Chap. IV. Of Eternal Judgment~ ouOy. 11hey ftn with • high hand, and involve the Ruin of innumerable Perfons that depend upon them : As the Dragon in the Revelatwn, whofe full from Heaven drew a T rain of le/fer Stars with him. And all inferio( Mag iltrates, who by perfonal Commiffion, or partial Connivance, encourage and harden orhers in Sin, and by their Power dir.. counrenance ferious Religion, and obltrul.l: the progrefs of it, heap up Damnation to themfe!vcs. And the Minilters of the Word, who are obliged to watch for the Souls of Mm; and !hould, like the Heavens, by their Light, Influence and Motion, their Dol.l:rineand Lives ~h~~ea~~~oh~~;eenv~:~e:;:;i~ ~~~!,~Y,~ft( ~~~~s~~:~~~,~~~f~~el.l: and Wickednefs o: Of this Number are thofe, who by their unholy Converfation weaken the Authority and Efficacy of the Word, and more fuccefsfully perfwade Men to do evol, than by their preaching to do well: for we are apt to take deeper impreffion through the Eye than through the Ear, and to follow the Phyucian's PraCl:icerarher tha~ his Counfel. Thefe perifb not alone in their lniqutty. And fuch who are unfaithful Drfpenfers of the Treafures of their Lord, and by loofe Dol.irines corrupt the Minds of Men, to fancy a Mercy in God derogatory to his Holinefs, that altho they live indulgently in Sin, they may obtain f~::Xlb':f.o~~~d: H~l'~r:r~~o1l~ftea~~~ ~~~~,~~; 1~}':.0th~~:r:~%hh~~~~%~~ 5~~ pure and faving Truths derived from the Fountain of the Gofpel, entertain their Hearers with flafby Conceits, and ftudied Vanities, to give a relifb to CurioGty, and to have the applaufe of 'Fools, and obfcure the native Ma1elty of the Word, enervate its force, and render it power!efs to Confcience. And thofe who fpend their Zeal in things of ~o moment t? Salvation, and let fly bitter Invel.l:ives a&a~nlt thofe that drlfent f:om them 10 unconcernmg Matters, by whrch they harden Ather!hcal Scorners 10 vilrfymg the Office of the Mrmftr~ as .a Carnal Invention, fer up and ufed fo~ Secular Ends ; a~d rnduce others. to place Rehgwn m Formalrtres, and flight Colours of rt, as rf Conformrty to needlefs Rrtes would exclude the Defects of fub.._ flantial Holinefs. 'Tis obferv'd in the Chal.tke Paraphrafe, when God was inquiring of Cain concerning .Abet, that he charges him, The Votce of th]Brother's Bloodcriesuntome. ' As if Cain were a Murderer, not of a GngleMan only, but of a numerous Race that mrghthavedefcended f.?t t~~ ~;~~~~ pJc?~:~~~~~~ ~~~~ha~il/!'nc~~~~~;ted0!n':l1lat~,i?h~e~~K f~;cl;: fully performed his Duty. And Parents that lhould inftil the Principles of Godlinefs into their Children in their early Age, and feafon their Minds with the knov.:ledg of the Divine Laws, to regulate their Lives, and make them fenGble of therr Oblrgauons to obey them; that fbould recommend Religion to their AffeCl:ions by an holy and heavenly Converfation, if by the negleCl: of their Duty their Children are expofed as a Prey to the Tempter, and ruin'd for ever it will enhance their ]aft Reckoning, and encreafe the Score of their Guilts beyond ex: preffion. And Mafters of Families, and all others that have Authority and Advantage to prefervc or reform from evil thofe that are committed to their Care, and to inlhul.l: and command them to do what is pleaung to God, and profitable to their Souls, . will be fadly accountable for thofe that peri01 by their negleCl:. . In !hart, we fee by common Experience, that Company and mutual Confenr is a ufual ~~~:v~:~a~~n/oc~:;fi~{ur.er~~~h:fl a;~~fe,~h~b~i~~cl~:r?~~·~~e ;~~e~pl~~~Je:;;~~ to deftruC1:ion, as they are firft in Sin, will be chief in Puni!hment. We read in the Parable of the rich Voluptuary, Lt~ke 16. 28. that being in Hell, he defir'd a Melfenger might be difpatched from the Dead to warn his Brethren, left they lhould come to that place of Torment. Is there fuchCharity in Hell to the Souls of others? *No, that Fur- • Non o~r nace always burns with its proper Flames~ there is not a fpark of that Divine Fire there: pro frac~um But remembring h?w gu~lty he_ had been .of t~eir Sins, feared that his Torments would ~~u~~u~U;ir~~o be encreafed by therr commg thrther. Socrety m endlefs Sorrows does not divide, but re. pro1,.,roo pro fleEI:them, fe ne 1pfius Now if Damnation for Sin be fuch a Mifery as is exprefs'd in the Scripture by the mofr :~~o~~~f~;. violent Figures, and Words of the heavieft Ggnification; if all thepollible Tortures fuf- ""m •ogan· fered here are but a Lenitive to the preparations of Wrath in Hell; how miferable !hall"''· 8 "'l'"· thofe be, who, as if a fingle Damnation we"r.e a light matter, do not only commit Sin in their. own Perfon_s, but ~re in combination with Satan to corrupt and defrroy others, and muluply Damnauon agamft themfelves? Thefe treafore up Wr.th againjl '"' d".J of Wrath. P pp Briefly;
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