Religion & morality > Human nature in its four-fold state ... in several practical discourses

564- The Curfe under which State IV.
pie, as Jfa. xxxv. 10. yind the Ran fitted of the
Lord fbajl return, and come to Zion, &€. relating
both to the Return from Babylon, and to the Saints
going to their eternal Reft in Heaven : Even fo
temporal and eternal Miferies, on the Enemies of
God, are fometime's wrapt up under one and the
fame Expreffion in the tfhreatmng, as Jfa. xxx. 33.
For iphet is ordained of old: Tea for the King
it is prepared, he hath made it deep and large :
*the File thereof is Fire and much Wood, the Breath
of the Lord, like a Stream of Brimftone, doth
kindle it. Which relates both to the temp»ra|i
and eternal Deftru&ion of the Ajfyrians, who fell
by the Hand of the Angel before "Jerufalem. Sec
alfo Ifa Ixvi. 24, What is that judicial Blindnefs,
to which many are given up, in whom the God of
this World hath bunded their Eyesp (2 Cor. iv. 4.)
but the firft Fruits ofHdl and of the Curfe? Their
Sun is going down at Noon-day ; thdr Darknefs
encreafing as if it would not ftop, till it iflue in
utter Darknefs. Many a Lalh, in the Dark, doth
Conference give the Wicked, which the World doth
not hear of: And what is that, but that the never
dying Worm is already begun to gnaw them ?
And there’s not one of thefe, but they may call
it Jcfiph, for the Lord (hall add another; or ra¬
ther Gad, for a Troop cometh. Thefe Drops of
Wrath are terrible Forebodings of the full Shower
which is to follow. Sometimes they are given
up to their ajile Affections, that they have no
more Command over them, Rom. i. 26. So their
Lufts grow up more and more towards Perfecti¬
on, if I may fa fpeak. As in Heaven Grace comes
to its Perfection, fo in Hell Sin arrives at its high-
eft Pitch ,• and as Sin is thus advancing upon the
Man,