A Call to the Unconverted to Turn and Live [ThML]
<generalInfo> <description>This 17th century Puritan devotional became wildly popular even after only a year following its publication. In some ways, the book’s popularity was somewhat of an anomaly. A myriad of new Puritan devotional books became available in bookshops every year, and Baxter’s book contained a standard exposition of the New Testament narrative. Baxter’s style, however, gripped people and urged them to share his book with others. In contrast to other contemporaneous Puritan devotionals, Baxter’s approach of communicating to his readers was a personal one. He addressed them as “you” rather than with such generic terms as “people” or “Christians;” he used a pastoral tone rather than a preachy one. A century later, George Whitefield, the great Methodist evangelist, would cite Baxter’s Call to the Unconverted as one of the most refreshing pieces of Christian discourse from the recent past. <br></br><br></br>Kathleen O’Bannon<br></br>CCEL Staff </description> <pubHistory></pubHistory> <comments></comments> </generalInfo> <printSourceInfo> <published>York: Wilson, Spence, and Mawman, 1795.</published> </printSourceInfo> <electronicEdInfo> <publisherID>ccel</publisherID> <authorID>baxter</authorID> <bookID>unconverted</bookID> <version></version> <series></series> <DC> <DC.Title>A Call to the Unconverted to Turn and Live</DC.Title> <DC.Creator sub="Author" scheme="short-form">Richard Baxter</DC.Creator> <DC.Creator sub="Author" scheme="file-as">Baxter, Richard (1615-1691) </DC.Creator> <DC.Publisher>Grand Rapids, MI: Christian Classics Ethereal Library</DC.Publisher> <DC.Subject scheme="LCCN"></DC.Subject> <DC.Subject scheme="ccel">All; Practical Theology</DC.Subject> <DC.Date sub="Created">2005-12-25</DC.Date> <DC.Type>Text.Monograph</DC.Type> <DC.Format scheme="IMT">text/html</DC.Format> <DC.Identifier scheme="URL">/ccel/baxter/unconverted.html</DC.Identifier> <DC.Source></DC.Source> <DC.Source scheme="URL"></DC.Source> <DC.Language>en</DC.Language> <DC.Rights></DC.Rights> </DC> </electronicEdInfo>
Title Page
iiAnd accept of MERCY, while MERCY may be had; as ever they will find MERCY, in the Day of their EXTREMITY from the Living God.
By the late Reverend and Pious
Mr. RICHARD BAXTER.
YORK:
Printed for WILSON, SPENCE, and MAWMAN.
M,DCC,XCV.
iiiPrefatory Material
A Short Account of the Author and the Great Success Which Attended the Call When First Published.
The great Success which attended the CALL
when first published.
IT may be proper to prefix an account of this book given by Mr. Baxter himself, which was found in his study after his death, in his own words:
“I published a short treatise on conversion, intitled, A Call to the Unconverted. The occasion of this was my converse with bishop Usher, while I was at London. who, approving my method and directions suited for peace of conscience, was importunate with me to write directions suited to the various states of Christians, and also against particular sins: I reverenced the man, but disregarded these persuasions, supposing I could do nothing but what is done better already: but when he was dead, his words went deeper to my mind, and I purposed to obey his counsel; yet, so as that to the first sort of men, iv(the ungodly), I thought vehement persuasions meeter than directions only; and so for such I published this little book, which God hath blessed with unexpected success, beyond all the rest that I have written, except “The Saint’s Rest.” In a little more than a year, there were about twenty thousand of them printed by my own consent, and about ten thousand since; beside many thousands by stolen impressions, which poor men stole for lucre sake.—Through God’s mercy, I have information of almost whole households converted by this small book, which I set so light by; and, as if all this in England, Scotland, and Ireland, were not mercy enough to me, God (since I was silenced) hath sent it over on his message to many beyond the seas; for when Mr. Elliot had printed all the Bible in the Indian language, he next translated this my “Call to the Unconverted,” as he wrote to us here.—And yet God would make some farther use of it; for Mr. Stoop, the pastor of the French Church in London, being driven hence by the displeasure of his superiors, was pleased to translate it into French. I hope it will not be unprofitable there, nor in Germany, when it is printed in Dutch.”
It may be proper further to mention Dr. Bates’ account of the author, and of this useful Treatise.—In his sermon at Mr. Baxter’s funeral, he thus says: “His books of practical divinity have been effectual for more conversions of sinners to God than any printed in our time: and while the church remains on earth, will be of continual efficacy to recover lost souls.—There is a vigorous pulse in them, that keeps the reader awake and attentive.”—His Call to the Unconverted, how small in book, but how powerful in virtue! Truth speaks in it with that authority v and efficacy, that it makes the reader to lay his hand upon his heart, and find that he hath a soul and a conscience, though he lived before as if he had none. He told some friends, that six brothers were converted by reading that Call, and that every week he received letters of some converted by his books. This he spake with most humbled thankfulness, that God was pleased to use him as an instrument for the salvation of souls.”
Self-denial and contempt of the world were shining graces in him. I never knew any person less indulgent to himself, and more indifferent to his temporal interest.
His patience was truly Christian; he was tried by many afflictions. We are tender of our reputation. His name was obscured under a cloud of detraction: many scandalous darts were thrown at him. He was accused for his Paraphrase upon the New Testament, and condemned, unheard, to a prison, where he remained some years; but he was so far from being moved at the unrighteous prosecution, but he joyfully said to a constant friend, “What could I desire more of God, than having served him to my power, I should be called to suffer for him!”
His pacific spirit was a clear character of his being a child of God. How ardently he endeavoured to cement the breaches amongst us is publicly known. He said to a friend, “I can as willing be a martyr for love as for any article of the creed.”—It is strange, to astonishment, that those who agree in the substantial and great points of the reformed religion, and are of different sentiments only in things not so clear, nor of that moment as those wherein they consent, should be of opposite parties.
viDeath reveals the secrets of the heart; then words are spoken with most feeling and least affectation. This excellent saint was the same in his life and death: his last hours were spent in preparing others and himself to appear before God. He said to his friends that visited him, “You come hither to learn to die, I am not the only person that must go this way: I can assure you, that your whole life, be it ever so long, is little enough to prepare for death. Have a care of this vain deceitful world and the lusts of the flesh: Be sure you choose God for your portion, heaven for your home, God’s glory for your end, his word for your rule, and then you need never fear but we shall meet with comfort.”
Never was penitent sinner more humble and debasing, never was a sincere believer more calm and comfortable. He acknowledged himself to be the vilest dunghill-worm (it was his usual expression) that ever went to heaven; he admired the divine condescension to man, after saying “Lord, what is man? what am I? a vile worm to the great God!” Many times he prayed, “God be merciful to me a sinner!” and blessed God, that that he was left upon record in the Gospel as an effectual prayer: He said, “God may justly condemn me for the best duty I ever did; and all my hopes are from the free mercy of God in Christ,” which he often prayed for.
After a slumber he awaked and said, “I shall rest from my labour.” A minister then present said, “and your work follow you.” To whom he replied “No works! I will leave out works, if God will grant me the other.”—When a friend was comforting him with the remembrance of the good many had received by his preaching and writings, he said, vii“I was but a pen in God’s hand, and what praise is due to a pen?”
His resigned submission to the will of God, in his sharp sickness, was eminent. When extremity of pain constrained him earnestly to pray to God for his release by death, he would check himself: “It is not fit for me to prescribe;” and said, “when thou wilt, what thou wilt.”
At another time he said, “That he found great comfort and sweetness in repeating the words of the Lord’s prayer; and was sorry that some good people were prejudiced against the use of it; for, there were all necessary petitions for soul and body contained in it.”
At other times he gave excellent counsel to young ministers that visited him, and earnestly prayed to God to bless their labours, and make them very successful in converting many souls to Christ; and expressed great joy that they were of moderate peaceful spirits.
During his sickness, when the question was asked, how he did, his reply was, “almost well,” His joy was most remarkable when in his own apprehension death was nearest; and his spiritual joy was at length consummate in eternal joy.
Thus lived and died that blessed saint.—I have, without any artificial fiction in words, given a sincere short account of him. All our tears are below the just grief for such an invaluable loss. It is the comfort of his friends that he enjoys a blessed reward in heaven, and hath left a precious remembrance on earth.
Now, blessed be the gracious God, that he was pleased to prolong the life of his servant, so useful viiiand beneficial to the world, to a full age: that he hath brought him slowly and safely to heaven.
I shall conclude this account with my own deliberate wish: “May I live the remainder of my life as entirely to the glory of God as he lived; and when I shall come to the period of my life, may I die in the same blessed peace wherein he died: may I be with him in the kingdom of light and love for ever.”
I shall also add Dr. Calamy’s account of this Treatise; his words are thus: “In 1657, Mr. Baxter published a Call to the Unconverted; a book blessed by God with marvellous success, in reclaiming persons from their impieties. Twenty thousand of them were printed and dispersed in little more than a year. It was translated into French, and Dutch, and other European languages; and Mr. Elliot translated it into the Indian language; and Mr. Cotton Mather, in his life, gives an account of an Indian prince, who was so well affected with this book, that he sat reading it, with tears in his eyes, till he died.”
ixPreface
To all unsanctified Persons that shall read this Book; especially of my Hearers in the Borough and Parish of Kiaderminster.
Men and Brethren,
THE eternal God, that made you for a life everlasting, and hath
redeemed you by his only Son, when you had lost it and yourselves, being mindful
of you in your sin and misery, hath indited the gospel, and sealed it by his spirit,
and commanded his ministers to preach it to the world, that pardon being freely
offered you, and heaven being set before you, he might call you off from your fleshly
pleasures, and from following after this deceitful world, and acquaint you with
the life that you were created and redeemed for, before you are dead and past remedy.
He sendeth you not prophets or apostles, that receive their message by immediate
revelation; but yet he calleth you by his ordinary ministers, who are commissioned
by him to preach the same gospel which Christ and his apostles first delivered.
The Lord seeth how you forget him and your latter end, and how light you make of
everlasting things, as men that understand not what they have to do or suffer. He
seeth how bold you are in sin, and how fearless threatnings, and how careless of
your souls, and how the works of infidels are in your lives, while the belief of
Christians is in your mouths. xHe seeth the dreadful day at hand, when
your sorrows will begin, and you must lament all this with fruitless cries in torment
and desperation; and then the remembrance of your folly will tear your hearts, if
true conversion now prevent it not. In compassion of your sinful miserable souls,
the Lord, that better knows your case than you can know it, hath made it our duty
to speak to you in his name,
Once more, in the name of the God of heaven, I shall do the message
to you which he hath commanded us, and leave it in these standing lines to convert
you or to condemn you; to change you, or to rise up in judgment against you, and
to be a witness to your faces, that once you had a serious call to turn. Hear, all
you that are drudges of the world, and the servants of flesh and Satan! that spend
your days in looking after prosperity on earth, and drown your consciences in drinking,
and gluttony, and idleness, and foolish sports, and know your sin, and yet will
sin, as if you set God at defiance, and bid him do his worst and spare not! Hearken,
all you that mind not God, and have no heart to holy things, and feel no favour
in the word or worship of the Lord, or in the thoughts or mention of eternal life,
that are careless of your immortal souls, and never bestow one hour in inquiring
what case they are in, whether sanctified or unsanctified, and whether you are ready
to appear before the Lord! Hearken, all you that, by sinning in the light, have
dinned yourselves into infidelity, and do not believe the word of God. He that hath
an ear to hear, let him hear the gracious and yet the dreadful call of God! His
eye is all this while upon you. Your sins are registered, and you shall surely hear
of them again. God keepeth the book now; xiiiand he will write it all
upon your consciences with his terrors; and then you also shall keep it yourselves:
O sinners, that you knew but what you are doing! and whom you are all this while
offending! the sun itself is darkness before that Majesty, which you daily abuse
and carelessly provoke. The sinning angels were not able to stand before him, but
were cast down to be tormented with devils. And dare such silly worms as you so
carelessly offend, and set yourselves against your Maker! O that you did but a little
know what case that wretched soul is in, that hath engaged the living God against
him! The words of his mouth, that made thee, can unmake thee; the frown of his face
will cut thee off and cast thee out into utter darkness. How eager are the devils
to be doing with thee that have tempted thee, and do but wait for the word from
God to take and use thee as their own! and then in a moment thou wilt be in hell.
If God be against thee, all things are against thee: this world is but thy prison,
for all thou so lovest it; thou art but reserved in it to the day of wrath,
O careless sinners! that you did but know the love that you unthankfully
neglect, and the preciousness of the blood of Christ which you despise! O that you
did but know the riches of the gospel! O that you did but know, a little know, the
certainty, and the glory, and blessedness, of that everlasting life, which now you
will not set your hearts upon, nor be persuaded first and diligently to seek,
Yea, let me tell you, that even here on earth, ye little know
the difference between the life which you refuse, and the life which you would choose.
The sanctified are conversing with God, when you dare scarce think of him, and when
you are conversing with but earth and flesh.—Their conversation is in heaven, when
you are utter strangers to it, and your belly is your God, and you are minding earthly
things,
And, besides all the misery that you bring upon yourselves, you are the troublers of others as long as you are unconverted. You trouble magistrates to rule you by their laws; you trouble ministers by resisting the light and guidance which they offer you. Your sin and misery are the greatest grief and trouble to them in the world.—You trouble the commonwealth, and draw the judgments of God upon you. It is you that most disturb the holy peace and order of the churches, and hinder our union and reformation, and are the shame and trouble of the churches where you intrude, and of the places where you are.—Ah! Lord, how heavy and sad a case is this, that even in England, where the gospel doth abound above any other nation in the world, where teaching is so plain and common, and all the helps we can desire is at hand; when the sword hath been hewing us, and judgment hath run as a fire through the Land; xxwhen deliverances have relieved us, and so many admirable mercies have engaged us to God, and to the gospel, and a holy life; that after all this, our cities, and towns, and countries, shall abound with multitudes of unsanctified men, and swarm with so much sensuality, as every where, to our grief, we see! One would have thought, that after all this light, and all this experience, and all these judgments and mercies of God, the people of this nation should have joined together, as one man, to turn to the Lord, and should have come to their godly teacher, and lamented all their former sins, and desired him to join with them in public humiliation, to confess them openly, and beg pardon of them from the Lord, and should have craved his instruction for the time to come, and be glad to be ruled by the spirit within, and the ministers of Christ without, according to the word of God. One would think that, after such reason and scripture-evidence as they hear, and after all these means and mercies, there should not be an ungodly person left amongst us, nor a wordling, nor a drunkard, nor a hater of reformation, nor an enemy to holiness, to be found in all our towns or countries. If we be not all agreed about some ceremonies or forms of government, one would think that, before this, we should have been all agreed to live a holy and heavenly life, in obedience to God, his word, and ministers, and in love and peace with one another.—But alas! how far are our people from this course! Most of them, in most places, do set their hearts on earthly things, and seek “not first the kingdom of God and the righteousness thereof,” but look at holiness as a needless thing: Their families are prayerless, or else a few heartless lifeless words must serve instead of hearty, fervent, daily prayers [or perhaps xxionly on the Lord’s-day in the evening]; their children are not taught the knowledge of Christ, and the covenant of grace, nor brought up in the nurture of the Lord, though they firmly promised all this in their baptism.
They instruct not their servants in the matters of salvation,
but so their work be done they care not. There are more railing speeches in their
families than gracious words that tend to edification. How few are the families
that fear the Lord, and inquire at his word and ministers how they should live,
and what they should do, and are willing to be taught and ruled, and that heartily
look after everlasting life! And those few that God hath made so happy are commonly
the by-word of their neighbours; when we see some live in drunkenness, and some
in pride and worldliness, and most of them have little care of their salvation,
though the cause be gross and past all controversy, yet will they hardly be convinced
of their misery, and more hardly recovered and reformed: but when we have done all
that we are able to save them from their sins, we leave the most of them as we find
them. And if, according to the law of God, we cast them out of the communion of
the church, when they have obstinately rejected all our admonitions, they rage at
us as if we were their enemies, and their hearts are filled with malice against
us, and they will sooner set themselves against the Lord and his laws, and church,
and ministers, than against their deadly sins. This is the doleful case of England:
We have magistrates that countenance the ways of godliness, and a happy opportunity
for unity and reformation is before us, and faithful ministers long to see the right
ordering of the church and of the ordinances of God; but the power of sin in xxii
our people doth frustrate almost all. No where can almost a faithful minister set
up the unquestionable discipline of Christ, or put back the most scandalous impenitent
sinners from the communion of the church and participation of the sacraments, but
the most of the people rail at them and revile them; as if these ignorant careless
souls were wiser than their teachers, or than God himself. And thus in the day of
our visitation, when God calls upon us to reform his church, though magistrates
seem willing, and faithful ministers seem willing, yet are the multitude of the
people still unwilling, and have so blinded themselves, and hardened their hearts,
that, even in these days of light and grace, they are the obstinate enemies of light
and grace, and will not be brought by the calls of God to see their folly, and know
what is for their good. O that the people of England “knew at least in this their
day the things that belong unto their peace, before they are hid from their eyes!”
O foolish miserable souls!
One objection I find most common in the mouths of the ungodly, especially of late years: they say, “We can do nothing without God, we cannot have grace if God will not give it us; and, if he will, we shall quickly turn; if he have not predestinated us, and will not turn us, how can we turn ourselves or be saved; it is not in him that wills nor in him that runs.” And thus they think they are excused.
I have answered this formerly, and in this book: but let me now say this much.—1. Though you cannot cure yourselves, you can hurt and poison yourselves. It is God that must sanctify your hearts; but who corrupted them? Will you wilfully take poison, because you cannot cure yourselves? Methinks you should the more forbear it. You should the more take heed of sinning, if you cannot mend what sin doth mar.—2. Though you cannot be converted without the special grace of God, yet you must know that God giveth his grace in the use of his holy means which he hath appointed to that end; and common grace may enable you to forbear your gross sinning (as to the outward act) and to use those means. Can you truly say, that you do as much as you are able to do? Are you not able to go by an alehouse-door, or to forbear the company that hardeneth you in sin? Are you not able to hear the word, and think of what you heard when you come home, and to consider with yourselves of your own condition and of everlasting xxivthings ? Are you not able to read good books from day to day, at least the Lord’s-day, and to converse with those that fear the Lord? You cannot say you have done what you are able.—3. And therefore you must know that you can forfeit the grace and help of God by your wilful sinning or negligence, though you cannot, without grace, turn to God. If you will not do what you can, it is just with God to deny you that grace by which you might do more. 4. And, for God’s decrees, you must know that they separate not the end and means, but tie them together. God never decreed to save any but the sanctified, nor to damn any but the unsanctified. God doth as truly decree whether your land, this year, than be barren or fruitful, and just how long you shall live in the world, as he hath decreed whether you shall be saved or not; and yet you would think that man but a fool that would forbear ploughing and sowing, and say, “If God have decreed that my ground shall bear corn, it will bear, whether I plough and sow or not. If God have decreed that I shall live, I shall live, whether I eat or not; but if he have not, it is not eating that will keep me alive.” Do you know how to answer such a man, or do you not? If you do, then you know how to answer yourselves; for the case is alike God’s decree is as peremptory about your bodies as your souls: if you do not, then try first, there conclusions upon your bodies, before you venture to try them on your soul: see first whether God will keep you alive without food or raiment, and whether he will give you corn without tillage and labour, and whether he will bring you to your journey’s end without a travail or carriage; and, if you speed well in this, then try whether he will bring you to heaven without your diligent use of means, and sit down and say, We cannot sanctify ourselves.
xxvWell, Sirs, I have but three requests to you, and I have done.
First, That you will seriously read over this small Treatise; (and, if you have such as need it in your families, that you would read it over and over to them; and if those that fear God would go now and then to their ignorant neighbour, and read this or some other book to them on this subject, they might be a means of winning of souls). If we cannot intreat so small a labour of men, for their own salvation, as to read such short instructions as these, they set little by themselves, and will most justly perish.
Secondly, When you have read over this book, I would intreat you to go alone, and ponder a little what you have read, and bethink you, as in the sight of God, whether it be not true, and do not nearly touch your souls, anti whether it be not time to took about you. And also intreat you, that you will upon your knees beseech the Lord that he will open your eyes to understand the truth, and turn your hearts to the love of God, and beg of him all that saving grace which you have so long neglected, and follow it on from day to day, till your hearts be changed.—And withal, that you will go to your pastors, (that are set over you, to take care of the health and safety of your souls, as physicians do for the health of your bodies), and desire them to direct you what course to take, and acquaint them with your spiritual estate, and that you may have the benefit of their advice and ministerial help.
Or, if you have not a faithful pastor at home, make use of some other in so great a need.
Thirdly, When by reading, consideration, prayer, and ministerial advice, you are once acquainted with xxviyour sin and misery, with your duty and remedy, delay not, but presently forsake your sinful company and courses, and turn to God, and obey his call. As you love your souls, take heed that you go not on against so loud a call of God, and against your own knowledge and consciences, lest it go worse with you in the day of judgment than with Sodom and Gomorrah. Inquire of God, as a man that is willing to know the truth, and not be a wilful cheater of his soul. Search the holy scriptures daily, and see whether these things be so or not; try impartially whether it be safer to trust heaven or earth, and whether it be better to follow God or man, the spirit or the flesh, and better to live in holiness or sin, and whether an unsanctified estate be safe for you to abide in one day longer; and, when you have found out which is best resolve accordingly, and make your choice without any more ado. If you will be true to your own souls, and do not love everlasting torments, I beseech you, as from the Lord, that you will but take this reasonable advice. O what happy towns and countries, and what a happy nation might we have, if we could but persuade our neighbours to agree to such a necessary motion! What joyful men would all faithful ministers be, if they could but see their people truly heavenly and holy; this would be the unity, the peace, the safety, the glory, of our churches; the happiness of our neighbours, and the comfort of our souls. ‘Then how comfortably should we preach pardon and peace to you, and deliver the sacraments, which are the seals of peace to you! And with what love and joy might we live among you! At your death-bed how boldly might we comfort and encourage your departing souls! And at your burial, how comfortably might xxviiwe leave you in the grave, in expectation to meet your souls in heaven, and to see your bodies raised to that glory!
But, if still the most of you will go on in a careless, ignorant,
fleshly, worldly, or unholy life, and all our desires and labours cannot so far
prevail as to keep you from the wilful damning of yourselves; we must then imitate
our Lord, who delighteth himself in those few that are jewels, and in the little
flock that shall receive the kingdom, when the most shall reap the misery which
they sowed. In nature excellent things are few. The world hath not many suns or
moons: it is but a little of the earth that is gold or silver. Princes and nobles
are but a small part of the sons of men; and it is no great number that are learned,
judicious, or wise, here in the world. And therefore, if the gate being strait and
very narrow, there be but few that find salvation, yet God will have his glory and
pleasure in those few. And when Christ shall come with his mighty angels in flaming
fire, taking vengeance on them that know not God, and obey not the gospel of our
Lord Jesus Christ, his coming will be glorified in his saints, and admired in all
true believers,
And for the rest, as God the Father vouchsafed to create them,
and God the Son disdained not to bear the penalty of their sins upon the cross,
and did not judge such sufferings in vain, though he knew that by refusing the sanctifications
of the Holy Ghost they would finally destroy themselves, so we, that are his ministers,
though these be not gathered, judge not our labour wholly lost. See
Reader, I have done with thee, (when thou hast perused this book), but sin hath not yet done with thee, (even those that thou thoughtest had been forgotten xxviii long ago), and Satan hath not yet done with thee, (though now he be out of sight) and God hath not yet done with thee, because thou wilt not be persuaded to have done with the deadly reigning sin. I have written thee this persuasive as one that is going into another world, where the things are seen that I here speak of, and as one that knoweth thou must be shortly there thyself. As ever thou wilt meet me with comfort before the Lord that made us; as ever thou wilt escape the everlasting plagues prepared for the final neglectors of salvation; and for all that are not sanctified by the Holy Ghost, and love not the communion of the saints, as members of the holy catholic church; and as ever thou hopest to see the face of Christ the judge, and of the majesty of the Father, with peace and comfort, and to be received into glory when thou art turned naked out of this world; I beseech thee, I charge thee, to hear and obey the Call of Go4, and resolvedly to turn that thou mayest live. But, if thou wilt not, even when thou hast no true reason for it but because thou wilt not, I summon thee to answer it before the Lord, and require thee there to bear me witness that I gave thee warning, and that thou wast not condemned for want of a call to turn and live, but because thou wouldest not believe it and obey it; which also must be the testimony of
Thy serious Monitor,
Dec. 11, 1657.
RICHARD BAXTER.
29A Call to the Unconverted.
Sermon I.
Say to them, As I live, saith the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn ye, turn ye, from your evil ways, for, why will ye die, O house of Israel?
IT hath been the astonishing wonder of many a man, as well as
me, to read in the holy Scripture, how few will be saved; and that the greatest
part, even of those that are called, will be everlastingly shut out of the kingdom
of heaven, and be tormented with the devils in eternal fire. Infidels believe not
this when they read it, and therefore they must feel it. Those that do believe it
are forced to cry out with Paul,
The Lord complaineth of the people; and the people think it is
the fault of God. The same controversy is handled,
The words of this verse contain: 1. God’s clearing of himself from the blame of their destruction. This he doth not by disowning his judgments and execution according to that law, or by giving them any hope that the law shall not be executed; but by professing that it is not their death that he takes pleasure in, but their returning rather, that they may live: and this he confirmeth to them by his oath. 2. An express exhortation to the wicked to return, wherein God doth not only command, but persuade and condescend also to reason the case with them, why will they die? The direct end of his exhortation is, that they may turn and live. The secondary or reserved ends, upon supposition that this is not attained, are these two: First, to convince them by the means which he used, that it is not the long of God if they be miserable. Secondly, to convince them from their manifest wilfulness in rejecting all his commands and persuasions, that it is the long of themselves; and they die, because they will die.
32The substance of the text doth lie in these observations following.
Doct. 1. It is the unchangeable law of God, that wicked men must turn or die.
Doct. 2. It is the promise of God, that the wicked shall live, if they will but turn.
Doct. 3. God taketh pleasure in men’s conversion and salvation; but not in their death or damnation: he had rather they would return and live, than go on and die.
Doct. 4. This is a most certain truth, which because God would not have men to question, he hath confirmed it to them solemnly by his oath.
Doct. 5. The Lord doth redouble his commands and persuasions to the wicked to turn
Doct. 6. The Lord condescendeth to reason the case with them, and asketh the wicked, why they will die?
Doct. 7. If after all this the wicked will not turn, it is not the long of God that they perish, but of themselves; their own wilfulness is the cause of their damnation; they therefore die, because they will die.
Having laid the text open before your eyes in these plain propositions, I shall next speak somewhat of each of them in order, though briefly.
Doct. 1. It is the unchangeable law of God, that wicked men must turn or die.
If you will believe God, believe this: there is but one of these two ways for every wicked man, either conversion or damnation. I know the wicked will hardly be persuaded either of the truth or equity of this. No wonder if the guilty quarrel with the law. 33Few men are apt to believe that which they would not have to be true, and fewer would have that to be true, which they apprehend to be against them. But it is not quarrelling with the law, or with the judge, that will save the malefactor. Believing and regarding the law, might have prevented his death; but denying and accusing it will but hasten it. If it were not so, a hundred would bring their reason against the law, for one that would bring his reason to the law. And men would rather give their reasons, why they should not be punished, than to hear the commands and reasons of their governors which require them to obey. The law was not made for you to judge, but that you might be ruled and judged by it.
But, if there be any so blind as to venture to question either the truth or the justice of this law of God, I shall briefly give you that evidence of both, which methinks should satisfy a reasonable man.
And first, if you doubt whether this be the word of God or not,
besides a hundred other texts, you may be satisfied by these few.—
As I need not stay to open these texts, which are so plain, so
I think I need not add any more of that multitude which speak the like. If thou
be a man that dost believe the word of God, here is already enough to satisfy thee,
that the wicked must be converted or condemned. You are already brought so far,
that you must either confess that this is true, or say plainly you will not believe
the word of God. And, if once you come to that pass, there are but small hopes of
you: look to yourselves as well as you can, for, it is likely you will not be long
out of hell. You would be ready to fly in the face of him that should give you the
lie; and yet dare you give the lie to God? But if you tell God plainly you will
not believe him, blame him not if he never warn you more, or if he forsake you,
and give you up as hopeless. For to what purpose should he warn you, if you will
not believe him? Should he send an angel from heaven to you, it seems you
would not believe. 35For an angel can speak but the word of God; and,
if an angel should bring you any other gospel, you are not to receive it, but to
hold him accursed (
But let us hear what reason you have, why you will not believe this word of God, which tells us that the wicked must be converted or condemned. I know your reason; it is because that you judge it unlikely that God should be so unmerciful: you think it cruelty to damn men everlastingly for so small a thing as a sinful life. And this leads us to the second thing, which is, to justify the equity of God in his laws and judgments.
And first, I think you will not deny but that it is most suitable to an immortal soul to be ruled by laws that promise an eternal reward and threaten an endless punishment. Otherwise the law should not be suited to the nature of the subject, who will not be fully ruled by any lower means than the hopes or fears of everlasting things: As it is in case of temporal punishment; if a law were now made, that the most heinous crimes shall be punished with a hundred years captivity, this might be of some efficacy, as being equal to our lives. But, if there had 36 been no other penalties before the flood, when men lived eight or nine hundred years, it would not have been sufficient, because men would know that they might have so many hundred years impunity afterwards. So it is in the present case.
2. I suppose that you will confess, that the promise of an endless and inconceivable glory is not so unsuitable to the wisdom of God, or the case of man. And why then should you not think so of the threatening of an endless and unspeakable misery?
3. When you find it in the word of God that so it is, and so it will be, do you think yourselves fit to contradict this word?—Will you call your Maker to the bar, and examine his word upon the accusation or falsehood? Will you set upon him, and judge him by the law of your conceits? Are you wiser, and better, and more righteous than he? Must the God of heaven come to you to learn wisdom? Must infinite wisdom learn of folly? and infinite Holiness be corrected by a selfish sinner that cannot keep himself an hour clean? Must the Almighty stand at the bar of a worm? O! horrid arrogance of senseless dust! Shall every mole, or clod, or dunghill, accuse the sun of darkness, and undertake to illuminate the world? Where were you when the Almighty made these laws, that he did not call you to his counsel? Surely he made them before you were born, without desiring your advice! and you came into the world too late to reverse them. If you could have done so great a work, you should have stepped out of your nothingness, and have contradicted Christ when he was on earth, or Moses before him, or have saved Adam and his sinful progeny from the threatened death, that so there might have been no need of Christ! And what if God withdraw his patience and 37 sustenation, and let you drop into hell while you are quarrelling with his word?—Will you then believe that there is no hell?
4. If sin be such an evil that it requires the death of Christ for its expiation, no wonder if it deserve our everlasting misery.
5. And if the sin of the devils deserved an endless torment, why not also the sin of man?
6. And methinks you should perceive, that it is not possible for the best of men, much less for the wicked, to be competent judges of the desert of sin. Alas! We are both blind and partial. You can never know fully the desert of sin till you fully know, the evil of sin: and you can never fully know the evil of sin till you fully know, 1 The excellency of the soul, which it deformeth: 2. And the excellency of holiness, which it doth obliterate: 3. And the reason and excellency of the glory, which it violateth: And 4. the excellency of the glory which it doth despise: And, 5. the excellency and office of reason, which it treadeth down: 6. No, nor till you know the infinite excellency, almightiness and holiness, of that God, against whom it is committed. When you fully know all these, you shall fully know the desert of sin. Besides, you know that the offender is too partial to judge the law or the proceedings of the judge. We judge by feeling, which blinds our reason. We see, in common worldly things, that most men think the cause is right which is their own; and that all is wrong that is done against them; and let the most wise, or just impartial friends persuade them to the contrary, and it is all in vain. There are few children but think the father is unmerciful, or dealeth hardly with them, 38if he whip them. There is scarce the vilest wretch, but thinketh the church doth wrong him, if they excommunicate him; or scarce a thief or murderer that is hanged, but would accuse the law and judge of cruelty, if that would serve his turn.
7. Can you think that an unholy soul is fit for heaven? Alas! they cannot love God there, nor do him any service which he can accept. They are contrary to God; they loathe that which he most loveth; and love that which he abhoreth: they are incapable of that imperfect communion with him; which his saints do here partake of. How then can they live in that perfect love of him, and full delight and communion with him, which is the blessedness of heaven? You do not accuse yourselves of unmercifulness, if you make not your enemy your bosom counsellor; and yet you will blame the absolute Lord, the most wise and gracious Sovereign of the world, if he condemn the unconverted to perpetual misery.
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 good.
All you that are 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
to 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 hear. 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 39
of your blood, as the verses before my text assure me:
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, Sirs, this drowsy careless temper will not last long. Conversion and condemnation are both of them awakening things. I can foretel 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 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 foresee there are two things that are likely 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 on 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 are. 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 41 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 are that must turn or die; and also what is meant by turning, and who they are 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 sorts
of living creatures.—Angels he made pure spirits, without flesh, and therefore he
made them only for heaven, and not to dwell on earth. Beasts were made flesh,
without immortal souls, and therefore they were made only for the earth, and not
for heaven: Man is of a middle nature between both, as partaking of both flesh
and 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 to 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: First, the
right disposition 42of the mind of man; Secondly, the right ordering
of his life. For the first, God suited the disposition of man unto the end;
giving him such knowledge of God as was fit for his present state, and a heart inclined
to God in holy love. But yet he did not fix 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 belongeth to him: that is, he gave man a perfect
law, requiring 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 fleshly things,
and hereby did blot out our spiritual image of God, from the soul: So that man did
both fall short of the glory of God, which was his end, and put himself out 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 earthly things; growing strange to God, and acquainted
with the creature: and the course of this life was suited to the 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?”
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 farther 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 the cross, to ransom us from the curse of God and the power of the devil: and, having thus redeemed us, the Father has 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, 44on condition they lay down their 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 that Holy Ghost hath undertaken it as his office, to inspire the apostles, and seal up the scriptures by miracles and wonders, and to illuminate and convert the sons of the elect.
So that by this much you see, that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, have each 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 were 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 sufferings 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 benefit of his death may be communicated; and to send the Holy Ghost, which the Father also doth by the Son. The works of the Holy Ghost for us are these; to indite the holy scriptures, by inspiring and guiding the prophets and 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 45neither can you have a part in Christ, or be saved, except the Holy Ghost do sanctify you.
So that by this time you may see the several causes of this work:— The Father sendeth his 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 to write it; the preachers of the gospel to proclaim it, and persuade men to obey it; and the Holy Ghost doth make their preaching effectual, by opening the hearts of men to entertain it; and all this to 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 turn the current of the life into a heavenly course, which before was earthly, and all this by the entertainment of Christ by Faith, who is the physician of the soul.
By what I have said, you may see what it is to be wicked, and what it is to be converted; which I think will yet be plainer to you, if I describe them as consisting of their several parts; and, for the first, a wicked man may be known by these three things.
First, he is one who places his chief content on earth, and loveth the creature more than God, and his fleshly prosperity above the heavenly felicity: He favoureth the things of the flesh, but neither discerneth nor savoureth the things of the spirit:—Though he will say, that heaven is better than earth, yet doth not really so esteem it to himself; if 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 praise for ever in heaven, doth not find such liking, with his heart, as a life of health, 46and wealth, and honour, here upon earth. And though he falsely profess 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 fleshly pleasures than on God. In a word, whoever loveth earth above heaven, and fleshly prosperity more than God, is a wicked unconverted man.
On the other hand, a converted man is illuminated to discern the
loveliness of God; and so far believeth the glory that is to be had with God, that
his heart is taken up to it, and set more upon it, than any thing in this world.
He had rather see the face of God, and live in his everlasting love and praises,
than have all the wealth or pleasures of the world; he seeth that all things else
are vanity, and nothing but God can fill the soul, and therefore, let the world
go which way it will, he layeth up his treasures and hopes in heaven, and for that
he resolves to let go all. As the fire doth mount upwards, and the needle that is
touched with the loadstone still turneth to the north, so the converted soul is
inclined to God. Nothing else can satisfy him, nor can he find any content and rest
but in his love. In a word, all that are converted do esteem and love God better
than all the world; and the heavenly felicity is dearer to them than their fleshly
prosperity. The proof of what I have said you may find in these places of scripture:
Secondly, a wicked man is one that maketh it the principal business of his life to prosper in the world, and attain his fleshly ends. And though he may read and hear, and do much in the outward duties of religion, 47 and forbear disgraceful sins, yet this is all but the by, and he never makes it the 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 to God: he loveth a 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. 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 lamenteth it, and dares 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
Thirdly, the soul of a wicked man did never truly discern and relish the mystery of redemption, nor thankfu1ly entertain an offered Saviour; nor is he taken up with the love of the Redeemer, nor willing to be ruled by him as the 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. Though he may be willing to be carnally religious, 48yet he never resigneth up his soul to Christ, and to the motion 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, resigneth 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 a salve for every sore,
admiring the wisdom and love of God in this wonderful work of man’s redemption.
In a word, Christ doth even dwell in his heart by faith, and the life that he now
liveth is by the faith of the Son of God, that he hath loved him, and gave himself
for him; yea, it is not so much he that liveth, as Christ in him. For these, see
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, receive
the sacrament, and sometimes extend their hands to the relief of the poor, these
cannot be unconverted men. Or if a man, that hath been guilty of drunkenness, or
swearing, or gaming, or the like vices, do but forbear them for the time to come,
they think that this is a converted man.—Others think, if a man, that hath been
an enemy and scorner at godliness, do but approve it, and join himself with those
that are godly, and be hated for it by the wicked, as the godly are, that this must
49needs be a converted man. And some are so foolish as to think that
they are converted by taking up some new opinion. And some think, if they have but
been affrighted by the fears of hell, and had conviction and tortures 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 graver and civiler than
the common people, that “publicans and harlots go into the kingdom of Christ before
them,”
O sirs, conversion is another kind of work than most are aware
of; it is 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 to Christ,
and thankfully embrace him as the life of his soul; to have the very drift and bent
of the heart and life changed; so that a man renounceth that which he took for 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 50world, as he formerly did:
in a word, he that is in Christ is a new creature: “old things are passed away,
behold, all things are become new.” (
You can say, that the Holy Ghost is our sanctifier; but do you know what sanctification is? Why, this is 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, or do you not? Surely you dare 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 another saith that; every denomination 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 party do believe him, you are utterly inexcusable.
53But, if you do believe this, how comes it to pass that you live so quietly in an unconverted 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 anew?—Are 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; that such a change indeed there is, and that you have such hearts as before described? Alas! The most do follow their worldly business, and little trouble their minds with such thoughts: and, if they be but restrained from scandalous sins, and can say, “I am no whoremonger, nor thief, nor curser, nor swearer, nor tipler, nor extortioner; I go to church, and say my prayers;” they think that this is true 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 light 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 and 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 but a little longer; you will sit in these seats, and dwell on this earth, but a little longer; you will see with those 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 be shortly in of joy or torment! O what a sight will you shortly see in heaven or hell! O what thoughts will 54shortly 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, most certainly true.—When you have gone up and down a little longer, and slept and awaked 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, from this place, you were reminded of these things; and perceive them matters a thousand times greater than either you or I could have conceived; and yet shall they now be so much forgotten?
Beloved friends, if the Lord had not awakened me to believe
and to lay to heart these things myself, I should have remained in a 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
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 58thousands, that they think they are in the way to salvation when they are not; and thinking that they are converted, when it is no such thing. And then, when we call to them 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 but 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 to 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 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 as 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 did but know it, they durst not continue in it. The greatest hope that the devil hath of bringing you to damnation without a rescue, is by keeping you blind-fold and ignorant of 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 forever 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 course and to 59 betake yourselves to the ways of holiness and the communion of saints: Sure it would drive you to cry to God for a new heart, and to seek help of those that are fit to counsel you. There is none of you sure that cares not for being damned. Well then, I beseech you presently make inquiry into your hearts, and give them no rest till you find out your condition; that, if it be good, you may rejoice in it, and go on; and, if it be bad, you may presently look about you for recovery, as men that believe they must turn or die. What say you, Sirs? Will you resolve, and promise, to be at thus much labour for your own souls? Will you fall upon this self-examination when you get home? Is my request unreasonable? Your consciences know it is not.—Resolve on it, then, before you stir; knowing how much it concerneth your souls. I beseech you, for the sake of that God that doth command you, at whose bar you will shortly all appear, that you do not deny me this reasonable request: for the sake of souls that must turn or die, I beseech you deny me not; even but to make it your business to understand your own conditions, and build upon sure ground, and know, off and on, whether you are converted or not, and venture not your souls on negligent security.
60Sermon II.
Say to them, As I live, saith the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn ye, turn ye, from your evil ways, for, why will ye die, O house of Israel?
A TRUE description of those who are in a converted state has already been given you; the change which conversion makes in the soul has also been described; and the request is most earnestly repeated to you, impartially and thoroughly to consider your condition: Rest not satisfied, till you know whether you are indeed converted.
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 now proceed.
Doct. 2. It is the promise of God, that the wicked shall live, if they will but turn; unfeignedly and thoroughly turn.
The Lord here professeth that this is what he takes pleasure in, that the wicked turn and live. Heaven is made as sure to the converted, as hell is to the unconverted. Turn and live is as certain a truth as turn or die. God was not bound to provide us a Saviour, nor open to us a door of hope, nor call us to repent and turn when once we had cast ourselves away by sin, but he hath freely done it to magnify 61his mercy. Sinners, there are none of you shall have cause to go home and say I preach despair to you. Do we use to shut up the door of mercy against you? O that you would not shut it up against yourselves! Do we use to tell you that God will have no mercy on you, though you turn and be sanctified? When did you ever hear a preacher say such a word? You that bark at preachers of the gospel, for desiring to keep you out of hell, and say that they preach despair, tell me, if you can, when did you ever hear any sober man say, that there is no hope for you, tho’ you repent and be converted? No, it is the contrary that we proclaim from the Lord; and, whoever is born again, and by faith and repentance doth become a new creature, shall certainly be saved: And so far are we from persuading you to despair of this, that we persuade you not to make any doubt of it. It is life, not death, that is the first part of our message to you, our commission is to offer salvation, certain salvation; a speedy, glorious, everlasting salvation, to everyone of you; to the poorest beggar as well as the greatest Lord; to the worst of you, even to drunkards, swearers, worldlings, thieves, yea, to the despisers and reproachers of the holy way of salvation. We are commanded by the Lord our master to offer you a pardon for all that is past, if you will but now at last return and live: we are commanded to beseech and intreat you to accept the offer and return; to tell you what preparations are made by Christ; what mercy stays for you, what patience waiteth on you, what thoughts of kindness God hath towards you, and how happy, how certainly and unspeakably happy, you may be, if you will.—We have indeed also a message of wrath and death, yea, of a two-fold wrath and death; but neither 62of them is our principal message; we must tell you of the wrath that is on you already, and the death that you are born under, for the breach of the law of works; but this is but to shew you the need of mercy, and to provoke you to esteem the grace of the Redeemer. And we tell you nothing but the truth, which you must know: For, who will seek out for physic, that knows not that he is sick? Our telling you of your misery is not it that makes you miserable, but drives you out to seek for mercy. It is you that have brought this death upon yourselves. We tell you also of another death; even remediless and much greater torment, that will fall on those that will not be converted. But, as this is true, and must be told you, so it is but the last and saddest part of our message. We are first to offer you mercy if you will turn; and it is only those that will not turn, nor hear the voice of mercy, to whom we must foretel damnation to. Will you but cast away your transgressions, delay no longer, but come away at the call of Christ, and be converted, and become new creatures, and we have not a word of damning wrath or death to speak against you.—I do here in the name of the Lord of life, proclaim to you, all that hear me this day, to the greatest, the oldest sinner, that you may have mercy and salvation, if you will but turn. There is mercy in God, there is sufficiency in the satisfaction of Christ, the promise is free, and full, and universal; you may have life, if you will but turn. But then, as you love your souls, remember what turning it is the scripture speaks of. It is not to mend the old house, but to pull down all, and build a-new on Christ, the rock and sure foundation. It is not to mend somewhat in a carnal course of life, but to mortify the flesh, and live after the spirit. It is not 63 to serve the flesh and the world, in a more reformed way, without any scandalous disgraceful sins, and with a certain kind of religiousness; but it is to change your master, and your works, and end, and to set your face the contrary way, and do all for the life that you never saw, and dedicate yourselves and all you have to God. This is the change that must be made, if you will live.
Yourselves are witnesses now, that it is salvation, and not damnation, that is the great doctrine I preach to you, and the first part of my message to you. Accept of this, and we shall go no farther with you; for we would not so much as affright or trouble you with the name of damnation without necessity.
But if you will not be saved, there is no remedy, but damnation must take place; for there is no middle place between the two, you must have either life or death.
And we are not only to offer you life, but to shew you the grounds on which we do it; and call you to believe that God doth mean indeed as he speaks: that the promise is true, and extendeth conditionally to you, as well as others: and that heaven is no fancy, but a true felicity.
If you ask, Where is your commission for this offer? Among a hundred texts of scripture, I will shew it to you in these few:
First, you see it here in my text, and the following verses, and
in the
You see by this time that we are commanded to offer life to you all, and to tell you, from God, that if you will turn, you may live.
Here you may safely trust your souls; for the love of God is the
fountain of this offer,
Indeed, if you will needs believe that you shall be saved without
conversion, then you believe a falsehood; and, if I should preach that to you, I
should preach a lie: This were not to believe God, but the devil and your own deceitful
hearts.—God hath his promise of life, and the devil hath his promise of life: God’s
promise is, “return and live:” The devil’s promise is, “you shall live, whether
you turn or not.”—The word of God is, as I have shewn you, “Except ye be converted,
and become as little children, ye cannot enter into the kingdom of heaven,”
And yet that is not the worst; but blasphemously they call this a believing and trusting in God, when they put him in the shape of Satan, who was a liar from the beginning. And, when they believe that the word of God is a lie, they call this a trusting God, and say they believe in him, and trust in him for salvation. Where did ever God say, that the unregenerate, unconverted, unsanctified, shall be saved? Shew such a word in Scripture. I challenge you, if you can. Why this is the devil’s word, and to believe it is to believe the devil, and the sin that is commonly called presumption. And do you call this a believing and trusting God? There is every thing in the word of God to comfort and strengthen the hearts of the sanctified: but not a word to strengthen the hands of wickedness, nor to give men the least hope of being saved, though they be never sanctified.
But, if you will turn, and come into the way of mercy, the mercy of the Lord is ready to entertain you. Then trust God for salvation boldly; for he is engaged by his word to save you. He will be a father to none but his children, and he will save 67none but those that forsake the world, the devil, and the flesh, and come into his family to be members of his Son, and have communion with his saints. But, if they will not come in, it is long of themselves. His doors are open, he keeps none back. He never sent such a message as this to any of you, “It was now too late; I will not receive thee though thou be converted.”—He might have done so, and done you no wrong: But he did not; he doth not to this day: He is still ready to receive you, if you were but ready unfeignedly, and with all your hearts, to turn. And the fulness of this truth will yet more appear in the two following doctrines, which I shall therefore next proceed to, before I make any farther application of this.
Doct. 3. 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.
I shall first teach you how to understand this, and then clear up the truth of it to you.
And, for the first, you must observe these following things.
1. A simple willingness, or complacency, is the first act of the will, following the simple apprehension of the undertaking, before it proceedeth to compare things together. But the choosing act of the will is a following act, and supposeth the comparing practical act of the understanding. And these two acts may often be carried to contrary objects without any fault at all in the person.
2. An unfeigned willingness may have divers degrees. Some things I am so far willing of as that I will do all that lieth in my power to accomplish them: and some things I am truly willing another 68should do, when yet I will not do all that ever I am able to procure them, having many reasons to dissuade me therefrom, though yet I will do all that belongs me to do.
3. The will of a ruler, as such, is manifested in making and executing laws; but the will of a man, in his simple natural capacity, or as absolute Lord of his own, is manifested in desiring or resolving of events.
4. A ruler’s will, as lawgiver, is first and principally that his laws be obeyed, and not at all that the penalty be executed on any, but only on supposition that they will not obey his laws. But a ruler’s will, as judge, supposeth the law already either kept or broken; and therefore he resolveth on rewards or punishments accordingly.
Having given up these necessary distinctions, I shall next apply them to the case in hand in these following propositions.
1. It is in the glass of the word and creatures that in this life we must know God; and so, according to the nature of man, we ascribe to him understanding and will, removing all the imperfections that we can, because we are capable of no higher positive conceptions of him.
2. And, on the same grounds, we do (with the scripture) distinguish between the acts of God’s will, as diversified from the respects or the objects, though as to God’s essence they are all one.
3. And the bolder, because that, when we speak of Christ, we have the more ground for it from human nature.
4. And thus we say, that the simple complacency, will, or love of God, is to all that is naturally or morally good according to the nature and degree of 69its goodness. And so he hath pleasure in the conversion and salvation of all, which yet will never come to pass.
5. And God, a ruler and law-giver of the world, hath so far a practical will for their salvation as to make them a free deed of gift of Christ and life, and an act of oblivion for all their sin, if so be they will not unthankfully reject it, and to command his messengers to offer this gift to all the world, and persuade them to accept it. And so he doth all that, as a lawgiver or promiser, belongs to him to do for their salvation.
6. But yet he resolveth, as lawgiver, that they that will not turn shall die: And, as judge, when their day of grace is past, he will execute that decree.
7. So, that he thus unfeignedly willeth the conversion of those
that will never be converted; but not as absolute Lord, with the fullest efficacious
resollution, nor as a thing which he resolveth shall undoubtedly come to pass, or
would engage all his power to accomplish. It is in the power of a prince to set
a guard upon a murderer, to see that he shall not murder and be hanged: But, if
upon good reason he forbear this, and do but send to his subjects, and warn and
intreat them not to be murderers, I hope he may well say, that he would not have
them murder and be hanged: He takes no pleasure in it, but rather that they forbear
and live: And, if he do more for some, upon some special reason, he is not found
to do so by all. The king may well say to all the murderers and felons in the land,
“I have no pleasure in your death, but rather that you would obey my laws and live:
But, if you will not, I have resolved for all this, that you shall die.”—The judge
may truly say to the thief or murderer, “Alas, man, 70I have no delight
in your death: I had rather thou had kept the law and saved thy life: but seeing
thou hast not, I must condemn thee, or else I should be unjust.” So, though God
have no pleasure in your damnation, and therefore calls upon you to return and live;
yet he hath pleasure in the demonstration of his own justice, and the executing
his laws; and therefore he has for all this fully resolved, that, if you will not
be converted, you shall be condemned. If God were so much against the death of the
wicked as that he were resolved to do all that he can to hinder it, then no man
should be condemned; whereas Christ telleth you that few will be saved. But so far
God is against your damnation as that he will teach you and warn you, and set before
you life and death, and offer you your choice, and command his ministers to intreat
you not to damn yourselves, but accept his mercy, and so to leave you without excuse.
But, if this will not do, and if still you be unconverted, he professeth to you,
he is resolved on your damnation, and hath commanded us to say to you in his name,
In a word, you see then the meaning of the text, that God, the great law giver of the world, doth take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn and live; though yet he be resolved that none shall live but those that turn, and, as a judge, even delighteth in justice, and in manifesting 71 his hatred of sin, though not in the misery, which they have brought upon themselves, in itself considered.
2. And for the proofs of the point, I shall be very brief in them, because I suppose you easily believe it already.
1. The very gracious nature of God, proclaimed,
2. If God had more pleasure in thy death than in your 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 but turn; he would not have persuaded thee to it by so many reasons. The tenor of his gospel proves the point.
3. And his commission, that he had given to the ministers of the gospel, doth fully prove it. If God had taken more pleasure in your 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 intreat and beseech you to turn and live; to acquaint you with your sins, and foretel 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, and appointed his ordinances for your good, 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 converted and saved, he would not second his word with
his works, and entice you by his daily kindness to himself, and give you all the
mercies of this life, 72which are his means to lead you to repentance,
But God hath yet done none of this, but hath patiently forborne thee, and mercifully upheld thee, and given thee that breath which thou didst breathe out against him, and given those mercies which thou 74did sacrifice to thy flesh, and afforded thee that provision, which thou spentest to satisfy thy greedy throat; he gave thee every minute of that time which thou didst waste in idleness, or drunkenness, or worldliness: and doth not all his patience and mercy shew that he desired not thy damnation? Can the candle burn without the oil? Can your houses stand without the earth to bear them? As well can you live one hour without the support of God. And why did he so long support thy life, but to see when thou wouldest bethink thee of the folly of thy ways, and return and live. Will any man purposely put arms into his enemy’s hands to resist him; or hold a candle to a murderer that is killing his children, or to an idle servant that plays or sleeps the while? Surely it is to see whether you will at last return and live, that God hath so long waited on thee.
5. It is farther proved, by the suffering of his Son, that God
taketh 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 by his condescension?
Would God have dwelt in flesh, and have come in the form of a servant, and have
assumed humanity into one person with the Godhead? And would Christ have lived a
life of suffering, and died a cursed death for sinners, if he had rather taken pleasure
in their death? Suppose you saw him but so busy in preaching, and healing of them,
as you find him in
And think not to extenuate it by saying, that it was only for
his elect: For, it was thy sin, and the sin of all the world, that lay upon our
Redeemer; and his sacrifice and satisfaction is sufficient for all, and the fruits
of it are offered to one as well as another: but it is true, that it was never the
intent of his mind to pardon and save any that would not by faith and repentance
be converted. If you had seen and heard him weeping and bemoaning the state of disobedient,
impenitent people,
6. Lastly, if all this will not yet satisfy you, take his own word, that knoweth best his own mind, or at least believe his oath: But this leadeth me up to the fourth doctrine.
Doct. 4. The Lord hath confirmed to us by his oath, that he hath no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that he turn and live; that he may leave man no pretence to question the truth of it.
76If you dare question his word, I hope you dare not question his
oath. As Christ hath solemnly protested that the unregenerate and unconverted cannot
enter into the kingdom of heaven,
USE.
I do now intreat thee, if thou be an unconverted sinner that hearest these words, that thou wouldest ponder a little on the forementioned doctrines, and bethink thyself awhile who it is that takes pleasure in your sin and damnation! Certainly it is not God: 77He 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 in it. You dare not say, that you drink, and swear, and neglect holy duties, and quench the motion 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 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 tender 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 but 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 78persuade 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 except you be converted, and
yet we leave the most of you as we find you:—We hope you will believe the word of
God, though you believe not us, and that you will 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,”
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 you will not turn? And to think what an everlasting life of glory you wilfully despise and cast away? What sadder thing can you bring to their hearts? And how can you devise to grieve them more?
Who is it then that you pleasure by your sin and death? It is none of your understanding godly friends. Alas, it is the grief of their souls to see your misery; and they lament you many a time when you give them little thanks for it, and when you have not hearts to lament yourselves.
Who is it then that takes pleasure in your sin? It is none but the three great enemies of God, whom you renounced in your baptism, and are now turned falsely to serve.
811. The devil indeed takes pleasure in your sin and death; for this is the very end of all his temptations. For this, he watches night and day: you cannot devise to please him better than to go on in sin: how glad is he when he sees thee going to the alehouse, or other sin and when he heareth you curse, or swear, or rail? How glad is he when he heareth thee revile the minister that would draw thee from thy sin, and help to save thee? These are his delight.
2. The wicked are also delighted in it; for it is agreeable to their nature.
3. But I know, for all this, that it is not the pleasing of the
devil that you intend, even when you please him; but it is your own flesh, the greatest
and most dangerous enemy, that you intend to please. It is the flesh that would
be pampered, that would be pleased in meat, and drink, and clothing; that would
be pleased in your company, and pleased in applause and credit with the world, and
pleased in sports, and lusts, and idleness: this is the gulf that devoureth all.
This is the very god that you serve, for, the scripture saith of such, “that their
bellies are their gods,”
But I beseech you stay a little and consider the business.
1. Quest. Should your flesh be pleased before your Maker? Will you displease the Lord, and displease your teachers, 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, 82and that your case is not so safe as you make it to be? and should not your soul and conscience be pleased before your 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 sport, 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 for ever?—Take all together: for there is no separating 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 you, no wonder then if you go on in sin; but, if they are not (as I am sure they are not), then what if sin were never so pleasant, is it worth the loss of life eternal? Is a little drink, or meat, or ease; is the good word of sinners; are the riches of this world to be valued above the joys of heaven? Or are they worth the sufferings of eternal fire?
These questions should be considered before you go any farther, by every man that hath reason to consider, and that believes he hath a soul to save or lose.
Well, the Lord here sweareth that he hath no pleasure in your death, but rather that you would 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 heart, the grace, to hearken to God or man, that would reclaim them, 83what remedy? 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.
Doct. 5. So earnest is God for the conversion of sinners, that he doubleth his commands and exhortations with vehemency: “Turn ye, turn ye, why will you die?”
This doctrine is the application of the former, as by a use of exhortation, and accordingly I shall handle it.
Is there an unconverted sinner that heareth these vehement words of God? Is there ever a man or woman in this assembly that is yet a stranger to the renewing, sanctifying work of the Holy Ghost? It is a happy assembly, if it be not so with the most. Hearken then to the voice of your Maker, and turn to him by Christ without delay. Would you know the will of God? Why this is his will, that you presently turn. Shall the living God send so earnest a message to his creatures, and should they not obey? Hearken then, all you that live after the flesh; the Lord, that gave you thy breath and being, hath sent a message to you from heaven; and this is his message, “Turn ye, turn ye, why will ye die?” He that hath ears to hear, let him hear. Shall the voice of the eternal Majesty be neglected? If he do but terribly thunder, thou art afraid. O but this word concerneth thy life or death everlasting. It is both a command and an exhortation. As if he had said to thee, “I charge thee, upon the allegiance that thou owest to me your Creator and Redeemer, that thou renounce 84the flesh, the world, and the devil, and turn to me that you mayest live. I condescend to intreat thee, as thou lovest or fearest him that made thee: as thou lovest thine own life, even thine everlasting life, Turn and live: as ever thou wouldst escape eternal misery, “Turn, turn, for why wilt thou die?” And is there a heart in man, in a reasonable creature, that can once refuse such a message, such a command, such an exhortation as this? O what a thing then is the heart of man!
Hearken then, all that love yourselves, and all that regard your own salvation:—Here is the joyfullest message that ever was sent to the ears of man, “Turn ye, turn ye, for why will ye die?” You are not yet shut up under desperation. Here is mercy offered you; turn, and you shall have it. O with what joyful hearts should you receive these tidings! I know this is not the first time that you have heard it; but how have you regarded it, or how do you regard it now? Hear, all you ignorant, careless sinners, the word of the Lord! Hear, all you worldlings, you sensual flesh-pleasers; you gluttons, and drunkards, and whoremongers, and swearers; you railers and backbiters, slanderers and liars: “Turn ye, turn ye, why will ye die?”
Hear, all ye that are void of the love of God, whose hearts are not toward him, nor taken up with the hopes of glory, but set more by your earthly prosperity and delights than by the joys of heaven; all you that are religious but a little by the by, and give God no more than your flesh can spare; that have not denied your carnal selves, and forsaken all that you have for Christ, in the estimation and grounded resolution of your souls, but have some one thing in the world so dear to you that you cannot spare it for Christ, if he required it, but will rather venture on his 85displeasure than forsake it; “Turn ye, turn ye, why will ye die?”
If you never heard it, or observed it before, remember that you were told it from the word of God this day, that if you will but turn, you may live; and if you will not turn, you shall surely die.
What now will you do, Sirs? What is your resolution? Will you
turn, or will you not? Halt not any longer between two opinions: If the Lord be
God, follow him; if your flesh be God, then serve it still. If heaven be better
than earth and fleshly pleasures, come away then, and seek a better country, and
“lay up your treasure where rust and moths do not corrupt, and thieves cannot break
through and steal, and be awakened at last with all your might to seek the kingdom
that cannot be moved,”
Consider first, “What preparations mercy hath made for your salvation:”
and what pity it is that any man should be damned after all this. The time was,
when the flaming sword was in the way, and the curse of God’s law would have kept
thee back if thou hadst been ever so willing to turn to God: The time was when thyself,
and all the friends that thou hast in the world, could never have procured thee
the pardon of thy sins past, though thou hadst ever so much lamented and reformed
them. But 86Christ hath removed this impediment by the ransom of his
blood. The time was, that God was wholly unreconciled, as being not satisfied for
the violation of his law: but now he is so far satisfied and reconciled, as that
he hath made thee a free act of oblivion, and a free deed of gift of Christ and
life, and offereth it to thee, and intreateth thee to accept it, and it may be thine,
if thou wilt. “For he was in Christ reconciling the world to himself, and hath committed
to us the word of reconciliation,”
But, that is not all: Christ hath done his part on the cross, and made such way for thee to the Father, that on his account thou mayst be welcome if thou wilt come. And yet art thou not ready?
A pardon is already expressly granted and offered thee in the gospel. And yet art thou not ready?
The ministers of the gospel are ready to assist thee, to instruct thee; they are ready to pray for thee, and to seal up thy pardon by the administration of the holy sacrament; and yet art thou not ready?
All that fear God about thee are ready to rejoice in thy conversion, and to receive thee into the communion of saints, and to give thee the right hand of fellowship, yea, though thou hadst been one that had been cast out of their society: they dare not but forgive where God forgiveth, when it is manifest to them, by your confession and amendment: they dare not so much as hit thee in the teeth with thy former sins, because they know that God will not upbraid thee with them. If thou hadst been ever so scandalous, if thou wouldst but heartily be converted and come in, they would not refuse thee, let the world say what they would against it. And, are all these ready to receive thee, and yet art thou not ready to come in?
Yea, heaven itself is ready; the Lord will receive thee into the
glory of his saints, a vile brute as thou hast been: if thou wilt but be but cleansed,
thou mayst have a place before his throne; his angels will be ready to guard thy
soul to the place of joy, if thou do but unfeignedly come in. And is God ready,
the sacrifice of Christ ready, the promise ready, and pardon ready?—Are ministers
ready, and the people of God ready, and heaven itself ready, and angels ready, and
all these but waiting for your conversion, and yet 88art thou not ready?
What! not ready to live, when you have been dead so long? Not ready to come to thy
right understanding, as the prodigal is said to come to himself,
2. Consider also, what calls thou hast to turn and live. How many, how loud, how earnest, how dreadful, and yet what encouraging, joyful calls.
For the principal inviter is God himself. He, that commandeth
heaven and earth, commandeth thee to turn; and presently, without delay, to turn: 89
He commands the sun to run its course, and to rise upon thee every morning; and
though it be so glorious an creature, and many times bigger than all the earth,
yet it obeyeth him, and faileth not one minute of its appointed time. He commandeth
all the planets and orbs of heaven, and they obey.—He commandeth the sea to ebb
and flow, and the whole creation to keep its course, and all obey him. The angels
of heaven obey his will, when he sends them to minister to such silly worms as we
on earth,
If you had any love in thee, thou wouldst know the voice, and
say, “Oh this is my father’s call! how can I find in my heart to disobey? For, the
sheep of Christ do know and hear his voice, and they follow him, and he giveth them
eternal life,”
And thus you see who it is that calleth you, that should move you to hear this call, and turn; so consider also, by what instruments, and how often, and how earnestly, he doth it.
1. Every leaf of the blessed book of God hath as it were a voice, and calls unto thee, Turn and live; turn, or thou wilt die! How canst thou open it, and read a leaf, or hear a chapter, and not perceive God bids thee turn?
912. It is the voice of every sermon that thou hearest: For what else is the scope and drift of all, but to call and persuade, and intreat thee to turn?
3. It is the voice of many a motion of the Spirit, that secretly speaks over these words again, and urgeth thee to turn.
4. It is likely, sometimes, it is the voice of thy own conscience. Art thou not sometimes convinced that all is not well with thee? And doth not your conscience tell thee that you must be a new man, and take a new course, and often call thee to return?
5. It is the voice of the gracious examples of the godly. When thou seest them live a heavenly life, and fly from the sin which is your delight, this really calls on thee to turn.
6. It is the voice of all the works of God. For, they also are
God’s books, that teach thee this lesson, by shewing thee his greatness, and wisdom,
and goodness; and calling thee to observe them, and admire the Creator,
7. It is the voice of every mercy thou dost possess. If thou couldst
but hear and understand them, they all cry out unto thee, turn. Why doth the earth
bear thee, but to seek and serve the Lord? Why doth it afford thee its fruits, but
to serve him? Why doth the air afford you breath, but to serve him? Why do
all the creatures serve thee with their labours and their lives, but that thou mightst
serve the Lord of them and thee? Why doth he give thee time, and health, and strength,
but for 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 then understand that it was thy
part to turn and serve him if he would deliver thee? He hath done his part,
and spared thee yet longer, and tried thee another and another year; and yet dost
thou not turn? You know the parable of the unfruitful figtree,
8. Moreover, it is the voice or every affliction to call thee to make haste and turn. Sickness and pain cry turn; and poverty, and loss of friends, and every twig of the chastising rod cry turn; and yet wilt thou not hearken to the call? These have come near thee, and made thee feel, they have made thee groan, and can they not make thee turn?
9. The very frame of your nature and being itself, bespeaketh thy return. Why hast thou reason, but to rule thy flesh, and serve thy Lord? Why hast thou an understanding soul, but to learn and know his will and do it? Why hast thou a heart within you that can love, and fear, and desire, but that thou shouldst fear him, and love him, and desire after him?
10. Yea, thine own engagements, by promise to the Lord, do 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 94Christianity, 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, and see what should be the issue. The holy scripture calleth upon thee to turn; the ministers of Christ call upon thee to turn; the Spirit cries turn; thy conscience cries turn; the godly, by persuasions and example cry turn; the whole world, and all the creatures therein, that are presented to thy consideration, cry turn; the present forbearance of God, cries turn; all the mercies which thou receivest cry turn; the rod of God’s chastisement cries turn; thy reason, and the frame of thy nature bespeaks thy turning; and so do all your promises to God; and yet hast thou not resolved to turn?
11. Moreover, poor sinner! didst thou ever consider upon what terms thou standst all this while with him that calleth 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 should serve no other master. Thou standest at his mercy, and thy life is in his hand; and he has resolved to save thee upon no other terms; thou hast many malicious spiritual enemies, that 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 your 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, you are a dead and undone man. Were thy eyes but open to see where 95thou standest, even upon the brink of hell, and to see how many thousands are there already that did not turn, thou wouldst see that it is time to look about thee.
Well, Sirs, look inwards now, and tell me how are your hearts affected with those offers of the Lord? You hear what is his mind; he delighteth not in your death; he calls to you, Turn, turn: It is a fearful sign if all this move thee not, or if it do but half move thee; and much more if it make thee more careless in your misery, because thou hearest of the mercifulness of God. The working of the medicine will partly tell us whether there be any hope of the cure. 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 would it be to hear this, Turn and live.—Yea, what a welcome word would it be to thyself, when thou hast 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, Turn and live; and yet wilt thou 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
standeth, as it were, by thee, with heaven in the one hand, and hell in the other,
and offereth thee thy choice; which wilt thou choose?—“The voice of the Lord makes
the rocks to tremble,”
Moreover, this voice that calls to thee, is the same that hath prevailed with thousands already, and called all to heaven that are now there: and they would not now, for a thousand worlds, that they had made light of it, and not turned to God. Now what are they possessing that turned at God’s call? Now they perceive that it was indeed the voice of love that meant them no more harm than their salvation. And, if thou wilt obey the same call, thou shalt come to the same happiness. There are millions that must for ever lament that they turned not; but there is never a soul in heaven that is sorry that they are converted.
Well, Sirs, 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, though you speak not out to me; speak, lest he take your silence for denial; speak quickly, lest he never make you 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 from hence, “By the grace of God I am resolved presently to turn. And because I know 97my own insufficiency, I am resolved to wait on God for his grace, and to follow him in his ways, and forsake my former courses and companions and give up myself to the guidance of the Lord.”
You are not shut up in the darkness of heathenism, nor in the desperation of the damned.—Life is before you; and you may have it on reasonable terms, if you will; yea, on free cost, if you will accept it. The way of God lieth plain before you; the church is open to you; you may have Christ, and pardon, and holiness, if you will. What say you? Will you, or will you not? If you say nay, or say nothing, and still go on, God is witness, and this congregation is witness, and your own consciences are witnesses, how fair an offer you had this day. Remember, you might have had Christ, and would not. Remember, when you have lost it, that you might have had eternal life as well as others, and would not; and all because you would not turn.
Sermon III.
Say to them, As I live, saith the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn ye, turn ye, from your evil ways, for, why will ye die, O house of Israel?
IT has been explained, and proved, that God taketh pleasure in men’s conversion and salvation, but not in their death or damnation. He would rather they would turn and live, than go on and die:—That he may leave man no pretence to 98doubt of it, the Lord hat confirmed it to us by his oath. Yea, farther, so earnest is God for the conversion of sinners, that he doubleth his commands and exhortations with vehemency, Turn ye, turn ye.
Having already illustrated and applied each of these points, let us come to the next doctrine, and hear your reasons.
Doct. 6. 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 controversy and as to the disputants.
1. The controversy or question, propounded to dispute of, is, “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, which God doth seem here to suppose, that any man should be willing to die and be damned? Yea, that this should be the case of the wicked; that is, of the greatest part of the world: But, you will say, this cannot be, for nature desireth the preservation and felicity of itself, and the wicked are more selfish than others, and not less; and therefore how can any man be willing to be damned?—To which I answer:
1. It is a certain truth that no man can be willing of any evil as evil, but only as it hath some appearance of good; much less can any man be willing to be eternally tormented. Misery, as such, is desired by none.
2. But yet, for all that, it is most true which God here teacheth us, 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.
991. Because they will go the way that leads to hell, though they
are told by God and man whither it goes, and where it ends; and though God hath
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,
Is not this the truth of your case, sinners? You would not burn in hell; but you will kindle the fire by your sins, and cast yourselves into it; you would not be tormented with devils for ever, but you will do that which will certainly procure it, in despite of all that can be said against it. It is just as if you would say, “I will drink this poison, but you I will not die. I will cast myself headlong from the top of a steeple, but yet I will not kill myself.—100I will thrust this knife into my heart, but yet I will not take away my life. I will put this fire into the thatch of my house, but yet I will not burn it.”—Just so it is with wicked men; they will be wicked, and they will live after the flesh and the world, and yet they would not be damned. But do you not know that the means do lead to the end? and that God hath 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 that he might take it and do well enough; but it is not his conceits 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 will be unless you turn. Would you not rebuke the folly of a thief or murderer, that would say, “I will steal and kill, but I shall not be hanged,” when he knows that, if he do the one, the judge in justice 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.” So, 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. He that falls into the water, and will not come out, nor suffer another to help him out, may as well say plainly, he will be drowned. So if you be carnal and ungodly, 101and will not be converted, nor use the means by which you should be converted, but think it more ado than needs, you may as well say plainly, you will be damned. For if you have found out a way to be saved without conversion, you have done that which was never done before.
3. Yes, this is not all; but the wicked are unwilling even to partake of salvation itself. Tho’ they may desire somewhat which they call by the name of heaven, yet heaven itself, considered in the true nature of its felicity, they desire not; yea, their hearts are quite against it. Heaven is a state of perfect holiness, and of continual love and praise to God and the wicked have no heart to this. The imperfect love, and praise, and holiness, which is here to be attained, they have no mind of; much less of that which is so much greater: The joys of heaven are of so pure and spiritual a nature, that the heart of the wicked cannot desire them.
So that by this time you may see on what ground it is, that God supposeth that the wicked are willing their own destruction; they will rather venture on certain misery than be converted; and then, to quiet themselves in their sins, they will make themselves believe that they shall nevertheless escape.
2. And as this controversy is matter of wonder (that even men should be such enemies to themselves, as wilfully to cast away their souls) so are the disputants too. That God should stoop so low as thus to plead the case with man; and that men should be so strangely blind and obstinate as to need all this in so plain a case; yea, and to resist all this, when their own salvation lieth upon the issue!
No wonder that they will not hear us that are men, when they will
not hear the Lord himself: As God 102saith,
Quest. But why is it that God will reason the case with man?
Ans. 1. Because that man being a reasonable creature, is accordingly to be dealt with, and by reason to be persuaded and overcome; God hath therefore endowed them with reason, that they might use it for him. One would think a reasonable creature should not go against the clearest and the greatest reason in the world, when it is set before him.
2. At least, men shall see that God did require nothing of them that was unreasonable, but that whatever forbideth them, he hath all the right reason in the world on his side: And they have good reason to obey him, but none to disobey. And thus even the damned shall be forced to justify God, and confess 103 that it was only reasonable that they should have turned to him; and they shall be forced to condemn themselves, and confess that they had little reason to cast away themselves by the neglecting of His grace in the day of their visitation.
USE.
Look up your best and strongest reasons, sinners, if you will make good your way:—You see now with whom you have to deal.—What say thou, unconverted, sensual sinner? 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 are 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 you delay, 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 it is enough to patch up the old man, without becoming new. Who is in the right now? God or you? God calleth on you to turn, and to live a 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 command of your 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 reason for it that is 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.
1. 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 has from God; and therefore none can be wiser than God. It were fatal 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 which he seeth, yet that is more ignorant than many of 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 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 truths of God, yea, contradict them and cavil against them, when they can scarce speak sense, and will believe them no farther than agreeth with their foolish wisdom.
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 105reason to break
his master’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 ye 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 reason to sin, should
you not remember that “death is the wages of sin,”
O sirs, that you did but know what matters they are that we are now speaking to you of! The saints in heaven have other kind of thoughts of these things. If the devil could 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 sport 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 of the earth, do you think this would entice them down from heaven? O with what hatred and holy scorn would they disdain and reject the motion! And why should not you do so, that have heaven opened to your faith, if you had but faith to see it? There is never a soul in hell but knows, by this time, that it was a mad exchange to let go heaven for fleshly pleasure, and that it is not a little mirth, or pleasure, or worldly riches, or honour, or the good will or word of men, that will quench hell fire, or make him a saver that loseth his soul. Oh! 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 107not 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 a reason for; as Bishop
Cranmer had when he burnt off his hand for subscribing to Popery. If you see a man
cut off a leg or 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 racks, and refuse deliverance
when it is offered, that is a hard case to flesh and blood: but this a man may have
good reason for; as you may see in
I beseech you now let this word come nearer to your hearts. 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 hath 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 is 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 shews that 108you 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 against reason itself? Will you do that which you have no reasons 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 shouldst 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? 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!
Ans. What! 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,
Object. 2. I am sure if such as I go to hell, we shall have store of company.
Ans. 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 will execute his threatnings, because there be so many that are guilty? All these are silly unreasonable conceits.
Object. 3. But all men are sinners, even the best of you all?
Ans. But all are not unconverted sinners. The godly 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.
Ans. Whatever hypocrites are, it is not so with those that are sanctified. God hath thousands and tens of thousands that are otherwise; though 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 shouldest thou call me to be converted?
110Ans. 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 fast glued to the world, and as much slaves to the flesh, and as strange to God, and averse to heaven in their more civil discourse, as others are in their more shameful and notorious sins.
Object. 6. But I mean nobody any harm, nor do any harm; and why then should God condemn me?
Ans. 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 your sinfulness to be insensible of it; the dead feel not that they are dead. If once thou wert made alive, thou wouldst 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 too high for them.
Ans. 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,”
3. What is there in the work that Christ calls you, that should drive a man out of his wits? Is it the loving of 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?
4. 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 brutes 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.
5. 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 a one, than of the mad unconverted world, that take their distraction to be their wisdom.
Object. 8. I do not thing that God cares so much what men think, or speak, or do, as to make so great a matter of it.
Ans. It seems, then, you take the word of God 112 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 vouchsafeth 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 at 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 troubles to relieve you. And, if God had so little cared for you as you imagine, you would never have lived till now; a 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 birds and beasts 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 ends be accomplished, and whether we do the work that we are made for?
Yea, by this atheistical objection you make God to have made and upholden all the world in vain. For, what are all other lower creatures for, but for man? What doth the earth, but bear 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 a 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.
Ans. 1. It hath ever been the custom to praise 113 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 forefathers. 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. There are so many ways and religions that we know not which to be of, and therefore we will be even as we are.
Ans. Because there are many, will you 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 not only err in this or that opinion, but in the very scope and drift or their lives. If you were going a journey that your life lay on, would you stop or turn again, because you met with some cross-ways, or because you saw some travelers go the horse way, 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 inquire the way? If you have some servants that know not how to do your work right, and some that are unfaithful; would you take it well of any of the rest that would therefore be idle, and do you no service, because they see their companions so bad?
114Object. 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.
Ans. 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 God, and do as well as I can, and not make so much ado.
Ans. 1. Is that doing as well as you can, 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 would 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 a 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 self-love, 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 a 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 yourselves into hell, the Lord deliver you from such reasons, and
from such blind understandings, and from such senseless hardened hearts. Dare you
stand to aver one of there reasons at the bar of God? Do you think it will then
serve your turn to say, “Lord, I did not 115turn, because I had so much
to do 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 shame such
reasonings as these! Had you the world to look after? Let the 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 you not commanded, to ’seek first God’s kingdom and righteousness;
and promised that other things should be added to you?”
Is it your pleasure 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 to 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 consisteth!
Quest. But how it cometh to pass that men should be so unreasonable in the matters of salvation? They have wit enough in other matters, what makes them so loathe 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?
Answer. To name them only in a few words, the causes are these:
1. Men are naturally in love with the earth and flesh, and their nature hath an enmity to God and godliness, as the nature of a serpent hath to a man: And when all that we can say goeth 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 120 of the heavenly inheritance. They know not what conversion, and a holy mind and conversation, are, even when they hear of them. They are in a mist of ignorance. They are lost and bewildered in sin; like a man that hath lost himself in the night, and knows not where he is, nor how to come to himself again till the day-light recover Him.
3. They are wilfully confident that they need 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 on 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 a 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 cheer, 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,
5. Some are so carried away by the stream of evil company, that
they are possessed with hard thoughts 121of 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 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
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 it 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 deluding cheats as these, the devil keeps the most 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 ye 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.
123Sermon IV.
Say to them, As I live, saith the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn ye, turn ye, from your evil ways, for, why will ye die, O house of Israel?
I HAVE now shewn you the reasonableness of God’s commands, and the unreasonableness of wicked men’s disobedience. If nothing will serve their 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 to the last doctrine; which is,
Doct. 7. That if, after all, these men will not turn, it is not the fault of God that they are condemned, but themselves, even their own wilfulness. They die, because they will die; that is, because they will not turn.
If you will go to hell, what remedy? God here acquits himself
of your blood; it shall not lie on him if you be lost. A negligent minister may
draw it upon him; and those that encourage you, or hinder you not in sin, may draw
it upon them; but be sure of it, it shall not lie upon God. Saith the Lord, concerning
his unprofitable vineyard,
USE.
From what has been said, you may farther learn these following things:
1. From hence you may see, not only what blasphemy and impiety
it is to lay the blame of men’s 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 own 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, 131that 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, fleshly 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, knowing the uncertainty of their lives, we
are afraid every day lest they drop into the fire. And, therefore, we intreat them
to pity their own souls, and not to undo themselves when mercy is at hand, and they
will not hear us. 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 miserable sinners! It
is not God that is cruel to you; it is you that are cruel to yourselves. You are
told that 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 by holiness;
and yet you will not be holy. What would you have God 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 will
or not? 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. 132
What! an unsanctified fleshly heart to be in heaven! it cannot be. “There entereth
nothing that is unclean,”
Objecti. But we cannot convert ourselves till God convert us: we can do nothing without his grace: It is not in him that willeth, nor in him that runneth, but in God that sheweth mercy.
Answer. God hath two degrees of mercy to shew; the mercy of conversion first, and the mercy of salvation last: 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 are unwilling; and though your own willingness and endeavours deserve not his grace, yet your wilful refusal deserveth that it should be denied to you. Your disability is your very unwillingness itself which excuseth not your sin, but maketh it the greater. You could turn if you were but truly willing; and, if your wills themselves are so corrupted, that nothing but effectual 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, or set yourself 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.
Ans. 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 136therefore we see, by sad experience, that it hath not a virtuous moral freedom. But that it is the wickedness of it which 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 so malicious that he falls 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 choose, unless God gives 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 acquitted? If not, why then should you think to be acquitted for a course of sin against the Lord?
2. From hence also you may observe these three things together: 1. What a subtle tempter Satan is. 2. What a deceitful thing sin is. 3. What a foolish creature corrupted man is. A subtile 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 as they have. 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 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 trifle, to cast himself into the fire, or water, or into a coal-pit, to the destruction of his life. And yet men will be enticed to cast themselves into hell. If your natural lives were in your 137own hands, that you should not die till you should 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 a 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 so much stick to the destruction of others, that stick not to destroy themselves? They do no worse by others than they do by themselves.
4. 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; that the great work that grace hath to do, is to save us from ourselves; that the greatest accusations and complaints of men should be against themselves; that the greatest work that 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 will 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 farther consideration.
138WELL, 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. Farther 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 or God, who
is so willing to do good, and delighteth to shew mercy, that we have no reason to
suspect him of being the culpable cause of our death, or to call him cruel: he hath
made all good, and he preserveth and maintaineth all; the eyes of all things do
wait upon him, and he giveth them their meat in due season; he openeth his hand,
and satisfieth the desires of all the living,
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 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 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 not rod or 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 notions, and tempt him to tempt you. And it is easy for him to catch such greedy fish that are ranging for a bait, and will take the bare hook.
3. Your destruction is evidently of yourselves, in that you resist all that would help to save you, 140and would do you good, or hinder you from undoing yourselves. 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, 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 a 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 heartless thank, and will not turn when you are persuaded. If ministers would privately instruct and help you, you will not come to 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 unholy. 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 will 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, unwilfulness, 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 blessed God himself.
You like not the contrivance 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,
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 medicines, and must save you
whether you will come to God by him or not; 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 confirm them in holiness to the image of their heavenly Father,
and to their head.
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 with quarrelling thoughts, as if his decrees might spare you the labour of repentance and a holy life, or else were the cause of sin and death. If he afflict you, you repine; if he prosper you, you the more forget him, and are the more backwards to the thoughts of the life to come. If the wicked prosper, you forget the end that will set all reckonings strait; 142 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 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, and to enable you to perform
his work. Your clothes you abuse to pride. Your riches draw your hearts from heaven,
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 take the bare hearing of your duty for so good
a work, as if it would excuse you for not obeying it. Your prayers are turned into
sin, because you regard iniquity in your hearts,
9. Yea, the persons that you converse with, and all 143their actions, you make the occasions of your sin and destruction. If they live 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. If the godly be few, you are the more emboldened to despise them. If they walk exactly, you think they are too precise: if one of them fall in a particular temptation, you stumble upon them, and turn away from holiness, because that others are imperfectly holy; as if you were warranted to break your necks, because some others have by heedlessness sprained a sinew or put out a bone. If a hypocrite discover himself, you say, they are all alike, and think yourselves as honest. A professor can scarce slip into any miscarriage, but, because he cuts his finger, you think you may boldly cut your throats. If ministers deal plainly with you, you say they rail. If they speak gently or coldly, you either sleep under them, or are little more affected 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 conceits. 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 144hear them that are against it. And, thus I might shew it you in many other cases, how you turn all that come 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 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 is to sin against the deepest principle in 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 be 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 of your flesh: but, alas! it is but as a draught of 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, or 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 on earth or in 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 145 that against yourselves which no one else can do? You have hateful thoughts of the devil, because he is your enemy, and endeavoureth your destruction. And will you be worse than devils to yourselves? Why thus it is with you, if you had hearts to understand it, when you run into 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 entrusted 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?
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 torturing
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! That you 146had teachers as well as others, but you
refused their instructions! You had holy examples, but you did not imitate
them. 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,
And now I am come to the conclusion of this work, my heart is
troubled to think how I shall leave, 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
If these be the thoughts and purposes of your hearts, I shall gladly give you direction what to do, and that but briefly, that you may the easier remember it for your practice.
DIRECTION I
IF you will be converted and saved, labour to understand the necessity and true nature of conversion; for what, and from what, and to what, and by what, it is that you must turn. Consider in what a lamentable condition you are till the hour of your conversion, that you may feel it is not a state to be rested in. You are under the guilt of all the sins that ever you committed; and under the wrath of God, and the curse of his law; you are bond-slaves to the devil, and daily employed in his work 151against the Lord, yourselves, and others; you are spiritually dead and deformed, as being void of the holy life, and nature, and image of the Lord. You are unfit for any holy work, and do nothing that is truly pleasing unto God. You are without any promise or assurance of his protection, and live in continual danger of his justice, not knowing what hour you may be snatched away to hell, and most certain to be damned if you die in that condition. And nothing short of conversion can prevent it. Whatever civilities, or amendments, or virtues, are short of true conversion, will never procure the saving of your souls. Keep the true sense of this natural misery, and so of the necessity of conversion on your hearts.
And then you must understand what it is to be converted: it is to have a new heart or disposition, and a new conversation.
Quest. 1. For what must we turn?
Ans. For these ends following, which you may attain: 1. You shall immediately be made living members of Christ, and have an interest in him, and be renewed after the image of God, and be adorned with all his graces, and quickened with a new and heavenly life, and saved from the tyranny of Satan and the dominion of sin, and be justified from the curse of the law, and have the pardon of all the sins of your whole lives, and be accepted of God, and made his sons, and have liberty to call Him Father, and go to him by prayer, in all your needs, with a promise of acceptance; you shall have the Holy Ghost to dwell in you, to sanctify and guide you; you shall have part in the brotherhood, communion, and prayers of the saints; you shall be fitted for God’s service, and be freed from the dominion of sin, and be useful and a blessing to the place where you live, and shall have the promise of this life, and that which is to come. You shall want nothing that is truly good for you, and your necessary afflictions you will be enabled to bear; you may have some taste of communion with God in the spirit, especially in all holy ordinances, where God prepareth a feast for your souls; you shall be heirs of heaven while you live on earth, and may foresee by faith the everlasting 152 glory, and so may live and die in peace; and you shall never be so low, but your happiness will be incomparably greater than your misery.—How precious is every one of these blessings, which I do but briefly name, and which in this life you may receive.
And then, 2. At death your souls shall go to Christ, and at the day of judgment both soul and body shall be justified and glorified, and enter into your Master’s joy; where your happiness will consist in these particulars:
1. You shall be perfected yourselves:—Your mortal bodies shall be made immortal, and the corruptible shall put on incorruption: You shall no more be hungry, or thirsty, or weary, or sick; nor shall you need to fear either shame, or sorrow, or death, or hell. Your souls shall be perfectly freed from sin, and perfectly fitted for the knowledge, and love, and praises of the Lord.
2. Your employments shall be to behold your glorious Redeemer, with all your holy fellow-citizens of heaven; and to see the glory of the most blessed God, and to love him perfectly, and be beloved by him, and to praise him everlastingly.
3. Your glory will contribute to the glory of the New Jerusalem, the city of the living God; which is more than to have a private felicity to yourselves.
4. Your glory will contribute to the glorifying of your Redeemer, who will everlastingly be magnified and pleased in you that are the travail of his soul; and this is more than the glorifying of yourselves.
5. And the eternal Majesty, the living God, will be glorified in your glory; both as he is magnified by your praises, and as he communicateth of his glory and goodness to you, and as he is pleased in you, and in the accomplishment of his glorious work, in the glory of the New Jerusalem, and of His Son. All this, the poorest beggar of you, that is converted, shall certainly and endlessly enjoy.
2. You see for what you must turn: next you must understand from what you must turn: And that is, in a word, from your carnal self, which is the end of all the unconverted. From the flesh that would be pleased before 153 God, and would still be enticing you; from the world, that is the bait; and from the devil, that is the angler for souls, and the deceiver. And so from all known and wilful sins.
3. Next you must know to what end you must turn: and that is, to God as your end, to Christ as the way to the Father; to holiness, as the way appointed you by Christ; and to the use of all the helps and means of grace afforded you by the Lord.
4. Lastly; you must know by what you must turn: And that is, by Christ, as the only Redeemer and Intercessor; and by the Holy Ghost, as the sanctifier; and by the Word, as his instrument or means; and by faith and repentance, as the means and duties on your part to be performed. All this is of necessity.
Direct. II. If you will be converted and saved, be much in secret serious consideration. Inconsiderateness undoes the world. Withdraw yourselves often into retired secrecy, and there bethink you of the end why you were made; of the life you have lived; the time you have lost; the sin you have committed; of the love and sufferings, and fulness of Christ; of the danger you are in; of the nearness of death and judgment; of the certainty and excellency of the joys of heaven; and of the certainty and terror of the torments of hell; and eternity of both; and of the necessity of conversion and a holy life. Steep your hearts in such considerations as these.
Direct. III If you will be converted and saved, attend
upon the word of God, which is the ordinary means. Read the scripture, or
hear it read, and other holy writings that do apply it: Constantly attend on the
public preaching of the word. As God will lighten the world by the sun, and not
by himself alone without it, so will he convert and save men by his ministers, who
are the lights of the world,
Direct. IV. “Betake yourselves to God in a course of 154earnest constant prayer. Confess and lament your former lives, and beg his grace to illuminate and convert you. Beseech him to pardon what is past, and to give you his Spirit, and change your hearts and lives, and lead you in his ways, and save you from temptations.” And ply this work daily, and be not weary of it.
Direct. V. “Presently give over your known and wilful sins. Make a stand, and go that way no farther.”—Be drunk no more, but avoid the place and occasion of it. Cast away your lusts and sinful pleasures with detestation, and rail no more; and, if you have wronged any, restore as Zaccheus did. If you will commit again your old sins, what blessings can you expect on the means for conversion?
Direct. VI. “Presently, if possible, change your company,
if it have hitherto been bad.” Not by forsaking your necessary relations, but your
unnecessary sinful companions, and join yourselves with those that fear the Lord,
and inquire of them the way to heaven.
Direct. VII. “Deliver up yourselves to the Lord Jesus
as the physician of your souls,” that he may pardon you by his blood, and sanctify
you by his Spirit, by his word and ministers, the instruments of the Spirit. He
is the way, the truth, and the life; there is no coming to the Father but by him,
Direct. VIII. If you mean indeed to turn and live, “Do it speedily, without delay”. If you be not willing to turn to-day, you are not willing to do it at all.—Remember you are all this while in your blood, under the guilt of many thousand sins, and under God’s wrath, and you stand at the very brink of hell; there is but a step between you and death. And this is not a case for a man that is well in his wits to be quiet in. Up therefore presently, and fly as for your lives; as you would be gone out of your house, if it were all on fire over 155 your heads.—O if you did but know in what continual danger you live in, and what daily unspeakable loss you do sustain, and what a safer and sweeter life you might live, you would not stand trifling, but presently turn. Multitudes miscarry that wilfully delay, when they are convinced that it must be done. Your lives are short and uncertain; and, what a case are ye in, if you die before you thoroughly turn! You have staid too long already, and wronged God too long; sin getteth strength and rooting while you delay. Your conversion will grow more hard and doubtful. You have much to do, and therefore put not all off to the last, lest God forsake you, and give you up to yourselves, and then you are undone for ever.
Direct. IX. If you will turn and live, do it “unreservedly,
absolutely, and universally.” Think not to capitulate with Christ, and divide your
heart betwix him and the world, and to part with some sins, and keep the rest; and
to let that go that which your flesh can spare. This is but self-deluding; you must
in heart and resolution forsake all that you have, or else you cannot be his disciples,
Direct. X. If you will turn and live, do it “resolvedly,” and stand not still deliberating, as if it were a doubtful case. Stand not wavering, as if you were yet uncertain whether God or the flesh be the better master; or whether heaven or hell be the better end; or whether sin or holiness is the better way. But away with your former lusts, and presently, habitually, fixedly resolve. Be not one day of one mind, and the next day of another; but be at a point with all the world, and resolvedly give up yourselves, and all you have to God. Now while you are 156reading, or hearing this, resolve. Before you sleep another night, resolve. Before you stir from the place, resolve. Before Satan have time to take you off, resolve. You never turn indeed till you do resolve, and that with a firm unchangeable resolution.—So much for the Directions.
And now I have done my part in this work, that you may turn to the call of God, and live; what will become of it, I cannot tell: I have cast the seed at God’s command, but it is not in my power to give the increase. I can go no farther with my message: I cannot bring it to your hearts, nor make it work; I cannot do your parts for you to entertain it and consider it; I cannot do God’s part, by opening your heart to cause you to entertain it; nor can I shew heaven or hell to your eye-sight, nor give you new and tender hearts. If I knew what more to do for your conversion, I hope I should do it.
But O thou, that art the gracious Father of spirits, thou hast sworn thou delightest not in the death of the wicked, but rather that they may turn and live; deny not thy blessing to those persuasions and directions, and suffer not thine enemies to triumph in thy sight; and the great deceiver of souls to prevail against thy Son, thy Spirit, and thy Word! O pity poor unconverted sinners, that have no hearts to pity themselves: Command the blind to see, and the deaf to hear, and the dead to live, and let not sin and death be able to resist thee.—Awaken the secure, resolve the unresolved, confirm the wavering, and let the eyes of sinners, that read these lines, be next employed in weeping over their sins; and bring them to themselves and to thy Son, before their sins have brought them to perdition. If thou sayst but the word, these poor endeavours shall prosper to the winning of many a soul, to their everlasting joy, and everlasting glory. Amen.
Indexes
Index of Scripture References
Genesis
Exodus
Leviticus
Numbers
Deuteronomy
Job
Psalms
1:2 1:21 9:17 11:5 15:4 15:4 16:3 19:1-2 29:1-11 66:18 73:25 73:36 81:11-12 81:13 84:10 84:10 145:15-16 145:17 145:19
Proverbs
1:20-33 4:23 8:33-36 11:7 17:16 28:9
Ecclesiastes
Isaiah
1:2-4 1:16-18 5:2-4 27:1 27:4 27:6 45:9 48:22 48:22 48:23 49:5 55:1-3 55:1-3 55:6-7 57:21 57:21 57:21 58:1 59:8
Jeremiah
Ezekiel
3:7 3:18 18:1-32 18:25 33:8 33:10 33:11 33:11 33:11 33:11
Amos
Micah
Malachi
Matthew
1:21 4:2 5:14 6:12 6:19-21 6:20 6:33 6:33 7:13-14 18:3 18:3 18:3 18:3 21:31 22:12 23:37 23:37
Mark
Luke
6:12 9:54 12:19-21 12:20 12:21 12:32 12:32 13:3 13:5 13:6-9 13:22-24 14:15 14:17 14:17 14:18 14:23-24 14:24 14:24 14:26 14:26 14:27 14:33 15:17 15:17 16:1-31 16:28 18:22-23 18:29 19:14 19:41-42 19:42 20:36 21:34 21:36 22:44 24:46-47
John
3:3 3:3 3:3 3:5 3:16 3:32 5:40 10:4 14:6 15:2-4
Acts
4:12 5:30-31 9:5 9:10 9:19 9:26 13:38-39 26:17-18
Romans
2:3-6 2:4 6:23 8:5-7 8:8 8:8-9 8:9 8:13 8:13 8:18 8:23 10:21 11:33 13:11-14 14:17
1 Corinthians
2 Corinthians
5:17 5:17 5:17-21 5:18-19 5:19 6:14-15
Galatians
1:8 3:1 3:1 5:24 6:7 6:15 6:15
Ephesians
Philippians
3:9-10 3:18 3:18 3:18 3:18 3:18-20 3:21
Colossians
3:1-2 3:1-3 3:4 3:4 3:5 3:5 3:9-10 3:10-11
2 Thessalonians
1 Timothy
2 Timothy
Titus
Hebrews
1:14 6:13 6:16-18 10:31 11:6 11:33-36 12:14 12:14 12:28 12:28 12:29
James
1 Peter
1:3 1:15-16 1:15-16 1:23 2:1-2
2 Peter
1 John
Revelation
Index of Pages of the Print Edition
ii iii iv v vi vii viii ix x xi xii xiii xiv xv xvi xvii xviii xix xx xxi xxii xxiii xxiv xxv xxvi xxvii xxviii 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129 130 131 132 133 134 135 136 137 138 139 140 141 142 143 144 145 146 147 148 149 150 151 152 153 154 155 156
[1]Mr. R. Rowley, of Shrewsbury, upon Acham bridge.