L1a.V. TheL@. A ifwo do~ nor acknowledgothis mercy above his •ncienrpoople! They were his own; ycr (\rangers in comp1rifon ofour liberry.Jris our lhameand finne, iflnrhefe meanes ofinrirendfe, we be no bencrJcquamred wuh God, rhan they, which in their greateft familiarity were command<d aloof<. . . . GQd was ever wonderful! m Ius wo.ks,and fearful! mlm judgments: but he was never fo terrible in the execution ofhis will,as now in the promulj!ationofit. Horo was nothir,g but a inajeltical terror in the eic:sJin the:: eares ofthe I{rtttlitrs;3.s ifGod meant to /hew them by this,how fearful he could bo.Here was the lightning darted in theireies, the thunders roating in their eares,the Trumpet ofGod drowning the thunder-daps,thevoice ofGo~ out-fpeakingthe_ Trumpet ofthe Angel;theCloud enwrappmg, the fmoak afcendmg, the firo flammg, the Mount tremblmg, Ulfo[es 11 climbingand quakma, palenelfe and deathmthe face of Ifraei, uproare tn the Elemonrs,and all the glo0ry ofHeavon turned into terror. In tho de!hutlion ofthe lirfr world,there woreclouds without firo:In tho deftrutlion of Sod•m there-w-as fire raining without cloudsjbut herewas fire,fmoak,clouds,thundor,eatthquakos,&whatfoever miaht work more afionifhment) then ever was in any venge-ance jnflitted. And if~he Law werethusgiven,how /hall it be required~ Iffuch were the Proclamation of Gods Statutes,what /hall rhe Se!lions be~ I fee,and tremble atthe refemblance.The Trumpetofthe Angel called unto the one: Thevoyce ofan Archan<>ell,theTrumpet ofGcd /hall fummon us to theother. To the one, c..Mofes (that cli~bed up that Hill, and alone faw it) fayes, God came withten thoufarrds of his Saints;In theother,thou(and thoufands !hall minifter to him, &ten thoufand thouC fands fl1alllland before him. In the one, Mount Sinai only was on a flame; .all the World fl1Jll be fo,in c.he other. In the one there was fire, fmoak,thunder and lightning; rn the other " fiery ftream /hall ilfue from him, wherewith the heavens /hall be dilfolved,and theElements /hall melt awaywith a Moife.O God,how powerfull arr thou to infliet vengeance upon /inners, who didft thus forbid linne ! and ifthou wert fo terrible a Lawgiver,what a Judge /halt thou•appeare ~ What/hall become of the breakers offofiery a Law~ Oh where/hall thofeapl"'are that are guilry of the tranfgrelling that Law, whofe very delivery was little lelfe than death~ Ifour . God iliould exaet his Law but in the fame rigor wherein he gaveit, linne could not · quit the cofi::But now the fire whereinit was deli.vered,was but terrifYing; the fire . wherein it fl11ll be required,is confuming. Happy are thofe thatare from under tire b terrours ofthat Law,whichwas given in fire,and in fire /hall be required. . . God would have Ifratl fee, that they had not todoe with fome impotent Commander, that is fain ro publilh his Laweswithoutnoyfe, in dead paper; which can more eafily injoyne,than punifl1 ; or defcry,than execute; and therefore, before he givesrhema Law,he lhewos them that he can commandHeaven,Eanh,Fire,Ayre in revengeof t_he breachofth< Law; That they could not butthinkit deadly tod/ pleafe fuch a Law-giver,or violate fuch dreadfull Statutes; that they might fee all the Elements, examples of that obedtence, whtch they lhould yeeld Unto their Maker, . . This fire whereinJhe Law was given,is flill in it; an'd will never out: Hence are thofe terrours which it flalhes in everyconfcience, that hath felt remorfeoflin. EE very mansheart is a Sinai, and refembles to himboth heavenand hell.The fting of death is fin,and the ftrerlgth offinis rhe Law. Thatthey might !eo he could finde out their clofeft fins, he delivers his Law in , the light otlire, fromoutdfthe fmoak; that they mi<>ht fee what is due to their · fins,they fee fire above, to"reprefemthe fire that lhouldbe below them ; that they might knowhe could waken thdr fecurity, theThunder,and lowder voyceofGod fpeaks to thorr hearts. That they might fee what their hearts lhould doe, theEarth quakos under them. That they might fee they could not lhifr their appearance, the Angels call them together.QhroyaliLaw,and mighry Lawcgivtr!l'Iow could they thmk ofhavmg any otherGod,that had fuch proofesofthis~How could rhey think of makm~ any rof~mblance ?fhim whom they faw i:oul? not be feen, and whom they faw mnothemgfeene ,m finite~ How could they thmk ofdaring to prophane his
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