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Judgment. If what fome Learned Men teach be true, That the Letters St. John was commanded to write to the Seven Churches of Afia, were Prophetick of the Seven different States of the Chriftian Church, from the time of Chrift, till the end of the World, we find that the very laft State of the Church, when Chrift will spew her out of his Mouth; that is, when he will put a final end to the Church on Earth, is represented by the Church of Laodicea, 3. Rev. 14, &c. And to the Angel of the Church of the Laodiceans write, Thefe things faith the Amen, the faithful and true Witness, the beginning of the Creation of God: I know thy Works, that thou art neither cold nor hot; I would thou wert cold or hot; fo then, because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew thee out of my Mouth. When a true Zeal and Concernment for the Faith and Practice of Chriftianity fails in the Church, and Atheism, and Infidelity, and all manner of Wickednefs prevails in the World, these are Prefages of the near approach of a final Judgment.

Now if this be a fair and reasonable Account of the Deftruction of the World, and a Future Judgment, we need not wonder that God has appointed fo late a Day for it: Seven or Eight Thousand Years is no long time for the duration of the World; especially when we have had fuch a terrible Example of God's Juftice and Vengeance, in the Deftruction of the Old World already.

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We have reafon to believe that this World should never have been deftroyed, but for the incurable Wickedness of Mankind; for nothing elfe can juftify the Wildom and Goodnels of God in deftroying what he had made: God could have judged, and rewarded or punith ed particular Men, without deffroying the World; but when Mankind is grown uni verfally and incurably wicked, it, does not become God to fuffer this Earth to be an eternal Nursery of Atheifts and Rebels a gainst the Majefty of Heaven; and this makes it neceffary for God to deftroy it but then the Wisdom and Goodness of God requires that this fhould be done with great Patience and Long-suffering, and after the dif appointment of all the wife Methods of his Grace in reforming the World, and then no Man can fay that God has hitherto too long delayed the Final Judgment; fome Thoufand Years is no long Trial to fave the World and Mankind whom he hath made, from Final Destruction.ne

(1.) And therefore let no Man laugh at a Future Judgment, and Final Destruction of this World, as if it would never be, because it is not yet; God is in no hafte to deftroy the World; but when he fees it ripe for De ftruction, that is the Day he has appointed for Judgment; fuch Scoffers as thefe are certain Fore-runners of that Day; and unless there be ftill a new Refurrection of true Faith and Disru (which we hone for) it cannot be far

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off: How long foever fuch men may think God delays, yet their Judgment lingreth not, and their damnation fumbreth not, 2 Pet. 2. 3. Let us all remember what our Saviour tells us, If that evil fervant fhall fay in his heart, My Lord delayeth his coming, and fhall begin to fmite his fellow-fervants, and to eat and drink with the drunken, the Lord of that fervant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of, and fhall cut him afunder, and fhall appoint him his portion with the hypocrites; there fhall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, 24. Matth. 48.

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It is no Argument that Judgment is a great way off, becaufe men are fecure, and can laugh at the Thoughts of it, for the more fecure the World is, the nearer it is to Judgment The very Day that Judgment fhall overtake them they fhall leaft of all think of it, as it muft needs be when the World fhall be fo over-run with Atheism and Infidelity; and therefore the Day of Judgment is faid to come like a thief in the might, that is, fuddenly, and by furprize, when we are afleep and fecure, and leaft fufpect it, Thef. 5. 2, 4. 2 Peter 3. 10. As Chrift threatens the Church of Sardis, 3. Reve!. 3. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee. Thus 24. Matth. 27, &c. Chrift tells us that the Day of Judgment, or the coming of the Son of Man, is like the days of Noah. For as in the days that were before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying

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marrying and giving in marriage until the day that Noah entred into the ark, and knew not until the flood came, and took them all away, fo fhall the com ing of the Son of man be. The like we have, 17. Luke 26, 27. to which he adds the Deftruction of Sodom, Likewife alfo it was in the days of Lot, they did eat, they drank, they bought, they fold, they planted, they built; but the fame day that Lot went out of Sodom, it rained fire and brimstone from Heaven, and deftroyed them all: even thus it shall be in the day when the Son of man is revealed, 28, 29,

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(2.) This exactly agrees with what I have now difcourfed, That God will not deftroy the World till the Wickedness of Mankind is almoft univerfal and incurable; for if this be true, God cannot deftroy the World till men are fecure and fearlefs of Judgment; that is, till they are fuch Atheifts and Infidels, fo immers'd in Senfual Plear fures, fo given up to a Reprobate Sense, that they have no Thoughts of God and another world, nor any concernment for a Future Judg

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Till the generality of Mankind are come to this fecure ftate, they are not fo hopeless, nor fo outragiously and irrecoverably wicked, as to provoke God to a final deftruction of the world; A Senfe of God, and the Fear of Judgment will reftrain the wickedness of Mankind, and make them more modeft and cautious, give check to their Vices, alarm and awaken their Confciences whether they will or no; while this sense and belief is preferved in the world,

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there must be a great many Good Men, and a great many more who pretend to Piety and Virtue: And tho there may be here and there an Atheist among them, this is not confiderable; this does not make the State of Mankind hopelefs and defperate; and does not come up to the description of those times when God will deftroy and judge the World.

And to obferve this by the by; this is the true Account why the Judgments of God in this World, either upon Private Perfons or Publick Societies, Kingdoms, and Nations, furprize men when they are moft fecure, and think leaft of Judgment; when, as the Prophet Jeremy speaks, They cry peace, peace, when there is no peace, 6 Jer. 14. I need not tell you, that this is not to take us at an advantage, as a weak Enemy fometimes does, who wants ftrength and power to hurt us, but upon a furprize; for no finner, all the Sinners of the World cannot refift God's Power, tho' they had never so much warning to make their defence.

Nor is it that God takes fo much pleasure in punishing us, and in executing his Judgments upon the world, that he will give us no warning of it, that we may not prevent it by a timely Repentance, and make our Peace with him; for he is infinitely good and merciful; he delights to do good, and to fhew Mercy, but Judgment is ic ftrange work; and he has fufficiently denont ced his Judgments against incorrigible Sinnof if they would believe him; and take warning by it.

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