'1 he Danger of Profperity. not be reconciled by the Ptefeuts of a Friend, defpifes his Gjfts : Thus when the Favours of God do nor melt the Hcan into kindly refenrmenrs, and eitdear him eo u:;, they are defpifed. . · If a Favouri~, that \\·ere railed by a Prince ro the highefl: Honour and Trull:, fl10uld betray his Magazines, both ~rms and T_reafi.J.rcs to his Enemy, coul.d there be a fouler .Wickcdnefs? and of rh is heinou~ nat1.1-re IS their Wickednefs, who abufC ~he Mercies of God in the Service of Sin, and impli<:it!Y be~ray ~hc1~1 i~tto rh~ Devil's l~ands, who m~lidou~y wars againfl: God. What a contu_mehous md1gnity he1ghmcd wnh.-rhc baiCO:_ mgrantude was Jeroboam guilty of, who chang'd the Glory of rhe uncorrupnblc God, 111to an Image UkG a corruptible Beafl:. * God advanc'd him. tod1e T,hronc, and he deprcfl: the Deity ro rhe rank of fl:uptd Calves. What a hateful abule of lus Bounty was It, rhat. tl.e ffraelites turned the Jewels of Gold wherewith he mnch'd them by the Egyptians, mro a detefl:able Idol : Of fuch Wickednefs are Men deeply gmlry, whCil the prectous Blcf- ~~~l1ir~:a~?~l~ebff0~1~~ru;~d ~~~e' rl~~~ i~,~~~o~~;.~~~~i,?J d~~i~o~~~~.s and Hearts, and Wl~ar can more pro~oke the j~alotis God ~ Mercy is his dca~cfi: Glory, in which. l~c peculiarly delights ; 't!s the Attnbute of wluch he lS moll: render, and the abufe of It IS ro flab him w the Heart. From hence we may JufHy infer, the Punifhmcnt of fuch Sinnerswillbcmofl:hcavy, in exaCt proportion to their mofl: odious Ingratitude. Damnation is the rccompcnce of every impenitent Sinner, and is the.moll: fearful effect of God' s Wrath. Temporal Judg- . , , rneurs arc but the fmoke of his Anger, the Aammg Coals are 111 HelL But there .are degrees D:ut. :9. of Torment in Hell, according eo the number and quality of ;Mens Sins. Tbofe who tfefpife the goodnefs of God, treafure up Wrath ag,ninf/ the d"J of Wrath. As they continually abufc his Bounty and Patience, they mcreafc Ius V cngeancc, which Will be 2s terrible as his Paric,ncc was admirable. The Judgmem of Baby/on was a .frrict proptYrtion ro her LuXury: Now much foe hath glori.fed her /elf, and lived deliciouf!y, fo much torment Re-v. 18.7. and forrow gi<ve ber. Jullice will exact all the Arrears of abu1Cd Mercies. .The Lo~ets of this World fl1all pafs from their g6od Tbings, to the F)ames that live by the Breathof God's revenging Wrarli. Doleful exchabge! an Hours feehng of rhat Fire IS mote tormenting, than an Ages Enjoyment of th is World in all its abundance is pleating. But rho' the Word of God has difcovered the fwift and thick-coming Sorrows .that fl1all fcize upon the Wicked, . yet fo foolifh and obf\:inare arc Sinners in Profperity, they will not be perfwaded to fly froin the Wrath to come! The Light of Reafon, and Illumination of ~~~1ir~;u:su~~?t1';1~~~~~~~a~c0~h~n;t£enfiblc of their Danger: they will not be convinc'd, It now follows, that by Application we fhould make this great Doctrine more ufeful to otir felves. , 1 In the genoral , 'ris of c~ceUcnt ufe to te<'lifie our Judgments about the Things and Men of the World. The moll: are miferably deluded, and live in a Blindncfs fo grofs }::~;1~1~~~~~;~.'d:h~l~~~1~{e ~~~/~~~~~:t~!cde~~~e6l ~t~t.:· bu1f:;~~t ~~~ga~~i~~~u~~~:r:~ ~:;;~~~•tb{o~~:d~ri~~l:1~~cls' tl~!~~ ~~~d~~~1~.~d'~~l~,,~~~: 1cl1e~h~:ei~d."''6~1[~'~!Y0,;~u~~v~ llumbc r, is flrougly affected with lligbr things: A Scene of Fancy in a Dream tranfpoits h1111 as a glonous Reality : a prick of a Pm makes him ll:art as fearfully as if a Vtper bit Inm: rhus carnal Men are as deeply affected with_ terilp'oral good and c:tl things, as if tltcy were Eternal, whei:cin their Blc!Tednefs_ ~r ]0"1fery confifis. And rhcte is nothina ;~e~:~~1~t~dlt~~~j; ~~~c:~~~ t~s~hc F ~~~1, rh~~~et;r:C~~ds aa r~~~~reju~~~~~l~ ~f'~~t~~~d~~aj Converfarion, and upon it otir bleifed End depends. For as die Rudder is ro a Ship, the Wtll is to Man; 1f It be duly tl!tn'd, it conducts him fafcly ro Felicity. 1 he partiCular juft Inferences from the Dodiine are, r. Temporal Prolpeiiry is not a certain flgn of God's fpecial Favour: The;e are fom~ B.enefits dtfpedl: by a general Providence to all, hke rhe common Benefits of a Prince ro all within his Dominions : Some are like fpecial Gifts to his Favourires : Of the Jirt1 kind ~re Rtchcs and Honours, and whatever is the ftippOrt or comfort of t11e prefent Life: of the fecond are fpirirual and heavenly Bleilings, che Graces .and 'Comforts of d1e Holy _ , , Spmt of God, rhe mfallible Seal of his Love .to .us, The Pfalmill: prays, Re>nember me, PfaL 106. + fs ;fa~o~~;t;o~:~~!~~~:aftM:~a~f~~:tc:;;r:C~?,'ea~d0rhf~r~fri:# i~h{r~a~~~~~ffc~o~~c;6 u 2 the
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