and that wretched estate into which our sins have brought us; that he may humble and abase us, when we reflect how far we are fallen from our first perfection and excellency.

When we consider, on the one hand, that God requires nothing from us now, but what we once had a power to perform; and then, on the other hand, how little, yea how much of that nothing, it is that now we have power to perform; this convinces us how miserably great our fall is, that makes those things impossible to us, that once were both easy and delightful.

(2) God loves to deal with men as with rational creatures, that have free faculties; are capable of moral influences; and are fit subjects to be wrought upon by precepts, counsels, commands, and exhortations, as well as by internal and efficacious grace that arguments and motives may persuade without, as grace sways within; that so, by both, he might render them a willing people in the day of his power.

And, therefore, they are not in vain, neither to those that shall be saved, nor to those that perish.

[1] To those, that shall be saved, these are the instruments, which the Spirit of God makes use of to incline their wills and conquer their affections unto the obedience of Christ; and, therefore, they are not in vain.

In conversion, ordinarily, if not always, the moral work goes before the physical : that is, there is, first the rational persuasion, before there is the efficacious and determining motion. For God, when he works on man, accommodates himself to the nature of man : that, as he is a creature, so he may be and is the subject of God's efficacious motions; and, as he is rational, so he may be guided by counsels, led by persuasions, and overawed by convictions. And, therefore, when God converts any, he takes both these ways: inwardly, he works by effectual grace, powerfully subduing the will as a creature subject unto it; and, outwardly, he works by moral suasions and authoritative commands, whereby he inclines the will sweetly and freely to consent to the power of that inward grace, which indeed he shall never, nay indeed he cannot resist and both these together do concur, as I said before, to make a willing people in the day of God's power.

And,

[2] For those, that perish, these commands have a double end and use.

1st. They are instruments in the hand of the common work of

the Spirit of God, to raise them up to all those moral good things, that they attain to, short of true and saving grace.

It is wonderful, truly, to see how the raging wickedness of the world is dared by a command charged with a threatening. Herod heard John Baptist, who doubtless laid the law home to him, so that he did many things: Abimelech and Laban were warned in a dream, whereby God overruled and prevented that wickedness, that was intended by them: were they compelled to what they did? No; God loves to rule the world in a rational way; so that, though he acts and moves wicked men to that good that they do, yet he doth it by moral considerations, and such inducements as do most comport and suit with the liberty of their own will. Promises encourage: threatenings deter: counsels direct commands enforce: and all these concur, instrumentally, to awe the consciences, and to incline the wills even of wicked men themselves. Whose conscience can gainsay this? Let the vilest sinner freely speak: when he hath been most mad and wild upon his lusts, hath not oftentimes some command or threatening suddenly shot itself in betwixt his conscience and sin? have not two or three weak words silently whispered to him, whence or from whom he knows not, stopped his way and given a check to his lust, when it was swelling ready to break forth into act? And whence have they this power? It is not from themselves: for why then doth it not always so work? But it is from God's inward and physical, though but common work; that, when the affections are most furious and corruption most raging, will effectually persuade to restrain and assuage.

2dly. Another end is, that hereby God leaves them without

excuse.'

If they perish, they shall have nothing to pretend against God. Hath he not often warned, and counselled, and threatened them? Hath he not told them, with as much earnestness and veheméncy as the words of his ministers could deliver it, that the wages of sin is death, and the end of those ways wherein they walk will be shame and eternal destruction? Have they not, with all seriousness and entreaties, been called upon, again and again, to repent and turn from the unfruitful works of darkness, and to work the works of God? Can the mouth of God or man speak plainer, when they have been calling and crying after any, Turn ye, turn ye: why will ye die? This is that, which, from our souls, we do beseech and entreat at the hands of sinners,

even for the blood and bowels of Jesus Christ; nay, for the blood and bowels of their own precious souls, which they are wilfully spilling upon the ground; that they would turn and live. Now there is not one, that hears this serious obtestation and is not obedient to it, but his blood, even the blood of his soul, will lie upon him for ever. What is it, that men expect? Must God drive men to heaven by force and violence, whether they will or no? He hath laid promises and threatenings before them he exhorts and commands: and, if these things will not prevail with men whose faculties are entire, whose reason is sound, and whose wills are free; think not foolishly to charge God, for he is free from the blood of all men, and sinners will be found to be self-murderers and self-destroyers. If I had not come and spoken unto them, says our Saviour, they had then had no sin; but now they have no cloke for their sin: so, if God had not come and spoken unto sinners, they had neither had sin nor condemnation; but, now that he hath spoken to them so often, and exhorted them so frequently and earnestly, therefore now they have no cloke for their sin. God hath spoken, and his speaking will strike every impenitent wretch dumb and silent at the Great Day, whatever they pretend to now.

And this is a Second particular, in answer to this objection: God doth not mock men's weakness, when he commands them to work; but hath great, wise, and weighty ends why he doth it. Answ, 3. To come somewhat nearer: There is, indeed, no such impotency and weakness in man; but, if he will, he may work out his own salvation.

I speak not this to assert the power of man to work out salvation, without the aid of special grace, to incline the will; but, if the will be once inclined and made willing, there is nothing more required to make a man able: I say, where there is special grace given to make the will willing to convert, to believe, and to repent, there is nothing more required to make a man able; because conversion, faith, and repentance chiefly consist in the act of the will itself: now if the will wills repentance, it doth repent; if it wills faith, it doth believe; and so of the rest and, therefore, there is nothing more required to make a man able, than what he hath in a state of unregeneracy; only, to make him willing is required special grace, which they that favour the undue liberty of the will do deny. And, therefore, God expostulates with the stubbornness of the will: Why will ye perish? Why will ye die? Ezek. xviii. 31. xxxiii, 11. and

Christ accuseth the will: Ye will not come to me, that ye may have life: John v. 40. It is true, there is an impotency in the will; but this is only its stubbornness and obstinacy: it will not hearken to God's call: it will not obey his commands: it will not strive against sin nor perform duties: and, therefore, it cannot. Our CANNOT is not, indeed, an impotency, that we lie under; so much as the stubbornness of our wills. There is not the greatest sinner, who hath wrought iniquity with both hands greedily, but may work out his own salvation if he will: if he be but once willing, he hath that already, that may make him able: God puts no new powers into the soul, when he converts it. It is true, the will cannot incline itself to obedience, without grace; but, yet, it can intend it, if it will: it is its stubbornness, that makes it impotent. It is in the things of grace, as in other free actions of a man's life, with a proportionable abatement: a man can speak and walk, if he will; but, if he be resolutely set not to do these things, he cannot do them so long as that resolution remains, though simply and absolutely he can do them doth this argue any impotency? So is it here: you may obey and work, if you will; but, if you are resolutely bent against these, if you are resolved not to do them, while that resolution continues you cannot do them: but this argues not any natural impotency, but a moral impotency only: this is an impotency of stubbornness and perverseness. Never, therefore, plead the inability of your will: no; it is through your own stubborn resolution if you perish: you are resolved for hell and destruction; and, if you are plunged into them, it is through your own wilfulness, and not through weakness.

Answ. 4. To come yet a little nearer to conscience and practice: These very men, that thus make their impotency a pretence for their sloth, do not indeed believe what they pretend and assert here.

They do not believe, that they are thus impotent: no; it is in the inward and secret thoughts of them all, that they have a power to work out their own salvation; and, therefore, whether they have or have not power, yet still they are inexcusable, if, while they think they have power, yet they will not strive and endeavour to put it forth. Those men, who thus plead impotency and want of power to obey and work out their salvation, though they speak these things, yet they believe not a word of what they say; and therefore they are inexcusable, if they strive not to put forth that power, that they suppose they have, into

act. Although a man's feet be chained and fettered that he cannot walk nor stir, yet if he thinks himself at liberty, and yet will sit still, judge you whether the fault be not wholly to be imputed to his want of will, and not to his want of power; for he thinks himself free and able to move, but will not try. So is it here: wicked men do think they have power to work, however they speak otherwise sometimes; and, therefore, they are utterly inexcusable if they do not work: this is as clear as the light; and their slothfulness, therefore, proceeds not from their weakness, but from their wilfulness.

And I shall endeavour, by some arguments, to convince sinners, that they do indeed think and believe that they have this power to work out their own salvation, whatever they may pretend to; and that therefore they are inexcusable, if they do not strive and endeavour to do it.

And,

(1) Did you never, when God hath shaken his rod over you, promise and resolve to work?

By his rod, I mean either some convictions or afflictions : have not these made you to enter into engagements with God, that you would obey him, and walk more holily and strictly for the future? And did you not really thus resolve to do? Few, I believe, there are, but have, some time or other, under some fit of sickness or some pang of conscience, thus done. And what! did you resolve all this; and yet, at the same time, think and believe you could do nothing at all? Did you only mock God? Did you only dally and play with your own consciences? No, certainly conscience was too much provoked, too much enraged, and too broad awake, to be so jested withal. We find this very temper in the Israelites, when they were affrighted with the terrible voice of God from Mount Sinai, in the 5th of Deutronomy: see how confidently, under that conviction, they promise and resolve: Speak thou unto us what the Lord our God shall say unto thee; and we will.....do it: Deut. v. 27. and so the Jews also, when they were in great distress and calamity, when the whip and the rod was over them, then they took up large resolutions, and made great promises what they would be and do: Whether it be good, or whether it be evil, say they, we will obey the voice of the Lord our God: Jer. xlii. 6. And, oh, how many pious purposes and holy resolutions have the dangers, fears, and sick beds of many men been witnesses unto! have they not heard sinners cry out, "Lord, spare a little: give us