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with the disciples, Who then shall be saved? Set out from among our congregations all the profane on the one hand, and then all these sorts of close and selfdeceiving hypocrites on the other, and tell me then whether it be not a remnant that shall be saved?

And now, conscience, do thy office; speak out, and speak home to him that readeth these lines. If thou find any of these marks upon him, thou must pronounce him utterly unclean. Take not up a lie into thy mouth, speak not peace to him, to whom God speaks no peace. I require thee in the name of God to go with me to the search of the suspected house. Wilt thou hold thy peace at such a time as this? I adjure thee by the living God, that thou tell us the truth. Is the man converted, or is he not? Doth he allow himself in any way of sin, or doth he not? Doth he truly love, and please, and delight in God, or not? Come, put it to an issue.

How long shall this soul live at uncertainties? O conscience! bring in thy verdict. Is this man a new man, or is he not? How dost thou find it? Hath there passed a thorough and mighty change upon him, or not? When was the time? where was the place? or what was the means by which this thorough change was wrought in his soul? Speak, conscience; or if thou canst not tell time and place, canst thou show scripture evidence that the work is done? Hath the man ever been taken off from his false bottom, from the false hopes and false peace wherein he once trusted? Hath he been convinced of sin, and of his lost and undone condition, and brought out of himself, and off from his sins, to give himself up entirely to Jesus Christ? Or dost thou not find him to this day under the power of ignorance, or in the mire of profaneness? Hast thou not taken upon him the gains of unrighte ousness? Dost thou not find him a stranger to prayer, a neglecter of the word, a lover of this present world? Dost thou not often catch him in a lie? Dost thou not find his heart fermented with malice, or burning with ust, or going after his covetousness? Speak plainly

to all the forementioned particulars: canst thou acquit this man, this woman, from being one of the characters here described? If he be found to be one of them, set him aside; he must be converted, and made a new creature, or else he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.

Beloved, be not your own betrayers. Do not deceive your own hearts, nor set your hands to your own ruin, by a wilful blinding of yourselves. Set up a tribunal in your own breasts, bring the word and conscience together. O! follow the search till you have found how the case stands: mistake here, and perish. And such is the treachery of the heart, the subtlety of the tempter, and the deceitfulness of sin, and, withal, so common and easy is it to be mistaken, that 'tis a thousand to one but you will be deceived, unless you be very careful and impartial in the inquiry: O! therefore ply your work, go to the bottom, search with candles, weigh yourself in the balance, come to the standard of the sanctuary, bring your coin to the touchstone. Satan is master of deceit; he can draw to the life; there is nothing but he can imitate; you cannot wish for any grace, but he can fit you to a hair with a counterfeit. Trade warily, look on every piece you take; be jealous, trust not your own hearts. Run to God to search you and try you; to examine you and prove your reins. If other helps suffice not to bring all to an issue, but you are still at a loss, open your cases faithfully to some godly and faithful minister, Mal. ii. 7. Rest not till you have put the business of your eternal welfare out of question. O, Searcher of hearts, put thou this soul upon, and help him in, his search!

CHAP. V.

Showing the Miseries of the Unconverted.

So unspeakably dreadful is the case of every unconverted soul, that I have sometimes thought, if I could but convince men that they were yet in a great measure unregenerate, the work would be done.

But I sadly experience, that such a spirit of sloth and slumber possesseth the unsanctified, that though they be convinced they are unconverted, yet they carelessly sit still: and what, through pleasures or worldly business, or noise and clamour of earthly cares and affections, the voice of conscience is drowned, and men go no farther than some cold wishes, and general purposes of amending.

'Tis therefore of high necessity that I not only convince men that they are unconverted, but endeavour to bring them to a sense of the fearful misery of this state.

But, what tongue can tell the heirs of hell sufficiently of their misery? Where is the ready writer, whose pen can decipher their misery that are without God in the world? Who knoweth (saith Moses) the power of thine anger? And how shall I tell men that which I do not know? Yet so much we know, as one would think would shake the heart of that man, that had the least degree of sense.

But could I uncover the face of the deep, and the devouring gulph of Tophet, in all its terrors, and open the gates of the infernal furnace, alas! he hath no eyes to see it. He neither doth nor can know the things of God, because they are spiritually discerned. He is a child of darkness, and walks in darkness. Yea, the light in him is darkness.

Shall I sound in his ear the terrible trump of God's judgments, that one would think should make both his ears to tingle, loose his joints, and make his knees

smite one against another! Yet, alas, he perceives me not, he hath no ears to hear.

Which way then shall I come at the miserable objects that I have to deal with? Who shall make the heart of stone to relent? Or the lifeless carcase to feel and move? That God that is able of stones to raise up children unto Abraham, that loves to work like himself, beyond the hopes and belief of man, that peopleth his church with dry bones; he is able to do this. Therefore I bow my knee to the most high God; and as our Saviour prayed at the sepulchre of Lazarus, so doth your mourning minister kneel about your graves, and carry you in the arms of prayer to that God in whom your help is found.

O thou all-powerful Jehovah, that workest, and none can let thee! that hast the keys of death and hell! pity thou the dead souls that lie here entombed, and roll away the grave-stone, and say, as to Lazarus, when already stinking, Come forth. Lighten thou this darkness, inaccessible Light, and let the day-spring from on high visit the dark regions of the dead, to whom I speak; for thou canst open the eyes that death itself hath closed, thou that formedst the ear, canst restore the hearing; say thou to these ears, Ephphatha, and they shall be opened. Give thou eyes to see thine excellencies; a taste that may relish thy sweetness; a scent that may savour thy ointments; a feeling that may discern the privilege of thy favour, the burden of thy wrath, the intolerable weight of unpardoned sin; and give thy servant order to prophesy to the dry bones, and let the effects of this prophecy be as of thy prophet, when he prophesied the valley of dry bones into a living army exceeding great.-But 1 must proceed, as I am able, to unfold that mystery, which no tongue can fully unfold, no heart can sufficiently comprehend. Know, therefore, that while thou art unconverted,

I. The infinite God is engaged against thee.

Thou art not only without God, but God is against thee. O if God would but stand a neuter, though he did not own or help the poor sinner, his case were not

so deeply miserable, though God should give up the poor creature to the will of his enemies, to do their worst with him; though he should deliver him over to the tormentors, that devils might tear and torture him to their utmost power and skill, yet this was not half so fearful. But God will set himself against the sinner: and, believe it, 'tis a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. There is no friend like him, no enemy like him. As much as heaven is above the earth, so much more horrible is it to fall into the hands of the living God, than into the paws of bears or lions, yea, furies or devils. Thy destruction shall come from the presence of the Lord, 2 Thess. i. 9. Tophet is deep and large, and the wrath of the Lord, like a river of brimstone, doth kindle it, Isa. xxx. 33. If God be against thee, who shall be for thee? If one man sin against another, the judge shall judge him; but if a man sin against the Lord, who shall intreat for him? 1 Sam. ii. 25. Thou, even thou art to be feared; and who shall stand in thy sight, when thou art once angry?"

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Sinner! methinks, this should go like a dagger to thy heart, to know that God is thine enemy: O whither wilt thou go? Where wilt thou shelter thyself? There's no hope for thee unless thou lay down thy weapons, and sue out thy pardon, and get Christ to stand thy friend, and make thy peace: if it were not for this, thou mightest go into some howling wilderness, and there pine in sorrow, and run mad for anguish of heart and horrible despair: but in Christ there is a possibility of mercy for thee, yea, a proffer of mercy to thee, that thou mayest have God to be more for thee than he is now against thee; but if thou wilt not forsake thy sins, nor turn thoroughly, and to some purpose, to God by a sound conversion, the wrath of God abideth on thee, and he proclaimeth himself to be against thee, as in the prophet Ezekiel, v. 8. Therefore thus saith the Lord God, Behold I, even I, am against thee.

First, his Justice is like a flaming sword unsheathed against thee: "If I whet my glittering sword, and my

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