Bates - HP BX5200 B3 1700

Of Eternal Judgment. Chap. IV. . Satan wiHthen bring in a bloody Charge againA: them. Such is his Malignity, that he JS a Complamer of God to Man, and by culummaung the Ble!red Creator, feduo'd our lirA: Parents ; and he is the accUR:r of Men to God. He is ftiled the acmfer of the Brethren before God day and night, Rev. Sometimes fallly, ~s when he taxed Job, that his Piety was mercenary ; and often truly, to provoke the D1vme Difpleafure. But tho his Charge be JUft ,gainft them as Sinners, yet as penitent Sinners they are abfolved by the Judg upon t heThrone of Grace. This we have rcprefented to the Prophet :;{schary, Jojhua the hig/J Pm(/, a Type of the Church, jfandrng before the angel of the Lord, and Satan jlanding at Ius rtght hand to acctife lnm; Zech. j. I, 2, j. fo.r that \\~as the place of accufers. But Chrift the ble!red Reconciler interpofed : Ami the Lord {atd to Sal4n, The Lord rebuke thee 0 Satan, even the Lord that bath chofen Jerufalem, ~ebuke thee. . But he will principally afr the part of an accufer at the ]aft Judgmenr. TillS ISUltlmated m that fearful Imprecation LetSata11 jland at /m right hand; when he is judged, let htm be condemned. Pfal. 109. 6, .,: He IS now an acbve watchful Spmt, whofe Diligence IS equal to hiS Malice, and by glitter. ing Snares, or viotem Temptations, draws Men to Sin. Bot then he will be their moft bitter accufcr, not from zeal of Juftice, but pure Malignity.. Then he will aggravate their Crimes by the moft killing Circumftances; tho in acculing them he indites bimfelf their Sins be10g ufually done by hisfollicitations. ' And the Wicked themfelves will accufe one another. In this World Fellow.finners ufually conceal one anothers Wickednefs, reftrain'd by their own obnoxioufnefs. But then all that haye been jointly engaged in the commilfton of Sin, will impeach each other. 1 he voluptuous. Sinners th_at have excited one another to Luft or Luxury; C~me let us take ottr jii/ of /we ttifthe mormng. Prov. 7. t8. Come I will fetch wine, and we wtli fll our fehm ,.tth jlrong.drink; for to morrow jhaiibeM to day, and much more abundant. Ifa.56.r2. Ail the chanmng Companions and Alrociates will with fiercenefs charge one another. And the malicious cruel S10ners that fay, Come/et tu lay wait for Blood, let us [wallow them ttf quich ,. the Grtve, Prov. r. will then, like enraged Furies, fly upon one another. In all Sins of Combination, the inferior Infiruments will accufc their Directors for their perni<i:ious Counfel, and the Directors will accufe the Inftrumems for their wicked Compliance. And all the holy Servants ot God, who by their Inftrucrions, Counfels, Admonitions, Examples, have endeavoured· to make the World better; efpecially thofe who by theic tAace and relation were more concerned, and more zealoully and compalftonately urged and perfwaded thofc under their Care to reform their Lives, and fave their Souls, will give 2 heavy teflimony againft them. Indeed the very prefence of the Saints will upbraid the Wicked, for their refifting all the warming, meltinll Intreaties, all the grave and ferious Reproofs, all the tender earneft Expoftularions, that were ineffeS:ual by the hardnefs of their Hearts. Briefly, the Scripture attributes to the Signs and Circumftances of Mens Sins, a vocal Evidence again it them. Thus the Prophet fpeaking of the Houfe built by Rapine and ExtoFtion, The jloms of the waU cry, and the beAms anjiver them, Hab. 2. 1 r. and with con~ wrrent Teftimony accufe the unrighteous Builder. And St. 'James declares, That the ,.,.. ges of the Hireling, kept b'ack by fraud, cry againfl the Oppre.!Jor. And the rujl of gold and Jil- ~['c!;';~r;~;f~~~l •b;'~n~e~~;~ ~;ai~fr':~% l~~.;?t~.': 4· And this by the recognitioru To what the Scripture fpeaks of this kind ofEvid~nce of mens Sins, I !hall add a ufefu~ Reprefcntation fram'd by aHeathen, to figmfy thatWickednefs, how fecrctly foever commrtted, l11all be brought to light in Judgment. He tells us, "That the Soul ofa very guilty " Wretch was after Death arraigned before one of thefeverc Judges below. And athisTrial, " ' becaufe his atrocious Crimes were done in fecret, he ftood upon hisdefence, denying all. " The Judg commanded his Lamp to be. produc'd, that was an Eyewitnefs of his Wicked- " ncfs. The Lamp appear'd, and bemg demanded what It knew of lum? anfwere<l ' ' with a figh, Would I had been confcious of nothing, for even now the remembrance of " his Villanies makes me to tremble : I wifh my Light had been exungmfhed, that the . ' ' Oil that maintain'd it had quench'd ir. But I burnt with difdain, and caft about fame ~~;'~~ ir~~~~~" Sparks to fire l1i~ impure. Bed_; ~nd was srieved that my little Fl~me. was. fo weak as. Jico,ipfcinfc-" not to confume1t. I fatd w1thtn my felt, If the Sun faw thefe VIllames, tt would be. crcro. Luc.crna" eclips'd and leave the World in Darknefs. But I now perceive why I wasconfirain'd :~~criuc~~~~t '' to give'Light to him, that being a fecret Spy of his Uncleann~fs, his Thefts and Crue.J.. e:-ciil ft.l dl ~ ' ' ties, I might t\eveal them. But we that are enlightned by Fanb, and know tha~ God ~s ~r~::e :~m~1 filln;E';~~~r,;nl~a~~3~o~~~~e~fri~J:n~~~~~;~~~~ked~~f.j~da;~odba;~:~:~b;s~s~s rnam· ~~~~"'r,;,, l· The impartiality of the Sentence will make the Jufttce of God confp!Cuous before th.. wm,;,~;; . Ip. whole Wodd. Tlus confiftsm two thrngs. '· There

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