ich passeth this sentence upon you all, is more certain:
and this sentence of death must be executed, unless ye be under that
blessed exception made here and elsewhere in the gospel. I beseech you,
consider what it is to have such a judge condemning you. Would not any of
you be afraid, if ye were under the sentence of a king? If that judgment
were above your head, who of you would sit in peace and quietness? Who
would not flee from the wrath of a king, that is like the roaring of a
lion? But there is a sentence of the _King_ of kings and nations above
your heads. "Who would not fear thee," to whom it doth appertain, "O King
of nations?" It is not a great man that can destroy the body, that is
against thee; it is not he who hath power to kill thee, and he hath also a
great desire so to do. This were indeed much; but it is the great and
eternal _Jehovah_, who lifts up his hand to heaven, and swears he lives
forever,--he is against thee. He who hath all power over body and soul is
against thee, and so is obliged to improve his omnipotency against thee;
he can kill both soul and body, and cast them into hell, and by virtue of
this curse he will not spare thee, but pour out all the curses in this
book. Thou wouldst be at no peace if thou wert declared rebel by the king
and parliament; but alas! that is a small thing. They can but reach thy
body, nay, neither can they always do that; thou mayest flee from them,
but whither canst thou flee from him? Thou canst not go out of his
dominions; for the earth is his, and the sea, and all that therein is.
Darkness cannot hide thee from him. He may spare long, because he can
certainly overtake when he pleases; men may not, because they have no
assurance of finding. I beseech you, then, consider this. It is of soul
consequence; and what hath a man gained, if he gain the world, and lose
his soul? If the gainer be lost, what is gained? And it is of eternal
consequence; and what are many thousand years to this? You can look beyond
all these, and might comfort yourselves in hope; but you cannot see to the
end of this. There is still more before than is past; nay, there is
nothing past,--it is still as beginning.

O that ye would consider this curse of God that stands registrate upon us
all? What effects had it on Christ, when he did bear it? It made his soul
heavy to death:--it was a cup that he could scarcely drink. He that
supported the frame of this world was almost near succumbing under t