that made them will not have mercy on them; and he that formed them will show them no favour.(g) 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 will do a thousand times more against yourselves, and even cast away both soul and body for ever, and never complain of your own unmercifulness. Yea, and God who waited upon you all the while with his mercy, must be taken to be unmerciful, if he punish you after all this. Unless the holy God of heaven will give these wretches leave to trample upon his Son's blood, and do despite to the Spirit of grace, and set more lightly 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, God himself must be called unmerciful. But he will be justified when he judgeth: and he will not stand or fall at the bar of a sinful worm.

2. From hence you may observe, 1. What a subtle tempter Satan is. 2. What a deceitful thing sin is. 3. What a foolish creature corrupted man is.-A subtle tempter indeed, that can persuade the greatest part of the world to go wilfully into everlasting fire, when they have so many warnings and dissuasives! A deceitful thing is sin 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, 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 should be persuaded for a little to cast himself into the fire, or water, to the destruction of his life: and yet men will be enticed to cast themselves into hell. If your natural lives were in your own hands, so that you should not die till you would kill yourselves, how long would most of you live! and yet when your everlast(g) Isa. xxvii. 11.

ing life is so far in your hands under God, that you cannot be undone till you undo yourselves, how few of you will forbear your undoing! Ah, what a silly thing is man! and what a bewitching and befooling thing is sin!

Lastly, You may hence learn, that the greatest enemy to man, is himself; and the greatest judgment in this life that can befal him, is to be left to himself; and that the great work which Christ has to do, is to save us from ourselves; and the greatest complaints of men should be against themselves; and that the greatest work that we have to do ourselves, is to resist ourselves; and the greatest enemy which we should daily pray, and watch, and strive against, is our own 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 own blind understanding, and corrupt wills, and perverse affections, and violent passions, and unruly senses: I only name all these for brevity's sake, and leave them to your further consideration.

Well, now we have found out the great murderer of souls, (even men's selves, their own wills,) what remains but that you 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 And, 3. To reform you.

you.

1. We know so much of the exceeding gracious nature of God, who is willing to do good, and delights to show mercy, that we have no reason to suspect him of being the cause of our death, or to call him cruel. He made all good, and he preserves and maintains all; the eyes of all things wait upon him, and he gives them their meat in good season; he opens his hand, and satisfies the desires of all the living. He is not only righteous in all his ways (and therefore will deal justly,) 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.

But as for man, we know his mind is dark, his will is perverse, his affections carry him so headlong, that he is fitted by his folly and corruption to such a work as the destroying of himself. Let no man 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 that death is the offspring of your own sin, and the fruit which it will yield you as soon as it is ripe.You have a treasure of evil in yourselves, as a spider hath of poison, from whence you are bringing forth hurt to yourselves, and spinning such webs as entangle your own souls.

2. It is evident that you are your own destroyers, in that you are so ready to entertain any temptation that is offered. Satan is scarce readier to move you to any evil, than you are ready to 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 kindle any vile affection or desire in you, it is soon done. If he would drive you on to evil thoughts, or deeds, you are so free, that he needs no spur. If he would keep you from holy thoughts, and words, and ways, a little does 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 endeavours to kindle; but set in with him, and meet him half way, and embrace his motions, and tempt him to tempt you.

3. Your destruction is evidently owing to yourselves, in that you resist all who would help to save you. God would help and save you by his word, and you resist it; it is too strict for you. He would sanctify you by his Spirit, but you resist and quench it. If

any man reprove you for your sin, you fly in his face; if he tell you of your danger, you give him little thanks, but either bid him look to himself, or, at best, put him off with heartless thanks.

4. Moreover, it is apparent that you are self-destroyers, in that you draw the matter of your sin and destruction even from the blessed 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,(h) and makes as light of sin as you: you like not his truth, but would have his threatenings, even his peremptory threatenings, prove false. And his 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 sin, as if you might the more freely sin, because God is merceful.

5. Yea, you fetch destruction from the blessed Redeemer, and death from the Lord of life himself. Nothing more emboldens you in sin, than that Christ has 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 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 uttermost all that come to God by him; you think he 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.

6. He gives them to you as the tokens of his love, and furniture for 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. Your clothes you abuse to pride. Your riches draw your hearts from heaven. Your honours and applause puff you up. If you have health and strength, it makes you more secure. Yea, other men's mercies are abused by you to your hurt. If you see (4) Psal. 1. 21.

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.

7. The very gifts which God bestows on you, and the ordinances of grace, you turn to sin. If you have better parts than others, you grow proud and selfconceited. You take the bare hearing of your duty for so good a work, as will excuse you for not obeying it. Your prayers are turned into sin, because you regard iniquity in your hearts, (i) and depart not from iniquity when you call on the name of the Lord. prayers are abominable, because you turn away your ear from hearing the law? (k) and are more ready to offer the sacrifice of fools, (thinking you do God some special service,) than to hear his word, and obey it. (1)

Your

And thus I might show you, in many other cases, how you turn all that comes near you to your own destruction? So clear is it, 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 consider what you have done, and be ashamed, and deeply humbled. If you be not, I pray you consider these following truths.

1. To be your own destroyers, is to sin against the deepest principle in your natures, even the principle of self-preservation. Every thing naturally desires its own welfare or preservation. 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 not your own damnation, even when you are procuring it; you think you are but doing good to yourselves, by gratifying the desires

(i) Psal. lxvi. 18. (k) Prov. xxviii. 9. (4) Eccles. v. 1.