16. Mr. Watson's Farewell Sermon

16. Mr. Watson's Farewell Sermon
"Say ye surely it shall be well with the just, for they shall eat the fruit of their works." - Isai. 3:10,11.
""Woe be to the wicked, it shall be evil with him: for the reward of his hands shall be with him."
This Text is like Israels Pillar or Cloud; it hath a light side, and a dark side: it hath a light side unto the Godly, say unto the Righteous, it shall be well with him; and it hath a dark side unto the wicked, Woe unto the wicked, it shall be ill with him; both you see are rewarded, Righteous and Wicked; but here's a vast difference, the one hath a reward of Mercy, the other a reward of Justice.
I begin with the first of these, say unto the Righteous, it shall be will with him.
This Scripture was written in a very sad and calamitous time, as you may read in the beginning of the Chapter. The mighty man, and the man of war shall cease, the prudent and the ancient, both Judge and the Prophet shall be taken away: This was a very sad time with the Church of God in Jerusalem.
If the Judge be taken away, where will be any equity? if the Prophet be removed, where will be any Priests? the whole body Politick was running to ruine, and almost in the Rubbish; now in this sad juncture of time, God would have this Text to be written: and it is like a Rainbow in the Clouds; God would have his People comforted in the midst of afflictions; Say unto the Righteous, it shall be well with them.
The great Proposition that lies in the words, is this:
That howsoever things go in the world, it shall be well with the Righteous man; This is an Oracle from Gods own mouth, and therefore we are not to dispute it, its Gods own Oracle, say unto the Righteous, it shall be well with him.
I might multiply Scriptures, but I will give you one instance, in Ecclesiastes 8:12. Surely I know it shall be well with them that fear God.
I know it; It is a golden Maxime not to be disputed, it shall be well with them that fear God.
For the illustration of this, consider two things.
1. What is meant by the Righteous man.
2. Why, howsoever things go, it shall be well with the Righteous.
1. Who is meant here by the Righteous man.
There is a threefold Righteousness, a legal Righteousness; and so Adam in this sense was said to be Righteous, when he did wear the Robe of Innocency: Adams heart did agree with the Law of God exactly, as a well-made Dial goes with the Sun; but this Righteousness is forfeited and lost.
2. There is a Moral Righteousness, and thus he is said to be Righteous, who is adorned with the Moral vertues, who is prudent, and just, and temperate, who is decked with the level of Morality: But
3. There is an Evangelical Righteousness, and this is meant here: this Evangelical Righteousness is twofold.
1. There is a Righteousness of Imputation, and that is when Christs Righteousness is made over to us: and Beloved, this Righteousness is as truly ours to justifie us, as its Christs to bestow upon us.
2. There is a Righteousness of Implantation, which is nothing else but the infusing of the seed and habit of Grace into the heart: a planting of holiness in a man, and making him a partaker of the Divine Nature: this is to be Righteous in the sight of God, a Righteousness of Imputation, and a Righteousness of Implantation.
The second thing is to shew you, why, howsoever things go in the world, yet it shall go well with this Righteous man; it must be thus for two Reasons.
1. Because he who is Righteous, hath his greatest evils removed, his sin pardoned, and then it must needs be well with him: Sin is the thorn in a mans Conscience, now when the thorn is pluckt out by forgiveness and remission, then it is well with that man.
Forgiveness in Scripture is called a lifting off of sin, Job 7. Lord, why dost thou not lift off my sin? so the Hebrew word carries it; it is a Metaphor taken from a weary man that goes under a burden, he is ready to sink under it, now another man comes and lifts off this burthen; even so doth the great God, when the burthen of sin is ready to sink the Conscience. God lifts off the burthen of sin from the Conscience, and lays it on Christs shoulder, and he carries it; now he that hath his burthen thus carried, it is well with him howsoever things go.
Forgiveness of sin and pardon, it is a crowning Blessing, it is a Jewel of a Believers Crown, pardon of sin is a multiplying mercy, it brings a great many mercies along with it: whom God pardons, he adopts, whom God pardons, he invests with Grace and Glory.
So that this is a multiplying mercy; it is such a mercy that is enough to make a sick man well, Isaiah 33:24 The Inhabitants shall not say I am sick; the people shall be forgiven their iniquity: The sense of forgiveness takes away the sense of pain, and then it must needs be well with the Righteous, for his greatest evil is removed.
2. However things go, it is well with the Righteous; because that God is his portion, Psalms 16:5. The Lord is the portion of my inheritance; the lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places: in God there are all good things to be found, and all that is in God is engaged for the good of the Righteous, his Power is to Help, and his Wisdom is to Teach, and his Spirit is to Sanctifie, and his Mercy to Save. God is the Righteous mans portion, and can God give a greater gift to us than himself? God is a rich portion, for he is the Angels riches; God is a safe and sure portion, for his Name is a strong Tower, he is a portion that can never be spent, for he is Infiniteness: He is a portion can never be lost, for he is Eternity. Thou art my portion forever, Psalm 72:26. and surely it is well with the Righteous that hath God for his portion. Is it not well with that man that is happy? why, if God be our portion we are happy, Psalms 144:15. Happy is the people whose God is the Lord.
Thus I have cleared up the Doctrinal part. For the Use to this,
Here is abundance of comfort for every Godly man, for every person serving God in this Congregation, God hath sent me this day with a Commission to comfort you.
Oh! that I might drop in the Oil of gladness into every broken heart and rejoyce every troubled spirit. Oh here is good news from Heaven Say unto the Righteous, it shall be well with him.
But here is a question must be answered, you'll say to me, but how doth this appear, that it shall he well with the Righteous? for we often see it is the worst with them in this world, he is deprived of his comfort many times, he loses his very life in that quarrel, he is made the very reproach of the world oftentimes; how then is it well with the Righteous?
To this I answer, yet still it is well with the Righteous, though he meet with trouble in the world, and one follows on the neck of another, yet it is well with the Righteous; as will appear in these three or four particulars.
1. The troubles that the Righteous man meets with, they turn to good, and so it is well with him; that is a most famous Scripture in Jeremiah 24:5. Whom I have sent out of this place unto the land of the Chaldeans for their good. Gods own Israel were transported into Babylon among their enemies: but it is for their good, saith the Lord. The troubles of the Righteous are a means to purge out their sin. I have read a story of one who running at another with a sword to kill him, by accident his sword run into an Imposthume and broke the Imposthume; thus all the evils and troubles of the Righteous serve but to cure them of the Imposthume of pride, to make them more humble; when that the body of a Saint is afflicted, his soul, that revives and flourishes in Grace.
At Rome there was two Laurel-trees, and when one withered, the other did flourish: so when the body is afflicted, yet the soul that Laurel, doth revive and flourish.
God doth distil our of the bitterest drink his Glory and our Salvation, saith Jerome, that, that the world looks on as a punishment, God makes a medicine to heal the sore; why then it shall be well with the Righteous. The rod of God upon a Saint, is but only Gods pencil whereby he draweth his Image more lively on the soul. God never strikes the strings of his Viol but to make the Musick sweet. Then it is well with the Righteous.
2. In the midst of all the trouble that doth befall the Righteous, yet still it is well with them in regard of those inward heart-revivings that God doth give them.
We see a godly mans misery, but we do not see his comfort: we see his prison-gates, but we do not hear the musick that is within his Conscience. God doth sweeten to his People outward trouble with inward peace; it is the Title that is given to God, 2 Corinthians 7:6. God that comforteth them that are cast down. The Bee can gather honey as well from the thistle and from the bitter herb, as from the sweet flower; the Child of God can gather joy out of sorrow: out of the very carkass sometimes the Lord gives honey; when the body is in pain, the soul may be at ease, as when a mans head-akes, yet his heart may be well; thus it is well with the Righteous: God gives him that inward comfort that revives and sweetens his outward pain.
3. In the time of trouble and calamity, yet still it is well with the Righteous: because God doth cover his people, in the time of trouble, he hides them in the storm, God hath a care to hide his Jewels, and will not let them be carried away; and thus he makes good that Scripture literally, Psalms 91:4. He shall cover them with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust, no evil shall touch thee.
God oftentimes verifies this Scripture literally, He makes his Angels to be his peoples life-guard; to hide them; and defend them, when a floud was coming upon the world, God provided an Ark to hide Noah, when Israel is carried and transported into Babylon, God hid Jeremiah, and gave him his life for a prey, Jeremiah 39:11. and in this sense the Saints of God are called hidden ones, Psalms 83:3. Why so? not only because they are hid in Gods decree, and hid in Christs wounds, but oftentimes God hides them in a time of danger and calamity: they are hidden ones, he reserved to himself seven thousand that had not bowed the knee to Baal. The Prophet knew not where there was one, but God knew there were seven thousand. In this sense, it is well with the righteous in time of publick misery.
I but you'll say, sometimes it fares yet worse then all this, sometimes the righteous they die and perish, they are carried away in a Tempest, why? yet still it is well with the Righteous, and that in a two-fold sense.
1. Many times God doth take away the Righteous by death, and that in great mercy: he takes them away, that they shall not see the misery that comes upon a Nation. Virgil the Heathen Poet saith, They are happy that die before their Countrey: his meaning was, they die before they see the ruine of their Countrey: and truly God many times takes away his people in mercy, that they may not see the ruine that is coming on a Land; you have in Scripture for this, 1 King. 14:13. He only of Jeroboam shall come to the Grave in peace, because in him there is found some good things towards the Lord God of Israel, God puts him in his grave betimes in mercy, because he should not see the evil coming upon the Land: and there's a parallel to this, 2 King. 12. last. It is spoken of Josiah, I will gather thee unto thy Fathers, thou shalt be gathered unto thy Grave in peace, and thine eyes shall not see the evil I will bring upon this place. Josiah he dyed in Battel: how then was it said he went to the Grave in peace? We must understand the meaning of it is this; Josiah went to his Grave in peace, because he was a holy man, and he had made his peace with God, and so he went to his Grave in peace; and because he should not see the evil approaching, God gathered him to his Grave in peace.
Jerome speaking of his friend Nepotian (you must observe Jerome lived to see some troubles before he died) saith he, Oh! how happy is my friend Nepotian, that sees not these troubles, but is got out of the storm, dies and is arrived safe in Heaven.
Luther died in mercy before the trouble in Germany broke forth: and thus you see the Righteous though they die, yet it is well with them, God takes them away in mercy that they may not see approaching evils.
2. Though the Righteous die, and are taken away, yet it is well with them, because death cannot hurt them: Death can neither hurt their body nor yet their souls, and then it is well with them.
1. Death cannot hurt their bodies, the body of a Saint it doth not perish, though it die; the bodies of the Saints are very precious dust in Gods account: precious dust, The Lord locks up these Jewels in the Grave, as in a Cabinet; The bodies of the Saints lie mellowing and ripening in the Grave till the blessed time of the Resurrection. Oh! how precious is the Dust of a Believer, though the world mind it not, yet it is precious unto God. The Husbandman he hath some Corn in his Barn, and he hath other Corn in the Ground: why? the Corn that is in the ground, is as precious to him, as that is in the Barn: the bodies of the Saints in the Grave, are Gods Corn in the ground, but the Lord makes very precious account of this Corn: The bodies of the Saints shall be more glorious and blessed then ever they were, at the Resurrection. Tertullian calls them Angelical bodies, in regard of that beauty and lustre that shall be upon them. As it is with your silks, when they are died of a purple or scarlet colour, they are made more bright and illustrious then they were before; thus it is with the bodies of the Saints, they shall be dyed of a better colour at the Resurrection, they shall be made like a glorious body; Php_3:20. thus it shall be well with the righteous, their bodies shall not perish.
2. It will be well with the Righteous at death, as to their souls too. Oh it will be a blessed time! methinks it is with a Saint at the time of death, just as it was with Saint Paul in his voyage to Rome, we read that the Ship did break, but though there were so many broken pieces, yet he got safe to shore; so though the Ship of the Believers body break by death, yet it is safe with the passenger, his soul that gets safe to the Heavenly harbour: Let me tell you, the day of a Believers death, it is the birth-day of his blessednesse, it is his Ascention day to Heaven, the day of his death, it is his marriage-day with Jesus Christ. Faith doth but contract us here, in this life is but the contract, but at death the Nuptials shall be solemnized in Glory, they shall see God face to face, it will be Heaven enough to have a sight of God, saith Austin: when the Saints shall enter into joy, here joy enters into them, but then they shall enter into it: they shall drink of these pure Rivers that run from the Everlasting Fountain.
And thus you see, it will be well with the Righteous, however things go, though trouble come, though death come, yet it will go well with the Righteous. And Oh let those that are the people of God comfort themselves in these words! Oh what an encouragement is this to all you that hear me, to begin to be Righteous! this Text may tempt us all to be Godly, Say unto the Righteous, it shall be well with him; when things are never so ill with him, yet it is well with him.
We would be glad to have things go well with our Relations, and in our Estates; why? when the Righteous things go well with us, thy person is sealed, thou art Heir of all Gods Promises, thou art Christs favorite, thou hast Heaven in reversion, and is it not now well with thee? If you would have Happiness, you must espouse Holiness. Say unto the Righteous, it shall be well with them: and thus much of the first Proposition, the Godly mans comfort in life, and death, it is well with him.
But now if all this will not prevail with you, to make you leave your fins and become Righteous, I must passe in a few words to the next branch of the Text, to scare men out of their sin, to affright men out of their wickednesse, Wo unto the wicked, it shall be ill with him.
This my Beloved is the dark side of the cloud.
It may cause in every wicked man that hears me, a trembling at the heart.
Wo unto the wicked, it shall be ill with him.
The Proposition that doth resist out of these words, is this:
Doct. When things seem to be well with the wicked men, it shall be ill with them at last, though they have more then heart can wish, yet it shall be ill with them at last, Ecclesiastes 8:13. It shall not be well with the wicked, nor shall he prolong his days, which are as a shadow; because he fears not God, it shall not be well with the wicked, the God of truth hath pronounced this.
It is as true as God is true, it shall not be well with the wicked.
Now that I may a little clear this to you, I shall demonstrate this to you in these four particulars.
1. It is ill with the wicked in this life.
2. It is ill with them at death.
3. It is ill with them at the day of Judgement.
4. It is ill with them after Judgement; it shall be ill with the wicked.
It is ill with the wicked in this life; a wicked man that hears me will hardly think so, when he hath the affluence and confluence of outward comforts, when he eats the fat, and drinks the sweet, he will hardly believe the Minister that shall tell him, it shall be ill with him, but it is so.
For is it not ill with that man that hath a curse? yea, the curse of God entailed upon him, can that man thrive that lives under the curse of God?
Flouds of bloud and wrath hang over the head of a wicked man, he is heir to all the Plagues written in the Book of God.
All Gods curses are the sinners Portion, and if he die in his sin, he is sure to have his Portion paid him.
Wo unto the wicked, every bit of bread he hath, he hath it with a curse, its like poison'd bread given to a dog: every drop of Wine he drinks, he swallows down a curse with it; wo unto the wicked, there is a curse in his Cup, and a curse upon his Table. God saith wo unto him: we read of Belshazar, Daniel 5:4-5. that he did take the Wine, and commanded to bring the Gold and Silver vessels out of the Temple, and then they brought the Golden vessels that were taken out of the Temple, out of the house of God that was at Jerusalem, and the King and his Princes, and his Wives and Concubines drank in them.
Belshazar was very jovial, in the midst of his Cups he was merry, but wo unto the wicked; for in the same hour came forth the finger of a mans hand, and reach'd over the Candlestick, upon the plaister of the Wall of the Kings Palace, and the Kings countenance changed, and he was troubled; there was a hand and a woe written on the wall: let a sinner live till he come to an hundred years of age, yet he is cursed, Isaiah 65:20 his gray hairs, they have a curse upon them.
2. 'Tis ill with the wicked, not only in this life, but 'tis ill with him at his hour of death, and that in these two respects,
1. Death puts an end unto all his comforts.
2. Death is the beginning of all his miseries.
1. Death puts an end to all his Comforts, no more indulging and pompering the flesh, then no more cups of Wine, then no more Musick, Revel. 18:22. The fruits thy soul lusteth after, are departed from thee. All things that are dainty and good, are departed from thee, the voice of the Harper, Musician, and Trumpeter, shall be heard no more in thee.
As it is spoken of the destruction of Rome, so you may say of the wicked man, no more joy and gladness, no more mirth and musick, all a sinners sweet Spices, his scarlet Robes, his sparkling Diamonds, they all at death depart from him.
2. As death puts an end to a sinners mirth, so it lays a foundation for all his sorrow: Alas, before death begins to close a sinners eyes, the eye of his conscience is first opened, every sin at the hour of death, stands with its drawn sword in its hand: those sins that did in life delight him, now they affright and terrifie him, all his joy and mirth turns into sadness: as sometimes you have seen Sugar lying in a damp place, it doth dissolve and run to water: thus all the Sugar-joys of a wicked man at the hour of death turns into water, into the water of tears, into the water of sorrow.
3. It shall be ill with the wicked man at the day of Judgement, when he is seated before Gods Tribunal, then he shall leave judging of others, and shall stand at Gods Bar, and be tryed for his life.
I read concerning Felix, when he heard Paul speak of Judgement, that Felix trembled. Josephus observes, that Felix he was a wicked man, and she that lived with him, her name was Drusilla, whom he inticed from her Husband, and lived in uncleanness with her: now when Felix heard Paul preaching of Judgement, trembled. Now if he trembled to hear of Judgement, what will he do when Judgement comes? when all his secret sins shall be made manifest, all his Midnight wickedness shall be written on his fore-head, as with a point of a Diamond? At the day of Judgement shall be these two things.
First, there shall be a legal Trial.
Secondly, the Sentence.
First, a legal Trial. God will call forth a sinner by name, and say, stand forth, hear thy charge, see what thou canst answer to this charge.
What canst thou say for thy Sabbath-breaking, for thy Murders, and Drunkenness, and Perjury? for all thy revenge and malice? for all thy persecuting of my Members? what dost thou say, Guilty, or not Guilty?
Thou wretch, thou darest not say thou art not Guilty; for have not I been an eye-witness to all thy wickedness? do not the Books agree, the book of thy Conscience, and the book of my Omniscience, and darest thou offer to plead not Guilty? How will the sinner be amazed with horror, and run into desperation?
Secondly, after this legal process of Tryal, follows the Sentence, Go accursed into everlasting fire; what, to go from the presense of Christ? in whose presense is fulness of joy, to go from Christ with a curse, why, saith Chrysostom, that very word Depart, is worse than the torment itself. And remember this, you that go on in your sins, when once this sentence is past, it cannot be reversed; this is the most Supreme Court of Judicature, from which is no appeal. Here on earth men remove their Causes from one Court to another, from the Common Law unto the Chancery; Oh! but at the last day of judgement, no appeals to remove the sentence, for this is the highest Court.
4. It will be ill with the wicked that die in their sins after the day of judgement: Oh! then there is but one way, and they would be glad they might not go that way; any way but to prison. Oh! but there is no way but to Hell, Luke 16:23. In Hell he lifted up his eyes. Hell, 'tis the very center of misery, 'tis the very Spirits of Torments distilled out: The Scripture tells us, that in Hell there are these three things; there is Fire, there is Darkness, there are Chains.
1. Hell is called a place of Darkness, Jude 1:13. To whom is reserved blackness of darkness: Darkness you know is the most uncomfortable thing in the world; a man that goes in the dark, he trembleth every step he goeth.
Hell is a black Region, nothing but blackness of darkness; and it must needs be a dark place where they shall be separated from the light of Gods presense. Indeed Augustine, he thinks there shall be some little sulphurous light there: but suppose it be so, that light shall serve only that the damned may see the tragedy of their own misery, and see themselves tormented.
2. In Hell, as there is Darkness, so there is Fire, it is called a burning Lake, Revelation 2:15. Who was not found written in the book of Life, was threwn into the Lake of Fire. You know that Fire is the most torturing Element, it makes the most dreadful impression on the flesh. Now Hell is a place of Fire.
It is disputed among the Learned what kind of fire it is, and I wish we may never know what kind of fire it is. Augustine and others affirm that it is Material fire, but far hotter than any fire upon your Hearths, that is but painted fire compared with this. But I do rather think that the fire of the Damned it is partly Material, and partly Spiritual; partly Material to work on the Body, and partly Spiritual, which is the wrath of God to torment the soul: that is the Lake, the burning Fire: Oh! who knows the power of Gods anger? who can dwell with these burnings? it is intolerable to endure them, and impossible to escape them.
3. In Hell there are chains, chains of darkness. Those sinners that would not be bound by any Law of God, such shall have chains of darkness to bind them.
Quest, what should be the meaning of these phrases, Chains of darkness?
Answ. I suppose it may be this, to intimate unto us, that the wicked in Hell shall not have power to walk up and down, which perhaps might be a little ease, though very little; but they shall be chained down fast, not to stir, they shall be fastned to that stake with chains of darkness; Oh! this will be terrible indeed. Suppose a man should lie always on a Dounbed, and might not stir out of the place, it would be very painful unto him: Oh; but to lye as the Damned upon the wrack, always under the torturing scorchings of Gods wrath, and to be tyed, and not to move, how dreadful are the thoughts of this? and this is the condition of the wicked, they are under fire, and darkness, and chains.
And to add unto the torments of Hell, there are these two things more to shew you, that it shall be ill with the wicked, let them dye when they will.
The first is the Worm.
The second is the Serpent.
First, there is the Worm to torture the damned spirits, and this is no other than the Worm Conscience; Mark 9:44, Where their worm never dieth. Oh! how dreadful will it be to have this Worm?
Melancthon calls the tormenting Conscience, A hellish fury. Conscience will be just as if a Worm full of poyson were feeding upon the heart of a man. Those Sinners that would never hear the voice of Conscience, they shall feel the worm of Conscience. And then,
Secondly, as there is the Worm to torment, so there is the Serpent, that is the Devil, who is called the Old Serpent, Revelation 9. As there is the biting of the Worm, so there is the stinging of the Old Serpent.
First of all, The Damned shall be forced to behold the Devil. I remember what Anselm saith, saith he, I had rather endure all the torments of this Life, than see the Devil with bodily eyes: But now this sight the wicked shall see whether they will or no, and not only see, but they shall feel the stinging of this Old Serpent the Devil.
Satan is full of rage against Mankind, and will shew no mercy, as he puts forth all his subtilty in tempting of man, so he puts out all his cruelty in tormenting of Mankind. And this is not all,
There are two things to set out the Torments of Hell.
First, These Agonies, and Hell-convulsions, they shall be forever: take that Scripture for proof, Revelation 14:11 And the smoak of their Torment ascended for ever and ever, and they have no rest day nor night. Thus it is in Hell, they would dye, but they cannot; the wicked shall be always dying, but never dead; The smoak of the Furnace ascends for ever and ever. Oh! who can endure thus to be ever upon the wrack? this word ever breaks the heart. Wicked men, now think the Sabbaths long, when will the Sabbath be over? they think a Sermon long, and think a Prayer long; but oh! how long will it be to lie in Hell for ever and ever? after millions of years their Torments are as far from ended, as at the first hour they began.
Secondly, which is another aggravation of Hell torment, the damned in Hell have none to pitty them; it is some comfort, some ease to have our Friends to pity us in our sickness and want; I, but they have no friends. Mercy will not pitty them, Mercy is turned into Fury. Christ will not pitty them, he is no more an Advocate for them. The Angels will not pity them; but they rejoyce when they see the vengeance; they insult and glory when they see the Justice of God executed upon his enemies. Oh how sad is this! to lie down in the scalding furnace of Gods wrath, and none to pity them; when they cry out, God will laugh at them. Oh! hear this all ye that go into sin, it will be ill with the wicked; Oh! therefore turn from your sins, lest God tear you in pieces as a Lion, and there be none to help you.
Now for Application.
Oh! what an affrighting Word is this to all wicked men that go on desperately to sin, and add drunkenness to thirst? never such an inundation of wickedness as now; men sin as if they would spight God, and dare him to punish them; men sin so greedily as if they were afraid Hell gates would be shut up ere they come thither: Oh! how manfully do many sin? they go to Hell strongly in their wickedness? Oh! these are in a sad condition: Is it not sad at the hour of death, and at the day of Judgement, and after Judgement with them? wicked men live Cursed, and they die Damned; sinners are the very mark that God will shoot at, his standing mark, and he never misses this mark: you know what the Scripture saith, there shall be weeping, and there shall be gnashing of teeth. And saith Latimer, that is sad fare, where weeping is the first course, and gnashing of teeth is the second course.
Quest. Whence is it that there is this gnashing of teeth?
Answ. First, it doth arise from the extremity of Torment the wicked suffer: they are not able to bear it, and know not how to avoid it.
Secondly, the wicked gnash their teeth in Hell at the Godly to see them in Heaven, them whom they persecuted, and scoffed, and jeered, to see them in Heaven, and themselves in Hell, they are mad at it, Luke 13:18. When they shall see Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and all the Prophets in the Kingdom of God, and they themselves shutout; they shall gnash their teeth at this. How may this amaze a wicked man? if all the curses in the Bible will make a man miserable, he shall be made so,
The second Use is this.
Take heed that none of you here be found amongst the number of the wicked; take heed of being of this black Regiment that wears the Devils colours; and fight under his Banner, the sinner and the furnace shall never be parted: Oh! take heed of those sins, which will bring you to Hell fire.
There are (saith Bernard) fiery sins which bring men to Hell fire.
What are those fiery sins? why, the fire of malice, the fire of passion? and the fire of lust and concupisense, and the fire of Revenge; these fiery sins, bring men to fiery plagues, to Hell fire.
When you are tempted to any wickedness, think with your selves, O! how can I bear the fierceness of Gods wrath forever? how can I lie in the wine-press of Gods wrath forever? Oh! take heed of those sins that will bring you into this place of Torment.
I have read a story of a Virgin, who being tempted by a young man to commit folly, saith she unto him, Grant me but one request, and I will do what thou desirest; what is that, saith he? Do but hold your finger one hour in this burning Candle, no, he would not do that. Saith she, Will not you for my sake hold your finger an hour in the Candle, and will you have my soul lie burning in Hell forever. Thus she rebuked the Temptation.
Doth Satan tempt thee to wickedness, hold out this Text as a shield to the Devil to quench his fiery Darts; say thus, Oh Satan! do I embrace thy Temptations, I must be under thy Tormenting to all Eternity, Oh! therefore labour to be Righteous, It shall be well with the Righteous.
But take heed of sin, it shall be ill with the sinner.
I will conclude all with that saying of Austin, when a man hath been vertuous, his labour is gone, but the pleasure remains; when a man hath been wicked, the pleasure is gone, but the sting remains.