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And therefore is not in hafte to judge this World before the World is ripe for Judgment; and when that is, he himself knows beft.

For to appoint a Day to judge the World, is a Work of great Wisdom and Counsel: Before God judges the World, it is fit for him to difplay all the various Scenes of Wisdom, and Goodness, and Power, and Juftice in the Government of the World; to exercife great Patience towards Sinners, and to make the utmoft Experiments to reform them, as St. Peter tells us, The Lord is not flack concerning his Promise, (as fome men count flacknefs) but is patient to us-ward, not willing that any fhould perifh, but that all should come to repentance, verfe 9.

4. When God finally judges the World, he deftroys this prefent Frame of Things, as it follows in the next Verfe, The Day of the Lord will come as a thief in the Night; in the which the Hea vens shall pass away with a great noife, and the Elements shall melt with fervent beat, and the Earth al So, and the Works that are therein, shall be burnt up. Now it does not become a Wife and a Good God to be hafty in deftroying a World that he has made

And therefore to reconcile God's deftroying the World with his Effential Attributes of Wifdom and Goodness, there are two Things neceffary.

ift. The

,

ift. The incorrigible Wickednefs of Mankind. A Wife Man will not immediately pull down a Houfe he has built, till he dif covers fome irreparable decays in it: Thus God juftifies his Deftruction of the Old World, from the Univerfal Corruption of Manners, and the incurable Wickednefs of it: God

faw the wickedness of man, that it was great upon the Earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And it repented the Lord that he had made man on the Earth, and it grieved him at his heart. And the Lord faid, I will deftroy man whom I have crea ted, from the face of the Earth, 6. Gen. 5, 6, 7. And this was the only Reason that could be given to juftifie fo Univerfal a Destruction of Mankind, that they were univerfally wicked, excepting one Righteous Family, which God preferved: And it feems very probable, that the General State of the World will be very wicked and corrupt before the Final Destruction of the World by Fire; for we can conceive no other redfon why God fhould finally destroy this World, but to put an end to the incurable Wickedness of Men. And this is the account the Scripture gives us of it; we find every where a deplorable Defcription of the Wickednefs of the Laft Days; In the Last Day's perilous times fhall come: For men (that is, the generality of Mankind) shall be lovers of their own felves, covetous, boafters, proud, blafphemers, N

dif

difobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, truce-breakers, falfe accufers, incontinent, fierce, defpifers of thofe that are good, traytors, beady, high-minded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; having a form of godlinefs, but denying the power thereof, 2 Tim. 3. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. Thus St. Jude tells us, There shall be mockers in the last times, who should walk after their own ungodly lufts, verfe 18. And St. Peter, as you heard, that in the laft Days there fhall be fcoffers, Jaying, Where is the promise of his coming? And our Saviour himself plainly intimates what an Univerfal Decay there fhall be of Piety and Faith, when he comes to judge the World, Nevertheless when the Son of Man cometh, fhall be find faith on the earth? 18. Luke 8. Atheism and Infidelity fhall greatly prevail in the World be fore the Day of Judgment; and by this, as St. John faid long fince, We know that is the laft time. And this is one of the Signs both of the Destruction of Jerufalem, and of the Day of Judgment; Then fhall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall bate one another : And many falfe Prophets fhall rife, and fhall deceive ma ny. And because Iniquity fhall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But be that shall endure to the end, the fame fall be faved, 24. Matth. 10, 11, 12, 13.

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And therefore the Deftruction of this World by Fire, which is the Preparation to the Final Judgment, is reprefented as an im mediate Vengeance on the Wickedness of

that

that Generation of Men, who hall, then be living on the Earth; though at the fame གཞསརས་ time, the Dead fhall be raifed, and all ungodly Men involved in the fame Ruin. The Ford Felys shall be revealed from Heaven with his Mighty Angels in flaming Fire, taking Vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the Gospel of our Lord Jefus Chrift, 2 Thef. 1. 8. And 10. Heb. 27. It is called a fiery Indignation, which shall devour the Adversaries.

So that one thing God has regard to in appointing the Day of Judgment, is, Not to deftroy the World till the Wickedness of Mankind is grown incurable, and paft Remedy; and till this is the State of the World, how much Wickedness, foever there be in it, At is too foon, for a Wife and Good God to deftroy the World he made: But there feems, 2. To be fomething more than this, to justify the Final Deftruction of the World; not only that the prefent Race of Mankind is fo univerfally corrupt, that, they des ferve to be univerfally, deftroyed, which was the Cafe of the Old World, wherein there was but one Righteous Family; but that Mankind is thus incurably wicked after all the wife Methods of God's Grace and Providence to reform the World; for then it is time to put a Final End to the State of this World, and to the farther Propagation of Mankind, on it, and to fummon all Men to Judgment, to receive according to their Works.

This feems to be the Reason why Noah's Flood did not put a final end to the World, and why God did not at that time call all Mankind to Judgment; because though the Wickedness of that Generation of Men was fo Univerfal and fo incurable, that it juftified their Univerfal Deftruction; yet God had new Methods of Grace, and hidden Treafures of Wisdom, in reserve for the reforming the World: And therefore though he purged the Earth from its wicked Inhabitants, he did not think fit to put an end to the Race of Men, but preferved Noah and his Sons in the Ark (which was the only Righteous Family then living) to propagate a new Generation of Men, whom he would try with new Methods of Grace; the laft, and most admirable, and moft effectual Method of Grace was referved for the last Times; the Myfterious Incarnation of the Son of God, and the Power of Gofpel-Grace. And when this alfo fhall have loft its effect; when Athifm, and Infidelity, and all manner of Wickednefs fhall prevail; when the Church it felf fhall be over-run with Herefies, Schifms, and a mere external Form of Religion, without the Power of it; when Men fhall walk after their own Lufts; when Faith fhall fail, Iniquity abound, and the Love of many wax cold, then the End is at hand; God has then tried what Mankind will prove, long enough, and it is time to put a Period to this World, and to the Race of Mankind, and call them all to

Judgment.