. 16 Go fpel-Cenverfation. world ; if fo be thou fhouldefl fee all the damned inHell, the chambers of death unlocked under the wrath of God there flaming out in fire and brimflone ; it would not be fuck a dreadful fight as to fee Jefus Chrift made an offering for fin, and lying under the vials of the wrath ofhis Father, falling down upon the ground, grovelling and fweating out great drops ofwater and blood, and crying out upon the Crofs, my God, my God, Why haft thotsforfakenme ? This is the way of the purchafe ofthy mercy, therefore there is infinit juflice together with infinite mercy, Oh be not wanton then, do not turn the grace of God into wantonnefs, but rejoyce in Gods mercy, yet rejoyce with trembling and with fear and reverence of the Name of God : When thou fpeakeff of the free grace ofGod, and when thou comefl to beleeve in the free grace ofGod in the Gofpel; thou maieff come cheerfully and boldly, Ibut come with reverence and holy humble fear, I do not mean defpairing fear, nor fervile flaviíh fear, but with awful reverence of the glory ofGod that loth appear in the Lord Jefus Chrift ; I need not fend you to the Law to caufe fear in your hearts; there is e- nough in the Gofpel to caufe your fouls to tremble before God, as well as to beleeve in God,Even our God is 4 confosming fire : Oh what was he to Jefus Chrift ? Ineed go no further to lift up God to make him an objec`f of my fear, but to look upon him in his dealings with his Son; and therefore thofe Chriflians that walk loofly, and altogether upon .flight thoughts of mercy without any fear to ballaft their hearts, Oh certainly their Converfations are not Gofpel Converfations, for if thou dill{ underffand theway of Gods mercy in the Gofpel, thou woul- deft fee that that fhould fill thy heart with fear and reverence all the daies of thy life. And as to take heed ofwantonnefs, fo to reverence Gods Juflice, even the dreadfulnefsof it fo as the Gofpel holds forth; to think that God would only have you to have your thoughts about his mercy, andnot to have your hearts togive glory to his juftice, it is certainly a vain 'conceit, and I fear it will caufe the Gofpel to vainfh into little in the hearts of men ; when men apprehend the Gofpel fo, as not to apprehend the dreadfulnefs of his juf}ice ; as if fo be ,k r Cr-1 ..i.nntri not have the glory of his juftice. Chrift bath fatisfied
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