Aboaffing andv.loryil(g in fins when com~ mittt:d. .A.hoafiing infinstbey dare no: commit. The Nature, 'Danger, and Cure fecrer, ihall be divulged upon the Houfe-top, but many times, even in this Life, thofe Sins that at firft wicked iv1en dud! not commit, but infecrer where no Eye fees them, after a while they are grown bolder, and will ad: and own them before all Men. Secondly, Others are advanc'd farther, and not only fin openly, b11t they boaft a11d glory in theirSinJ alfo) the Apoftle in Philippiam 3· 19. fpeaks of them, wbo{tglory ?JJm in their fhame; they boaft as if they had done fome notable Exploit; when, alas! they have only murcher'd a- poor Soul of their own, chat lay drawing on cowards its death before. Thirdly, The1'e are othen fo jiMmelejj, that they boa{t ofthofe 'Very wickedneffis that they never dur[t to commit. As Cowards brag of their Exploits in fuch and fuch a Combat, which yet they never durft engage in; fo there are a Generation in the World, who dare not for the Terror of their Confcienccs commit a Sin, that yet will boaft that they have committed it, as if it were a gener()us and honourable thing to be call'd and accounted a daring Sinner; fhall I call thefe Men, or Monfters rather, that boaft "of fuch things as make them more like Dwils than Men? and yet even to this height of profligate Impudence will prefitmpruou s Sins lead you; but let all fuch know, God is refolv'd to try the Foreheads of thefe Men at the laft and great Day of Judgment, and in Defpight of all their Swaggering and Boldnefs, Shame and evcrlafiing Confufion ihall cover their Faces, as impudent as they are now. Thirdly, Confide·r this,.1vhat a fearful Thing it will be, if God fllould cut off fucb Men in the very ACf of fome pre{umptuous Sin, 'JJ)itbvut affo~·ding them an1 Time and Space of Repentance ; and have they any Security that God will not? What Promife have they, that G0d will forbear them one Momem longer ? Nay, they have been often told, that God will make a fpecdy End with them, that he 'Jvill take them mvay (1$ 1vith a Whirlwind living, and in his Wrath, as it is in P{alm 57· 9· and therefore he fhikes not without giving them Warning enough, rho' he {hikes fuddenly. ~ad hath two Chief Attributes, that he efpecially aims to gkrifie in all his Tranfatl:ions with Men, his Mercy, and his Juftice; thefe are the two great Hinges, upon which all_the Frame of his Providence moves; the mighty Affairs of Eternal Ele8ion and Reprobation were firft agitated out of defign to magnifie M~rcy and Jrtftice; and all temporal Concetnmenrs are govern' cl in fuch a way as may moft advance thefe two Attriburcs of Mercy and Juftice; why now Mercy hath already"had a largerfhare of Glory in for· bearing after fo many Provocations, in waitingfolongto be gracious, fraying year after year expecting your Repentance; and if you contemn the Riches of God's Grace and Mercy ftill, have you not Re:1fon to feu ir will be the Turn of Juftice to deal with you next? And believe it, the Commiffion of prefumptMus Sins gives God a fair Opportunity to glorifie his Juftice upon you to the utmoft; and why fhould you think God will lofe fuch an Advantage? All the World muft needs fall down, and with trembling, adore the juft Se· verity of God, when they fee a notorious Sinner cut off in the very ACt of feme notorious 3nd prefumpruous Wickednefs; in Du,teron. 17. 12, 1 ;. when a prefumptuous Sinner is punijh'd, fays God, all the People fl~all hear, and[tar, and do no more prefttmptuor,Jly ; and if fo much Glory will accrue to God by deftroying you, why then fhould he fpare you one moment longer than your next Sin? This is the beft ufe he can make of prcfumptuous Sinners, even to fet them up as Examples and Monuments of his Wrath and Vengeance to terrific others; and why fhould you think then, fince his Mercy bath been glorified already to you, in waiting and forbearing fo long, that he will not upon the next Sin you comrn.it, glorifie his Ju!fice alfo ? It !11ay be God l~ath begun to deal thus already W1th fom'e of you; m the very m1dft of your Stns, hath not che Hand· writing of fome remarkable judgment appear'd againft you? Hath not God fmitten fame of you in your Perfons, in ~our Eftates, or in your Relations? Well, take Chrifl:'s Counfel_, fin no more left a worfe thing bifal JM, left the next Provocation he {hike you through, and fink you to Hell ? Oh, c~nfider w ~at a fearful thing it is, while your Souls are on flame in the Commiffion ofSm, then for God to hurl them down into everhfiing and unquenchable Fire, ~s he rn•y take juft Occafion and Advantage ro do, for the glorifying of hiS Juftice ! Fourthly,
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