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perhaps they who live here in habitual Malice and Villany, are incapable of Relenting even before that. But yet the Scripture feems to imply, that many in that Day, before the Sentence is given against them, will plead hard for themselves, and bemoan their own wretched Eftate, and cry paffionately for Mercy; they fhall call for the Rocks and for the Mountains to fall upon them, and hide them from the Prefence of Him that fitteth upon the Throne : For In that Day, as we read, many will fay to him, Lord, Lord, have we not Prophefied in thy Name? and in thy Name have caft out Devils ? and in thy Name done many wonderful Works? And then he fhall profess to them, I never knew you; depart from me e that work Iniquity, Matth. 27. 22, 23. At that Day fhall they alfo answer him, faying, Lord, when faw we thee hungry, or thirsty, or a franger, or naked, or fick, or in prifon, and did not minifter to thee? Mat. 25. 44, 45. And he fhall answer them, faving, Verily I fay unto you, in as much as je did it not to one of the least of thefe, ye did it not to me. These Paffages feem to imply, that the Unrighteous in that Day wil think of all things that can be faid to mitigate their Sentence, and tho' they have nothing colourable to plead for themfelves, yet they will not fail to produce

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what they have, after manner of thofe guilty Wretches that ftand before the Tribunals of Men, and offer Pleas for themfelves, which fignify nothing elfe but their vehement Defires to avoid the Sentence of Death.

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So that in This World, and in the World to Come, this is the Matter imply'd in the Text, That Sinners who are reduc'd to the laft Extremity by their own Folly and incorrigible Wantonnefs, will then have Thoughts that they never had before, and will cry to God for Mercy, and with tenthousand times that they had been wifer when Time was, that they had hearkned to Inftruction and Reproof, and not brought themselves into thofe Miferies, which now indeed they are fenfible of, but would never take Warning againft before. Not that all will relent in this manner, but it's likely the greatest Number of fuch Men will: Some will be more obdurate and fullen kind of Wretches than others ; but the Senfe of what is prefent, and Grief for what is paft, will fet very heavy upon the Minds of the generality of thefe unhappy Men; efpecially upon theirs that have had the moft Warning, the plaineft Inftruction, and the most earreft Exhortations, but flighted all, and in contradiction to the Advice cf Parents, Governours and Friends, and to Dd3 the

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the Inftructions of their Spiritual Paftors, have taken ruinous Courses, and at last have found all true, which they would never let fink into their Hearts till now, when it is made to fink thereinto whether they will The Convictions they had upon their Minds heretofore will return upon them with irrefiftible Violence, and they will have fo much the more Power to make them Miferable, by how much less they were Reftrained and Reformed by them before; as Fire that is awhile fuppreft, breaks out afterward with double Violence. The true End of Knowledge is to make Men Happy, but if it fails of that, it makes Men the more Wretched: And they are fuch Perfons as thefe, that are often forewarn'd, whofe Mifery under a too late Sense of their own Folly, the Wife Man fpeaks of in this Place; that is, they to whom Wisdom hath cryed without, and uttered ber Voice in the Streets, in the chief Place of Concourfe, and in the openings of the Gates; but when the called, they refused, when the fretched out her Hand, they regarded not, but fet at nought all her Coun fel, and would none of her Reproof. Such as thefe will be wretched under a Sense of their Incorrigiblenefs, because it will plainly appear to be their own Fault, that they are come to Mifery,

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And thus much concerning the Interpretation of these Sayings, They fhall call upon ne, they shall feek me early; which do not imply, that all who are reduc'd to Extremity of Unhappiness, that of this World, or of the World to Come, will betake themfelves to feek God's Favour; but that this frequently happens, and that even they that do fo are unhappy in their late Repen tance, especially those that have had the most Warnings and Convictions, but would not be Reclaimed.

So that we are to understand these Paffages, as if they were rather Suppofitions, than abfolute Conclufions ; that is thus Although they call upon me, as fome of them no question will, and a great many of them too, yet I will not answer them, though they feek me early, yet they shall not find me. And that is the Second Propofition in the Text to be explain'd. The

3d is, That God will not Regard the Prayers and Repentance of Men under their laft Extremities, when no Instruction or Correction would do any good upon them before; They shall call upon me, but I will not answer; they fhall feek me early, but they Shall not find me,

Now this is indeed the moft Awakening Confideration of all, and hath the greatest Force to make an effectual Impreffion of Dd 4

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the two former upon our Minds. For if wicked Men could promise themselves the Help and Favour of God in their last and greatest Distress, provided they do but implore his Mercy, though it be never fo late, this would give them fome Incouragement to venture all the ill Confequences of their Lufts and Pleasures. But if God will not Regard them, though they make many Prayers to him, but they must be finally forfaken by him, as they forfook him all along before, they are then upon all Accounts obliged to Hearken to his Voice betimes, and to Turn to him while there is Place for Repentance.

But this laft Point doth require alfo a careful Interpretation, becaufe, as it is thus generally laid down, it may be mifunderftood ; and becaufe the true Understanding thereof will not make it lefs fit to Prevail upon any that confider it.

Now the right Understanding of this Point requires the continuation of that Diftinction which hath been hitherto used under the former Heads; that is, between the Miferies that an obftinate Course of Sin produces in this Life, and thofe Punishments that it will bring in the Life to Come That is, we are to confider,

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1. How useless the Prayers and Repentance of wicked Men will be as to the Re covery of their Happiness in this Life.

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