DOCTRINE III.

God takes pleasure in men's conversion, and salvation; but not in their death or damnation: he had rather they would turn and live, than go on and die.

For the proof of this point, I shall be very brief, because I suppose you believe it already.

1. The gracious nature of God has proclaimed and frequently assured you of this; that he has no pleasure in your death.

2. If God had more pleasure in thy death, than in thy conversion and life, he would not have so frequently commanded thee in his word to turn; he would not have made thee such promises of life, if thou wilt turn; would not have persuaded thee to it by so many rea.sons. The tenor of his gospel proves the point.

3. And his commission, which he has given to the ministers of the gospel, does fully prove it. If God had taken more pleasure in thy damnation, than in thy conversion and salvation, he would never have charged us to offer you mercy, and to teach you the way of life, both publicly and privately; and to entreat, and beseech you to turn and live: to acquaint you with your sins, and tell you of your danger; and to do all that possibly we can for your conversion, and to continue patiently so doing, though you should hate or abuse us for our pains. Would God have done this, if he had taken pleasure in your death?

4 It is proved also by the course of his providence. If God had rather you were damned, than saved, he would not second his word with his works, and entice you by his daily kindness, and give you all the mercies of this life, which are means to lead you to repentance, (h) and bring you so often under his rod, to force you into your wits: he would not set so many examples before your eyes, no, nor wait on you so patiently as he does from day to day, and year to year. These are

(h) Rom. ii. 4.

not signs of one that takes pleasure in your death. If this had been his delight, how easily could he have had thee long ago in hell! How oft before this could he have snatched thee away in the midst of thy sins, with a curse, or oath, or lie in thy mouth! When thou wast last in thy drunkenness, or deriding the ways of God; how easily could he have stopt thy breath, and made thee sober in another world! Alas! how small a matter is it for the Almighty to rule the tongue of the profanest railer, and tie the hands of the most malicious persecutor, or calm the fury of the bitterest of his enemies, and make them know they are but worms! If he did but frown upon thee, thou wouldst drop into the grave. If he gave commission to one of his angels to go and destroy ten thousand sinners, how quickly would it be done! How easily can he lay thee upon the bed of languishing, and make thee lie roaring there in pain, and eat the words of reproach which thou hast spoken against his servants, his word, his worship, and his holy ways! How easily can he lay that flesh under groans, and make it more loathsome than the dung of the earth! That flesh, which now must have what it loves, and must not be displeased, tho' God be displeased! and must be humoured in meat and drink, and clothed, whatever God say to the contrary. How quickly would the frown of God consume it! When thou wast passionately defending thy sin, and quarrelling with them that would have drawn thee from it, and pleading for the works of darkness; how easily could, God have snatched thee away in a moment, and set thee before his dreadful majesty, (where thou shouldst see ten thousand times ten thousand glorious angels waiting on his throne,) and have asked thee, What hast thou now to say against thy Creator, his truth, his servants, or his holy ways? Now plead thy cause, and make the best of it thou canst. Now what canst thou say in excuse for thy sins? Now give account of thy time, and of all the mercies thou hast had. O how thy stubborn heart would have melted, and thy

countenance have been appalled, and thy stout words turned into speechless silence, or dreadful cries, if God had but set thee thus at his bar, and pleaded his own cause with thee! How easily can he at any time say to thy guilty soul, Come away, and live in that flesh no more, till the resurrection! And it cannot resist. A word of his mouth would take off the poise of thy present life, and then all thy parts and powers would stand still. And if he were to say to thee, Live no longer, or live in hell; thou couldst not disobey.

But God has done none of this, but has patiently forborn thee, and mercifully upheld thee, and given thee that breath which thou didst breathe out against him, and given thee those mercies which thou didst sacrifice to thy flesh, and afforded thee that provision which thou spentest to satisfy thy greedy appetite: he gave thee every minute of that time which thou didst waste in idleness or drunkenness. And does not all this patience and mercy show that he desires not thy damnation? Can the candle burn without the oil? Can your houses stand without the earth to bear them? as well as you can live an hour without the support of God. And why did he so long support thy life, but to see when thou wouldst bethink thee of the folly of thy ways, and return and live? Will any man purposely put arms into his enemies' hands to resist him? or hold a candle to a murderer who is killing his children? Surely it is to see whether thou wilt at last return and live, that God has so long waited on thee.

5. It is further proved by the sufferings of his Son, that God takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked. Would he have ransomed them from death at so dear a rate? Would he have astonished angels and men at his condescension? Would God have dwelt in flesh, and have come in the form of a servant, and have lived a life of suffering, and died a cursed death for sinners, if he had taken pleasure in their death? Suppose you saw him praying with the drops of blood

trickling from him instead of sweat, or suffering a cursed death upon the cross, and pouring out his sou as a sacrifice for our sins; would you have thought these the signs of one that delights in the death of the wicked? If you had seen and heard him weeping and bemoaning the state of disobedience in impenitent people, or complaining of their stubbornness, as Matt. xxiii. 37. O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, how oft would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! Or it you had seen and heard him on the cross, praying for persecutors, Father forgive them, for they know not what they do; would you have suspected that he had delighted in the death of the wicked; even of those that perish by their wilful unbelief? When God hath so loved, (not only loved, but so loved,) as to give his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life; he has proved against the malice of men and devils, that he takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but had rather that they would turn and live.

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6. Lastly, If all this will not satisfy you, take his own word, who knows best his own mind, or at least believe his oath: but this leads me to the fourth dootrine.

DOCTRINE IV.

The Lord has confirmed to us by his oath, that he has no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but had rather that he should turn and live: that he may leave man no pretence to question the truth of it.

IF you dare question his word, I hope you dare not question his oath. As Christ has solemnly protested that the unconverted cannot enter into the kingdom of heaven; so God has sworn that his plea

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sure is not in their death, but in their conversion and life. And as the Apostle says, Because he could swear by no greater, he sware by himself. For men verily swear by the greater; and an oath for confirmation is to them an end of all strife. Wherein God, willing more abundantly to show unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath; that by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge, to lay hold on the hope set before us; which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast.(q) If there be any man who cannot reconcile this truth, with the damnation of the wicked, that is owing to his own ignorance; he has no pretence left to deny or question therefore the truth of the point in hand; for this is confirmed by the oath of God, and therefore must not be distorted to reduce it to other points; but doubtful points must rather be reduced to it, and certain truths must be believed to agree with it, though our shallow brains hardly discern the agreement.

USE.

I Do now entreat thee, if thou be an unconverted sinner, who hearest these words, that thou wouldst bethink thyself awhile, who it is that takes pleasure in thy sin and damnation. Certainly it is not God; he has sworn for his part, that he takes no pleasure in it. And I know it is not the pleasure of him that you intend in it. 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 (q) Heb. vi. 13-16, 17, 18, 19.