gr8 The Danger of Pro[perity. Man miferably intl~v'~d to Satan. What a fpcCbcle of Compallion was Samp[o~ in r'te Slavery of the Phililhnes ? He that had been the General and Judge of !frae! was de·._ ved of his Sight, and D1vine Strength: h1s warlike Hands, that had been of ~qual po~;~, WI~h an Army, and perform' cl fuch_ glonous Atclueve?1cnts, were imployed in turning 3 M1ll,. the Work of a Beafr: And lus Mifery was ·powed a~1d made !harper by rhe in- -!ultarton of Ius E~emtes. The true Emblem of the degencr:ue St~tc of Men; the Soul that was created 111 the Image of God, and had a peaceful fove re1gnty over the fenfi~a l ·Appenrcs , a f~periority over fenfible tlungs, is now mtlavcd ~nd e~ployed in the vile drudgery of Sm, and become the derifion of the Devils. Tlus is lmle thought o[ or lamented, bu t therefore the more woful. The ~ofs of the Kmgdom was not fO difh~al a Judgment to Nebuchadnez.zar, as the Lofs of hts Un.dcrftanding. When his Rcafon was taken away, and the Heart of a .Beafl: was given to him; 'twas the lowdl: and faddctl degradation. llut hereafter the Mifery of foolifh Sinners will be extream. The ApotHe tells 115 l Tim. 6. 9· that the Love of the VI/odd .cau.feth Men to fali into tem;tation an~~ fnare, and into ma~ foolijh and hurtful Luf/s, wlucb drown IJ'!en in DeflruElion and PerdJtton. The Exprcfiions arc full to exaggerate the Horror of their Ruins, and to fignific that 'tis abfOlurc and irrecoverable. The Lufl:s of Men are equally foolifh and pernicious ; they pleafe rJ1c 111 • fclvcs in the Enjoyments of the 'Vorld, and are fecurc, as if bathing in the Founrains of Felicity, wlr·n ready to be fwallowed up in the Whirlpool of Death. By fenfua l Vanit ies they arc efiranged from God, carelefs of their Du ty, and arc finally feparated from his bldfed Prcfence. And as the enjoying God, without a poilibility of lofing him i> our coniiurunate Happinefs ; fo to loiC him, without hopes of ever enjoying him, is'cx. tream Mifery. The foolifh. Sinner is n~t affected with this now ; whilft he lives in plea~ fure, he is comenr to be Wtthout God m the World; but hereafter, when he flull bcdcprived of thefe flight fl1ort-livd Pleafures, and fl1all know the unvaluab!e Lofs of his Happinefs , ~orrows will overwhelm him for ever. As i~ bcfel that Infidel in 2 f(ings 8. he law the Plenty , bur was not fulfered to tafre of"; lo the damned !hall fee the Glory of Heaven fhinning_jn the Saints, but flull not partake of it. Pro. t. Deut. JZ . 6 This Mifery will be amplified under the following Heads. 3· \Vc are to conlid~r the Jufrice, the certainty and the hcavinefs of the Dcfiruction, that fl1all feize on foohfh Sinners that abufe Profperity. r. To illufrrate the Jullice of God in their DefrruClion, I lhlll only infill on that Rcafon that is fo admirably amplified in this Chapter for their conviCtion ; that is) their Defl:rudion is the Fruit of their own choice. The Di vi ne Wifdom allures and invites them, by all the mofi render and powerful Perfwalives, to forf.1ke their ruinous Courfe, :~~~'~:o~iJ~:~:{ec~~~:vfu~:~~~~;;r~:~~d: ~t:~ ,:;;~~~~~~~;t ~acl~~~a~1fv~1~~1~;PJ~~~ fi~res of Sin, though attended w!th Perdmon : lhey hated /(nowfedge, Godlinefs, though recommended by the A«urance of a ble«ed eternal Reward : T herefore their DtfrruClion is refolved into their own Choice. Indeed no Man can direCtly and abfolurely chu fc Mifery, or reject Happineis, but verrually and by real Confequenc-e rhe moll do. .4 Prodiga l chat wafres his Ellate, does not mtemionally and dehberately chufe Poverty, but rhus he t hinks, this Expence is for my Honour, this for my Pleafure, and proceeding to innume~able Expences, he at lafi: be~Omes poor,_ and his Povert.Y is v~lunrary, b~ cau1C 'tis rhe d1i.1e of his voluntary exorbitant Profufencfs . The evil of Sm, though 1t he dellruClive, and in rhar refpect not eligibl e by Man, yet "ris plcafing to his corrupt Nature : and the depraved Will is fo allured by the prefent Plcaiure, that it anticipates the ReAcdions of the Mind, and chufes to gratifie the Propenlions of Nature, with a brutiil1 difregard of the terrible Corliequenees of Sin. And the prcfent difconvenience of ferious Piety to the carnal Heart, caufes an averfenefs from ir, notw1thfiandmg the ~~~~he~l~d ~e;~~~t~h~!a~1~~ ~~~::;~~ ~~ t1~~ I~:~ ~~~~~~u~a~~a~l~~:e~~~5~ef~~d~~~~~1~~~~1~~~ actneis of Ju!lice, to deprive Sinners of that Ble«ednefs which they ob!linarely rofusd, and to bring on them rl1e Mifery they perverfly chufe. And when at rhe bfl: Day rhc .Son of God ihall charge upon Sinners their neglect of his .compafl}onate and rcp~ar~~ ;~:~~' tl~~a~~~~df~~~sk~~~~~:d a~~dtl~~1~d~~ t~g~~~ft~l~~~~ran~~l~,~~if~~e1~r~~1~~~ S~t~tlsa~~::~ be firuck wi th a dcfencclefs filence, not able to make a Rcque!l for Pard~n, bur wH!t ~~t~iri~1~d ~~:;sni~~i~/~}11~e~~,rl~~ ~~~~~~:Y:nC~~1~{~~~a:~~~~'cr~ ~~T;,<]u~4e~ a?t 0r1t! · ' !Jleilings
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=