USE.

I BESEECH you now all that love your souls, that, instead of quarrelling with God and with his word, you will presently stoop to it, and use it for your good. All you that are yet uncon­verted in this assembly, take this as the undoubted truth of God; you must ere long, be converted or condemned; there is no other way but turn or die. When God, that cannot lie, hath told you this; when you hear it from the Maker and Judge of the world, it is time for him that hath ears to [...]ear; by this time you may see what you have to trust to. You are but dead and damned men, except you will be converted. Should I tell you otherwise, I should deceive you with a lie. Should I hide this from you, I should undo you, and be guilty of your blood, as the verses before my text assure me, ver. 8. When I say to the wicked man, O wicked man, thou shalt su [...]ly die? if thou dost not speak to warn the wick [...]d from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity, but his blood will I require at thine hand. You see then, though this be a rou [...]h and unwelcome doctrine, it is such as we must preach and you must hear. It is easier to hea [...] of hell than to fe [...]l it. If your necessities did not require it, we would not [...]l your tender ears with truths that seem so harth and grievous. Hell would not be so full if people were but willing to know their case, and [...]o hear and think of it. The rea­son why so few escape it is, because they strive not to enter in at the strait gate of conversion, and go the narrow way of Ho [...]s while they have time: and they strive not, because they be not awakened to a lively feeling of the [...]ger they are in; and [Page 16]they be [...] wakened because they are loath to hear or think of it; and that is partly through fool­ish tenderness and carnal self-love, and partly be­cause they do not well believe the word that threateneth it. If you will not thoroughly believe this truth, methinks the weight of it should force you to remember it, and it should follow you, and give you no rest till you are converted. If you had but once heard this word by the voice of an angel, thou must be converted, or condemned: turn or die; would it not stick in your mind, and haunt you night and day? so that in your sinning you would re­member it, as if the voice were still in your ears, turn or die! O happy were your souls if it might thus work with you, and never be forgotten, or let you alone till it have driven home your hearts to God,—But if you will cast it out by forgetful­ness or unbelief, how can it work to your conver­sion and salvation? But take this with you to your sorrow, tho' you may put this out of your minds. you cannot put it out of the Bible, but there it will stand as a sealed truth, which you shall experimen­tally know forever, that there is no other way, but turn or die.

O what is the matter then that the hearts of sin­ners be not pierced with such a weighty truth? A man would think now that every unconverted soul that hears these words should be pricked to the heart, and think with themselves, this is my own case, and never be quiet till they found themselves converted. Believe it, fits, this drowsy careless temper will not last long. Conversion and Con­demnation are both of them awakening things, and one of them will make you feel ere long, I can foretell it as truly as if I saw it with my eyes, that either grace or hell will shortly bring these matters to the quick, and make you say, What have I done? what a foolish wicked course have I taken? The [Page 17]scornful and the stupid state of sinners will last but a little while; as soon as they either turn or die, the presumptuous dream will be at an end, and then their wits and feeling will return.

BUT I soresee there are two things that are like to harden the unconverted, and make me lose all my labour, except they can be taken out of the way; and that is the misunderstanding of those two words, (The wicked) and (Turn.) Some will think to themselves, it is true the wicked must turn or die; but what is that to me, I am not wicked, though I am a sinner, as all men be: Others will think, 'it is true that we must turn from our evil ways, but I am turned long ago, I hope this is not now to do.' And thus while wicked men think they are not wicked, but are already converted, we lose all our labour in persuading them to turn. I shall, there­fore, before I go any farther, tell you here who are meant by the wicked; and who they be that must turn or die; and also what is meant by turning, and who they be that are truly converted: And this I have purposely reserved for this place, preferring the method that fits my end.

And here you may observe, that in the sense of the text, a wicked man and a converted man are con­traries. No man is a wicked man that is converted; and no man is a converted man that is wicked; so that to be a wicked man and to be an unconverted man, is all one; and, therefore, in opening one, we shall open both.

Before I can tell you what either wickedness or conversion is, I must go to the bottom and fetch up the matter from the beginning.

It pleased the great Creator of the world to make three sort of living creatures: Angels he made pore spirits without flesh, and therefore he made them only for heaven, and not for to dwell on earth.— [Page 18] Brittes were made flesh without immortal souls, and therefore they were made only for earth, and not for heaven.—Man is of a middle nature, between both, as partaking of both flesh and spirit, and there­fore he was made both for heaven and earth. But as his flesh is made to be but a servant to his spirit, so is he made for earth, but as his passage or way to heaven, and not that this should be his home or happiness. The blessed state that man was made for, was to behold the glorious majesty of the Lord, and to praise him among his holy angels, and to love him, and be filled with his love forever. And as this was the end that man was made for, so God did give him means that were fitted to the attaining of it. These means were principally two: For the right inclination and disposition of the mind of man. Secondly, the right ordering of his life and practice. For the first, God suited the disposition of man unto his end, giving him such knowledge of God as was fit for his present state, and a heart disposed and in­clined to God in holy love. But yet he did not sin, or confirm him in this condition, but, having made him a free agent, he left him in the hands of his own free will. For the second, God did that which belonged to him; that is, he gave him a perfect law, required him to continue in the love of God, and perfectly to obey him. By the wilful breach of this law, man did not only forfeit his hopes of everlast­ing life, but also turned his heart from God, and fixed it on these lower fleshy things, and hereby did blot out the spiritual image of God from his soul; so that man did both fall short of the glory of God, which was his end, and put himself our of the way by which he should have attained it, and this both as to the frame of his heart, and of his life. The holy inclination and love of his soul to God he lost, and, instead of it, he contracted an inclination and love to the pleasing of his flesh, or carnal self, by [Page 19]earthly things; growing strange to God, and ac­quainted with the creature: And the course of this life was suited to the bent and inclination of his heart; he lived to his carnal self, and not to God; he sought the creature for the pleasing of his flesh, instead of seeking to please the Lord. With this nature or corrupt inclination we are all now born into the world; for who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? Job xiv. 4. As a lion hath a fierce and cruel nature before he doth devour: and an adder hath a venomous nature before she stings, so in our infancy we have those sinful natures or in­clinations, before we think or speak, or do amiss; and hence springeth all the sin of our lives; and not only so, but when God hath, of his mercy, pro­vided us a remedy, even the Lord Jesus Christ, to be the Saviour of our souls, and bring us back to God again, we naturally love our present state, and are loth to be brought out of it, and therefore are set against the means of our recovery, and though custom hath taught us to thank Christ for his good­will, yet carnal self persuadeth us to refuse his re­medies, and to desire to be excused when we are commanded to take the medicines which he offereth, and are called to forsake all and follow him to God and glory.

I pray you read over this leaf again, and mark it, for in these few words you have a true description of our natural state, and consequently of a wicked man; for every man that is in this state of corrupted nature is a wicked man, and in a state of death.

By this also you are prepared to understand what it is to be converted; to which end you must fur­ther know, that the mercy of God, not willing that man should perish in his sin, provided a remedy, by causing his son to take our nature, and being, in one person, God and man, to become a mediator between God and man, and by dying for our sins on [Page 20]the cross, to ransom us from the curse of God, and the power of the devil; and having thus redeemed us, the Father hath delivered us into his hands as his own. Hereupon the Father and the mediator do make a new law and covenant for man, not like the first, which gave life to none but the perfectly obedient, and condemned man for every sin; but Christ hath made a law of grace, or a promise of pardon and everlasting life to all that, by true re­pentance, and by faith in Christ, are converted un­to God; like an act of oblivion, which is made by a prince to a company of rebels, on condition they will lay down arms and come in, and be loyal sub­jects for the time to come.

But, because the Lord knoweth that the heart of man is grown so wicked, that, for all this, men will not accept of the remedy if they be left to them­selves, therefore the Holy Ghost hath undertaken it as his office, to aspire the apostles, and seal up the scriptures by miracles and wonders, and to illumi­nate and convert the souls of the elect.

So that by this much you see, that as there are three persons in the trinity, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, so each of these persons have their several works, which are eminently ascribed to them.

The Father's works were, to create us, to rule us, as his rational creatures, by the law of nature, and judge us thereby, and, in mercy, to provide us a redeemer when we are lost, and to send his son, and accept his ransom.

The works of the Son, for us, were these: To ransom and redeem us by his suffering and righteous­ness, to give out the promise or law of grace, and rule and judge the world as their redeemer on terms of grace, and to make intercession for us, that the benefits of his death may be communicated, and to send the Holy Ghost, (which the Father [...] doth by the Son.)

[Page 21] The works of the Holy Ghost, for us, are these, To indite the holy scriptures, by inspiring and guiding the apostles and sealing the word, by his miraculous gifts and works, and the illuminating and exciting the ordinary ministers of the gospel, and so enabling them and helping them to publish that word; and by the same word illuminating and converting the souls of men. So that, as you could not have been reasonable creatures if the Father had not created you, nor have had any access to God if the Son had not redeemed you, so neither can you have a part of Christ, or be saved, except the Holy Ghost do sanctify yon.

So that, by this time, you may see the several causes of this work: The Father sendeth the Son, the Son redeemeth us, and maketh the promise of grace; the Holy Ghost inditeth and sealeth this gospel; the apostles are the secretaries of the spirit [...]o write it; the preachers of the gospel to proclaim [...]t, and persuade them to open it: and the Holy Ghost doth make their preaching effectual, by open­ing the hearts of men to entertain it. And all this [...]o repair the image of God upon the soul, and to set the heart upon God again, and take it off the crea­ture and carnal self to which it is revolted, and so [...]o turn the current of the life into an heavenly course, which before was earthly; and all this by the entertainment of Christ by faith, who is the phy­sician of the soul.

By this, which I have said, you may see what it is to be wicked, and what it is to be converted; which, I think, will be yet plainer unto you, if I de­scribe them as consisting of their several parts; and [...]or the first, a wicked man may be known by these three things:

First, He is one that placeth his chief content on earth, and loveth the creature more than God, and [...]his fleshy prosperity above the heavenly felicity; [Page 22]he favoureth the things of the flesh, but neither dis­cerneth nor favoureth the things of the spirit; though he will say, that heaven is better than earth, yet doth he not really so esteem it to himself. It he might be sure of earth, he would let go heaven, and had rather stay here than be removed thither.— A life of perfect holiness in the sight of God, and in his love and praises forever in heaven, doth not find such liking with his heart as a life of health, and wealth, and honour here upon earth: And though he falsely professes that he loveth God above all, yet, indeed, he never felt the power of divine love within him, but his mind is more set on the world, or fleshy pleasures, than on God. In a word whoever loveth earth above heaven, and fleshy pros­perity more than God, is a wicked unconverted man.

On the other side, a converted man is illumi­nated to discern the loveliness of God, and so fa [...] believeth the glory that is to be had with God, tha [...] his heart is taken up to it, and set more upon i [...] than on any thing in this world. He had rather s [...] the face of God, and live in his everlasting love and praises, than have all the wealth or pleasure o [...] the world. He seeth that all things else are vanity and nothing but God can fill the soul; and, there fore, let the world go which way it will, he laye [...] up his treasures and hopes in heaven, and for th [...] he is resolved to let go all. As the fire doth mou [...] upwards, and the needle that is touched with th [...] loadstone still turneth to the north, so the converted soul is inclined unto God. Nothing else can satisfy him; nor can he find any content and rest but in hi [...] love. In a word, all that ere converted do estee [...] and love God better than all the world, and th [...] heavenly felicity is dearer to them than their flesh prosperity. The proof of what I have said you m [...] find in these places of scripture, Phil. iii. 18, 21 Matt. vi. 19, 20, 21. Col. iii. 1, 2, 3, 4. Rom. viii. 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 18, 23, Psal, lxxiii, 25, 26.

[Page 23] Secondly, A wicked man is one that m [...] [...] the principal business of his life to prosper [...]n the world, and retain his fleshey ends. And though he may read, and hear, and do much in the outward duties of religion, and forbear disgraceful sins, yet this is all but upon the by, and he never makes it the trade and principal business of his life to please God, and attain everlasting glory, and puts off God with the leavings of the world, and gives him no more service than the flesh can spare, for he will not part with all for heaven.

On the contrary, a converted man is one that makes it the principal care and business of his life to please God, and to be saved, and takes all the blessings of this life but as accommodations in his journey towards another life, and useth the creature in subordination unto God; he loveth an holy life, and longeth to be more holy; he hath no sin but what he hateth, and longeth and prayeth, and striveth to be rid of it. The drift and bent of his life is for God, and if he sin, it is contrary to the very bent of his heart and life, and therefore he rises again and [...]amenteth it, and dare not wilfully live in any known sin. There is nothing in this world so dear to him but he can give it up to God, and forsake it for him and the hopes of glory. All this you may see in Col. iii. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. Matt. vi. 20, 33. Luke xviii. 22, 23, 29. Luke xiv. 18, 24, 26, 27. Rom. viii. 13. Gal. v. 24. Luke xii. 21, &c.

Thirdly, The soul of a wicked man did never truly discern and relish the mystery of redemption, nor thankfully entertain an offered Saviour, nor is he taken up with the love of the Redeemer, nor willing to be ruled by him as physician of his soul, that he may be saved from the guilt and power of his sins, and recovered unto God; but his heart is insensible of this unspeakable benefit, and is quite against the healing means by which he should be re­covered. [Page 24]Though he may be willing to be carnally religious, yet he never resigneth up his soul to Christ, and to the motions and conduct of his word and spirit.

On the contrary, the converted soul having felt himself undone by sin and perceiving that he hath lost his peace with God, and hopes of heaven, and is in danger of everlasting misery, doth thankfully entertain the tidings of redemption, and believing in the Lord Jesus as his only Saviour, resigning up himself to him for wisdom, righteousness, sanctifi­cation and redemption. He taketh Christ as the life of his soul, and liveth by him, and useth him as [...] salve for every sore, admitting the wisdom and love of God in this wonderful work of man's redemption. In a word, Christ doth even dwell in their heart by faith, and the life that he now liveth is by the faith of the Son of God, that hath loved him, and gave himself for him, yea, it is not so much he that liveth, as Christ in him. For these, see Job. i. 11, 12. and iii. 19, 20. Rom. viii. 9. Phil. iii. 7, 8, 9, 10. Gal. ii. 20. Job xv. 2, 3, 4.1 Cor. i. 20. and ii. 2.

YOU see now in plain terms, from the word of God, who are the wicked, and who are the converted. Ignorant people think, that if a man be no swearer, nor curser, nor railer, nor drunkard, nor fornicator, nor extortioner, nor wrong any body in their dealings, and if they come to church, and say their prayers, these cannot be wicked men. Or, if a man that hath been guilty of drunkenness, swearing, or gaming, or the like vices, do but for­bear them for the time to come, they think that th [...] is a converted man. Others think, if a man that ha [...] been an enemy and scorner at godliness, do but ap­prove it, and be hated for it by the wicked, as the godly are, that this must needs be a converted man. And some are so foolish as to think that they are con­verted, [Page 25]by taking up some new and false opinion; and falling into some dividing party, as anabaptists, quakers, papists, and such like. And some think, if they have but been affrighted by the fears of hell, and had convictions, and gripes of conscience, and thereupon have purposed and promised amendment, and take up a life of civil behaviour, and outward religion, that this must needs be true conversion. And these are the poor deluded souls that are like to lose the benefit of all our persuasions: and when they hear that the wicked must turn or die, they think that this is not spoken to them; for they are not wicked, but are turned already. And, therefore, it is that Christ told some of the rulers of the Jews, who were greater and civiler than the common peo­ple, that publicans and haerlots do go into the king­dom of Christ before them, Matt. xxi. 31. Not that an harlot, or gross sinner, can be saved without con­version; but because it was easier to make these gross sinners perceive their sin and misery, and the necessity of a change, when the civiler sort do de­lude themselves by thinking that they are converted already, when they be not.

O, sirs, conversion is another kind of work than most are aware of: It's not a small matter to bring an earthly mind to heaven, and to shew man the amiable excellencies of God, till he be taken up in such love to him that can never be quenched; to break the heart for sin and make him fly for refuge unto Christ, and thankfully embrace him as the life of his soul; to have the very drift and bent of the [...] and life to be changed; so that a man re­ [...]ced that which he took for his felicity and placeth his felicity where he never did before; and liveth not to the same end, and driveth not on the same design in the world, as formerly he did: [...]n a word, he that is in Christ is a new creature; old things are past away, behold all things are be [...]s [Page 26]new. 2 Cor. v. 17. He hath a new understanding, a new will and resolution, new sorrows, and desires and love, and delight; new thoughts, new speeches, new company (if possible) and a new conversation. Sin, that before was a jesting matter with him, is now so odious and terrible to him, that he flies from it as from death. The world, that was so lovely in his eyes, doth now appear but as vanity and vex­ation; God, that was before neglected, is now the only happiness of his soul; before he was forgotten, and every last preferred before him; but now he is set next the heart, and all things must give place to him; and the heart is taken up in the attendance and observance of him; and is grieved when he hides his face; and never thinks itself well without him. Christ himself that was wont to be slightly thought of, is now his only hope and refuge, and he lives upon him as on his daily bread; he cannot pray without him, nor rejoice without him, nor think, nor speak, nor live without him. Heaven itself, that before was looked upon but as a tolerable [...]eserve, which he hoped might serve in turn better than hell, when he could not stay any longer in the world, is now taken for his home, the place of his only hope and rest, where he shall see, and love and praise that God that hath his heart already. Hell. that did seem before but a bugbear to frighten men from sin, doth now appear to be a real misery, that is not to be ventured on, nor jested with. The works of holiness, which before he was weary of, and seemed to be more ado than needs, are now both his recreation, and his business, and the trade that he lives upon. The Bible, which was before to him but almost as a common book, is now as the law of God; as a letter written to him from heaven, and subscribed with the name of the Eternal Majesty, it is the rule of his thoughts, and words, and deeds; the commands are binding, the threats are dreadful, [Page 27]and the promises of it speak life to his soul. The godly, that seemed to him but like other men, are now the excellentest and happiest on earth. And the wicked, that were his play-fellows, are now his grief; and he that could laugh at their sin, is readier now to weep for their sin and misery, Psal. xvi. 3. and xv. 4. Phil, iii. 18. In short, he hath a new end in his thoughts, and a new way in his endeavours, and, therefore, his heart and life is new. Before, his carnal self was his end; and his pleasure and worldly profits and credit were his way: And now God and everlasting glory is his end; and Christ and the spirit, and word, and ordinances. Holiness to God, and righteousness and mercy to men; these are his way. Before, self was the chiefest ruler, to which the matters of God and conscience must stoop and give place; and now God, in Christ, by the spi­rit, word and ministry, is the chief ruler, to whom both self, and all the matters of self, must give place. So that, this is not a change in one or two, or twenty points, but in the whole soul, and the very end and bent of the conversation. A man may step out of one path into another, and yet have his face the same way, and be still going towards the same place, but it is another matter to turn quite back again, and take his journey the clean contrary way, to a con­trary place. So it is here, a man may turn from drunkenness to thriftiness, and forsake his good fel­lowship, and other gross disgraceful sins, and set up­on some duties of religion, and yet be sti [...] going to the same end as before, in tending his carnal self above all, and giving it still the government of his soul, but when he is converted, this self is denied, and taken down, and God is set up, and his face is turned the contrary way; and he that before was ad­dicted to himself, and lived to himself, is now, by sanctification, devoted to God, and liveth unto God; before, he asketh himself, what he should do [Page 28]with his time, his parts, and his estate, and for him­self he used them; but now he as [...]eth God what he shall do with them, and useth them for him. Before, he would please God so far as might stand with the pleasure of his flesh, and carnal self; but not to any great displeasure of them. But now he will please God, let flesh and self be never so much displeased. This is the great change that God will make upon all that shall be saved.

You can say, that the Holy Ghost is our sancti­fier, but do you know what sanctification is? Why, this is it that I have now opened to you; and every man and woman in the world must have this, or be condemned to everlasting misery. They must turn or die.

Do you believe all this, fir [...], or do you not? Sure­ly, you da [...]e not say, you do not: For it is past a doubt or denial: These are not controversies, where one learned pious man is of one mind, and another of another; where one party saith this, and the other saith that. Papists and Anabaptists, and every sect among us, that deserve to be called Christians, are all agreed in this that I have said, and if you will not believe the God of Truth, and that in a case where every sect and party do believe him, you are utterly inexcusable.

But if you do believe this, how comes it to pass, that you live so quietly in [...] verted state? Do you know that you are converted? And can you find this wonderful change upon your souls? Have you been thus born again and made a new? Be not these strange matters to many of you, and such as you never felt upon yourselves? if you cannot tell the day or week of your change, or the very sermon that converted you, yet do you find that the work is done; and such a change indeed there is; and that you have such hearts as are b [...]fore described; alas, the most do follow their worldly business, and little [Page 29]trouble their minds with such thoughts. And if they be not restrained from scandalous sins, and can say, I am no wkoremonger, nor thief, nor curser, nor swearer, nor tippler, nor extortioner, I go to church, and say my prayers, they think that this is tine conversion, and they shall be saved as well as any. Alas, this is foolish cheating of yourselves. This is too much contempt of an endless glory; and too gross neglect of your immortal souls. Can you make so slight of heaven and hell? Your corpse will shortly lie in the dust, and angels or devils will presently seize upon your souls, and every man or woman of you all, will shortly be among other com­pany, and in another case than now you are; you will dwell in those houses but a little longer; you will work in your shops and fields but a little longer; you will set in these scats, and dwell on this earth, but a little longer; you will see with these eyes, and hear with those ears, and speak with those tongues, but a little longer, till the resurrection day; and can you make shift to forget this? O what a place will you shortly be in of joy or torment! O what a sight will you shortly see in heaven or hell! O what thoughts will shortly fill your hearts with unspeak­able delight or horror! What work will you be em­ployed in! to praise the Lord with saints and an­gels, or to cry out in fire unquenchable with devils; and should all this be forgotten? And all this will be endless, and sealed up by an unchangeable de­cree. Eternity, eternity will be the measure of your joys or sorrows, and can this be forgotten? And all this is true, sirs, most certainly true: When you have gone up and down a little longer, and slept and awakened a few times more, you will be dead and gone, and find all true that now I tell you, and yet can you now so much forget it! You shall then remember that you heard this sermon, and that this day, or in this place, you were remembered of these [Page 30]things; and perceive them matters a thousand times greater than either you or I could here conceive; and yet shall they be now so much forgotten?

Beloved friends, if the Lord had not awakened me to believe, and lay to heart these things myself, I should have remained in the dark and selfish state, and have perished for ever; but if he have truly made me sensible of them, it will constrain me to compassionate you as well as myself. If your eyes were so far opened as to see hell, and you saw your neighbours, that were unconverted, dragged thither with hideous cries; though they were such as you accounted honest people on earth, and feared no such matter by themselves, such a sight would make you go home and think of it, and think again, and make you warn all about you, as that damned worldling in Luke xvi. 28. would have had his brethren warned, lest they come to that place of tor­ment. Why, faith is a kind of sight; it is the eye of the soul, the evidence of things not seen: If I believe God, it is next to seeing: And, therefore, I beseech you to excuse me, if I be half as earnest with you about these matters, as if I had seen them. If I must die to-morrow, and it were in my power to come again from another world, and tell you what I had seen, would you not be willing to hear me? And would you not believe and regard what I should tell you? If I might preach one sermon to you after I am dead, and have seen what is done in the world to come, would you not have me plainly speak the truth, and would you not croud to hear me, and would you not lay it to heart? But this must not be; God hath his appointed way of teach­ing you by scripture and ministers, and he will not humour unbelievers so far as to send men from the dead to them, and to alter his established way; if any man quarrel with the sun, God will not hu­mour him so far as to set him up a cl [...]carer light.— [Page 31]Friends, I beseech you regard me now, as you would do if I should come from the dead to you; for I can give you as full assurance of the truth of what I say to you, as if I had been there and seen it with my eyes; for it is possible for one from the dead to deceive you; but Jesus Christ can never de­ceive you; the word of God, delivered in scripture, and sealed up by miracles, and holy workings of the spirit, can never deceive you. Believe th [...]s, or believe nothing. Believe and obey this, or you are undone. Now, as ever you believe the word of God, and as ever you care for the salvation of your soul, let me beg of you this reasonable request, and I beseech you deny me not: That you would, without any more delay, when you are gone from hence, remember what you heard, and enter into an earnest search of your hearts, and say unto your­selves, It is so, indeed! Must I turn or die! Must I be converted or condemned! It is time for me, then, to look about me, before it be too late. O why did not I look after this till now? Why did I venturously post off or slubber over so great a busi­ness? Was I awake, or in my wits! O blessed God, what a mercy is it that thou didst not cut off my life all this while, before I had any certain hope of eternal life! Well, God forbid that I should neglect this work any longer. What state is my soul in? Am I converted, or am I not? Was ever such a change or work done upon my soul? Have I been illuminated by the word and spirit of the Lord, to see the odiousness of sin, the need of a Saviour, the love of Christ, and the excellencies of God and glory? Is my heart broken, or humbled within me, for my former life? Have I thankfully entertained my Saviour and Lord, that offered himself with pardon and life for my soul? Do I hate my former sinful life, and the remnant of every sin that is in me? Do I fly from them as my deadly enemies? [Page 32]Do I give up myself to a life of holiness and obe­dience to God? Do I love it, and delight in it? Can I truly say, that I am dead to the world and carnal self, and that I live for God, and the glory which he hath promised? Hath heaven more of my estimation and resolution than earth? And is God the dearest and highest in my soul? Once, I am sure, [...] lived principally to the world and flesh, and God had nothing but some heartless services, which the world could spare, and which were the leaving of the flesh. Is my heart now turned another way? Have I a new design and a new end, and a new train of holy affections? Have I set my hopes and heart in heaven? And is it not the scope, and design, and bent of my heart, to get well to heaven, and see the glorious face of God, and live in his love and praise? And when I sin is it against the habitual bent and design of my heart? And do I conquer all gross sins, and am I weary and willing to be rid of my infirmities? This is the state of un­converted souls. And this must be with me, or I must perish. Is it thus with me, indeed, or is it not? It is time to get the doubt resolved, before the judge resolves it. I am not such a stranger to my own heart and life, but I may somewhat perceive, whether I am thus converted or not: If I be not, it will do me no good to flatter my soul with false conceits and hopes. I am resolved no more to de­ceive myself; but endeavour to know truly, off or on, whether I be converted, ye or no; that if I be, I may rejoice in it, and glorify my gracious Lord, and comfortably go on till I reach the crown; and if I am not, I may set myself on, beg and seek after the grace that should convert me, and may turn with­out any more delay: For, if I find it in time that I am out of the way, by the help of Christ I may turn and be recovered, but if I stay till either my heart be forsaken of God in blindness or hardness, [Page 33]or till I be catched away by death, it is then too late. There is no place for repentance and conver­sion then; I know it must be now or never.

Sirs, this is my request to you, that you will but take your hearts to task, and thus examine them, till you see, if it may be, whether you are converted or not? And if you cannot find it out by your own endeavours, go to your ministers, if they be faithful and experienced men, and desire their assistance.—The matter is great, let not bashfulness, nor care­lessness hinder you. They are set over you, to ad­vise you, for the saving of your soul, as physicians advise you for the curing of your bodies. It undoes many thousands that they think they are in the way to salvation, when they are not; and think that they are converted, when it is no such thing. And then, when we call to them daily to turn, they go away as they came; and think that this concerns not them; for they are turned already, and hope they shall do well enough in the way that they are in, at least if they do pick the fairest path, and avoid some of the foulest steps; when, alas, all this while they live but to the world, and flesh, and are strangers to God and eternal life; and are quite out of the way to heaven. And all this is much, because we cannot persuade them to a few serious thoughts of their condition, and spend a few hours in the examining of their states: Is there not many a self deceiving wretch that hears me this day, that never bestowed one hour, or quarter of an hour, in all their lives, to examine their souls, and try whether they are truly converted or not? O merciful God, that will care for such wretches that care no more for themselves, and that will do so much to save them from hell, and help them to heaven, who will do so little for it themselves! If all that are in the way to hell, and in the state of damnation, did but know it, they durst not continue in it. The greatest hope that the [Page 34]devil hath of bringing you to damnation, without a rescue, is by keeping you blindfold, and ignorant o [...] your state, and making you believe that you may do well enough in the way that you are in. If you knew that you were out of the way to heaven, and were lost for ever, if you should die as you are, durst you sleep another night in the state that you are in? Durst you live another day in it? Could you heartily laugh, or be merry, in such a state?—What! And not know but you may be snatched away to hell in an hour! Sure it would constrain you to forsake your former company and courses, and betake yourselves to the ways of holiness, and the communion of the saints. Sure it would drive you to cry to God for a new heart, and to seek hel [...] of those that are fit to counsel you. There are non [...] of you sure that cares not for being damned. Well then, I beseech you presently make enquiry into your hearts, and give them no rest till you find ou [...] your condition, that if it be good, you may rejoic [...] in it, and go on; and if it be bad, you may present­ly look about you for recovery, as men that believ [...] they must turn or die. What say you, sirs? Wi [...] you resolve and promise to be at thus much labou [...] for your own souls? Will you fall upon this self examination when you come home? Is my reques [...] unreasonable? Your consciences know it is not.—Resolve on it then, before you stir; knowing how much it concerneth your souls. I beseech you fo [...] the sake of that God that doth command you, [...] whose bar you will shortly appear, that you will no [...] deny me this reasonable request. For the sake o [...] those souls that must turn or die, I beseech you den [...] me no [...]; even to make it your business to under­stand your own conditions, and build upon su [...] ­ground, and know, off or on, whether you are con­verted or no; and venture not your souls on negli­ [...]ent security.

[Page 35] But perhaps you will say, What if we should find ourselves yet unconverted, what shall we do then? this question leadeth me to my second doctrine; which will do much to the answering of it, to which I shall now proceed.

USE.

I Do now intreat thee, if thou be an unconverted sinner that bearest these words, that thou wouldst ponder a little upon the forementioned doctrines, and bethink thyself a while, who it is that takes pleasure in thy sin and damnation? Certainly, it is not God; he hath sworn for his part, that he takes no pleasure in it. And I know it is not the pleasing of him that you intend. You dare not say, that you drink, and swear, and neglect holy duties, and quench the motions of the spirit to please God.— That were as if you should reproach the prince, and break his laws, and seek his death, and say, you did all this to please him.

Who is it then that takes pleasure in your sin and death? Not any that bear the image of God, for they must be like minded to him. God knows it is small pleasure to your faithful teachers to see you serve your deadly enemy, and madly venture your eternal state, and wilfully run into the flames of hell. It is small pleasure to them to see upon your souls (in the sad effects) such blindness, and hard-heartedness, [Page 51]and carelessness, and presumption, such wilfulness in evil, and such unteachableness and stiffness against the ways of life and peace; they know these are marks of death, and of the wrath of God, and they know from the word of God what is like to be the end of them, and, therefore, it is no more pleasure to them than to a under physician to see the plague-marks break out upon his patient. Alas, to foresee your everlasting torments, and know not how to prevent them! To see how near you are to hell, and we cannot make you believe it and consider it. To see how easily, how certainly you might escape, if we knew how to make you willing! How fair you are for everlasting salvation, if you would but turn and do your best, and make it the care and business of your lives! but you will not do it; if our lives lay on it, we cannot persuade you to it. We study day and night what to say to you, that may convince you and persuade you, and yet it is undone; we lay before you the word of God, and shew you the very chapter and verse where it is written, that you cannot be saved [...]ept you be converted, and yet we leave the most of you as we found you: We hope you will believe the word of God, though you believe not us, and re­gard it when we shew you the plain scripture for it; but we hope in vain, and labour in vain as to any saving change upon your hearts. And do you think that this is a pleasant thing to us: Many a time, in secret prayer, we are fain to complain to God with sad hearts. ("Alas, Lord, we have spoken to them in thy name, but they little regard us: We have told them what thou bidst us tell them concerning the danger of an unconverted state, but they do not be­lieve us; we have told them that thou hast protest­ed that there is no peace to the wicked" Isa. xlviii. 2. and lvii. 21. "But the worst of them all will scarce believe that they are wicked; we have shew­ed [Page 52]them thy word, where thou hast said, that if they live after the flesh they shall die." Rom. viii. 13. "But they say, they will believe in thee, when they will not believe thee, and that they will trust in thee, when they give no credit to thy word; and when they hope that the threatenings of thy word are false, they will yet call this a hoping in God; and though we shew them where thou hast said, that when a wicked man dieth all his hopes perish, yet cannot we persuade them from their deceitful hopes." Prov. xi. 7. "We tell them what a base unprofitable thing sin is, but they love it, and there­fore will not leave it. We tell them how dear they buy this pleasure, and what they must pay for it in everlasting torment, and they bless themselves, and will not believe it, but will do as the most do; and because God is merciful, they will not believe him, but will venture their souls, come on it what will. We tell them how ready the Lord is to receive them, and this doth but make them delay their re­pentance, and be bolder in their sin. Some of them say, they purpose to repent, but they are still the same; and some say, they do repent already, while yet they are not converted from their sins. We ex­hort them, we entreat them, we offer them our help, but we cannot prevail with them; but they that were drunkards, are drunkards still; and they that were voluptuous flesh-pleasing wretches, are such still; and they that were worldlings, are worldlings still; and they that were ignorant, and proud, and self conceited, are so still. Few of them will see and confess their sin, and sewer will forsake it, but comfort themselves, that all men are sinners, as if there were no difference between a converted sin­ner and [...]n unconverted: Some of them will not come near us, when we are willing to instruct them, but they know enough already, and need not our in­struction; and some of them will give us a hearing, [Page 53]and do what they list; and most of them are like dead men that cannot feel; so that when we tell them of the matters of everlasting consequence, we cannot get a word of it to their hearts. If we do not obey them, and honour them in baptizing the children of the most obstinately wicked, and giving them the Lord's Supper, and doing all that they would have us, though never so much against the word of God, they will hate us, and rail at us; but if we beseech them to confess, and forsake their sin, and save their souls, they will not do it. We tell them if they will but turn, we will deny them none of the ordinances of God, neither baptism to their children, nor the Lord's supper to themselves, but they will not hear us; they would have us to disobey God, and damn our own souls to please them: and yet they will not turn and save their own souls to please God. They are wiser in their own eyes than all their teachers; they rage and are confident in their own way, and if we would never so fain we cannot change them. Lord, this is the case of our miserable neighbours, and we cannot help it; we see them ready to drop into hell, and we cannot help it; we know if they would unfeign­edly turn, they might be saved, but we cannot per­suade them; if we should beg it of them on our knees, we cannot persuade them to it; if we should beg it of them with tears, we cannot persuade them; and what more can we do?"

These are the secret complaints and moans that many a poor minister is fain to make. And do you think that he hath any pleasure in this? Is it a pleasure to him to see you go on in sin, and cannot stop you? to see you so miserable, and cannot so much as make you sensible of it? to see you merry, when you are not sure to be an hour out of hell? to think what you must for ever suffer, because ye will not turn? and to think what an everlasting life of [Page 54]glory you wilfully despise and cast away i [...] Wha [...] sadder thing can you bring to their hearts, and ho [...] can you devise to grieve them more?

Who is it, then, that you pleasure by your si [...] and death? It is none of your understanding go [...] friends. Alas, it is the grief of their souls to [...] your misery, and they lament you many a time whe [...] you give them little thanks for it, and when yo [...] have not hearts to lament yourselves.

Who is it [...] then, that takes pleasure in your sin [...] It is none b [...], three great enemies of God, who [...] you renounced in your baptism, and now are turn [...] falsely to serve.

• 1. The devil indeed takes pleasure in your [...] and death: For this is the very end of all his temp [...] ­tions; for this he watches night and day; you ca [...] not devise to please him better than to go on in si [...] How glad is he when he sees thee going into [...] ­alehouse, or other sin, and when he heareth th [...] curse, or swear, or rail? How glad is he when [...] heareth thee revile the minister that would dr [...] thee from thy sin, and help to save thee? The [...] are his delight.
• 2. The wicked are also delighted in it, for it agreeable to their nature.
• 3. But I know, for all this, that it is not [...] pleasing of the devil, that you intend, even wh [...] you please him; but it is your own flesh, the gre [...] est and most dangerous enemy that you intend [...] please; it is the flesh that would be pampered, th [...] would be pleased in meat and drink, and cloathin [...] that would be pleased in your company, and plea [...] in applause and credit with the world, and plea [...] in sports and lusts, and idleness; this is the gul [...] that devoureth all. This is the very God that [...] serve (for the scripture saith of such, that th [...] bellies are their gods, Phil. iii. 18.) But I besee [...] you stay a little, and consider the business.

[Page 55] 1. Quest. Should your flesh be pleased before your Maker? Will you displease the Lord, and displease your teacher, and your godly friends, and all to please your brutish appetites, or sensual de­sires? Is not God worthy to be the ruler of your flesh? If he shall not rule it, he will not save it; you cannot in reason expect that he should.

2. Quest. Your flesh is pleased with your sin; but is your conscience pleased? Doth not it grudge within you, and tell you sometimes that all is not well, and that your case is not so safe as you make it to be; and should not your souls and consciences be pleased before that corruptible flesh?

3 Quest. But is not your flesh preparing for its own displeasure also? It loves the bait, but doth it love the hook? It loves the strong drink and sweet morsels; it loves its ease, and sports, and mer­riment; it loves to be rich and well spoken of by men, and to be somebody in the world; but doth it love the curse of God? doth it love to stand trembling before his bar, and to be judged to ever­lasting fire? Doth it love to be tormented with the devils forever? Take all together, for there is no seperating sin and hell, but only by faith and true conversion; if you will keep one, you must have the other. If death and hell be pleasant to thee, no wonder then if you go on in sin: But if they be not (as I am sure they be not) then what if sin be never so pleasant, is is worth the loss of life eternal? Is a little drink, or meat, or ease; is the good word of sinners; is the riches of this world to be valued above the joys of heaven? Or are they worth the sufferings of eternal sire? Sirs, these questions should be considered before you go any further, by every man that hath reason to consider, and that believes he hath a soul to save or lose.

Well, the Lord here swearing that he hath no pleasure in your death, but rather that you would [Page 56]turn and live; if yet you will go on and die rather than turn, remember it was not to please God that you did it; it was to please the world, and to please yourselves. And if men will damn themselves, to please themselves, and run into endless torments for delight, and have not the wit, the hearts, the grace, to hearken to God, or man, that would re­claim them, what remedy but they must take what they get by it, and repent it in another manner, when it is too late! Before I proceed any further in the application, I shall come to the next doctrine; which giveth me a fuller ground for it.

USE.

LOOK upon your best and strongest reasons, sinners, if you will make good your way, you see now with whom you have to deal. What say­est thou, unconverted sensual wretch? Darest thou venture upon a dispute with God? Art thou able to confute him? Art thou ready to enter the lists? God asketh thee why wilt thou die? Art thou fur­nished with a sufficient answer? Wilt thou under­take to prove that God is mistaken, and that thou art in the right! O what an undertaking is that? Why, either he or you is mistaken, when he is for your conversion, and you are against it; he calls upon you to turn, and you will not; he bids you do it presently, even to day, while it is called to day, and think it time enough hereafter. He saith it must be a total change, and you must be holy and new creatures, and born again: and you think that less may serve the turn, and that's enough to parch up the old man, without becoming new. Who is in the right now? God, or you? God cal­leth you to turn, and to live an holy life, and you will not: by your disobedient lives it appears you will not. If you will, why do you not? Why have you not done it all this while? And why do you not fall upon it yet? Your wills have the com­mands of our lives. We may certainly conclude, that you are unwilling to turn, when you do not turn. And why will you not? Can you give any [Page 77]reason for it, that's worthy to be called a reason?

I that am but a worm, your fellow creature, of a shallow capacity, dare challenge the wisest of you all, to reason the case with me, while I plead my maker's cause: and I need not be discouraged, when I know, I plead but the cause that God plead­eth, and contend for him that will have the best at last; had I but these two general grounds against you, I am sure that you have no good reason on your side.

I am sure it can be no good reason, which is against the God of truth and reason. It cannot be light that is contrary to the sun. There is no knowledge in any creature, but what it had from God; and therefore none can be wiser than God. It were damnable presumption for the highest an­gel to compare with his Creator; What is it then for a lump of dirt, an ignorant sot, that knoweth not himself nor his own soul, that knoweth but little of the things that he seeth, yea, that is more ignorant than his neighbours, to set himself against the wisdom of the Lord? It is one of the fullest discoveries of the horrible wickedness of carnal men, and the stark madness of such as sin, that so silly a mole dare contradict his maker, and call in question the word of God; yea, that those people in our parishes, that are so beastly ignorant that they cannot give us a reasonable answer concern­ing the very principles of religion, are yet so wise in their own conceit, that they dare question the plainest truth of God, yea, contradict them and cavil against them, when they can scarce speak sense, and will believe them no further than agreeth with their foolish wisdom.

[Page 78] 2. And as I know that God must needs be in the right, so I know the case is so palpable and gross, which he pleadeth against, that no man can have reason for it. Is it possible that a man can have any reason to break his maker's laws, and reason to dishonor the Lord of glory, and reason to abuse the Lord that bought him? Is it possible, that a man can have any good reason to damn his own immortal soul? Mark the Lord's question, Turn ye, turn ye, why will you die? Is eternal death a thing to be desired? Are you in love with hell? What reason have you wilfully to perish? If you think you have some reason to sin, should you not remember, that death is the wages of sin, Rom. vi. 23. and think whether you have any reason to un­do yourselves, body and soul forever. You should not only ask whether you love the adder, but whether you love the sting? It is such a thing for a man to cast away his everlasting happiness, and to sin against God, that no good reason can be given for it; but the more any one pleads for it, the madder he sheweth himself to be. Had you a lordship, or a kingdom offered you, for every sin tha [...] you commit, it were not reason, but madness to accept it. Could you by every sin obtain the highest thing upon earth that flesh desireth, it were of no considerable value to persuade you in reason to commit it. If it were to please your greatest or dearest friends, or to obey the greatest prince on earth, or to save your lives, or to escape the greatest earthly misery, all these are of no consideration to draw a man, in reason to the com­mitting of one sin. If it were a right hand, or a right eye, that would hinder your salvation, it is [Page 79]the gainfullest way to cast it away, rather than to go to hell to save it. For there is no saving a part when you lose the whole. So exceeding great are the matters of eternity, that nothing in this world deserveth once to be named in comparison with them; nor can any earthly thing, though it were life, or crowns, or kingdoms, be a reasonable ex­cuse for the neglect of matters of such high and everlasting consequence. A man can have no rea­son to cross his ultimate end; Heaven is such a thing, that if you lose it, nothing can supply the want, or make up the loss; and hell is such a thing, that if you suffer it, nothing can remove your misery, or give you ease and comfort, and therefore nothing can be a valuable consideration to excuse you for neglecting your own salvation: For, saith our Saviour, What shall it profit a man to win all the world, and lose his own soul? Mark viii. 36.

O Sirs, that you did but know what matters they are, that we are now speaking to you of, the saints in heaven, you would have other kind of thoughts of these things, if the devil would come to them that live in the sight and love of God, and should offer them a cup of ale, or a whore, or merry company, or sports to entice them away from God and glory, I pray you tell me, how do you think they would entertain the motion? Nay, or if he should offer them to be Kings on the earth, do you think this would entice them down from heaven? O, with what hatred and holy scorn would they reject the motion! And why should not you do so, that have heaven opened to your faith, if you had but faith to [Page 80]see it? There is never a soul in hell but knows, by this, that it was a mad exchange to let go heaven for fleshy pleasure, and that it is not a little mirth or pleasure, or wordly riches, or the good will or word of men, that will quench hell fire, or make him a saver that loseth his soul; O, if you had heard what I believe, if you had seen what I believe, and that on the credit of the word of God, you would say there can be no reason to warrant a man to damn his soul; you durst not sleep quietly another night, before you had resolved to turn and live.

If you see a man put his hand in the fire till it burn off, you will marvel at it; but this is a thing that a man may have reason for, as Bishop Gramaner had, when he burnt off his hand for sub­scribing to popery. If you see a man cut off a leg, or an arm, it is a sad sight; but this is a thing that a man may have a good reason for, as many a man doth to save his life. If you see a man give his body to be burnt to ashes, and to be tormented with strappado's and racks, and re­fuse deliverance when it is offered, this is a hard case to flesh and blood; but this a man may have good reason for, as you may see in Heb. xi. 33, 34, 35, 36. and as many an hundred martyrs have done. But for a man to forsake the Lord that made him, and for a man to run into the fire of hell, when he is told of it, and intreated to turn, that he may be saved; this is a thing that can have no reason in the world, that is reason indeed, to justify or excuse it. For heaven will pay for the loss of any thing that we can lose to [Page 81]get it, or for any labour which we bestow for it, but nothing can pay for the loss of heaven.

I beseech you now, let this word come nearer to your heart, as you are convinced that you have no reason to destroy yourselves, so tell me, what reason have you to refuse to turn and live to God? What reason had the veriest worldling, or drunk­ard, or ignorant careless sinner of you all, why you should not be as holy as any you know, and be as careful for your souls as any other? Will not hell be as hot to you as to others? Should not your own souls be as dear to you as theirs to them. Hath not God as much authority over you? Why then will you not become a sanctified peo­ple as well as they?

O sirs, when God bringeth the matter down to the very principles of nature, and shows you, that you have no more reason to be ungodly than you have to damn your own souls, if yet you will not understand and turn, it seems a desperate case that you are in.

And now, either you have reason for what you do, or you have not; If not, will you go on a­gainst reason itself? Will you do that which you have no reason for? But if you think you have, produce them, and make the best of your matter. Reason the case a little with me your fellow crea­ture, which is far easier than to reason the case with God; tell me, man, here before the Lord, as if thou wert to die this hour, why shouldest thou not resolve to turn this day, before thou stir from the place thou standest in, what reason hast thou to deny, or to delay? Hast thou any reason that satisfieth thine own conscience for it, [Page 82]or any that thou darest own and plead at the bar, of God? If thou hast, let us hear them, bring them forth, and make them good. But alas, what poor stuff, what nonsense, instead of reasons, do we daily hear from ungodly men. But for their necessity, I should be ashamed to name them.

1. One saith, "If none shall be saved, but such converted and sanctified ones as you talk of, then heaven would be but empty, then God help a great many.

Answ. Why, it seems, you think that God doth not know, or else that he is not to be believed! Measure not all by yourselves: God hath thou­sands and millions of his sanctified ones; but yet they are few in comparison of the world, as Christ himself hath told us, Matth. vii. 13.14. Luke xi. 31. It better seems you, to make that use of this truth which Christ teacheth you; "strive to enter in at the strait gate, for strait is the gate, and narrow is the way that leadeth unto life, and few there be that can find it; but wide is the gate, and broad is the way that lead­eth to destruction, and many there be that go in thereat, Luke xiii. 22, 23, 24. Fear not little flock (saith Christ to his sanctified ones,) for it is your father's good pleasure to give you that kingdom, Luke xii. 13.

Object. 2. I am sure if such as I go to hell, we shall have store of company.

Answ. And will that be any ease or comfort to you? Or do you think you may not have com­pany enough in heaven? Will you be undone for company, or will you not believe that God [Page 83]will excuse his threatening, because the [...] [...] many that are guilty? All these are unreasonable conceits.

Object. 3. But all men are sinners, even the best of you all.

Answ. But all are not unconverted sinners. The goodly live not in gross sins, and their very in­firmities are their grief and burden, which they daily long, and pray, and strive to be rid of. Sin hath not dominion over them.

Object. 4. I do not see that professors are any better than other men; they will over reach, and oppress, and are as covetous as any.

Answ. Whatever hypocrites are, it is not so with those that are sanctified. God hath thou­sands, or ten thousands that are otherwise, tho' the malicious world doth accuse them of what they can never prove, and of that which never entered into their hearts; and commonly they charge them with heart sins, which none can see but God, because they can charge them with no such wickedness in their lives, as they are guilty of themselves.

Object. 5. But I am no whoremonger, nor drun­kard, nor oppressor; and therefore why should you call upon me to be converted.?

Answ. As if you were not born after the flesh, and had not lived after the flesh as well as others! Is it not as great a sin as any of these, for a man to have an earthly mind, and to love the world above God, and to have an unbelieving unhum­bled heart? Nay, let me tell you more, that many persons that avoid disgraceful sins, are as f [...]st glued to the world, and as much slaves to the [Page 84]flesh, and as strange to God, and averse to heaven in their more civil course, as others are in their more shameful notorious sins,

Object. 6. But I mean no body any harm, nor do no harm; and why then should God condemn me?

Answ. Is it no harm to neglect the Lord that made thee, and the work for which thou camest into the world, and to prefer the creature before the Creator, and to neglect grace that is daily offered thee? It is the depth of thy sinfulness to be so insensible of it, the dead feel not that they are dead. If once thou wert made alive, thou wouldest see more amiss in thyself, and marvel at thyself for making so light of it.

Object. 7. I think you would make men mad, under pretence of converting them; it is enough to rack the brains of sinful people to muse so much on matters so high for them.

Answ. 1. Can you be madder than you are already, or, at least, can there be a more danger­ous madness than to neglect your everlasting wel­fare, and wilfully undo yourselves?

2. A man is never well in his wits, till he be converted, he never knows God, nor knows sin, nor knows Christ, nor knows the world, nor him­self, nor what his business is on earth, so as to set himself about it, till he be converted. The scrip­ture saith, that the wicked are unreasonable men, 2 Thess. iii. 2. and "that the wisdom of the world is foolishness with God," 1 Cor. i. 20. and Luke xv. 17. It is said of the prodigal, "that when he came to himself," he resolved to return. It is a wise world when men will disobey [Page 85]God, and run to hell for fear of being out of their wits.

2. What is there in the work that Christ calls you to, that should drive a man out of his wits? Is it the loving God, and calling upon him, and comfortably thinking of the glory to come, and the forsaking of our sins, and loving one another, and delighting our­selves in the service of God? Are these such things as should make men mad?

3. And whereas you say, that these mat­ters are too high for us; you accuse God himself for making this our work, and giv­ing us his word, and commanding all that will be blessed, to meditate on it day and night. Are the matters which we are made for, and which we live for, too high for us to meddle with? This is plainly to unman us, and to make beasts of us, as if we were like them, that must meddle with no higher matters than what belongs to flesh and earth. If heaven be too high for you to think on, and provide for, it will be too high for you ever to possess.

4. If God should sometimes suffer any weak-headed persons to be distracted by thinking of eternal things, this is because they misunderstand them, and run without a guide; and of the two, I had rather be in the case of such an one, than of the mad un­converted world, that take their distraction to be their wisdom.

Object. 8. I do not think that God cares so [Page 86]much what men think, or speak, or do, as to make so great a matter of it.

Answ. It seems then, you take the word of God to be false, and then what will you believe? But your own reason might teach you better, if you believe not the scriptures, for you see God sets not so light by us, but that he vouchsaved to make us, and still pre­serveth us, and daily upholdeth us, and pro­videth for us, and will any wise man make a curious frame for nothing? Will you make, or buy a clock or watch, and daily look to it, and not care whether it go true or false? Surely, if you believe not a particular eye of Providence observing your hearts and lives, you cannot believe, or expect any particular Providence to observe your wants and tron­bles, or to relieve you; and if God had so little care for you as you imagine, you would never have lived till now, an hundred dis­eases would have striven which should first destroy you; yea, the devils would have haunted you, and fetched you away alive, as the great fishes devour the less, and as ra­venous beasts and birds devour others. You cannot think that God made man for no end or use, and if he made him for any, it was sure for himself; and can you think he cares not whether his end be accomplished, and whether we do the worst that we are made for.

Yea, by this atheistical objection, you make God to have made, and upheld all the world in vain: For what are all other lower crea­tures [Page 87]for, but for man? What doth the earth but bear us, and nourish us, and the beasts do serve us with their labours and lives, and so of the rest. And hath God made so glo­rious an habitation, and set man to dwell in it, and made all his servants; and now doth he look for nothing at his hands, nor care how he thinks, or speaks, or lives? This is most unreasonable.

Object. 9. It was a better world, when men did not make so much ado in religion.

Answ. It hath ever been the custom to praise the times past; that world that you speak of was wont to say, it was a better world in their forefathers days, and so did they of their foresathers. This is but an old custom, because we all feel the evil of our own times, but we see not that which was before us.

2. Perhaps you speak as you think: world­lings think the world is at the best, when it is agreeable to their minds, and when they have most mirth and worldly pleasure; and I doubt not but the devil, as well as you, would say, that then, it was a better world, for then, he had more service, and less dis­turbance. But the world is at the best, when God is most loved, regarded and obeyed; and how else will you know when the world is good or bad, but by this?

Object. 10. Th [...]re are so many ways and re­ligions, that we know not which to be of, and therefore we will be even as we are.

Answ. Because they are many, will you [Page 88]be of that way that you may be sure is wrong None are farther out of the way than world­ly, fleshly, unconverted sinners; for they do nor only err in this or that opinion, as many sects do, but in the very scope and drift of their lives. If you were going a journey that your life lay on, would you stop or turn again because you meet with some cross ways, or because you saw some travellers go the horse­way, and some the foot-way, and some per­haps break over the hedge, yea, and some miss the way? or would you not rather be the more careful to enquire the way? If you have some servants that know not how to do your work right, and some that are unsaith­ful, would you take it well at any of the rest that would therefore be idle, and do you no service, because they see the rest so bad?

Object. 11. I do not see that it goes any better with those that are so godly, than with other men: They are as poor, and in as much trouble as o­thers.

Answ. And perhaps in much more, when God sees it meet. They take not earthly prosperity for their wages: they have laid up their treasure and hopes in another world: or else they are not Christians indeed; the less they have, the more is behind, and they are content to wait till then.

Object. 12. When you have said all that you can, I am resolved to hope well, and trust in Goa, and do as well as I can, and not make so much ado.

Answ. 1. Is that doing as well you can, [Page 89]when you will not turn to God, but your heart is against his holy and diligent service? It is as well as you will, indeed, but that is your misery.

2. My desire is, that you should hope and trust in God: But for what is it that you will hope? Is it to be saved, if you turn and be sanctified? For this you have God's promise, and therefore, hope for it, and spare not. But if you hope to be saved, without conver­sion and an holy life, this is not to hope in God, but in satan, or yourselves, for God hath given you no such promise, but told you the contrary; but it is satan, and self­love, that made you such promises, and rais­ed you to such hopes.

Well, if these, and such as these, be all you have to say against conversion, and an holy life, your all is nothing, and worse than nothing: and if these, and such as these seem reasons sufficient to persuade you to forsake God, and cast yourseives into hell, the Lord deliver you from such reasons, and from such blind understandings, and from such senseless hardened hearts. Dare you stand to every one of these reasons at the bar of God? Do you think it will then serve your turn, to-say, "Lord, I did not turn, because I had so much ado in the world, or because I did not like the lives of some professors, or because I saw men of so many minds." O how easily will the light of that day con­ [...]ound and shame such reasonings as these! Had you the world to look after? Let the [Page 90]world which you served now pay you your wa­ges, and save you if it can. Had you not a bet­ter world to look after first, and were ye not commanded to seek first God's kingdom and righteousness, and promised that other things should be added to you, Matth. vi. 33. And were ye not told, that godliness was profitable to all things, having the promise of this life, and of that which is to come? 1 Tim. iv. 8. Did the sins of professors hinder you? You should rather have been the more heedful, and learned by their falls, to beware, and have been the more careful, and not to be more careless; it was the scripture, and not their lives, that was your rule. Did the many opinions of the world hinder you? Why, the scripture, that was your rule, did teach you but one way, and that was the right way. If you had followed that, even in so much as was plain and easy, you should never have miscarried. Will not such answers as these confound and si­lence you? If these will not, God hath those that will. When he asked the man, Matth. xxii. 12. 'Friend, how camest thou in hither, not having on a wedding garment?' that is, what doest thou in my Church, among professed christians, with­out an holy heart and life; what answer did he make? Why the text saith, he was speechless; he had nothing to say. The clearness of the case, and the majesty of God, will then easily stop the mouths of the most confident of you, though you will not be put down by any thing we can say to you now, but will make good your cause, be it never so bad. I know already, that never a rea­son that now ye can give me, will do you any [Page 91]good at last, when your case must be opened be­fore the Lord, and all the world.

Nay, I scarce think that your own conscien­ces are well satisfied with your reasons, for if they are, it seems then you have not so much as a purpose to repent. But if you do purpose to repent, it seems you do not put much confidence in your reasons which you bring against it.

What say you, unconverted sinners? Have you any good reasons to give, why you should not turn, and presently turn with all your hearts? Or will you go to hell in despite of reason itself? Bethink you what you do in time, for it will shortly be too late to bethink you. Can you find any fault with God, or his work, or his wages? Is he a bad master? Is the devil, whom you serve, or is the flesh a better? Is there any harm in an holy life? Is a life of worldliness and ungodliness better? Do you think in your consciences that it would do you any harm to be converted and live an holy life? What harm can it do to you? Is it harm to you to have the Spirit of Christ within you, and to have a cleansed purified heart? If it be bad to be holy, why doth God say, 'be ye holy, for I am holy! 1 Pet. i. 15, 16. Lev. xx. 7. Is it evil to be like God? Is it not said, that God made man in his image? Why this holiness is his image: this Adam lost, and this Christ, by his word and spirit, would restore to you, as he doth to all that he will save. Why were you baptised into the Holy Ghost, and why do you baptise your children into the Holy Ghost, as your Sanctifier, if you will not be sanctified by him, but think it an hurt to you to be sanctified? [Page 92]Tell me truly, as before the Lord, though you are loth to live an holy life, had you not rather die in the case of those that do so, than of others? If you were to die this day, had you not rather die in the case of a converted man, than of the unconverted? of an holy and heavenly man, than of a carnal earthly man? And would you not say as Baalam, Num. xxiii. 10. 'Let me die the death of the righteous, and let my last end be like his!' And why will you not now be of the mind that you will be of then? first or last you must come to this, either to be converted, or to wish you had been when it is too late.

But what is it that you are afraid of losing if you turn? Is it your friends: you will but change them: God will be your friend, and Christ and the Spirit will be your friend, and every christian will be your friend. You will get one friend that will stand you in more stead than all the friends in the world could have done. The friends you lose would have but enticed you to hell, but could not have delivered you; but the friend you get, will save you from hell, and bring you to his own eternal rest.

Is it your pleasures that you are afraid of losing? You think you shall never have a merry day again, if once you be converted. Alas, that you should think it a greater pleasure to live in foolish sports and merriments, and please your flesh, than live in the believing thoughts of glory, and in the love of God, and in righteousness and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost, in which the state of grace consisleth, Rom. xiv. 17. If it be a grea­ter pleasure for you to think of your lands and [Page 93]inheritance (if you were Lord of all the country) than it is to a child to play for pins; why should it not be a greater joy to you to think of the kingdom of Heaven being yours, than of all the riches or pleasures of the world? As it is but foolish childishness that makes children so delight in gauds, that they would not leave them for all your lands; so it is but foolish worldliness and fleshliness, and wickedness, that makes you so much delight in your houses and lands, and meat and drink, and ease, and honour, as that you would not part with them for the heavenly de­lights. But what will you do for pleasure, when these are gone? Do you not think of that? When your pleasures end in horror, and go out with a stinking snuff, the pleasures of the Saints are then at the best. I have had myself but a little taste of the heavenly pleasures in the fore­thoughts of the blessed approaching day, and in the present persuasions of the love of God in Christ; but I have taken too deep a draught of earthly pleasures, so that you may see, if I be partial, it is on your side; and yet I must profess from that little experience, that there is no com­parison; there is more joy to be had in a day (if the sun of life shine clear upon us) in the state of holiness, than in a whole life of sinful pleasures. 'I had rather be a door keeper in the house of God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness. Psal. lxxxiv. 10.' 'A day in his courts is bet­ter than a thousand any where else.' lxxxiv. 10. The mirth of the wicked is like the laughter of a madman, that knows not his own misery; and therefore, Solomon faith of such labour, it is mad, [Page 94]and of mirth, what doth it? Eccles. ii. 2. and Eccles. vii. 2, 3.4, 5, 6. "It is better to go to the house of mourning, than to go to the house of feasting; for that is the end of all men, and the living will lay it to his heart. Sorrow is bet­ter than laughter: for by the sadness of the coun­tenance the heart is made better. The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning; but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth: It is bet­ter to bear the rebuke of the wise, than to hear the song of fools; for as the crackling of thorns under a pot, so is the laughter of a fool." All the pleasure of fleshly things, is but like the scratch­ing of a man that hath the itch; it is his disease that make him desire it, and a wise man had ra­ther be without his pleasure, than be troubled with his itch. Your loudest laughter is but like that of a man that is tickled; he laughs when he hath no cause of joy, and it is? wiser thing for a man to give all his estate, and his life to be tick­led to make him laugh, than for you to part with the love of God, and the comforts of holiness, and the hopes of heaven, and to cast yourselves into damuation, that you may have your flesh tickled with the pleasure of sin for a little while. Judge, as you are men, whether this be a wise man's part. It is but your carnal unsanctified na­ture that makes an holy life seem grievous to you, and a course of sensuality seem more delightful: if you will but turn, the Holy Ghost will give you another nature and inclination, and then it will b [...] more pleasant to you to be rid of your sin, than now it is to keep it: and you will then say, that you knew not what a comfortable life [Page 95]was till now, and that it was never well with you till God and holiness were your delight.

Quest. "But how cometh it to pass, that men should be so unreasonable in the matters of sal­vation? They have wit enough in other matters, what makes them so loth to be converted, that there should need so many words in so plain a case, and all will not do, but the most will live and die unconverted?"

Answ. To name them only in a few words, the causes are these:

• 1. Men are naturally in love with earth and flesh, they are born sinners, and their nature hath an enmity to God and goodness, as the nature of a serpent hath to a man; and when all that we can say goes against an habitual inclination of their natures, no marvel if it little prevail.
• 2. They are in darkness, and know not the ve­ry things they hear. Like a man that was born blind, and hears a high commendation of the light; but what will hearing do, unless he sees it. They know not what God is, nor what is the power of the cross of Christ, nor what the spirit of holiness is, nor what it is to live in love by faith: They know not the certainty, and suit­ableness, and excellency of the heavenly inherit­ance. They know not what conversion, and a holy mind and conversation is, even when they hear of it. They are in a mist of ignorance. They are lost and bewildered in sin; like a man that has lost himself in the night, and knows not where he is, nor how to come to himself again, till the day light do recover him.
• 3. They are wilfully confident, that they need [Page 96]no conversion, but some partial amendment; and that they are in the way to heaven already; and are converted, when they are not. And if you meet a man that is quite out of his way, you may long enough call upon him to turn back again, if he will not believe you, that he is out of the way.
• 4. They are become slaves to their flesh, and drowned in the world, to make provision for it. Their lusts, and passions, and appetites have dis­tracted them, and got such an hand over them, that they cannot tell how to deny them, or how to mind any thing else, so that the drunkard saith, 'I love a cup of good drink, and I cannot forbear it." The glutton saith, 'I love good chear, and I cannot forbear.' The fornicator saith, 'I love to have my lust fulfilled, and I can­not forbear.' And the gamester loves to have his sports, and he cannot forbear. So that they are become even captivated slaves to their flesh, and their very wilfulness is become an impotency, and what they would not do, they say they can­not. And the worldling is so taken up with earthly things, that he hath neither heart nor mind, nor time for heavenly; but as in Pharaoh's dream, Gen. xli. 4. the lean kine did eat up the fat ones; so this lean and barren earth doth eat up all the thoughts of heaven.
• 5. Some are so carried away by the stream of evil company, that they are possessed with hard thoughts of a godly life, by hearing them speak against it! or at least, they think they may ven­ture to do as they see most do, and so they hold on in their sinful ways: and when one is cut off, [Page 97]and cast into hell, and another snatched away from among them, to the same condemnation, it doth not much daunt them, because they see not whither they are gone; poor wretches, they hold on in their ungodliness, for all this; for they little know that their companions are now lamenting it in torments. In Luke xvi. the rich man in hell would sain have had one to warn his five brethren, lest they should come to that place of torment. Its like he knew their minds and lives, and knew that they were hasting thither, and little dreamt that he was there, yea, and would little have believed one that should have told them so. I remember a passage that a gentleman, yet living, told me he saw upon a bridge over Se­vern. ^† A man was driving a flock of fat lambs, and something meeting them, and hindering their passage, one of the lambs leapt upon the wall of the bridge, and his legs slipping from under him, he fell into the stream; the rest seeing him, did, one after one leap over the bridge into the stream, and were all, or almost all drowned; those that were behind, did little know what was become of them that were gone before; but thought they might venture to follow their companions; but as soon as over the wall, and falling headlong, the case was altered. Even so it is with uncon­verted carnal men. One dieth by them, and drops into hell, and another follows the same way: and yet they will go after them, because they think not whither they are gone. Oh, but when death hath once opened their eyes, and they see what [Page 98]is on the other side of the wall; even in another world, then what would they give to be where they were!
• 6. Moreover, they have a subtle malicious enemy, that is unseen of them, and plays his game in the dark; and it is his principal busi­ness to hinder their conversion; and therefore to keep them where they are, by persuading them not to believe the scriptures, or not to trouble their minds with these matters; or, by persuad­ing them, to think ill of a godly life, or to think that its more ado than needs, and that they may be saved without conversion, and without all this stir: and, that God is so merciful, that he will not damn any such as they; or, at least, that they may stay a little longer, and take their pleasure, and follow the world a little longer yet, and then let it go, and repent hereafter. And by such jug­gling deluding cheats as these, the devil keeps the your in his captivity, and leadeth them to his misery.

These, and such like impediments as these, do keep so many thousands unconverted, when God hath done so much, and Christ hath suffer­ed so much, and ministers have said so much, for their conversion; when their reasons are silenced, and they are not able to answer the Lord that calls after them, 'Turn ye, turn ye; why will you die?' Yet all comes to nothing with the greatest part of them; and they leave us no more to do after all, but to sit down, and lament their wilful misery.

I have now shewed you the reasonableness of God's commands, and the unreasonableness of [Page 99]wicked men's disobedience. If nothing will serve turn, but men will yet refuse to turn, we are next to consider, who it is long of, if they be damn­ed. And this brings me the last doctrine, which is,

USE.

FROM what hath been said, you further learn these following things:

1. From hence you may see, not only what blasphemy and impiety it is, to lay the blame of men't destruction upon God; but also how unfit these wicked wretches are to bring in such a charge against their Maker. They cry out upon God, and say, he gives them not grace, and his threatnings are severe, and God forbid that all should be damned that be not converted and sanctified; and they think it a hard measure that a short sin should have an endless suffering; and if they be damned, they say they cannot help it, when in the mean time, they are busy about their destruction, even cutting the throat of their own souls, and will not be persuaded to hold their hands. They think God were cruel, if he should damn them; and yet they are so cruel to themselves, that they will run into the fire of hell when God hath told them it is a little before them, and neither intreaties, nor threatnings nor any thing that can be said, will stop them. We see them almost undone; their careless, worldly, [...]eshly lives do tell us that they are in the power of the devil; we know if they die before they are converted, all the world cannot save them, and [...]nowing the uncertainty of their lives, we are fraid every day lest they drop into the sire; and [Page 108]therefore we intreat them to pity their own souls, and not to undo themselves when mercy is at hand, and they will not hear as. We intreat them to cast away their sin, and come to Christ without delay, and to have some mercy on them­selves, but they will have none; and yet they think that God must be cruel, if he condemn them. O wilful wretched sinners! It is not God that is cruel to you, it is you that are cruel to yourselves; you are told, you must turn or burn, and yet you turn not. You are told, that if you will needs keep your sins, you shall keep the curse of God with them; and yet you will keep them. You are told, that there is no way to hap­piness but holiness, and yet you will not be ho­ly. What would you have God to say more to you? What would you have him do with his mercy? He offereth it to you, and you will not have it. You are in the ditch-of sin and misery, and he would give you his hand to help you out, and you refuse his help; he would cleanse you of your sins, and you had rather keep them! you love your lust, and love your gluttony and sports, and drunkenness, and will not let them go; would you have him bring you to heaven, whether you would or no; or would you have him bring you and your sins to heaven together? Why, that is an impossibility, you may as well expect he should turn the sun into darkness. What. an unsanctified fleshly heart be in hea­ven! it cannot be; "there entereth nothing that is unclean, Rev. xxi. 17. For what com­munication hath life with darkness, or Christ with Belial? 2. Cor. vi. 14, 15. All the day [Page 109]long hath he stretched out his hands to a disobe­dient and gainsaying people.' Rom. x. 25. What will you do now? Will you cry to God for mercy? Why, God called upon you to have mercy upon yourselves, & you would not. Mini­sters see the poisoned cup in the drunkard's hand-and tell him there is poison in it, and defire him to have mercy on his soul, and forbear, and he will not hear us; drink it he must and will; he loves it, and therefore though hell comes next, he says he cannot help it. What should one say to such men as these? We tell the ungodly care­less worldling, "It is not such a life will serve the turn, or ever bring you to heaven." If a bear were at your back, you would mend your pace; and when the curse of God is at your back, and satan and hell are at your back, will you not stir, but ask, What needs all this ado? Is an immortal soul of no more worth? O, have mercy upon yourselves! But they will have no mercy upon themselves, nor once regard us. We tell them the end will be bitter, who can dwell with the everlasting fire? And yet they will have no mercy upon themselves. And yet, will these shameless wretches say, that God is more merciful than to condemn them, when it is themselves that cruelly and unmercifully run up­on condemnation, and if we should go to them with our hats in our hands, and intreat them, we cannot stop them, but to hell they will go, and yet will not believe that they are going thi­ther, if we beg of them for the sake of God that made them and preserved them, for the sake of Christ who died for them, for the sake of their [Page 110]own poor souls, to pity themselves, and go no further in the way to hell, but come to Christ, while his arms are open, and enter into the state of life while the doors stand open, and now take mercy while mercy may be had, but they will not be persuaded. If we should die for it, we cannot get them so much as now and then to consider with themselves of the matter, and to [...]uin, and yet they can say, 'I hope God will b [...] [...]erciful,' Did you never consider what he saith, Isa. 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 shew them no favour. If another man will not clothe you when you are naked, and feed you when you are hungry, you will say he is un­merciful. If he should cast you into prison, or beat and torment you, you would say he is un­merciful; and yet you would do a thousand more against yourselves, even cast away both soul and body for ever, and never complain of your own unmercifulness; Yea, and God that waited up­on you all the while with his mercy, must be taken to be unmerciful, she punish you after all this. Unless the Holy God of heaven will give these wretenes leave to trample upon his Son's blood, and with the Jews, as it were again, to spit in his face, and do despite to the spirit of grace, and make a jest of sin, and a mock at ho­liness, and set more light by saving mercy, than by the filth of their fleshly pleasures; and unless, after all this, he will save them by the mercy which they cast away, and would have none of, God himself must be called [...]merciful by them. [Page 111]But he will be justified when he judgeth, and he will not stand or fall at the bar of a sinful worm.

I know that there are many particular cavils that are brought by them against the Lord, but I shall not here stay to answer them particularly, having done it already in my Treatise of Judg­ment, to which I refer them. Had the disputing part of the world been as careful to avoid sin and destruction, as they have been busy searching af­ter the cause of them, and forward indirectly to impute it to God, they might have exercised their wits more profitably, and have less wrong­ed God, and sped better themselves. When so ugly a monster as sin is within us, and so heavy a thing as punishment is on us, and so dreadful a thing as hell is before us, one should think it should be an easy question, who is in the fault, whether God or man be the principal or culpable cause? Some men are such favourable judges of themselves, that they are proner to accuse the infinite perfection and goodness itself, than their own hearts, and imitate their first parents, that said, "the serpent tempted me, and the woman that thou gavest me, gave unto me, and I did eat." Secretly implying that God was the cause. So say they, "the understanding that thou gav­est me was unable to discern; the will that thou gavest me was unable to make a better choice; the objects which thou did set before me did en­tice me; the temptations which thou didst per­mit to assault me, prevailed against me." And some are so l [...]th to think that God can make a self-determining creature, that they dare not de­ny [Page 112]him that which they take to be his preroga­tive, to be the determiner of the will in every sin, as the first efficient immediate physical cause; and many could be content to acquit God from so much causing of evil, if they could but reconcile it with his being the chief cause of good, as if truths would be no longer truths than we are able to see them in their perfect order and co-herence; because our ravelled wits cannot set them right together, nor assign each truth its proper place, we presume to conclude, that some must be cast away. This is the fruit of self-conceitedness, when men receive not God's truth as a child his lesson, in an holy submission to the omniscience of our teachers, but as censurers that are too wise to learn.

Object. "But we cannot convert ourselves, till God convert us, we can do nothing without his grace; it is not him that willeth, nor in him that runne [...]h; but in God that sheweth mer­cy."

Answ. 1. God hath two degrees of mercy to shew; the mercy o [...] conversion first, and the mer­cy of salvation [...]; the latter he will give to none but those that will and run, and hath pro­mised it to them only. The former is to make them willing that were unwilling, and though your own w [...]ling and endeavours deserve not his grace, yet your wilful refusal deserveth that it should be denied to you. Your disability is your very unwil [...]ngness [...]tself, which excuseth not your sins, but mak [...]th it the greater. You could turn if you were but truly willing, and if your wills themselves are so corrupted, that nothing but ef­fectual [Page 113]grace will move them, you have the more cause to seek for that grace, and yield to it, and do what you can in the use of means, and not neglect it, and set against it. Do what you are able first, and then complain of God for denying you grace, if you have cause.

Object. But you seem to intimate all this while, that man hath free will.

Answ. The dispute about free-will is beyond your capacity; I shall therefore now trouble you with no more but this about it. Your will is na­turally a free, that is, a self-determining facul­ty, but it is viciously inclined, and backward to do good; and therefore we see by sad experience, that it hath not a virtuous moral freedom; but that it is the wickedness of it that deserveth the punishment; and I pray you, let us not befool ourselves with opinions. Let the case be your own. If you had an enemy that was so malicious that he sails upon you, and beats you every time he meets you, and takes away the lives of your children, will you excuse him, because he saith, I have not free-will, it is my nature, I cannot chuse, unless God give me grace. If you have a servant that robbeth you, will you take such an answer from him? Might not every thief and murderer that is hanged at the assize give such an answer? I have not free-will; I cannot change my own heart; what can I do without God's grace. And shall they therefore be acquited? If not, why then should you think to be acquit­ed for a course of sin against the Lord?

2. From hence also you may observe these three things together. First, what a subtle temp­ter [Page 114]satan is. Second, what a deceitful thing sin is. Third, what a foolish creature corrupted man is. A subtle tempter indeed, that can persuade the greatest part of the world to go into everlast­ing fire, when they have so many warnings and dissuasives as they have. A deceitful thing is an indeed, that can bewitch so many thousands to part with everlasting life, for a thing so base and utterly unworthy! A foolish creature is man in­deed, that will be cheated of his salvation for no­thing, yea, for a known nothing, and that by an enemy, and a known enemy. You would think it impossible, that any man in his wits, should be persuaded for a little, to cast himself into the fire, or water, or into a coal pit, to the destruction of his life, and yet men will be entic­ [...]d to cast themselves into hell. If your natural lives were in your own hands, that you should not die till you would kill yourselves, how long would most of you live? And yet, when your everlasting life is so far in your own hands under God, that you cannot be undone till you undo yourselves, how few of you will forbear your own undoing? Ah what a silly thing is man! and what bewitching and befooling thing is sin.

3. From hence also you may learn, that it is no great wonder if wicked men be hinderers of others in the way to heaven, and would have as many unconverted as they can, and would draw them into sin, and keep them in it! Can you ex­pect that they should have mercy on others, that have none upon themselves? And that they should much stick at the destruction of others, that stick [Page 115]not to destroy themselves! That do no worse by others, than they do by themselves.

4. Lastly, you may hence learn, that the greatest [...]nemy to man is himself, and the great­est judgment in this life that can befal him, is to be left to himself, and that the greatest work that grace hath to do, is to save us from our­selves, and the greatest accusations and complaints of men should be against themselves, and that the greatest work we have to do ourselves, is to resist ourselves, and the greatest enemy that we should daily pray, and watch, and strive against, is our own carnal hearts and wills, and the great­est part of your work, if you would do good to others, and help them to heaven, is to save them from themselves, even from their blind under­standings and corrupted wills, and perverse af­fections, and violent passions, and unruly senses. I only name all these for brevity sake, and leave them to your further consideration.

Well, sirs, now we have found out the great delinquent, and murderer of souls, (even men's selves, their own wills) what remains but that you judge according to the evidence, and con­fess this great iniquity before the Lord, and be humbled for it, and do so no more? To these three ends distinctly, I shall add a few words more.

• 1. Further to convince you.
• 2. To hum­ble you.
• And 3. To reform you, if there yet be any hope.

1. We know so much of the exceeding graci­ous nature of God, who is willing to do good, and delighteth to shew mercy, that we have no reason to suspect him of being the culpable cause [Page 116]of our death, or to call him cruel▪ he made all good, and [...]e preserveth and maintaineth all; the eyes of all things do w [...]t upon him, and he giveth them their meat in due season; h [...] open­eth his hand, and satisfieth the desires of all the living. Psal. cxlv. 15, 16. He is not only righ­te [...]us in all his ways, and therefore will deal just­ [...]y, and holy in all his works, and therefore not the author of sin, but he is also good to all, and his tender mercies are over all his works. Psal. xiv. 5, 17, 19.

But as for man, we know his mind is dark, his will perverse, and his affections carry him so headlong, that he is fitted by his folly and cor­ruption to such a work as the destroying of him­self. If you saw a lamb lie killed in the way, would you sooner suspect the sheep, or the dog, or wolf, to be the author of it, if they both stand by? Or if you see an house broken, and the peo­ple murdered, would you sooner suspect the prince or judge, that is wise and just, and [...]d no need, or a known thief or murderer? I say therefore, us Jam. i. 13, 14, 15. "Let no [...] a say when he is tempted, that he is tempted of God, for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempt­eth he any man," to draw him to sin, but every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin; and sin when it is finished, bringeth forth death." You see here, that sin is the brat of your own concupiscence, and not to be fathered on God, and that death is the offspring of your own sin, and the fruit which it will yield you as soon as it is ripe. You [Page 117]have a treasure of evil in yourselves, as a spider bath of poison, from whence you are bringing forth hurt to yours [...]lves, and spinning such webs as entangle your own souls. Your nature shews it is you that are the cause.

2. It is evident that you are your own destroy­ers, in that you are so ready to entertain any temptation almost that is offered you. Satan is scarce readier to move you to any evil, than you are ready to hear, and do as he would have you. If he would tempt your understanding to error and prejudice, you yield. If he would hinder you from good resolutions, it is soon done. If he would cool any good desires or affections, it is soon done. If he would kindle any lust, or vile affections and desires in you, it is soon done. If he will put you on to evil thoughts, or deeds, you are so free, that he needs no rod nor spur. If he would keep you from holy thoughts and words, and ways, a little doth it, you need no curb. You examine not his suggestions, nor re­sist them with any resolution, nor cast them out as he casts them in, nor quench the sparks which he endeavoureth to kindle; but you set in with him, and meet him half way, and embrace his motions, and tempt him to tempt you. And it is easy to catch such greedy fish that are ranging for a bait, and will take the bare hook.

3. Your destruction is evidently long of your­selves, in that you resist all that would help to [...] you, and would do you good, or hinder you [...] undoing yourselves. God would help and [...] you by his word, and you resist it, it is too [...] He would sanctify you by his [Page 118]spirit, and you resist and quench it. If any man reprove you for your sin, you fly in his face with evil words; and if he would draw you to an holy life, and tell you of your present danger, you give him little thanks, but either bid him look to himself, he shall not answer for you, or else, at best, you put him off with an heartless thanks, and will not turn when you are persuaded. If ministers would privately instruct and help you, you will not come at them; your unhumbled souls do feel but little need of their help; if they would catechise you, you are too old to be cate­chised, though you are not too old to be igno­rant and unnoly. Whatever they can say to you for your good, you are so self-conceited and wise in your own eyes, even in the depth of igno­rance, that you well regard nothing that agreeth not with your present conceits, but contradict your teachers, as if you were wiser than they; you resist all that they can say to you, by your ignorance, and wilfulness, and foolish cavils, and shifting evasions, and unthankful rejections, so that no good that is offered, can find any wel­come acceptance and entertainment with you.

4. Moreover, it is apparent, that you are self-destroyers, in that you draw the matter of your sin and destruction even from the bl [...]ssed God himself. You like not the contrivances of his wisdom; you like not his justice, but take it for cruelty; you like not his holiness, but are ready to think he is such a one as yourselves, Psal. l. 21. and makes as light of sin as you: you like not his truth, but would have his threatenings, even his pretemptory threatenings prove false. And h [...] [Page 119]goodness, which you seem most highly to ap­prove, you partly resist, as it would lead you to repentance, and partly abuse, to the strengthen­ing of your sins, as if you might the freelier sin, because God is merciful, and because his grace doth so much abound.

5. Yea, you fetch destruction from the blessed Re­deemer, and death from the Lord of Life himself. And nothing more emboldeneth you in sin, than that Christ hath died for you; as if now the dan­ger of death were over, and you might boldly venture; as if Christ were become a servant to satan and your sins, and must wait upon you while you are abusing him; and because he is be­come the physician of souls, and is able to save to the utmost, all that come to God by him; you think he must suffer you to refuse his help, and throw away his medicines, and must save you whether you will come to God by him or no, so that a great part of your sins are occasioned by your bold presumption upon the death of Christ.

Not considering that he came to redeem his people from their sins, and to sanctify them a pe­culiar people to himself, and to conform them in holiness to the image of their heavenly father, and to their head, Matth. i. 21. Tit. ii. 14. 1 Pet. i. 15, 16. Col. iii. 10, 11. Phil. iii. 9, 10.

6. You also fetch your own destruction from all the providences and works of God. When you think of his eternal fore-knowledge and de­crees, it is to harden you in your sin, or possess your minds in quarrelling thoughts, as if his de­ [...]rees might spare you the labour of repentance, [Page 120]and an holy life, or else were the cause of you [...] sin and death. If he afflict you, you repine; if he prosper you, you the more forget him, and are the back warder to the thoughts of the life to come. If the wicked prosper, you forget the end, that will set all reckoning straight; and are ready to think it is as good to be wicked as godly. And thus you draw your death from all.

7. And the like you do from all the creatures and mercies of God to you. He giveth them to you as the tokens of his love, and furniture of his service, and you turn them against him, to the pleasing of your flesh; you eat and drink to please your appetite, and not for the glory of God, and to enable you for his work. Your clothes you abuse to pride. Your riches draw your hearts from heaven; Phil. iii. 18. Your honours and applause do puff you up; if you have health and strength, it makes you more se­cure, and forget your end. Yea, other mens mercies are abused by you to your hurt. If you see their honours and dignity, you are provoked to envy them. If you see their riches, you are ready to covet them. If you look upon beauty, you are stirred up to lust. And it is well, if god­liness be not an eye sore to you.

8. The very gifts that God bestoweth on you and the ordinances of grace which he hath insti­tuted for his church, you turn to sin. If you have better parts than others, you grow proud, and self-conceited: If you have but common gifts, you take them for special grace. You ta [...] the bare hearing of your duty for so good a wo [...] [Page 121]as if it would excuse you for not obeying it. Your prayers are turned into sin, because you "regard iniquity in your hearts," Psalm. lxvi. 18. and depart not from iniquity when you call on the name of the Lord, 2 Tim. Your pray­ers are abominable, because you turn away your ear from hearing the law, Prov. xxviii. 9. And more ready to offer the sacrifice of fools, (think­ing you do God some special service) than to hear his word and obey it, Eccles. v. 1. You examine not yourselves before you receive the supper of the Lord, but not discerning the Lord's body, do eat and drink judgment to yourselves, 1 Cor. xi. 28, 29.

9. Yea, the persons that you converse with, and all their actions, you make the occasions of your sin and destruction. If they liv [...] in the fear of God, you hate them. If they live ungodly, you imitate them. If the wicked are many, you think you may the more boldly follow them: [...]f the godly be few, you are the more em [...]ld­med to despise them. If they walk exactly, you think they are too precise; if one of them fall in a particular temptation, you stumble up­ [...]n them, and turn away from holiness, because [...]hat others are imperfectly holy; as if you were [...]arranted to break your necks, because some [...]thers have, by their heedlessness sprained a [...]ew, or put out a bone. If a hypocrite disco­ [...]er himself, you say, they are all alike, and [...]ink yourselves as honest as the best. A pro­ [...]ssor can scarce slip into any miscarriage, but [...]cause he cuts his singer, you think you may [...]ldly cut your throats. If ministers deal plain­ly [Page 122]with you, you say they rail. If they speak gently, or coldly, you either sleep under them, or are little more effected than the seats you sit upon. If any errors creep into the church, some greedily entertain them, and others reproach the Christian doctrine for them, which is most against them. And if we would draw you from any ancient rooted error, which can but plead two, or three, or six, or seven hundred years custom, you are as much offended with a motion for reformation, as if you were to lose your life by it, and hold fast old errors, while you cry out against new ones. Scarce a difference can arise among the ministers of the gospel, but you will fetch your own death from it. And you will not hear, or at least not obey the unquesti­onable doctrine of any of those that jump not with your conceirs: one will not hear a mini­ster, because he saith the Lord's prayer; and another will not hear him, because he doth not use it. One will not hear them that are for epis­copacy, and another will not hear them that are against it. And thus I might shew it you in ma­ny other cases, how you turn all that comes near you to your own destruction: so clear it is, that the ungodly are self-destroyers, and that their perdition is of themselves.

Methinks now, upon the consideration of what is said, and the review of your own ways, you should bethink you what you have done, and be ashamed, and deeply humbled, to remember it. If you be not, I pray you consider these follow­ing truths:

• 1. To be your own destroyers, it to sin against [Page 123]the deepest principle of your natures, even the principle of self preservation. Every thing na­turally desireth or inclineth to its own felicity, welfare, or perfection. And will you set your­selves to your own destruction? When you are commanded to love your neighbours as your­selves; it is supposed that you naturally love yourselves. But if you love your neighbours no better than yourselves, it seems, you would have all the world damned.
• 2. How extremely do you cross your own in­tentions? I know you intend [...] your own damnation, ev [...]n when you are procuring it; you think you are but doing good to yourselves, by gratifying the desires of your flesh. But alas, it is but as a draught or cold water in a burning fever, or as the scratching of an itching wild fire, which increaseth the disease and pain. If indeed you would have pleasure, profit, or ho­nour, seek them where they are to be found, and do not hunt after them in the way to hell.
• 3. What pity is it, that you should do that against yourselves, which none else in earth or hell can do! If all the world were combined a­gainst you, or all the devils in hell were com­bined against you, they could not destroy you without yourselves, nor make you sin but by your own consent. And will you do that a gainst yourselves which no one else can do; you have hateful thoughts of the devil, because he is your en [...]my, and endeavoureth your destruc­tion. And will you be worse than devils to yourselves? Why, it is thus with you, if you had hearts to understand it: When you run into [Page 124]sin, and run from godliness, and refuse to turn at the call of God, you do more against your own souls than men or devils could do besides, and if you should set yourselves, and bend your wits to do yourselves the greatest mischief, you could not devise to do a greater.
• 4. You are false to the trust that God hath re­posed in you. He hath much intrusted you with your own salvation, and will you betray your trust? He hath set you with all diligence to keep your hearts, and is this the keeping of them? Prov. iv. 23.
• 5. You do even forbid all others to pity you, when you will have no pity on yourselves; if you cry to God in the day of your calamity for mercy, mercy; what can you expect but that he should thrust you away, and say, "nay, thou wouldst not have mercy on thyself; who brought this upon thee but thy own wilfulness?" And if your brethren see you everlastingly in misery, how shall they pity you that were your own de­stroyers, and would not be dissuaded?
• 6. It will everlastingly make you your own tormentors in hell to think on it, that you brought yourselves wilfully to that misery. O what a griping thought it will be for ever to think with yourselves, that this was your own doing! that you were warned of this day, and warned again, but it would not do: that you wilfully sinned, and wilfully turned away from God! that you had time as well as others but you abused it; you had teachers as well as o­thers, but you refused their instruction; you had holy examples, but you did not imitate them; [Page 125]you were offered Christ, and grace, and glory, as well as others, but you had more mind of your fleshly pleasure; you had a price in your hands, but you had not a heart to lay it out. Prov. xvii. 16. Can it choose but torment you to think of this your present folly? O that your eyes were opened to see what you have done in the wilful wronging of your own souls! and that you better understood these words of God, "Prov. viii. 33, 34, 35, 36. Hear instruction and be wise, and refuse it not; blessed is the man that heareth me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at the posts of my doors; for whoso findeth me findeth life, and shall obtain the fa­vour of the Lord. But he that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul: All they that hate me love death."

And now I am come to the conclusion of this work; my heart is troubled to think how I shall leave you, lest, after this, the flesh should still deceive you, and the world and the devil should keep you asleep, and I should leave you as I found you, till you awake in hell. Though in care of your poor souls, I am afraid of this, as knowing the obstinacy of a carnal heart; yet I can say with the prophet Jeremy, xvii. 16. I have not desired the woeful day, the Lord know­eth. I have not with James and John desireth that fire might come from heaven to consume them that refused Jesus Christ, Luke xi. 54. But it is the preventing of the eternal fire that I have been all this while endeavouring: And O that it had been a needless work? that God and con­science might have been as willing to spare me this [Page 126]labour, as some of you could have been. Dear friends, I am so loth that you should lie in ever­lasting fire, and be shut out of heaven, if it be possible to prevent it, that I shall once more ask you, what do you now resolve? Will you turn or die? I look upon you as a physician on his patient, in a dangerous disease, that saith to him, though you are far gone, take but this medicine, and forbear but those few thing [...] that are hurtful, to you, and I dare warrant your life; but if you will not do this, you are but a dead man. What would you think of such a man, if the physici­an, and all the friends he hath, cannot persuade him to take one medicine to save his life, or for­bear one or two poisonous things that would kill him? This is your case. As far as you are gone in sin, do but now turn and come to Christ, and take his remedies, and your soul [...] shall live. Cast up your deadly sins by repentance, and return not to the poisonous vomit any more, and you shall do well. But yet if it were your bodies that we had to deal with, we might partly know what to do for you. Though you would not consent, yet you might be held or bound, while the medicine were poured down your throats, and hurtful things might be kept from you. But about your souls it cannot be so, we cannot con­vert you against your wills. There is no carry­ing madmen to heaven in fetters. You may be condemned against your wills, because you sin­ned with your wills; but you cannot be saved against your wills. The wisdom of God hath thought meet to lay mens salvation or destruction exceeding much upon the choice of their own [Page 127]wills; that no man shall come to heaven that chose not the way to heaven; and no man shall come to hell but shall be forced to say, I have the thing I chose, my own will did bring me hither. Now, if I could but get you to be wil­ling, to be thoroughly and resolvedly, and ha­bitually willing, the work were more than half done. And alas, must we lose our friends, and must they lose their God, their happiness, their souls, for want of this? God forbid? It is a strange thing to me that men are so inhuman and stupid in the greatest matters, that in lesser things are civil and courteous, and good neighbours. For ought I know, I have the love of all, or al­most all my neighbours, so far, that if I should send to every man in the town, or parish, or country, and request a reasonable courtesy of them, they would grant it me; and yet when I come to request of them the greatest matter in the world for themselves, and not for me, I can have nothing of many of them but a patient hearing. I know not whether people think a man in the pulpit is in good sadness or not, and means as he speaks; for I think I have few neigh­bours, but if I were sitting familiarly with them, and telling them of what I have seen or done, or known in the world, they would believe me, and regard what I say; but when I tell them, from the infallible word of God, what they themselves shall see and know in the world to come, they shew by their lives they do either not believe it, or not much regard it. If I met ever any one of them on the way, and told them yonder is a coal pit, or there is a quicksand, or [Page 128]there are thieves lie in wait for you; I could persuade them to turn by. But when I tell them that satan lieth in wait for them, and that sin is poison to them, and that hell is not a matter to be jested with, they go on as if they did not hear me. Truly neighbours, I am in as good earnest with you in the pulpit, as I am in my familiar discourse: and if ever you will regard me, I beseech you let it be here. I think there is never a man of you all, but if my own soul lay at your wills, you would be willing to save it (though I cannot promise that you would leave your sins for it.) Tell me, thou drunkard, art thou so cruel to me that speak to thee, that thou wouldest not forbear a few cups of drink, if thou knewest it would save my soul from hell! Hadst thou rather that I did burn there for ever, than thou shouldst live soberly as other men do? If so, may I not say, thou art an unmerciful monster, and not a man? If I came hungry or naked to one of your doors, would you not part with more than a cup of drink to relieve me? I a in confident you would; If it were to save my life, I know you would (some of you) hazard your own. And yet will you not be intreated to part with your sensual pleasures for your own sal­vation? Wouldest thou forbear an hundred cups of drink man, to save my life, if it were in thy power, and wilt thon not do it to save thy own soul? I profess to you, firs, I am as hearty a beggar with you this day for the saving of your own souls, as I would be for my own supply if I were forced to come a begging to your doors. And therefore if you would hear me then, heat [Page 129]me now. If you would pity me then, be intreat­ed now to pity yourselves. I do again beseech you, as if it were on my bended knees, that you would hearken to your redeemer, and, turn that you may live. All you that have lived in ignorance, and carelessness, and presumption, to this day; all you that have been drowned in the care of the world, and have no mind of God, and eternal glory; all you that are enslaved to your fleshly desires, of meat and drink, sports and lusts; and all you that know not the neces­sity of holiness, and never were acquainted with the sanctifying work of the Holy Ghost upon your souls, that never embraced your blessed re­deemer by a lively faith, and with admiring and thankful apprehensions of his love, and that ne­ver felt an higher estimation of God & heaven, and an heartier love to them than to your fleshly prosperity, and the things below; I earnestly beseech you, not only for my sake, but for the Lord's sake, that you go not one day longer in your former condition, but look about you, and cry to God for converting grace, that you be made new creatures, and may escape the plagues that are a little before you. And if ever you will do any thing for me, grant me this request, to turn from your evil ways and live. Deny me any thing that ever I shall ask you for myself, if you will but grant me this. And if you deny me this, I care not for any thing else that you would grant me. Nay, as ever you will do any thing at the request of the Lord that made you, and redeemed you, deny him not this; for if you deny him this, he cares for nothing that you [Page 130]shall grant him. As ever you would have him hear you prayers, and grant your requests, and do for you at the hour of death and day of judg­ment, or in any of your extremities, deny not his request in the day of your prosperity. O sits, believe it, death and judgment, and hea­ven and hell, are other matters when you come hear them, than they seem to carnal eyes afar off; then you would hear such a message as I bring you with more a wakoned regardful hearts.

Well, though I cannot hope so well of all, I will hope that some of you are by this time pur­posing to turn and live; and that you are ready to ask me, as the Jews did Peter, Acts ii. 37. When they were pricked in their hearts, and said, "men and brethren, what shall we do? How might we come to be truly converted? We are willing, if we did but know our duty. God forbid that we should choose destruction, by re­fusing conversion, as hitherto we have done.

If these be the thoughts and purposes of your hearts, I say of you as God did of a promising people, Deut. v. 28, 29. They have well said all that they have spoken; "O that there were such a heart in them, that they would fear me, and keep all my commandments always!" Your purposes are good: O that there were but an heart in you to perform these purposes! And in hope hereof, I shall gladly give you direction what to do, and that but briefly, that you may the easier remember it for your practice.