174 An Expoffion ((the CHAP. Ile (hall then hear nothing, but go ye turfed. They (hall not have the Lead effect of Mercy fhewed unto them unto all Eternity. They(hall then have judgement without mercy, who Jhewed no mercy. The Grace,Goodnefs, Love and Mercy ofGod Ihall be glorified unto the utmoll in his Eletf; without the leali mixture of allay from his difpleafure ; and fo(hall his Wrath,Severity and VindiiliveJuffiee, in them that perifh without any temperature ofpity or eompafon. Hç (hall. rain upon them hares, and fire and brimffone, thisAA be their portion for ever. Wonder then not at the Great_ nefs or Duration ofthat Punithment, which (hall exhautt thewhole wrathof God without the leali mitigation. And this will difcover unto us the nature of fin, efpecially ofVnbelief and neglect of the Goffiel. Men are apt now to have flight thoughts of thefe things. ; but when they (hall find themrevenged with thewhole Wrath of God, they will change theirminds. What a folly, what a madnefs is it tomake light of Chri(l, unto which an Eternity of punithment is but a meet Recompence ofReward. It is good then, to learn the nature of fin from the Threatnings of God, rather than from the commonPreJismptionr that pats among %cure perifhing linners:Confider whattheltighteoufnefs,what the Ho.. linefs, what the Wifdom ofGod hath determined to be due unto fin, and then make a Judgement of thenature ofit ; that you be not overtaken with a woful fisrprizal, when all means of reliefaregone and pall. As .alfoknow that, 2. ThisWorldalone is the time and place wherein you are to look and Peek for mercy. Cryeswill do nothing at the lati day: not obtain the leaft drop of water to cool the tongue inits torment. Somemen doubtlets have fecret referves,that things will not go at the latt day, as by others they they are made to believe. Theyhope to meet with better Quarter than.is talked of; that God will not be inexorable as is pretended. Werenot theft their inward thoughts, it were not polfible they (hould fo neglect the feafon of Grace, as they do. But alas, how will they be deceived? God indeed is gracious, merciful, and full of Compaflion ; but this world is the time wherein he will exercife them. They will be for ever that up towards unbelie- vers at the laft day. This is the acceptable day, this is the day of falvaeion; if this be defpifed, if thisbe neglected, expeóf no more tohear of mercy unto Eternity. I I I. Every concernment of the Law andGofpel, both as to their nature andpromulgati- on, is to be weighedand confidered by Believers, to beget in their hearts a right and due valuation of them: To this end are they here fo difindly propofed ; asof the Law, that itwasPoker; by Angels; and ofthe Goj¢el, that it is great faluation, the word Jßoken by theLord, confirmed with figns and miracles; all which the Apoftle would have us toweigh and diftindly confider. OurIntered .lyes in them, and our Good is intended by them. And to flit up our attention unto them, we mayobferve. Firft; That God dothnothing in vain, nor fpeaks any thing in vain, efpecially in the things of his Law and Gofpel, wherein the great concernments ofhis own Glory, and the foulsof men are enwrapped. And thereforeour Saviourlets us know, that there is a worth in the leaft apexand iota of the word, and that it mull have its Ac- compliihment. An End it hath, and that End (hall befultìlled. The Jews have a foolijh curiofry in reckoning all the letters of theScripture, and calling up howoften every onedoth occurr. But yet this curiofsryof theirs,vain and needled as it is, will condemn our negligence, if we omit a diligent enquiry into all the Things andCir- cumftances of it, that are of real importance. God hath an holy and wife End in all that he doth. As nothing can be added unto his Word or Work; fo nothing can be taken from it, it is every way perfect. And this in general is enough to quicken us unto a diligent fearch into all the Circumflancesand Adjnntls both ofLaw andGofpel ; and of the way and manner, whereby he was pleated to communicate them unto us. Secondly, Thereis in all thofeConcernment, of the Law and Gofpel, a mixture of Divine Wifdom andGrace. From this fountain they allproceed, and the living wa- ters of it run through them all. TheTimes, the Seafons, theAuthors, the Inftru- ments, the mannerof their Delivery, were all ordered by the manifold Wifdom of God, which efpecially appears in the difpenfation of theGofpel, Ephef. 3.9, to. The Apolile placeth not theWifdom of Godonly in the Iltyffery ofthe Gofpel, but alfo in the feafon of its promulgation. It was hid, faith he, in God, v. 9. that is, in the purpofeofGod, v. r o, H. From the Ages pall, but now is made manife ; and herein doth the manifoldWifdom ofGod appear. Were we able to look into the depthofany muffance
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