;

This Argument is excellently urged by SE RM. the Apostle, Heb. x. 31. It is a fearful IV. thing to fall into the hands of the Living m God; to fall under the final Displeasure of Him, who liveth for ever, and can make his Punishments as durable as he thinks fit. The fame confideration is likewife laid before us by our Saviour, Matt. x. 28. Fear not them that kill the Body, and after That have no more that they can do ; But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, who after he has killed, can destroy both Soul and Body in Hell yea I fay unto you, Fear him. The Particulars of This Punishment, are best fet forth in the words of Scripture; in those words, which God himself has thought most proper to work upon our Fear, in fuch manner as it ought to be worked upon. St Mar. ix 44. It is, The Worm. that dieth not, and the Fire that is not quenched. Rev. xx. 10. It is, The lake of Fire and Brimftone, where the Devil and the false Prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever. And ch. xiv. 11. The Smoke of their Torment afcendeth up for ever and ever, and they

have

SER M. have no reft day nor night. What the full IV. purport and literal meaning of these figurative expreffions is, we do not perfectly know. But thus much is evident, that they fignify the greatest Severity of Punishment, which the Juftice and Wisdom and Goodnefs of Him who has infinite and eternal Power, can think fit to inflict. From which Wrath to come, the Gospel exhorts us to flee; and from which, God of his infinite mercy grant, &c.

SERMON

T

JOH. iv. 24.

God is a Spirit, and they that wor-
Ship him, must worship him in
Spirit and in Truth.

V.

HESE Words are part of our SER M. Saviour's Difcourfe with the Woman of Samaria; for the fake of making which Difcourfe to Her, and of the confequent opportunity That gave him to instruct the rest of her City, he seems to have taken his Journey on purpose into

That

SER M. That Country. For when the Disciples, V. during the Time of his being imployed in This Work, would have interrupted him by defiring him to take fomewhat to eat; he replied unto them, ver. 34. My Meat is to do the Will of him that fent me, and to finish his Work. After which he adds immediately in the very next Words, ver. 35. Say ye not, there are yet four Months, and then cometh Harveft. Behold, 1 fay unto you, Lift up your Eyes, and look on the Fields, for they are white already to harvest. Which Words, being a Similitude only, without the interpretation, and their connexion being fomewhat difficult; they deferve briefly to be explained by the way. The true Senfe of them depends, upon what the Evangelist had before related, ver. 30. that a great number of the Samaritans, upon the woman's report, were coming out of the City to fee Jefus. Whom when Jefus beheld at a diftance, coming towards him; he shows them to his Disciples, and he fays; The Hufbandman fupports himself under the Labour of his imployment; with a diftant hope of Harvest after four months to come : But bebold,

V.

bebold, our Harveft is at hand, and ready SER M. to be reaped meaning the Samaritans, who were ready to receive his Doctrine; and whom upon That account he here compares, as he ufually does all well-difposed Persons in the whole course of his Preaching, to good Wheat. And that This Paffage, which would otherwise be very obfcure, ought to be understood in this figurative fenfe, which thus makes it very eafy and intelligible; appears likewife further, from the very next words, ver. 36. And he that reapeth receiveth Wages, and gathereth Fruit unto Life eternal; that both be that foweth and he that reapeth, may rejoice together. The words, Fruit unto Life eternal, fhow evidently what Harveft it is he was speaking of. But to return to the more immediate occafion of the words of the Text. Our Saviour, in his Discourse with the Samaritan woman, having proved himself to her to be a Prophet, by discovering to her that he knew all the moft fecret actions of her Life; fhe immediately, as was natural to an inquifitive perfon, afks his Opinion concerning that great Question between the Jews and the Sama