barrennefs, they fhall remain fo! My gospel fhall not inftruct and heal them; my Spirit shall not, to any faving purpose, any more ftrive with them!

1. A foul not healed, or totally barren, is yet out of Chrift: And, to be doomed to perpetual barrennefs never to be healed, is for ever to be excluded from him. And, what more fearful can be faid of a foul, than that it is out of Chrift, and must be for ever fo? Out of Chrift, and fo unpardoned, unfanctified, without hope of heaven, under fentence to everlafting mifery in hell, and its ftate as to this, never be changed? If any thing could have healed it, the waters of the fanctuary would have done this, the gospel and the means of grace; but remaining under these, and out-standing its time, the things of its peace, are now hid from its eyes.

The waters of the fanctuary fhall never do the foul good that continues as a miry place, till God refolve, it fhall not be healed, but be barren for ever.

(1.) Either fuch fouls fhall be deprived of the means of healing, the external means of grace: Or,

(2.) They fhall not be accompanied with the healing faving influences of the Spirit.

(1.) God fometimes may deprive them of the external means of grace, Ifa. v. 6. And I will lay it wafte: it shall not be pruned, nor digged, &c. God will not throw labour, and that of his ministers lefs ground; but either call them VOL. II.

Р

away his upon fruit

home, or

fuffer

fuffer them to be removed, that fuch may be left like the heath in the defart, Jer. xvii. 6. This is threatened, Matth. xxi. 43. Therefore fay I unto you, The kingdom of God fhall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof. And how deplorable is the ftate of the perfon or people from whom the gofpel is removed, and fo the glory departed; the means of falvation taken away, and the treaty of peace between God and fuch, broken off.

(2.) Or, if the gofpel and external means of grace are vouchfafed to fouls forfaken and never to be healed, They fhall not be attended with the faving influences of the Spirit. To what purpose this, when the foul is never to be healed, the ground never likely to be made fruitful? God declares that his Spirit fhall not always ftrive with man; and if the word and ordinances are continued, when the Spirit is withdrawn, inftead of converting and healing, they will be but farther stupifying, Ifa. vi. 9, 10.

2. A foul not healed, but given to perpetual barrenness, has no promife of the protection of providence, but may be exposed to all the evils of the prefent life. This God threatens his barren vineyard with, Ifa. v. 5, 6. I will take away the hedge thereof, and it shall be eaten up and break down the wall thereof, and it fhall be troden down, &c. When the fence is taken away all manner of calamities have liberty to invade, even the most dreadful and defolating.

Such

Such as have been barren under the means of fruitfulness, have been the greatest instances of provoked justice.

3. And Lastly, They that are finally forfaken, as incurable and given up to perpetual barrenness, have not a moment's fecurity from eternal wrath. John xv. 2. Every branch in me, that beareth not fruit, he taketh away, i. e. is ready to do fo and all fuch as are withered, are prepared to be fuel for the fire, ver. 6.

Whilst there is hope of fruit from any branch, it is spared: But when Christ comes to feek fruit, and finds none within the space allowed, and fays, Let not fruit grow on thee from henceforth, for ever, it immediately withers and so being no more for fruit, nothing remains, but that it be cut down and caft into the fire and burned. And O how terrible will that be! If he that defpifed Mofes's law, died without mercy, of how much forer punishment, fuppofe ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath neglected fo great falvation?

The IV. thing was to fhew the steps by which fuch a judgment is brought on, and how God ufually proceeds to it.

And here, let it be confidered in general, that it is for fin, the fin of refufing to be healed after much patience, long waiting, plentiful pro

vifion and earneft intreaties in order thereto. It is because finners will not be purged when God would purge them, that the refolve is taken, Thou shalt not be purged from thy filthiness any more, till I have caused my fury to rest upon thee, Ezek. xxiv. 13.

God's willingness to heal finners is fufficiently clear, in the phyfician he hath provided, remedy tendered, the time he waits, the entreaties he ufeth, the joy he manifefts when any foul is recovered, and the grief he expreffes when all the methods of his grace are fruftrated. And if after all they will not be healed, how juftly may he refolve, they fhall not be healed, but continue barren for ever?

In the way to this fad ftate,

1. God leaves them to a carelefs indifferent fpirit about what momentous things the gofpel reveals, and the concern of their fouls in them. They hear as if they heard not, not labouring to understand, and feel the weight of things that they hear. This they indulge, and therefore are left to it, Ifa. vi. 9, 10. And he faid, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but underfland not; and fee ye indeed, but perceive not. Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears keavy, and shut their eyes, left they fee with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert and be healed.

2. Such a careleffhefs and indifferency is ufually attended with blindnefs and infenfibility, to as not to apprehend their disease, and mind a cure, and perceive their need of it. They that in the day of their vifitation will not know or regard the things of their peace, may have their darkness increased to a judicial blindrefs, and that may be accompanied with great stupidity; fo that, though in the greatest danger, they may be moft fecure. This is cal

led,

led, the fpirit of flumber, which God gives to those who do not like to retain him in their know

ledge, and eyes that they should not fee, nor ears that they fhould not hear, Rom. xi. 8.

3. Sometimes the waters of the fanctuary are ftaid, or diverted; or elfe, they that would not be healed by them, are removed to places where they have none of the external means of knowledge and fruitfulness they once enjoyed.

4. The healing grace and influence of the Spirit may be withheld; without the help of which, the disease of the foul cannot be removed, nor its barrennefs cured.

5. The fpirit being withdrawn, they may

be left of God to entertain errors and to believe lies; whereby they may think themselves whole, when ready to perish, and cry peace, peace to themselves, when fudden deftruction is near, 2 Thef. ii. 11.

6. Lastly, Upon this, the refolution may be taken up to let them alone, that his Spirit fhall not ftrive with them, that he will not feek to reclaim them, that they shall not be healed on earth: and at laft, as unholy, they fhall be excluded from heaven; and, as prepared for hell, they fhall be caft into it, where the worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.

APPLICATION.

What remains is the Use of the whole.

Is it fo dreadful a judgment for God to fay of any under the gospel, They fhall not be healed,

P 3

but