Secondly, In reference to their cause; they that have shut their eyes against the light, and would not be convinced by the Ministers of God, of the wickedness, and hellishness of the cause they undertook, when God awakes, and conscience awakes, then they begin to confess it: Oh saith Judas, I have sinned in betraying innocent blood; and so will wicked men; yea, so have some of the enemies of God been heard to confess, when they have lien gasping of the wounds they have received in the Battle; Oh we have a damned cause; Oh said a poor dying wretch in the West to our Soldiers, As soon as we saw you, our hearts failed us, for we know our cause is damned. There is an hand of divine truth, and justice in it, making good that threatening, 1Lord, when thine hand is lifted up, they will not see, but they shall see, and be ashamed. They that will not see to timely repentance, shall see to final shame and confusion. In a word, this is the thing I say, The enemies and haters of God, may, and do, sin away a sin-preventing conscience, but they cannot sin away a sin-condemning, a self-executing conscience; when the command cannot find a conscience, wrath will find a conscience, the curse will find a conscience, and this will be the worm that never dies. I have heard of a poor wretch, that lived an Atheist all his life, and when he came to die, conscience began to revive, and he to cry out, Oh what will become of me, if there be a God? Unhappy man is he, that ever he was born, who concludes himself undone, if there be a God.
Secondly, In reference to their cause; they that have shut their eyes against the light, and would not be convinced by the Ministers of God, of the wickednesse, and hellishnesse of the cause they undertook, when God awakes, and conscience awakes, then they begin to confesse it: Oh saith Judas, I have sinned in betraying innocent bloud; and so will wicked men; yea, so have some of the enemies of God been heard to confesse, when they have lien gasping of the wounds they have received in the Battell; Oh we have a damn'd cause; Oh said a poor dying wretch in the West to our Souldiers, As soon as we saw you, our hearts failed us, for wee know our cause is damn'd. There is an hand of divine truth, and justice in it, making good that threatning, 1Lord, when thine hand is lifted up, they will not see, but they shall see, and be ashamed. They that will not see to timely repentance, shall see to finall shame and confusion. In a word, this is the thing I say, The enemies and haters of God, may, and do, sin away a sin-preventing conscience, but they cannot sin away a sin-condemning, a self-executing conscience; when the command cannot finde a conscience, wrath will finde a conscience, the curse will finde a conscience, and this will bee the worm that never dies. I have heard of a poor wretch, that lived an Atheist all his life, and when he came to die, conscience began to revive, and he to cry out, Oh what will become of mee, if there be a God? Unhappy man is he, that ever he was born, who concludes himself undon, if there be a God.
- 1Isaiah 26.11.
