts; wherein, as in reference to the former, it was the business of conscience to discern of truth and falsehood; so in reference to this, it will be the business of conscience to discern of right and wrong; but here we shall only mention those two great comprehensive precepts,-" Thou shalt love the Lord thy God, with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with neighbour as thyself," Deut. vi. 5. Matt. xxii. 37. Pre- ful thing that calls me to repentance? And shall I not | And so for Faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, doth not the thing carry evidence with it to the consciences of men, That he who is to make up (upon such terms as you have heard) that which otherwise must have been an everlasting breach between God and the sinner, should not have the soul, when called thereto in the Gospel, and being now in its return to God, take him in its way, and pay a dutiful homage to him whom God hath set over all the affairs of lost souls, to be to them a Prince and a Saviour, to give repentance and remission of sins? But in order thereunto, here it must be begun, for the poor soul thus to own him in the high authority of his office. This is the homage, which is, in sum, the meaning of faith in Christ; the paying deference to him whom God hath set over all the affairs of souls: that is, by resigning themselves up to him: that is the homage that you owe him. And herein lies the substance of faith,-Gospel faith, self-resignation, a self-surrender, whereby you put yourselves absolutely into the hands of Christ, and own his high authority, as he is a Prince and a Saviour. And is not this the most reasonable thing in all the world? Doth not every conscience of man say so when he considers, If ever I will be reconciled to God, it must be by the blood of Christ; and he hath an office over this lost world, founded in his blood? And shall I not come and pay my deference to him at the footstool of that throne which God hath set considered, but with reference to their work of dispensing the Gospel of Christ, and holding forth the great things contained in it: that that laid our ground fairly enough in view, for that which I mainly intended to insist upon from these words, and that is, That the great things of religion do carry in them a selfrecommending evidence to the consciences of men. And here, having shown you what is meant by conscience, what that principle is that is to be applied unto, appealed unto, in this work of ours; we come to evince to you the truth of the thing, that there is that self-recommending evidence in the great things of religion, even to the very consciences of men. We propounded (as you know) to prove it by instances, and we have proved it, 1. By instances under the head of truths, or the doctrines unto which assent is to be given; and we have proved it, 2. By instances under the heads of precepts, duties, enjoined to be done ;-and now we shall further prove it, 3. By instancing in prohibitions of sin to be avoided; and in them you will find the same recommending evidence to men's consciences, if such prohibitions, as do but come under your notice, be considered a little; as that general one," Oh, do not that abominable thing which I hate," Jer. xliv. 4. What convictive light doth it carry to every conscience of man, that allows himself to think and consider! I, a creature, the work of God's own hand, in whose power and pleasure it was, whether I should ever be or not be, whether ever I should draw a breath, or see the light in this world, yea or no; that I being lately sprung into being, by his pleasure and vouchsafement, should allow myself despitefully to do the thing he hates, and that he hath declared himself to hate? How can this, (if men do think,) how can it but strike conscience? What! to spite the God of all grace; Him, whose nature is love itself, goodness itself, kindness? For me to do the thing that I know he hates, how is it possible but this should recommend itself to conscience, if men do not shut the eye and stop the ear of conscience, that it shall not work? he hath said to the Son, "Thy throne for him? When be allowed to discharge any part of its proper office and God, is for ever and ever," shall not I come and pay my homage to this Son of God, at that throne? (Psal. iv. 5.) the Redeemer's throne; and say, Lord, being now convinced of this state of my case, and being reduced to this, to bethink myself of returning to God, and I know there is no coming at him but by thee; and this throne is set up in the way for returning souls; I therefore come and pay my homage at this throne; that is, I come and resign my soul, give up myself, put myself into thy hands to be under thy conduct: thou didst die the just for the unjust to bring them unto God; and now I come to thee to be brought, I submit to thy authority, I commit myself to thy grace. This is faith, Gospel faith, and can any thing more approve itself to the conscience, than the right and equity of doing so? Is it not a righteous thing, and a just thing, that this law should be laid upon returning sinners? If you go to God immediately,-No, saith he, go and do homage to my Son; there is no coming to me, but in him; and when you do so, when you thus receive the Gospel, take hold of the Gospel covenant, take him for Lord and Christ, and resign and give up yourselves. This sums up that duty, and the subservient duty of repentance towards God, as the way that leads to the end. And see now, whether the Gospel of our Lord, both as to the truths of it, and as to the precepts of it, do not carry with it a self-recommending evidence unto the consciences of men. SERMON III.* 2 Cor. iv. 2. Commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God. THE matter is in itself so obvious, that this self-recommendation is not thus spoken of the persons, personally * Preached January 25th, 1690. But to descend to more particular prohibitions, there the thing will be still plain; do not live after the flesh, if you do, it is mortal to you!" If ye live after the flesh, ye shall die," Rom. viii. 13. What evidence doth this carry with it to conscience! Take the prohibition and the enforcement together, as we should do in the former instances; Do not this, do not the thing I hate. When we do know ourselves to be a sort of compound creatures, made up of flesh and spirit, can we be ignorant which is the nobler part? Can any man's conscience allow him to think, that flesh ought to rule; that it belongs to the baser flesh to be the governing thing? "Do not walk after the flesh;" doth not the thing carry its own evidence with it, that we should not; that the mind and spirit should not be enslaved to so base a thing as flesh ? Again, "Do not grieve the Spirit of God, do not quench the Spirit; (1 Thess. v. 9.) what evidence doth this carry with it to any conscience of man! Our own hearts tell us, if we consider, we need a guide in this wilderness; we need an enlightener, we need a sanctifier, we need a quickener, we need a comforter within, an internal one of all these. What? is it reasonable to think; doth not the matter speak itself to our consciences; when it is said to us, whatsoever ye do, do not grieve the Spirit? (Eph. iv. 3.) You are lost if you do; what desolate creatures will ye be if you do! what forsaken wretches! You will run yourselves into a thousand miseries and deaths, if you be forsaken of that Spirit; your end can be nothing but perdition, if you be not under the constant conduct of that Spirit. I might preach to you thus, upon as many several texts as I give you instances in this case, to show the truth of this one thing, how God doth speak to men's consciences in the Gospel dispensation. When again he saith to men, Love not this world, nor the things of this world; if any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him; (1 John ii. 15.) that is, do not so love this world, as thereby to stifle, as thereby to exclude, the love of God, that it shall and can have no place in you. Doth not this carry its own light with it, its own evidence? What a foolish wretch art thou that thinkest this world can be to thee in the room and stead of God! Can this world be a god to thee? Can this world fill up God's vacant places? What a pitiful, sorry god wilt thou find it in a few years or days? Thou who dost turn God out of thy soul, and wilt have it filled and replenished only with this world, doth not this carry with it conviction to conscience? What can, if this do not? Again, do not take more care for this temporal life, than for spiritual and eternal life; or to give it you in the words of our Saviour, " Labour not for the meat that perisheth; but for that which endureth to life eternal, which the Son of man shall give," John vi. 27. Doth not this carry its own evidence to you with it? That is, when I know I have but a short temporal life; which, do what I can, will soon come to an end; and there is an eternal state of life which must come afterwards. I know I am a creature made for eternity, and for an everlasting state. Doth not this carry its own evidence with it, when I am forbid to take more care for this mortal life, than for life eternal? when I am forbidden to make more solicitous provision for this perishing life, than an immortal life? Doth not the reason of the thing speak itself in my conscience? But I go on, 4. To the last head which I proposed to give instances of. We have gone upon Divine truths, Divine precepts, Divine prohibitions; we shall only instance further, upon the head of Divine judgments, or judicial determinations. I cannot call what I intend by a fitter name, or nearer to that of the apostle, who knowing the judgment of God, that they who do such things are worthy of death,-here is the Divine judicial determination, de debito retributionis, what is justly to be retributed to those that are found to disobey the stated known rules of his government. His judgments in this sense, they are a light that goeth forth, Hosea vi. 5. (to borrow that expression;) they carry their own convictive evidence with them to the consciences of men. How equal they are! take those two in the general, that we have confronted to one another. Say ye to the righteous, it shall be well with him: for they shall eat the fruit of their doings: Wo unto the wicked, it shall be ill with him: for the reward of his hands shall be given him," Isaiah iii. 10, 11. Doth not this speak itself, that when we know the world is divided into good and bad, into righteous and wicked, it should fare ill with them that did ill, and well with them that did well? Doth not this carry its own evidence with it to conscience, that God should render to every man according to his works; that is, the course of his work, and, consequently, the habitual inclinations from whence they proceed: every thing working as it is, and men working, as they are, either according to what by nature they were, or according to what by grace they are become; so they ought to be judged? When we know the world is divided into two parts, under two great parents, as the apostle calls them the children of God, and the children of the devil, herein are the children of God manifest, and the children of the devil, 1 John iii. 10. These two families, these two sorts of posterities, do divide the world to every man's sense; and the world being so divided, is it to be expected that God should deal with his own children and the devil's children alike? Let conscience be appealed to in this case; they that live here all their days in this world under the law, and according to the dictates of the prince of the darkness of this world, despising God, hating his ways, throwing him out of their thoughts, making it only their design to please themselves, and do the devil's work; when we know there is such a sort of men in this world, and that there is another sort that have given up themselves to God in Christ, have taken hold of Christ and of God in him, to be theirs; being born, " not of flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God;" (John i. 13.) as all they that do receive Christ are: when we know, I say, there is such a contradistinction between a race and a race, a family and a family, can any man in his conscience expect that God should deal with all alike? And therefore, when you have particular determinations to the particular distinguishing characters of the one sort, and of the other, the equity | and reasonableness of the determination cannot but speak itself in every man's conscience that doth consider the case. As, for instance, the love of Christ: it is determined on the one hand, "Grace be upon all them that love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity," (Ephes. vi. 21.) and, on the other hand, "If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be Anathema Maranatha;" (1 Cor. xvi. 22.) an execrable thing, an accursed thing, till the Lord come to plead his own cause and quarrel himself. To what conscience of man doth not the equity of this determination or distinguishing judgment appear and recommend itself? What! do we think (when men must have their final felicity from the blessed Judge, if ever they be happy) that he is to dispense equally to them that love him, and to them that hate him? And so, when the business of obedience to his Gospel, the laws of his kingdom, is mentioned as the contradistinguishing character to that of disobedience and rebellion. He will be "the Author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him," (Hebrews v. 9.) and will come in flaming fire to take vengeance on them that obey him not, 2 Thess. i. 8. Doth not this distinguishing judgment approve itself to any man's conscience? That when every man must be beholden for this salvation to Christ, the eternal Son of God, into whose hands and power this world is put, the whole universe, indeed, all the affairs of heaven and earth; do you think he will make no difference at the last between them that obeyed him, subjected themselves to that vast just power of his, and they that lived in continual rebellion against him, and defiance to his power and authority? And so, if we should take the determination which is given us, concerning the stated method of God's final procedure in that which is called the day of wrath, and the revelation of his righteous judgment; to wit, that to them who, by patient continuance in well-doing, seek for glory, and honour, and immortality, he will give eternal life; (Rom. ix. 7.) such as, by patient continuance in well-doing, do steer their course answerable to so high a hope and expectation of honour, glory, and immortality, said God, nothing but eternal glory and blessedness will answer the enlargedness of the capacity, desires, and aspirings of these souls; they shall have their seeking. These are a sort of souls that breathe after nothing but the celestial glory and felicity, being refined from the mixture, dross, and baseness, of this earth: no terrene good will satisfy them, or serve their turn; for they are all for heaven, all for glory, and immortality: I will give them eternal life. This is the judgment that is made aforehand; eternal life shall be theirs. But then there is another sort, that are contentious, and will not obey the truth; (Rom. ii. 8, 9.) that is, that are contentious against the truth they should obey, and that should govern them: no, they will not be governed by truth; they will be governed by lust, by terrene inclinations, which bear them downwards towards this earth: "Indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish, on every soul of man:" it will be upon them, every soul of them, that do evil, whether Jew or Gentile; because there is no respect of persons with God, Romans ii. 11. What can more approve itself to the judgment of conscience than this determination doth ? Yea, God hereupon makes his appeal to men: Are not my ways equal? Ezek. xviii. 25-29. Be you, your very conscience itself, in the judgment-seat, and let that pronounce, Are not my ways equal? what conscience of man but must submit here, and fall in with the choir of them that say, "Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways," Rev. xv. 3. There is nothing to be said against all this; every conscience of man must yield and submit to God in this case. It remains to say somewhat by way of use. 1. We learn hence, that upon the whole there cannot but be much sinning against light in this world; and especially under the Gospel, where there are those so clear, evident, and convictive things, that are insisted upon so much from time to time, which even make their own way to men's consciences; though through them they do not make their way to their more abstracted hearts. Do but appeal to yourselves; what are the things that you hear of in these assemblies from one Lord's day to another? Are they not the things as I have now given you instances |