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but he is become a flave, a flave to fin. He who fome time a day, looked like a god in the world, is now debafed down to hell. He to whom the creatures once vailed as to their fovereign, now daily ftands in danger of his life by them, and lies open to the infults of the meaneft of them.

7. Not only has he loft the fweet and foul-ravishing communion he had with God, but now he is (as it were) fcarce capable to look toward him; the fight of God which once was his life is now to him as death.

-8. Not only has man forfeited his title to future happiness, but which is worfe, he is by fin entitled to future, eternal, inconceivable mifery and wo. A dreadful coming fhort this is indeed. From how high a hope into what an inconceiv able abyfs of mifery and wo, is poor man fallen by fin! The crown is fallen from his head. He was a little hence all beauty, glory, excellency and comeliness: but now, alas, we may grone out an Ichabod over him! where is the glory? We come now, in the

Sixth place, to enquire into the fource and fpring of all this mifery and wo. How and whence is it that all are involved in the guilt of fin; and this fad and afflicting calamity flows,

1. From the guilt of Adam's first fin. Adam by the holy, wife, juft and good appointment of God stood in the room of all his pofterity. Had he ftood, in him we all had ftood, and retained the innocency and integrity of our natures, the favour, love and kindness of heaven; but he falling into fin, in him we all finned; and by the 'difobedience of this one man, we all were made finners, as the apostle doth at large difcourfe, Rom. v. from the 12 ver, and downwards. This,

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this is the poisoned spring whence all our fin, all our forrow and mifery flows.

2. This flows from the natural depravity of the mind of man that is tranfmitted to us from our progenitors. We are fhapen in iniquity, and in fin did our mothers conceive us. We received a fatal wramp when first formed in the womb, as the Pfalmift complains, Pfal. li. 5. And indeed there is none can bring a clean thing out of an unclean. Our infected parents transfer to us the infection of fin. Sin runs in a blood, and our natures have a natural inclination to evil, only to e vil, and that continually, Gen. vi. 5.

3. This flows from abounding temptations. As our hearts are wicked, and fet only on evil; fo every thing in this prefent diforder on account of fin, is fuited to carry on the infection. The creatures, by reason of fin, are made fubject to vanity. They are made fubfervient to the lufts of men; the devil and our corrupt hearts daily abuse them to this end; and by thefe means it is that all men have finned, and thereby come fhort of the glory of God.

The application is that which we principally defigned in the choice of this fubject: and therefore, we have but named things in the doctrinal part and now we come to improve the whole.

That which we design chiefly in the improvement of this, is an ufe of conviction. Some days ago we came to you proclaiming the grace, mercy and love of God in Chrift Jefus; now we come to accufe you as guilty of fin. The defign of our do ing fo, is indeed the advancement of the glory of Chrift, and in him of the grace and mercy of the Lord God. But our prefent work in itself is fuch as doth not in its own nature look that way, tho'

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by the infinite wifdom and goodness of God it be made fubfervient thereunto.

You are all here present before the Lord, to hear what God the Lord will speak unto you; and as Ehud faid to Eglon king of Moab, fo we fay to you, We have a meage from God to you, Judg. iii. 20. A fad meffage, not much unlike to that which Ehud brought to Eglon, a meffage of death. We. come this day to you to implead you in God's name as guilty of fin. The message is not to fome particular grofs offenders, but to every foul now prefent before the Lord; to the child, to the young man and maid, to thofe of riper years, and to them who are old, and ftoop under the weight of many years.

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In the name, and at the inftance of the great, the terrible God, the king, the Lord of hofts, whofe name is dreadful among the heathen, Mal. i. 14. that confirmeth the word of his fervants, and performeth the counsel of his messengers, If. xliv. 26. we are to implead, impeach, and accufe every foul here prefent as guilty of fin. Hitherto we have spoken in general, which, it may be, has been no better to you than Nathan's rable to David. It may be fome of you have been faying, that the foul that has finned has defervedly fallen fhort of the glory of God, and fallen under the wrath of God; but now what we faid be.fore in general, we come to fay in particular to every one of you, as Nathan did to David, Thou art the man, thou art the woman, thou art the child, the young man, or the maid who haft finned, and thereby come fhort of the glory of God.

Now that we may be fuccefsful in this work, and bring you if poffible, to understand your state and condition, we shall

1. Read

1. Read and open, as it were, the charge and indictment we do in God's name bring against you. 2. Lead witneffes, whereby we fhall prove it a gainst you all in general.

3. Endeavour particularly by arguments to make our charge good. (1.) Against children and young men. (2.) Against these of a middle age. And (3.) against old men and old women. This we shall do, as it were, by taking you to the plaees, the companies and occafions where you have finned, and incurred the guilt now charged on

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4. Shew what fatisfaction our great Lord demands against fuch traitors.

5. What reafon he has to require it. And then, 6. Endeavour to reprefent to you, your mifery upon this account.

I. The charge we lay against you, is not fome petty, fome small mifdemeanour, that may be a toned for by a bare acknowlegement, by fome pitiful mock, God have mercy upon me. No; the charge draws deep, it is no lefs crime than that of fin, fin against the great Sovereign of the world. Ye all have finned. O if ye knew what a world of evil is in that curfed thing Sin! When we fay, ye have finned, you are ready to fay, O we know that well enough, is this all ye have to fay? When we heard of fuch a dreadful thing as a charge and indictment in the name of God against us, when we heard of leading witneffes, and all the other parts of a trial, we did apprehend there was fome terrible thing a coming, fome dreadful, unheard of evil to be laid home to our door; but now we find there is nothing faid againft us but only that we are finners, and who will deny this? Who knows it not? and this is

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but the common lot. God be merciful to us, we are all finners, and there the repentance of moft is done; their fores are healed, and they can live, and it may be die, without any fear in this cafe: fuch light apprehenfions have moft part of fin.

Thefe, thefe it may be, are the apprehenfions of not a few of you, upon hearing the charge: but if there be not blind minds, fhut eyes, deaf ears and dreadfully hard hearts amongst us; ere all be done, fome of you will, it may be, change your minds, and think this a very dreadful and heavy charge. If God would now concur by his fpyrit; and enable us to manage our work to purpose, if he would let out of the convincing influences of his fpirit, the weight of this charge would prefs you so, as to make your hearts fail and fink within you.

Sin is an ordinary word, a little word, and most men do apprehend that there is but little in it; but miftake it not, there is much in it, more than angels or men can ever discover, or fully unfold; yet that all this that we have faid may not feem a groundless allegation, I fhall, 1. fet up to you fome glaffes, wherein you may get a view of fin's ugly face; or I fhall, as Balak did Balaam, take you to fuch places, where you may get a fight of its formidable nature, power and malig nity. 2. I fhall tell you of fome dreadful and monstrous evils that are lodged in every fin, the leaft idle thought or word. And, 3. I shall mention fome killing aggravations that your fins are clothed with, that put an accent upon them, and inhance their guilt. And this will let you see the great evil of fin; this will open your indictment. First. We fhall give you fome profpects of fin.

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