him? But these vain Fancies are as foon Serm. baffled as mention'd. Let him that de- VIII. nies the Knowledge of God, answer if he can that demand of the Pfalmift, He that planted the Ear, fball he not hear? He that form'd the Eye, fhall he not fee? He Pfal. xciv. that teacheth Man Knowledge, fhall not be 9, 10. know? This is true Reafon as well as Revelation, and cannot but convince a Man as foon as he hears it. Add to this, that he who denies the Knowledge, muft likewise deny the Omniprefence and Omnipotence of God. For, how fhall his Power extend to what his Knowledge does not? Or, how fhall he be Omnipresent, and not know what is in his Prefence, fince he is all Eye, all Mind?

And as he, who denies God's Knowledge of Humane Actions, robs him of one part of his Divine Perfections; fo he that denies he is concern'd at 'em, robs him of the other. For, if he be neither pleas'd nor difpleas'd with good or evil Actions, I cannot poffibly underftand, how he can be Wife, and Holy, and Good. For tell me, Can God be Holy, and neither love Vertue, nor hate Vice? Can he be Wife and Good, and yet abandon the Care of his Creatures, and the Administration of the World, which he himself has made? Can he be Wife

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Vol. II. Wife and Good, and yet never exert nor employ thofe Divine Perfections, which are so neceffary to the Support, the Vertue and Happiness of his poor Creatures? In a word, Can he be Wife and Good, if he regard not whether his Subjects break or keep his Laws, if he neither reward Vertue, nor punish Vice? What would fuch Men as these have? Would they have an Idol, a Stock or Stone inftead of a God? A Logg as the Frogs in the Fable had, inftead of a King? A God, that is neither Wife, nor Good, nor Holy; that neither Loves, nor Hates, does Evil nor Good; and confequently, fo inconfiderable, that his Creatures fhould neither be the better for his Love, nor the worse for his Hatred? Are these the Perfections Men of Sense adorn their God with? Certainly 'twere more reafonable to believe no God, than fuch a God as this. 'Twas wicked and ftupid enough, when the Sinner thought God fuch Pfal.L.21. a one as himself: But to think him more foolish and more inconfiderable than himself, By what words fhall we call this? Stupid and Wicked are Terms too foft to express it.

To conclude this Head; It must be Obftinacy and Madness if Sinners shall think it enough to oppose against all this,

;

this one fingle and wretched Fancy, Serm. which lies at the bottom of all that they VIII, fay on this fubject; they measure God by themselves, and because they do not fee God, they think God does not fee them because their Happiness confifts in floth and fottishness, they think, that God's must consist too in a Lazy, unactive Enjoyment of himself. It remains, that there is Wrath in God, and, I believe, however Sinners may flatter themselves, it may be made appear in the

IV. Place, that tis confiderable too; nay, that 'tis dreadful and intolerable, This, I confefs, feems to me fo plain, that I cannot but wonder, how any, who pretend to believe the Gofpel, and to fuch I now fpeak, can ever think otherwife. I know what Pains fome take to mitigate the feverity, and fhorten the duration of Furure Punishment; but all they offer, amounts to no more than Vain Words. If we reflect upon the Guilt and Provocation of Sin, 'tis the greateft that can be conceiv'd. If we confider the Perfon offended and incens'd; 'tis God, an Almighty God. If we enquire after the degree of his Difpleasure, Indignation and Wrath, Fury that comes forth like Fire and burns that none can Jer. iv. quench it, does not furely import a light Emotion

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Vol. II. Emotion in the Divine Mind, or a flight or inconfiderable diflike or diftafte; but the quite contrary, a degree of Hatred, that bears fome Proportion to the Majefty, and the Holiness of God. If lastly, we examine the Diftrefs and Calamity of loft Sinners in another World; it is deRev. xiv. fcrib'd by Fire and Brimstone, by Torment, 10, MI. the Smoke of which afcendeth up for ever and ever, by Darkness, by a bottomless Pit; and the effect of this by Tribulation and Anguish, by weeping and wailing and gnasbing of Teeth.

Mat, viii.

12.

To what purpose, now, do Men amufe and fool themselves with subtil Difputes whether Hell Fire be a Reality or a Metaphor? Is the Anguish and Torment the Damned endure a Metaphor? Or do these terrible Defcriptions of it, fignify a trifling and inconfiderable Evil? If not, what does it matter, what Means or Inftruments the Almighty makes use of to execute his Wrath and make Sinners miferable? that which concerns them to know is, that their Misery is inexpreffible, infupportable.

As vain is the Talk of wicked Men against the Eternity of Hell. I have not time to enter upon the many Evasions they make use of to defeat the exprefs words of Scripture: All that I will at

present

prefent fay is, that the natural and ob- Serm. vious fenfe of Scripture makes for this VIII. Eternity; whereas those Interpretations, which elude it are forced and difficult: That the Laws of God, whatever those of Men are, must be prefum'd to be exprefs'd in clear and intelligible Terms, not obfcure, metaphorical and ambiguous ones: That the Narrative our Lord has given us before hand of the Judicial Proceedings at the laft Day ought certainly Matt. xxv. to be clear and intelligible; and in one word, that whether the Punishment of the Damned be Everlasting or not, it is fo expreffed, that no impartial Man can choose but conclude, that the Spirit of God was willing we fhould believe it so, and forefaw we generally would.

After this is faid, How unreasonable is it to urge, that God Almighty is not bound to fulfil his Threats? For in the firft place I do not think, that the Penal Sanctions of a Divine Law are properly to be called Threats: But if they were; if the Solemn and Effential Conftitutions of a Law, were no more fix'd and unalterable than particular Threats in particular Cafes; if God were at the fame Liberty not to fulfil his Threats in this Cafe, when the Conditions on which Mercy may be hop'd for, are finally and