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every fin that is in me? Do I fly from them as my deadly enemies? Do I give up my felf to a life of holinefs and obedience to God? Do I love it, and delight in it? Can I truly fay that I am dead to the world and carnal felf, and that I live for God and the glory which he hath promifed? Hath heaven more of my eftimation and refolution than earth? And is God the dear-. eft and highest in my foul? Once, I am fure, I lived principally to the world and flesh, and God had nothing but fome heartless fervices, which the world could fpare, and which were the leaving of the flesh. Is my heart now turned another way? Have I a new defign and a new end, and a new train of holy affections? Have I let my hopes and heart in heaven? And is it not the fcope, and defign, and bent of my heart, and to get well to heaven and fee the glorious face of God and live in his love and praife? And when I fin is it against the habitual bent and design of my heart? And do I conquer all grofs fins, and am I weary and willing to be rid of my infirmities. This is the state of unconverted fouls. And this must be with me, or I must perith. Is it thus with me indeed, or is it not? It is time to get this doubt refolved before the dreadful judge refolve it. I am not fuch a stranger to my own heart and life, but I may fomewhat perceive whether I am thus converted or not: If I be not, It will do me no good to flatter my foul with falfe conceits and hopes. I am refolved no more to deceive myself; but endeavour to know truly off or on, whether I be converted, yea or no: that if I be, I may rejoice in it, and glorify my gracious Lord, and comfortably go on till I reach the Crown and if I am not, I may fet myfelf on, beg and feek after the grace that should convert me, and may turn without any more delay: For, if I find in time that I am out of the way, by the help of Chrift I may turn and be recovered, but if [ ftay till either my heart be forfaken of God in blindness or hardness, or till I be catched away by death, it is

then too late. There is no place for repentance and converfion then; I know it must be now or never.

2

Sirs, this is my request to you, that you will but take your hearts to talk, and thus examine them till you fee, if it may be, whether you are converted or not? And if you cannot find it out by your own endeavours, go to your minifters, if they be faithful and experienced men, and defire their affifiance. The matter is great, let not bafhfulnefs, nor careleffuefs hinder you. They are fet over you, to advife you, for the faving of your foul, as phyficians advice you for the curing of your bodies. It undoes many thousands that they think they are in the way to falvation, when they are not; and think that they are converted when it is no fuch thing. And then when we call to them daily to turn, they go away as they came; and think that this concerns not them; for they are turned already, and hope they fhall do well enough in the way that they are in, at leaft if they do pick the fairest path, and avoid fome of the fouleft fteps, when, alas, all this while they live but to the world, and flesḥ, and are ftrangers to God and eternal life; and are quite out of the way to heaven. And all this is much because we cannot perfuade them to a few ferious thoughts of their condition, and fpend a few hours in the examining of their ftates: Is there not many a felf deceiving wretch that hears me this day, that never bestowed one hour, or quarter of an hour in all their lives, to examine their fouls, and try whether they are truly converted or not? O merciful God, that will care for fuch wretches that care no more for themfelves, and that will do fo much to fave them from hell, and help them to heaven, who will do fo little for it themselves! If all that are in the way to hell, and in the ftate of damnation, did but know it, they durft not continue in it. The greateft hope that the devil hath of bringing you to damnation without a refcue, is by keeping you blindfold, and ignorant of

your ftate, 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 loft for ever if you thould die as you are; durft you fleep another night in the ftate that you are in? Durft you live another day in it? Could you heartily laugh, cr be merry in fuch a state! What! And not know but you may be fnatched away to hell in an hour! Sure it would conftrain you to forfake your former company, and courfes; and to betake yourselves to the ways of holinefs, and the communion of the faints. Sure it would drive you to cry to God for a new heart, and to feek help of thofe that are fit to counfel you. There are none of you sure that cares not for being damned. Well, then, I befeech you presently make enquiry into your hearts, and give them no reft 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 muft turn or die. What fay you, Sirs! Will you refalve and promife to be at thus much labour for own fouls? Will you fall upon this felf-examination when you come home? Is my requeft unreasonable? Your confciences know it is not. Refolve on it then, before you ftir; knowing how much it concerneth your fouls. I beseech you for the fake of that God' that doth command you, at whofe bar you will fhortly all appear; that you will not deny me this reasonable' request. For the fake of thofe fouls that muft turn or die, I beseech you deny me not; even but to make it your bufinefs to understand your own conditions, and build upon fure ground, and know, off or on, whether you are converted or no; and venture not your fouls on negligent fecurity.

your

But perhaps you will fay, What if we fhould find ourfelves yet unconverted, what fhall we do then? This question leadeth me to my fecond Doctrine;

which will do much to the answering of it, to which I fhall now proceed.

Doct. 2. It is the promife of GOD, that the wicked fhall Live, if they will but Turn, Unfeignedly and Thoroughly Turn.

THE Lord here profeffeth that this is it that he takes pleafure in, that the wicked turn and live. Heaven is made as fure 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 caft ourfelves away by fin. But he hath freely done it to magnify his mercy Sinners, there are none of you fhall have caufe to go home, and fay I preach defparation to you. Do we use to shut the door of mercy against you? O* that you would not fhut it up against yourselves? Do we ufe to tell you that God will have no mercy on you, though you turn and be fanctified? When did you ever hear a preacher fay fuch a word? You that bark at the preachers of the gospel for defiring to keep you out of hell, and fay, that they preach defparation; tell me if you can, when did you ever hear any fober man fay, That there is no hope for you though you repent, and be converted? No, it is the clean contrary that we daily proclaim from the Lord; and whoever is born again and by faith and repentance doth become a new creature, fhall certainly be faved; and fo far are we from perfuading you to defpair of this, that we per-. fuade you not to make any doubt of it. It is life, not death, that is the first part of our meffage to you; our commiffion is to offer falvation; certain falvation; a Speedy, glorious, everlasting falvation, to every one of you: To the pooreft beggar, as well as the greatest Lord; to the worft of you, even to drunkards, fwearers,

worldlings, thieves, yea to the defpifers and reproachers of the holy way of falvation. We are commanded by the Lord our Mafter, to offer you a pardon for all that is paft, if you will but now at last return and live; we are commanded to befeech and intreat you to accept the offer, and return to tell you what preparation is made by Chrift; what mercy ftays for you; what patience waiteth on you; what thoughts of kindness God hath towards you; and how happy, how certainly and unfpeakably happy you may be if you will. We have indeed alfo a meffage of wrath and death: yea, of a two-fold wrath and death; but neither of them. is our principal meffage: 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 fhew you the need of mercy, and to provoke you to efteem the Grace of the Redeemer. And we tell you nothing but the truth which you must know; for who will feek out for phyfic, that knows not that, he is fick? Our telling you of your mifery, is not it that makes you miferable, but driveth you out to feek for mercy. It is you that have brought this death upon yourfelves. We tell you alfo of another death, even remedilefs, and much greater torment, that will fall on those that will not be converted. But as this is true, and must be told you; fo it is but the laft and faddeft part of our meffage. We are first to offer you mercy, if you will turn; and it is only thofe that will not turn, nor hear the voice of Mercy, that we muft foretell damnation to. Will you but caft away your tranfgreffions, delay no longer, but come away at the call of Chrift, and be converted, and become new creatures, and we have not a word of damning wrath, or death to fpeak against you. I do here, in the name of the Lord of Life, proclaim to you all that hear me this day, to the worst of you, to the greateft, to the oldeft finner, that you may have mercy and falvation, if you will but turn. There is mercy in God, there

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