THe Great God that made the Heaven and Earth, and all the living Creatures therein, and hath Redéemed you by his Son Christ Iesus; You that were lost and undone sinners, to you hath he sent his Gospel, the glad tydings of peace, and to you hath he given this priviledge, that as many as believe on him shall have eternal life; as many as turn to him shall live, and those that turn not, shall dye. This is the unchangeable will and Law of God, that [Page 4]wicked men must turn or dye. For sée the very words of Christ Matth. 18.3. Verily I say unto you, except you be converted, and become as little Children, ye cannot enter into the Kingdom of heaven. And John 3.3. Without holinesse no man shall see the Lord. And in the 11. Psal. ver. 5. The Lord loveth the Righteous, but the wicked his soul hateth. So that it is brought to this, that wicked men must turn or dye.

1. From which words you must observe, First The pitty and love of Ood to lost un­done soules; that he condescends to reason the case with them thus, Why will you dye? That the Almighty and powerful God should stoop to dust and ashes; Marein is his great love shown; That he delighteth not in the death of a sinner, but rather that he would turn and live. God would not have them go in the way that leads to Hell, but calls to them daily by the mouth of his Prophets, to turn and live; and tells them, there is no peace to the wicked, Isa 48.11. Isa. 37.21. God tells them, the love of the world is en­mity with God, and if any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. Yet for all this, worldly they are, and world­ly they will he: If the way to hell be through the world, then to hell they will go.

Oh that men would she the folly of their own wayes, and turn to the Lord! Then should they sée the Loveliness and Beauty that is in the wayes of God; and the Tor­ment and Anguish that follows the love of the World! Oh that wicked men would thus converse with their own soules! Is it so, that I must turn or dye, must be convert­ed, or condemned? 'Its time for me then to look about me; how have I foolishly den­tured the loss of my precious soul these many years? how comes it to pass that God should take more care of my soul, then my self? Oh God for bid that I should neglect this any lon­ger? Must I turn, or dye? Oh happy day! oh happy hour that is that's lest me to Re­pent in! Now will I set on a resolution to get assurance of my salvution, before I give any sleep to my eyes, or slumber to my eye lids. By the grace of God Ile resolve pre­sently to turn, and to forsake my former cour­ses, and give my self up to goioance of the Lord God. Shall the Lord be thus compassionate to my poor Soul as to delight in my Salvation? And shall I Miserable Wretch delight in my Damnation? shall God say unto me, turn? and shall I not re­solve to turn.

[Page 6] 1. Consider first. That it is the invio­lable and unchangeable Law of God, that wicked men must turn or dye. Romans 8.8. Now, if any man be in the flesh, he cannot please God. Psal. 11.5. The Lord loveth the righteous, but the wicked his soul ha­teth. Psal. 7.16. The wicked shall be tur­ned into hell, and all the Nations that forget God. These Texts are plain enough to the view of every poor soule; If thou art one that believest, here is enough to satisfie thée, that wicked and ungodly men they must ei­ther turn or dye; be converted or condemned; if you sée not, 'its because you are wilfully blind: To what purpose doth God send his Messengers to warn you? if you will not be­liede God by the mouth of his Prophets, who doth intreat you to vs reconciled, yet you lend the deaf ear to them; Yet let me tell you, if you will not hear the voice of God here pronouncing sentence of Salvation to you, yet you shall hear his voyce pronoun­cing the Sentence of condemnation against you hereafter.

I beséech you therefore as you love your souls, not to quarrell with God and his word, but stoop to it. Are you yet unconverted? know this, that ers long you must be con­verted or else condemned. I beséech you [Page 7]therefore neglect not your own happinesse any longer, least you be guilte of your own blood, Read but the 8. verse of this 33. of Ezekiel, and you shall sée how the case stands; When I say to the wicked, wicked man thou shalt surely dye. If thou dost not speak to warn the wicked man of his way, the wicked man shall die in his iniquity, but his blood wil I require at thy hands. You sée there that the Ministers of the Gospel must preach. and you must hear; and let me tell you, it is easter to hear of hell then féell it, and yet though you think it a unwelcome Doctrine, that the Ministers of the Gospell should galt your tender ears with truths that séeme so harsh and grievous: Yet it is the duty of e­very faithfull Minister of Christ, to deal tru­ly and faithfully with souls; for we shall in no wise escaps, unlesse we strive to enter in at the narrow way which leadeth unto life: For Salvation or Condemnation will sud­denly bring all things to an end; and when it is too late, we shall here some crying out (What have I done? what foolish courses have I taken? upon what low accounts have I ventured the eternall welfare of my poore soul? would I had but considered this a little before? but alas now it is too late, the Sen­tence is past, and I am hurryed into ever­lasting [Page 8]destruction.) Consider this all you that forget God; That your day of pleasure will last but a little while; your Laughing will be turned to Mourning: your Ioy to anguish, your small and short pleasure here will be turned to eternall pains and torments hereafier.

2. Consider this all ye wicked and ungod­ly sinners, that if you will but yet unfain­edly turn to God, it is his promise that you shall live and not dye. The Lord professeth that he takes no delight in the death of a sinner, he had rather they would turn and live. God doth not shut up the door of mer­cy against you, but you shut it against your selves: mercy staies for you; patiently waits for you, yea Christ himself waits for you: Oh how happy might you be, if you would but turn to him! and if you turn not, here is a massenger of wrath, death to be pronoun­ced against you; there is a wrath that you are already under, and a death you are born under, and it is you have brought this death upon your selves: There is also another death, which is a remedilesse death and a much greater torment then the first Death, and this death falls on all those that are un­converted. God first offers you mercy, if you will turn? and to those that will not turn, [Page 9]he sends this message, that they must expect nothing but condemnation. If you will come at the call of Christ, you shall be converted? If you will become new creatures, God hath not a word of Damning Wrath or Death to speak to you? but on the contrary, Life, and Iay, and Peace, Heaven and happiness: the oldest sinner, the worst sinner of you all, if he will but turn, he shall have Mercy and Sal­vation. Oh then if you love your Sovles turn! build on Christ the Rock and New Foundation, Learn to mortifie the flesh and live after the Spirt.

If you will but turn, and come into a way of mercy, the Lord will be ready to enter­tain you. If you trust in God for Salvation, he is ingaged by his promise to save you.

The Lord will be a Father to none but his children; he will save none but those that for­sake the world, the flesh, and the Divel, and that come into his family, to be members of his Sonne, and have communion with his Saints. But if they come not to Christ, and are condemned, 'tis long of themselves, for Gods doors are open, and he is still ready to receive you if you turn to him with all your heart, for his promises are yea and Amen, and he will not fail in the least titils of what he hath said; if you repent, you shall be saved; [Page 10]and if he hath said, they that repent not shal be damned, his word shall be fulfilled; For God is truth, and in him there is no lye.

3. Consider this, That God taketh de­light in mens Salvation, but not in their Damnation; He had rather they would turn and live, then go on in sin and dye: the conversion of sinners is the delight of his soul, yet that Iustice might be executed, and his Truth fully vindicated; God is resolved, if you will not be converted you shall be con­demned; Yet God is so far your friend and against your Condemnation, as he beféech­eth you to be recontiled; warns you of the donger you lye in; sets before you Life and Death, and destres you to accept of his mer­cies, and not to damn your own souls; but if this will not do, then he is resolved on your Condemnation, and commands his Prophets to say unto you these words (O wicked man thou shalt surely dye!) It is in rain for you to look for heaven, or to hope for it, for it can never be while you remain in this unconverted, dark and dead conditi­on for in this state you are his enemies by nature. Yet for all this, the Lord taketh pltasure in the conversion of his enemies: F [...]or if God had rather you were Damned then Saved, he would not then so much in­treat [Page 11]you by his daily kindnesses, by giving you all the means of this life to lead you to Repentance; he would not set so many Ex­amples before your Eyes, no nor wait on you so patiently as he doth from day to day, from year to year; these be not signes of one that taketh pleasure in your death.

If it had béen his delight to have séen you go to Hell, how easily could he have done it long agoe? how eastly before this time could he have catched thée away in thy sins, with a Curse, or an Oath, or a Lye in thy mouth in thy Pride in thy Drunkenness, in thy deriding the wayes of God? how east­ly could he have stopped thy breath, or ta­med thée with his Plagues, and made thée sober in another world? how easie a matter is it for God to rule the songue of the Pro­phanest Rayler? tye the hands of the most Malieious persecutor; God can make them know that they are but Worms: If God should but frown upon any sinner how soon would he drop into the Gave?

If God should give Commission to Angels to go and destroy ten thousand sinners, it would quickly be done? how [...]astly can God snatch sinners away in a moment, and set them before his Dreadful Majesty, where he shall sée ten thousand times ten thousand glo­rious [Page 12]Angels waiting at his Throne, and thou at the Bar pleading thy cause. Should then a [...]k thée these words (What hast thou now to say against thy Creator? his Truth, his Servants or his holy wayes; now plead thy cause, what canst thou say in excuse of thy sins? now give an account to thy Maker of thy life, of thy time, and of all the mer­ci [...] thou hast had,) Oh how would thy stub­born soul have melted, thy proud looks have been beaten down, thy stont and proud words turned into spéechless silence. A word of his mouth would take thée off this present life; If he should say unto thée, live no longer? or l [...]ve in hell, tho [...] couldst not disobey? what canst thou say? doth the Lord take pleasure in thy death? surely he doth not. If he did, he would not, he could not have given his Son to redeem us from death. Ch [...]ist then would not have sweated crops of blood for us had be taken pleasure in our death, he would not have béen so long in fastings, pray­ing all night; not her would he have suffer­ed his bitter and cursed death upon the Cross, pouring out his soul a Sacrifice for our sins, if [...]e had delighted in our death. If you had but heard Christ bemoaning the estate of dis­obedient and impenitent people, in Matth. the 23. and 27 verse. Oh Jerusalem, Jeru­salem, [Page 13]how oft would I have gathered thee as a Hen gathereth her Chickens, but yee would not. If you had heard Christ on the Cross praying for his persecutors, (Fa­ther forgive them, they know not what they doe) would you thought he had delighted in the death of the wickd. If you will not be­lieve this, you have the Word and the Oath of the Lord for it, and dare you question the Word of God, or the Oath of God: for God hath sworn that his pleasure is not in their Death, but in their Life, as in He­brews 6.13 16 17, 18, verses.

Be intreated therefore, oh thou unconver­ted sinner that hearest these words, to pon­der a little with thy self, who it is that taketh pleasure in thy damnation: Certainly it is not God he hath sworn he takes no pleasure in it. You dare not say you swear, and curse, and lye, and blaspheme, and drink, and dee all this to please God: neither doe any that bare the image of God, take pleasure in your death: God known it is small pleasure unto his servants the Ministers of the Gospell to sée how madly you venture your Eternall E­state, and how wilfully you run into the ve­ry flames of Hell.

'Its small pleasure for any of the ser­vants of God for to sée your carelesnesse [Page 14]in the wayes of God. Who is it than that takes pleasure in your death? none but the thrée deadly Enemies of your Soules, the World, the Flesh, and the Devill.

The Divell takes pleasure in your sinne and death and you cannot please him better then to sée you run into all manner of un­cleaunesse, to sée you Drunk, to hear you Curse, and Swear, and Lye, this is his delight. It is the delight also of wicked men, and it is pleasing to your flesh; It is the flesh that would be pampered, that delights in Sports, in Lust, in Ioleness, this is the God you serve.

Oh wretched Sinners! Oh miserable undone Souls! should the Flesh be pleased before your Maker? will you displease the Lord, to please your brut [...]ish Appetites? Is not God worthy to rule the flesh? if he shall not rule it, he will not save it? then what win become of it? I fear it is prepa­ring for its own Displeasure. Doest thou love strong Drink, and swéet Morfels, and thy Ease, and Sports, and to be some body in the World? But doe you love the Curse of God with it? Do you love to stand trem­bling at the Bar of God, and to be judged to everlasting fire, and to be tormented with Devils for over: Are thy pleasures here on [Page 15]Earth which endures but for a time, worth the suffering of Eternall fire.

Consider these before you go any further, which I am sure every man hath reason to consider, that hath a soul to sav [...] or lose.

Therefore if you will go on and dye, rather then turn and live: Remember it was not to please God, but the De [...]ill, the World, and the Flesh; And if men will damn them­selves to please themselves, and run into endlesse torments for delight, and have not thē wit, nor grace to bearken unto God or man that would reclaim them, what reme­dy, but they must take what they get.

4 Consider this also, That she Lord hath quit himself of the death of sinners; It they are condemned, it is long of themselves, they dye, because they will dye. Oh unpro­fitable, rebellions Children, that will not bear the voice of their Father. May not God say to you as he said concerning his unprofi­table Vine-pard, Isa. 5. Chap. and 1, 2, 3, 4, verses, Judge I pray betwixt me and my Vine-yard: What could I have done more that I have not done in it? I planted it in a fruitfull Soyl, I fenced it and gathered out the stones, and set the choysest Vines, yet it will not grow and bring forth fruit. Th [...] may God say, and lament over England. [Page 16]Oh unprofitable England, what shall I doe with you? I have planted you a glorious Church; I have watered you with the dew of the glorious Gospel; I have made you Men, and enoued you with Reason, I have given you a Righteous Perfect Law, and you have broken it; you have despised my Gospell, you have undone your Soules: may not God in Iustice take the Light of his Gospell from us, and give it unto o­thers that may make better improvement of it, to his Honour and their eternall wel­fare. What could God have done more then he hath dohe for us? Hath be not wai­ted long on us? hath he not intreated us to turn by the mouth of his faithfull Ministers? hath not his Holy Spirit béen often stirring with our hearts, and saying to our Soules, (turn, turn, sinner, whether art thou go­ing? What art thou doing? Doest thou know what will be the end? How long wilt thou hate thy friends, and love thy Enemies? when wilt thou deliver up thy self unto God, and give Christ Iesus thy Redéemer full possession of thy Souls? When shall that once he?) Hath not the Spirit thus plead­ed with thée? hath not Life béen set before you, and the Ioyes of Heaven? And hath not the certainty of the everlasting torments [Page 17]of the Damned béen declared to you. If you dye now, it is because you will dye: You will not have this Man to raign over you, Luke the 19. Chapter, and the 14. verse.

O you foolish people, and unwise, Why do you requite the Lord thus? Isaiah 1.2, 3, 4. verses. Why doe you forsake the Lord for nothing? why doe you neglect Eternall Life, to hunt after the Chaff and Feathers of this World? Wherefore doe you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labour for that which profiteth not. Isaiah 55. Chapter, 1, 2, 3. verses. Awake now and sée your own folly; Seek the Lord while he may be found: Call upon him while he is neere. It is the Lords promise, If the wicked man will forsake his evill way, and the un­righteous man his thoughts, and turn to the Lord, he will have mercy on him, and to our God, and he will abundantly par­don. The Divell cannot pardon sin, no, it is in Gods power only: And as it is in his power only to pardon, so he hath a wilt to pardon, for oft hath he proclaimed his frée invitations, to poor sinners. Revelati­ons the 22 Chapter, the 17. verse, Let him [Page 18]that is a thirst come, and whosoever will, let him come and taste of the water of life freely.

Oh stiff: necked and uncircumcised in hearts and ears, that thus are willing to ruine themselves; when God hath called, you would not come: How know you how soon you may provols God to resolve you shall not taste of the Wedding Supper? If you dye unconverted, all the world can­not save you. Oh wretched sinners! why will you be so cruill to your selves? Know you not this which is a reall truth, that you must turn, or burn? If you kéep your sins, you must kéep the curse of God with them: You love your Lusts, your Drunken­nesse, your Gluttony and will not let them [...]o; would you have them bring you to Heaven: If you expect that, it is impos­sible; for there [...]ntreth none that is un­clean. Revelations 21 Chapter, 22. verse. For what communication hath light with darkness? Or what concord hath Christ with Belial. You sée then I hope by this time the case to clear, that you must re­solve to turn, or dye.

Object. But you will ask me, how shall we turn, we have no power of our selves? [Page 19]I will therefore give you a few helps by the way, before I conclude.

A Poor sinfull soul that would be con­verted, and turn to the Lord, Consider the necessity and nature of conversion, you must h [...]re consider,

1. From what you must turn, that is in a word, from carnall self, from the flesh that would be pleased before God; from the World that is the enticing bait to alure your souls; from the Divell the secret Angler for your soul [...]; and from all wilfull sins: and then you must turn to God the End, and to Christ the way to the Father.

2. Help is this, Attend upon the word of God, that is the ordinary meanes to turn souls to God; be often in hearing, Reading, and Meditating upon the holy Scriptures.

3. Be srequent in Prayer to God, con­fesse and lament before God your former lives, beséech God to pardon what is past, and to give you his Spirit to lead you into his wayes, and beg of him to be your guide and your kéeper to save you from all the subtile temptations of the Divell, who watch: th for your souls.

[Page 20] 4. Give up your self wholly to the Lord Iesus Christ, the true Physitian of your souls. John 13.6. For there is no other Name under Heaven by which you can be sayed. 'Tis he is the way, the truth, and the life, there is no coming to the Father but by him.

5. If you mean to turn to Christ, do it believingly; trust God with all you have; entertain no low thoughts of God: let this be upon you hearts continually; That God is able to save to the uttermost, all that come unto him by faith.

6. And lastly, Be sure to neglect no time, but do it spéedily. To day wh [...]le it is called to day, hear the Lords voice, and harden not your hearts: If you be not willing to turn to day, you will not be wil­ling to turn to morrow: call this to mind, that as long as you neglect this work, you are under the guilt of many thousand sins, and under Gods wrath, and you stand at the very brink of hell. Vp then presently and fly as for your lives, for you have staid too long already, and wronged God too long. For God sake therefore turn, it not for his, oh for your own precious soule sake re­solve to turn and live: stand not wavering [Page 21]any longer, for it is not a matter of tri­fling, but of Eternall moment, for if you dye in your fine, you dye eternally, and then you are undone for ever.

Let me add one Vse more, which shall be of Terror to affrighten those that are not resolved yet to turn.

Use. You unconverted sinfull wretches that alwayes vex the Holy-Ghost, as your Fathers did, so do you. Know assuredly, that the righteous God will not be mocked: For if you turn not, you shall surely dye, and be damned? its as sure as if it were already done, at the dreadfull day of the Lords appearing: the Hills nor the Mour­tains shall not hide you from the presence of the living God. Are not you one that hath neglected the tender offers of the Gos­pell? have not you turned your backs a­gainst God? Is it not just then that God should turn his-back against you? when you call and cry unto him, have you not de­serv'd this sentence to be pronounced against you. Go ye cursed into everlasting burn­ings? What shall I say to you? Oh you carelesse unregarding soules that wilfully run into your own destruction! what can you say when you appear before the great [Page 22]God? can you lay the blame on him? no, you cannot, he hath left you without ex­cuse, for he [...]ath done his part as to our sal­vation, if we dy [...] then, it is because we will [...]y [...], and will be damned: Had you béen but willing to have béen saved: you might have lain with Lazarus in Abrahams bo­som, but now you must to the grief of all your friends, be tormented in hell with Di­ves, and shall not have this request grant­ed you. To have one drop of water to cool your tongue: Whereas you might have injoyed heaven and happiness after death, if converted; now you shall injoy nothing but hell and horror, because you dye uncon­derted.

Therefore he perswaded, all ye poor mi­serable souls that are as slaves of Satan, be perswaded while you have a day of grace to turn and live, and not to go on in sinne and dye.

Which shall be the daily prayers of your poor and unworthy Ser­vant for the sake of Christ.