7. It is the voice of every mercy thou dost possess. If thou couldst but hear, and understand them, they all cry out unto thee, Turn. Why doth the earth bear thee, but to seek and serve the Lord? Why doth it afford thee fruit, but to serve him? Why doth the air afford thee breath, but to serve him? Why do all the creatures serve thee with their labours, and their lives, but that thou mightest serve the Lord of them and thee? Why doth he give thee time, and health, and strength, but to serve him? Why hast thou meat, drink, and clothes, but for his service? Hast thou any thing which thou hast not received? And if thou didst receive them, it is reason thou shouldst bethink thee from whom, and to what end and use, thou didst receive them. Didst thou never cry to him for help in thy distress? And didst thou not then understand that it was thy part to turn and serve him if he would deliver thee? He hath done his part, and spared thee yet longer, and tried thee another and another year, and yet thou dost not Turn. You know the parable of the unfruitful fig-tree. When the Lord had said, "Cut it down, why cumbereth it the ground;" he was entreated to try it one year longer, and then, if it proved not fruitful, to cut it down. Christ himself there makes the application twice over, "Except ye repent, you shall all likewise perish"." How many years hath God looked for the fruits of love and holiness from thee, and hath found none? And yet hath spared thee. How many times, by thy wilful ignorance, carelessness, and disobedience, hast thou provoked justice to say, "Cut him down, why cumbereth he the ground?" And yet mercy hath prevailed, and patience hath forborne the killing, damning blow to this day. If thou hadst the understanding of a man within thee, thou wouldst know that all this calleth thee to Turn. "Dost thou think thou shalt still escape the judgment of God? Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness, forbearance, and long-suffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance? But after thy hardness and impenitent heart, treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath, and revelation of the righteous judgment of God; who will render to every one according to his deeds "."

8. Moreover, it is the voice of every affliction, to call

9 Luke xiii. 6-9,

r Ver. 3. 5.

Rom. ii. 36.

thee to make haste and Turn. Sickness and pain cry Turn. Poverty, the loss of friends, and every twig of the chastising rod, cry Turn; and yet wilt thou not hearken to the call? These have come near thee, and made thee feel. They have made thee groan, and can they not make thee Turn?

9. The very frame of thy nature and being itself bespeaketh thy return. Why hast thou reason, but to rule thy flesh, and serve the Lord? Why hast thou an understanding soul, but to learn and know his will, and do it? Why hast thou a heart within thee that can love, fear, and desire, but that thou shouldst fear him, and love him, and desire after him?

10. Yea, thine own engagements by promise to the Lord do call upon thee to turn and serve him. Thou hast bound thyself to him by a baptismal covenant, and renounced the world, the flesh, and the devil; this thou hast confirmed by the profession of Christianity, and renewed it at sacraments, and in times of affliction. And wilt thou promise, and vow, and never perform, and turn to God?

Lay all these together now, and see what should be the issue. The Holy Scriptures call upon thee to Turn; the ministers of Christ do call upon thee to Turn; the Spirit cries Turn; thy conscience cries Turn; the godly, by persuasions and examples, cry Turn; the whole world, and all the creatures therein that are presented to thy consideration, cry Turn: the patient forbearance of God cries Turn; all the mercies which thou receivest, cry Turn; the rod of God's chastisement cries Turn; thy reason, and the frame of thy nature bespeaks thy Turning; and so do all thy promises to God, and yet art thou not resolved to Turn?

3. Moreover, poor hard-hearted sinner, didst thou ever consider upon what terms thou standeth all this while with him that calleth thee to Turn? Thou art his own, and owest him thyself, and all thou hast and may he not command his own? Thou art his absolute servant, and shouldst serve no other master. Thou standest at his mercy, and thy life is in his hand; and he is resolved to save thee upon no other terms. Thou hast many malicious spiritual enemies, that would be glad if God would but forsake thee, and let them alone with thee, and leave thee to their will; how quickly would they deal with thee in another manner. And

thou canst not be delivered from them, but by turning unto God. Thou art fallen under his wrath by thy sin already; and thou knowest not how long his patience will yet wait. Perhaps this is the last year; perhaps the last day. His sword is even at thy heart, while the word is in thine ear; and if thou turn not, thou art a dead and undone man. Were thy eyes but open to see where thou standest, even upon the brink of hell, and to see how many thousands are there already that did not turn, thou wouldst see that it is time to look about thee.

Well, sirs, look inwards now, and tell me how are your hearts affected with these offers of the Lord? You hear what is his mind; he delighteth not in your death. He calls to you, Turn, Turn; it is a fearful sign, if all this move thee not, or if it do but half move thee; and much more if it make thee more careless in thy misery, because thou hearest of the mercifulness of God. The working of the medicine will partly tell us, whether there be any hope of the cure. O what glad tidings would it be to those that are now in hell, if they had but such a message from God! What a joyful word would it be to hear this, 'Turn and Live!' Yea, what a welcome word would it be to thyself, when thou hast felt that wrath of God but an hour; or, if after a thousand, and ten thousand years torment, thou couldst but hear such a word from God, Turn and Live,' and yet wilt thou neglect it, and suffer us to return without our errand?

Behold, sinners, we are set here as the messengers of the Lord, to set before you life and death; what say you, which of them will you choose? Christ standeth, as it were, by thee, with heaven in one hand and hell in the other, and offereth thee thy choice; which wilt thou choose? The voice of the Lord maketh the rock to tremble '. And is it nothing to hear him threaten thee, if thou wilt not turn? Dost thou not understand and feel this voice, "Turn ye, turn ye, why will ye Die?" Why, it is the voice of love, of infinite love, of thy best and kindest friend, as thou mightest easily perceive by the motion, and yet canst thou neglect it? It is the voice of pity and compassion. The Lord seeth whither thou art going, better than thou dost, which makes him call after thee, Turn, turn.' He seeth what will become of thee, if

See Psal. xxix.

thou turn not he thinketh with himself, Ah! this poor sinner will cast himself into endless torment, if he do not turn: I must in justice deal with him according to my righteous law' and therefore he calleth after thee, Turn, turn.' O sinner! if thou didst but know the thousandth part as well as God doth, the danger that is near you, and the misery that you are running into, we should have no more need to call after you to Turn.

Moreover, this voice that calleth to thee, is the same that hath prevailed with thousands already and called all to heaven that are now there and they would not now for a thousand worlds that they had made light of it, and not turned to God. Now what are they possessing that turned at God's call? Now they perceive indeed that it was the voice of love, that meant them no more harm than their salvation. And if thou wilt obey the same call thou shalt come to the same happiness. There be millions that must for ever lament that they turned not, but there is never a soul in heaven that is sorry that they were converted.

you

Well, sirs, are you yet resolved, or are you not? Do I need to say any more to what will you, do? Will you turn or not? Speak, man, in thy heart to God, though thou speak not out to me: speak, lest he take thy silence for a denial; speak quickly, lest he never make thee the like offer more; speak resolvedly, and not waveringly; for he will have no indifferents to be his followers. Say in thy heart now, without any more delay, even before you stir hence, By the grace of God, I am resolved presently to turn. And because I know mine own insufficiency, I am resolved to wait on God for his grace, and follow him in his ways, and forsake my former courses and companions, and give up myself to the guidance of the Lord.'

Sirs, you are not shut up in the darkness of heathenism, nor in the desperation of the damned. Life is before you, and you may have it on reasonable terms if you will; yea, on free-cost if you will accept it. The way of God lieth plain before you, the church is open to you, and you may have Christ, pardon and holiness, if you will. What say you? Will you or will you not? If you say nay, or say nothing, and still go on, God is witness, and this congregation is witness, and your own consciences are witness, how

Remember you might have Remember, when you have eternal life, as well as others,

fair an offer you had this day. Christ, and you would not. lost it, that you might have had and would not: and all this because you would not Turn! But let us come to the next Doctrine, and hear your

reasons.

Doct. VI. The Lord condescendeth to reason the case with unconverted sinners, and to ask them why they will die.

A strange disputation it is, both as to the controversy; and as to the disputants.

1. The controversy or question propounded to dispute of, is, Why wicked men will damn themselves? Or, Whether they will die rather than turn? Whether they have any sufficient reason for so doing?

2. The disputants are God and man: the most holy God, and wicked, unconverted sinners.

Is it not a strange thing which God doth seem here to suppose, that any man should be willing to die, and be damned; yea, that this should be the case of all the wicked: that is, of the greatest part of the world? But you will say, This cannot be; for nature desireth the preservation and felicity of itself, and the wicked are more selfish than others, and not less; and therefore how can any man be willing to be damned ?"

To which I answer, 1. It is a certain truth, that no man can be willing of any evil, as evil, but only as it hath some appearance of good; much less can any man be willing to be eternally tormented. Misery, as such, is desired by none. 2. But yet for all that, it is most true, which God here teacheth us, that the cause why the wicked die and are damned, is, because they will die and be damned. And this is true in several respects.

1. Because they will go the way that leads to hell, though they are told by God and man whether it goes and where it ends. And though God hath so often professed in his word, that if they hold on in that way they shall be condemned: and that they shall not be saved unless they Turn. "There is no peace (saith the Lord) unto the wicked ".” of peace they know not; there is no judgment in their going; they have made them crooked paths, whosoever goeth

u Isa. xlviii. 22. lvii. 21.

"The way