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Sentence of the Magistrate, according to the divine Law.

And although he may permit fome of them for a while to remain undiscovered, yet in the Day of his Vifitation for Sin, when he fhall make Inquifition for Blood, they may be fure he will remember them, and they have Reafon to fear that he will deal with them according to their Blood-guiltinefs.

XI. DRUNKARDS, Gluttons, and riotous Livers, are another Sort of Perfons, against whom terrible Threatnings of God are recorded in the holy Scriptures.

These likewise are Tranfgreffors of the fixth Commandment, as by their Intemperance, and frequent Exceffes, they impair their own Health, and fhorten their Lives; that is, put an End to them as certainly, as if they thruft themfelves through with a Sword, though not in fo speedy a Manner.

And then by importuning their Companions to eat, or to drink to Excefs, or to indulge themselves in any Pleasure inconfiftent with Health, they are inftrumental in deftroying their Health, and haftening their Death.

But what faith the Word of God concerning fuch as these? In Ifa. xxviii. 1, 3. it fays, Wo to the Drunkards of Ephraim, the Drunkards of Ephraim fhall be trodden under Feet.

In Prov. xxiii. 21. it is declared, that the Drunkard, and the Glutton shall come to Poverty; and there are frequent Inftances of this.

In Joel i. 5. God by his Prophet fays, Awake ye Drunkards, and Weep, and howl all ye Drinkers of Wine.

The Prophet Nahum faid, The Lord is good, a Strong Hold in the Day of Trouble (i. e. to thofe who love and ferve him) and he knoweth them that trust in him. But with an overflowing Flood, he will make

an utter End of the Place thereof, and Darkness fhall purfue his Enemies. What do ye imagine against the LORD? He will make an utter End: Affliction fhall not rise up the fecond Time. For while they be folden together as Thorns, and while they are drunken as Drunkards, they shall be devoured as Stubble fully dry, Nahum i. 7, 8, 9, 10.

In Ifa. v. 11-14. it is faid, Wo unto them that rife up early in the Morning, that they may follow Strong Drink, that continue until Night till Wine inflame them. And the Harp, and the Viol, the Tabret, and the Pipe, and Wine, are in their Feafts: But they regard not the Work of the LORD, neither confider the Operation of his Hands. Therefore my People are gone into Captivity, because they have no Knowledge, and their honourable Men are famished, and their Multitudes dried up with Thirst. Therefore Hell bath enlarged herself, and opened her Mouth without Measure: And their Glory, and their Multitude, and their Pomp, and be that rejoiceth fhall defcend into it. In Verse 22. it is added, Wo unto them that are mighty to drink Wine, and Men of strength to mingle Strong Drink, i. e. if they abuse their Strength by drinking to Excefs, and that is Excefs, which is more than needful to the healthful Nourishment, and Chearfulness of the Body.

The Prophet further adds, in Verse 25. Therefore is the Anger of the LORD kindled against his People,and be bath ftretched forth his Hands against them, and bath fmitten them: And the Hills did tremble, and their Carcaffes were torn in the midst of the Streets: For all this his Anger is not turned away, but his Hand is ftretched out still.

These, and fuch like Declarations do plainly shew, that they who indulge their Appetites with Exceffes in Meats and Drinks, and they who perfuade, and tempt others to do fo, have Reafon to fear the Judgments

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Judgments of the Holy God, when he is vifiting for Sin.

But how much foever they may fuffer by common Calamities in this World, thefe Sufferings will be to them only the Beginnings of Sorrows, unless they repent, and amend their Ways. For Drunkards fhall not inherit the Kingdom of God, See 1 Cor. vi. 10.

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It is our bleffed Redeemer, who faid, Take heed to yourselves, left at any time, your Hearts be overcharged with Surfeiting and Drunkenness, and the Cares of this Life, and fo that Day come upon you unawares. For as a Snare fhall it come on all them that dwell on the Face of the whole Earth. Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all thefe (terrible) Things that fhall come to pass, and to ftand before the Son of Man, Luke xxi. 34, 35, 36.

The Things which Chrift refers to, and which he in that Chapter foretold fhould come to pass, were that Jerufalem fhould be compaffed with Armies, and Defolation, Verse 20. He foretold its Days of Vengeance, Verfe 22. and that there fhould be great Diftrefs in the Land, and Wrath upon the People, Verse 23. And that they fhould fall by the Edge of the Sword, Verfe 24. That upon the Earth should be Diftrefs of Nations with Perplexity, Verse 25. Men's Hearts failing them for Fear, and for looking after thofe Things, which are coming on the Earth, Verse 26.

And thus it happened to the Jews, when the just God brought upon them the Day of his Wrath, the Day of his Vifiting them for their Iniquities. And in like manner it will happen to other Nations, when the Almighty fhall come forth in Judgment against them, and make a finful incorrigible People to fee, and feel the Miseries of the Days of his Vengeance.

Therefore,

Therefore, Let us walk honeftly, as in the Day; not in Rioting and Drunkennefs, not in Chambering and Wantonness, not in Strife and Envying. But put ye on the Lord Jefus Chrift, and make not Provifion for the Flesh, to fulfil the Lufts thereof. Rom. xiii. 13, 14.

XII, UNCLEAN PERSONS, Whoremongers and Adulterers, are another Sort, on whom God has denounced destroying Judgments.

These are Tranfgreffors of the feventh Command

ment.

Whoremongers and Adulterers God will judge, &c. It is declared, Heb. xiii. 4. and in Galat. v. 19, 21. it is faid, Now the Works of the Flefb are manifeft, which are thefe, Adultery, Fornication, Uncleanness, Lafciviousness; and it is added, That they who do Such Things fhall not inherit the Kingdom of God.

In Ephef. v. 3, 4, 5, 6. But Fornication and all Uncleanness, let it not be once named amongst you, as becometh Saints. Neither Filthiness nor foolish Talking, nor Jefting which are not convenient: But rather giving of Thanks. For this you know that no Whoremonger nor unclean Perfon bath any Inheritance in the Kingdom of Chrift, and of God for because of thefe Things cometh the Wrath of God upon the Children of Disobedience.

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What the Holy God has faid concerning the Jews, in Jer. v. 7, 8, 9. fhews evidently that this Sort of Sinners are appointed to fuffer in the Day of his Vifitation. The LORD faid, When I fed them to the full they committed Adultery, and affembled themfelves by Troops in the Harlots Houfes. They were as fed Horfes in the Morning: Every one neighed after bis Neighbour's Wife: Shall I not vifit for thefe Things? faith the LORD, shall not my Soul be avenged on fuch a Nation as this?

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The Prophet Ezekiel alfo, reckoning up feveral Sorts of Tranigreffors of the divine Law in Jerufalem, fays, One bath committed Abomination with his Neighbour's Wife, and another bas lewdly defiled his Daughter-in-Law, and another in thee bath bumbled bis Sifter, bis Father's Daughter, Ezek. xxii.

It must be observed, that Self-Pollution, the Sin for which the Holy God flew Onan, Gen. xxxviii. 9, 10. is a Sort of Uncleannefs very heinous in its Nature. And likewife that the unnatural Lufts of the Sodomites, Gen. xix. 5. for which the LORD rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrab, Brimstone and Fire from the Lord out of Heaven, and overthrew their Cities, and all the Plain, and all the Inhabitants of the Cities, and that which grew upon the Ground, Gen. xix. 24, 25. I fay, thofe unnatural Lufts are Kinds of Filthiness which cry loudly for divine Vengeance to be inflicted on the Guilty: And it is Matter of great Lamentation, that notwithstanding the fearful, and utter Deftruction of those Cities for the Crimes of their Inhabitants, there have been in the fucceeding Ages, Perfons guilty of the fame monftrous and filthy Practices.

St. Paul fpeaketh of fuch in Rom. i. 26, 27. faying, For this Caufe God gave them up unto vile Affections: For even their Women did change their natural Ufe unto that which is against Nature: And likewife alfo the Men, leaving the natural Ufe of Women, burned in their Luft, one toward another, Men wih Men, working that which is unfeemly, and receiving in themfeves that Recompence of their Error which was meet.

The Sins of thefe monftrous Tranfgreffors, indeed, are fecret, they are Deeds of Darkness, but the righteous God may openly take Vengeance on them, in the Day of his Vifitation for Sin. Such hive no Reafon to hope they fhall efcape the detroying Wrath of the Almighty God.

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