Serin. LVII. the Light of Nature and Revelation. 397 Fourthly, That it is a very great aggravation of Sin, for Men to offend againft the light of their own Minds. The Apoftle here aggravates the impiety and wickednels of the HeathenWorld, that they did not live up to the knowledge whichthey hadof God, but contradi&ed it in their lives, which he calls holding the truth in unrighteoufnefs. Fifthly, TheNatural knowledge which Men have of God, if they live wicked- ly, is a clear evidence of their holding the truth in unrighteoufnef. The Apo- file therefore chargeth them with holding the truth in unrighteoufnefr, becaufe that which may be know of God, is manifefled in them, God having "hewed it to them. Sixthly, and laftly, That the clear Revelation of the wrath of God in the Gofpel, againft the impiety and wickednefs of Men, renders it a very powerful and likely means for the Recovery and Salvation of Men. For the Apoile proves the Gofpelof Chri to be thepower of God to Salvation, becaufe therein tle wrath of God is revealed fromHeaven againil all ungodlinefr and unrighteoufnef of Men, who hold the truth in unrighteoufnefr ; that is, againft all impenitent Sinners. I thall at the prefent, by God's affìftance, fpeak to the three firft of thefe Par- ticulars. Firfl, The infinite danger that a wicked and finful courfe doth plainly expofe Men to. If there be a God that made the World, and governs it, and takes care of Mankind, and bath given themLaws and Rules to live by, he cannot but be greatlydifpleafed at the violation and tranfgreffion of them ; and certainly the difpleafureof God is the molt dreadful thing in the World, and the effe&s of it the molt infupportable. The greateft fear is from the greateft danger, and the greateft danger is from the greateft power offended and enraged ; and this is a Confideration exceeding full of terror, that by a finful Courfe we expofe our (elves to the utmoft difpleafure of the great and terrible God ; for who knows the power of his wrath ? and who may "land before him when once he is angry? Accor- ding to thy fear, fo is thy wrath (faith the Pfalmilt.) There is no Paillon in the Mind of Man that is more boundlefs and infinite than our fear; it is apt to make wild and frightful reprefentations ofEvils, and to imagine them many times greater than really theyare; but in this Cafe our imagination mutt fall (host of the truth and terrour of the thing ; for the wrathof God doth far exceed the ut- molt jealoufie and fufpicion of the molt fearful andguilty Confcience ; and the greateft Sinner under his greateft anguifh and defpair, cannot apprehendor fear it more than there is reafon for ; according to thyfear, fo is thy wrath. If it were only the wrath and difpleafure ofMen that the Sinner were expofed to, there might be reafon enough for fear, becaufe they have many times power enough tocru(h an Offender, and cruelty enough to fret every vein of his Body, and to torment him in every part : but the wrath and vengeance of Men bears no Comparifon with the wrath of God. Their Paflions are many times ftrong and bluftering ; but their arm is but (hort, and their power fmall, they have not an arm like God, nor can they thunder with a voice like him. They may defign confiderable harm and mifchief to us ; but it is not always in the power of their hand to wreak their Malice upon us, and to execute all the mifchief which their inraged Minds may prompt them to; the very utmoft they can design, is to tor- ment ourBodies, and to take away our Lives, and when they have defigned this theymay die firft, and return to their dull, and then their thoughts perifh with them, and all their malicious Defigns are at an end ; they are always under the Power and Governmentof a SuperiourBeing, and can go no further than he gives them leave. However if they do their worft, and (hoot all their Arrows at us, we cannot (land at the Mark long, their wrath will loon make an end of us, and fet us free from all their Cruelty and Oppreffion ; they can but kill the Body, and after that they have no more that they can do ; their molt refined Malice cannot reach our Spirits, no Weapon that can be formed by the utmoft art of Man can pierce and wound our Souls ; ,they can drive us out of this World, but they cannot purfue us into the other ; fo that at the worft the Grave will be a Sanïtu- ary to us, and Death a fafe Retreat from all their Rage and Fury. But
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