The justice of God in the damnation of sinners. Illustrated in a sermon

Now ministers and their people may disagree in their judgements concerning some matters of religion, and may sometimes meet to confer together concerning those things wherein they differ, and to hear the reasons that may be offered on one side and the other; and all may be ineffectual as to any conviction of the truth: they may meet and part again no more agreed than before; and that side which was in the wrong, may remain so still: Sometimes the meetings of ministers with their people, in such a case of disagreeing sentiments, are attended with unhappy debate and controversy, managed with much prejudice and want of candour: not tending to light and conviction▪ but rather to confirm and increase darkness, and establish opposition to the truth, and alienation of affection one from another. But when they shall hereafter meet together, at the day of judgment, before the tribunal of the great Judge, the mind and will of Christ will be made known; and there shall no longer be any debate or difference of opinions; the evidence of the truth shall appear beyond all dispute, and all ⟨p. 101⟩controversies shall be finally and for ever decided.

Now ministers meet their people in order to enlighten and awaken the consciences of sinners; setting before them the great evil and danger of sin, the strictness of God's law, their own wickedness of heart and practice, the great guilt they are under, the wrath that abides upon them, and their impotence, blindness, poverty, and helpless and undone condition: But all is often in vain; they remain still, notwithstanding all their ministers can say, stupid and unawakened, and their consciences unconvinced. But it will not be so at their last meeting at the day of judgment; sinners, when they shall meet their minister before their great Judge, will not meet him with a stupid conscience: They will then be fully convinced of the truth of those things which they formerly heard from him, concerning the greatness and terrible majesty of God, his holiness, and hatred of sin, and his awful justice in punishing of it, the strictness of his law, and the dreadfulness and truth of his threatenings, and their own unspeakable guilt and misery: And they shall never more be insensible of these things: The eyes of conscience will now be fully enlightened, and never shall be blinded again: The mouth of conscience shall now be opened, and never shall be shut any more.