delay what muft needs be done, or else they are ruin◄ ed, especially when time is uncertain ?

Laftly, The malignant finner, who hates the fociety of faints, and ferioufnefs, a religious life and religious exercises; making the fociety and way of finners his choice. O what confidence can ye have to cry to God, not to gather your fouls with finners in the other world, who are those in whom is all your delight in this? How can ye think to be gathered with faints in heaven, to whom, with their way and exercifes you have fo great averfion on earth? Nay, that malignity against God's people fhews you to be none of them; and you must be gathered to your people, your own people.

USE III. Of comfort to those who are in due care and concern now, that they be not gathered with finners in the other world. This is a weighty concern to them that have it, and they will need comfort. And there are four things comfortable in it. It is comfortable,

1. That you are in the way of duty with reference to the other world, Mat. xxiv. 46. "Bleffed is that fervant, whom his Lord when he cometh fhall find fo doing." While others are going on fearlessly, you are looking about you, concerned how it may be with you in the end. It is a piece of wisdom, and hopeful, thus to be exercised in confidering your latter end, Deut. xxxii. 29. God's word fpeaks comfort to fuch, Ifa. xxxv. 3, 4. "Strengthen ye the weak hands, and confirm the feeble knees. Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be ftrong, fear not; behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompence, he will come and fave you."

2. That you take your work in time, while yet there is hope; and fo your care and concern. may come to iffue well, Ifa. xxxii. 20. "Bleffed are ye that fow befide all waters." There is no fon nor daughter of Adam but will be in that care and concern one

time or other; fo that there will not be two of the whole herd of finners that will defire to be gathered together; but alas! with the most part, it will be out of time, Mat. xxv. 12, 11. Now I fay it is comfortable in your cafe, that you timely entertain concern about it, while the Judge is on a throne of grace to receive fuch applications. I may allude to that, I Sam. xxv. 8. Ye come in a good day;" with 2 Cor. vi. 2. "Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of falvation."

3. This care and concern is wrought in all God's elect, by the Spirit of Chrift. The word calls for it, Aas ii. 40. "Save yourfelves from this untoward generation." The Spirit works it accordingly, Rom. viii. 26. 2 Cor. vii. 11. He it was that breathed that defire in the Pfalmift; and thofe appetites and defires that are from the Spirit cannot be in vain. So that the care and concern is common to you with all the children of God, who all join you in that fpiritual breathing, "Gather not my foul with finners."

Lastly, You have to do with a good and gracious God, that has no pleasure in the ruin of finners, Ezek, xxiii. 11. "Say unto them, As I live, faith the Lord God, I have no pleafare in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live." No tender man will give his oath without neceffity, or where there is no controverly to be decided by it. So here there is one, namely, the devil alledgeth to finners against God, that there is no pleafing of him, other wife than in the finner's ruin, and therefore all care and concern that way is needlefs. The flothful fervant licketh up this vomit, Mat. xxv. 24, 25. “Lord, (faid he) I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou haft not fown, and gathering where thou haft not strawed; and I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth." And God purgeth himfelf by oath of it; believe it then no more. Encour

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age yourself from the goodness of his nature in Christ, be that your care and concern.

(1.) Have you already got your heart's fill of the state and way of finners out of Christ, so that you defire no more of it, but would fain be out of the reach thereof? The goodness of God's nature in Christ will not fuffer the gathering of such a one with finners in the other world, Pfal. xxvi. 4,-9. Will a good God take a finner already groaning under, burdened and wearied with the ftate and way of finners out of Chrift in this world, and stake him down with them for ever in the other world? No; be it far from him.

(2.) Have you got a longing after holinefs, perfect holiness, and a liking of the purity of the fhining ones there, that your foul cries, "Gather not my foul with finners," but with faints in the other world? Truly that is the work of the Spirit of Chrift in you; for "the carnal mind is enmity against God," Rom. viii. 7. Hence is the promise, Heb. viii. 10. "I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts." And it is the fociety of finners, not as finners, but as miferable, the hypocrite is frighted at; and the fociety of faints in the other world, not as faints or holy, but as happy ones, that they defire it. It is inconfiftent with the goodness of God then to create fuch longing and liking, and yet never fatisfy it; fo to open the mouth of the foul, and then to put an empty spoon in it.

Object. But a concern not to be gathered with finners in the other world is a common thing, which Balaam and the foolish virgins had, as well as the godly; what comfort then can be in it, fince one may have it, and yet be gathered with them in the end? Anf. There is a very great difference betwixt this concern in fincere Chriftians and others. There are four things, which, if you find in your concern in this point, you may conclude that you fhall not be

gathered with finners in the other world.

1. If their feparation from Chrift as the chief object of your foul's love, makes you averfe to be ga thered with them, Pfal. xxvi. 8, 9. "Lord I have loved the habitation of thy houfe, and the place where thine honour dwelleth: Gather not my foul with finners." The ungodly, if all were right to that with them in the other world, could digeft that; for Chrift is not the chief object of their love. But this argues your esteem of Christ above all, 1 Pet. ii. 7. and your defire of communion with him as your chief happiness, Phil. i. 23. You look upon finners as feated in the other world, and you fee Chrift is not among them; and fince he is not with them, your foul cries, Then, Lord, let not me be with them neither, for the chief object of my love is not among them. If this is the cafe, truly your foul fhall not be gathered with them, John vi. 37. "Him that cometh to me, I will in no wise cast out." Pfal, lxxiii. 24, 25. “Thou shalt guide me with thy counfel, and afterward receive me to glory. Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I defire befides thee. 2. If you have a horror of their being left in fin in the other world, as well as of their being laid under punishment there, Rom. vii. 24, 25. "O wretched man that I am, who fhall deliver me from the body of this death! I thank God, through Jefus Christ our Lord." Nobody believing the unfpeakable torment of the damned in the other world, but must have a horror of it, because they love themselves. But laying afide the confideration of that, foberly afk yourselves, what think you of that part of their fentence, "Let him that is filthy, be filthy still," in itfelf? Abftracting from the torment joined with it, that would be no hard thing to most men, their hearts being wedded to their lufts, and not knowing how to fhift without them. If then you find that thought of itself to be killing to you, and fufficient to make a hell; that argues you partakers of the new nature,

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that hath a horror of fin as its oppofite, and defires to be holy and without fin, which is its perfection. And certainly God will not deprive the new nature of its defired perfection, and confequently will not gather a foul thus difpofed with finners in the other world, Pfal. cxxxviii. ult. "The Lord will perfect that which concerneth me." Matth. v. 6. "Bleffed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteoufnefs; for they fhall be filled."

3. If you are with purpose of heart coming out from among them, out of their fociety, way, and manner of life in this world. Many would be content to live with them, though not to die with them, Numb. xxiii. 10. But are ye not content to live with them neither, no more than to die with them? Have ye conceived an averfion to the life as well as the death, not only of the grofsly wicked, but of all that are out of Chrift, ftrangers to the power of godlinefs, being drawn to the love and choice of the fellowship of the faints by the luftre of the divine image on them? Fear not, God will never gather you with them in the other world, Pfal. xxvi. 4, 5, 9. 1 John iii. 14. 2 Cor. vi. 17, 18. Their company will not be made your punishment in the other world, that you would not make your choice here.

Laftly, If the hope of not being gathered with finners in the other world, puts you on the ftudy of univerfal purity, 1 John iii. 3. The hope that ungodly finners and hypocrites have of this tends to make them secure in fin, and leaves them at eafe in the embraces of fome one luft or other; the reafon is because their concern that way is only to be freed from mifery, not from fin. But the hope of the fincere is a lively one, a hope to be freed from fin, I Pet. i. 3. and this makes them beftir themselves. against it in time impartially, Pfal. cxix. 6.

USE ult. Let me exhort all of you now to be in due care and concern, that your fouls be not gathered.