The Strength ofSin. 77 At the day of Judgement. Is not the confcicnce of a (inner (chink you) Ringed, At the day of and his fpirit deeply t ff:éted, by reafonof thegreat wrath ofGod that is to be poured lodgement. out, when he(ball cry tothemountains to caver him, when he (hall calico thole infen- tible creaturzs, that are not able to lend him that courtefie co crush pins to no.hing ?' Make this our one cau(ê, think of it, it will be our cafe, as It is a'pointedfar sit all to' die, fo we mall all come to judgement. And after the Judgement, when the fentence, go yea turfed, is pail, thefling of After the Sin ceafeth not, no, the worm for ever playsuit in Hell. It were a happinefs lodgement. for a firner, if he might only hear the fentence , if this worm might not ( {ill gnaw his ccnfcience, but then, this is his burthen, Sin (hill /ling him for ever. This is the fill} refpeél in which fin is called the fling ofdeath, becaufe then Sin flingeth more eminently and fenfibly. Secondly, it is called the fling of death, in refpe:R of the metaphor the ApoRle aludeth unto, it is taken from the Ringof a Serpent, and fo Sin is afling in a double reCpesR ; Fill in reCpe&of the fearfulnefs, and then in refilea of the hurtfulnefs of it. Fir(f, in refpeEr or the fearfulnefs ; It is Sin that makes Death fearful to a man. Indeed I confers, that in the belt ChriRian (though atria have pulled out theRing of death yzt) there are natural grudgings, and fhruglings. As to a Serpent, though the fling be pulled away, yet there are fonte abhorrings, and diflikes in a man. But then how terrible is Death when it corneth in a eompleat Armour, as it doth againP a perfon inwhotn Sin remained? in its full power ? it muff needs then be ter- rible. See the differences between two perforas, the one is afraid of every one he meet- eth, the other is nor; what is thereafon ? the one is greatly indebted and ingaged, the other is free. So it is with a Cheiflian, and another man, the ene cannot hear of Death but his heart breaks, he is full of fear and horror ; the other hearcth of Death, and is only fomewhat affeefed in the hearing of it, but not poffeffed with that fear as is the other ; what is the reafon ? thefling of death remaineth in one, and not in another. Sin therefore is a Ring in that refpee% Secondly, it is a fling in refpea of hurtfulnefs. The fling of the Serpent is a hurtful thing, it poyfoneth the vital parts, it takes away life it felf. All the evil that comc:h to us by death, cometh by fin. Man need not complain ofthe ilnefs of the prifcn fo much, as of bis own folly, that he ingaged himfelf in debt, whereby he is call into prifon. Why eomplaineR thou of the miCery in Hell ? rather labour to break cf thy lies that are the caufeof all that mifery : all the hurtful quality, and mi- ferable condition that befalleth a perfon in Death andHell, is for Sin: the eternal reparation of the foul from God, and all puni(hment that follows after in Hell, are the fruit of trans fin. Hell had not been Hell without Sin : it is Sin that caufethit to become hurtful. Thus I have explained thefe inquiries. Now I come to make 17íe and Application, and fo conclude the Point: The firf Ufeof this point (hall be this ; If Sin be the fling of death, let it beour wifdome to get this Ring pulled out in the time ofour life. Oh that this people were wife (faith God) then would they confider their latter end. If you were wife that hear we this day, you would confider that Deathwill come, and (if it be not taken away before-hand ) with a Hingupon the foul. My brethren, we have many enemies to deal with, even now at this very inflant,but there isyet anenemy, as the ApoRIe faith, The !aft enemy to defubdued is Death, he is behind : and here is the difference betwixt Death our laff enemy, and fame other of our enemies t {tame other of our enemies cannot be fubdued, but by their pretence, but ( let me tell you) this Death is fuchan enemy, as is never fubdued, but by his abfence, thou canil never overcome Death in death, thou muff not referee this com- bate till thou come to the field, but thou muff overcome this enemy before he cometh, thou muff overcome him in thy life. How Sin makes death fearful. Sin makes deathhustiaL
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