righteous, how could he then judge the world? fays the apoftle, Rom. iii. 6. His will is the meafure of juftice to us. He doth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can fay to him, What doft thou? Dan. iv. 35. If once we quite the will of God for the ftandard and measure of juftice, then we wander and lofe ourfelves, and are never like to find any other thing that can with any fhadow of reafon pretend to the place.

(3.) This appointment of God is moft juft, because it was made in way of a contract. There was a covenant between God and Adam; God did propofe the whole matter to him; and the fubftance of it was this, Do, and live, fin, and die. Man was content, and that upon deliberation, with the terms; and therefore the juftice of God is clear in this matter.

(4.) God did warn man beforehand of this punishment; and therefore he is very juft in the matter which will appear very confiderable, if we obferve that, as man is unquestionably obliged to obey God, so God has an unquestionable right to command; and that not only upon account of his fupereminent excellency, but on account of his creation, prefervation, and innumerable benefits; therefore he commanding to man what is just and equal, may do it upon what penalty he pleafes, without any fhadow of injuftice; as I fhall make appear by this plain and familiar inftance. I fuppole the lord of a mannor to have placed or made a precipice in fome part of his land, and that he forbids his fervant to go there, and tells him if he do, he will be fure to fall there and be killed. Who would fay that he were guilty of that fervant's death, if the fervant fhould go there? And,"

I 3

I fay,

I fay, God can with as little justice be charged with the death of finners, or with feverity, fince he gives them fair warning. They choose damnation, and their deftruction is of themselves. This was perfectly the cafe with man at first: and that afterwards he fell under a fatal inability to abftain from fin, no more clears him, or makes God faulty, than it would clear the servant formerly mentioned, or make his mafter blame-worthy, if the way to that precipice lay stooping downward, and the fervant fhould, upon the beginning of the defcent, run with fo full a carreer, that he were not able to halt till he had broke his neck. This I fuppofe would not reflect upon the master, that he did not remove the precipice, or alter the way; and this is the cafe between God and man.

5. Confider the influence that this penal fanction has upon them that are faved; and wherein we may fee that God was most just in appointing it. It is the means to bring them to heaven. It moves ministers to preach, Knowing the terrors of the Lord, we perfuade men, 1 Cor. v. 11. And it moves the hearers to accept of falvation; as appears from the frequent ufe our Lord makes of this argument. And in the original constitution of the law, it was defigned as a mean, not only for the reparation of its violated honour, but also to deter men from breaking the law: Therefore God is moft juft in the whole of his conduct in this matter; fince the greater the penalty was, the more likely a mean it was to hold men in the

way.

6 I thought to have further cleared the equity of this appointment of God, whereby fin is ordained thus to be punished, from the confideration of the neceffity thereof in order to the govern

ment

ment of the world. If men have yet fuch boldnefs to fin, notwithstanding the severity of these punishments, what would they have done, if there had been only fome light temporary punishment to be inflicted? This confideration would lead me too far from the fubject in hand; therefore I but name it, and proceed to the

VI. And last general, which I proposed for the improvement of this doctrine. I have unfolded, at fome length, the crime charged upon you: I have proved, both in general and in.particular, that ye have all finned, and thereby come fhort of the glory of God. I have fhewed what the fatisfaction is which juftice requires: I have likewife made appear, and have given you fome account, how reafonable it is that juftice fhould carry its demands fo high. It remains now, that we shortly represent your mifery from the whole. But here indeed I am at a lofs how to begin; and if once I begin, fhall find myself at no lefs a ftrait where to end. Sinners I have proved you; and miferable I fhall now endeavour to represent you upon this account.

1. If a vaft lofs can make you miferable, then indeed ye fhall be fo. Your lofs can be imagined by none, but these who enjoy the advantages you lofe, or thefe who are already in the place of torment, and have their eyes opened to fee their own condition. It is fuch a lofs, that you cannot from one place have a full profpect of it, I mean, of that little portion of it which may be known without feeling: and therefore we thall give you fome different views of it, as it were from diftinct places, at each of which ye may fee fome, and but fome fmall part of it.

(1.) I fay your lofs fhall be great, for ye shall lofe the world with all its delights, comforts and

fatisfactions. Are ye now poffeft of a competent estate, a flourishing family, health of body, content of mind, and a fair stock of reputation? ye fhall lofe all these things: and will not this be a vaft lofs to you? Are not these the things that bound your defires, and terminate all your wishes and enquiries? I fear they are fo to most of you. They who have their portion only in this life, feek no more but these things. All the queftion with fuch is, Who will fhew us any good, any worldly good? And if they lose these things, then indeed they lofe all. They may fay their gods are taken away, and what have they more? Whatever is defirable to the eyes, or pleasant to any of your fenfes, ye fhall at once for ever and eternally be deprived of. And is not this a vaft lofs? Since it must be fo, in many of your eyes, ye fhall lofe that which ye valued above heaven and Chrift. It may be fome of you cleave fo faft to a prefent world, that neither the promises, nor the threats of the gofpel can induce you to quite your hold; yet notwithstanding of all your endeavour to keep them, ye fhall lofe them all. Death will part you and them: and, O how great will this lofs be to you who have no more!

:

(2.) When God punishes you, ye will sustain the lofs of the gofpel which now you enjoy and this will appear to be a vast loss then. The gofpel has in it treasures for the poor, eyes for the blind, feet for the lame, understanding for the fimple, peace for rebels, pardons for condemned malefactors, a title to heaven for the heirs of hell, Jife for the dead, happiness for the miferable: and to lose all these, what lofs can be comparable to this? This lofs, when it is now fpoken of, may appear finall to you: but the day is coming, when

ye

ye will learn to put a high value upon it, after ye have loft it.

(3.) Ye will fuftain a vaft lofs; for infallibly ye lofe heaven, if ye continue in.your fins: and who can tell what a lofs that is? Who can found the depth of these rivers of pleasure that are at God's right band for evermore? Who can weigh 'that far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory ? Who can take the dimenfions of that vast inheritance of the faints in light? Who can declare the sweetness of the fruits of that paradife of pleafure? What eye can difcern, or let in just apprehenfions of that bliss-giving fight which the faints enjoy above, where there are no clouds to obfcure the face of their fky? Well, what ever there is of these things, all thefe ye lofe. O immenfe lofs indeed!

We only name these things, designing now to haften to another fubject. Would ye know how great a lofs ye fuftain in the first instance mentioned? We may send you to those who are wallowing in the delights of the fons of men, and who are glutting themselves with a prefent world. They will tell you ftrange things of your lofs by the removal of worldly comforts. If ye would underftand how great your lofs is, by the removal of the gofpel; go to these who have got a heart to embrace it, and they will give you a furprising account of their enjoyments by it: but who can tell what heaven is? they only who have been there; and even scarce they, for furely they feel, they enjoy more than can be expreft. Now all thefe things ye lofe: but need I fay more? Ye lofe God, ye lofe your own fouls; and if ye lofe your own fouls, and gain a world, what profit have ye? yea, ye fuftain a vast lofs; what must then your

lofs