6. Lastly, if all this will not yet satisfy you, take his own word, that knowest 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.

6

If 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, Matt. xviii. 3, John iii. 3. so GOD hath sworn that his pleasure is not in their death, but in their conversion and lifc. And as the. apostle saith, Heb. vi. 13, 16, 17, 18. "Because hé can swear by no greater than himself,' he saith, As I live,' ' &c. 'For men verily swear by the greater, and an oath for confirmation is to them an end of strife: wherein GOD willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise, the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath, that by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for GOD to lye, we might have a strong consolation, who have fied for refuge to lay hold on the hope set before us; which we have as an anchor of the soul both sure and stedfast.' If there be any man that cannot reconcile this truth with the dootrine of predestination, or the actual damnation of the wicked, that is his own ignorance; he hath no pre.

tence left to deny or question therefore, the truth o. the point in hand: for this is confirmed by the oath o GOD, and therefore must not be distorted, to reduce it to other points: but doubtful points must rather be believed to agree with it, and certain truths must be believed to agree it, though our shallow brains do hardly discern the agreement.

USE.

I do now intreat thee, if thou be an unconverted sinner that hearest these words, that thou wouldst ponder a little upon the fore mentioned doctrines, and bethink thyself a while, who it is that takes pleasure in thy sin and damnation? Certainly, it is not GOD: he 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 motions of the Spirit, to please GOD. That were as if you would 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 sins 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 enemies, 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 hardheartedness, and care.

lessness, and presumption; such wilfulness in evil, and such untcachableness 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 persuade 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 spok.

en to them in thy name, but they little regard us: we have told them what thou bidst us to 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,' Isaiah xlviii. 22. and lvii. 21. but the worst of them all will scarce believe that they are wicked; we have shewed them thy word, where thou hast said, that if they live after the flesh they shall die,' Rom. viii. 13. but they say, they will believe in thee, when they will not believe; that they will trust in thee, when they give no credit to thy word, and when they have hope that the threatenings of thy words are false, they will yet call this a hoping in GOD; and though we shew ther where thou hast said, that when a wicked man dieth, all his hopes perish, yet cannot we persuade them from their deceitful hopes, Prov. xi 7. "We tell them

but they love it,

what a base unprofitable thing sin is; and therefore will not leave it. We tell them how dear they buy this pleasure, and what they must pay for it in everlasting torment, and they bless themselves and will not believe it; but will do as the most do: and because GOD is merciful, they will not believe him, but will venture their souls, come on it what will. We tell them how dy the Lord is to receive them; and this doth but make them delay their repentance, and be bolder in their sin. purpose to repent, but they Bay they do tepent already,

Some of them say they are still the same; some while yet they are not

ignorant, and proud, Few of them will see

converted. We exhort them, we intreat them, we offer them our help, but we cannot prevail with them; but they that were drunkards, are drunkards still; and they that were voluptuous flesh-pleasing wretches, are such still; and they that were worldlings, are worldlings still; and they that were and self-conceited, are so still. and confess their sin, and fewer will forsake it; but comfort themselves that all men are sinners; as if there were no difference between a converted sinner and an unconverted. Some of them will not come near us, when we are willing to instruct them, but think they know enough already, and need not our instruction : and some of them will give us the hearing, and do what they list; and some of them are like dead men that cannot feel; so that when we tell them of the matters of everlasting consequence, we cannot get a word of it to their hearts. If we do not obey them, and humour them in baptizing the children of the most obstinately wicked, and giving them the Lord's Supper, and doing all that they would have us, though never so much against the word of GOD, they will hate us and rail at us; but if we beseech them but to confess and forsake their sins, and save their souls, they will not do it. We tell them, if they will but turn, we will deny them none of the ordinances of GOD, neither baptism to their children, nor the Lord's Supper to themselves; but they will not hear us. They would have us to disobey GOD, and damn our own souls to please them,