SERM. XXXII. dealt with any nation, as with that nation. Indeed, in the rewards of obedience, the fame reason doth not hold; he that came into the vineyard the laft hour of the day, may be equal, in reward, with him that bare the heat, and burthen of the whole day; because the reward is of grace, and bounty, not of debt, and merit: But it is not fo here, juftice obferves an exact proportion in diftributing punishments, according to the degrees, deferts, and measures of fin: And therefore it is faid concerning Babylon, Rev. xviii. 7. "How much the hath glorified herfelf, "and lived deliciously; so much torment, and forrow give

"her."

Secondly, Ex parte peccatoris, upon the account of finners it must needs be, that the heaviest wrath, and most intolerable torments, should be the portion of them who have finned against the clearest light, and means of grace: For we find, in the scripture account, that a principal, and special part of the torment of the damned, will arife from their own confciences. Mark ix. 44. "Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not "quenched." And nothing is more manifest than this, that if confcience be the tormentor of the damned, then finners against light must needs have the greatest torments. For,

First, The more knowledge any man had in this world, the more was his confcience violated, and abused here, by finning against it: And O what work will these violations, and abuses, make, for a tormenting confcience in hell! With what rage, and fury, will it then avenge itfelf upon the moft ftout, daring and impudent finner! The more guilt now, the more rage, and fury then.

Secondly, The more knowledge; or means of knowledge, any man hath enjoyed in this world, so much the more matter is prepared, and laid up for confcience to upbraid him with, in the place of torments? And the upbraidings of conscience are a fpecial part of the torments of the damned. O what a peal will confcience ring in the ears of fuch finners! "Did not I warn

thee of the iffue of fuch fins, undone wretch? How often "did I ftrive with thee, if it had been poffible to take thee "off from thy courfe of finning, and to escape this wrath? Did "not often cry out, in thy bofom, ftop thy course, finner? "Hearken to my counsel, turn, and live; but thou wouldest "not hearken to my voice? I forewarned thee of this danger, "but thou flightedit all my warnings; thy lufts were too strong for my light, and now thou feeft whither thy way tended, "but, alas, too late!”

Thirdly, The more knowledge, or means of knowledge any

man hath abused, and neglected in this world, fo many fair opportunities, and great advantages he hath loft for heaven; and the more opportunities, and advantages, he hath had for heaven, the more intolerable will hell be to that man; as the mercy was great, which was offered by them, fo the torment will be unfpeakable, that will arife from the lofs of them. Sinners, you have now a wide, and open door, many blessed opportunities of falvation, under the gospel; it hath put you in a fair way for everlasting happiness: Many of you are not far from the kingdom of God; there will be time enough, in hell, to reflect upon this lofs. What think you, will it not be fad to think there : O how fair was I once for heaven, to have been with God, and among yonder faints! My confcience was once convinced, and my affections melted under the gofpel. I was almoft perfuaded to be a Chriftian, indeed, the treaty was almoft concluded, betwixt Christ, and my foul; there were but a few points in difference betwixt us; but wretch that I was, at thofe points I ftuck, and there the treaty ended to my eternal ruin: I could not deny my lufts, I could not live under the strict yoke of Chrift's government; but now I must live under the infuppor able wrath of the righteous, and terrible God for ever: and this torment will be peculiar to fuch as perifh under the gospel. The Heathen, who enjoyed no fuch means, can therefore have no fuch reflections; nay, the very devils themselves, who never had fuch a plank after their fhip-wreck, I mean, a mediator in their nature, or fuch terms of reconciliation offered them, will not reflect upon their loft opportunities of recovery, as fuch finners muft, and will. This, therefore, "is the condemnation, "that light is come into the world; but men loved darkness, " rather than light."

Infer, 1. Hence it follows, that neither knowledge, nor the beft means of knowledge, are in themselves, fufficient to fecure men from wrath to come. Light in itself is a choice mercy, and therefore the means that begat, and increased it, must be so too; but yet it is a mercy liable to the greatest abuse, and the abufe of the best mercies, brings forth the greatest miferies. Alas! Christians, your duty is but half learnt, when you know it; obedience to light, makes light a blessing indeed. John xiii. 17. "If ye know these things, happy are ye if yę do them." Happiness is not intailed upon fimple knowing, but upon doing; upon obedience to our knowledge; otherwife, he that increafeth knowledge, doth but increase forrow: "For that fervant "which knew his Lord's will, and prepared not himself, nor "did according to his will, fhall be beaten with many stripes,”

SERM. XXXIII. Luke xiii. 47. "And to him that knoweth to do good, and doth "it not, to him it is fin," Jam. iv. 17. We are bound with all

thankfulness to acknowledge the bounty of heaven to this finful generation, in furnishing us with so many excellent means of light, beyond many other nations, and generations that are past, but yet we ought to rejoice with trembling, when we confider the abuses of light, in this wanton age, and what a dismal event is like to happen unto many thousands among us. I fear the time is coming, when many among us will with they had never fet foot on English ground, God hath bleffed this nation with. many famous, burning, and fhining lights. It was once faid to the honour of this nation*, that the English minifiry was the world's wonder; and when a man of another nation began to preach methodically, and convincingly, they were wont to fayt, We perceive this man hath been in England: The greater will our account be for abufing fuch light, and rebelling against it. The clearer our light is now, the thicker will the mists of darkness be hereafter, if we are thus wanton under it. The devils have more light than we, and therefore the more torment : Of them it is faid, Jam. ii. 19. "The devils alfo believe, and "tremble," the horror of their confciences is anfwerable to their illumination, they tremble; "the word fignifies the roar "of the fea," or fuch a murmuring, dreadful noife, as the tempestuous seas use to make when they break themfelves against

the rocks.

Infer. 2. If the abufe of light thus aggravates fin and mifery, then times of great temptations are like to be times of deep guilt. Wo to an enlightned, knowing generation, when strong temptations befal them. How do many, in fuch times, imprifon the known truth, to keep themselves out of prifon? offer violence to their own confciences, to avoid violence from other hands?

Plato was convinced of the unity of God, but durft not own his convictions; but faid, "It was a truth neither easy to find, nor fafe to own." And even Seneca *†, the renowned moralist, was forced by temptation to diffemble his convictions;" of

*Clerus Anglicanus ftupor mundi.

+ Percipimus hunc hominem fuiffe in Anglia.

+ Oplooner Opit, eft maris agitatio. Euft.

Opificem univerforum neque invenire facile, neque inventum

in vulgus promulgare tutum.

*† in animi religione not habeat, fed in actibur fingat.

whom Auguftine faith," He worshipped what himself repre"hended, and did what himself reproved." And even a great Papilt of later times was heard to fay, as he was going to mass, Famus ad communèm errorem, Let us go to the common error. O how hard is it to keep confcience pure and peaceable in days of temptation! Doubtlefs, it is a mercy to many weak and timorous Christians, to be removed by a seasonable death, out of harms way; to be difbanded by a merciful providence before the heat of the battle. Chrift and Antichrift feem at this day to be drawing into the field; a fiery trial threatens the profeffors of this age: but when it comes to a close engagement, indeed we may juftly tremble, to think how many thoufands will break their way through the convictions of their own confciences, to fave their flesh. Believe it, firs, if Christ hold you to himself by no other tie than the flender thread of a fingle conviction; if he have not interest in your hearts and affections, as well as in your understandings and confciences; if you be men of great light, and strong unmortified lufts; if you profefs Christ with your tongues, and worship the world with your hearts; a man may fay of you, without the gift of prophecy, what the prophet faid of Hazael, I know what you will do in the day of temptation.

Infer. 3. If this be fo, what a strong engagement lieth upon all enlightened perfons to turn heartily to God, and reduce their knowledge into practice and obedience? The more men know, the more violence they do their own confciences, in rebelling. against the light; this is to fin with an high hand, Num. xv. 30. Believe it, firs, you cannot fin at fo cheap a rate as others do: knowledge in a wicked man, like high mettle in a blind horfe, doth but the fooner precipitate him into ruin. You may know much more than others, but if ever you come to heaven, it must be in the fame way of faith and obedience, mortification and felf-denial, in which the weakest Christian comes thither; whatever knowledge you have, to be fure you have no wisdom, if you expect falvation upon any other, or easier terms than the moft illiterate Christian finds it. It was a fad observation of the father, Surgunt indocti, et rapiunt coelum; the unlearned rife, and take heaven. What a pity is it, that men of fuch excellent parts fhould be enslaved to their lufts! that ever it should be faid, Sapientes fapienter defcendunt in Gehennam; their learning

* Colebat quod reprehendebat, agebat quod arguebat, quod cul pabat adorabas. VOL. III.

K

SERM. XXXIII. doth but hang in their light, it doth but blind them in spiritual things, and prepareth them for greater misery.

Infer. 4. Hence also it follows, that the work of converfion is a very difficult work; the foul is fcarcely half won to Chrift, when Satan is caft out of the understanding by illumination. The devil hath deeply intrenched himself, and strongly fortified every faculty of the foul against Christ; the understanding, indeed, is the first entrance into the foul, and out of that faculty he is oftentimes caft, by light and conviction, which feems to make a great change upon a man: now he becomes a professor, now he takes up the duties of religion, and paffes up and down the world for a convert; but, alas, alas! all the while Satan keeps the fort-royal, the heart and will are in his own poffeffion; and this is a work of more difficulty: the weapons of that warfare muft indeed be mighty through God, which do not only caft down imaginations, but bring every thought of the heart into captivity, to the obedience of Christ, 2 Cor. x. 4, 5. While the heart ftands out, though the understanding be taken in, the foul remains in Satan's poffeffion; it is a greater work, (and we daily find it fo), to win one heart, than to convince twenty understandings.

Infer. 5. Hence alfo we may learn, what strength and power there is in the lufts of mens hearts, which are able to bear down fo Strong convictions of the confcience before them. That is a great truth, though a very fad one, Eccl. viii. 11. "The heart "of the fons of men is fully fet in them to do evil.” O how common it is, every day, and in every place, to fee men hazarding their fouls to fatisfy their lufts! Every man, faith the prophet, "turneth his course, as the horse rufheth into the battle." The horfe is a very fierce and warlike creature; and when his courage is rouzed by the founds of trumpets and fhouts of armies, he breaks headlong into the ranks of armed men, though death is before him. Such boisterous and headlong lufts are found in many enlightned perfons, though their confciences reprefent damnation before them; onward they will rush, though God be loft, and a precious foul undone for ever.

Infer. 6. To conclude, As ever you will avoid the deepest guilt, and efcape the beaviest condemnation, open your hearts to ohey, and practife whatfoever God hath opened your understandings and confciences to receive of his revealed will; obey the light of the gospel, while you have opportunity to enjoy it: this was the great counsel given by Christ, John xii. 35, 36. "Yet a little while the light is with you, walk while ye have the light, left darkness come upon you." The manifestation of