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not put away, he will look upon you as his murderers, and fmite you with his judgments; yea, you may expect that the wrath of God will come upon you whilft the bread is in your mouths, as it did upon Ifrael for thẹ fame reafon, Pfal. Ixxviii. 30. 31. They were not eftranged from their lufts; but whilft the meat was in their mouths, the wrath of God came upon them, and flew the fatteft of them, and fmote down the chosen men of Ifrael" Perhaps, O finner, thou mayeft not feel this wrath at the time, but it may be inflicted infenfibly on thy foul; and every facrament thou receiv eft in this condition, thou doft heap and treasure up wrath against the day of wrath; and every time thou bringeft a new faggot to the heap, which will make a terrible fire at laft, when it is thoroughly kindled against thy foul.

O, then, you who defign to approach to the Lord's table, be perfuaded to put a bill of divorce into the hands of all your lufts and idols; Caft away all your former tranfgreffions, and begin, a new life: Refolutely turn your back on fins, fatan, and hell; and come take on with a new mafter, and engage in God's ftrength to be good fervants and faithful foldiers of Jefus Christ for the time to come. If you do this, God promiseth you mercy and pardon, and that your former fins shall not fo much as be mentioned to you, Ifa. lv. 7. Ezek. xviii. 21. 22. But, if you do not, fevere wrath is threatened, Pfal. lxviii. 21.

The facrament doth work and produce effects, according to the ftate and difpofition of the receivers thereof; as the quater of jealousy did to the woman under fufpicion of uncleannefs, Numb. v. 27. 28. If the woman was clean, then the water did her no hurt, nay, it did her good, made her conceive and become fruitful; But, if he was defiled and unclean, it did her great mifchief; "Her belly did fwell, her thigh did rot, and the became a curfe." It is fo in receiving the facrament: If a man be in a gracious ftate, and made clean by faith, repentance, and reformation, then the facrament brings a bleffing, it makes a man fpiritually healthful and fruitful: But if he be defiled and impenitent, it

doth

doth him great mischief; like the water of jealoufy, it doth poifon and rot his foul, and he proves a more rotten and wretched finner than before. O. then, let none venture to harbour fin, and deal falfly with God, when he comes to drink this water of jealousy.

The Pharifees quarrelled with Chrift, Matt. xv. 2. Why do thy difciples tranfgrefs the tradition of the elders? for they wath not their hands when they eat bread" But on many better grounds maywe quarrel many communicants: Why do ye tranfgrefs the commandment of the Lord? for ye wash neither hands nor heart, when ye eat bread at the Lord's table; nay, ye prefume to dip your filthy hands into the dish with a holy Jefus : Do you think he will bear with fuch an affront from vile worms, when it is more easy for him to crush you, than for you to trample a worm under your feet? Remember; he is a God of purer eyes than that he can bebold iniquity.

Would you have God to draw near to you in this holy ordinance, then cleanse your hands and purify your hearts. Wafh ye, make you clean, put away the evil of your doings from before his eyes, ceafe to do evil, and learn to do well. And, if ye would be accepted by God, your turning from fin must have these proper

ties:

, It must be a cordial turning with all the heart and foul. You must not forfake fin with reluctancy, and by constraint, (as Phaltiel left Michael) but willingly and readily.

2dly, You must turn from your fins presently, and without delay. Do not adventure to lie down and fleep with them another night, left your waking next day be in hell, or under a fentence of final hardness or impenitency: You are not fure the day of grace will laft, or the door of mercy ftand open till to-morrow.

3dly, You muit turn from fia finally and everlaftingly; your quarrel with fin must be irreconcileable: For, if now ye declare war against your fins, as the traitors and murderers of your Lord and Master, ye must draw the fword against them, and throw away the fcabbard, and vow never to be fatisfied till you revenge

Chrift's

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Chrift's death upon them, and get them utterly destroyed. O, never entertain a favourable thought of, nor give a kindly look to the bloody knife that killed your dearest friend. Do not, like many, who only part with their fins about the time of a communion, or when confcience is awakened; but when that is over, they return with the dog to the vomit. Many fay to their fins, as Abraham to his fervants, Stay at the foot of the mount till I go up and worship, and I will return to you again. You ought to fay fo, indeed, to your neceffary wordly af fairs at this time; but, for your fins, you should pafs an act of eternal banishment upon them, and fay with Ephraim, what have I to do any more with idols?

4thly, You must turn from fin univerfally. You must not, like Herod, part with many and referve fome, but readily give up with all; with inward heart fins, as well as outward and grofs fins; with fins of omission, as well as of commiffion, with fecret fins, as well as open fins. And particularly, turn from your predomi nant fins whatever they be; and from thofe fins that are common in the age and place wherein you live: Referve no fin, not darling luft, but hew thy beloved Agag in pieces before the Lord; leave no grip of thy heart to the devil, left he pull thee to hell by it.

Turn from all torgue fins, rotten difcourfe and corrupt communication. You would reckon it a fad difease to have your excrements come out at your mouth; and yet, alas, this is the disease of many. O fwearer, turn from your fwearing: What mean ye to ftudy the language of hell, unless you would have the world believe that you defign to travel thither! For thofe who are to go to a strange country to live, defire to learn fomething of the language of the country ere they go. What profit or pleasure have you in this fin! Why will you dare heaven and defy God's law, without any temptation? What would you fay, if men fhould baffle or abuse your name, or your father's name, as you do the Lord's name!

Object. "O, (fay fome,) it is only the devil's name that we baffle."

Af

An. There is nothing pleases the devil more than to have his name fo frequently used; for thus you make him a god, whom you worship and pray to, by bidding the devil take this or that.

Object." I do not ban or fwear but when I am in paffion and provoked to it."

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Anf. 1. This is an aggravation of your fin, first to be in paffion, and then to fwear: Do you think that one fin will excufe another? 2. Is it juft to flee in the face of your Creator, because you are affronted by your fellow-creature? Will you ftab your father, because your enemy ftrikes you? If a man wrong you, will you put forth your anger on God who never wronged you. Objects" I fwear but little oaths, by faith, confcience," &c.

Anf. 1. The devil would have you think thefe but Kittle fins now: But ftay till a death-bed or a judgmentfeat, and you will find him alter his note. 2. Do you think it a light matter to make á common baffle of faith, the precious inftrument of your justification; or of confcience, that is the deputy of the great God; or of your precious foul, that coft the blood of Chrift to redeem it? 3. These are but creatures, and to swear by them is plain idolatry: For it is a giving worship, and afcribing divine attributes to the creature.

be.

O cursers and swearers, be perfuaded to forfake these fins, and turn to God in Chrift for mercy. What will God fay to you at the great day, if you do not? You wifhed for damnation in your ordinary difcourfe; you are now holden at your word, and damned fhall you You fwore in your ordinary discourse, therefore God. will fwear in his wrath, you shall not enter into his reft: You could not speak without cursing, therefore you fhall be banished out of God's prefence with a curfe: Their tongues, that were fo liberal of oaths and blafphemies, fhall fry in endless and ceafelefs flames, without one drop of water to cool them.

Again, O liar, forfake your lying, and come to Chrift. Though this fin be common, yet confider it is moft abominable in the fight of God: The devil is the patron VOL. I.

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of

of this fin, and the father of liars; it was with a lie he ruined all mankind. Ye fhall be as gods, faid he to our first parents. There is never a lie thou makest, but the devil is at thine ear, and whispers it to thee. Remember what God did to Ananias and Sapphira for lying, Acts v. he struck them dead with a lie in their mouth; and it will be a wonder of his patience, if he do not fo to thee. Do you know, O liars, whofe children you are? Not God's children, for they are chil dren that will not lie; and therefore you must be satan's children, for he is a liar from the beginning, and the father of liars. Knoweft thou, O liar, whither thou art going? Even to thy fathers. Should not children be with their father? You cannot look upward, and fay, Our father which art in heaven: but thou mayeft look downward and fay, Our father which art in hell; and there it is (if thou repent not) that thy tongue shall be tormented in flames for ever. Tremble at this, O liar, and be assured it is no lie that I tell you; "Turn ye, turn ye; for why will ye die ?"

Moreover, O drunkard, turn from your drunkenness, and come to Chrift. While you live in this fin, you lye under many woes and curfes, Ifa. v. 11. 12. Ísa. xxviii. 2. 1 Cor. vi. 10. God's curses are not light, therefore make not light of them: For, if ye do, O drunkard, remember what is abiding you hereafter, even a cup of red vengeance, filled up with the dregs of God's wrath, which fhall be poured down your throat for ever; and yet you fhall eternally cry out, I thirst, I thirft; and for all the drink you have had on earth, you cannot get there a drop of cold water to cool your tongue.

In the next place, O covetous man, cheater and defrauder, turn from your covetoufnefs, your injustice, and unrighteous gain, and come to Chrift. If you do not, you fhall pay dear for all your unjust gain in another world; "God is the avenger of all fuch as you defraud," 1 Theff. iv. 6. You think yourself very cunning, when you can cheat your neighbour of a little money; but, know you not, that the devil in the meantime, is more cunning in cheating you of your precious foul, which is infinitely more valuable ?

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