SERM.fall into the Hands of the living God; whofe Wrath is XI. as dreadful, whofe Vengeance as fevere, as his Good nefs is great and wonderful. This is the Time to To whom, with the Father, and the Holy A A Pofthumous Fame not worth SER A MON On GEN. V. 25, 26, 27. And Methuselah lived an hundred eighty and And Methuselah lived, after he begat La- And all the Days of Methuselah were nine hundred fixty and nine Years, and he died. CRITICAL Differtation concern- SERM. but just observe, that the Years, by which Mofes reckon'd, were neither Egyptian nor Arabian Years, the latter of which confifted but of fix Months, and the former but of thirty Days. But they were Years nearly, though not exactly of the fame SERM. XI. God Fourth Head; That the Ufe, which we ought to make of all temporal Calamities, which are inflicted by God's Providence on others, is, to take Warning from them to amend our own Lives, lest we alfo in like Manner perish. It is the Property of true Wisdom, from every thing which occurs, to draw fomething for our own Benefit and Advantage.. Whatever Obfervations we make on others, if they are not directed to this ufeful Purpose, are in truth of no Confequence or Importance. And yet if one were to judge from the Practice of the World, one would think that the only End and Design of Knowledge, was to enable us to make fhrewd and fevere Reflexions on the Conduct of other men. knows, there is room enough, and too much for Cenfure in the Lives of the most upright men. But is there any Wisdom, or any Virtue, or any thing elfe, that is praife worthy, in being ready upon all Occafions to expofe them? Let those whom we thus cenfure, be as guilty as we please: It will not excufe us, if, notwithstanding this, we are guilty of any Faults ourselves: Whatever becomes of them, howfoever they are dealt with, whatever they fuffer, or whatever they deserve, there is no Question but we are all accountable for ourfelves. We are not to anfwer at the Throne of God for any Sins or Misdeeds of theirs. We fhall have enough to do to juftify our own Actions, and to excufe our own Conduct there. Little fhall we be concerned about the Fate of others, any further than a charitable Difpofition may incline us to wish well to the whole Race of men. In the mean time, whatever Hardships and Severities we escape, that are inflicted upon our Chriftian Brethren: we fhould firft make it Matter of Praise and Thanksgiving, that we are refcued. and XI. and delivered by God's gracious Providence from the SERM. Multitude of Difafters, Afflictions and Calamities, that are fent among the Sons of men; that under the Covering of his Wings, and through his Protection, we need not be afraid for any Terror by Night, nor for the Arrow that flieth by Day; for the Peftilence that walketh in Darkness, nor for the Deftruction that walketh at Noon-day: that notwithstanding our great and manifold Tranfgreffions, he is pleafed to spare the Rod, and to call us to Repentance and Amendment of Life, not by our own but other People's Sufferings. To this End, in the left Place, we should labour to concur with these his most gracious Purposes; and confider that if his Juftice had been extreme to mark the Sins that have been committed by us; the worft of thofe Evils that other men have fuffered, might poffibly have been inflicted on us; That the Patience and Forbearance, which has hitherto been shewn us, as it is more perhaps than we have asked of God, more certainly than we have deserved to find, so it is more than the Impenitent can expect: And that those who despise the Riches of God's Goodness, do but treasure up to themfelves Wrath against the Day of Wrath, which will come at laft, however it be deferred, and overwhelm them with a moft fure Deftruction. And which now fhould we chufe? to afflict our Souls with a Sense of these things at prefent, or to fuffer the worft that God's Vengeance can inflict, when he pours out the Vials of his Wrath upon us? Who can find Words to set forth the Difference between the Sorrow for Sin, that is now required, and the Sorrow for Punishment, the Remorfe of Confcience, the Agonies of Pain, the Terror, the Defpair, that shall torture the wicked Soul for ever? It is a fearful thing, my beloved Brethren, to fall SERM.fall into the Hands of the living God; whofe Wrath is XI. as dreadful, whose Vengeance as fevere, as his Good nefs is great and wonderful. This is the Time to To whom, with the Father, and the Holy A |