Hopkins - HP BR75 .H65 1710

37_9 P,.efince, can rheir'_rhe Souf~ of the ~mrted, like lumps of W,a~; foy i~ his Difpleafu(e Re dorh fomenmes do 1t to the beft of Merl,. even m this Lif e ; Pf.i. , . MJ Heart is HMttd like Wt~x in the miJfl of my Bowels, fays Da'riiJ• . 1_.. Fou,hly The Dreadfulnefs of this Wrath of God may !fe derrtonftrat ed by thil Tha; the Punifhment of the Damned is referved by God ~s his !aft Wdrk, It i; a Work which he will fet hhhfelf about when all there'ft of his Works are done. when He hath folded up the Wo rld, and laid it afide as a Thing of no furth~r ufe, then will God let himfelf to this great Work, and pour out all the Treofures ofbis Wrath upon damned Wretches; as ifGod would fo wholly min d !fris Bufinefs that he would lay all orher Affairs afide, that ne might be intent only !IT>bll this 6avirlg no other thing to interru pt him. Thlnk then how full of 15read and Terror this muft needs be, when God will as it were employ allliH f;ternit1 about this, and have no other thing to cak e him off from doingfr with :m, hi; Might. God hath refervedtwoWo rh, a.nd but two forthe ~ther World; ~$: i~ the Salvation of the EleEf, and the other JS the Dam'nation uf Repob~ttu. No~ it i\ remarkable that God's \aft VVorks , do always exceed his fdrrr/er: And rherefdre'we find in the Creation of the'V'Vorld,God fti!l proceeded o)l·fro ni ~re !rrtperfe·Clkfnd of Creatures to thofe th at were more perfect, uniil h'e had y buildnd firlifhed, yea, carved, and as it were painted t!iis great Floufe of die i:v'erfe · and then he brings Man into it as his laft VVork,::istheCrown and P'erfedio~ of ttie retl: So God likewife aCted ih the mat:Jner df r«Jtaling his Tf11i linro Marlkind; firfthe fpoke to them by Dreams and Vifions, butin rhe laff Days, {as the Apoftlt expreffeth it) he barb JPoTtm unto tn b; his Son. So alfo in the Dffpenfatidn of the Covenant of Grace, a nd Exhibuion of the Meffi•h; firft he was illade krtown olllj' by Promife to the Fathers, then in Typ" and obfcure Refebillhinces to rl)e Jews, but in the latter Days, himfelf came and took upon him ihc tbrm of a Sertartr, and wrought out a c ompleat Redemption for us. So ufually die !aft Works of God are more complea c, ~rfect and excellent than the formei-: No\v Gdd's'l'urrlfhing VVork is his !af t VVork, and therefore it/hall exceed hi G'reatnefs all that ever went before it. In his firft Work, the Creation of the VVotld, he demonftrated his infinite Po wer, VVifdom,and Godhead; bui ill the Dcftrucnon ,of Sinners, whieh is his !af t Work, he will m:lnifeft more of Powe r irrd VVif<lofn; than he did in his creating th em ; and how fearful a Deftrualdtl lben mull this n~eds be? God hathvariety ofVVorks that h e is carrying on id thiS VVorld, and if his Glory doth not perfellly appear in one, he may rrtanife lt it in another. But when he /hall confi ne himfelf only to two, as he will in th e t.'Vorld to come, the favingof the God ly, and the damning ofthe VVicked, anci lhis without any variety or change, ce rtainly then the(e !hall be performed to the very um!oft of what God can do: For as he will fave the Saints to the ver y atffioft, fo likewife will he damn and d eftroy Sjnners to the vefy utmoft. r. Fiftbly, /tnother Demonftration of the Dreadf ulnefs of this VVrath !hall be Ro111; g, arawn from this Confiderarion, That Go d will for ever inflill:it forrhe glorifying 'thef. . 8f his Powet on tht Damned. W.hat if G(}J wming to fbw his Wrath, and make;. · t . his Powtr Ttmnun·? And they Jl>all be punijh'd with tverlajing Dejruflhin from tbt Pre{tnct of the Lord, andfrcm tbt. Glury of his Powu. Now certainly, if God WiU lnfliCl eternal Punifhmenrs upon them to thew forth hi! Power, their PuniJh - ments muft needs be infinicely great. Fo r, 11 Firfl, All thofe VVorks wherein God /hews forth his Power, are great arid ftupendous. Confider what Power it was for God to lay the Beam; of the VVorld and to ereCl fo ftarely a Fabrick as Heaven and Earth. The Apoftle therefore tell; us, That hJ _ tbt. Creation of the World, is under(food the ttmtal Power of_ GoJ. When God /hewed hisPowerincreatin g, 0 whatagreatahdftu_pendousWork did he produce! And therefore certainly when God lhalllikewifelhew his Power ill cleftroyfng, the Punilhmenrs he will infliCl will be wonderful and ftupetldous . Secondly, Confider God can e~fily d~ftroy a ~reature without Jhewlng a'!Y •· treat Power, or purung forth Hi~ Almtghty Arm and Strength tO do it. 1f he only with.draw his Power by .wbich h<: upholds all t~i~gs ill their B~ings, we lhou!d quiCkly fall all abroad mto nothmg: So eafie IS trfor God to deftroy th<l well-being of all his Creatures. But no w if God will exprefs rhe gre:it~efs and intihitenefs of his Power In deftroy'ing Sinners, wliotn yet He can deftrdy without puttil)'g forth his Power, ye:r;orily by wilhdiawing' and wltlllit\ldlnji it 1 0 Ci!cca hoW'

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