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Lord God,

transgressions; so iniquity shall not be your ruin. with all con- Ezek. xviii. 30. Let us search and try our ways, meekness of and turn again to the Lord. Let us lift up our heart

trition and

heart;

2. bewailing and la

menting our

ces, and seek

ing to bring forth worthy fruits of penance [repentance].

with our hands unto God in the heavens. Lam. iii. 40, 41. Turn us, O God of our salvation, and cause thine anger toward us to cease. Psal. lxxxv. 4. Turn thou me, and I shall be turned; for thou art the Lord my God. Jer. xxxi. 18. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise. Psal. li. 17.

2. I will bewail with the weeping of Jazer. Isa. xvi. 9. I prayed unto the Lord my God, and made my sinful life, ac- confession, and said, O Lord, the great and dreadful knowledging ani confess God, keeping the covenant and mercy to them that ing our offen: love him, and to them that keep his commandments: we have sinned and have committed iniquity, and have done wickedly, and have rebelled, even by departing from thy precepts and from thy judgments: neither have we hearkened unto thy servants the prophets, which spake in thy name. Dan. ix. 4, 5, 6. Surely after that I was turned, I repented; and after that I was instructed, I smote upon my thigh: I was ashamed, yea, even confounded, because I did bear the reproach of my youth. Jer. xxxi. 19. O my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift up my face to thee, my God: for our iniquities are increased over our head, and our trespass is grown up into the heavens. Ezra ix. 6. I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me. Psal. li. 3. I have borne chastisement, I will not offend any more: that which I see not teach thou me: if I have done iniquity, I will do no more. Job xxxiv. 31, 32. Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. Psal. li. 10. Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance: [marginal reading, answerable to amendment of life.] Matt. iii. 8.

3. For now

unto the root

3. And now also the axe is laid unto the root of is the axe put the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not of the trees, forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. so that every Matt. iii. 10. Behold, the day cometh, that shall bringeth not burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all forth good fruit is hewn that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that

tree that

B b

down, and

cast into the fire. It is a

to fall into

the living

God: He

shall pour

down rain

fire and brim

stone, storm

and tem

pest; this

cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch. fearful thing Mal. iv. 1. He that despised Moses' law died withthe hands of out mercy under two or three witnesses: of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of upon the sin- God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, ners, snares, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the spirit of grace? For we know him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto shall be their me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. It is a fearportion to ful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. Heb. x. 28 to 31. For our God is a consuming fire. Heb. xii. 29. The Lord thy God is a consuming fire, even a jealous God. Deut. iv. 24. Upon the ungodly he shall rain snares, fire and brimstone, storm and tempest, this shall be their portion to drink. Psal. xi. 7. The Lord rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the Lord out of heaven. Gen. xix. 24. See also, Isa. xxiv. 17, 18.—Zech. xiii. 8.-Job xx. 11. 25. 27.29.

drink.

4. For lo, the Lord is

come out of his place to wickedness

visit the

of such as dwell upon the earth.

abide the day

ing? who

to endure when he appeareth?

may abide the stand when he

4. For, behold, the Lord cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity. Isa. xxvi. 21. But who day of his coming? and who shall appeareth? for he is like a refiner's fire, and like fuller's sope. Mal. iii. 2. The mighty God, even But who may the Lord, hath spoken, and called the earth from the of his com- rising of the sun unto the going down thereof. Out shall be able of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God hath shined. Our God shall come, and shall not keep silence: a fire shall devour before him, and it shall be very tempestuous round about him. He shall call to the heavens from above, and to the earth, that he may judge his people. Call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me. But unto the wicked God saith, What hast thou to do to declare my statutes, or that thou shouldest take my covenant in thy mouth? seeing thou hatest instruction, and castest my words behind thee. When thou sawest a thief, then thou

5. His fan

is in his hand,

and he will purge his

consentedst with him, and hast been partaker with adulterers. Thou givest thy mouth to evil, and thy tongue frameth deceit. Thou sittest and speakest against thy brother; thou slanderest thine own mother's son. Now consider this, ye that forget God, lest I tear you in pieces, and there be none to deliver. Psal. 1. 1 to 4. 15 to 20. 22. The great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand. Rev. vi. 17. And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver. Mal. iii. 3.

5. Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable floor, and ga- fire. Matt. iii. 12. I will fan them with a fan in wheat into the gates of the land; I will bereave them of chilhe will burn dren, I will destroy my people, since they return the chaff with not from their ways. Jer. xv. 7. Every branch in

ther his

the barn; but

unquench

able fire.

6. The day of the Lord cometh as a

me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. John xv. 2. In the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them but gather the wheat into my barn. Matt. xiii. 30. The wicked are as stubble before the wind, and as chaff that the storm carrieth away. Job xxi. 18. The ungodly are like the chaff which the wind driveth away. Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous but the way of the ungodly shall perish. Psal. i. 4, 5, 6. The wicked shall be turned into hell. Psal. ix. 17. As the fire devoureth the stubble, and the flame consumeth the chaff, so their root shall be as rottenness, and their blossom shall go up as dust. Isa. v. 24. Their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched. Isa. lxvi.

24.

6. Yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when thief in the they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a wo

night: and

when men

shall say, Feace, and

safe, then

destruction

come upon them, as sorrow

cometh upon

child, and

escape.

man with child; and they shall not escape. 1 Thess. all things are V. 2, 3. As the days of Noe were, so shall also the shall sudden coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and knew not until a woman tra- the flood came, and took them all away; so shall vailing with also the coming of the Son of man be. Matt. xxiv. they shall not 37, 38, 39. Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; but the same day that Lot went out of Sodom, it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed. Luke xvii. 28, 29, 30. They shall be afraid pangs and sorrows shall take hold of them; they shall be in pain as a woman that travaileth: they shall be amazed one at another; their faces shall be as flames. Isa. xiii. 8. How are they brought into desolation, as in a moment! they are utterly consumed with terrors: yea, even like as a dream when one awaketh, so shalt thou make their image to vanish out of the city. Psal. lxxiii. 19. See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven. Heb. xii. 25. How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation? Heb. ii. 3. See also, Matt. xiii. 41, 42, 43.-xxiii. 33.

7. Then

God in the

day of venge

ners, through

7. Then shall appear the sign of the Son of man shall appear the wrath of in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming ance, which in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. obstinate sin- Matt. xxiv. 30. He will not spare in the day of the stubborn- vengeance. Prov. vi. 34. [They] said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: for the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand? Rev. vi. 16, 17. The hypocrites in heart heap up wrath. ance of God, Job xxxvi. 13. He that being often reproved har

ness of their heart, have heaped unto themselves; which despised the

goodness, patience, and long-suffer

eth them continually to repentance.

when he call- deneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy. Prov. xxix. 1. They refused to hearken, and pulled away the shoulder, and stopped their ears, that they should not hear. Yea, they made their hearts as an adamant stone: therefore came a great wrath from the Lord of hosts. Zech. vii. 11, 12. After thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God. Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and long suffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance? Rom. ii. 5. 4. Harden not your heart. Psal. xcv. 8. Account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation. The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. 2 Pet. iii. 15. 9.

8. Then shall they call upon me, (saith the

Lord,) but I will not hear;

they shall seek me early, but

they shall not

they hated

and received

but abhorred

8. Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me: for that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the Lord: they would none of my counsel they despised all my reproof. Prov. i. 28, 29, 30. While they went to buy the bridefind me; and groom came; and they that were ready went in with that, because him to the marriage: and the door was shut. Afterknowledge, ward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, not the fear Lord, open to us. But he answered and said, Verily, of the Lord, I say unto you, I know you not. Matt. xxv. 10, 11, my counsel, 12. And Noah went in, and his sons, and his wife, and despised and his sons' wives with him, into the ark, because tion. Then of the waters of the flood. And the Lord shut him late to knock in. And the flood was forty days upon the earth; and the waters increased, and bare up the ark, and shut; and too it was lift up above the earth. And the waters prelate to cry for vailed exceedingly upon the earth. And all flesh mercy when it is the time died that moved upon the earth, every man, all in terrible voice whose nostrils was the breath of life, of all that was of most just in the dry land, died. Gen. vii. 7. 16, 17. 19. 21, which shall Behold, now is the accepted time; be pronounc- the day of salvation. 2 Cor. vi. 2.

my correc

shall it be too

when the

door shall be

of justice. O

judgment,

ed upon

22.

behold, now is It is appointed

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