DiSC. YIII.a THE PUNISHMENTS IN HELL. 621 vided a covenant of grace, and brought thee into some knowledge of it : And this had been effectual to have recovered and saved thee from the ruins of the fall if thou hadst exerted all thy force, employed all thy natu- ràl powers of understanding and will for this purpose, and used all thy diligence to follow the methods of his grace, and hadst sought earnestly for divine aids For there is no man among the damned is able to say, " X have done every thing: that was in my power to do " No man shall be condemned for what was utterly impos- sible for him to avoid : It is confessed indeed thou, art laid under some hardships and difficulties by the sin of thy first father ; yet it is thy own actual and personal crimes for which thou art condemned at this judgment, wherein " every one shall be judged and rewarder according to his works ;" 2 Cor. v. 10. It is for many wilful offences against the law of God, and for sinning against the offers of divine grace; it is for obstinacy Against thy own conscience, and all the outward and in- ward monitions of thy duty, that thou art fallen under this sentence, and because thou didst not labour and strive against sin, and resist it even to the end of thy state of life and trial. Thou hast had many an inward reproof for sin, many a secret or public call to'virtue, and perhaps loud and fair warnings of thy danger; but thou hast turned a deaf ear to them all, and it is thy own folly, obstinacy, and iniquity, that have brought thee into this misery, and thou must eat the fruit of thy own works. If there should be any person found indeed among Jews, gentiles or christians, who justly complain, " I have not had a fair and full state of trial, and yet I am condemned," I think we may grant that the righteous God will release such from their misery, after they have worn out a proper number of years in punishment pro- portionable to their past crimes; and that there shall be a fair, and full, and proper state of trial appointed to them before they shall be utterly and unretrievably mi- serable : But if no such person be found there, if there be no such just complaint to be made among the millions of the damned, then they may be- still continued in their prison and punishment without any imputation upon di,, Pine juatiçe and equity. g
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