shall not be executed; but by profession 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 this 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 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 long of themselves; and they die even because they will die. The substance of the text doth lie in these observations following. Doct. I. It is the unchangeable law of God, that wicked men must turn or die. Doct. II. It is the promise of God that the wicked shall live, if they will but turn. Doct. III. God takes 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. IV. 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. V. The Lord doth redouble his commands and persuasions to the wicked to turn. Doct. VI. The Lord condescendeth to reason the case with them, and asketh the wicked, why they will die? Doct. VII. If after all this, the wicked will not return, it is not 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 very briefly. Doct. I. 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. Few 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 choose to 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 justice of the law of God, I shall briefly give you that evidence of both, which, methinks, would 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. " Verily, I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye cannot enter into the kingdom of heaven"." “Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God"." If any man be in Christ he is a new creature: old things are passed away, behold all things are become new d." "Ye have put off the old man with his deeds, and have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge, after the image of him that created him." Without holiness no man shall see God f." "So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his s." "For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature." According unto his abundant grace, he hath begotten us again to a lively hope." "Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever k." "Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envyings, and b Matt. xviii. 3. Gal. vi. 15. 66 e John iii. 3. i 1 Pet. i. 3. 66 d 2 Cor. v. 17. k Ver. 23. evil-speakings, as newborn babes desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby." "The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God".' "And the Lord loveth the righteous; but the wicked his soul hateth"." 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, there 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 be come to that pass, there is but small hopes of you: look to yourselves as well as you can; for it is like 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 would not believe him. Should he send an angel from heaven to you, it seems you would not believe, for 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, And surely there is no angel to be believed before the Son of God, who came from the Father to bring us this doctrine. If he be not to be believed, then all the angels in heaven are not to be believed. And if you stand on these terms with God, I shall leave you till he deal with you in a more convincing way. God hath a voice that will make you hear! Though he entreat you to hear the voice of his Gospel, he will make you hear the voice of his condemning sentence, without entreaty. We cannot make you believe against your wills; but God will make you feel against your wills. 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 11 Pet. ii. 1, 2. m Psal. ix. 17. n Psal. xi. 4. • Gal. i. 8. this leads us up to the second thing, which is to justify the equity of God in his laws and judgment. 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 immortal 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 should be punished with a hundred years captivity, this might be of some efficacy, as being equal to our lives. But if there had 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 afterward. So it is in our present case. 2. I suppose you will confess, that the promise of an endless and inconceivable glory, is not 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 imputation of falsehood? Will you sit 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 school to you to learn wisdom? Must Infinite Wisdom learn of folly; and Infinite Goodness be corrected by a swinish sinner, that cannot keep himself an hour clean? Must the Almighty stand at the bar of a worm? O horrid arrogancy 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 the laws, that he did not call you to his counsel? Surely he made them before you was born, without desiring your advice, and you came into the world too late for to reverse them. If you could have done so great a work, you should have stept 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 threatening death, that so there might have been no need of Christ. And what if God withdraw his patience and sustentation, and let you drop into hell while you are quarrelling with his words, will you then believe that there is a hell? 4. If sin be such an evil that it required the death of Christ for its expiation, no wonder if it deserve our everlasting misery. 5. And if the sins 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 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 the excellency of the law 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 his judge. We judge by feeling, which binds 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, or impartial friends persuade them to the contrary, and it is all in vain. There are few children but think the father unmerciful, or that he dealeth hardly with them, if he whip them. There is scarce the vilest, swinish 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 turn. 7. Can you think that an unholy soul is fit for heaven? Alas! they cannot love God here, 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 |