420 The Nature, .Danger, and Cure Firft, Hereby We do evidently declare a fearful Contempt of the t.rtnt God. we never more vilifie and difparage God, than when we do that for nothing ~hich we know his Soul hates. Should the Devil, when he Tempts you, rake you as he took Chrift, and fhew you the Kingdom! of the World, and the Gkry ol thrm all, and promife to beftow all thefe upon you; why, yet when God /hews you the infinite Glory of the Kingdom of another World, you can plead no Narurai Reafon why you fhould confent to Sin, God infinitely out-bidding the Droit even then when the Dtvil bids highefi ; but when you will perferr a Sin cha'r bids nothing, a barren, fruitlefs, and unprofitable Luft, before the Holy Will of the great God, and the fure Promifes of Eternal GlorY, what Reafon of Prerence can you Jhew why_ you Ihould fin, unlefs it be, becaufe you are refolved rather rodefpight and affront God, than to advantage your own Souls. And rhis was the great aggravation of Juda/s Sin, and that which made it fo exceeding prefumptu.. ous: What a poor Temptation was Thirty Pieces of Silver, to induce him to the Vileft Wickednefs that ever was committed fince the World ftood? It was no more than the ordinary Value and Rate of a Slave, as you may fee in Exod. ;r. 32 , a.. mounting much to about Thirty Seven Shillings Six Pence; and yet fo far did he undervalue Chrill, as rhat for this fmall Price he fells the Lord of Life andGlory Zach. 11 . and this God himfelftakes notice of as a great Indignity done umo him, Zach, 11: lJ. 1 ;. A goodlJ Prict, fays God by the Prophet there, was 1 priz..ed at of th~m. I know that at the very hearing of this, your Hearrs rife up in detefiation of the Curfed Covetoufnefs of Judas, that ever he lhou!d fuffer himfelf to be Tempted by fo bafe a Reward as a few Shillingswere,tobetray him eo Death who wasinfinirely more worch than Heaven and Earth: Why, the Cafe is yours; nay, wonder not at it, he betrayed him for TbirtJ Pieus of Sil-ver, and you Dail.J Cruci/ic him and put him to open fhame; you wound and pierce him ro the very Heart for ~uch lefs than that is. Look back upon your pafi Life, can xou not recall to Mind that you have been prevailed upon to commit many a fin by fuch poor and inco~fiderable things as fcarc.e ?e~r the fh~:W,or face, or apJ?earance of a Ttmptotion; have you not dealt vert lflJUnoutly With God and Chnft, and fee them at nought for a little gain, for fame vanifiiing delight, for compliance fake, for the fickle favour of Men; yea, very Feathers, and empty Nothings, have weighed down the Scales with you aga1nll God. The D<vit's firll and greatell fin was Pride, and Contempt of God, and how much is he pleafed and humoured to fee the fame Contempt of God riveted in the Hearts of Men, and to fee him fo much ilighted in the World, that he can fcarce bid low enough when. heTtmpts but whatever he offers is greedily fnatch'd at, and preferred before God and Heaven, though it be but a very To7 and '(rifle. This certainly muft needs be a very heinous Contempt of the great MaJefty ofHeaven, and muft needs argue moft defperate boldnefs, and prefumptuous finning. · Secondly, When Men fin upon [mall or no t empt.~ttions, they declare plainly a wretched, neglefl of their p_rec.ious S6~4ls, and therefore they (in prefo'}'lptuouflJ· I have Read of a Soldier who bemg wuh Two orhers for {Ome Cr1me Condemned, drew Lots for his Life, and having drawn one Lot that faved and pardon'd him, Jeeing one of his Companions come Jhi vering and quaking to draw,told him,thac for Two ShillingS,or thereabouts,he woutd tal-..ehis Lot, whatever it was. He drew again,and again it proved fuccefsful to him ; why, however it was a moftdaring prefumption, that after fo narrow an efcape, he fhould again hazard his Life, and fet it to Sale for fo fmall a Price as that;was: Why truly the like Prefumption we our felves are guilry of, we purchafe Toys and Trifles with the dreadful h~zard of our Souls; thofe Souls that are infinitely more wonh than Ten Thoufand Worlds: We make common Barter and Exchange for every bafe Lufi; and, as Prodigals, pay very dear for very Toys, only to fatisfie their Fancies; lo do we lay down our precious Souls at Stake for thofe Lufis that ufually have nothing Jn them befides the fatisfattion of the Humours and Fancies of our own Wills in Sin. Would you notCenfure thatMan to be m oft defperately fool-hardy,that fhould venture to, dive into the bottom of the Sea,only to cake up Pebble.s and Gravel? Why,how great deal ofFoily andPrefumption then are they guilty of,who dive even to the botto~ of Hell, only to ge t Straws and Feathers,andfuch impertinent Vanities and incon.: fiderable Nothings, that cerrainly Men would ne\•er hazard their immortal Souls for,unleli they thoughtthey did thcmfelves a Courtefie to be Damned/ How many · are
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