Serin. L XIII. Rich Magi and Lazarus. 545 Fifth Obfervation, that the State of Men in the next world is fixt and un- changeable ; which I ground upon v. a6. Between as and you there is a great gulf ffxt, fo that they that wouldpafs from hence to you cannot, neither can theypaf e to us that wouldcome from thence. By which words our Saviour kerns not only to in- tend, that they that are in Heaven and Hell can have no Communication and In- tercourfe with one another ; but likewife that they are lodg'd in an immutable State. Thofe that are happy are like to continue fo ; and thofe that are miferable are immutably fixt in that State. t." As to thofe that are in Happinefs.there can be no great doubt: For what can tempt Men that have fo, narrowly efcap'd the Dangers and Temptatións of a wicked world, and are poffeft of fo great aHappinefs by the free Grace and Mer- cy of God, to do any thing whereby they may forfeit their Happinefs ; or fo much as to entertain a Thought of offending that God, to whom they cannot but be fenfible how infinitely they are obliged. In this Imperfect Bate fewMen have fo little Goodnefs as to fin without Temptation, but in that iratewhere Men are perfeâly good, and can have noTemptation to be otherwife,, it is not imaginable that they fhould fall from that Bate. a. As to the flare of the damned, that that likewife is immutable the Scripture does feem plainly enough to affert, when it calls it an everlafting Defiruttion from theprefence of the Lord, and ufes fuch Expreffìons to fet forth the continuance of their Mifery, as lignifie the longef, and molt interminable Duration, expreffions of as great an Extent as thofe which are ufed to fignifie the Eternal Happinefs of the blefied ; and as large and unlimited, as any are to bé had in thofe Languages wherein the Scriptures are written. Befides that wicked Men in the other' World. are inScripture reprefented. as in the fame Condition with the Devils, of whom there is no ground to believe that any of them ever did or will repent. Not becaufe Repentance is impoffible inits ownnature to thofe that are in extreamMifery ; but becaufe there is"no place left for it. Being under an irreverfible Doom, there is no encouragement to,Repen- tance, no hope of Mercy and Pardon, without whichRepentance is impoffible. For if a Man did utterly defpair of Pardon, and were affured upon good ground, that God would never thew Mercy to him, in this cafe a Man would grow de- .fperate, and not care what he did. He that knows that whatever he does, he is miferable and undone, will not matter how he demeans himfelf. All motives to Repentance are gone after a Man once knows it will beto no purpofe. And this the Scripture feems to reprefent toils, as the cafe of the Devils and damned Spi- rits. Becaufe their Bate is 'finally determined, and they are concluded under an irreverfible Sentence, therefore Repentance is impofiible to them. Sorry, no doubt, they are, and heartily troubled that by their own Sin and Folly they have brought this Mifery.upon themfelves, and they cannot but con- ceive an everlaflingDifpleafure againft themfelves, for having been the Caufe and Authors of their own Ruin ; and the Reflebtion of this will be a perpetual Spring of difcontent, and fill their Minds with eternal rage and vexation ; and fo long as they feel the intolerable Punifhments of Sin, and groan under the infupport- able Torments, of it, and fee no end of this miferable Bate, no hope of- getting. out of it, they can be no otherwife affeéted,' than with difcontent at themfelves, and rage and' fury againft God. They 'are indeed penitent fo far, as to be troubled at themfelves for what they have done,; but this Trouble worksno change and alteration in them; they Bill hate God who inlic`.ts thefe Punifhments upon them, and who they believe is de- termined to cóntinue them in this miferable Bate. The prefent anguifh of their Condition, and their defpair of bettering it, makes them mad ; and their Minds are fò diftraied by the wildnefs of their Pallions, and their Spirits fo exafperated -and fet on fire by their own giddy Motions, that there can be no reit and filenec in their Souls, not fo much as the liberty of one calm and fedate Thought. Or if at any time they reflect upon the evil of their Sins, and should enter- tain any thoughts of returning to God and their Duty, they are prefently checkt with this Confideràtion, that their cafe iS determined, that God is implacably Aaaa o.Tendëd
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