I. Confider fome things implied in it.

II. Shew who are the finners, that we are to have a horror of our fouls being gathered with in the other world.

III. What it is for one's foul to be gathered with finners in the other world.

IV. Confider this care and concern; or fhew, what is implied in this earnest request, "Gather not my foul with finners."

V. Give the reasons, why we should be in fuch care and concern.

VI. Make application.

I. WE fhall confider fome things implied in the doctrine. It implies,

1. The fouls of men in their bodies in this world, are in a scattered and diforderly condition, faints and finners in one place, one outward condition, all mixed through other; the tares and the wheat are in one field; corn and chaff in one floor; fifh good and bad in one net; sheep and goats in one flock; Ham in the ark, Judas in Chrift's family, profane and hypocrites with fincere Chriftians, in one vifible church. This mixture has a threefold effect.

(1.) It keeps both parties uneafy, Gen. iii. 15. The faints are uneafy with the converfation of finners, 2 Pet. ii. 7. and finners with that of faints, who are an eye fore to them, Gen. xix. 9. The one wearies to have the other out of their world, the other many a time to be away from among them. Their principles, aims, and manner of life are oppofite; and they cannot unite more than the iron and clay.

(2.) They are an embargo upon one another, fo that this world is neither fo good nor yet fo bad, as otherwise it would be. It is with the world in this cafe, as with the believer in whom there is a mixture of flesh and spirit, Gal. v. 17. The converfation of finners often infects faints, leads them into snares and temptations; handling of pitch they are defiled, and

are

are often made to come mourning out of her company, as Peter in the high priest's hall. Sometimes again faints win on finners, to turn them from the evil of their ways, 1 Cor. vii. 12, 13, 16. 1 Pet. iii. 1. And even where that is not gained, yet it does fomething to keep the world in external order, beyond what it would be if all were alike, no mixture of faints in the fociety, Matth. v. 13. like falt that keeps it from roting and ftinking, as otherwise it would do.

(3.) There is a mixed difpenfation of providence in the world; fometimes fair weather, fometimes foul; fometimes public mercies difpenfed, fometimes public calamities; for God has his friends and his enemies both in one company; and the society meets with tokens of God's good-will for the fake of the one, and tokens of anger for the fake of the other.

2. The fouls of men in the other world will be orderly ranged into different congregations, according to their different natures and difpofitions, faints and finners, who will make two unmixed focieties. This implies two things.

(1.) A feparation of the disagreeing parties now mixed, Matth. iii. 12. The good and bad mixed in this world will be feparated there; they will not make but one fociety more, as they did here; and the feparation will be a thorough one, not one goat left among the fheep, nor one sheep among the goats, Pfal. i. 5. Matth. xiii. 41. For all the mixture that is here, there will be a cleanly feparation there, what ever were the ties of political, ecclefiaftical, or domeftical relations among them. Matth. xxiv. 40. 41.

"Then fhall two be in the field, the one fhall be taken, and the other left. Two women shall be grinding at the mill, the one shall be taken, and the other left."

(2.) A gathering of their feparate parties into their refpective focieties they belonged to, whereby they will be ranged according to their kind and fort; faints with faints, and finners with finners. For there will be two, and but two congregations in the

other

other world, Chrift's and the devil's. Pfal. i. 5.; the bundle of life, I Sam. xxv. 29. and the bundle of death, Matth. xiii. 30. Many are misplaced here, and fome of the devil's goats appear get wrong names; in fheep's cloathing, and are mistaken for fuch as belong to Chrift; fome of Christ's sheep are busked up by the malicious world in wolves fkins, as if they be longed to the devil. But nothing of that will be there.

3. Death is the gathering time, which the Pfalmift has in view in the text. Ye have a time here that ye call the gathering time, about the term, when the fervants are going away, wherein ye gather your ftrayed sheep that every one may get their own again. Death is God's gathering time wherein he gets the fouls belonging to him, and the devil those belonging to him. They did go long together, but then they are parted; and faints are taken home to the congregation of faints, and finners to the congregation of finners. And it concerns us to fay, "Gather not my foul with finners." Whoever be our people here, God's people, or the devils, death will gather our fouls to them.

Laftly, It is a horrible thing to be gathered with finners in the other world. To think of our fouls being gathered with them there, may make the hair of one's head stand up. Many now like no gathering like the gathering with finners; it is the very delight of their hearts, it makes a brave jovial life in their eyes. And it is a pain to them, to be gathered with faints, to be detained before the Lord on a fabbath day. But to be gathered with them in the other world, is a horror to all forts.

(1.) The faints have a horror of it, as in the text. To think to be staked down in their company in the other world, would be a hell of itself to the godly. David never had such a horror of the fociety of the poor, the diseased, the perfecuted, c. as of finners. He is content to be gathered with faints of whatever S condition;

condition; but, Lord, fays he, "Gather not my foul with finners."

(2.) The wicked themfelves have a horror of it, Numb. xxi. 10. "Let me die the death of the righteous," said the wicked Balaam," and let my laft end be like his." Though they would be content to live with them, or be with them in life, their confciences bear witnefs that they have a horror of being with them in death. They would live with finners, but they would die with faints. A poor unreasonable felf-condemning thought. I believe, that if drunkards, unclean perfons, mockers of religion, embracing and rejoicing in one another, fhould as Belshazzar fee the form of a hand writing on the wall, that it is the purpose of God, their foul should be gathered with one another in the other world, they would be ftruck and ready to faint away with horror, thinking, "Ah! fhall my foul be gathered with drunkards, harlots, mockers?"&c.

Wherefore fince all have a horror of their fouls being gathered with finners in the other world, have a horror of being gathered with them now in their way. For it is an abfurd thing to think, that you fhall live with finners, and yet die with faints. Balaam wifhed to reconcile these contradictions, but found it would not do, Numb. xxxi. 8.

II. I COME to fhew who are the finners, that we are to have a horror of our fouls to be gathered with in the other world. All men in this world are finners abfolutely confidered, and fo was David himself; Eccl. vii. 22. "For there is not a juft man upon earth, that doth good, and finneth not." But fome are finners comparatively, in comparison with others that are righteous; they are grievous finners, as the word properly fignifies; hence they are claffed with publicans, a moft odious fort of people among the Jews, Matth. ix. 10.

Now

Now finners, grievous finners, in the feripture use of the word, are all unrighteous perfons, as appears from the oppofition of these terms, Pfal. i. 5. "Therefore the ungodly fhall not ftand in the judgement, nor finners in the congregation of the righteous." Prov. xiii. 21. "Evil purfueth finners; but to the righteous good fhall be repaid." Matth. ix. 13 He that is not righteous, is in the feripture-fense a finner, a grievous finner. Hence,

1. All unjuftified perfons are finners; for they are unrighteous before God, as being without an impu ted righteousness on them, Rom. v. 29. And fince all unbelievers are unjustified, whatever is their manner of life, they are fuch finners; they walk naked before God, and their fhame is not covered.

2. All unconverted, unfanctified, unregenerate perfons are finners; for they are unrighteous as being. without an implanted righteoufnefs, Pfal. li. 13. Rom. v. 8. They are not brought back to God, but are in a course of straying from him; their unholy fet of fpirit remains, their nature is not changed.

Thus all natural men are finners, whofe ftate in the other world is horrible, whatever their appearance and way may be here. There are four forts of them.

F. The grofsly ignorant, who neither know nor care for knowing the foundation points of religion. Thefe cannot be but finners; for however harmless they may be among men, they are grievous finners before God, as being in darknefs, 1 John i. 11. Matth. vi.

23.

And miferable will they be whose fouls are ga thered with them in the other world, Ifa. xxvii. 11. "It is a people of no understanding: therefore he that made them will not have mercy on them, and he that formed them will fhew them no favour."

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2. The profane, who give the loofe to their lufts, in the pollutions of the outward man. Such as profane swearers, who fet their mouths against the heavens, whom God will not hold guiltlefs; unclean per

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fons,