and sleeping out thy life in negligence? Awake, thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.

5. The voice of every mercy thou dost possess. If thou couldst but hear and understand them, they all cry unto thee, Turn. Why does the earth bear thee, but to seek and serve the Lord? Why does it afford thee its fruit, but to serve him? Why does the air afford thee breath, but to serve him? Why do all the creatures serve thee with their labours and their lives; but that thou mightest serve the Lord of them and thee? Why does he give thee time, and health, and strength, but to serve him? Why hast thou meat, and drink, and clothes, but for his service? Hast thou any thing which thou hast not received? And if thou didst receive them, it is reason thou shouldst bethink thee, from whom, and to what end, and use, thou didst receive them. Didst thou never cry to him for help in thy distress? And didst thou not then understand that it was thy part to turn and serve him, if he would deliver thee? He has done his part, and spared thee yet longer, and tried thee another and another year; and yet dost thou not turn? How many years has God looked for the fruits of love and holiness from thee, and has found none?—and yet he has spared thee. How many a time by thy wilful ignorance, and carelessness, and disobedience, hast thou provoked justice to say, Cut him down, why cumbereth he the ground? And yet mercy has prevailed, and patience has forborn the killing, damning blow, to this day. If thou hadst the understanding of a man within thee, thou wouldst know that all this calls thee to turn.

6. Moreover, the voice of every affliction calls thee to make haste and turn. Sickness and pain cry Turn: and poverty, and loss of friends, and every chastising rod, cry Turn; and yet wilt thou not hearken to the call?

7. Yea, thine own engagements by promise to the Lord, call upon thee to turn and serve him. Thou hast bound thyself to him by a baptismal covenant

and renounced the world, the flesh, and the devil: this thou hast confirmed by the profession of Christianity, and renewed it at sacraments, and in times of affliction: and wilt thou promise and vow, and never perform and turn to God?

Lay all these together now. The holy scripture calls upon thee to turn: the Spirit cries Turn: thy conscience cries Turn: the whole world, and all the creatures therein, cry Turn: the patient forbearing of God cries Turn: all the mercies thou receivest cry Turn: the rod of God's chastisements cries Turn: and so do all thy promises to God; and yet art thou not resolved to turn?

8. Moreover, poor hard-hearted sinner, didst thou ever consider upon what terms thou standest all this while with him who calls on thee to turn? Thou art his own, and owest him thyself, and all thou hast; and may he not command his own? Thou art his absolute servant, and shouldst serve no other master. Thou standest at his mercy, and thy life is in his hand, and he is resolved to save thee upon no other terms: thou hast many malicious spiritual enemies, who would be glad if God would but forsake thee, and let them alone with thee, and leave thee to their will: how quickly would they deal with thee in another manner! And thou canst not be delivered from them, but by turning unto God. Thou art fallen under his wrath by thy sin already: and thou knowest, not how long his patience will yet wait. Perhaps this is the last year; perhaps the last day: his sword is even at thy heart, while the word is in thine ear; and if thou turn not thou art a dead man. Were thy eyes but open to see where thou standest, even upon the brink of hell, and to see how many thousands are there already, thou wouldst see that it is time to look. about thee.

O what glad tidings would it be to those that are now in hell, if they had but such a message from God! what a joyful word it would be to hear this, Turn and live: yea, what a welcome word would it be to, thy

self, if thou hadst felt that wrath of God but an hour! or, if after a thousand, or ten thousand years' torment, thou couldst but hear such a word from God as, Turn and live! And yet wilt thou now neglect it, and suffer us to return without our errand?

Behold, sinners, we are sent here as the messengers of the Lord, to set before you life and death: what say you? which of them will you choose? Christ stands as it were by thee, with heaven in one hand, and hell in the other, and offers thee thy choice: which wilt thou choose? The voice of the Lord maketh the rocks to tremble. But it is nothing to hear him threaten thee, if thou wilt not turn. Dost thou not understand and feel this voice, Turn ye, turn ye; why will ye die? Why, it is the voice of love, of infinite love, of thy best and kindest Friend: and yet canst thou neglect it? It is the voice of pity and compassion. The Lord sees whither thou art going better than thou dost, which makes him call after thee, Turn, turn: he sees what will become of thee, if thou turn not: he thinks with himself-Ah, this poor sinner will cast himself into endless torments if he do not turn; I must in justice deal with him according to my righteous law. And therefore he calls after thee, Turn, turn, O sinner! If you did but know the thousandth part, as well as God does, of the danger that is near you, and the misery you are running into, we should have no more need to call after you

to turn.

Well, are you yet resolved, or are you not? Do I need to say any more to you? What will you do? Will you turn or not? Speak man in thy heart to God: speak, lest he take thy silence for denial. Speak quickly, lest he never make thee the like offer more. Speak resolvedly, and not waveringly; for he will have no indifferents to be his followers. Say in thy heart now, without any more delay, even before thou stir hence, By the grace of God I am resolved presently to turn. And because I know mine own insufficiency, I am resolved to wait on God for his grace,

and to follow him in his ways, and forsake my former companions, and give up myself to the guidance of the Lord.

DOCTRINE VI.

The Lord condescends to reason the case with unconverted sinners, and to ask them why they will die?

A STRANGE disputation it is, both as to the contro versy, and as to the disputants.

1. The controversy or question propounded, Why wicked men will damn themselves? Or, Why they will rather die than turn? Whether they have any sufficient reason for so doing?

2. The disputants are God and man: the most holy God, and wicked unconverted sinners.

Is it not a strange thing, that any man should be willing to die, and be damned? yea, that this should be the case of the greatest part of the world? But you will say, This cannot be; for nature desires the preservation of itself.

2.

1 answer, 1. It is a certain truth, that no man can will any evil as evil, but only as it has some appearance of good. Misery, as such, is desired by none. But yet it is most true, that the cause why the wicked die and are damned, is because they will die and be damned. And this is true in several respects.

1. They will go the way that leads to hell, though they are told by God and man whither it leads; and though God has so often professed in his word, that if they hold on in that way, they shall be condemned; and that they shall not be saved, unless they turn.They have the word, and the oath, of the living God for it, that if they will not turn, they shall not enter into his rest. And yet, wicked they are, and wicked they will be, let God and man say what they will. So that consequently these men are willing to be damn

1

1

ed, though not directly: they chuse the way to hell, and love the certain cause of their torments; though they do not will hell itself, and do not love the pain which they must endure.

Is not this the truth of your case? You would not burn in hell; but you will cast yourselves into it. You would not be tormented with devils for ever, but you will do that which will certainly procure it. It is as if you would say, I will drink this ratsbane; but I will not die: I will cast myself headlong from the top of a steeple; but yet I will not kill myself: I will thrust this knife into my breast; but I will not take away my life. Just so it is with wicked men; they will be wicked, and yet they would not be damned. But do you not know that God has by his righteous law concluded that you must repent or perish? He that will take poison, may as well say plainly, I will kill myself, for it will prove no better in the end; though perhaps he loved it for the sweetness of the sugar that was mixt with it, and would not be persuaded that it was poison: but it is not his conceit and confidence that will save his life. So if you will be drunkards, or fornicators, or worldlings, or live after the flesh, you may as well say plainly, we will be damned: for so you shall be, unless you turn.-Would you not rebuke the folly of a thief or murderer, that would say, I will steal or kill, but I will not be hanged; when he knows that if he do the one, the judge will see that the other be done? If he say, I will steal and murder, he may as well say plainly, I will be hanged; and if you will go on in a carnal life, you may as well say plainly, we will go to hell.

2. Moreover, the wicked will not use those means, without which there is no hope of their salvation. He that will not eat, may as well say plainly, he will not live, unless he can tell how to live without meat. He that will not go his journey, may as well say plainly, he will not come to the end of it. He that falls into the water, and will not come out, or suffer another to help him out, may as well say plainly, he will be drowned. So if you be ungodly, and will not be con