so? Will you charge him with injustice, or unmercifulness, and say, 'Lord, why art thou so unmerciful as to condemn all the unconverted? O poor fools! (for so I dare call you that dare so far presume) how easily will God answer you, and justify his wisdom, his justice, and his mercy. It is a fine world, when the Creator must be judged at the bar of a silly creature! What! if a fly or a flea could speak, should it expostulate the case with God, that he made him not a man? or should a toad, or a snake, reprove him of injustice for making him such, that never had sinned? or tell him that this is an act of unmercifulness? How much less should a wretched sinner, that hath done so much wrong to the Lord that made him, that hath refused his grace by which he would have saved him, presume to open his mouth against God, and tell him after all this, that if he condemn him, he is unmerciful. But more of this anon.

Sirs, I tell you my religion, and my resolution. I believe all that God saith to be true, though the matter were never so much beyond my reach. And of this I am so confident, that I will venture my soul upon it. I have looked up and down to see if there be any better and surer grounds for a wise man to venture his happiness upon, and I can find no better: nay, I am sure there is no better. If any man have found any better, let him take it, and make his boast of the gain when he hath it. For my part, I will take God's word, and I will trust my soul and hopes on this, and I will look for satisfaction of all my doubts and scruples, when I come to possess the promised felicity. And I am sure I can lose nothing, or no great matter by this resolution. For sure I am that all other happiness is a shadow and delusion: and all other foundations are sandy, and will deceive. If God tell me in his word, that "no man shall be saved except he be converted," I will take his word, and let them look well to their standing that do refuse it. I will set this word of God against all the reasons in the world that you can bring. Well, you say it is a hard saying, that so few should be saved will you say you cannot believe that God will deal so hardly? Against all these vain cavils I set the word of God. God hath said it, and will he not do it?

2. Well, but if we must needs go farther to reasoning the case with you, and God's word will not satisfy you, I

will proceed to shew you some nearer reasons from the nature of the thing. And the first of these reasons shall be from the nature of God's government, and the state of men in this present life. We are set here as in the way to a further end. God never intended that this should be our home, nor that we should have the victory without a combat, nor the crown without the victory. God never meant that we should have the wages of his glory, how free soever, without a faithful performing of our work; at least the work of unfeigned repentance and conversion. Would you have God reward men for serving the devil? Or to say at the last day, 'Come, sinner, thou hast lived to the devil all thy life, and set thy heart on the world, and abused or despised me and my grace, enter now into the promised glory.' Why, sinners, if self-love did not blind you, and make fools of you, you could tell that this were a sentence unfit for the most wise and righteous God. What! must he reward the devil's servants? Shall not the Judge of all the world do righteously i? And what is righteousness, but to give every man his due? And is not punishment naturally due to the disobedient? Especially when they have refused, or set light by a pardon. Sirs, the case, is plain. A wise and righteous governor, let him benever so merciful, must make a difference between the righteous and the wicked. And therefore God will so do. "A righteous judge must pass sentence according to the law k Tell me, would you think well of that governor, that should let men rob you, or beat you, or violently take possession of your house or land, and never punish him? And will you think that God will put up infinitely greater injury at your hands? Would you like such a law, that shall bid all men steal, and kill, and spare not, for the judge will not be so cruel as to hang or punish them? I think you would say, this were but a foolish and unmerciful judge, that pretended thus to be merciful. Do not then for shame impute this folly and unrighteousness to God. If he should not have made righteous laws, which threaten punishment to sin, for the restraining of it, how should the world be governed? And if he should make laws, and never execute them, how should he be wise and righteous? He is not so weak as to be put to govern the world by mere deceit. It

belongeth to a righteous governor, to see that it go well with the good, and ill with the bad; ut bonis bene sit, et malis male.' And I think if God should deal so well with the worst as with the best, your own reason would be ready to question it. Why, what can he do more to the best, than to save them in his glory, for what more are they capable of? And should he do this also to the worst? And sure, if he must shut them out of glory, they must need be in misery. For if there were no more, but to look towards the happiness which they so lost, and see Lazarus in Abraham's bosom, and the righteous whom they derided, possessing that glory which they set light by, it must needs fill their minds with anguish and vexation; and their own consciences would torment them for ever. Well, you see then some reason why the unconverted should not enter into the kingdom of heaven.

3. But further consider this. The holy nature of God will not permit the unclean and unholy soul in his presence. "There shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, or whatsoever worketh abomination." "Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity"." "For thou art not a God that hath pleasure in wickedness, neither shall evil dwell with thee. The foolish shall not stand in thy sight, thou hatest all the workers of iniquity. The righteous Lord loveth righteousness; but the wicked his soul hateth "" "Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous"." "For God shall judge the world in righteousness, and minister judgment to the people in uprightness. And he is known by the judgment which he executeth, when the wicked is snared in the work of his own hand. So that the wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God ".' 'What reason would you have more? There is a contradiction between the nature of God and the unconverted. "What fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness, and what communion hath light with darkness?" Therefore it is that God also putteth an "enmity between the seed of the woman, and of the serpent"." And

Rev. xxi. 27.

• Psal. i. 5.

r Gen.iii. 15.

m Hab. i. 13.

P Psal. ix. 8. 16, 17.

» Psal. v. 4. xi. 5.

4 2 Cor. vi. 14.

calleth his converted people to come out from the impenitent unbelieving world; not by a schismatical, but by a godly separation. "For what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? For ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord; and touch not the unclean thing; and he will receive you, and be a father to you. If God himself could endure communion with the unholy, then he would allow his people to endure it. But because they are his, and must be like him, therefore must they withdraw from such. Sinners, I pray you judge as you would be judged of. Would you have communion yourselves with that which is against your nature? Would you be tied to feed upon toads or snakes, or to put them in your bosom, or lay them in bed with you? or if a toad could speak, would it be a reasonable argument to say, Why art thou so unmerciful as to refuse my company or thus to abhor me, and cast me away? Why, the holy nature of God is infinitely more against unholy sinners, as such, than your nature is against the most venomous toad. And therefore he cannot admit the unconverted into his kingdom. Therefore it is, that he will redeem and sanctify them, and cleanse them from their sin, that they may be presented spotless and unblamable to him by Christ, before they shall come to glory. Believe it, sinners, light and darkness, holiness and unholiness, God and sin, are utterly unreconcilable. If ever God and you must live together in glory, you must become holy as he is holy, that you may be such as he can dwell withal, and delight in. Either he must turn unholy like you, or you must turn holy like him. And which do you think is the more likely to be done? Can you expect that the Sun of righteousness should turn dark to comply with your darkness? or that the immutable God should lay by his excellency, to suit himself with your vileness? Why, this were for God to cease to be God. For to be an unholy God, is to be an evil God, and this is to be no God. For to be God, is to be the chiefest good. See Ephes. v. 26, 27.

$ 2 Cor. vi. 14-16.

then what a fair issue the carnal reasonings, and confident hopes of wicked men have. They hope to be saved without conversion and holiness. And the issue is this, they hope that God will cease to be God, lest they should be damned and shut out of his kingdom. Do not say I make worse of your reasoning than it is. The case is plain, it is no better. And I appeal to thy own conscience, whether the brains of a man be capable of greater madness. O sirs, what a befooling thing is sin! Is it not more reasonable that thou shouldst cease to be ungodly, than that God should cease his blessed nature? There is some possibility yet that thou mayst cease to be a wilful impenitent sinner. But there is no possibility that God should cease to be God. Woe to thee, if thou cast thy soul upon such hopes. Should God cease his goodness and blessed perfection, all the world would be confounded, or turn to nothing. Turn, therefore, for be sure of it, he will not turn to thee. He hath commanded his servants, that they come not one jot nearer the wicked. "Let them return to thee, but return not thou to them "." And will he then do that which he forbiddeth his servants? Many a sinner hath thought that God is like himself, even of his mind, and thought as lightly of sin as they, Psal. 1. But they never found it so in the end. He did, by wonderful incomprehensible condescension, become man to save sinners, but he will never become a sinner to save sinners; nor unholy to save the unholy. He took our flesh, and he took our curse, and in that sense became sin for us, who knew no sin; but he will never take to him sin itself. He is yet reconcilable to sinners, but he will never be reconcilable to sin. Yet, if thou wilt turn to him, thou mayst be welcome; but never look he should turn like thee!

4. And do you not yet see reason enough, why no unconverted sinner should be saved? Why come along with me, and I will shew you yet more. God offered them salvation in this life, for the very taking. I may well say upon easy and reasonable terms, when it was no more but accept it, and have it; and they would not. It was propounded to their choice, and they refused it. They might have had Christ, and pardon, and holiness, and happiness if they would, and

■ Jer. xv. 19.