them to heaven, who will do so little for it themselves! If all that are in the way to hell, and in the state of damnation, did but know it, they durst not continue in it. The greatest hope that the devil hath of bringing you to damnation without a rescue, is by keeping you blindfold, and ignorant of your state, 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 lost for ever if you should die as you are; durst you sleep another night in the state that you are in? Durst you live another day in it? Could you heartily. laugh, or be merry in such a state? What! And

not know but you may be snatched away to hell in an hour? Sure it would constrain you to forsake your former company and courses, and to betake yourselves to the ways of holiness, and the communion of saints. Sure it would drive you to cry to God for a new heart, and to seek help of those that are fit to counsel you. There are none of you that cares not for being damned. Well, then, I beseech you presently make inquiry into your hearts, and give them no rest 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 for you recovery, as men that believe they must turn or die. What say you, sirs, will you resolve and promise to be at thus much labour for your own souls? Will you fall upon this self-examination when you come home? Is my request unreasonable? Your consciences know it is not. on it then, before you stir; knowing how much it concerneth your souls. I beseech you, for the sake

Resolve

of that God that doth command you, at whose bar you will all shortly appear, that you do not deny me this reasonable request. For the sake of those souls that must turn or die, I beseech you deny me not; even but to make it your business to understand your own conditions, and build upon sure ground, and know, whether you are converted or not; and venture not your souls on negligent security.

But perhaps you will say, What if we should find ourselves yet unconverted, what shall we do then? This question leads me to my second Doctrine; which will do much to the answering of it, to which I shall now proceed.

DOCTRINE 2. It is the promise of God, that the wicked shall live, if they will but turn, unfeignedly and thoroughly turn.

The Lord here professeth that this is what he takes pleasure in, that the wicked turn and live. Heaven is made as sure to the converted, as hell is to the unconverted. Turn and live, is as certain God was not bound to

a truth as Turn or die.

to us a door of hope, when once we had But he hath freely

provide us a Saviour, nor open nor call us to repent and turn, cast ourselves away by sin. done it to magnify his mercy. Sinners, there are none of you shall have cause to go home, and say I preach desperation to you. Do we use to shut the door of mercy against you? shut it up against yourselves! you that God will have no mercy on you, though you turn and be sanctified? When did you ever

O that you would not

Do we use to tell

hear a preacher say such a word? You that cavil at the preachers of the gospel, for desiring to keep you out of hell, and say, that they preach desperation; tell me if you can, when did you ever hear any sober man say, that there is no hope for you, though you repent, and be converted? No, it is quite contrary that we daily proclaim from the Lord; and whoever is born again, and by faith and repentance doth become a new creature, shall certainly be saved; and so far are we from persuading you to despair of this, that we persuade you not to make any doubt of it. It is life, not death, that is the first part of our message to you; our commission is to offer salvation, certain salvation; a speedy, glorious, everlasting salvation, to every one of you: to the poorest beggar as well as to the greatest lord; to the worst of you, even to drunkards, swearers, worldlings, thieves, yea, to the despisers, and reproachers of the holy way of salvation. We are commanded by the Lord our Master, to offer you a pardon for all that is past, if you will but now at last return and live; we are commanded to beseech and entreat you to accept the offer, and return; to tell you what preparation is made by Christ; what mercy stays for you; what patience waiteth on you; what thoughts of kindness God hath towards you; and how happy, how certainly and unspeakably happy you may be if you will. We have indeed also a message of wrath and death, yea, of a two-fold wrath and death; but neither of them is our principal message. 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

message.

to show you the need of mercy, and to provoke you
to esteem the grace of the Redeemer. And we
tell you nothing but the truth, which you must
know; for who will seek for physic that knows not
that he is sick? Our telling you of your misery,
is not that which makes you miserable, but driveth
you out to seek for mercy. It is you that have
brought this death upon yourselves.
We tell you
also of another death, even remediless, and much
greater torment, that will fall on those that will not
be converted. But as this is true, and must be told
you, so it is but the last and saddest part of our
We are first to offer you mercy, if you
will turn; and it is only those that will not turn,
nor hear the voice of mercy, to whom we must fore-
tell damnation. Will you but cast away your
transgressions, delay no longer, but come away at the
call of Christ, and be converted, and become new
creatures, and we have not a word of damning wrath,
or death to speak 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 great-
est, to the oldest sinner, that you may have mercy
and salvation, if you will but turn.
in God, there is sufficiency in the
Christ, the promise is free and full,
you may have life, if you will but turn.
as you love your souls, remember what turning it
is that Scripture speaks of. It is not to mend the
old house, but to pull down all, and build anew on
Christ the Rock and sure foundation. It is not to
mend somewhat in a carnal course of life, but to mor-
tify the flesh, and live after the Spirit.

There is mercy

satisfaction of
and universal;
But then,

It is not to

serve the flesh and the world, in a more reformed way, without any scandalous disgraceful sins, and with a certain kind of religiousness; but it is to change your master, and your works, and end; and to set your face the contrary way, and do all for the life that you never saw, and dedicate yourselves, and all you have to God. This is the change that must be made, if you will live.

Yourselves are witnesses now, that it is salvation, and not damnation, that is the great doctrine I preach to you, and the first part of my message to you. Accept of this, and we shall go no further with you; for we would not so much as affright, or trouble you with the name of damnation, without necessity.

But if you will not be saved, there is no remedy, but damuation must take place. For there is no middle place between the two: you must have either life or death.

And we are not only to offer you life, but to show you the grounds on which we do it, and call you to believe that God doth mean, indeed, as he speaks; that the promise is true, and extendeth conditionally to you, as well as others; and that heaven is no fancy, but a true felicity.

If you ask, Where is your commission for this offer? among an hundred texts of Scripture, I will show it to you in these few.

First, you see it here in my text, and the following verses, and in the 18th of Ezekiel, as plain as can be spoken; and in 2 Cor. v. 17, 18 19, 20, 21. you have the very sum of our commission; " If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are past away; behold, all things are become