fons, whom God will judge; scoffers of piety, maligners, and mockers of ferioufnefs, whose bands fhall be made strong; in a word, all those who are loose and licentious in their lives. These are finners with a witnefs; and wo to them whofe fouls fhall be gathered with them in the other world, Gal. v. 19,—2 1.-"They which do fuch things, fhall not inherit the kindgom of God." Luke xix. 27. "Those mine enemies which would not that I should reign over them, bring hither and flay them before me."

3. Mere moralifts, who fatisfy themselves with moral virtue, in obedience to the letter of the second table of the law, but neglect the duties of religion towards God. They are just and honest in their dealings with men, but neglect their duty to God. These also are finners, and miferable will be the cafe of those whofe fouls are gathered with them in the other world, Matth. v. 20. " For I fay unto you, That except your righteoufnefs fhall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharifees, ye fhall in no cafe enter into the kindom of heaven." They feek not God's: face, and they will be hid from it.

4. Formalifts, who have a form of godlinefs in a profeffion of religion, and performance of acts of devotion; but are ftrangers to real religion, 2 Tim. iii. 5. Some of them are grofs hypocrites, who stain their profeffion of religion with their untender walk in matters of the second table, Matth. xxiii. 23. Others are close hypocrites, whofe outward converfation is blameless, but they are ftrangers to heartwork, the fecret part of the Christian life, and entertain always fome beloved luft or other. These alfo are finners, Mark x. 21.; and wo will be to those whose fouls are gathered with them in the other world, Pfal. cxxv. ult. "As for fuch as turn afide unto their crooked ways, the Lord fhall lead them forth with the workers of iniquity." Matth. xxiv. ult. "And fhall cut

bim asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth."

Now all these are finners, grievous finners, who, if they continue fo, will undoubtedly perifh. They are justly called and reputed finners, in oppofition to faints. For,

(1.) They all mifs the mark totally that men fhould aim at. The word by which the Holy Ghost expreffeth fin, is properly to mifs the mark, Judg. xx. 16. The mark that all men are obliged to aim at and hit, is the glory of God, the chief end of man, I Cor. x. 31. The faints brought to the enjoyment of God in Chrift, do all hit it, though not perfectly, Phil. i. 21. Rom. xiv. 7, 8. They live to the glory of God their Creator and Redeemer. But all natural men mifs it totally, Rom. iii. 23. They are conjured within the circle of felf; they live to themselves, not to God; their lufts, morality, and religion meet all in the dead fea of felf. They are a company of felflovers, felf-feekers, felf-pleafers, Phil. ii. 21. So they and their way, not being directed to God, fhall perish from his prefence, Pfal. i. ult.; and their ftraying will end in their falling into the pit.

(2.) They are all guilty of death before the Lord, I Kings i. 21. with Rom. iii. 19. The fentence of death is in force against them, and they are fons of death. The curfe of the broken law lies on them, binding them over to avenging wrath. But the faints are not fo; though they are not without fin, yet they are without guilt of eternal wrath, Rom. viii. 1. They are obfolved in their juftification; but natural men, whatever be the difference of their crimes, are all finners, law condemned criminals.

(3.) They can do nothing but fin, Pfal. xiv. 3. It is true, the faints fin in every thing they do; but yet they do things truly good, and accepted of God, Ifa. lvi. 7.; the imperfections attending their duties do not quite mar them, 2 Cor. viii. 12. But natural mens

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actions

actions are all fins, their natural, civil, and religious actions, only evil. Their whole life is woven into one web of fin from the beginning to the end, without one thread of purity in it; fo they are finners in a most proper sense.

Ref. How can that be, fince they do things that are unquestionably good? Anf. It cannot be otherwife. For,

[1.] The principle of action in them is quite wrong. They themselves are wholly corrupt and loathsome, and fo is all they do. Put the beft of liquor in a veffel used to filthy uses, and one cannot look on it, Tit. i. 15. "Unto them that are defiled and unbelieving, is nothing pure; but even their mind and confciences is defiled." Their filthy ftate defiles their duties, but their duties cannot purify them, Hag. ii.

[2] The end of their actions is quite wrong. They are like a fervant very bufy, but in the mean time he is working to himself, not to his master, Zech. vii. 5. "When ye fafted and mourned-did ye at all faft unto me, even unto me ?”

(4.) They all fin with true whole heart and goodwill, to it. The faints do not fo, 1 John iii. 9. They have a contrary principle in them that contradias the inclination to fin, so that at most it is but with a half-will, Gal. v. 17. But natural men are all flesh, wholly corrupt, therefore the heart goes with a bent fail to fin. It is true, there may be fomething op pofing fin in the unregenerate; but then that struggle of theirs is but betwixt flesh and spirit, but betwixt the flesh in one part lufting, and in another fearing.

(5.) All their fins that ever came on them through the whole courfe of their lives, are ftill abiding on then, in the guilt, filth, and dominion of them. It is not fo with the faints; guilt contradicted is done away, the filth is in part removed, the reigning power of fin is broken. Sin in them is like mud in a fpring, but in natural men like mud in a pool. Sin

is ever coming on, never going off; but all sticks, original and actual; for there is no remiffion of fin to them, and no fanctification by the Spirit. Unbe lief is a need-nail to all their fins, John viii. 24.

Lafly, They continue finners in the other world, Prov. xiv. 32.. "The wicked is driven away in his wickednefs." In the moment of death the faints are perfected, they are no more finners; but natural men have fin left on them, when they die; then the fentence takes place, Rev. xxii. 11. "He that is unjuft, let him be unjust ftill, and he which is filthy, let him be filthy ftill," and they are caft out as unclean into the unclean place.

III. I PROCEED to fhew what it is for one's foul to be gathered with finners in the other world. It implies,

1. All mens fouls are to be gathered out of their bodies by death, Job xxxiv. 14, 15. "If he fet his heart upon man, if he gather unto himself his fpirit and his breath; all flefh fhall perish together, and man fhall turn again unto duft." Man confifts of a foul and a body; the body was originally duft lying here and there scattered on the earth; and at death it must be reduced to the fame condition again; the foul came immediately from God, and at death muft return to him, Eccl. xii. 7. And no man can have power to retain it in the body, but it muff be fepa rated from it, and fo the man dies.

2. There are very different receptacles of feparate - fouls; there is a bleffed receptacle of the fouls of faints, wherein they fhall all be together in the other world; and a miferable receptacle of the fouls of finners, where they alfo fhall be together in that world. Tho' the receptacle of the bodies of faints and finners is common to both in this world, both lying in the fame church-yard, yet that of their fouls is not fo.

3. A feparation of the foul from the fociety of faints,

Matth.

Matth. xiii. 41. At death, finners that were mixed with the saints in this world, are gathered out from among them, like weeds from among the corn, and tares from among the wheat. And we should be concerned now, that that be not our lot. For it will be a most terrible excommunication, Pfal. i. 5. “The ungodly fhall not ftand in the judgment, nor finners in the congregation of the righteous."

Laftly, A placing of the foul in the fociety of finners in the other world, putting them in the fame place with them, and in the same state. This is to be deprecated, "Gather not my foul with finners." To be gathered to finners as our people, shut up with them in the fame receptacle of fpirits, to have our lot with them in the other world, and fare as they fare for eternity, is what we should be in the greatest care and concern, that it be not our lot.

or

IV. I SHALL confider this care and concern; fhew what is implied in this earnest request, "Gather not my foul with finners." It implies,

1. A fure and certain expectation, that our fouls must be gathered into the other world by death. The Pfalmift prays not against the gathering fimply, for in that cafe neither prayers nor tears can prevail, force nor fraud, Pfal. lxxxix. 48. "What man is he that liveth and shall not fee death?" But fince they must be gathered, they pray that they be not gathered with finners. There is no may be here, but it muft be, as it is "appointed unto men once to die," Heb. ix. 27. We must lay our account with it, as an event inevitable.

2. A belief of the miserable state of finners in the other world, and the happiness of faints. If one is not perfuaded of thefe, he will be in no concern about the matter. But we muft look beyond this world. into the other, and in the glass of the word take a view of the state of finners and faints there, to raise

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