do repent already, while yet they are not converted from their sins. We exhort them, we entreat them, we offer them our help, but we cannot prevail with them, but they that were drunkards are drunkards still, and they that were voluptuous, flesh-pleasing wretches, are such still; and they that were worldlings are worldlings still; and they that were ignorant, proud and self-conceited, are so still. Few. of them will see and confess their sin, and fewer will forsake it, but comfort themselves that all men are sinners; as if there were no difference between a converted sinner, and an unconverted. Some of them will not come near us when we are willing to instruct them, but think they know enough already, and need not our instruction: and some of them will give us the hearing, and do what they list; and most of them are like dead men that cannot feel; so that when we tell them of the matters of everlasting consequence, we cannot get a word of it to their hearts. If we do not obey them, and humour them in baptizing children of the most obstinately wicked, and giving them the Lord's supper, and doing all that they would have us, though never so much against the word of God, they will hate us, and rail at us ; but if we beseech them to confess and forsake their sins, and save their souls, they will not do it. We tell them if they will but turn, we will deny them none of the ordinances of God, neither baptism to their children, nor the Lord's supper to themselves; but they will not hear us: they would have us to disobey God, damn our own souls to please them, and yet they will not turn, and save their own souls to please God. They are wiser in their own eyes than all their teachers; they rage, and are confident in their own way; and if we would never so fain we cannot change them. Lord, this is the case of our miserable neighbours, and we cannot help it; we see them ready to drop into hell, and we cannot help it; we know if they would unfeignedly turn, they might be saved; but we cannot persuade them: if we would beg it of them on our knees, we cannot persuade them to it; if we would beg it of them with tears, we cannot persuade them and what more can we do?'

These are the secret complaints and moans that many a poor minister is fain to make, and do you think that he hath any pleasure in this? Is it a pleasure to him to see you go

on in sin and cannot stop you? To see you so miserable, and cannot so much as make you sensible of it? To see you merry, when you are not sure to be an hour out of hell? To think what you must for ever suffer because you will not turn? And to think what an everlasting life of glory you wilfully despise and cast away? What sadder things can you bring to their hearts, and how can you devise to grieve them more?

Who is it then that you pleasure by your sin and death? It is none of your understanding, godly friends. Alas, it is the grief of their souls to see your misery, and they lament you many a time, when you give them little thanks for it, and when you have not hearts to lament yourselves.

Who is it then that takes pleasure in your sin? It is none but the three great enemies of God, whom you renounced in your baptism, and now are turned falsely to serve.

1. The devil, indeed, takes pleasure in your sin and death; for this is the very end of all his temptations: for this he watches night and day: you cannot devise to please him better, than to go on in sin: how glad is he when he sees thee going to the alehouse, or other sin; and when he heareth thee curse, or swear, or rail. How glad is he when he heareth thee revile the minister that would draw thee from thy sin, and help to save thee? These are his delight.

2. The wicked are also delighted in it, for it is agreeable to their nature.

3. But I know, for all this, that it is not the pleasing of the devil that you intend, even when you please him; but it is your own flesh, the greatest and most dangerous enemy, that you intend to please. It is the flesh that would be pampered, that would be pleased in meat and drink, and clothing, that would be pleased in your company, and pleased in applause and credit with the world, and pleased in sports and lusts, and idleness; this is the gulf that devoureth all. This is the very God that you serve, for the Scripture saith of such, "That their bellies are their God"."

But I beseech you stay a little and consider the business. 1. Quest. Should your flesh be pleased before your Maker? Will you displease the Lord, and displease your teacher, and your godly friends, and all to please your brut

c Phil. iii. 18.

ish appetites, or sensual desires? Is not God worthy to be a ruler of your flesh; if he shall not rule it, he will not save it; you cannot in reason expect that he should.

2. Quest. Your flesh is pleased with your sin; but is your conscience pleased? Doth not it grudge within you, and tell you sometimes that all is not well, and that your case is not so safe as you make it to be? And should not your souls and consciences be pleased before that corruptible flesh?

3. Quest. But is not your flesh preparing for its own displeasure also? It loves the bait, but doth it love the hook? It loves the strong drink and sweet morsels; it loves its ease, and sport, and merriment, it loves to be rich, and well spoken of by men, and to be somebody in the world, but doth it love the curse of God? Doth it love to stand trembling before his bar, and to be judged to everlasting fire? Doth it love to be tormented with the devils for ever? Take altogether; for there is no separating sin and hell, but only by faith and true conversion; if you will keep one, you must have the other. If death and hell be pleasant to thee, no wonder then if thou go on in sin; but if they be not (as I am sure they be not) then what if sin be never so pleasant, is it worth the loss of life eternal? Is a little drink, meat, ease, the good word of sinners, or the riches of this world, to be valued above the joys of heaven? Or are they worth the sufferings of eternal fire? Sirs, these questions should be considered, before you go any farther, by every man that hath reason to consider, and that believes he hath a soul to save or lose.

Well, the Lord here sweareth that he hath no pleasure in your death, but rather that you would Turn and Live: if yet you will go on and die, rather than turn, remember it was not to please God that you did it, it was to please the world, and to please yourselves. And if men will damn themselves to please themselves, and run into endless torments for delight, and have not the wit, the heart, the grace to hearken to God or man that would reclaim them, what rémedy? But they must take what they get by it, and repent in another manner, when it is too late. Before I proceed any farther in the application, I shall come to the next doctrine; which giveth a fuller ground for it.

Doct. V. So earnest is God for the conversion of sinners,

that he doubleth his commands and exhortations with vehemency; "Turn ye, turn ye, why will ye die?"

This doctrine is the application of the former, as by a use of exhortation, and accordingly I shall handle it. Is there ever an unconverted sinner, that heareth these vehement words of God? Is there ever a man or woman in this assembly, that is yet a stranger to the renewing, sanctifying works of the Holy Ghost? (It is a happy assembly if it be not so with the most.) Hearken then to the voice of your Maker, and turn to him by Christ without delay. Would you know the will of God? Why this is his will, that you presently turn. Shall the living God send so earnest a message to his creatures, and should they not obey? Hearken then all you that live after the flesh; the Lord that gave thee thy breath and being, hath sent a message to thee from heaven, and this is his message, "Turn ye, turn ye, why will ye die?” "He that hath ears to hear, let him hear." Shall the voice of the Eternal Majesty be neglected? If he do but terribly thunder, thou art afraid. O but this voice doth more nearly concern thee: if he do but tell thee thou shalt die to-morrow, thou wouldst not make light of it: O but this word concerneth thy life or death everlasting! It is both a command and an exhortation: as if he had said to thee, 'I charge thee upon the allegiance thou owest to me thy Creator and Redeemer, that thou renounce the flesh, the world, and the devil, and turn to me that thou mayst live. I condescend to entreat thee, as thou lovest or fearest him that made thee; as thou lovest thine own life, even thine everlasting life, Turn and Live; as ever thou wouldst escape eternal misery, Turn, turn, "for why wilt thou die ?" " And is there a heart in man, in a reasonable creature, that can once refuse such a message, such a command, such an exhortation as this? O what a thing then is the heart of man!

Hearken then, all that love yourselves and all that regard your own salvation. Here is the most joyful message that ever was sent to the ears of man, "Turn ye, turn ye, why will you die?" You are not yet shut up under desperation. Here is mercy offered, turn and you shall have it. O sirs, with what glad and joyful hearts should you receive these tidings! I know that this is not the first time that you have heard it: but how have you regarded it, or how

do you regard it now? Hear, all you ignorant, careless sin

ners, the word of the Lord! Hear all you worldlings, you sensual fleshpleasers, you gluttons and drunkards, and whoremongers and swearers; you railers and backbiters, slanderers and liars; "Turn ye, turn ye, why will ye die?"

Hear all you cold and outside professors, and all that are strangers to the life of Christ, and never knew the power of his cross and resurrection, and never felt your hearts warmed with his love, and live not on him as the strength of your souls; "Turn ye, turn ye, why will ye die?"

Hear all that are void of the love of God, whose hearts are not towards him, nor taken up with the hopes of glory, but set more by your earthly prosperity and delights, than by the joys of heaven; you that are religious but a little on the bye, and give God no more than your flesh can spare; that have not denied your carnal selves, and forsaken all that you have for Christ, in the estimation and grounded resolution of your souls, but have some one thing in the world so dear to you, that you cannot spare it for Christ, if he requires it, but will rather even venture on his displeasure, than forsake it; "Turn ye, turn ye, why will ye die ?"

If you never heard it, or observed it before; remember that ye were told it from the word of God this day, that if you will but turn, you may live; and if you will not turn you shall surely die.

What now will you do sirs? What is your resolution? Will you turn or will you not? Halt not any longer between two opinions: if the Lord be God follow him; if your flesh be God, then serve it still. If heaven be better than earth and fleshly pleasures, come away then and seek a better country, and lay up your treasure where rust and moths do not corrupt, and thieves cannot break through and steal, and be awakened at last with all your might, to seek the kingdom that cannot be moved, Heb. xii. 28. And to employ your lives on a higher design, and turn the stream of your cares and labours, another way than formerly you have done; but if earth be better than heaven, or will do more for you, or last you longer, then keep it and make your best of it, and follow it still. Sirs, are you resolved what to do? If you be not, I will set a few more moving considerations before you, to see if reason will make you resolve.