Now consider with your selves, death is a fearful thing. When we come to talk of death, how doth it amaze us? The Priests of Nob are brought before Saul for relieving David, and he saith, Thou shalt surely die Ahimelech. And this is your case, you shall surely die: death is terrible even to a good man. As appears in Hezekiah, who though he were a good man, yet with how sad a heart doth he entertain the message of death? The news of it affrighted him; it went to his heart, it made him turn to the wall and weep. How cometh it to pass that we are so careless of death? That we are so full of infidelity, that when the word of God saith, Thou shalt die Ahimelech, we are not at all moved by it? What, can we think these are Fables? Do we think God is not in earnest with us? And by this means we fall into the temptation of Eve, a questioning, whether Gods threats are true, or not? That which was the deceit of our first Parents, is ours. Satan disputes not whether sin be lawful, or not: Whether eating the fruit were unlawful: Whether Drunkenness, &c. Be lawful; he'll not deny, but it is unlawful. But when God saith, If thou dost eat, &c. Thou shalt die: he denies it, and saith, ye shall not die. He would hide our eyes from the punishment of sin. Thus we lost our selves at the first, and the Floods of sin came on in this manner: When we believed not God, when he said, If thou dost eat thou shalt surely die: And shall we renew that Capital sin of our Parents, and think, if we do sin, we shall not die? If any thing in the World will move God to show us no mercy, it's this when we sleight his Judgments, or not believe them. This adds to the height of all our sins, that when God saith, if thou dost live in sin, thou shalt die, and yet we will not believe him: That when she shall come, and threaten us, as he doth, D•ut. 29. v. 19. When he shall curse, and we shall bless our selves in our hearts, and say, we shall have peace though we go on, &c. v. 20. The Lord will not spare that man, but the anger of the Lord and his jealousy shall smoke against him. It is no small sin, when we will not believe God: This is as being thirsty before, we now add Drunkenness to our thirst: That is, when God shall thus pronounce curses, he shall yet bless himself, and say, I hope I shall do well enough for all that. There are two words to that bargain.
Now consider with your selves, death is a fearful thing. When we come to talk of death, how doth it amaze us? The Priests of Nob are brought before Saul for relieving David, and he saith, Thou shalt surely die Ahimelech. And this is your case, you shall surely die: death is terrible even to a good man. As appears in Hezekiah, who though he were a good man, yet with how sad a heart doth he entertain the message of death? The news of it affrighted him; it went to his heart, it made him turn to the wall and weep. How cometh it to pass that we are so careless of death? That we are so full of infidelity, that when the word of God saith, Thou shalt die Ahimelech, we are not at all moved by it? What, can we think these are Fables? Do we think God is not in earnest with us? And by this means we fall into the temptation of Eve, a questioning, whether Gods threats are true, or not? That which was the deceit of our first Parents, is ours. Satan disputes not whether sin be lawful, or not: Whether eating the fruit were unlawful: Whether Drunkenness, &c. Be lawful; he'l not deny, but it is unlawful. But when God saith, If thou dost eat, &c. Thou shalt die: he denies it, and saith, ye shall not die. He would hide our eyes from the punishment of sin. Thus we lost our selves at the first, and the Floods of sin came on in this manner: When we believed not God, when he said, If thou dost eat thou shalt surely die: And shall we renew that Capital sin of our Parents, and think, if we do sin, we shall not die? If any thing in the World will move God to shew us no mercy, it's this when we sleight his Judgments, or not believe them. This adds to the height of all our sins, that when God saith, if thou dost live in sin, thou shalt die, and yet we will not believe him: That when she shall come, and threaten us, as he doth, D•ut. 29. v. 19. When he shall curse, and we shall bless our selves in our hearts, and say, we shall have peace though we go on, &c. v. 20. The Lord will not spare that man, but the anger of the Lord and his jealousie shall smoke against him. It is no small sin, when we will not believe God: This is as being thirsty before, we now add Drunkenness to our thirst: That is, when God shall thus pronounce curses, he shall yet bless himself, and say, I hope I shall do well enough for all that. There are two words to that bargain.
