comfort, and everlasting salvation, I beseech you attend carefully, and while I am speaking lift up your hearts to God in prayer, to enlighten your understandings, and incline you to receive and apply what is said to the state of your souls.

I. I am to consider what the condition of mankind was, at the time here spoken of.

II. Whether mankind are in it now.

III. How we came into it.

IV. The way and means of deliverance from it.

I. What was the state of mankind here spoken of, on account of which it is said, "it repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart?" It was the condition of mankind in sin. Sin, that enemy to God and man, had taken possession of them, and so thoroughly infected their natures, that, according to the foregoing verse," God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually." What crimes they were guilty of, or what particular sins they were, if any, which drew this severe censure of them from the mouth of God, we are not told; only it is said in general, that "the earth was filled with violence." From whence we may conclude, that God was forgotten and neglected by them, and the fear of him banished from their hearts. They did what they listed, and lived only to gratify their natural and sensual appetites, without restraint from his commands, or regard to his authority, or sense of what they were made and sent into the world for; which was to walk with him, as Enoch and Noah did, in the fulness of a free obedience, or as one friend does with another, delighting and delighted; to make him the great object of their faith,

hope, love, and rejoicing, and to qualify themselves for the eternal enjoyment of him by a life of godliness, brotherly kindness, temperance, justice, and holy fear. But instead of this, "the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life," ruled and employed all their thoughts, were the end they lived for, and the only laws by which they would be governed; as we may learn from the character which our Saviour gives of them, they did eat, they drank, they married wives, and were given in marriage." Why, you will say, are not these things lawful and innocent, and necessary? How can the business of the world be carried on, or the world continue without them, or without " buying and selling, planting and building," as they did in the days of Lot? All this is acknowledged ; and yet here is weighty instruction for you, respecting man's duty and great business in the world, if you will receive it on the authority of Scripture; whose excellence it is to rectify our mistakes; to enlighten our dark minds with the wisdom which cometh from above, and guide us into the way of truth and happiness. For these are the men of whom it is said in the same place, Luke xvii. "The flood came, and it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all." Not for eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, buying and selling, building and planting; no, but (mark it well) for neglecting their souls, living altogether to this world, and despising the offer of a better. They did not like to retain God in their knowledge, or put themselves in the way to a happiness of his choosing for them, by living in subjection to his will, and recovering themselves out of that state of darkness, disorder, and corruption into which they were fallen; but were bent upon pleasing themselves in oppo sition to him, and if they could not find their heaven in the enjoyments and pleasures of this life, would not be

persuaded to look for it any where else. And the consequence was such as might be expected, "the earth was filled with violence, and the wickedness of man in it was great;" as it always will be where men do not make the fear and love of God, faith in his promises, regard to his favour, and choice of him for their portion, the ruling principles of their lives. They are then prepared for the worst of crimes, and will be carried headlong into all manner of injustice, violence, and wickedness, at the will of their lusts. It is not to be supposed that all the men of that generation were equally licentious, and all ran into the same excess of riot. Doubtless there was a difference then, as there is at all times, in the behaviour and characters of men; some better and some worse, some from natural prudence and goodness of temper more civil, peaceable, and orderly than others. But nevertheless it is said of them all without distinction, "It repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart, and the flood came and took them all away." Whereas if God had known that any of them were worthy to escape the general destruction, we may presume he would have provided room for them in the ark, as he did for Noah and his family. What is it then that Christ affirms of them, as the reason why they were left to perish? It is, that "they did eat and drink, married and were given in marriage;" hereby giving us to understand that their hearts were wholly set upon the world, some in a more gross way of open violence and shameless riot, but all forgetful of God, negligent and faithless concerning a life to come. And here is the instruction I told you of. Our great business in the world is with God; to look up to him in all we do, to receive him into our hearts, to adore and love him, to depend upon him for the blessings of time and eternity, to make him our hope and our portion, to seek after him as

our treasure, to live with him and to him here, and to qualify ourselves for the completion of all his promises, in the everlasting enjoyment of him. But if we do not make this the great end and aim of our lives, keeping our thoughts intent upon it, and our hearts close to it, as the one thing needful, we are not the creatures he designed us to be, we do not answer the end he made us for, we are not capable of the happiness he intends for us, and can only bring us to in the way of our own desires and affections. If God is not our choice, and the supreme delight of our souls, whatever else we do, we live only to displease him, whatever else we are in pursuit of will end in disappointment and misery, whatever else we get, we lose all. It matters not as to our final, eternal interest, how prudent we are for this world, or how decently and regularly we enjoy it, if we do nothing else, and say with the fool in the Gospel," Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years, take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry," and look no farther. According to the wisdom of the world this man was no fool; he knew when he had enough, and resolved to sit down contented, and make the best of what he had gotten; but he had other work upon his hands which he never thought of, and God knew what to call him. For " so," saith our Lord, "is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God," Luke, xii. 21. If we have God for our treasure, we are rich indeed; if any thing, or every thing else, we are poor beyond expression. We may pass through the world with more ease and satisfaction to ourselves in a course of diligence, sobriety, and quiet behaviour, than the contrary; and he is a fool indeed who destroys his health by intemperance, or wastes his substance by idleness and extravagance, or provokes the ill-will of his neighbours by churlishness, or malice; but if we are only carrying on a design for this world, though

it be with never so fair a reputation, we are no better than others in point of acceptance with God. He says, "Seek ye after God, and your soul shall live;" and he cannot be mistaken in what he advises and directs us to as the way of life. What then can be the meaning of this, but that if we are turned from him, if we do not seek after him, esteem and choose him as our portion and the dearest treasure of our hearts, as our God to help, rule, and bless us, and take us to himself when we die, our souls do not, cannot live, we are in the way of eternal death. He will not, according to his promise, " any more cut off all flesh with the waters of a flood;" but if he sees the same men and the same hearts upon the earth as he did then, he is still the same God, and the words of the text are alike spoken of all such, "It repenteth the Lord that he made them, and it grieveth him at his heart."

II. The next thing we are to consider, is, whether this is now the condition of mankind.

And my design under this head is to observe to you that naturally it is. The Scripture tells us of it, and the history of the world in all ages confirms it. We cannot

think of any time when it was, we cannot say, it is now, the natural disposition of men to honour and fear God, to make it their chief study to please him, and prefer his favour to all earthly possessions and enjoyments. We cannot say with regard to men, that we act invariably by the sacred rules of justice and charity, giving to all their dues, loving their persons, supplying their wants, studying the general peace, never doing to others what we should think hard and unreasonable in our own case, and so inclined to good as always to give it the preference to what we know to be evil. Who that sees what strange perverseness, what a stubborn spirit of disobedience and opposition to the will of God rules in mankind, would think we