Manton - BX8915 M26 1684 v1

94- S E R 1Y1 0 N S upon the Senn. XV. complaint and inditementagainft them. And ie jeacheth us this truth That -where men remain in their Impenitency and unbelief, both awand Gofpel, Gods juftice andmercy, ow own confeiences,the Spirit refitted by them in his moral fwafions, Meffengers,means,, pains taken on them, will all contribute to make up an aceufation againft a (inner before the Tribunal of Chrift. So yohn iz. 48. He that rejetleth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that fudgethhim; the word that Ihave fpoken( hall ,fudge him at the loll day. The word of the Gofpel delivered by ,Chrift that will Judge them. Though there were no other witneffes, yet the grace of God in the word will thew their Condemnation to be juft, becaufe oftheir contempt and negle &. Believers or unbelievers may know their doom aforehand by the word. So Matth. rz. 41, 42. The men ofNiniveh /hall rife in lodgment againflthis Generation, and condemn it, becaufe they repented at the preaching of Jonas ; and behold agreater than Jonas is here. So, the Queen of the South /ball rife up in the fudgment wish this Generation and lhallcondemnit,for/be came from the uttermoll parts of the Earth, to hear the wifdom afSolomon, and behold a greater then Solomon is here- T he means that we have injoyed, ihall be produced,and aggravate the Judgment againft the negle&ers and defpifers of the Lords grace. There was a greater manifeitation of God in Chrift than Solomon : A greater confirmation in Chrifts refurredion and Infufon of the Spirit, than in lambs being delivered out of the Whales belly. 5. The minifiers of theGofpel.Their diligence and faithful inculcation ofthe do&rineof life maketh up a part of the Evidence which is produced to convince finners, Mat. 24. t 4 "Ind this Gofpel of the Kingdom fhalí be preached in all the World for a witnef unto all Na- tions ; Firft to them,and then againft them, compared with Mark r 3.9. The preaching of the Word will be a wirnefs that men had warning enough, but that they unthankfufly negle&edtheir opportunity,and did tali away their ownmercies. SoMark 6. r o. Shake o/% the duff ofyour feet for tefltsnony egainfl them. That fgnified what a crying fin, and what a puniftunent,did attend them that contemned the Meffages of Salvation fent them by God. 'Tis not only a Teflimony before God for theprefent ; but compare Mat- to. 14, r 5. Shake Of the duet ofyour feet. And it/hall be more tolleratile for Sodom andGo- morra in the day of,7udgment. This Iheweth you are free oftheir b'lood,and if there heno other witnelfes this duff Ihall witnefs it.. 6. Confcienae its felf fhall witnefs againft them, and God will dilcover our felves to our felves, that we !Ball fee the Judgment is juft. As long as men have any Tendernefs, confcience fpeaketh now, but by cultom in finning men flop the mouth ofit.But when it fpeaketh not, it c Meth many times ; for the prefent it is filent,and feemeth to take no no- tice ofthe fns we commit,but they are all regifired and they appear legible. The fad flory of our lives is all engraven upon the heart, and when God awakneth the Confcience 'tis all fin. God will open our eyes,nor byan holy illumination, but by a forced Convìtion, Rev. zo. s z. The Books wereopened, and one of thefe Books isconfcience, and though it be in the inners keeping,yet it cannot,be fo blurred and defaced, but our(tory will be legible enough, and forgotten fins well flare us in the face, Numb. 3z. 23. And be fare your fns /hallfrnd you out. We forget them now,think we /hall never hear of them more. But God can malee all occur to memory as frefh as if newly committed, and in an tnllant re- prefent the flory of an ill fpent life, and (hew us all the thoughts, words, and a- áions, that ever we have been guilty of. The Paper goeth white into thePrinting- houfe, but within one inflant 'tis Marked within and without, and cometh forth ftamped with words, and hues, and fentences. Which were no way legible there before. 7. It will bemade Evident by the confeflion of Offenders themfelves r As their Confcien- ces will convince them, fo their own tongues will accule them then. As men now in the ravings of defpair will vomit up their own fhame,as fuilas ,Mat.z7.4.l havefinnedin that I have betrayed the innocent blood. And fer. 17. 9. At his latter end he /hall be a fool. Cry- ing out, Oh fool ! Oh mad man ! So much more then God can edify, and without other Evidence, convince men by themfelves, and make them accule themfelves ; he can Judge them out oftheir own mouths, Luke 19. rz. Produce evidence againft them out oftheir own thoughts, and pronounce fentence againft them out of their own Confciences, Rom. 2. 15. Make mens tongues to fall upon them,Tfal. 64. 8. He can indeed make ufe ofus, and all that is in us for his own Glory, as having power to do with us what he will, and 'tis much for his honourwhen hé maketh uswitnefíes againft our felves. 8. Wicked men /hall accufe one another. In the arraignment of Adam and Eve which I take for a notable prefignification of the general Judgment, they transfer it upon one another; the man upon the Woman, Gen. 3. is.. The woman whom thougavefb to le with me. And The Woman upon the Serpent ; The Serpent beguiled me, ver. 5/. So

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