558 The Parable of, &e. Vol. I. put them out of their Wits; when nothing will keep them from running { iginto rt Hell, but a fearful and ghaftly Meflènger from thence. What a terrible woúld it be to any of us, to meet one of our Companions, whól, he had lately' known in this World frefh come out of thofe Flames, with the fmell of fire and Brimftone upon him ! What Imagination . can paint to it felf the dread and hor- ror of fuch a Speûacle ! The Rich Man here in the Parable, when he was in Hell, is reprefented as fenfible ofthe inconvenience ofthis, and therefore he did not de- fire to be fenthimfelf to his Brethren, but defired that Lazarus might go andtefti= fy unto them; he was appreliienfive how frightful a fight he himfelf mutt needs have been to them, and thereforehe delires that they might have a gentle warn- ingby one, who from out ofAbraham's Bofom had feen the Miferiesof the damned but enjoyed the States of the bleffed. But let not us tempt God by any fuels unreafonable Demand, who (peaks to us every day by the plain Declarations of his Word, and hath of late Years call'd fo loudly upon us by the Voice of his Providence to repent and turn to him; by fó many Miracles ofMercy and,Deliverance, as God hardly ever wrought for any Prince and :People, and by fuch terrible Vollies of Judgments, and full Fiols of wrath, as have feldom been poured out upon any Nation. God fpeaks toyou by his Minifters, Men like your felves (God knows, poor frail and finful Men) but we are fure, that when we call you to Repentance, we deliver to you the Will and Pleafure, the Counfels and Commands of the great God, which (whatever Account may be made ofus) do certainly challengeyour moll awful attention and regard. And we are fenfible that we are call'd to a very difficult and unpleafant work, to contend with the Lufts and Vices of Men, to ftrivè agáinft the ftrong and impetuous Streams of a wicked and perverfe Generation, and nothing in the world could move us to this unwelcome and grievous Importunity, but a great and juft fenfe of our own Duty, and your Danger. And if we will not take there Warnings, why fhould we expeâ that God fhould vouchfafe to fend an ex- prefs Meffenger to us from the other world, to certify us how all things are there, and :. that not fo much to help the weaknefs- ofour Faith, asto humour the Perverfenefs of our Infidelity? And why fhould we imagine that this Courfe would prove more effeEtual? Let us not deceive ourfelves, the fame Lulls which now detain Men fo ttrongly in Impenitency and Unbelief, would in all probability hurry them on to Hell, tho' an Angel from Heaven fhould meet them in their way, to give a flop to them. This indeed might ftartleus; but nothing is like to fave us, if the word of God and his Grace do . not. But are we in earneft, and would we be perfuaded if one fhould rife from the dead? God hath condefcended thus far to us, there is one rifen from the deadto teflifte unto us, Jefus the Son of God, who diedfor our fins, and rote again for our jufliftcation, and is afcended into Heaven, and fet down at the right hand of God, to allure us ofa bleffed Refurreótion, and a glorious Immortality. And if this will not fatisfy us, God will gratify our Curiofity no farther. Íf we mill not be- lieve him, whom God hathfeet, and to convinceus that he hash fent him , hath rai, fedhim up from the dead, we (hall die in ourfins, and perifh in our Impenitency.. God hath in great mercy to Mankind done that which is abundantly fufficient to convince thofe, who are ofa teachable Temperänd Difpofition: But in great wif- domand juflice he hath not thought fit to provide any remedy for the wilful' Ob- ftinacy and intraélable Perverfenefs of Men. Now God who hath the Hearts of all Men in his hands, perfuade us all, to break ofourfins by repentance, and to giveglory to God, before Death and Darknefs come, and the day of our final Vilitation overtake us, when we may perhaps -be furprized by a fudden flroke, or feized upon by a violent Difeafe, and may have no fenfe and apprehenfion of our approaching Danger ; or if we have, may find no placefor Repentance, tho' wefeek itwith Tears ; which God grant may never happen to be the Cafe of any ofus, for his Mercy's fake in Chrift Jefus. To whom with the Father, &c. ' SERMON
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