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The Prophet Ifaiab having expoftulated with the Inhabitants of Judah for their Wickedness, and Incorrigibleness, under thofe Judgments, which had been inflicted on them, adds, (Ifaiah i. 24.) Therefore faith the Lord, the Lord of Hofts, the Mighty One of Ifrael, Ab, I will ease me of mine Adverfaries, and avenge me of mine Enemies. And who are these? Doubtlefs, all who lead ungodly Lives: They evidently appear to be God's Enemies by their wicked Works and inexpreffible are the Terrors of the Time, when the Righteous God fhall avenge himfelf of them.

I may likewife observe, that after the Prophet had faid to the Lord, Thou haft forfaken thy People, he fays to the People, Enter into the Rock, and hide thee in the Duft for Fear of the Lord, and for the Glory of his Majefty, (vid. Ifaiah ii. 6, 10.) And he foretels their going into the Clefts of the Rocks, and into the Tops of the ragged Rocks, for Fear of the Lord, and for the Glory of his Majefty, when be fball arife to shake terribly the Earth.

When the incorrigible Sinners fhall come to fee the dreadful Execution of God's threatened Judgments, when the Arrows of his Wrath fhall fly thick around them, when they fhall hear nothing but dreadful Tidings, when they shall hear and fee see andhes of many Families, and Multitudes deftroyed, or re

duced to extreme Distress and Mifery, who a little before enjoyed Health, Profperity, and Peace; when Dangers thicken about them, when their guilty Souls fhall be filled with horrible Fears, they may fly from their Dwellings, and feek hiding Places for their Security, but they cannot fly from God, nor get out of the Reach of his Arm: Whitherfoever they fhall go, the Juft God is there; if in the City there comes a Peftilence, or Famine, without it the Sword may devour.

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And altho' the Wicked, in a Time of Tranquillity, may for a while be ftupid, and fearless, yet when God proceeds in Controverfy with them, he will make their Hearts to ach, and their Flesh to tremble, and fill their Souls with Confternation, and amazing Terrors. Then the Sinners in Zion will be afraid, then Fearfulness will furprize the Hypocrites.

There is Reason, as I have obferved, to think that the Day of the Lord's Vifitation of this Land for Sin is begun, and proceeding; and therefore the Hearts of ungodly Sinners may well faint with the Apprehenfion of the Evils that may juftly be expected.

I fay not these Things to drive any to Defpair, but to excite them immediately to feek Peace, and Reconciliation, with the Holy God, through Faith in the Bleffed Jefus, who is both able and willing to fave even the chief of Sinners, who return to God through him.

There is ftill Room to hope for Mercy and Pardon. Therefore it is that the LORD ftill waits, even that he may be gracious unto us.

If the Inhabitants of our Cities, if the People of our Land, will, like the Ninevites, believe God, and faft and humble themfelves, and cry mightily unto God, and turn every one from his evil Ways, and from the Violence that is in their Hands, God will turn from his fierce Anger, and we shall not perish. (vid. Jonah iii.)

For the Lord hath faid, At what Inftant 1 fhall Speak concerning a Nation, and concerning a Kingdom, to pluck up, and to pull down, and to deftroy it; if that Nation, against whom I have pronounced, turn from their Evil, I will repent of the Evil that I thought to do unto them. Jer. xviii. 7, 8.

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Sacred Declarations, &c.

But we can have no well-grounded Hope of efcaping the destroying Judgments of God, of God long provoked, till we fee a great Reformation in our Cities and Nation.

Reformation is the Thing which the World, and the Providence of God do loudly call for; and that I may thro' the divine Bleffing be an Inftrument of his bringing a finful People to Repentance, Faith, and Holiness, in Heart and Life, I fhall give an Account of fome SORTS of Perfons, whom God will punish in, the Day of his awful Vifitation for Sin.

The Word of the Lord is the Derifion of profane Sinners in thefe Days, no lefs than in Time pat; yet the divine Providence is always fulfilling his Word.

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Well did David fay to God, Thou haft magnified thy Word above all thy Name, Pfal. cxxxviii. 2. Word of God is the Sword of the Spirit (Ephef. vi. xvii.) It is the great Means by which the holy Spirit fubdues Sinners, and brings them to the Obedience of Faith, and by which he enableth Believers to conflict with, and overcome their spiritual Enemes, the Principalities, and Powers, and the Rulers of the Darkness of this World.

But the Generality of People are Strangers to the Word of God, and many who fcoff at it never read it; yet the Time will come, will furely come, when all Men will be made to know fomewhat of it, for they will be judged according to it.

It is certainly very feasonable, and needful, when God is rifen out of his Place to punish the Inhabitants of the the Earth for their Iniquities, very needful, I fay, to acquaint them with what the Word of the Lord has fpoken concerning various Sorts of Sinners, and let them obferve whether God in the Course of his Providences will not act according to the Declarations upon Record in his holy Word; and confider whether it is not their Intereft, as well

as Duty, to feek Peace with God, that fo they may escape the Evil he has threatned.

And it deferves the moft ferious Notice, and Confideration, that the following Sorts of Perfons are particularly threatned with Punishments in the Day of God's Vifitation for Sin: And happy will it be if thofe guilty Sorts of People, fhall ponder in their Minds, what the Lord hath faid concerning them, and be prevailed with to fly from that Wrath which is coming on the Children of Difobedience, by flying to the bleffed Jefus with the Wings of Faith, and becoming his true Difciples, new Creatures in him, fanctified by his Spirit, and made fruitful in Holiness by Union, and Fellowship with him.

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I. Thofe Minifters of the Word of God, of every Denomination, who either fet bad Examples, or live in the Neglect of the Duty they owe to the People under their Care, are one Sort of Perfons particularly threatned by the holy God.

I mention these by Way of Preface, because they are as Stewards of the Mysteries of God (1 Cor. iv. 1.) and have in Charge to teach the People, the Doctrines, the Statutes, the Commandments and the Ordinances of God; and because their bad Examples, and Neglect of the Duties of their Miniftry, are fad Occafions of Irreligion, and Wickednefs among the People.

In Ifaiah v. 6, 9-12. the Word of the LORD fays, All the Beasts of the Field come to devour, yea, all the Beasts of the Foreft. His Watchmen are blind, they are all ignorant, they are all dumb Dogs, they cannot bark; fleeping, lying down, loving to flumber. Yea, they are greedy Dogs, which can never have enough, and they are Shepherds that cannot understand: They all look to their own Way, every one for his Gain from his Quarter. Come ye, fay they, I will fetch Wine, and we will fill ourselves with firong Drink, and to

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morrow shall be as this Day, and much more abundant.

By Watchmen, and Shepherds, were meant the Prophets and Priests, who, in the Days of ISAIAH, were Ministers of the Word of God, who ought to have understood it, and been able to inftruct the People in it, able to teach them, what God would have them to know, to believe, and to do; they ought to be Men free from Avarice, and of great Sobriety.

The Paffages cited fhew, that the following Sorts of bad Minifters, are plainly threatned with Deftruction in the Day of the Lord's Vifitation.

1. Thofe Minifters, who are ignorant, ignorant of thofe Things, which God would have them teach the People, and fo are no more capable of performing their Office, than Watchmen who are blind can see an approaching Danger, and thereupon give Warning of it, or guide People in the Way they should go, but are like dumb Dogs, that cannot bark to give Notice when a Wolf is coming: Their Ignorance rendering them incapable of ac quainting the People under their Care, with the Dangers their Souls are expofed to.

2. Thofe lazy, careless Minifters, who wilfully neglect to perform the Duties of their facred Function, and indulge themselves in Ease, Idleness, and Sloth. This is manifeftly imported in those Expreffions, Лleeping, lying down, and loving to flum

ber.

3. Thofe covetous Minifters, who, tho' negligent of the Service they owe to their People, yet are for getting as much from them as they can, making their own fecular Intereft their chief Concern. This is plainly fignified by thofe Words, viz. they are greedy Dogs, which can never have enough-they all look to their own Way, every one for his Gain from his Quarter.

4. Thofe

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