Book IV. w r c KED MEN COMPARED TO THIEVEs. 8o3 would have robbed us of the Bible, and the true Religion, nay of the true Church itfdf ; however ther, with all that adhere to them, have robbed many Hundreds, nay, Thou– fands, of her true and faithful Members, both of their Goods, Lives and Li berties, for the which they muf1: give an Account at the great Day. XIII. Thieves are fo oppofite to hond1: Men, that they by all Means avoid their Company ar.d Society, if pofEble, when they know them: So wicked Men, known and difcovered to be fo, are not at all fir Comp'any for the Godly ; nay the Godly are commanded to avoid them, and to have no Fellowfhip with them, fo far as poflible they may; however if in civil Things there be fame Kind of Necefflry to buy and fell with them, yet their Sin in that, or any other Way, is to be hated and departed from; nay if a Man hath been a Profeffor of Godlinefs, and turn to be a wicked Man, with fuch a one the Godly are to have no intimacy, that he may be aOJamcd, I Cor. v. XIV. Thieves k now By -ways, and arc acquainted with fuch Places where they may accomplifh their Deligns, not only as to Secrecy, but Security : So wicked Men do acquaint themfelves with By-ways, and therefore called the Viay of the Wicked, Let tbe Wicked forfake bis Way, &c. Ifa. lv. 5· Rlejfed is the Man that walketh r.ot in the Way of the Ungodly, &c. Pfal. i. I. Jojepb's Miftrefs made Ufe of her Slc~ l] in the Way of the Wicked, when fhe attempted to rob him of his Chaflity : For there was, (1.) Privacy, none faw. (z.) Secrecy, none knew, and (3-) O pportunity, which he might now, withom fear of Shame, make ufe of; and there is not a wicked Forni– cator in the World, but would have owned it as his Way, and have chofen it too as a fit Opportunity: But bleffed Jofeph walked not in this Way, he knew that nothing could be fo private, nor be kept fo fecret but the all-feeing Eye of God can fee it, and will bring it to L ight. , XV. Thieves are fometimes taken and committed to Prifon, there to be kept fitfe till the general Ailizr, or time of Trial, and then are brought forth, tried, and con – demned, many Times to die, and foon after executed : So wtcked Men are taken by D eath, and committed to the Grave, and there thev are held fafl: till the Day of the RefurreCI:ion, and !aft J udgmem or great Aflize, where they lhall be tried, and give an Accou nt of all their Wickednels done in 1he Body, againft whom J efus Chrif1: will proceed in a W ay of J uftice; and being arraigned, and indiCted for all their Wick– edne[,, Thefts and Robberies, fhall be found guilty, by good Evidence, by the Law of God, Confcience and Nature, and being fo found guilty, !hall receive [he juf1: Sentence of Hell-fire, prepared for the Devil and his Angels, with a Go ye curfed, Matt. xxv. ult. D S P A R I T Y. I. THIEVES can but rob and ftcal fuch Things as are common to Men: But wick– ed Men rob God, and cheat themfelves of their own immortal Souls, as hath been fhewed. ll. Thieves endeavor to hide themfelves, and are not willing to be known: But wicked Men commit their Wickednels publickly, and matter not who feeth them, they declare their Sin as Sodom, and hide it not, they are not aOumed to commit their vVickednefs in the very Face of the Sun. Ill. Thieves oft-times fpare the Poor, and let them pafs, but feize upon fuch as are Rich : But wicke-J Men regard neither Poor nor Rich, if they are Godly; nay the Poor of this World, though rich in Faith, are moftly in their Eye, to be made a Spoil, robbed and ruined by them. IV. Some Thieves, after they have received the juft Sentence of Death, from which they cannot efcape, yet do repent of their 'Niokednefs and receive Pardon of God, though they die by the L aw of Man: But wicked Men, living and dying in Sin, after the !aft Judgment, and Sentence of eternal Death, cannot repent neither, have they any Time fo to do, but muft be damned without Remedy. I N F E R E N C E S. I. HENCE we may fee, how ealily Men may mif1:ake themfelves, by condemning others, when they are in as bad or a worfe State themfelves; who is it but will readily qy out againf1: a Thief, and ufe their utmof1: endeavor to apprehend him ? but how few are there, of the fame Kind, viz_Thieves, as hath been fhewn, will lay Hands upon, or condemn themfelves? who are, as you have heard, worfe than Thieves. ,, II. How.
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