1Fourthly, Another Ground of fear is, that it is in it self possible that all this Wrath should be your Portion for ever, even you, who are most assured of Glory. And is not this just cause of Fear, if not of Expectation yet at least of Terror? Indeed as God hath been graciously pleased to bind himself in a Covenant of Grace and Mercy to you, so it is impossible that this Wrath should fall upon you; but yet such a Supposition as this is, is enough to cause Fear in the most assured Heart, to think that if God had not engaged himself by Promise to deliver him from that Wrath, what then would have been his Condition to all Eternity? Would not such Thoughts as these are make you tremble? Suppose a Man were fast chained to the top of some high Rock hanging over a bottomless Gulf, though he knew ⟨p. 251⟩and was assured that he should not fall into it, being immovably fastened there, yet when he looks down that deep and dangerous Precipice, and fees the Gulf foaming and raging under him, will not a cold Fear drill through his Heart to think, O! if I were not here fastened by a strong Chain to this immovable Rock, what would become of me? Even so Believers, you that are most assured to escape Hell, this is your Condition; you are fastened to the Rock of Ages by the unchangeable Promise of God that will ever hold you fast; but yet every time you look down into the bottomless Gulf that is under you, where thousands are swallowed up to all Eternity; doth not such a Thought as this is fright you to think? O! if I were not fastened to this immovable Rock, if God had not made an everlasting Covenant with me, ordered in all things and sure, I should also have been swallowed up with the rest of the World, and have gone down quick into Hell. Why, alas, we are all of us held over the Lake of Fire and Brimstone in the Hands of God; some he holds in the left Hand of his common Providence, and others of them he ⟨p. 252⟩holds in the right Hand of his special Grace; those whom he holds only in the Hands of his Providence he lets fall and drop one after another into Hell, where they are swallowed up and lost eternally; those that he holds in the Hands of his Grace, it is true it is impossible upon that Supposition that ever they should fall into Hell; yet when they think, O if we were not upheld, yea, how possible it was that they should not have been upheld;
1Fourthly, Another Ground of fear is, that it is in it self possible that all this Wrath should be your Portion for ever, even you, who are most assured of Glory. And is not this just cause of Fear, if not of Expectation yet at least of Terror? Indeed as God hath been graciously pleased to bind himself in a Covenant of Grace and Mercy to you, so it is impossible that this Wrath should fall upon you; but yet such a Supposition as this is, is enough to cause Fear in the most assured Heart, to think that if God had not engaged himself by Promise to deliver him from that Wrath, what then would have been his Condition to all Eternity? Would not such Thoughts as these are make you tremble? Suppose a Man were fast chained to the top of some high Rock hanging over a bottomless Gulf, though he knew ⟨p. 251⟩and was assured that he should not fall into it, being immoveably fasten'd there, yet when he looks down that deep and dangerous Precipice, and fees the Gulf foaming and raging under him, will not a cold Fear drill through his Heart to think, O! if I were not here fastned by a strong Chain to this immoveable Rock, what would become of me? Even so Believers, you that are most assured to escape Hell, this is your Condition; you are fastned to the Rock of Ages by the unchangeable Promise of God that will ever hold you fast; but yet every time you look down into the bottomless Gulf that is under you, where thousands are swallowed up to all Eternity; doth not such a Thought as this is fright you to think? O! if I were not fastned to this immoveable Rock, if God had not made an everlasting Covenant with me, ordered in all things and sure, I should also have been swallowed up with the rest of the World, and have gone down quick into Hell. Why, alas, we are all of us held over the Lake of Fire and Brimstone in the Hands of God; some he holds in the left Hand of his common Providence, and others of them he ⟨p. 252⟩holds in the right Hand of his special Grace; those whom he holds only in the Hands of his Providence he lets fall and drop one after another into Hell, where they are swallowed up and lost eternally; those that he holds in the Hands of his Grace, it is true it is impossible upon that Supposition that ever they should fall into Hell; yet when they think, O if we were not upheld, yea, how possible it was that they should not have been upheld;
- 14. Because in it self it is possible all this Wrath might have been their Portion.
