284 GOD TO THE WICKED IS A O::oNsUMING· FIR<E~- Book Iti, METAPHOR. the laO:' great and fearfl1l Confla– gration·! There were above Thir– teenThouf.1ndHoufes burnt down, and turned to Rutlbifh and Allies, With Eighty-feven Parifh-Churches, ant! fix Chapels, befides the Ex– change, and many ftately public Halls, and magnificent Buildings·; in all amoun~ing m ~he l!.ofs of near Ten Million~ of Pounds Sterling. PARAB.LEL. is comiltg upon the·Wicked oftbe Earth; DeflruElion upon DejtruRion iu a.Moment will come upon them 1 Re-v. xviii. 8. Let M~frery Baby/on. look to it this Fire will kindle very fuddcnly upon that grea;. €ity, in a more terrible and irreparable Manner, than• her Agents have done upon our Metropolis; yea; and her Plaguos fhall come in a Day, Death, and Mourning, and Famine, and lhe !ball be utterly burn~ with Fire. A11d let the Sinne;-s in Sion tremble; for the Light of l(raelfoall be for a Fire, and his Ho!; One for a. Flame, and it /halt burn and devour his '!'horns and his Briar~ in one Day, Ifa. xxxiii. 14. There is van: Difference and Difparity between our common elementary Fire, and the Fire of God's Wrath. METAPHOR. I. FIRE is natural and elementary, and fo confequently can only feize or confume Things that are vifible, of external or tem– poral Subftances; it deO:roys that only which is fit Fuel for it, whilO: kept under. It. The Flames of a burning and confuming Fire are always feen, and the Ruin that it makes are ob– vious to the outward Eye. lit A confuming Fire hath of– ten been overcome, and put quite out, by Engines, lrtO:ruments, and Induftry of Man; when it hath burned vehemently, a Stop bath been put to it, and further Danger prevented. D IS PAR IT Y. I. THE Fire of God's Wrath is divine or (piritual, and fo takes hold of, or kindles upon that which is of an immaterial and invilible Subftance; it feizeth upon Spirits, torments De– vils, and the Souls ofMen and vVomen ; it kindles not on external Matter only, but on internal alfo. I!. The Flames of God's Wrath upon the Soul cannot be feen. A Man may have a Fire burn– ing in his Confcience, like that of Francis Spira, and yet by looking upon him, you cannot fee what Ruin and Defolation it makes theJ:e. Ill. God is fuch a confuming Fire, that when his incenfed Wrath is kindled in good EarneO:, with a defign to burn up and deftroy, none is able to overcome, and put a Stop to it; all the Ways and Means then that Sinners can devife, will prove infignificant. It is not Repentance, nor Floods of brini.lh Tears, that can put out or leffen the burning of this divine Fire. It is true, that when his Wrath is kindled but a little, and before the Day of Grace is over, his Anger may be appeafed; but when he lets out the Greatnefs, yea, the Deluge of the Vials of his Wrath, 0 ! then it will be too late. IV. Fire is not unquenchable: IV. The Fire of God's Wrath fhall never be Though the burning of mount extinguilhed. Behold, thus faith the L ord, miM Altna, and other Burning MounAnger and my Fury foall be poured out, &c. and1t taihs, where there is much Brimfoal/ not be quenched, Jer. xvii. 2, 7· Fire is ftdne, and other fulphurous Matkindled in mine Anger, and foall burn to the lowejt ter, are impoilible for Man to exHell, Deut. xxxii. 22. And it is faid, And they tingui!h, yet they !hall not burn foal! go forth, and look upon the Carcafes of the Men always. that have tranff7effed againflme;for the Wormfoal! not die, neither foall the f:?ire be quenched; and they jhall be an abhorring to all Flejh, Ifa. lxvi. 24. '!'here the Worm dieth not, and the Fire jhall not be quenched, Mark ix. 43, 48. A P P L I C A T I 0 N. I. JF God be a confuming Fire, it is good to inquire, to whom he is fo, and will be fo terrible ? r. To the fallen Ano-els, or damned Spirits, who once enjoyed him as a gracious Head and Creator; bu~by reafon of Sin, not being conten_ted with their firO: Eftat~, were caft out of Heaven, and muO: for ever undergo the mcenfed Flames of Gods Wrath. 2. All
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