Judgments of the Holy God, when he is visiting for Sin.

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But how much foever they may suffer by common Calamities in this World, these Sufferings will be to them only the Beginnings of Sorrows, unless they repent, and amend their Ways. For Drunkards shall not inherit the Kingdom of God, See 1 Cor. vi. 10.

It is our blessed Redeemer, who said, Take heed to yourselves, left at any time, your Hearts be overcharged with Surfeiting and Drunkenness, and the Cares of this Life, and so that Day come upon you unawares. For as a Snare shall it come on all them that dwell onthe Face of the whole Earth. Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all thefe (terrible) Things that shall come to pass, and to Stand before the Son of Man, Luke xxi. 34, 35, 36.

The Things which Christ refers to, and which he in that Chapter foretold should come to pass, were that Jerufalem should be compassed with Armies, and Defolation, Verse 20. He foretold its Days of Vengeance, Verfe 22. and that there should be great Distress in the Land, and Wrath upon the People, Verse 23. And that they should fall by the Edge of the Sword, Verse 24. That upon the Earth should be Distress of Nations with Perplexity, Verse 25. Men's Hearts failing them for Fear, and for looking after those Things, which are coming on the Earth, Verse 26.

And thus it happened to the Jews, when the just God brought upon them the Day of his Wrath, the Day of his Visiting them for their Iniquities. And in like manner it will happen to other Nations, when the Almighty shall come forth in Judgment against them, and make a finful incorrigible People to fee, and feel the Miseries of the Days of his Vengeance.

Therefore,

Therefore, Let us walk honestly, as in the Day;

not in Rioting and Drunkenness, not in Chambering and Wantonness, not in Strife and Envying. But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not Provision for the Flesh, to fulfil the Lusts thereof. Rom. xiii. 13, 14.

XII. UNCLEAN PERSONS, Whoremongers and Adulterers, are another Sort, on whom God has denounced destroying Judgments.

These are Tranfgreffors of the seventh Command

ment.

Whoremongers and Adulterers God will judge, &c. It is declared, Heb. xiii. 4. and in Galat. v. 19, 21. it is faid, Now the Works of the Flesh are manifest, which are these, Adultery, Fornication, Uncleanness, Lasciviousness; and it is added, That they who do Such Things shall not inherit the Kingdom of God.

In Ephef. v. 3, 4, 5, 6. But Fornication and all Uncleanness, let it not be once named amongst you, as becometh Saints. Neither Filthiness nor foolish Talking, nor Jesting which are not convenient : But rather giving of Thanks. For this you know that no Whoremonger nor unclean Person - hath any Inheritance in the Kingdom of Christ, and of God for because of these Things cometh the Wrath of God upon the Children of Disobedience.

What the Holy God has faid concerning the Jews, in Jer. v. 7, 8, 9. shews evidently that this Sort of Sinners are appointed to suffer in the Day of his Visitation. The LORD faid, When I fed them to the full they committed Adultery, and assembled themSelves by Troops in the Harlots Houses. They were as fed Horses in the Morning: Every one neighed after bis Neighbour's Wife: Shall I not vifit for these Things? faith the LORD, shall not my Soul be avenged on such a Nation as this?

The Prophet Ezekiel also, reckoning up feveral Sorts of Tranigressors of the divine Law in Jerufalem, fays, One bath committed Abomination with his Neighbour's Wife, and another bas lewdly defiled his Daughter-in-Law, and another in thee hath humbled his Sister, his Father's Daughter, Ezek. xxii.

It must be observed, that Self-Pollution, the Sin for which the Holy God New Onan, Gen. xxxviii. 9, 10. is a Sort of Uncleanness very heinous in its Nature. And likewise that the unnatural Lufts of the Sodomites, Gen. xix. 5. for which the LORD rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrab, Brimstone and Fire from the Lord out of Heaven, and overthrew their Cities, and all the Plain, and all the Inhabitants of the Cities, and that which grew upon the Ground, Gen. xix. 24, 25. I say, those unnatural Lufts are Kinds of Filthiness which cry loudly for divine Vengeance to be inflicted on the Guilty: And it is Matter of great Lamentation, that notwithstanding the fearful, and utter Destruction of those Cities for the Crimes of their Inhabitants, there have been in the succeeding Ages, Persons guilty of the same monstrous and filthy Practices.

St. Paul speaketh of such in Rom. i. 26, 27. faying, For this Cause God gave them up unto vile Affections: For even their Women did change their natural Use unto that which is against Nature: And likewise also the Men, leaving the natural Use of Women, burned in their Luft, one toward another, Men with Men, working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themse.ves that Recompence of their Error • which was meet.

The Sins of these monstrous Transgressors, indeed, are fecret, they are Deeds of Darkness, but the righteous God may openly take Vengeance on them, in the Day of his Visitation for Sin. Such have no Reason to hope they shall escape the de stroying Wrath of the Almighty God.

And

And as the Inhabitants of Jerufalem were incorrigible, and did not repent of their Iniquities, the Holy God according to his Threatnings, inflicted on them destroying Judgments. See Jer. v. 31. where he says, Therefore have I poured out mine Indignation upon them, I have consumed them with the Fire of my Wrath: Their own Way have I recompenfed upon their Heads, faith the LORD GOD.

I may add, that Persons under the like Guilt, have Reason to expect like Punishment; and therefore have Cause to be afraid of God's proceeding in the Way of his Judgments.

And happy for them will it be, if the Whoremongers and Adulterers; happy will it be, if all the filthy, the unchaste, the unclean Persons of both Sexes, shall consider the Evil of their Ways, and the Declarations of the Holy God against them; if they shall repent of their Sins, and seek the Forgiveness of them, and Peace with God through Chrift Jefus, before the Viols of his Wrath be poured out upon them.

XIII. UNJUST Persons, are another Sort against whom destroying Judgments are denounced in the Word of God.

UNJUST Persons are all they, who either by Force, or Fraud, take, or with-hold to their own Ufe any Thing that is the Property of another.

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These all are Transgressors of the eighth Com, mandment.

This Class includes not only Thieves of every Denomination, but also Extortioners, and fraudulent Dealers with unjust Weights and Measures.

EXTORTIONERS are those Persons who take Advantage from the Neceffities, or Ignorance of others, to constrain them to give more Money for the Things they buy, than is the Market-price, or to perform perform more Labour for Wages than is usual according to the Custom of the Country, thus, e. g.

If the Sellers of any Commodity know the Buyers to be under a Neceffity of getting the Things they treat about, and that they can have them no where elfe, or that they are ignorant of the Value, and Market-price of them, and therefore exact from them a greater Price than they are worth, or than the Sellers would insist on, if the Buyers were not under such Neceffity, or such Ignorance, they ar guilty of Extortion.

And if any Manufacturers, as a Method of Gain to themselves, shall keep for Sale to their WorkPeople, various Sorts of Goods, they at Times have Occasion for, and shall oblige them to buy such Goods, when they do not want the Goods but the Money for other Uses, they are Extortioners.

These two Sorts of Persons are guilty of Tranfgreffing that divine Law, which says, All Things whatsoever ye would that Men should do to you, do ye even so to them, Matt. vii. 12. which implies, that All Things whatsoever we would that Men should not do to us, we should not, we ought not to do to them.

Thus God has manifested his holy Will concerning our Conduct and manner of Dealing with others. And the Extortioners above-mentioned, would not like to be themselves treated in such Manner as they treat others.

I must add, that their Crime is abominable in the Sight of God, who delights in Mercy and Goodnefs.

Let such Tranfgreffors read, and consider what is faid in Ezek. xxii. 12, 13, 14. Thou hast greedily gained of thy Neighbours by Extortion, and bast forgotten me, faith the LORD GOD. Behold, therefore I bave smitten mine Hand at thy dishonest Gain, which thou hast made-Can thine Heart endure, or can