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men of the world and others, with regard to their liableness to early and unexpected death; but how is it in fact? “How dieth the wise man? even as the fool.” Eccles. 2:16. 9. All wicked men’s pains and con trivances which they use to escape hell, while they continue to reject Christ, and so remain wicked men, do not secure them from hell one moment. Almost every natural man that hears of hell flatters himself that he shall escape it; he depends upon himself for his own security; he flatters himself in what he has done, in what he is now doing, or what he intends to do; every one lays out matters in his own mind, how he shall avoid damnation, and flatters him self that he contrives well for himself, and that his schemes will not fail. They hear indeed that there are but few saved, and that the greater part of men that have died heretofore are gone to hell; but each one imagines that he forms plans to effect his escape better than others have done. He does' not intend to go to that place; says within himself that he intends to take effectual care, and to order matters so for him self as not to fail. But the foolish children of men mis erably delude themselves in their own schemes, and in confidence in their own strength and wisdom; they trust to nothing but a shadow. The greater part of those who heretofore have lived under the same means of grace, and are now dead, are undoubtedly gone to destruction; and it was not because they were not as wise as those who are now alive; it was not because they did not lay out matters as well for them selves to secure their own escape. If we could come to speak with them, and inquire of them, one by one, whether they expected, when alive, and when they used to hear about hell, ever to be the subjects of that misery, we, doubtless, should hear one and an other reply, “No, I never intended to come here; I had arranged matters
otherwise in my mind; I thought I should contrive well for myself; I thought my scheme good. I intended to take effectual care; but it came upon me unexpectedly; I did not look for it at that time, and in that manner; it came as a thief. Death outwitted me: God’s wrath was too quick for me. O my cursed foolishness! I wps flattering myself, and pleasing myself with vain dreams of what I would do hereafter; and when I was saying peace and safety, then sudden destruction came upon me.” .10. God has laid Himself under no obligation, by any promise, to keep any natural man out of hell one moment. God certainly has made no promises either of eternal life, or of any deliver ance or preservation from eternal death, but what are contained in the cove nant of grace, the promises that are given in Christ, in whom all the prom ises are- yea and amen. But surely they have no interest in the promises of the covenant of grace, who are not the children of the covenant who do not believe in any of the promises, and have no interest in the Mediator of the covenant. So that, whatever some have imag ined and pretended about promises made to natural men’s earnest seeking and knocking, it is plain and manifest, that whatever pains a natural man takes in religion, whatever prayers he makes, till he believes in Christ, God is under no manner of obligation to keep him a moment from eternal de struction. So that this it is that natural men are held in the hand of God over the pit of hell. They have done nothing in the least to abate that anger, neither Is God in the least bound by any prom ise to hold them up one moment. They have no interest in any Mediator, there are no means within reach that can be any security to them. In short they have no- refuge, nothing to take hold of; all that preserves them every mo-
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