he
Lord, and from the glory of his power, 2 Thess. i. 8, 9; and to the
torments of hell for ever, Mark ix. 44, 46, 48. Luke xvi. As to what is
not only penal but also sinful, the soul here is under the stroke of
darkness in the understanding, perverseness and rebelliousness in the
will, irregularity and disorder in the affections, whereby the soul is
unfit for any thing that is good, Rom. iii. 10-20. Eph. ii. 1, 2, 3.
Rom. v. 6; viii. 7, 8; whence proceedeth all our actual transgressions,
James i. 14, 15. And moreover sometimes the soul is given up to a
reprobate mind, Rom. i. 28; to strong delusion, 2 Thess. ii. 2; to
hardness of heart, Rom. ii. 5; horror of conscience, Isa. xxxiii. 14; to
vile affections, Rom. i. 26, and the like spiritual plagues, which,
though the Lord inflict on some only, yet all are obnoxious to the same
by nature, and can expect no less, if the Lord should enter with them
into judgment. And finally, as to what is future of this kind, they are,
being fuel for Tophet, obnoxious to that malignant, sinful, blasphemous,
and desperate rebellion against God, in hell for evermore!

O how lamentable, upon this consideration, must the condition of such
be, as are yet in the state of nature! Oh, if it were but seen and felt!
But, alas! there is this addition to all, that people know not this;
they consider it not, they believe it not, they feel it not, they see it
not; and hence it cometh to pass, that,

_First_. They cannot bewail and lament their condition, nor be humbled
therefor.

_Secondly_. They cannot, and will not seek after a remedy; for the whole
will not trouble themselves to seek after a physician.

And sure upon this account, their case calleth for pity and compassion
from all that know what a dreadful thing it is to be in such a
condition, and should stir up all to pray for them, and to do all they
can to help them out of that state of sin and misery, which is dreadful
to think upon.

Should not the thoughts and consideration of this put us all to try and
search, if we be yet translated from death to life, and delivered out of
that dreadful and terrible state, and made partakers of the first
resurrection. It not being my purpose to handle this point at large, I
shall not here insist in giving marks, whereby this may be known, and
which are obvious in Paul's Epistles, and to be found handled at large
in several practical pieces, chiefly in Mr. Guthrie's Great Interest. I
shall only desir