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 A CALL 
 
 TO 
 
 THE UNCONVERTED 
 
 TO TURN AND LIVE. 
 
 BY REV. RICHARD BAXTER, 
 
 WHO DIED A. D. 1691. 
 
 ftEVtSKD AND SLIGHTLY ABRIDGED. 
 
 PUBLISHED BY 
 
 THE AMERICAN TRACT SOCIETY, 
 
 150 Nassau-street, New-Y^ork. 
 
 O. Faiiihaw, Prmttr.
 
 This edition has been compared with the London edition of 
 Baxter's works, in twenty-three volumes, 1830. Some obsolete 
 tierms and antiquated forms of expression have been changed, 
 ana an obscure passage at the beginning of Doctrine 3, 
 with a few lines touching points on which Evangelical Chris- 
 tians differ, omitted.
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 PAGE. 
 
 A Preface lo the Unsanctified, exhorting them to turn and 
 live, ......... 7 
 
 The Text opened, ....... 25 
 
 Doctrine I. — It is the unchangeable law of God, that 
 wicked men must turn or die, . . • • 30 
 
 Objection. — God will not be so unmerciful as to damn 
 us — Answered. . . . . . . 31 
 
 Who are wicked men, and what conversion is ; and 
 how we may know whether we are wicked or con- 
 verted, ....... 42 
 
 DocT. II. — It U the promise of God that the wicked shall 
 live, if they will but turn, unfeignedly and thoroughly 
 turn, ......... 72 
 
 Door. III. — God taketh pleasure in men's conversion and 
 salvation, but not in their death or damnation. He had 
 rather they would turn and live, than go on and die, 82 
 
 DocT. IV. — The Lord hath confirmed it to us by his oath, 
 That he has no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but 
 rather that he turn and live — that he may leave man no 
 pretence to question the truth of it, ... 93 
 
 Who is it then that takes pleasure in men's sin and 
 death? — Not God, nor ministers, nor any good men, 94 
 DocT. V. — So earnest is God for the conversion of sinners, 
 Uiat he doubleth his commands and exhortations with 
 vehemency, " Turv' ye, Turn ye," .... 104 
 
 Some motives to abey God's call, and turn, . . 103
 
 4 CONTENTS. 
 
 PAOR 
 
 DocT. VI. — The Lord condescendotli to reason tho m'ic 
 with unconverted sinners, and ask them, \Vhy thov will 
 
 die? 12d 
 
 A strange disputation. — 1. For iha question. 2. The 
 disputants, . . . . • • .126 
 
 AVicked men will die, or destroy themselves, . r27 
 
 Sinners are certainly unreasonable, . . • I'H 
 
 Their seeming reasons confuted, . • • 135 
 
 Qf Ksxros. — Why are men so unreasonable, and loath 
 to turn, lliat they will thus destroy themselves? — 
 Answered, ....... 1^9 
 
 DocT. VH. — If, after oil this, men will not turn, it is not 
 God's fault that they are condemned, but their own, even 
 their own wilfulness. They die because they will; that 
 is, because they will not turn, ..... 165 
 
 1. How unfit the wicked ai-e to charge God with their 
 damnation. It is not because God is unmerciful, but 
 because they ore cruel and merciless to themselves, 176 
 
 Objection. — We cannot convert ourselves — Answered, 183 
 
 2. The subtlety of Satan, the deceitfulness of sin and 
 
 the folly of sinners manifested, . . . 183 
 
 3. No wonder if the wicked would hinder the conver- 
 sion and salvation of others, .... 186 
 
 4. Man is the greatest enemy to himself, • . 187 
 Man's destruction is of himself, . . . .187 
 The heinous aggravations of self-destruction, . 197 
 The concluding exhortation, . . . .201 
 Ten Directions for those who had rather turn than die, 209
 
 THE GREAT SUCCESS WHICH ATTENDED THE CALL 
 WHEN FIRST PUBLISHED. 
 
 It may be proper to prefix an account of this book 
 given by Mr. Baxter himself, which was found in his 
 study after his death in his own words: 
 
 *' I published a short treatise on conversion entitled, 
 A Call to the Unconverted. The occasion of this was 
 my converse with Bishop Usher while I was at Lon- 
 don ; who, approving my method and directions for 
 Peace of Conscience, was importunate with me to 
 write directions suited to the various states of chris- 
 tians, and also against particular sins. I reverenced 
 the man, but disregarded these persuasions, supposing 
 I could do nothing but what is done better already : 
 but when he was dead his words went deeper to 
 my mind, and I purposed to obey his counsel ; yet, so 
 as that to the first sort of men, the ungodly, I thought 
 vehement persuasions meeter tlian directions only; 
 and so for such I published this little book, which God 
 hath blessed with unexpected success, beyond all the 
 rest that I have written, except The Saints' Rest. In 
 a little more than a year there were about twenty 
 thousand of them printed by my own consent, and 
 about ten thousand since, besides man}' thousands 
 by stolen impressions, which poor men stole for lucre's 
 sake. Through God's mercy I have information of 
 almost whole households converted by this small book 
 which I set so light by; and, as if all this in England, 
 Scotland, and Ireland, were not mercy enough to me, 
 God, since I was silenced, hath sent it over in his mes- 
 sage to many beyond the seas ; for when Mr. Eliot had 
 
 1*
 
 o advertisemi:nt. 
 
 printed all the Bible in the Indian language*, he next 
 translated this my Call to the Unconverted, as he wrote 
 to us here. And yet God would make some farther 
 use of it; for Mr. Stoop, the pastor of the French 
 Church in London, being driven hence by the displea- 
 sure of his superiors, was pleased to translate it into 
 French. I hope it will not be unprofitable there ; nor 
 in Germany, where also it has been })rinted." 
 
 It may be proper further to mention Dr. Bates' ac- 
 count of the author and of this useful treatise. In his 
 sermon at Mr. Baxter's funeral, he thus says: " His 
 books of practical divinity have been effectual for 
 more conversions of sinners to God than any printed 
 in our time ; and while the church remains on earth, 
 will be of continual efficacy to recover lost souls. 
 There is a vigorous pulse in them, that keeps the read- 
 er awake and attentive. His Call to the Unconverted, 
 how small in bulk, but how powerful ! Truth speaks 
 in it with such authority and efficacy, that it makes 
 the reader to lay his hand upon his heart, and find 
 that he has a soul and a conscience, though he lived 
 before as if he had none. He told some friends, 
 that six brothers were converted by reading this 
 Call; and that every week he received letters of 
 some converted by his books. This he spake with 
 most humble thankfulness, that God was pleased to- 
 use him as an instrument for the salvation of souls."
 
 FROM THE AUTHOR'S PREFACE. 
 
 To ail unsanctijied Persons that shall read this book ; 
 especially of my hearers in Kidderminster. 
 
 Men and Brethren, 
 
 The eternal God, that made you for a life 
 everlasting, and hath redeemed you by his only 
 Son, when you had lost it and yourselves, being 
 mindful of you in your sin and misery, hath in- 
 dited the Gospel, and sealed it by his Spirit, and 
 commanded his ministers to preach it to the world ; 
 that pardon being freely offered you, and Heaven 
 being set before you, he might call you off from 
 your fleshly pleasures, and from following after 
 this deceitful world, and acquaint you with the 
 life that you were created and redeemed for, be- 
 fore you are dead and past remedy. He sendetli 
 you not prophets or apostles, that receive their 
 message by immediate revelation ; but yet he 
 calleth you by his ordinary ministers, who are 
 commissioned by him to preach the same Gospel 
 which Christ and his apostles first delivered. The 
 Lord seeth how you forget him and your latter 
 end, and how light you make of everlasting things, 
 as men that understand no*:: what they have to do 
 or suffer. He seeth how bold vou are in sin, how
 
 8 PREFACE. 
 
 fearless of his ihreatenings, and how careless of 
 your souls, and how the works of infidels are in 
 your lives, while the belief of christians is in 
 your mouths. He seeth the dreadful day at hand, 
 when your sorrows will begin, and you must 
 lament all this with fruitless cries in torment and 
 desperation : then the remembrance of your folly 
 will tear your hearts, if true conversion now 
 prevent it not. 
 
 In compassion to your sinful miserable souls, 
 the Lord, that better knows your case than you 
 can* know it, hath made it our duty to speak to 
 you in his name, (2 Cor. 5 t 19,) and to tell you 
 plainly of your sin and misery, and what will be 
 your end, and how sad a change you will shortly 
 see, if yet you go on a little longer. Having 
 bought you at so dear a rate as the blood of his 
 Son Jesus Christ, and made you so free and gen- 
 eral a promise of pardon, and grace, and ever- 
 lasting glory ; he commandeth us to tender all 
 this to you as the gift of God, and to entreat you 
 to consider the necessity and worth of what he 
 offers. He sees and pities you, while you are 
 drowned in worldly cares and pleasures, eagerly 
 following childish toys, and wasting that short and 
 precious time for a thing of nought, in which you 
 should make ready for an everlasting life ; and 
 therefore he hath commanded us to call after you 
 and tell you how you lose your labor and are 
 about to lose your souls, and tell you what great-
 
 PREFACE. W 
 
 «r and better things you might certainly liave if 
 you would hearken to his call. Isa. 55 : I, 2, 'J. 
 We believe and obey the voice of God ; and conm 
 to you on his message, who hath charged us t<» 
 preach, and be instant with you in season and out 
 of season, to Hft up our voice hke a trumpet, and 
 show you your transgressions and your sins. Isa. 
 58 : 1 ; 2 Tim. 4:1,2. 
 
 But, alas! to the grief of our souls and y(jnr 
 undoing, you stop your ears, you stiffen your necks, 
 you harden your hearts ; and send us back to God 
 with groans, to tell him that we have done his 
 message, but can do no good to you, nor scarcely 
 get a sober hearing. Oh ! that our eyes were as 
 a fountain of tears, that we might lament our igno- 
 rant careless people, that have Christ, and pardon, 
 and life, and heaven before them, and have not 
 hearts to know or value them ! that might have 
 Christ, and grace, and glory, as well as others, if 
 it were not for their wilful negligence and con- 
 tempt ! O that the Lord would till our hearts with 
 more compassion to these miserable souls, that we 
 mi^ht cast ourselves even at their feet, and follow 
 them to their houses, and speak to them with our 
 bitter tears. For, long have we preached to many 
 of them in vain. We study plainness, to make them 
 understand, and many of them will not understand 
 us ; we study serious piercing words, to make 
 them Jeelf but they will not feel. If the greatest 
 matters would work with them, we should awake
 
 10 PREFACE. 
 
 them ; if the sweetest things would work, v^ 
 should entice them and win their hearts ; if the 
 most dreadful things would work, we should at 
 least affright them from their wickedness ; \? truth 
 and sincerity would take with them, we should 
 soon convince them ; if the God that made them, 
 and Christ that bought them, might be heard, 
 the case would soon be altered with them ; if 
 Scripture might be heard, we should soon prevail ; 
 if reason, even the best and strongest reason, 
 might be heard, we should not doubt but we 
 should speedily convince them ; \i experience might 
 be heard, even their own experience and the ex- 
 perience of all the world, the matter might be 
 mended ; yea, if the conscience within them might 
 be heard, the case would be better with them than 
 it is. But if nothing can be heard, what then shall 
 we do for them ] If the dreadful God of heaven 
 be slighted, who then shall be regarded % If the 
 inestimable love and blood of a Redeemer be 
 made light of, what then shall be valued % If hea- 
 ven have no desirable glory with them, and ever- 
 lasting joys be nothing worth ; if they can jest at 
 hell, and dance about the bottomless pit, and play 
 with the consuming fire, and that when God and 
 man warn them of it, what shall we do for such 
 souls as these ? 
 
 Once more, in the name of the God of heaven 
 I shall do the message to you which he hath com- 
 manded us, and leave it in these standing lines to
 
 PREFACE. 11 
 
 convert you or condemn you : to change you, or 
 rise up in judgment against you, and to be a 
 witness to your faces that once you had a serious 
 call to turn. Hear, all you that are drudges of 
 the world and servants of the flesh and Satan! 
 that spend your days in looking after prosperity 
 on earth, and drown your conscience in drinking, 
 and gluttony, and idleness, and foolish sports ; and 
 know your sin, and yet will sin, as if you set God at 
 defiance, and bade him do his worst and spare not ! 
 Hearken, all you that mind not God, and have no 
 heart to holy things, and feel no savor in the word 
 or worship of the Lord, or in the thoughts or men- 
 tion of eternal life ; that are careless of your im- 
 mortal souls, and never bestow one hour in in- 
 quiring what case they are in, whether sanctified 
 or unsanctified, and whether you are ready to ap- 
 pear before the Lord ! Hearken, all you that, by 
 sinning in light, have sinned yourselves into infi- 
 delity, and do not believe the word of God. He 
 that hath an ear to hear, let him hear the gracious 
 and yet dreadful call of God ! His eye is all the 
 while upon you. Your sins are registered, and 
 you shall surely hear of them again. God keep- 
 eth the book now ; and he will write it upon your 
 consciences with his terrors ; and then you also 
 shall keep it yourselves ! O sinners, that you but 
 knew what you are doing, and whom you are all 
 this while offending ! The sun itself is darkness 
 before the glory of that Majesty which you daily
 
 12 PREFACE. 
 
 abuse and carelessly provoke. The sinning angels 
 were not able to stand before him, but were cast 
 down to be tormented with devils. And dare 
 euch worms as you so carelessly offend, and set 
 yourselves against your Maker ! O that you did 
 but a little know what a case that viTetched soul 
 is in, that hath engaged the living God against 
 him ! The word of his mouth that made thee, can 
 unmake thee ; the frown of his face will cut thee 
 off and cast thee out into outer darkness. How 
 eager are the devils to be doing with thee, that 
 have tempted thee, and do but wait for the word 
 from God to take and use thee as their own ! and 
 then in a moment thou wilt be in hell. If God be 
 against thee, all things are against thee : this world 
 is but thy prison, for all thou so lovest it ; thou art 
 but reserved in it to the day of wrath, Job, 21 : 
 30 ; the Judge is coming, thy soul is even going. 
 Yet a little while, and thy friend shall say of thee, 
 ** He is dead ;" and thou shalt see the things that 
 thou now dost despise, and feel that which now 
 thou wilt not believe. Death will bring such an 
 argument as thou canst not answer ; an argument 
 that shall effectually confute thy cavils against the 
 word and ways of God. And then how soon will 
 thy mind be changed 1 Then be an unbeliever if 
 thou canst ; stand then to all thy former words, 
 which thou wast wont to utter against a holy and 
 a heavenly life. Make good that cause then before 
 the Lord which thou wast wont to plead against
 
 PREFACE. 13 
 
 lliy teaclierr} ; and against the people tliat feared 
 God. Then stand to thy old opinions and con- 
 temptuous thoughts of the diligence of the saints : 
 make ready now thy strong reasons, and stand 
 lip then before the Judge and plead like a man 
 for thy fleshly, thy worldly, thy ungodly life. 
 But know that thou wilt have One to plead with 
 that will not be outfaced by thee ; nor so easily 
 put oiV as we thy fellow-creatures. 
 
 O deceived, wretched soul ! there is nothing but 
 a slender veil of flesh between thee and that amazing 
 pight, which will quickly silence thee, and turn thy 
 tone, and make thee of another mind ! As soon as 
 death hath drawn this curtain, thou shalt see that 
 which will quickly leave thee speechless. And how 
 quickly will that day and hour come ! When thou 
 hast had but a few more merry hours, and but a 
 few more pleasant draughts and morsels, and a 
 little more of the honors and liches of the world, 
 thy portion will be spent, and thy pleasures ended, 
 and all is then gone that thou settest thy heart 
 upon : of all that thou Boldest thy Savior and sal- 
 vation for, there is nothing left but the heavy 
 reckoning. As a thief, that sits merrily spending 
 the money which he hath stolen in an alehouse, 
 when men are riding in post-haste to apprehend 
 him, so is it with you. While you are drowned 
 in cares of fleshly pleasures, and making merry 
 with your own bhame, death is coming in post- 
 haste to seize upon you, and carry your soul to 
 
 B. CaU. 2
 
 14 PREFACE. . 
 
 such a place and state as now you little know or 
 think of. Suppose, when you are bold and busy 
 in your sin, that a messenger were but coming 
 post-haste to apprehend you and take away your 
 life ; though you saw him not, yet if you knew 
 that he was coming, it would mar your mirth, and 
 vou would be thinkinGT of the haste he makes, and 
 hearkening when he knocked at your door. O 
 that you could but see what haste Death makes, 
 though he has not yet overtaken you ! No post so 
 swift ; no messenger more sure. As sure as the sun 
 will be with you in the morning, though it hath 
 many thousand and hundred thousand miles to go 
 in the night, so sure will Death be quickly with 
 you : and then where is your sport and pleasure ? 
 Then will you jest and brave it out 1 then will you 
 jeer at them that v/arned you 1 Then is it better 
 to be a believing saint, or a sensual worldling 1 
 And then whc^se shall all these things be that you 
 have gathered] Luke, 12 : 19-21. Do you not 
 observe that days and weeks are quickly gone, 
 and nights and mornings come apace, and speedily 
 succeed each other ? You sleep, but your damna- 
 tion slumbereth not ; you linger, but your judg- 
 ment this long time lingereth not, to which you 
 are reser^-ed for punishment. 2 Pet. 2 : 3-9. O 
 that you were wise to understand this, and that 
 you did consider your latter end ! Deut. 32 : 29. 
 He that hath an ear to hear, let him hear the call 
 of God in this day of his salvation.
 
 PREFACE. 15 
 
 O careless sinners ! that you did but know the 
 love that you unthankfully neglect, and the pre- 
 ciousness of the blood of Christ which you de- 
 spise ! O that you did but know the riches of the 
 Gospel ! O that you did but know a little the 
 certainty, and the glory and blessedness of that 
 everlasting life, which now you will not set your 
 hearts upon, nor be persuaded first and dili- 
 gently to seek. Heb. 11 : G, and 12 : 28; and 
 Matt. 6 : 13. Did you but know the endless life 
 with God which you now neglect, how quickly 
 would you cast away your sin, how quickly would 
 you change your mind and life, your course and 
 company, and turn the streams of your affections, 
 and lay out your care another way 1 How reso- 
 lutely would you scorn to yield to such tempta- 
 tions as now deceive you and carry you away ? 
 How zealously would you bestir yourselves for 
 that most blessed life 1 How earnest would you 
 be with God in prayer? How diligent in hear- 
 ing, learning, and inquiring? How serious in 
 meditating on tlie laws of God] Psalm 1 : 2. 
 How fearful of sinning in thought, word, or deed 1 
 and how careful to please God and grow in holi- 
 ness ] O what a changed people you would be! 
 And why should not the certain word of God be 
 believed by you, and prevail with you, which 
 openeth to you these glorious and eternal things ? 
 
 Yea, let me tell you that even here on earth 
 you little know the difference between the liie
 
 16 PREFACE. 
 
 you refuse and the life you choose 1 The sancti- 
 fied are conversing with God -when you dare 
 scarce think of him, and when you are conversing 
 with but earth and flesh. Their conversation is 
 in heaven, when you are utter strangers to it and 
 your belly is your God and you are minding earth- 
 ly things. Phil, o : 18-20. They are seeking after 
 the face of God, when you seek for nothing higher 
 than this world. They are busily laying up for 
 an endless life, where they shall be equal with 
 the angels, Luke, 20 : 36, when you are taken up 
 with a shadow and a transitory thing of nought. 
 How low and base is your earthly, fleshly, sinful 
 life, in comparison of the noble spiritual life of 
 true believers ] Many a time have I looked on 
 fiuch men with grief and pity, to see them trudge 
 about the world, and spend their lives, and care 
 and labor for notliing but a little food and rai- 
 ment, or a little fading pelf, or fleshly pleasures, 
 or empty honors, as if they had no higher thinga 
 to mind. What difference is there between the 
 lives of these men and of the beasts that perish, 
 that spend their time in workin^r, and eating, and 
 living but that they may live ] They taste not the 
 inward heavenly pleasures which believers taste 
 and live upon. I had rather have a little of their 
 comfort, which the forethoughts of their heavenly 
 inheritance afford them, though I had all their 
 scorn and suffering with it, than to have all your 
 pleasures and treacherous prosperity. I would
 
 PREFACE. 17 
 
 not have one of your secret pangs of conscience, 
 and (lark and dreadful thoughts of death and the 
 life to come, for all that ever the world hath done 
 for you, or all that you can reasonably hope that 
 it should do. If I were in your unconverted car- 
 nal state, and knew but what I know, and be- 
 lieved but what I now believe, methinks my life 
 would be a foretaste of hell. How oft should I 
 be thinking of the teiTors of the Lord, and of the 
 dismal day that is hastening on ! Sure death and 
 hell would be still before me. I should think of 
 them by day, and dream of them by niglit : I 
 should lie down in fear, and rise in fear, and live 
 in fear, lest death should come before I were con- 
 verted. I should have small felicity in any thincr 
 that I possessed, and little pleasure in any com- 
 pany, and little joy in any thing in the world, as 
 long as I knew myself to be under the curse and 
 wrath of God. I should be still afraid of hearing 
 that voice, " Thou fool, this night shall thy soul 
 be required of thee." Luke, 12 : 20. And that 
 fearful sentence would be written upon my con- 
 science, " There is no peace, saith my God, to the 
 wicked." Isaiah, 48 : 22 ; 57 : 21. 
 
 O poor sinners! It is a more joyful life than 
 this that you might live if you were but willing, 
 but truly willing to hearken to Christ, and come 
 home to God. You might then draw near to God 
 with boldness, and call him your Father, and com- 
 fortably trust him with your souls and bodies. If
 
 18 PREFACE. 
 
 you look upon the promises, you may say, They 
 are all mine. If upon the curse, you may say, 
 From this I am delivered. When you read the 
 law, you may see what you are saved from. When 
 you read the Gospel, you may see him that re- 
 deemed you, and see the course of his love, and 
 holy life, and sufferings, and trace him in his 
 temptations, tears, and blood, in the work of your 
 salvation. Yf»u may see death conquered and 
 heaven opened, and your resurrection and glorifi- 
 cation provided for in the resurrection and glorifi- 
 cation of your Lord. If you look on the saints, 
 you may say. They are my brethren and compa- 
 nions. If on the unsanctified, you may rejoice to 
 think that you are saved from that state. If you 
 look upon the heavens, the sun, and moon, and 
 stars innumerable, you may think and say, My 
 Father's face is infinitely more glorious ; it is 
 hif^her matters that he hath prepared for his 
 saints ; yonder is but the outward court of hea- 
 ven. The blessedness that he hath promised me 
 is so much higher, that flesh and blood cannot be- 
 hold it. If you think of the grave, you may re- 
 member that the glorified Spirit, a living Head, 
 and a loving Father, have all so near a relation to 
 your dust, that it cannot be forgotten or neglected, 
 but will more certainly revive than the plants and 
 flowers in the spring : because the soul is still 
 alive, which is the noot of the body ; and Christ is 
 alive, which is the root of both. Even death, which
 
 PREFACE. IJ) 
 
 18 the king of fears, may be remembered and en- 
 tertained with joy, as being the day of your de- 
 liverance from the remnant of ein and sorrow: 
 the day which you believed, and hoped, and wait- 
 ed for, when you sliall see the blessed things 
 which you had heard of, and shall find by present 
 joyful experience what it was to choose the bet- 
 ter part, and to be a sincere believing saint. 
 What say you, sirs ? Is not this a more delightful 
 life, to be assured of salvation and ready to die, 
 than to live as the ungodly, that have their hearts 
 overcharged with surfeiting and drunkenness, and 
 the cares of this life, and so that day comes upon 
 them unawares 1 Luke, 21 : 34, 36. Might you not 
 live a comfortable life, if once you were made the 
 lieirs of heaven, and sure to be saved when you 
 leave the world 1 O look about you then, and 
 think what you do, and cast not away such hopes 
 as these for very nothing. The flesh and the 
 world can give you no such hopes or comforts. 
 
 I have but three requests to you, and I have 
 done. 
 
 1. That you will seriously i"ead over this small 
 treatise ; and if you have such as need it in your 
 families, that you will read it over and over to 
 them ; and if those that fear God would go now 
 arvd then to their ignorant neighbors, and read 
 liiis or some other book to them on this subject, 
 they might be a means of winning souls. If we 
 cannot entreat so small a labor of men for tlieir
 
 2l> PllEFACK, 
 
 own salvation as to read such short instrnctions 
 as these, they set little by themselves, and will 
 most justly perish. 
 
 2. When you have read over this book, I would 
 entreat you to go alone and ponder a little what 
 y(ju have read, and bethink you, as in the sight of 
 God, whether it be not true, and do not nearly 
 touch your souls, and whether it be not time to 
 look about you. And also entreat you, that you 
 will upon your knees beseech the Lord that he 
 will open your eyes to understand the truth, and 
 turn your hearts to the love of God, and beg of 
 him all that saving grace which you have so longr 
 neglected, and follow it on from day to day, till 
 your hearts be changed. And withal, that you 
 will go to your pastors, (that are set over you to 
 take care of the health and safety of your souls, as 
 physicians do for the health of your bodies,) and 
 desire them to direct you what course to take, 
 and acquaint them with your spiritual state, that 
 you may have the benefit of their advice and 
 ministerial help. 
 
 If you have not a faithful pastor at home, make 
 use of some other in so great a need. 
 
 o. When, by reading, consideration, prayer, 
 and ministerial advice, you are once acquainted 
 with your sin and misery, with your duty and 
 remedy, delay not, but presently forsake your 
 sinful company and courses, and turn to God and 
 obey his call. As you love your souls, take heed
 
 PREFACE. 21 
 
 t!iat you go not on against so hmd a call of God, 
 and against your own knowledge anJ conscience, 
 lest it go worse with yriu in the day of judgment 
 than with Sodom and Gomorrah. Inquire of God, 
 JLS a man that is willing to know the truth, anil 
 not be a wilful cheater of his soul. Search th<j 
 holy Scripttires daily, and see whether ihesn 
 things be so : try impartially whether it be safer 
 to trust heaven or earth, and whether it be bet- 
 ter to follow God or man, the Spirit or the flesh, 
 better to live in holiness or sin, and whether au 
 unsanctified state be safe for you to abide in one 
 day longer ; and when you have found out which 
 is l>est, resolve accordingly, and make your choico 
 without any more ado. If you will be true lo 
 your own souls, and do not love everlasting tor- 
 ments, 1 beseech you, as from the Lord, that you 
 wiW but take this reasonable advice. Th(?n at 
 your deathbed how boldly might we comfort and 
 encourage 3'our departing souls ! And at your 
 burial, how comfortably might we leave you in 
 tlie grave, in expectation to meet your souls in 
 heaven, and to see your bodies raised to that 
 glory ! 
 
 But, if still the most of you will go on in a care- 
 less, ignorant, fleshly, worldly, or unholy life, and 
 all our desires and labors cannot so far prevail as 
 to keep you from the wilful damning of your- 
 selves, we must then imitate our Lor<l, who de- 
 lighteth himself in those few that are jewels, and
 
 22 PREFACE 
 
 in a little flock that shall receive the kingdom, 
 when the most shall rcap the misery which they 
 sowed. In nature, excellent things are few. The 
 world hath not many suns or moons ; it is but a 
 little of the earth that is gold or silver. Princes 
 and nobles are but a small part of the sons of 
 men : it is no great number that are learned, 
 judicious, or wise, here in this world. And, 
 therefore, if the gate being strait and very narrow, 
 there be but few that find salvation, yet God will 
 have his glory and pleasure in those few. And 
 when Christ shall come with his mighty angels in 
 flaming fire, taking vengeance on them that know 
 not God, and obey not the Gospel of our Lord 
 Jesus Christ, his coming will be glorified in his 
 saints, and admired in all true believers. 2 Thess. 
 1 : 7-10. 
 
 And for the rest, as God the Father vouchsafed 
 to create them, and God the Son disdained not to 
 bear the penalty of their sins upon the cross, and 
 did not judge such sufferings vain, though he 
 knew that by refusing the sanctification of the 
 Holy Ghost they would finally destroy themselves, 
 so we, that are his ministers, though these be not 
 gathered, judge not our labor wholly lost. See 
 Isa. 49 : 5. 
 
 Reader, I have done with thee, when thou hast 
 perused this book ; but sin hath not yet done 
 with thee, even those that thou thoughtest had 
 been forgotten long ago ; and Satan hath not yet
 
 PREFACE. 23 
 
 done with thee, thougli now lie be out of sight ; 
 and God hath not yet done with thee, because 
 ihou wih not be persuaded to have done with 
 deadly reigning sin. I have written thee this per- 
 suasive, as one that is going into another world, 
 where the things are seen that I here speak of, 
 and as one that knoweth thou must be shortly 
 there thyself. As ever thou wilt meet me with 
 comfort before the Lord that made us ; as ever 
 thou wilt escape the everlasting plagues prepared 
 for the final neglecters of salvation, and for all 
 that are not sanctified by the Holy Ghost, and 
 love not the communion of the saints as members 
 of the holy catholic church ; and as ever thou 
 hopest to see the face of Christ the Judge, and of 
 the majesty of the Father, with peace and com- 
 fort, and to be received into glory when thou art 
 turned naked out of this world ; I beseech thee, I 
 charge thee, to hear and obey the call of God, 
 and resolvedly to turn, that thou mayest live. 
 But, if thou wilt not, even when thou hast no true 
 reason for it but because thou wilt not, I summon 
 thee to answer it before the Lord, and require 
 thee there to bear me witness that I gave thee 
 warning, and that thou wast not condemned for 
 want of a call to turn and live, but because thou 
 wouldst not believe it, and obey it : which also 
 must be the testimony of thy serious monitor, 
 
 RICHARD BAXTER. 
 
 December 11, 1657.
 
 A CALL 
 
 THE UNCONVERTED. 
 
 Say unto Oienij As Ilive^ saiili the Lord God, I have no 
 pleasure in, the death of the vncked; hut that tJie wick- 
 ed turn from his way and live : turn ye, turn ye from 
 your evil ways ; for why icill ye die, O house of Israel 1 
 Ezekiel, 33 :ll. 
 
 It hath been the astonishing wonder of 
 many a man as well as mc, to read in the 
 Holy Scripture how few will be saved, and 
 that the greatest part even of those that are 
 called, will be everlastingly shut out of the 
 kingdom of heaven, and be tormented with 
 the devils in eternal fire. Infidels believe 
 not this v/hen they read it, and therefore 
 ihey must feel it : those that do believe it 
 are forced to cry out with Paul, " O the 
 depth of the riches both of the wisdom and 
 knowledge of God ! How unsearchable are 
 his judgments, and his ways past finding 
 out!" Rom. 11 : 33. But nature itself doth 
 teach us all to lay the blame of evil works 
 upon the doers ; and therefore when we see 
 
 CaU. 3
 
 26 A CALL TO 
 
 an}^ heinous thing done, a principle of jus- 
 tice doth provoke us to inquire after him 
 that did it, that the evil of the work may re- 
 turn the evil of shame upon the author. If 
 "vve saw a man killed and cut in pieces by 
 the way, we should presently ask. Oh! who 
 did this cruel deed ? If the town was wil- 
 fully set on fire, you would ask, what wick- 
 ed wretch did this ? So when we read that 
 many souls will be miserable in hell for 
 ever, we must needs think with ourselves, 
 how comes this to pass ? and whose fault is 
 it? Who is it that is so cruel as to be the 
 cause of such a thing as this ? and we can 
 meet with few that will own the guilt. It is 
 indeed confessed by all, that Satan is the 
 cause ; but that doth not resolve the doubt, 
 because he is not the principal cause. He 
 doth not force men to sin, but tempts them 
 to it, and leaves it to their own vnlls wheth- 
 er they will do it or not. He doth not carry 
 men to an alehouse and force open their 
 mouths and pour in the drink ; nor doth he 
 liold them that they cannot go to God's ser- 
 vice ; nor doth he force their hearts from 
 holy thoughts. It lieth therefore between 
 God kiniself, and the sinner; cue of them
 
 THE UNCONVERTED. 27 
 
 must needs be the principal cause of all this 
 misery, whichever it is, for there is no other 
 to hiy it upon ; and God disckiimcth it, ho 
 will not take it upon him; and the wicked 
 disclaim it usuallv, and thev will not take it 
 upon them, and this is the controversy that 
 is here managing in my text. 
 
 The Lord complaiiieth of the people; and 
 the people think it is the fault ot" God. Tliy 
 same controversy is handled, chap. IS : 25 ; 
 they plainly say " that the way of the Lord 
 is not equal." So here they say, verse 19, 
 " If our transgressions and our sins be upon 
 us, and we pine away in them, how shall 
 we then live?" As if they should say, if 
 we must die and be miserable, how can we 
 help it? as if it were not their fault, but 
 God's. But God, in my text, doth clear 
 himself of it, and telleth them how they may 
 help it if they will, and persuadeth them to 
 use the means, and if they will not be per- 
 suaded, he lets them know that it is the 
 fault of themselves ; and if this will not 
 satisfy them, he will not forbear to punish 
 them. It is he that will be the Judge, and 
 he will judge them according to their ways ; 
 they are no judges of him or of themselves,
 
 28 A CALL TO 
 
 they Avant authority, and wisdom, and im- 
 partiality ; nor is it their cavilling and quarrel- 
 ins: with God that shall serve their turn, or 
 save them from the execution of that justice 
 at which they murmur. 
 
 The words of this verse contain, 1. God's 
 clearing himself from the blame of their 
 destruction. This he doth not by disown- 
 ing his law that the wicked shall die, nor 
 by disowning his judgment and execution 
 according to that law, or giving them any 
 hope that the law^ shall not be executed ; but 
 by professing that it is not their death that he 
 takes pleasure in, but their returning rathei', 
 that thev mav 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 nnd con- 
 descend also to reason the case with them, 
 Why will the}' die ? The direct end of this 
 exhortation is, that they may turn and live?. 
 The secondary or reserved ends, upon sup- 
 position that this is not attained, are these 
 two : 1. To convince them by the means 
 which he used, that it is not the fault of God 
 if they are miserable. 2. To convince them 
 from their manifest wilfulness in rejecting
 
 THE UNCONVERTED. 29 
 
 all his commands and persuasions, that it 
 is the fault of themselves, and that they die, 
 even because they will die. 
 
 The substance of the text doth lie in 
 these observations following : 
 
 Doctrine 1. It is the unchangeable law of 
 God, that wicked men must turn or die. 
 
 Doctrine 2. It is the promise of God, that 
 the wicked shall live, if they will but turn. 
 
 Doctrine 3. 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. 
 
 Doctrine 4. This is a most certain truth, 
 which because God would not have men to 
 question, he hath confirmed it to them so- 
 lemnly by his oath. 
 
 , Doctrine 5. The Lord doth redouble his 
 commands and persuasions to the wicked 
 to turn. 
 
 Doctrine 6. The Lord condescendeth to 
 reason the case with them ; and asketh the 
 wicked why they will die ? 
 
 Doctrine 7. If after all this the wicked 
 will not turn, it is not the fault of God that 
 they perish, but of themselves ; their own 
 wilfulness is the cause of their damnation
 
 30 A C.U.L TO (Dod L 
 
 they therefore die because they ^vill die. 
 Having laid open the text in these propo- 
 sitions, I shall next speak somewhat of each 
 of them in order, though briefly. 
 
 DOCTRINE I. 
 
 It is the unchangeahle law of God^ that 
 wicked men must turn or die. 
 
 If you will believe God, believe this : 
 there is but one of these tw^o ways for every 
 wicked man, cither conversion or damna- 
 tion. 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 
 w^hich they would not have to be true, and 
 few^er 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. Be- 
 lieving and regarding the law might have 
 prevented his death ; but denying and ac- 
 cusing 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
 
 Doct. 1.) THE UNCONVERTED. 31 
 
 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 the justice of 
 this law of God, I shall briefly giv.: you that 
 evidence of both which methinks should sat- 
 isfy a reasonable man. And, 
 
 L If you doubt whether this be the word 
 of God or not, besides a hundred other 
 texts, you may be satisfied by these few : 
 Matt. 18 : 3. " Verily I say unto you, except 
 ye be converted and become as little chil- 
 dren, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of 
 heaven." John, 3:3.*' Verily, verily, I say 
 unto thee, except a man be born again he 
 cannot see the kingdom of God." 2 Cor. 5 : 
 17. '* If any man be in Christ, he is a new 
 creature ; old things are passed away ; be- 
 hold, all things are become new." Col. 3 : 9, 
 10. "Ye have put off the old man with his 
 deeds, and have put on the new man, which 
 is renewed in knowledge after the ima^T^e of 
 him that created him." Heb. 12 : 14. *' With- 
 out holiness no man shall see the Lord." Kom.
 
 32 A CALL TO (Doct- L 
 
 8 : S, 9. " 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.'* 
 Gal. 6 : 15. "For in Christ Jesus neither cir- 
 cumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircum- 
 cision, but a new creature." 1 Pet. 1 : 3. 
 " According to his abundant mercy he hath 
 begotten us to a lively hope." ver. 23. " Be- 
 ing born again, not of corruptible seed, but 
 of incorruptible, by the word of God, which 
 liveth and abideth for ever." 1 Pet. 2 : 1, 2. 
 " Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all 
 guile, and hypocrisies and envies, and all 
 evil speakings, as new born babes, desire the 
 sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow 
 thereby." Psalm 9 : 17. " The wicked shall 
 be turned into hell, and all the nations that 
 foriret God." Psalm 11 : 5. "And the Lord 
 
 o 
 
 trieth the riditeous, 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, here is already enough to sat- 
 isfy thee that the wicked must be converted 
 or condemned. You are already brought so
 
 T>oct.l.i THE U.XCOIVTERTED. 33 
 
 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 corne to that 
 pass there is but small hope of you : look to 
 yourself as well as you can, for it is likely 
 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 tho 
 lie to God ? But if 3'ou tell God plainly you 
 will not believe him, blame him not if ho 
 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 will not 
 believe him ? Should he send an angel from 
 heaven to you, it seems you w^ould not be- 
 Heve. For an angel can speak but the word 
 of God ; and if an angel should bring vou 
 any other gospel, you are not to receive it, 
 but to hold him accursed. Gal. 1 : 8. 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 maJvC you hear.
 
 34 A CALL TO (Doct. L 
 
 Though lie entreat you to hear the voice of 
 his Gospel, he will make you hear the voice 
 of his condemnino: sentence, without entreaty. 
 We cannot make vou beheve a^rainst yout 
 vnWs ; but God will make you feel against 
 your wills. 
 
 But let us hear what reason you have why 
 you v/ill not believe this word of God, which 
 tells us that the wicked must be converted, 
 or condemned. I know your reason ; it is 
 because vou judfre it unlikely that God should 
 be so unmerciful : you think it cruelty to 
 damn men everlastingly for so small a thing 
 as a sinfid life. And this leads us, 
 
 II. To justify the equity of God in his laws 
 and judgments. 
 
 1. I think you will not deny that it is 
 most suitable to an immortal soul to be 
 ruled by laws that promise an immortal re- 
 ward, and threaten an endless punishment. 
 Otherwise the law would not be suited to 
 the nature of the subject, who will not be 
 fully ruled by any lower means than the 
 liopes or fears of everlasting things : as it is 
 in cases of temporal punishment, if a law 
 were now made that the most heinous crimes
 
 Doctl.) THE UNCONVERTED. 35^ 
 
 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 hav(i so many 
 hundred years impunity afterward. So it is 
 in our present case. 
 
 2. I suppose that 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 Jit to contradict this word '? Will 
 you call your Maker to the bar, and exam- 
 ine his word upon the accusation of false- 
 hood? Will you sit upon him and judge him 
 by the law of your conceits ? Are you wiser, 
 and better, and more righteous than he? 3Iust 
 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 sinner that cannot keep himself an hour
 
 36 A CALL TO (Doct.1. 
 
 clean? Must the Almighty stand at the baf 
 of a "worm ? O horrid arroo^ancy of senseless 
 dust ! Shall a mole, or clod, or dunghill, 
 accuse the sun of darkness, and undertake 
 to illuminate the world ? Where were 3'ou 
 when the Almighty made the laws, that he 
 did not call you to his counsel ? Surely he 
 made them before you were born, without 
 desiring your advice ; and j'ou came into the 
 world too late to reverse them, if vou could 
 have done so great a work. You should have 
 stepped 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 threatened 
 death, that so there might have been no need 
 of Christ. And what if God withdraw his 
 patience and sustaining power, and let vou 
 drop into hell while you are quarrelling with 
 his word, will 3'ou then believe that there is 
 a hell ? 
 
 ■i. If sin be such an evil that it requireth 
 the death of Christ for its expiation, no won- 
 der if it deserve our everlastinc^ misers'. 
 
 5. And if the sin of devils deserve an 
 endless torment, why not also the sin of man? 
 
 6. And methinks you should perceive that
 
 Doci,i.) THE l\\con\i:rteb. 37 
 
 it is not possible for the best of men, much 
 less for tlie wicked, to be competent judges of 
 the desert of sin. Alas ! we are both blind 
 rind partial. You can never know fully the 
 desert of sin, till you fully know the evil of 
 sin ; and you can never fully know the evil 
 of sin, till you fully know, 1. The excellency 
 of the soul wliich it deformeth. 2. The 
 excellency of holiness which it obliterates. 
 3. The reason and excellency of the law 
 which it violates. 4. The excellency of the 
 glory which it despises. 5. The excellency 
 and office of reason which it treadeth down. 
 (>, No, nor till you know the infinite excellent 
 ov, almiirhtiness and holiness of that God 
 against whom it is committed. When you 
 fully know all these, 3^ou shall fully know 
 the desert of sin. Besides, you know that the 
 offender is too partial to judge the law or 
 ihe proceedings of his judge. We judge by 
 feeling, which blinds our reason. We see, 
 in common worldly things, that most men 
 think the cause is right which is their own, 
 and tnit all is wrong that is done against 
 ihem ; and let the most wise, or just, or im- 
 partial friends persuade them to the contra- 
 ry, and it is all in vain. There are few chil- 
 
 B. Call. 4
 
 38 A CALL TO (Doctl. 
 
 dren but think the father is unmerciful, or 
 dealeth hardly with them if he whip them. 
 There is scarce the vilest wretch but thinketh 
 the church doth wrong him if they excom- 
 municate him; or scarce a thief or murderer 
 that is hanged, but would accuse the law and 
 judge of cruelty, if that would serve their turn. 
 
 7. Can you think that unholy souls me Jit 
 for heaven? Alas, they cannot love God 
 here, nor do him any service which he can 
 accept. They are contrar}^ to God, they 
 loathe that which he most loveth, and love 
 that which he abhorreth. They are inca- 
 pable of that imperfect communion with 
 him which his saints here partake of. How 
 then can they live in that perfect love of him, 
 and full delight and communion with him, 
 which is the blessedness of heaven? You do 
 not accuse j^ourselves of unmercifulness if 
 you make not your enemy your bosom coun- 
 sellor ; or if you take not your swine to bed 
 and board with you, no, nor if you take away 
 his life though he never sinned ; and yet you 
 will blame the absolute Lord, the most wise 
 and gracious Sovereign of the world, if he con- 
 demn the unconverted to perpetual misery. 
 
 I beseech you now, all that love your
 
 Doct. 1.) THE UNCONVERTED. 39 
 
 souls, that, instead of quarrelling ^vilh Cod 
 and with his word, you will presently re- 
 ceive it, and use it for your good. All 3-0 u 
 that are yet unconverted, take this as the 
 undoubted truth of God : You must, ere long, 
 be converted or condemned ; there is no 
 other way but to turn, or die. When God, 
 that cannot lie, hath told you this ; when 
 you hear it from the Maker and Judge of the 
 W'orld, it is time for him that hath ears to 
 hear. By this time you may see what you 
 have to trust to. You are but dead and 
 damned men, except you will be converted. 
 Should I tell 5^ou otherwise, I should deceive 
 you with a lie. Should I hide this from you, 
 I should undo you, and be guilty of your 
 blood, as the verses before my text assure 
 me. — verse 8. " When I say to the wicked 
 man, O wicked man, thou shalt surely die ; 
 if thou dost not speak to warn the wdcked 
 from his way, that wdcked man shall die in 
 his iniquity ; but his blood will I require at 
 thine hand." You see then, though this be a 
 rough and unwelcome doctrine, it is such as 
 we must preach, and you must hear. It is 
 easier to hear of hell than feel it. If 3'our 
 necessities did not require it, we w^ould not
 
 •iO A CALL TO (Doct. L 
 
 trail your tender ears with truths that seem 
 so harsh and grievous. Hell would not be 
 so iiill, if people were but willing to know 
 their case, and to hear and tliink of it. The 
 reason wh}'- so few^ escape it, is because they 
 strive not to enter in at the strait gate of con- 
 version, and go the narrow way of holiness 
 while they have time ; and they strive not, 
 because they are not awakened to a lively 
 feeling of the danger they are in; and they 
 are not awakened because they are loth to 
 hear or think of it ; and that is partly througli 
 foolish tenderness and carnal self-love, and 
 partly because they do not well believe the 
 word that threateneth it. If you v/ill not 
 thoroughly believe this truth, niethinks the 
 weight of it should force yon to remember 
 it, and it_ should follow you, and give 3^ou 
 no rest till you are converted. If 3'ou had 
 but once heard this word by the voice of 
 an angel, " Thou must be converted or con- 
 demjied : turn, or die :" v/ould it not sink 
 into your mind, and haunt 3"ou night and 
 day? so that in your sinning you would re- 
 member it, as if the voice were still in your 
 ears, " Turn, or die !" O happy were your 
 soul if it might thus work with you and
 
 Doct. 10 THE UNCONVERTED. 41 
 
 never be forgotten, or let you alone till it 
 have driven home your heart to God. But 
 if 3"ou will cast it out by forgetfulness or un- 
 belief, how can it work to your conversion 
 and salvation? But take this whh. you to 
 3'"our sorrow, though you may put this out of 
 3''0ur mind you cannot put it out of the Bible, 
 but there it will stand as a sealed truth, 
 which 3^ou shall experimentally know for ever, 
 that there is no other way but " turn, or die." 
 O what is the matter then that the hearts 
 of sinners are not pierced with such a 
 weighty truth? A man would think now, 
 that every unconverted soul that hears these 
 words should be pricked to the heart and 
 think with himself, *' This is my own case," 
 and never be quiet till he found himself con- 
 verted. Believe it, this drowsy careless 
 temper will not last long. Conversion and 
 condemnation are both of them awakening 
 things, and one of them will make you feel 
 ere long. I can foretell it as truly as if I 
 saw it with my e^^es, that either grace or 
 liell will shortly bring these matters to the 
 point, and make you say, "What have I 
 done ? what a foolish wicked course have I 
 taken ?" The scornful and the stupid state 
 
 4*
 
 42 A CALL TO (Doctl. 
 
 of sinnei'3 vvdll last but a little while : as soon 
 as they either turn or die, the presumptu- 
 ous dream wiH be at an end, and then their 
 senses and feeling will return. 
 
 But I foresee there are two things that are 
 likely to harden the uneonverted and make 
 me lose all my labor, unless they can be 
 taken out of the way ; namely, the misun- 
 derstanding of those tw^o words, the wicked 
 and tifrn. Some will think with themselves, 
 " It is true, the wicked mast turn or die; but 
 what is that to me, I am not wicked, though 
 I am a sinner as all men are." Others will 
 think, "It is true that we must turn from our 
 evil ways, but I am turned long ago ; I hope 
 this is not now to do." And thus while wick- 
 ed men think thev are not wicked, but are 
 already converted, we lose all our labor in 
 persuading them to turn. I shall therefore, 
 before I go any further, tell you here who 
 are meant hy the wicked, or who they are 
 that must turn or die ; and also ivhat is 
 meant hy turning, or who they are that are 
 truly converted. And this I have purposely 
 reserved for this place, preferring the meth- 
 od that lits my end. And
 
 Doct, 1.) fllE UNCONVERTED. 43 
 
 I. Here you may observe, that in the 
 sense of the text a wicked man and a con- 
 verted man are contraries : no man is a 
 wicked man that is converted ; and no man 
 is a converted man that is wicked ; so that 
 to be a wicked man and to be an unconvert- 
 ed man is all one ; and therefore in dealing 
 with one we shall deal with both. 
 
 Before I can tell you what either wicked- 
 ness or conversion is, I must go to the bottom 
 and take up the matter from the beginning. 
 
 It pleased the great Creator of the world to 
 make three sorts of living creatures. Angels 
 he made pure spirits without flesh, and there- 
 fore he made them only for heaven, and not 
 to dwell on earth. Brutes were made flesh 
 without immortal souls, and therefore they 
 were made only for earth, and not for hea- 
 ven. I\Ian is of a middle nature, between 
 both, as partaking of both flesh o.nd spirit, 
 and therefore he was made both for heaven 
 and earth. But as his flesh is made to be but 
 a servant to his spirit, so is he made for earth 
 but as his passage or way to heaven, and 
 not that this should be his home or happi- 
 ness. The blessed state that man was made 
 for, was to behold the glorious majesty of
 
 44 A CALL TO (Doct. 1. 
 
 the Lord, and to praise him among his holy 
 angels, and to love him, and to be filled 
 with his love for ever. And as this was the 
 end that man was made for, so God gave 
 liim means that were fitted to the attaining 
 of it. 
 
 These means were principally two : 1. 
 The right inclination and disposition of the 
 mind of man. 2. The right ordering of 
 his life and practice. For the first, God suit- 
 ed the disposition of man unto his end, giv- 
 ing him such knowledge of God as was fit 
 for his present state, and a heart disposed 
 and inclined to God in holy love. But yet 
 he did not fix or confirm him in this condi- 
 tion, bnt, having made him a free agent, he 
 left him to the exercise of his own free will. 
 For the second, God did that which belonged 
 >to him ; that is, he gave him a perfect law^, re- 
 quiring himtocontinue in the love of God, and 
 perfectly to obey him. 
 
 By the wilful breach of this law, man not 
 only forfeited his hopes of everlasting life, 
 but also turned his heart from God and fixed 
 it on these lower fleshly things, and thereby 
 blotted out the spiritual image of God from 
 his soul ; so that man both fell short of the
 
 Doct. 1.) THE UXCOXVERTED. ^ A5 
 
 glory of God, which was his end, and put 
 himself out of the way by which he should 
 have attained it, and this both as to the 
 frame of his heart and of his life. The liolv 
 inclination and love of his soul to God lie 
 lust, and instead of it he contracted an in- 
 clination and love to the pleasing of liis 
 ilcsh, or carnal self, bv earthlv things ; orow- 
 ing strange to God and acquainted w^ith the 
 creature. And the course of liis life w'as 
 suited to the bent and inclination of his 
 heart ; he lived to his carnal self, and not to 
 God ; he sought the creature for the pleasing 
 of his flesh, instead of seeking to please thti 
 Lord. With this nature or corrupt inclina- 
 tion we are all now" born into the world ; 
 " forw^ho can bring a clean tiling out of an 
 unclean?" Job, 14:4. As a lion hath a 
 lierce and cruel nature before he doth de- 
 vour ; and an adder hath a venomous na- 
 ture before she stings, so in our infanc}^ wo 
 have those sinful natures or inclinations be- 
 fore we think, or speak, or do amiss. And 
 hence springeth all the sin of our lives ; and 
 not only so, but when God hath of his mer- 
 cy, provided us a remedy, even the Lord 
 Jesus Christ, to be the Savior of our souls
 
 46 A CALL TO (DocLl. 
 
 and bring us back to God again, we natural- 
 ly love our present state, and are loth to be 
 brought out of it, and therefore are set 
 against the means of our recovery : and 
 though custom hath taught us to thank 
 Christ for his good will, yet carnal self per- 
 suades us to refuse his remedies, and to de- 
 sire to be excused when we are command- 
 ed to take the medicines which he offers, 
 and are called to forsake all and follow him 
 to God and glory. 
 
 I pray you read over this leaf agam, and 
 mark it ; for in these few words you have 
 a true description of our natural state, and 
 consequently of a w'icked man ; for every 
 man that is in the state of corrupt nature is 
 a wicked man, and in a state of death. 
 
 II. By this you are prepared to understand 
 
 WHAT IT IS TO BE CONVERTED I tO which 
 
 end you must further know, that the mercy 
 of God, not willing that man should perish 
 in his sins, provided a remedy, by causing 
 his Son to take our nature, and being in one 
 person God and man, to become a mediator 
 between God and man ; and by dying for 
 OUT sins on the cross, to ransom us from the 
 curse of God and the power of the devil.
 
 Doct. 1.) THE UNCONVERTED. Alf 
 
 And having thus redeemed us, the Father 
 hath dehvered us into his hands as his own. 
 Hereupon the Father and the Mediator do 
 make a new law and covenant for man, not 
 like the first, which gave hfe to none but 
 the perfectly obedient, and condemned man 
 for every sin; but Christ hath made a law of 
 grace, or a promise of pardon and everlast- 
 ing life to all that, by true repentance, and 
 by faith in Christ, are converted unto God : 
 like an act of oblivion which is made bv a 
 prince to a company of rebels, on condition 
 that they will lay down their arms and come 
 in and be loyal subjects for the time to come. 
 
 But, because the Lord knoweth that the 
 heart of man is grown so wicked, that, for 
 all this, men will not accept of the remedy 
 if they are left to themselves, therefore the 
 Holy Ghost hath undertaken it as his office 
 to inspire the apostles, and seal the Scrip- 
 tures by miracles and wonders, and to il- 
 luminate and convert the souls of the elect. 
 
 So by this much you see, that as there 
 are three persons in the Trinity, the Father, 
 the Son, and the Holy Ghost, so each of 
 tliese persons have their several works, 
 which are eminently ascribed to them.
 
 48 A CALL TO (Doct. 1. 
 
 The Fathpys works were, to create us, to 
 rule us, as his rational creatures, by the law 
 of nature, and judge us thereby ; and in 
 mercy to provide us a Redeemer when we 
 were lost; and to send his Son, and accept 
 his ransom. 
 
 The works of the So/i for us were these : 
 to ransom and redeem us by his sufferings 
 and righteousness ; to give out the promise 
 or law of grace, and rule and judge the 
 world as the Redeem.er, on terms of grace ; 
 to make intercession for us, that the benefits 
 of his death may be communicated ; and to 
 send the Holv Ghost, which the Father also 
 doth by the Son. 
 
 The works of the Hohj Ghost for us are 
 these : to indite the Holy Scriptures by in- 
 spiring and guiding the Prophets and Apos- 
 tles, and sealinc: the Vv'ord bv his miraculous 
 gifts and works ; and iUuminating and excit- 
 ing the ordinary ministers of the Gospel, and 
 so enabling them and helping them to pub- 
 lish, that word ; and by the same word il- 
 luminating and converting the souls of men. 
 So that as you could not have been reason- 
 able creatures if the Father had not created 
 yoa, nor have had any access to God if the
 
 DocM.) THE UNCONVERTED, 49 
 
 Son lind not redeemed you, so neither can 
 you have a part in Christ or be saved ex- 
 cept the Holy Ghost do sanctify you. 
 
 So that by this time you may see the 
 several causes of this work. The Fatlier 
 sendeth the Son ; the Son redeemeth us and 
 maketh the promise of grace ; the Holy 
 Ghost inditeth and sealeth this Gospel ; the 
 Apostles are the secretaries of the Spirit to 
 write it ; the preachers of the Gospel to pro- 
 claim it, and persuade men to obey it; and 
 the Holy Ghost doth make their preacliing 
 effectual, by opening the hearts of men to 
 entertain it. And all tliis to re])air the im- 
 age of God upon the soul, and to set the 
 heart upon God again, and take it off' from 
 the creature and carnal self to which it is 
 revolted, and so to turn the current of the 
 life into a heavenly course, which before 
 was earthly ; and this throufrli embraciu"- 
 Christ by faith, who is the Physician of the 
 soul. 
 
 By what I have said you may see what 
 it is to be wicked, and what it is to be con- 
 verted; which, I think, will be yet plainer 
 to you, if I describe them as consisting of 
 
 E. CiUl. 5
 
 50 A CALL TO (Doct L 
 
 their several parts. A wicked man may 
 bo known by these three things : 
 
 1. He is one who placeth his chief af- 
 fections on earth, and loveth the creature 
 more than God, and his fleshly prosperity 
 above the heavenly felicity. He savoreth 
 the thinu:s of the flesh, but neither discerneth 
 nor savoreth the things of the Spirit ; though 
 he will say that heaven is better than earth, 
 vet he doth not reallv so esteem it to himself. 
 If he might be sure of earth, he would let 
 go heaven, and had rather stay here than be 
 removed thither. A life of perfect holiness 
 in the sisfht of God, dwellinc: in his love and 
 praising him for ever in heaven, is not so 
 pleasing to his heart as a life of health, and 
 wealth, and honor here upon earth. And 
 though he falsely profess that he loves God 
 above all, yet indeed he never felt the pow- 
 er of divine love within him, but his mind is 
 more set on the world or fleshly pleasures 
 than on God. In a word, whoever loves earth 
 above heaven, and fleshly prosperity more 
 than God, is a wicked unconverted man. 
 
 On the other hand, a converted man is 
 illuminated to discern the loveliness of God, 
 and so far believeth the glory that is to be
 
 Doct. 1.) THE UXGONVERTED. 51 
 
 had with God, that his heart is taken up 
 with it and set more upon it than on any 
 thing: in this world. He had rather see the 
 face of God, and live in his everlasting love 
 and praises, than have all the wealtli or 
 pleasures of the world. He seeth that all 
 things else are vanity, and nothing but God 
 can fill the soul ; and therefore let the world 
 go which way it will, he layeth up his trea- 
 sures and hopes in heaven, and for that he 
 is resolved to let go all. As the lire doth 
 mount upward, and the needle that is touch- 
 ed with the loadstone still turns to the north, 
 so the converted soul is inclined unto God. 
 Nothing else can satisfy him ; nor can he 
 find anv content and rest but in his love. In 
 a word, all that are converted do esteem 
 and love God better than all the world, and 
 the heavenly felicity is dearer to thorn than 
 their lleshly prosperity. The proof of what 
 ] have said you may find in these places of 
 Scripture : Thil. 3 : S-IU ; Matt. G : 19-21 ; 
 Col. 3 : 1-4; Rom. 8 : 5-9, 18, 23 ; Psahn 
 73 : 25, 20. 
 
 2. A wicked man is one that makes it 
 the principal business of his life to prosper 
 in the world and attain his lleshly ends.
 
 52 A CALL TO (Doct. 1. 
 
 And though he may read, and hear, and do 
 much in the outward duties of rehgion, and 
 Ibrbear disgraceful sins, yet this is all but 
 by-the-by, and lie never makes it the princi- 
 pal business of his life to please God and 
 attain everlasting glory, but puts off' God 
 with the leavings of the world, and gives 
 him no more service than the flesh can 
 spare, for he will not part with all for 
 heaven. 
 
 On the contrary, a converted man is one 
 that makes it the principal care and busi- 
 ness of his life to please God and to be 
 saved, and takes all the blessings of this life 
 but as accommodations in his journey to- 
 ward another life, and useth the creature in 
 subordination to God : he loves a holy life, 
 and longs to be more holy ; he hath no sin 
 but what he liateth, and longeth, and pray- 
 eth, and striveth to be rid of. The drift and 
 bent of his life is for God, and if he sin, it is 
 
 contrary to the very bent of his heart and 
 
 ■J 
 
 life ; and therefore he riseth again and la- 
 menteth it, and dares not wilfully live in any 
 known sin. There is nothing in this world 
 so dear to him but he can give it up to God, 
 and forsake it for him and the hopes of glory.
 
 Doct. 1.) THE UNCONVERTED. 53 
 
 All this you may see in Col. 3 : 1-5; Malt. 
 6 : 20, 33 ; Luke, 18 : 22, 23, 29 ; and 14 : 
 18, 24, 2G, 27 ; Rom. 8 : 13 ; Gal. 5 : 24 ; 
 Luke, 12 : 21, &c. 
 
 3. The soul of a wicked man did never 
 truly discern and relish the mystery of 
 redemption, nor tliankfully entertain an of- 
 fered Savior, nor is he taken up Avith the 
 love of the Redeemer, nor willing to be ruled 
 by him as the Physician of his soul, that he 
 may be saved from the guilt and power of 
 his sins, and recovered to God ; but his 
 lieart is insensible of this unspeakable bene- 
 fit, and is quite against the healing means 
 by which lie should l)e recovered. Though 
 he may be willing to be outwardly religious, 
 yet he never resigned up his soul to Christ 
 and to the motions and conduct of his word 
 and Spirit. 
 
 On the contrary, the converted soul havinir 
 felt himself undone by sin, and perceiving 
 that he hath lost his peace with God and 
 hopes of heaven, and is in danger of ever- 
 lasting misery, doth thankfully entertain the 
 tidings of redemption, and believing in the 
 Lord Jesus as his onlv Savior, resif!:ns him- 
 self up to him for wisdom, righteousness,
 
 54 A CALL TO (Doct. 1. 
 
 sanctification, and redemption. He takes 
 Christ as the life of his soul, and lives by 
 him, and uses him as a salve for eveiy sore, 
 admiring the wisdom and love of God in his 
 wonderful work of man's redemption. In a 
 word, Christ doth even dwell in his heart by 
 laith, and the life that he now liveth, is by 
 the faith of the Son of God, that loved him, 
 and gave himself for him ; 3^ea, it is not so 
 much he that liveth, as Christ in him. For 
 these, see John, 1 : 11, 12; and 3 : 19, 20 ; 
 Rom. 8:9; Phil. 3 : 7-10 ; Gal. 2 : 20 ; 
 John, 15 : 2-4 ; 1 Cor. 1 : 20 ; 2 : 2. 
 
 You see now, in plain terms from the Word 
 of God, who are the wicked and who are 
 the converted. Ignorant people think that 
 if a man be no swearer, nor curser, nor rail- 
 er, nor drunkard, nor fornicator, nor extor- 
 tioner, nor wrong any body in his dealings, 
 and if he come to church and say his pray- 
 ers, he cannot be a wicked man. Or if a 
 man that hath been guilty of drunkenness, 
 swearing, or gaming, or the like vices, do 
 but forbear them for the time to come, they 
 think that this is a converted man. Others 
 think if a man that hath been an enemy, and 
 scorner at godliness, do but approve it, and
 
 Doct. 1.) THE UNCONVERTED. 55 
 
 join himself lo those that arc godly, and be 
 hated for it by the wieked, as the godly are, 
 that this must needs be a converted man. 
 And some are so foolish as to think that they 
 are converted by taking up some new uud 
 false opinion, and falling into some dividing 
 party. And some think, if they have but 
 been affrighted by the fears of hell, and had 
 convictions of conscience, and thereupon 
 have purposed and promised amendment, 
 and taken up a life of civil behavior and 
 outward religion, that this must needs be 
 true conversion. And these are the poor de- 
 luded souls that are like to lose the benefit 
 of all our persuasions ; and when they hear 
 that the wicked must turn or die, they think 
 that this is not spoken to them, for they are not 
 wicked, but are turned already. And there- 
 fore it is that Christ told some of the rulers 
 of the Jews who were more grave and civil 
 than the common people, that " publicans 
 and harlots go into the kingdom of God be- 
 fore them." Matt. 21 : 31. Not that a har- 
 lot or gross sinner can be saved without con- 
 version ; but because it was easier to make 
 these gross sinners perceive their sin and 
 misery, and the necessity of a change, than
 
 56 A CALL TO (Doct. 1. 
 
 the more civil sort, who delude tnemselves 
 by thinking that they are converted already, 
 when they are not. 
 
 O sirs, conversion is another kind of work 
 than most are aware of. It is not a small 
 matter to bring an earthly mind to heaven, 
 and to show man the amiable excellence of 
 God, till he be taken up in such love to 
 him as can never be quenched ; to break the 
 heart for sin, and make him flv for refugee 
 to Christ, and thankfully embrace him as 
 the life of his soul ; to have the very drift 
 and bent of the heart and life changed ; so 
 that a man renounceth that which he took 
 for his felicity, and placeth his felicity where 
 he never did before, and lives not to the 
 same end, and drives not on the same de- 
 sijrn in the world, as he formerlv did. In a 
 word he that is in Christ is a " hew crea- 
 ture : old things are passed away: behold, 
 all things are become new." 2 Cor. 5 : 17. 
 He hath a new understanding, a new will 
 and resolution, new sorrows, and desires, 
 and love, and delight ; new thoughts, new 
 speeches, new company (if possible,) and a 
 new conversation. Sin, that before was a 
 jesting matter with him, is now so odious and
 
 Doct. 1.) THE UNCONVERTED. 57 
 
 terrible to liim tliat lie flics from it as from 
 death. The world, that was so lovelv in his 
 eyes, doth now appear but as vanity and 
 vexation: God, that was before neglected, is 
 now the only happiness of his soul, before, 
 he was forgotten, and every lust preferred 
 before him ; but now he is set next the heart, 
 and all things must give place to him ; the 
 heart is taken up in the attendance and ob- 
 servance of him, is grieved when he hides 
 his face, and never thinks itself well without 
 him. Christ himself, that was wont to bo 
 shghtly thought of, is now his only hope and 
 refuge, and he lives upon him as on his daily 
 bread ; he cannot pray without him, nor re- 
 joice without him, nor think, nor speak, nor 
 live without him. Heaven itself, that before 
 was looked upon but as a tolerable reserve, 
 which he hoped might serve his turn better 
 than hell when he could not stay any loncrer 
 in the world, is now taken for his home, the 
 place of his only hope and rest, where lio 
 shall see, and love, and praise that God who 
 hath his heart already. Hell, that did seem 
 before but as a bugbear to frighten men from 
 sin, doth now appear to be a real misery that 
 is not to be ventured on nor jested wiih.
 
 r)S A CALL TO (Doct. 1. 
 
 The works of holiness, of which before he 
 was wear}^, and which he thought unneces- 
 sary, are now both his recreationand his bu- 
 siness. The Bible, which was before to him 
 but almost as a common book, is now as the 
 law of God ; as a letter written to him from 
 heaven and subscribed with the name of the 
 Eternal Majesty; it is the rule of his thoughts, 
 nnd words, and deeds; the commands are 
 binding, the threats are dreadful, and the 
 promises of it speak life to his soul. The 
 godly, that seemed to him but like other 
 men, are now the most excellent and happy 
 on earth. And the wicked that were his play- 
 fellows are now his o-rief; and he that could 
 laugh at their sins is more ready now to weep 
 for their sin and miser}^, and to say with those 
 of old, (Psalm 16 : 3 ; 15 : 4; Phil. 3 : IS,) 
 *' But to the saints that are in the earth, and 
 to the excellent, in whom is all my dehght." 
 " In whose eyes a vile person is contemned; 
 but he honoreth them that fear the Lord : he 
 that sweareth to his own hurt, and changeth 
 not." " For many walk of whom I have 
 told you often, and now tell you, even weep- 
 ing, that they are the enemies of the cross of 
 Christ."
 
 Doct. 1.) THE UNCONVERTED. 59 
 
 In short, he hath a new end in his thoughts, 
 and a new way in his endeavors, and there- 
 fore his heart and liih are new. Before, his 
 carnal self was his end, and his pleasure 
 and worldly profit and credit were his way ; 
 and now God and everlasting glory are his 
 end, and Christ, and the Spirit, and word, 
 and ordinances ; holiness to God, and righ- 
 teousness and mercy to men, these are his 
 way. Before, self was the chief ruler, to 
 which the matters of God and conscience 
 must stoop and give place; and now God, in 
 Christ, by the Spirit, word and ministry, is 
 the chief ruler, to whom both self and all 
 the matters of self must give place. So that 
 this is not a change in one, or two, or twen- 
 ty points, but in the whole soul, and in the 
 very end and bent of the conversation. A 
 man may step out of one path into another, 
 and yet have his face the same wa}'-, and be 
 still going towards the same place ; but it 
 is another matter to turn quite back, and 
 take his journey quite the contrary way, to 
 a contrary place. So it is here : a man may 
 turn from drunkenness, and forsake other 
 gross disgraceful sins, and set upon some du- 
 ties of religion, and yet be still going to the
 
 60 A CALL TO Doct. 1 
 
 same end as before, loving his carnal self 
 above all, and giving it still the government 
 of his soul ; but when he is converted, this 
 self is denied and taken down, and God is 
 set up, and his face is turned the contrary 
 way; and he that before was addicted to 
 himself, and lived to himself, is now, by 
 sanctification, devoted to God, and livelh 
 unto God. Before, he asked himself what 
 he should do with his time, his talents, and 
 his estate, and for himself he used them; 
 but now he asketh God what he shall do 
 with them, and useth them for him. Before, 
 he would please God so far as might accord 
 with the pleasure of his flesh and carnal 
 self, but not to any great displeasure of 
 them; but now he will please God, let flesh 
 and self be never so much displeased. This 
 is the great change that God will make upon 
 all that shall be saved. 
 
 You can say that the Holy Ghost is our 
 sanctifier; but do 3'ou know what sanctifi- 
 cation is ? Why, tliis is what I have now 
 opened to you ; and every man and woman 
 in the world must have this, or be condemn- 
 ed to everlasting misery. The}' must turn 
 or die.
 
 Doct. 1.) THE UNCOiWF.IlTED. CI 
 
 Do you believe all lljis, sirs, or do you 
 not? Surely you dare not say you do not; 
 lor it is past all doubt or denial. These are 
 not controversies, wliere one learned pious 
 man is of one mind and another of another ; 
 Avhere one party saith this, and the other 
 saith that. Every sect among us that de- 
 serve to be called christians are all agreed 
 in this that I have said ; and if you will not 
 believe the God of truth, and that in a case 
 Avhere every sect and party do believe him, 
 3'ou are utterly inexcusable. 
 
 But if you do believe this, how comes it 
 to pass that you live so quietly in an uncon- 
 verted state ? Do you think that you are 
 converted ? and can you find this wonderful 
 change upon your souls ? Have you been 
 thus born again, and made new? Are not 
 these strange matters to many of you, and 
 such as you never felt within yoursehcs? 
 you cannot tell the day or week of your 
 change, or the very sermon that converted 
 you, yet do you find that the work is done, 
 that such a change indeed there is, and that 
 you have such hearts as are before describ- 
 ed ? Alas ! the most follow their worldly 
 business, and little trouble their minds with 
 
 B. GaU. ^
 
 02 A CALL TO (Doct. 1. 
 
 such thoughts. And if they be but restrained 
 from scandalous sins, and can say, "I am 
 no whore-monger, nor thief, nor curser, nor 
 swearer, nor tippler, nor extortioner; I go 
 to church, and say m3^ prayers;" they think 
 that this is true conversion, and that they 
 shall be saved as well as an3^ Alas ! this is 
 foolish cheating of yourselves. This is too 
 much contempt of an endless glory, and too 
 gross neglect of j^our immortal souls. Can 
 you make so light of heaven and hell ? 
 
 Your bod3^ will shordy lie in the dust, and 
 angels or devils will presently seize upon 
 your souls ; and every man or woman of 
 3'ou all will shortly be among other com- 
 pany, and in another case than now you are. 
 You Vvdll dwell in these houses but a little 
 longer; 3'ou will work in ^^our shops and 
 fields but a little longer; 3'ou will sit in 
 these seats and dwell on this earth but a lit- 
 tle longer ; you will see with these e3^es, and 
 hear with these ears, and speak with these 
 tongues but a little longer, till the resurrec- 
 tion-day ; and can you make shift to forget 
 this ? O what a place will }^ou shortly be in 
 of joy or torment ! O what a sight will you 
 shortly see in heaven or hell ! O what
 
 Doct. I.) THE UNCONVERTED. C3 
 
 thoughts will shortly fill your hearts with un- 
 speakable dehght or liorror ! What work will 
 you be employetl in ! to praise the Lord with 
 saints and angels, or to cry out in fire un- 
 quenchable with devils ; and should all this 
 be foi'gotten ? And all this will be endless, 
 and sealed up by an unchangeable decree. 
 Eternity,, eternity will be the measure ot" 
 your joys or sorrows : and can this be forgot- 
 ten "? And all this is true, sirs, most certain- 
 ly true. When you have gone up and down 
 a little longer, and slept and awaked a few 
 times more, you will be dead and gone, and 
 find all true that now I tell you : and yet can 
 you now so much forget it? You shall then 
 remember that you had this call, and that,, 
 this day, in this place, you were reminded of 
 these things, and you will perceive them to bo 
 matters a thousand times more important than 
 either you or I could here conceive ; and vet 
 shall they be now so much ibrgottcn ? 
 
 Beloved friends, if the Lord had not 
 awakened me to believe and lay to heart 
 these things myself, I should have remained 
 in a dark and selfish state, and have perished 
 I'or ever ; but if he have truly made me sen- 
 sible of them, it will constrain me tocompas-
 
 64 A CALL TO (Doct. 1. 
 
 sionate you as well as myself. If your eyes 
 were so far opened as to see hell, and you saw 
 your neighbors that were unconverted drag- 
 ged thither with hideous cries : though they 
 were such as you accounted honest people 
 on earth, and as feared no such danger them- 
 selves ; such a sight would make you go 
 home and think of it, and think again, and 
 make you warn all about you, as that lost 
 worldhng, Luke, 16 : 28, would have had his 
 brethren warned, lest they come to that 
 place of torment. 
 
 Faith is a kind of sio;ht ; it is the eve of 
 the soul, the evidence of things not seen. 
 If I believe God, it is next to seeing; and 
 therefore, I beseech you, excuse me if I be 
 half as earnest with you about these mat- 
 ters as if I had seen them. If I must die 
 to-morrow, and it were in my power to 
 come again from another world and tell 
 you what I had seen, would you not be 
 willing to hear me ? and would you not be- 
 lieve and regard what I should tell you ? If 
 I might preach one sermon to you after I am 
 dead, and have seen what is done in the 
 world to come, would you not have me 
 plainly speak the truth, and would you not
 
 Doct. 1.) THE UNCONVERTED. 65 
 
 crowd to hear me, and would you not lay it 
 lo heart? But this must not he; God hath 
 his appointed \Vc\y of teaching you by Scrip- 
 ture and ministers, and he will not humor 
 unbelievers so far as to send men irom the 
 dead to them and alter his established way : 
 if any man quarrel with the sun, God will not 
 liumor him so far as to set up a clearer light. 
 Friends, I beseech you, regard me now as you 
 would do if 1 should come from the dend to 
 you ; for I can give you as full assurance of 
 the truth of what 1 say to you as if I had 
 ])een there and seen it with my eyes : it is 
 possible for one from the dead to deceive 
 you; l)ut Jesus Christ can never deceive 
 you ; the Word of God delivered in Scrip- 
 ture, and sealed by miracles and holy work- 
 ings of the Spirit, can never deceive you. 
 Believe this, or believe nothing. Believe and 
 obey this, or you are undone. 
 
 Now, as ever vou believe the word of God, 
 and as ever you care for the salvation of your 
 souls, let me beg of you this reasonable re- 
 quest, and I beseech you deny me not: That 
 you would now remember what has been 
 said, and enter into an earnest search of your 
 hearts, and say to yourselves — Is it so in-
 
 66 A CALL TO (Doct.1. 
 
 deed ; must I turn or die ? Must I be con- 
 verted or condemned ? It is time for me then 
 to look about me before it be too late. O 
 why did I not look after this before now? 
 Why did I venturously put off or slumber 
 over so great a business ? Was I awake, or 
 in my senses ? O blessed God, what a mer- 
 cy is it that thou didst not cut off my life all 
 this while, before I had any certain hope of 
 eternal life ! 
 
 God forbid that I should neglect this work 
 any longer. What state is my soul in ? Am 
 I converted, or am I not ? Was ever such a 
 change or work done upon my soul ? Have 
 I been illuminated by the word and Spirit 
 of the Lord to see the odiousness of sin, the 
 need of a Savior, the love of Christ, and the 
 excellences of God and glory ? Is my heart 
 broken or humbled within me for my former 
 life ? Have I thankfully entertained my Sa- 
 vior and Lord that offered himself with par- 
 don and life for my soul? Do I hate my 
 former sinful life and the remnant of every 
 sin that is in me ? Do I fly from them as my 
 deadly enemies ? Do I give up myself to a 
 life of holiness and obedience to God ? Do 
 I love it and delight in it? Can I truly say
 
 Doct. 1,) THE UNCONVERTED. 67 
 
 that I am dead to the world and carnal self, 
 and that I live for God and the glory which 
 he hath promised ? Hath heaven more of 
 my esteem and affection than earth ? And is 
 God the dearest and highest in my soul ? 
 Once, I am sure, I lived principally to the 
 world and flesh, and God had nothing but 
 seme heartless services, which the world 
 could spare, and which were the leavings of 
 the flesh. Is my heart now turned another 
 way? Have I a new design and a new end, 
 and a new train of holy aflections ? Have I 
 set my hope and heart in heaven ? And is it 
 the scope, and design, and bent of my heart 
 to get well to heaven, and see the glorious 
 face of God, and live in his everlasting love 
 and praise ? And when I sin, is it against 
 the habitual bent and design of my heart? 
 And do I conquer all gross sins, and am I 
 weary and willing to be rid of my inflrmi- 
 ties ? This is the state of converted souls. 
 And thus it must be with me, or I must per- 
 ish. Is it thus with me indeed, or is it not? 
 It is time to get this doubt resolved, before 
 the dreadful Judge resolve it. I am not such 
 a stranger to my own heart and life, but I 
 may somewhat perceive whether I am thus
 
 68 A GALL TO (Doctl, 
 
 converted or not ; if I be not, it \YiIl do nie 
 no ^GTOod to Hatter my soul with false conceits' 
 and hopes. I ain resolved no more to de- 
 ceive myself, but endeavor to know truly 
 whether I be converted or not : that if I be, 
 I may rejoice in it, and glorify my gracious 
 Lord, and comfortably go on till I reach the 
 crov/n : and if I am not, that I may set my- 
 self to beg and seek after the grace that 
 should convert me, and may turn without 
 an}' more delay. For, if I find in time that 
 I am out of the way, by the help of Christ 
 I may turn and be recovered ; but if I stay 
 till either my heart be forsaken of God in 
 blindness and hardness, or till I be snatched 
 away by death, it is then too late. There is 
 no place for repentance and conversion then : 
 I know it must be now or never. 
 
 Sirs, this is my request to you, that you 
 will but take vour hearts to task, and thus 
 examine them till you see, if it may be, 
 whether you are converted or not ? And if 
 you cannot find it out by your own endea- 
 vors, go to your ministers, if they be faithful 
 and experienced men, and desire their as- 
 sistance. The matter is great ; let not bash- 
 fulness nor carelessness hinder you. They
 
 Doct. L) THE UNCONVERTED. 69 
 
 are set over you to advise 3'OU for the sav- 
 ing of your souls, as physicians advise you 
 for the curing of your bodies. It undoes 
 many tliousands that they think they are in 
 the way to salvation when they are not ; and 
 think that thev are converted when it is no 
 such 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 shall 
 <lo well enough in the way that they are in, 
 at least if they pick the fairest path, and 
 avoid some of the foulest steps, when, alas ! 
 all this while they live but to the world and 
 flesh, and are strangers to God and eternal 
 life; and are quite out of the way to heaven. 
 And all this because we cannot persuade 
 them to a few serious thoughts of their con- 
 dition, and to spend a few hours in llie ex- 
 amining of their states. 
 
 Are there not many self-deceivers who 
 hear me this dav, that never bestowed one 
 hour, or quarter of an hour, in all their lives, 
 to examine their souls, and try whcdier they 
 are truly converted or not V O merciful God, 
 that will care for such wretches that care no 
 iuore for themselves, and that will do so much
 
 70 A CALL TO (Doct. 1. 
 
 to save them from hell and help them to hea- 
 ven, who will do so little for it themselves ! 
 If all that are in the wav to he.l and in the 
 state of damnation did but know it, they 
 durst not continue in it. The greatest hope 
 that the devil hath of brinoino: vou to dam- 
 nation without a rescue, is by keeping you 
 blindfold and ignorant of your state, and 
 making 3^ou believe that you may do well 
 enou2:h in the way that vou are in. If vou 
 knew that 3'ou were out of the w^ay to hea- 
 ven, and were lost for ever if 3^au should die 
 as you are, durst you sleep another night in 
 the state that 3'ou are in? Durst you live an- 
 other day in it ? Could you heartily laus^h or 
 be merry in such a state ? What ! and not 
 know but 3-0U may be snatched away to hell 
 in an hour? Sure it would constrain 3'ou to 
 forsake your former company and courses, 
 and to betake yourselves to the ways of ho- 
 liness and the communion of the 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 yoxx sure- 
 ly that care not for Ix^ing damned. Well, 
 then, I beseech 3^ou, presently make inquiry 
 into 3'our hearts, and give them no rest till
 
 Doct 1.) THE UNCOxWERTED, 7f 
 
 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 must 
 turn or die. What say you, sirs, will you re- 
 solve and promise to be at thus much labor 
 for your own souls ? Will you now enter 
 upon this self-examination? Is my request 
 unreasonable ? Your consciences know it is 
 not. Resolve on it, then, before you stir; 
 knowing how much it concerneth your souls. 
 I beseech you, for the sake 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; but make it your business 
 to understand your own condition 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 
 now proceed*
 
 72 A CALL TO (Docta. 
 
 DOCTRINE IL 
 
 It is the promise of God, that the nncked shall live^ 
 ifthei/ zcitl but turn — unfeignedly and thormigh- 
 
 ly tUTTli 
 
 The Lord here professeth that this is what 
 he takes pleasure in, that the wicked turn 
 and hve. Heaven is made as sure to the 
 <'onverted, as hell is to the UTK'onveited. 
 Turn and live, is as certain a truth as turn 
 or die. God was not bound to provide us a 
 Savior, nor open to us a door ot" liope, nor 
 call us to repent and turn, when once we 
 had cast ourselves away by sin. But he hath 
 freely done it to magnify his mercy. Sinners, 
 there are none of you that sliall have cause to 
 go home and say I preach desperation to \^ou. 
 Do we use to shut the door of mercy aojainst 
 you ? O tliat you would not shut it against 
 yourselves ! Do we use to tell you that God 
 will have no mercy on you, though you turn 
 and be sanctified? When did you ever 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
 
 Doct. 2.) THE UNCONVERTED. 73 
 
 preach desperation ; tell me, if you can» 
 when did 3'ou ever hear any sober man say 
 that there is no hope lor you, though you re- 
 pent and be converted ? No, it is the direct 
 contrary that we daily proclaim from the 
 Lord : that 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 w^e 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 com- 
 mission io to offer salvation, certain salva- 
 tion ; a speedy, glorious, everlasting salva- 
 tion to every one of you ; to the poorest beg- 
 gar as well as the greatest lord ; to the worst 
 of you, even to drunkards, swearers, world- 
 lings, thieves, yea, to the despisers and re- 
 proachers of the holy way of salvation. 
 
 We are commanded by our Lord and 
 .blaster to offer you a pardon for all that is 
 yxTSt, if you will but now at last return and 
 live ; vve are commanded to beseech and en- 
 treat 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 
 
 B. Call. 7
 
 71 A CALL TO (Doct.2. 
 
 God hath toward you ; and how happy, how 
 certainly and unspeakably happ}^ you may 
 be if you will. We have indeed also a mes- 
 sage of wrath and death, yea, of a twofold 
 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 only to show 
 you the need of mercy, and to provoke you 
 to esteem the grace of the Redeemer. And 
 we tell 3'ou nothing but the truth, which you 
 must know; for who w^ill seek for physic 
 that knows not that he is sick ? Our telling 
 3''ou of 3^our miser}^ is not that which makes 
 3^ou miserable, but would drive you to seek 
 for mercy. It is you that have brought this 
 death upon yourselves. We tell you also ot 
 another death, even remediless, and much 
 greater torment, that will fall on those who 
 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 
 message. We are first to offer 3^ou mercy, 
 if you will turn ; and it is only those that 
 will not turn, nor hear the voice of mercy, 
 to whom we must foretell damnation. If you
 
 Docl.2.) THE UNCONVERTED. 75 
 
 will but cast away your transgressions, if 
 you will delay no longer, but come away at 
 the call of Christ, and be converted, and be- 
 come new creatures, we have not a word ot* 
 damning wrath or death to speak against 
 vou. 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 greatest, to 
 the oldest sinner, that you may have mercy 
 and salvation, if you will but turn. There is 
 mercy in God, there is sufficiency in the sat- 
 isfaction of Christ, the promise is free, and 
 full, and universal; you may have life, if 
 you will but turn. But then, as you love 
 your souls, remember what turning it is that 
 the 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 mortify the 
 flesh and live after the Spirit. It is not to 
 serve the flesh and the world in a more re- 
 formed way, without any scandalous dis- 
 graceful sins, and with a certain kind of 
 religiousness ; but it is to change your mas- 
 ter, and your works, and end ; and to set 
 3^our face the contrary way, and do all for
 
 7() A CALL TO (D;5rt. 2. 
 
 the life tnat you never saw, and dedicate 
 yourselves and all j^ou have to God. This 
 is the change that must be made, if you 
 w'lU 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 2:0 no farther 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 damnation 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 our commission for 
 this offer? Among a hundred texts of Scrip- 
 ture, I will shov/ it to you in these few* : 
 
 You see it here in my text and the follow^
 
 Doct.2.) THE UNCONVERTED. 77 
 
 ing verses, and in the ISth of Ezekiel, as 
 plain as can be spoken ; and in 2 Cor. 5 : 
 17-21, you have the very sum of our commis- 
 sion : "If anv man be in Christ, he is a new 
 creature : old things are passed away ; be- 
 hold, all things are become new. And all 
 things are of God, who hath reconciled us to 
 himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to 
 us the ministry of reconciliation ; to wit, that 
 God was in Christ reconciling the, world un- 
 to himself, not imputing their trespasses to 
 them, and hath committed unto us the word 
 of reconciliation. Now then, we are ambas^ 
 sadors for Christ, as though God did beseech 
 you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, 
 be ye reconciled unto God. For he hath 
 made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin ; 
 that we might be made the righteousness of 
 God in him." So Mark, 16 : 15, 16. " Go 
 ye into all the world, and preach the Gospel 
 to every creature. He that believeth," (that 
 is with such a converting faith as is express- 
 ed,) " and is baptized, shall be saved ; and 
 he that believeth not shall be damned." 
 And Luke, 24 : 46, 47: "Thus it behoved 
 Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead 
 the third day ; and that repentance " (which
 
 78 A CALL TO (Doct 2- 
 
 is conv^ersion) '* and remission of sins should 
 be preached in his name among all nations." 
 And Acts, 5 : 30, 31, "The God of our la- 
 thers raised up Jesus, whom ye slew, and 
 hanged on a tree : him hath God exalted 
 with his right hand, to be a Prince and a 
 Savior, to give repentance to Israel, and for- 
 giveness of sins." And Acts, 13 : 38, 39, 
 "Be it known unto you therefore, men and 
 brethren, that through this man is preached 
 unto you the forgiveness of sins ; and b}^ him 
 all that believe are justified from all things, 
 from which ye could not be justified by the 
 law of Moses." And lest you think this of- 
 fer is restrained to the Jews, see Gal. 6 : 15, 
 "For in Christ Jesus, neither circumcision 
 availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but 
 a new creature." And Luke, 14 : 17, " Come, 
 for all things are now ready." 
 
 You see by this time that we are com- 
 manded to offer life to you all, and to tell 
 you from God, that if you will turn, you 
 may live. 
 
 Here you may safely trust your souls ; 
 for the love of God is the foundation of this 
 ofier, John, 3 : 16, and the blood of the 
 Son of God hath purchased it; the faithful-
 
 Doct. 2.) THE U.VCONVERTED. 79 
 
 ness and truth of God is engaged to make 
 the promise good ; miracles oft sealed the 
 truth of it ; preachers are sent through the 
 world to proclaim it ; and the Spirit doth 
 open the heart to entertain it, and is itself 
 the earnest of the full possession : so that the 
 truth of it is past controversy, that the 
 worst of you all, and every one of you, if 
 you will but be converted, may be saved. 
 Indeed, if 5'ou will believe that you shall 
 be saved without conversion, then you be- 
 lieve a falsehood: and if I should preach 
 that to 3^011, I should preach a lie. This were 
 not to believe God, but the devil and your 
 own deceitful hearts. God hath his promise 
 of life, and the devil hath his promise of life. 
 God's promise is, Turn and live. The devil's 
 promise is. You shall live whether you turn 
 or not. The words of God are, as I have 
 showed you, " Except ye be converted and 
 become as little children, ye cannot enter 
 into the kingdom of heaven." Matt. 18 : 3. 
 "Except a man be born again, he cannot 
 enter into the kingdom of God." John, 3 : 3, 
 5. "Without holiness no man shall see the 
 Lord.'.' Heb. 12 : 14. The devil's word is, 
 "You may be saved without being born
 
 so A CALL TO (Doeti 
 
 again and converted ; you may get to heaven 
 well enough without being holy, God doth 
 but frighten you; he is more merciful than 
 to do as he saith, he will be better to you 
 than his word." And, alas, tlie greatest part 
 of the world believe this word of the devil 
 ])efore the word of God ; just as our sin and 
 misery first came into the world. God said 
 to our first parents, "If ye eat ye shall die;" 
 and the devil contradicted him, and said, 
 *' Ye shall not die :" and the woman believed 
 the devil before God. So now the Lord saith, 
 Turn or die : and the devil saith. You shall 
 not die, if you do but cry for God's mercy at 
 last, and give over the acts of sin when you 
 can practise it no longer. And this is the 
 word that the world believes. O heinous 
 wickedness, to believe the devil before God. 
 And yet that is not the worst ; but blas- 
 phemously they call this believing and trust- 
 ing in God, when they put him in the shape 
 of Satan, who was a liar from the beginning; 
 and when they believe that the word of God 
 is a lie, they call this trusting God, and say 
 they believe in him, and trust in him for sal- 
 vation. Where did ever God say that the un- 
 regenerate, unconverted, unsanctified, shall
 
 Doct 2.) THE U.VCONVERTED. 81 
 
 be saved ? Show me such a word in Scrip- 
 ture. I challenge 3'ou to do it. Vv^hy this is 
 the devil's word, and to believe it is to be- 
 lieve the devil, and is the sin that is common- 
 Iv called presumption ; and do you call this 
 believinc: and trusting: in God? There is 
 enoucrh in the word ot" God to comfort and 
 strengthen the hearts of the sanctified, bat 
 not a word to strengthen the hands of wick- 
 edness, nor to give men the least hope of 
 being saved though they be never sanctified. 
 But if vou will turn, and come into the 
 way of mercy, the mercy of the Lord is ready 
 to entertain you. Then trust God for salva- 
 tion, boldly and confidently ; for he is en- 
 gaged by his word to save you. He will be 
 a father to none but his children ; and he 
 will save none but those that forsake the 
 world, the devil, and the flesh, and come 
 into his family to be members of his Son, and 
 have communion with his saints. But if 
 thev will not come in, it is the fault of them- 
 selves : his doors are open ; he keeps none 
 back ; he never sent such a message as this 
 to any of you, "It is now too late ; I will not 
 receive thee, though thou be converted." He 
 might have done so and done vou no wrong ;
 
 82 A CALL TO (Docti 
 
 but he did not ; he doth not to this day. He 
 is still ready to receive you, if you were but 
 ready unfeigned h^ and with all your hearts, 
 to turn. And the fulness of this truth will vet 
 more appear in the two following doctrines, 
 to which I shall therefore next proceed be- 
 fore I make any further application of this. 
 
 __J___ 
 
 DOCTRINE III. 
 
 God taketh pleasure in men^s conversion and salvation^ 
 hut not in ilieir death or damnation. He had rather 
 they would turn and live, than go on and die. 
 
 *' The Lord is long-suffering to us-ward," 
 says the apostle, "not willing that any should 
 perish, but that all should come to repent- 
 ance." 2 Pet. 3:9. He unfeignedly willeth 
 the conversion of all men, even of those that 
 never will be converted, but not as absolute 
 Lord with the fullest efficacious resolution, 
 nor as a thing which he resolveth shall un- 
 doubtedly come to pass, or would engage all 
 his power to accomplish. It is in the power 
 of a prince to set a guard upon a murderer, 
 to see that he shall not murder, and be hang-
 
 Doct. 3.) THE UNCONVERTED. 83 
 
 ed; bat if, upon good reason, he forbear this, 
 and do but send to his subjects to warn and 
 entreat them not to be murderers, he may 
 well say that he would not have them mur- 
 der and be hanged ; he takes no pleasure in 
 it, but rather that tJiey forbear and live, and 
 if he do more for some upon some special 
 reason, 1# i3 not bound to do so by all. The 
 king may well say to all murderers and 
 felons in the land, "I have no pleasure in 
 3'our death, but rather that you would obey 
 my laws and live ; but if you will not; I am 
 resolved, for all this, that 3-ou shall die." 
 The judge may truly say to the murderer, 
 *' Alas, I have nodehght in thy death ; I had 
 rather thou hadst kept the law and saved 
 thy life ; but seeing thou hast not, I must 
 condemn thee, or else I should be unjust." 
 So, though God have no pleasure in your 
 damnation, and therefore calls upon you to 
 return and live, yet he hath pleasure in the 
 demonstration of his own justice and the 
 execution of his laws ; and therefore he is, 
 for all this, fully resolved, that if you will 
 not be converted, you shall be condemned. 
 If God was so much against the death of the 
 wicked as that he were resolved to do all
 
 84 A CALL TO (Doct. 3. 
 
 that he can to hinder it, then no man should 
 be condemned ; whereas Christ telleth you, 
 that " narrow is the way that ieadeth unto 
 life, and few there be that find it." But so 
 far God is opposed to your damnation as 
 that he will teach 3^ou, and warn you, and 
 set before you life and death, and offer you 
 your choice, and command his ministers to 
 entreat you not to destroy 3^ourselves, but 
 accept his mercy, and so to leave you with- 
 out excuse. But if this will not do, and if 
 still you be unconverted, he professeth to 
 vou that he is resolved on vour damnation, 
 and hath commanded us to say to you in his 
 name, verse S, " O wicked man, tliou shalt 
 surely die!" And Christ hath little less than 
 sworn it, over and over, with a '* verily, 
 verily," that except 3'ou be converted and 
 born again, ye cannot enter into the kingdom 
 of hi^aven. Matt. IS : 3 ; John, 3 : 3. Mark 
 that he saith, "you cannot." It is in vain to 
 hope for it, and in vain to dream that God is 
 willing for it ; for it is a thing that cannot be. 
 In a word, vou see the meaniuG: of the 
 text, that God, the great Lawgiver of the 
 world, doth take no pleasure in the death of 
 the wicked, but rather that tb.cv turn and
 
 Doct 3.) THE UNCONVERTED. 85 
 
 live; though yet he be resolved that none 
 shall live but those that turn ; and as a 
 judge, ever delighteth in justice, and in 
 manifestinor his hatred of sin, thougjh not in 
 the misery which sinners have brought upon 
 themselves, in itself considered. 
 
 And for the proofs of this point, I shall be 
 very brief in them, because I suppose you 
 easily believe it already. 
 
 1. The very gracious nature of God pro- 
 claimed, Exod. 34:6, 7, "And the Lord 
 passed by before him, and proclaimed. The 
 Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, 
 
 .long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and 
 truth, keeping mercy for thousands, for- 
 giving iniquity, and transgression, and sin, 
 and that will by no means clear the guilty," 
 and many other passages may assure you of 
 this, that he hath no pleasure in your death. 
 
 2. If God had more pleasure in thy death 
 than in thy conversion and life, he would 
 not have so frequently commanded thee 
 in liis word to turn ; he would' not have 
 made thee such promises of life if thou wilt 
 but turn : he would not have persuaded thee 
 to it by so many reasons. The tenor of his 
 Gospel proveth the point. 
 
 h. CuU* 8
 
 86 A CALL TO (Doct. 3. 
 
 3. And his commission that he hath given 
 to the ministers of the Gospel doth fully 
 prove it. If God had taken more pleasure 
 in thy damnation than in thy conversion and 
 salvation, lie would never have charged us 
 to offer you mercy, and to teach you the 
 way of life, both publicly and privately; and 
 to entreat and beseech 3"ou to turn and live ; 
 to acquaint you with your sins and foretell 
 3^ou of 3-our danger; and to do ail that pos- 
 sibly we can for your conversion, and to con- 
 tinue patiently so doing, though you should 
 hate or abuse us for our pains. Would God 
 have done this, and appointed his ordinan- 
 ces for your good, if he had taken pleasure 
 in 3^our death V 
 
 4. It is proved also by the course of his 
 providence. If God had rather you Avere 
 damned than converted and saved, he would 
 not second his word with his works, and en- 
 tice you bv his daily kindness to himself, and 
 arrive you all the mercies of this life, which 
 are means "to lead you to repentance," 
 Rom. 2 : 4, and bring you so often under his 
 rod, to bring 3^ou to 3'our senses ; he would not 
 set so man3' examples before 3^our e3^es, no, 
 nor wait on 3'ou so patientl3^ as he does from
 
 Do€t. 3.) THE UNCONVERTED. 87 
 
 day to day and year to year. These are not 
 signs of one that taketh pleasure in your 
 death. If this had been his dehght, how 
 easily could he have had thee lon^j ago in 
 hell ? How oft, before this, could he have cut 
 thee down in the midst of thy sins with a 
 curse, or oath, or lie in thy mouth, in thy 
 ignorance, and pride, and sensuality ! When 
 thou wert last in thy drunkenness, or last de- 
 riding the ways of God, how easily could he 
 have stopped thy breath, and tamed thee with 
 his plagues, and made thee sober in another 
 world ! Alas ! how small a matter is it for 
 the Almiorhtv to silence the tonsfue of the 
 profanest railer, and tie the hands of the 
 most malicious persecutor, or calm the fury 
 of the bitterest of his enemies, and make 
 them know that they arc but worms? 
 
 If he should but frown upon thee thou 
 wouldst drop into thy grave. If he gave com- 
 mission to one of his angels to go and destroy 
 ten thousand sinners, how quickly would it 
 be done ! How easily can he lay thee upon 
 the bed of languishing, and make thee lie 
 groaning there in pain, and make thee eat the 
 words of reproach which thou hast spoken 
 against his servants, his word, his worship,
 
 88 A CALL TO (bott. i' 
 
 and his holy ways, and make thee send to 
 beg their prayers whom thou didst despise 
 in th}' presumption ? How easily can he lay 
 that flesh under pains and groans, and make 
 it too weak to hold thv soul, and make it 
 more loathsome than the dung of the eaith? 
 That flesh which now must have what it 
 loves, and must not be displeased thougli 
 God be displeased ; and must be humored 
 in meat, and drink, and clothes, whatever 
 God say to the contrary, how quickly would 
 the frowns of God consume it? When thou 
 wast passionately defending thy sin, and 
 quarrelling with them that would have 
 drawn thee from it, and showing thy spleen 
 against the reprover, and pleading for the 
 works of darkness ; how easily could God 
 liave snatched thee away in a moment, and 
 set thee before his dreadful 3Iajesty, where 
 thou shouldst see ten thousand times ten 
 thousand glorious angels waiting on his 
 throne, and have called thee there to plead 
 thy cause, and asked thee " What hast thou 
 now to say against thy Creator, his truth, 
 his servants, or his holy ways ? Now plead 
 thy cause, and make the best of it thou 
 canst. Now what canst thou say in excuse
 
 I>oct3.) THE UNCONVERTED. 89 
 
 of thy sins ? Now give account of thy world- 
 liness and fleshly life, of thy time, of all the 
 mercies thou hast had." O how thy stub- 
 born heart would have melted, and thy proud 
 looks be taken down, and thv countenance 
 be appalled, and thy stout words turned into 
 speechless silence, or dreadful cries, if God 
 had but set thee thus at his bar, and pleaded 
 his own cause with thee, which thou hast 
 here so maliciously pleaded against ! How 
 easily can he at any time say to thy guilty 
 soul. Come away, and live in that flesh no 
 more till the resurrection, and it cannot re- 
 sist ! A word of his mouth would take ofl* 
 the poise of thy present life, and then all thy 
 parts and powers would stand still ; and if 
 he say unto thee. Live no longer, or, live in 
 hell, thou couldst not disobey. 
 
 But God hath yet ddne none of this, but 
 liath patiently forborne thee, and mercifully 
 upheld thee, and given thee that breath 
 which thou didst breathe out against him, 
 and given those mercies which thou didst 
 sacrifice to thy flesh, and afforded thee that 
 provision which thou didst use to satisfy thy 
 greedy throat : he gave thee every minute 
 of that time which thou didst waste in idle- 
 
 8*
 
 90 A CALL TO (DoctS. 
 
 ness, or drunkenness, or worldlinefss ; and 
 doth not all his patience and. mercy show 
 that he desired not thv damnation? Can 
 the candle burn without the oil? Can your 
 houses stand without the eaith to bear them? 
 No more can vou live an hour without the 
 support of God. And why did he so long 
 support th}' life, but to see when thou wouldst 
 bethink thee of the folly of thy Vv'ays, and 
 return and live ? Vv'ill any man purposely 
 put arms into his enemy's hands to resist 
 him, or hold a candle to a murderer that is 
 killing his children, or to an idle servant 
 that plays or sleeps the while ? Surely it is 
 to see whether thou wilt at last return and 
 live, that God hath so long waited on thee. 
 5. It is further proved by the sufferings of 
 his Son, that God taketh no pleasure in the 
 death of the wicked. Would he have ran- 
 somed them from death at so dear a rate ? 
 Would he have astonished angels and men 
 by his condescension? Would God have 
 dwelt in flesh, and have come in the form 
 of a servant, and have assumed humanity 
 into one person with the Godhead ; and 
 would Christ have lived a life of suffering, 
 and died a cursed death for sinners, if he
 
 rfocf. 3.) THE UXCO.WnRTED. 91 
 
 had rather taken pleasure in their death? 
 Suppose 3"0U saw him but so busy in preach- 
 ing and healing of tliem, as you find him in 
 Mark, 3 : 21 ; or so long in fasting, as in ]Matt. 
 4; or all night in prayer, as in Luke, G : 12; 
 or praying with drops of blood trickling from 
 him instead of sweat, as Luke, 22:44; or 
 suffering a cursed death upon the cross, and 
 pouring out his soul as a sacrifice for our 
 sins — would you have thought these the 
 siofns of one that delighted in the death of 
 the wicked ? 
 
 And think not to extenuate it by saying 
 that it was only for his elect : for it was thy 
 sin, and the sin of all the world, that la}^ up- 
 on our Redeemer ; and his sacrifice and 
 satisfaction is sufficient for all, and the fruits 
 of it are offered to one as well as another. 
 But it is true, that it was never the intent of 
 his mind to pardon and save any that would 
 not, b}^ faith and repentance, be converted. 
 If you had seen and heard him weeping and 
 bemoaning the state of disobedience in im- 
 penitent people, Luke, 19:41, 42, "And 
 when he was come near, he beheld the citv, 
 and wept over it, saying, if thou hadst known, 
 even thou, at least in this thy day, the things
 
 92 A CALL TO (Docfd 
 
 which belong unto thy peace ! but now they 
 are hid from thine eyes" — or complaining 
 of their stubbornness, as Matt. 23:37, "O 
 Jerusalem, Jerusalem, how often would 1 
 have gathered thy children together, even 
 as a hen gathereth her chickens under her 
 win2:s, and ve would not!" or if vou had 
 seen and heard him on the cross, praying 
 for his persecutors, " Father, forgive them, 
 for they know not what they do," would you 
 have suspected that he had delighted in the 
 death of the wicked, even of those that per- 
 ish by their wilful unbelief? When God hath 
 so loved the world, (not only loved, but so 
 loved,) as to give his only begotten Son, that 
 whosoever belie veth in him, by an effectual 
 faith, should not perish, but have everlasting 
 life, I think he hath hereby proved, against 
 the malice of men and devils, that he takes 
 no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but 
 had rather that they would *' turn and live." 
 6. If all this will not yet satisfy you, take 
 His own word that he knoweth best his own 
 mind, or at least believe his oath : but this 
 leads me to the fourth doctrine.
 
 u 
 
 DdcI 4.) THE UXCONVERTED. 9.' 
 
 DOCTRINE IV. 
 
 The Lord hath confirmed it to us hy his Oath, that he hath 
 no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that 
 he turn and live ; that he may leave man no pretence 
 to question the truth of it. 
 
 If you dare question his word, I hope you 
 dare not question his oath. As Christ hath 
 solemnly protested that the unregenerate and 
 unconverted cannot enter into the kingdom 
 of heaven; Matt. IS : S; John, 8:3; so 
 God hath sworn that his pleasure is not in 
 their death, but in their conversion and life. 
 And as the apostle saith, Heb. G : IG-IS, be- 
 cause he can swear by no greater, he sware 
 by himself. " For men verily swear by the 
 greater : and an oath for confirmation is to 
 them an end of strife. Wherein God, willing 
 more abundantly to show unto the heirs of 
 promise the immutability of his counsel, 
 confirmed it by an oath ; that by two immu- 
 table things, in which it was impossible for 
 God to lie, we might have strong consolation 
 who have fled for refuge to lav hold on the 
 hope set before us ; which hope we have as an 
 anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast." 
 If there be any man that cannot reconcile
 
 94 A CALL TO (Doct4. 
 
 this truth with the doctrine of predestina- 
 tion, or the actual damnation of the wicker], 
 that is his own ignorance ; he hath no pre- 
 tence left to question or deny therefore the 
 truth of the point in hand ; for this is con- 
 firmed by the oath of God, and therefore 
 must not be distorted, to reduce it to other 
 points : but doubtful points must rather be 
 reduced to it, and certain truths must be 
 believed to agreee with it, though our shal- 
 low minds hardly discern the agreement. 
 
 I do now entreat thee, if thou be an uncon- 
 verted sinner that hearest these words, that 
 thou w^ouldst ponder a little upon the fore- 
 mentioned doctrines, and bethink thyself 
 awhile who it is that takes pleasure in thy 
 sin and damnation. Certainly it is not God ; 
 he hath sworn for his part that he takes no 
 pleasure in it. And I know it is not the 
 pleasing of him that you intend. You dare 
 not say that you drink, and swear, and ne- 
 glect holy duties, and quench the motions 
 of the Spirit to please God. That were as 
 if 3'ou should reproach the prince, and break 
 his laws, and seek his death, and say you 
 did all this to please him.
 
 Doct. 4.) THE UNCONVERTED. 95 
 
 Who is It then that takes pleasure in your 
 sin and death ? Not any that bear the 
 image of God, for they must be like-minded 
 to him. God knows, it is small pleasure to 
 to your faithful teachers to see you servo 
 3'our deadly enemy, and madly venture 
 your eternal state and wilfully run into the 
 flames of hell. It is small pleasure to them 
 to see upon your souls (in the sad effects) 
 such blindness, and hard-heartedness, and 
 carelessness, and presumption ; such wilful- 
 ness in evil, and such unteachableness and 
 obstinacy against the wa3's of life and peace. 
 They know these are marks of death, and 
 of the wrath of God, and they know, from the 
 word of God, what is like to be the end of 
 them, and therefore it is no more pleasure 
 to them than to a tender physician to see 
 tlie plague-marks broke out upon his patient. 
 Alas, to foresee your everlasting torments, 
 and know not how to prevent them! To see 
 how near you are to hell, and we cannot 
 make you believe it and consider it. To see 
 how easily, how certainly you might escape, 
 if we knew but how to make you willino:. 
 How fair you are for everlasting salvation, 
 if you would but turn and do your best, and
 
 96 A CALL TO (Doct.4. 
 
 make it the care and business of your lives ! 
 But 3^ou will not do it : if our lives lay on it, 
 we cannot persuade vou to it. We studv 
 day and night what to say to you that may 
 convince and persuade you, and yet it is 
 undone : we lav before vou the word of God, 
 and show you the very chapter and verse 
 where it is written, that you cannot be saved 
 except you be converted ; and yet we leave 
 the most of you as we find you. We hope 
 3*ou will believe the word of God though 
 you believe not us, and regard it when we 
 show you the plain Scripture for it ; but we 
 hope in vain, and labor in vain, as to any 
 saving change upon your hearts ! And do 
 you think that this is a pleasant thing to us? 
 Many a time, in secret prayer, we complain 
 to God with sad hearts, 
 
 "Alas, Lord, we have spoken to them in 
 thv name, but thev little rec^ard us ; we 
 have told them what thou bidst us tell them 
 concerning: the dano^er oi an unconverted 
 state, but they do not beheve us : we have 
 told them that thou hast protested that there 
 is no peace to the wicked, Isa. 57 : 21 ; but 
 the worst of them all will scarcely believe 
 that thev are wicked. We have showed
 
 Doct.4.) THE UNCOXVERTED. 97 
 
 them thy word, where thou hast said, that 
 if they Hve after the flesh they shall die, 
 Rom. S : 13 ; but they say, they v/ill beheve 
 in thee, when they will not believe thee ; and 
 that they will trust in thee, when they give 
 no credit to thy word ; and when they hope 
 that the threaten! ngs of thy word are false, 
 they will yet call this a hoping in God ; and 
 thou2:h we show them where thou hast said, 
 that when a wicked man dieth, all his hopes 
 perish, 3^et we cannot persuade them from 
 their deceitful hopes. Prov. 11:7. We tell 
 them what a base unprofitable thing sin is ; 
 but they love it, and therefore will not leave 
 it. We tell them how dear they buy this 
 pleasure, and what they must pay for it in 
 everlasting torment; and they bless them- 
 selves, and will not believe it, but will do as 
 the most do ; and because God is merciful 
 they will not believe him, but will venture 
 their souls, come what will. We tell them 
 how ready the Lord is to receive them, and 
 this doth but make them delay their repent- 
 ance and be bolder in their sin. Some of 
 them say they purpose to repent, but they 
 arc still the same ; and some sav thev do 
 repent already, while yet they are not con- 
 
 B. Call
 
 S3 A CALL TO (Ooct. 4. 
 
 verted from their sins. We exhort them, we 
 entreat them, \\c offer them our help, but 
 we cannot prevail with them ; but they that 
 were drunkards, are drunkards still; and 
 the}' that were voluptuous flesh-pleasing 
 wretches, are such still ; and they that were 
 worldlino's, are worldlino:s still ; and thev 
 that were ignorant and proud and self-con- 
 ceited, 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 be- 
 tween a converted sinner and an unconvert- 
 ed. 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 
 matters of everlasting consequence, we can- 
 not get a word of it to their hearts. If we 
 do not obev them, and humor them in 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
 
 Dbct. 4.) THE UNCONVEirrrD. tl9» 
 
 save their souls, they will not do it. They 
 would heave us disobey God and damn our 
 own souls to please them ; and yet they will 
 not turn and save t/heir own souls to please 
 God. They are wiser in their own e3'es thnn 
 all their teachers ; the}^ rage and are confi- 
 dent in their own way, and if we are ever 
 so anxious we cannot change them. Lord, 
 this is the case of our miserable neighbors, 
 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 vre 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 compelled to 
 make. And do you think that he hath anv 
 pleasure in this ? Is it a pleasure to him to 
 see you go on in sin, and cannot stop you V 
 to see you so miserable, and cannot so much 
 as make you sensible of it? to see you mer- 
 ry when you are not sure to be an hour out 
 of hell ? to think what you must for ever 
 sufler, because you will not turn ? and ta
 
 100 A CALL TO (Doct. 4. 
 
 think what an everlasting life of glory you 
 wilfully despise and cast away? What 
 sadder thing can \'ou bring to their hearts, 
 and how can you devise to grieve them more ? 
 
 Who is it then that you please by your sin 
 and death ? It is none of your 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 3'ou have not hearts to lament your- 
 selves. 
 
 Who is it then that takes pleasure in your 
 sin ? 
 
 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 into the alehouse, 
 or other sin, and wdien 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 aofreable to their nature. 
 
 3. But I know, for all this, that it is not
 
 I>ocL 4.) THE U.NCONVERTKD. 101 
 
 the pleasing of the devil that you intend, 
 even when you please liim ; 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 with company, and 
 pleased in applause and credit with the 
 world, and pleased in sports, and lusts, and 
 idleness ; this is the guli" that devoureth all. 
 This is the very god that you serve, for the 
 Scripture saith of such, that their bellies are 
 their god. Phil. 3: 19. But I beseech you, 
 stay a little and consider the business. 
 
 Qiicstlon 1. Should your flesh be pleased 
 before your Maker? Will you displease the 
 Lord, and displease 3^our teacher, and your 
 godly friends, to please your brutish appe- 
 tites or sensual desires? Is not God worthy 
 to be the ruler of your flesh ? If he shall not 
 rule it, he will not save it ; you cannot in 
 reason expect that he should. 
 
 Question 2. 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 ; 
 
 9^
 
 102 A CALL TO (Doct. 4. 
 
 und should not 3'our souls and consciences be 
 pleased before your corruptible flesh ? 
 
 Questio7i 3. 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 sports 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 tor- 
 mented with the devils for ever? Take all 
 together ; for there is no separating sin and 
 hell but only by faith and true conversion ; 
 if you W'ill keep one, you must have the 
 other. If death and hell be pleasant to thee, 
 no wonder then if 3'OU go on in sin ; but if 
 they be not, (as I am sure they are not,) then 
 what if sin were ever so pleasant, is it worth 
 the loss of life eternal ? Is a little drink, 
 or meat, or ease ; is the good word of sin- 
 ners, is 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 
 vou go any further, by every man that hath
 
 Doct.4.) THE UNCONVERTED. 103 
 
 reason to consider, and that believes he hath 
 a soul to sa^'e 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 Ggd 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 sense, the heart, 
 the grace, to hearken to God or man that 
 would reclaim them, what remedy is there, 
 but they must take what they get by it, and 
 repent of it in another manner, when it is too 
 late ? Before I proceed any further in the 
 application I shall consider the next doc- 
 trine, which gives me a fuller ground for it.
 
 104 A CALL Ta (DoctS. 
 
 DOCTRINE V. 
 
 So earnest is God for the conversion of sinners tliat he 
 douhlcth his commands and exhortations^ with veJie- 
 mcncij — Turn yc, turn ye, why will ye die ? 
 
 This doctrine is the application of the for- 
 mer, by way of exhortation, and as §uch 1 
 shall handle it. Is there an unconverted sin- 
 ner that heareth these vehement words of 
 God? Ic there a man or woman, in this as- 
 sembly that is yet a stranger to the renew- 
 ing sanctifying worii of the Holy Ghost? It 
 is a happy assembly if it be not so with the 
 most. Hearken then to the voice of 3^our 
 Maker, and turn to him by Christ without 
 delav. Would vou know the will of God? 
 Why this is his will, that you presently turn. 
 Shall the living God send so earnest a mes- 
 sao:e to his creatures, and should thev 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 
 10 hear^ let him hear. Shall the voice of the
 
 Doct-5.) THE UNCONVERTED- 105 
 
 (Eternal Majesty be neglected? If he do hut 
 terrihh" thunder, thou art afraid. O but this 
 voice doth more nearly concern thee. If ho 
 did but toll thee thou shalt die to-morrow, 
 thou wouldst not make light of it. O but 
 this word concerneth thy life or death ever- 
 lasting. It is both a command and an ex- 
 l)ortation. As if he had said to thee, " I 
 charge thee, upon the allegiance that thou 
 owest to me, thy Creator and Redeemer, 
 that thou renounce the flesh, the world, and 
 the devil, and turn to me, that thou mayest 
 live. I condescend to entreat thee, as thou 
 either 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 miser}', 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 com- 
 mand, such an exhortation as this? O what 
 a thing, then, is the heart of man ! 
 
 Hearken, then, all ye that love yourselves, 
 and all that regard your own salvation ; 
 here is the most joyful message that was 
 ever sent to the ears of man, " Turn yc, turn 
 f'.c, why will ye die ?" You are not yet shut
 
 106 A CALL TO (I>ocL 3. 
 
 up under desperation. Here is m?rcy offered 
 you ; turn, and you shall have it. O sirs ! 
 with what glad and joyful hear: s should you 
 receive these tidings! I know this is not tlic 
 first time that you have heard it ; but how 
 have 3'ou regarded it, or how do you regard 
 it now ? Hear, all yon ignorant, careless 
 sinners, the word of the Lord. Hear, all you 
 worldlings, you sensual flesh-pleasers ; you 
 gluttons, and drunkards, and whoremongers, 
 and swearers ; you railers and backbiters,, 
 slanderers and liars — Turn ye, turii ye, ichy 
 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 toward him, nor taken 
 up with the hopes of glory, but who set more 
 bv your earthly prosperity and delights than 
 by the joys of heaven ; all you that are re- 
 ligious but a little by-the-by, and give God 
 no more than your flesh can spare ; that have
 
 Coct. 5.) THE ^'NCONTERTED. J 07 
 
 not denied your carnal selves, and forsaken 
 all that you have for Christ, in the estima- 
 tion and grounded resolution of 3'our souls, 
 but have some one thing in the world so 
 dear to you that you cannot spare it for 
 Christ, if he required it, but will rather ven- 
 ture on his displeasure than forsake it — 
 *' Turn ye, turn ye, why will ye die?" 
 
 If you never heard it, or observed it be- 
 fore, remember that you were told 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. 
 
 \Vhat now will you do, sirs ? What is your 
 resolution? Will you turn, or will 3"ou 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 
 c'it last, with all your might to seek the kinir- 
 dom that cannot be moved, Heb. 12 : 28, 
 and to employ your lives on a higher design, 
 and turn the stream of your cares and labors
 
 108 A CALL TO (Doct. 5. 
 
 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 make3^6ur 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 vou resolve. 
 
 I. Consider what preparations mercy hath 
 made for 3^our salvation ; and what pity it 
 is that any man should be damned after all 
 this. The time was, when the flaming sword 
 was in the way, and the curse of God's law 
 would have kept thee back if thou hadst 
 been never so will ins: to turn to God. The 
 time was when thyself, and all the friends 
 that thou hadst in the world, could never have 
 produced thee the pardon of thy sins past, 
 though thou hadst never so much lament- 
 ed and reformed them. But Christ hath re- 
 moved this impediment, by the ransom of 
 his blood. The time was, that God was 
 wholly unreconciled, as being not satisfied 
 for the violation of his law ; but now he is 
 so far satisfied and reconciled, as that he 
 hath made thee a free act of oblivion, and a 
 free deed of the 2:ift of Christ and life, and
 
 Doct. 5.) THE UNCONVERTED. 109 
 
 offereth it to thee, and entreatetn thee to ac- 
 cept it ; and it may be thine if thou wilt. 
 For " he was in Christ reconciUng the world 
 to himself, and hath committed to us tlie 
 word of reconciliation." 2 Cor. 5 : IS, 19. 
 Sinners, we too are commanded to deliver 
 this message to you all, as from the Lord ; 
 *' Come, for all things are ready." Luke, 
 14 : 17. Are all things ready, and are you 
 unready? God is ready to entertain you, 
 and pardon all that you have done against 
 him, if you will but come. As long as you 
 have sinned, as wilfully as you have sinned, 
 as heinously as you have sinned, he is ready 
 10 cast all behind his back, if you will but 
 come. Though you have been prodigals, 
 and run away from God, and have staid 
 away so long, he is ready even to meet you, 
 and embrace you in his arms, and rejoice in 
 your conversion, if you will but turn. Even 
 the worldlings and drunkards will find God 
 ready to bid them welcome, if they will but 
 come. Doth not this turn thy heart within 
 theeV O sinner! if thou hadst a heart of 
 fiesh, and not of stone in thee, methinks this 
 should melt it. Shall the dreadful infinite 
 Majesty of heaven even wait for tliy return- 
 
 13. Call. 10
 
 110 A CALL TO (Doct.5. 
 
 ing, and be ready to receive thee, who hast 
 abused him, and forgotten him so long? 
 Shall he delight in thy conversion, that 
 might at any time glorify his justice in thy 
 damnation? and yet doth it not melt thy 
 heart within thee, and art thou not yet ready 
 to come in? Hast thou not as much reason 
 to be ready to come as God hath to invite 
 thee and bid thee welcome ? 
 
 But that is not all : Christ hath died on 
 the cross, and made such a way for thee to 
 the Father, that, on his account, thou mayest 
 be welcome, if thou wilt come. And yet 
 art thou not ready ? 
 
 A pardon is already expressly granted, 
 and offered thee in the Gospel. And yet art 
 thou not ready ? 
 
 The ministers of the Gospel are ready to 
 assist thee, to instruct thee, pray for thee. 
 And yet art thou not ready ? 
 
 All that fear God about thee are ready to 
 rejoice in thy conversion, and to receive thee 
 into the communion of saints, and to give 
 thee the right hand of fellowship, yea, though 
 thou hadst been one that had been cast out 
 of their society : they dare not but forgive 
 where God forgiveth, v.- hen it is manifest to
 
 Doct. 5.) THE UNCONVERTED. Ill 
 
 them by thy confession and amendment ; 
 they dare not so much as reproach thee with 
 thy former sins, because they know that God 
 will not upbraid thee with them. If thou 
 hadst been never so scandalous, if thou 
 wouldst but heartily be converted and come 
 in, they would not refuse thee, let the world 
 say what they would against it. And are all 
 these ready to receive thee, and yet art thou 
 not ready to come in ? 
 
 Yea, heaven itself is ready: the Lord 
 will receive thee into the glory of his saints. 
 Vile as thou hast been, if thou wilt be but 
 cleansed thou mayest have a place before 
 his throne ; his angels will be ready to guard 
 thy soul to the place of joy if thou do but 
 unfeignedly come in. And is God ready, 
 the sacrifice of Christ ready, the promise 
 ready, and pardon ready? Are ministers 
 ready, and the people of God ready, and 
 heaven itself ready? and angels ready? and 
 all these but waiting for thy conversion ; and 
 yet art thou not ready? What! not ready 
 to live, when thou hast been dead so long ? 
 not ready to come to thy right understand- 
 ing, as the prodigal is said to " come to 
 himself," Luke, 15 : 17, when thou hast been
 
 112 ▲ CALL TO (Doct. 5 
 
 beside thyself so long? Not read}' to be sav- 
 ed, when thou art even ready to be con- 
 demned ? Art thou not ready to lay hold on 
 Christ, that would deliver thee, when thou 
 art even ready to sink into damnation ? Art 
 thou not ready to be saved from hell, when 
 thou art even ready to be cast remediless 
 into it ■/ Alas, man ! dost thou know what 
 thou doest ? If thou die unconverted there is 
 no doubt to be made of thy damnation ; and 
 thou art not sure to live an hour. And yet 
 art thou not ready to turn and to come in ? 
 O miserable wretch ! Hast thou not served 
 the flesh and the devil long enough ? Yet 
 hast thou not enough of sin ? Is it so good to 
 thee, or so profitable for thee? Dost thou 
 know what it is, that thou wouldst yet have 
 moTC of it? Hast thou had so many calls, 
 and so many mercies, and so many warn- 
 ings, and so many examples? Hast thou 
 seen so many laid in the grave, and yet art 
 thou not ready to let go thy sins and come 
 to Christ ? What, after so many convictions 
 and pangs of conscience, after so many pur- 
 poses and promises, art thou not yet ready 
 to turn and live ? O that thy eyes, thy heart 
 were opened to know how fair an offer is
 
 Doct. 5) THE UNCONVERTED. 113 
 
 now made to thee ! and what a joyful mes- 
 sage it is that we are sent on, to bid thee 
 come, for all things are ready ! 
 
 II. Consider also, what calls thou hast to 
 turn and live. How many, how loud, how 
 earnest, how dreadful : and yet what en- 
 couraging, joyful calls ! For the principal 
 inviter is God himself. He that command- 
 eth heaven and earth, commands thee to 
 turn, and that presently, without delay. He 
 commands the sun to run its course, and to 
 rise upon thee every morning ; and though it 
 be so glorious an orb, and many times bigger 
 than all the earth, yet it obeyeth him, and 
 faileth not one minute of its appointed time. 
 He commandeth all the planets and the 
 orbs of heaven, and the}^ obey. He com- 
 mandeth the sea to ebb and flow, and the 
 whole creation to keep its course, and all 
 obey him; the angels of heaven obey his 
 will, when he sends them to minister to 
 such worms as we on earth, Heb. 1 : 14; 
 and 3^et if he command but a sinner to turn, 
 he will not obey him. He onl}^ thinks him- 
 self wiser than God, and he cavils and pleads 
 the cause of sin, and will not obey. If the 
 Lord Almighty say the word, the heavens 
 
 10*
 
 114 A CALL TO (DocT, 5 
 
 and all therein obey him : but if he call a 
 drunkard oat of an alehouse, he will not 
 obey : or if he call a worldly fleshly sinner 
 to deny himself, and mortify the flesh, and 
 set his heart upon a better inheritance, he 
 will not obey. 
 
 If thou hadst any love in thee, thou wouldst 
 know the voice, and say, O this is my Father's 
 call ! how can I find in my heart to disobey ? 
 For the sheep of Christ " know and hear his 
 voice, and they follow him, and he giveth 
 them eternal life." John, 10 : 4. If thou 
 hadst any spiritual life and sense in thee, at 
 least thou wouldst say, " This call is the 
 dreadful voice of God, and who dare dis- 
 obey ? For saith the prophet, * The lion 
 hath roared, who will not fear?'" Amos, 
 3 ; 8. God is not a man, that thou should st 
 dally and trifle with him. Remember what 
 he said to Paul at his conversion, " It is hard 
 for thee to kick against the pricks.'''' Acts, 9 : 5. 
 Wilt thou yet go on and despise his word, 
 and resist his Spirit, and stop thine ears 
 asainst his call ? who is it that will have the 
 worst of this ? Dost thou know whom thou 
 disobeyest, and contendest with, and what 
 thou art doing? It were a far wiser and
 
 Doct. 5.) THE LWCOXVLRTKD, 115 
 
 easier task for thee to contend with the 
 thorns, and spurn them with thy bare feet, 
 and beat them with thy bare hands, or put 
 thine head into the burning fire. " Be not 
 deceived, God will not be mocked." Gal. 
 6 : 7. Whoever else be mocked, God will 
 not be : 3'ou had better play with the fire in 
 3'our thatch, than with the fire of his burn- 
 ing wrath. " For our God is a consuming 
 fire." Heb. 12 : 29. O how unmeet a match 
 f^t thou for God ! " It is a fearful thing to 
 fall into his hands." Heb. 10 : 31. And 
 therefore it is a fearful thing to contend witli 
 him or resist him. As you love your own 
 souls, take heed what you do : what will 
 3'ou say if he begin in wrath to plead with 
 you ? what will you do if he take you once 
 in hand? Will you then strive against his 
 judgment, as now ye do against his grace ? 
 " Fury is not in ?7ie," saith the Lord, that is, 
 I delight not to destroy you : I do it, as it 
 were unwillingly; but yet "it'Ao icoidd set 
 the hriars and thorns a<rainst me in battle ? J 
 ivonld go through theni^ I would hum them to- 
 gether. Or let him take hold of my strength j 
 that he may male peace ivith nie, and he shall 
 make jJcace icith me^ Isa. 27 : 4, 5. It is an
 
 116 A CALL TO (Doct. 5. 
 
 unequal combat for the briers and stubble to 
 make war with the fire. 
 
 Thus you see who it is that calleth you, 
 that would move you to hear his call, and 
 turn. So consider also by what instruments, 
 and how often, and how earnestly he calls. 
 
 1. Every leaf of the blessed book of God 
 hath, as it were, a voice, and calls out to 
 thee. Turn, and live; turn, or thou wilt die. 
 How canst thou open it, and read a leaf, or 
 hear a chapter, and not perceive God b^s 
 thee turn? 
 
 2. It is the voice of every sermon that 
 thou hearest : for w^hat else is the scope and 
 drift of all, but to call, and persuade, and en- 
 treat thee to turn. 
 
 3. It is the voice of many a motion of the 
 Spirit that secretly speaks over these words 
 again, and urgeth thee to turn. 
 
 4. It is likely, sometimes it is the voice 
 of thy own conscience. Art thou not some- 
 times convinced that all is not well with 
 thee ? And doth not thy conscience tell thee 
 that thou must be a new man, and take a new 
 course, and often call upon thee to return ? 
 
 5. It is the voice of the gracious exam- 
 ples of the godly. When thou seest them
 
 Doct. 5.) THE UNCONVERTED. 117 
 
 live a heavenly life, and fly from the sin 
 which is th}- delight, this really calls on thee 
 to lurn. 
 
 G. It is the voice of all the works of God: 
 for thev also are God's books that teach thee 
 this lesson, by showing thee his greatness, 
 and wisdom, and goodness ; and calling 
 thee to observe them, and admire the Cre- 
 ator. " The heavens declare the glory of 
 God, and the firmament showeth his handy 
 wprk : day unto day iittercth speech, night 
 unto night showeth knowledge." Psalm 19 : 
 1, 2. Every time the sun riseth unto thee, 
 it really calleth thee to turn, as if it should 
 say, "What do I travel and compass the 
 world for, but to declare to men the glorv of 
 their Maker, and to light them to do his 
 work? And do I wStill find thee doing the 
 work of sin, and sleeping out thy life in ne- 
 gligence? Awake, thou that sleepest, and 
 arise from the dead, and Christ shall give 
 ihee hght." Ephcs. 5 : 14. " The night is far 
 spent, the day is at hand ; it is nov/ high 
 lime to awake oQt of sleep. Let us therefore 
 cast off the works of darkness, and let us put 
 on the armor of light. Let us w^alk honestlv 
 as in the day, not in rioting and drunken-
 
 118 A CALL TO (Doct.5 
 
 ness, not in chambering and wantonness, 
 not in strife and envying, but put ye on the 
 Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision 
 for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof." 
 Rom. 13 : 11-14. This text was the means 
 of Au2:ustin's conversion. 
 
 7. It is the voice of every mercy thou 
 dost possess. If thou couldst but hear and 
 understand them, the}^ all cry out unto thee. 
 Turn. Why doth the earth bear thee, but 
 to seek and serve the Lord ? Why doth it 
 afford thee its fruits, but to serve him ? Why 
 doth the air afford thee breath, but to serve 
 him? Why do all the creatures serve thee 
 with their labors and their lives, but that 
 thou mightest devote them and thyself to the 
 service of God? Why doth he give thee 
 time, and health, and strength, but to serve 
 him ? Why hast thou meat, and 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 ihou not then understand 
 that it was thy part to turn and serve him.
 
 Doct.5.) THE UNCONVERTED. 110 
 
 if he would deliver thee ? He hath done his 
 part, and spared thee yet longer, and tried 
 thee another, and another year ; and yet 
 dost thou not turn ? You know the parable 
 of the unfruitful fig-tree, Luke, 13 : 6-9. 
 When the Lord had said, "Cut it down, 
 why cumbereth it the ground ?" he was en- 
 treated 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, ye shall all 
 likewise perish." How many years hath 
 God looked for the fruits of love and holi- 
 ness from thee, and hath found none, and 
 yet he hath spared thee ? How many a time, 
 by thy wilful ignorance, and carelessness, 
 and disobedience, hast thou provoked jus- 
 tice to say, "Cut him down, why cumbereth 
 he the ground?" And yet mercy hath pre- 
 vailed, and patience hath forborne the fatal 
 blow to this day. If thou hadst the under- 
 standing 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, and forbearance, 
 and long-suffering? not knowing that the
 
 120 A CALL TO (Doct. 5. 
 
 goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance. 
 But, after thy hardness and impenitent 
 heart, treasurest up unto th3"self wrath 
 against the day of wrath and revelation of 
 tlie righteous judgment of God, who will 
 i-ender to every man accordino^ to his deeds." 
 Rom. 2 : 3-G. 
 
 8. Moreover, it is the voice of every af- 
 fliction to call thee to make haste and turn. 
 Sickness and pain cry, Turn: and poverty, 
 and loss of friends, and every twig of the; 
 chastening rod cry, Turn. And yet wih 
 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 n^turn. Why 
 hast thou reason, but to rule thy flesh, and 
 serve thy Lord? Why hast thou an under- 
 standing soul, but to learn and know his will 
 and do it ? Why hast thou a lieart Within 
 thee that can love, and fear, and desire, but 
 that thou shouldst fear liim, and love him, 
 and desire after him ? 
 
 Lay all these together now, ;ind see what 
 should be the issue. Tlie holy Scriptures
 
 Doct. 5.) THE UNCONVERTED. 121 
 
 call upon thee to turn ; the ministers of 
 Christ call upon thee to turn ; the Spirit cries, 
 Turn ; thy conscience cries, Turn ; the god- 
 iv, by persuasion and example, cry, Turn ; 
 the whole world, and all the creatures there- 
 in that are presented to thy consideration, 
 cry. Turn; the patient Ibrbearance ot" God 
 cries. Turn ; all the mercies which tiiou re- 
 ceivest cry. Turn; the rod of God's chns- 
 tisement 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 V 
 
 III. Moreover, poor hard-hearted sinner, 
 didst thou ever consider uikhi what terms thou 
 standest all this while with Him that calleth 
 on thee to turn '( Thou art his own, and 
 owest him tli3^self and all thou hast; and 
 may he not command his own? Thou art, 
 his absolute servant, and shouhl serve no 
 other master. Thou standest at his mercv, 
 and thy life is in his hand, and he is resolv- 
 ed 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 tpiickly would 
 
 li. Cull H
 
 122 A CALL TO (DoctS 
 
 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 3^et 
 wait. Perhaps this is the last 3'ear, 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 al- 
 ready that did not turn, thou would st see 
 that it is time to look about thee. 
 
 Well, sirs, look inwards now and tell me 
 how your hearts are affected with these of- 
 fers 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 workinof of 
 the medicine will partly tell us whether there 
 be any hope of the cure. O what glad ti- 
 dings would it be to those that are now in 
 hell, if they had but such a message from
 
 Doct. 5.) THE UNCONVERTED. 123 
 
 God ! What a joyful word would it be to 
 hear this, Turn and live ! yea, what a wel- 
 come word would it be to th^'self, when thou 
 hadst felt that wrath of God but an hour! 
 Or if, after a thousand or 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 with- 
 out our errand ? 
 
 Behold, sinners, we are sent 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 the one 
 hand and hell in the other, and offereth 
 thee thy choice. Which wilt thou choose ? 
 The voice of the Lord maketh the rocks to 
 tremble. Psalm 29. 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 ?" 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 com- 
 passion. The Lord seeth whither thou art 
 going better than thou dost, which makes
 
 124 A CALL TO (Doct. 5. 
 
 liim call after thee, Turn, turn. He seeth 
 what will become of thee, if thou turn not. 
 He thinkrth with himself, " Ah ! this poor 
 sinner will cast himself into endless tor- 
 ments 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 ^^ou 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 the}- had made hght of 
 it, and not turned to God. Now what are they 
 possessing that turned at God's call "? Now 
 they perceive that it was indeed 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 hap- 
 piness. There are 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.
 
 Doct. 5.) THE UNCONVERTED. 125 
 
 Well, Sirs, are you yet resolved, or are 
 you not? Do I need to say any more to 
 you? What will you do? Will you turn, 
 or not? Speak, man, in thy heart, to God, 
 though you speak not out to me ; speak, lest 
 he take thy silence for denial ; speak quick- 
 ly, lest he never make thee the like offer 
 more ; speak resolvedly, and not waveringly, 
 for he will have no indifferent ones to be his 
 followers. Say in thine heart now, without 
 any more delay, even before thou stir hence, 
 *' By the grace of God I am resolved presently 
 to turn. And because I know my own insuf- 
 ficiency, I am resolved to wait on God for his 
 grace, and to follow him in his ways, and for- 
 sake 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. You may have 
 Christ, and 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 
 
 11*
 
 126 A CALL TO (Doct. «. 
 
 on, God IS witness, and those who hear me 
 are witnesses, and your own consciences 
 are witnesses, how* fair an ofter you had this 
 day. Remember, you might have had Christ, 
 and would not. Remember, when you have 
 lost it, that vou mi^ht have had eternal life 
 as well as others, and would not ; and all this 
 because you would not turn! 
 
 But let us come to the next doctrine, and 
 hear your reasons. 
 
 DOCTRINE VI. 
 
 The Lord condescendeth to reason the case with uncon 
 verted sinners, and to ask them why iJicy will die. 
 
 A Strange disputation it is, both as to the 
 controversy and as to the disputants. 
 
 I. The controversy, or question propound- 
 ed is. Why wdcked men will destroy them- 
 selves? or. Why they w^ill rather die than 
 turn ; whether they have any sufficient rea- 
 son for so doing ? 
 
 II. The disputants are God and man : the 
 most holy God, and wicked unconverted 
 smners.
 
 Doct. 6.) THE UNCONVERTED. 127 
 
 Is it not a strano^e thinj?, which God doth 
 here seem to suppose, thnt any man sliouhl 
 be wiUing to die and be damned V yea, iliat 
 TJiis should ])e 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 
 (•an any man be willing to be damned ?" 
 
 To which I answer : — 1. It is a certain 
 truth that no man can be willing to bear any 
 evil, as evil, but only as it hath some appear- 
 ance 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 wliy the wicked 
 die is, because they will die. And this is 
 true in several respects. 
 
 1. Because the}^ will go the way that 
 leads to hell, althougli they are told by God 
 and man whither it goes and where it ends ; 
 and though God hath so often professed in 
 his word, that if they hold on in that wav 
 they shall be condemned ; and that they 
 shall not be saved unless thev turn. *' There
 
 128 A CALL TO (Doct. 6. 
 
 is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked.'* 
 " The way of peace they know not ; there 
 is no judgment in their goings ; they have 
 made them crooked, paths. Whosoever 
 goeth therein shall not know^ peace." Isa. 
 4S : 22 ; 57 : 21 ; 59 : S. They have the 
 word and the oath of the living God for it, 
 that if they will not turn they shall not en- 
 ter into his rest : and yet, wicked they are, 
 and wicked they will be, let God and man 
 sa}^ what they will : fleshly they are, and 
 fleshly the}^ will be, worldlings they are, and 
 worldlings they wall be, though God hath 
 told them that the love of the world is en- 
 mity to God, and that if any man love the 
 w^orld (in that measure) the love of the Fa- 
 ther is not in him. James, 4 : 4 ; 1 John, 
 2 : 15. So that, consequently, these men are 
 willing to be damned, though not directly; 
 they are w^illing to w^alk in the way to hell, 
 and love the certain cause of their torment ; 
 though they do not will hell itself, and do 
 not love the pain which they must endure. 
 Is not this the truth of your case, sirs ? 
 You would not burn in hell, but you will 
 kindle the fire by your sins, and cast your- 
 selves into it ; 3^ou would not be tormented
 
 Poet. 6.) THE UNCONVERTED. 129 
 
 with devils for ever, but vou will do tlint 
 which will certainly procure it in spite of all 
 iliHt can be said against it. It is just as if 
 vou would say, "I will drink this poison, 
 but yet I will not die. I will cast mvself 
 headlong from the top of a steeple, but yet 
 1 will not kill myself. I will thrust this 
 knife into my heart, but yet I will not take 
 away my life. I will put this fire into the 
 1 hatch of my house, but yet I will not burn 
 ii." Just so it is with wicked men ; they 
 MJU be wicked, and they will live after the 
 ilosh and the world, and yet they would not 
 be damned. But do you not know that the 
 means lead to the end? and that God hath, 
 by his righteous law, concluded that ^o\\ 
 must repent or perish? He that will take 
 ])oison may as well say plainly, I will kill 
 myself, for it will prove no better in the end ; 
 though perhaps he loved it for the sweetness 
 of the sugar that was mixed with it, and 
 would not be persuaded that it was poison, 
 but that he might take it and do well enough ; 
 but it is not his conceits and confidence that 
 will save his life. So if you will be drunk- 
 ards, or fornicators, or worldlings, or live 
 after the flesh, you may as well say plainlv,
 
 130 A CALL TO (Doct. 6. 
 
 We will be damned ; for so you will be un- 
 less you turn. Would you not rebuke the 
 folly of a murderer that would say I wdll 
 kill, but I will not be hanged, when he 
 knows that if he does the one, the judge in 
 justice will see that the other be done ? If 
 he say I will murder, he may as well sayi 
 plainly, I will be hanged ; and if you will 
 go on in a carnal life, you may as well say 
 plainly. We will go to hell. 
 
 2. Moreover, the wicked will not use those 
 means without which there is no hope of 
 their salvation. He that will not eat, may 
 as well say plainl}^, he will not live, unless 
 he can tell how to live without meat. He 
 that will not go his journey, may as well say 
 plainly he will not come to the end. He that 
 falls into the w^ater, and will not come out, 
 nor suffer another to help him out, may as 
 well say plainly, he will be drowned. So if 
 you be carnal and ungodly, and will not be 
 converted, nor use the means by which you 
 should be converted, but think it more ado 
 than needs, you may as well say plainly you 
 will be damned ; for if you have found out 
 a Avay to be saved without conversion, you 
 have done thatwdiich was never done before.
 
 Doct. 6.) THE UNCONVERTED. 131 
 
 3. Yea, this is not all ; but the wicked are 
 unwilling even to partake of salvation itself; 
 though they may desire somewhat which 
 they call by the name of heaven, yet heaven 
 itself, considered in the true nature of the 
 felicity, they desire not; yea, their hearts 
 are quite against it. Heaven is a state of per- 
 fect holiness, and of continual love and praise 
 to God, and the wicked have no heart to 
 this. The imperfect love, and praise, and 
 holiness which is here to be attained, they 
 have no mind for ; much less for that which 
 is so much greater. The joys of heaven are 
 of so pure and spiritual a nature that the 
 heart of the wicked cannot truly desire them. 
 
 So that by this time you may see on what 
 ground it is that God supposeth that the 
 wicked will their own destruction. They 
 will not turn, though they must turn or die : 
 they will rather venture on certain misery 
 than be converted ; and then to quiet them- 
 selves in their sins, they will make them- 
 selves believe that they shall nevertheless 
 escape. 
 
 II. And as this controversy is matter of 
 wonder, in that men should be such enemies 
 to themselves as wilfully to cast away their
 
 132 A CALL TO (BoclG. 
 
 souls, SO are the disputants too : that God 
 should stoop so low as thus to plead the 
 case with men ; and that men should be so 
 strangely blind and obstinate as to need aU 
 tliis in so plain a case ; yea, and to resist all 
 this, when their own salvation lieth upon the 
 issue. 
 
 No wonder if they will not hear us thut 
 are men, when they will not hear the Lord 
 himself. As God saith, when he sent the 
 prophet to the Israelites, " The house of 
 Israel will not hearken unto thee ; for they 
 will not hearken unto me ; for all the house 
 of Israel are impudent and hard-hearted." 
 Ezek. 3:7. No wonder if they can plead 
 ao:ainst a minister, or a sfodlv neio^hbor, when 
 they will plead against the Lord himself, 
 even against the plainest passages of his 
 word, and think that they have reason on 
 their side. When they weary the Lord with 
 their words, thev say, " Wherein have we 
 wearied him?" Mai. -J : 17. The priests 
 that despised his name durst ask, *' Where- 
 in have \VQ despised thy name?" And 
 '•when they polluted his altar, and made; 
 the table of the Lord contemptible," thev 
 durst SO}', " Wherein have we polluted
 
 Doct. 6.) THE U^CONVERTED. 133 
 
 theeV* Mai. 1:0,7. But "Wo unto him 
 (saith the Lord) that striveth with his Ma- 
 ker ! Let the potsherds strive with the pot- 
 sherds of the earth: shall the clay say to 
 him that fashioneth it, What uiakest thou?" 
 Lsa. 45 : 9. 
 
 Question. But why is it that God will rea- 
 son the case with man V 
 
 Answ. 1. Because man being a reasonable 
 creature, is to be dealt with accordingly, antl 
 by reason to be persuaded and overcome ; 
 God hath therefore endowed them with rea- 
 son, that they might use it for him. One 
 would think a reasonable creature should 
 not go against the clearest, the greatest rea- 
 son in the world, v/hen it is set before him. 
 
 2. At least, men shall see that God did 
 require nothing of them that was unreason- 
 able ; but both in what he commandeth them, 
 and what he forbids them, he hath all the 
 right reason in the world on his side ; mid 
 they have good reason to obey him — but 
 none to disobey him. And thus even iln- 
 damned shall be forced to justilV God, .-ind 
 confess that it was only reasomihlc tliiit 
 liiey should have turned to him ; and thev 
 shall be forced to condemn themselves, and 
 
 D. Cull. 12
 
 134 A CALL TO (Doct.6. 
 
 confess that they had little reason to cast 
 away themselves by the neglecting of his 
 grace in the day of their visitation. 
 
 Look up your best and strongest reasons, 
 sinners, if you will make good your way. 
 You see now with whom you have to deal. 
 What sayest thou, unconverted sensual sin- 
 ner? Darest thou venture upon a dispute 
 with God ? Art thou able to confute him ? 
 Art thou ready to enter the lists ? God ask- 
 eth thee. Why wilt thou die ? Art thou fur- 
 nished with a sufficient answer ? Wilt thou 
 undertake to prove that God is mistaken, 
 and that thou art in the right ? O what an 
 undertaking is that ! Why, either he or j^ou 
 are mistaken, when he is for your conver- 
 sion, and you are against it ; he calls upon 
 vou to turn, and you will not ; he bids you 
 do it presently, even to-day, while it is call- 
 ed to-day, and you delay, and think it time 
 enouQ-h hereafter. He saith it must be a 
 total change, and you must be holy and new 
 creatures, and born again; and you think that 
 less may serve the turn, and that it is enough 
 to patch up the old man, without becoming 
 new. Who is in the right now? God or
 
 Doct. 6.) THE UNCONVERTED. 135 
 
 you? God calleth you to turn, and to live 
 a holy life, and you will not. By your dis- 
 obedient lives it appears you will not. If 
 you will, why do you not? Why have you 
 not done it all this while ? And why do you 
 not fall upon it yet? Your wills have the 
 command of your lives. We may certainly 
 conclude that you are unwilling to turn when 
 you do not turn. And why will you not ? 
 Can you give any reason for it that is wor- 
 thy to be called a reason ? 
 
 I that am but a worm, your fellow-crea- 
 ture, of a shallow capacity, dare challenge 
 the wisest of you all to reason the case with 
 me while I plead my Maker's cause ; and 
 I need not be discouraged when I know I 
 plead but the cause that God pleadeth, and 
 contend for him that will have the best at 
 last. Had I but these two general grounds 
 against you, I am sure that you have no 
 good reason on your side. 
 
 1. I am sure it can be no c^ood reason 
 which is against the God of truth and rea- 
 son. It cannot be light that is contrary to 
 the sun. There is no knowledge in any 
 creature but what it had from God ; and 
 therefore none can be wiser than God. It
 
 136 A CALL TO (DocL 6. 
 
 were fatal presumption for the highest an- 
 gel to compare with his Creator! What is it 
 then for a lump of earth, an ignorant sot, 
 that knoweth not himself nor his own soul, 
 that knoweth but little of the things which 
 he seeth, yea, that is more ignorant than 
 many of his neighbors, to set himself against 
 the wisdom of the Lord ! It is one of the 
 fullest discoveries of tlie horrible wicked- 
 ness of carnal men, and the madness of such 
 as sin, that so silly a mole dare contradict 
 his Maker, and call in question the word of 
 God : yea, that those people that are so ig- 
 norant that they cannot give us a reasonable 
 answer concerning the very first principles 
 of religion, are yet so wise in their own con- 
 ceit that they dare question the plainest 
 truths of God, yea, contradict them and 
 cavil against them, when they can scarcely 
 speak sense, and will believe them no fur- 
 ther than agreeth with their foolish wisdom ! 
 2. And as I know that God must needs be 
 in the right, so I know the case is so pal- 
 pable and gross which he pleadeth against 
 that no man can have reason for it. Is it 
 possible that a man can have any reason to 
 break his Maker's laws, and reason to dis-
 
 Docuti) THE UNCONVERTED. 137 
 
 honor the Lord of glory, and reason to abuse 
 the Lord that bought him? Is it possible 
 that a man can have any good reason to 
 damn his own immortal soul? Mark the 
 Lord's question, Turn ye, turn ye, why will 
 vou die? Is eternal death a thins: to be de- 
 sired? Are 3^ou in love with hell? What 
 reason have you wilfully to perish ? If you 
 think you have some reason to sin, should 
 you not remember that deatli is the wages 
 of sin, (Rom. 6 : 23,) and think whether you 
 have any reason to undo yourselves, body 
 and soul, for ever ? You should not only ask 
 whether you love the adder, but whether 
 you love the sting ? It is such a thing for a 
 man to cast away his everlasting happiness, 
 and to sin against God, that no good reason 
 can be given for it ; but the more any one 
 pleads for it, the more mad he showeth him- 
 self to be. Had you a kingdom offered jthi 
 for every sin that you commit, it were not 
 reason but madness to accept it. Could you 
 by every sin obtain the highest thing on 
 earth that flesh desireth, it were of no con- 
 siderable value to persuade you in reason to 
 commit it. If it were to please your greatest 
 or dearest friends, or to obey the greatest 
 
 12*
 
 138 A CALL TO (Doct.fi. 
 
 prince on earth, or to save 3'our lives, or to 
 escape the greatest earthly misery ; all these 
 are of no consideration to draw a man in 
 reason to the committinfr of one sin. If it 
 were a right hand or a right eye that would 
 hinder your salvation, it is the most gainful 
 way to cast it away, rather than to go to 
 hell to save it ; for there is no saving a part 
 when you lose the whole. So exceedingly 
 greai are the matters of eternit}^ that no- 
 thing in this world deserveth once to be 
 named in comparison with them ; nor can 
 any earthly thing, though it were life, or 
 crowns, or kingdoms, be a reasonable ex- 
 cuse for the neglect of matters of such high 
 and everlasting con.sequence. A man can 
 have no reason to cross his ultimate end. 
 Heaven is such a thing, that if you lose it, 
 nothing can supply the want, or make up 
 the loss ; and hell is such a thing, that if you 
 suffer it, nothing can remove your misery, 
 or give } ou ease and comfort ; and therefore 
 nothing can be a valuable consideration to 
 excuse you for neglecting your own salva- 
 tion ; for, saith our Savior, " What shall it 
 profit a man if he shall gain the whole world, 
 and lose his own soul?" Mark, 8 : 86.
 
 Doct. 6.) THE UNCONVERTED. 139 
 
 O sirs, did you but know what matters 
 they are that we are now speaking to you of, 
 you would have other thoughts of these 
 thin2:3. If the devil could come to the saints 
 in heaven that live in the sight and lovo of 
 God, and should oflcr them sensual plea- 
 sures, or merry company, or sports to entice 
 them away from God and glory, I pray you 
 tell me, bow do you think they would enter- 
 tain the motion? Nay, or if he should offer 
 them to be kings on the earth, do you think 
 this would entice them down from heaven? 
 O with what hatred and holy scorn would 
 they reject the motion ! and why should not 
 you do so, that have heaven open to your 
 faith, if you had but faith to see it? There 
 is not a soul in hell but knows, by this time, 
 that it was a mad exchange to let go heaven 
 for fledily pleasure ; and that it is not a 
 little mirth, or pleasure, or worldly riches, or 
 honor, or the good will or word of men, that 
 will quench hell fire, or make him a gainer 
 that loseth his soul. O if you had heard 
 what I believe, if you had seen what I be- 
 lieve, and that on the credit of the word of 
 God, you would say there can be no rea- 
 son to warrant a man to destroy liis soul ;
 
 1-40 A CALL TO (Doct. 6. 
 
 you durst not sleep quietly another night, 
 
 before vou had resolved to turn and live. 
 
 .J 
 
 If you see a man put his hand in the fire 
 till it burn off, you will marvel at it ; but 
 this is a thing that a man may have reason 
 for, as Bishop Cranmer had when he burnt 
 off his hand for subscribing to popeiy. If 
 you see a man cut off a leg or an arm, it is a 
 sad sight ; but this is a thing that a man may 
 have a good reason for, as many a man hath 
 it done to save his life. If 3^ou see a man give 
 his bodv to be tormented with scours^es and 
 racks, or to be burned to ashes, and refuse 
 deliverance when it is offered, this is a hard 
 case to flesh and blood ; but this a man may 
 have good reason for, as you may see in 
 Heb. 11 : 33-36, and as many a hundred 
 martyrs have done. But for a man to forsake 
 the Lord that made him, and to run into the 
 lire of hell when he is told of it, and entreat- 
 ed to turn that he may be saved — this is a 
 thin2f that can have no reason in the world to 
 justify or excuse it. For heaven will pay for 
 the loss of any thing that we can lose to ob- 
 tain it, or for any labor which we bestow for 
 it ; but nothing can pay for the loss of heaven. 
 I beseech you now let his word come
 
 Docte.) THE UNCONVERTED. 141 
 
 nearer to your heart. As you are convinced 
 that you have no reason to destroy your- 
 selves, so tell me what reason have you to 
 refuse to turn and live to God? What reason 
 has the veriest worldling, or drunkard, or ig- 
 norant careless sinner of you all, why he 
 should not be as holy as any you know, and 
 be as careful for his soul as any other ? Will 
 not hell be as intolerable to you as to others ? 
 Should not your own souls be as dear to you 
 as theirs to them ? Hath not God as much 
 authority over you ? Why then will you not 
 become a sanctified people, as well as they ? 
 
 O, sirs, when God bringeth the matter 
 down to the very principles of nature, and 
 shows that you have no more reason to be 
 ungodly than you have to damn your own 
 souls — if yet you will not understand and 
 turn, it seems a desperate case that you are in. 
 
 And now, either 3''ou have good reason for 
 what you do, or you have not: if not, will 
 you go against reason itself? Will you do 
 that which you have no reason for? But if 
 you think you have a reason, produce it, and 
 make the best of your matter. Reason the 
 case a little with me, your fellow-creature, 
 which is far easier than to reason the case
 
 142 A CALL TO (Doct. 6 
 
 with God ; tell me, man, here before the 
 Lord, as if thou wert to die this^ hour, why 
 shouldst thou not resolve to turn this day, 
 before thou stir from the place thou stand- 
 cst in ; what reason hast thou to deny or to 
 delay ? Hast thou any reasons that satisfy 
 thine own conscience for it, or any that thou 
 darest own and plead at the bar of God ? 
 If thou hast, let us hear them, bring them 
 forth and make them good. But, alas ! 
 w^iat poor stuff, what nonsense, instead of 
 reasons, do we daily hear from ungodly 
 men ! But for the worth of their immortal 
 souls, I should be ashamed to name them. 
 
 Objection. 1. One saith, if none shall be 
 saved but such converted and sanctified 
 ones as you talk of, heaven will be but 
 empty : then God help a great many ! 
 
 Answer. Why, it seems you think that 
 God doth not know, or else that he is not 
 to be believed ! Measure not all by your- 
 selves: God hath thousands and millions of 
 his sanctified ones ; but yet they are few 
 m comparison of the world, as Christ him- 
 self hath told us, Matt. 7 : 13, 14. It better 
 beseems you to make that use of this truth 
 which Christ teacheth you: "Strive to en-
 
 Doct. 6.) THK UNCONVERTED. 143 
 
 ter in at the strait gate ; for strait is the gate 
 and narrow is the way that leadeth unto 
 lite, and few there be that find it ; but wide 
 is the gate and broad is the way which lead- 
 eth to destruction, and many there be that 
 go in thereat." Luke, 13 : 22-24. Fear not, 
 little flock, (saith Christ to his sanctified 
 ones,) for it is your Father's good pleasure 
 10 give you the kingdom. Luke, 12 : 32. 
 
 Objection 2. I am sure, if such as I go to 
 hell, we shall have store of company. 
 
 Answer. And will that be any ease or 
 comfort to 3^ou? Or do you think you mav 
 not have company enough in heaven ? Will 
 you be undone for company, or will ^^ou not 
 believe that God will execute his threaten- 
 ings because there be so many that are guil- 
 ty? These are all unreasonable conceits. 
 
 Objection 3. But all men are sinners, 
 even the best of you all. 
 
 Answer. But all are not unconverted sin- 
 ners. The godly live not in gross sins ; and 
 their very infirmities are their grief and bur- 
 den, which they daily long, and pray, and 
 strive to be rid of. Sin hath not dominion 
 over them. 
 
 Objection 4. I do not see that professors
 
 144 A CALL TO (Doct.6. 
 
 are any better than other men ; they wilJ 
 overreach, and oppress, and are as covetous 
 as any. 
 
 Ansiver. Whatever hypocrites are, it is 
 not so with those that are sanctified. God 
 hath thousands and tens of thousands that 
 are otherwise, though the mahcious world 
 accuse them of what they can never prove, 
 and of that which never entered into their 
 hearts; and commonly they charge them 
 with heart sins, which none can see but 
 God, because they can charge them with no 
 such wickedness in their lives as they are 
 guilty of themselves. 
 
 Objection 5. But I am no whoremonger, 
 nor drunkard, nor oppressor ; and therefore 
 why should 3^ou call upon me to be converted V 
 
 Answer. As if vou were not born after the 
 flesh, and had not lived after the flesh, as 
 well as others ! Is it not as great a sin as 
 any of these, for a man to have an earthly 
 mind, and to love the world above God, and 
 to have an unbelieving, unhumbled heart? 
 iVa}?-, let me tell you more, that many per- 
 sons that avoid disgraceful sins are as fast 
 glued to the world, and as much slaves to 
 the flesh, and as strange to God, and averse
 
 Doct6.) THE UNCONVERTED. 145 
 
 to heaven in their more eivil course, as 
 others are in their more shameful notorious 
 sins. 
 
 Ohjectlon 6. But I mean nobody any 
 harm, nor do any harm ; and why then 
 should God condemn me ? 
 
 Answer. Is it no harm to neglect the Lord 
 that made thee, and the work for which thou 
 camest into the world, and to prefer the crea- 
 ture before the Creator, and to neglect grace 
 that is daily offered thee? It is the depth of 
 thy sinfulness to be so insensible of it : the 
 dead feel not that they are dead. If once 
 ihou wert made alive, thou wouldst see 
 more amiss in thyself, and marvel at thy- 
 self for making so light of it. 
 
 Objection 7. I think you would make men 
 mad, under pretence of converting them : it 
 is enough to rack the brains of simple peo- 
 ple to muse so much on matters too high for 
 them. 
 
 Answer 1. Can you be more mad than 
 you are already ? or, at least, can there be 
 a more dangerous madness than to neglect 
 your everlasting welfare and wilfully undo 
 yourselves ? 
 
 2. A man is never truly in his right mind 
 
 B. Can. 13
 
 146 A CALL TO (Doct. 6. 
 
 till he be converted : he never knowa God, 
 nor knows sin, nor knows Christ, nor knows 
 the world, nor himself, nor what his busines^ 
 is on Nearth, so as to set himself ab6ut it, 
 till he be converted. The Scripture saith 
 that the wicked are unreasonable men, and 
 that the w^isdom of the world is foolishness 
 with God. 2 Thes. 3 : 2 ; 1 Cor. 1 : 20, and 
 Luke, 15 : 17. It is said of the prodigal, 
 that when he came to himself he resolved to 
 return. What a strange wisdom is this ; 
 men will disobey God, and run to Itell, for 
 fear of being accounted fools ! 
 
 3. What is there in the work that Christ 
 calls you to, that should drive a man out 
 of his senses ? Is it loving God, and calling 
 upon him, and comfortably thinking of the 
 glory to come, and the forsaking of our sins, 
 and loving one another, and delighting our- 
 selves in the service of -God ? Are these 
 such things as should make men mad '? 
 
 4. And whereas you say that these mat- 
 ters are too high for us ; you accuse God 
 himself for maki-rig thi^ur work, and giving 
 
 • us his word, and commanding all that will 
 be blessed to meditate on it day and night. 
 Are the matters which we are made for, and
 
 Doct. C.) THE UNCONVERTED. 147 
 
 which we live for, too high for us to meddle 
 with? This is plainly to unman us, and to 
 make beasts of us, as if we were like them 
 that must meddle with no higher matters than 
 what belono^s to flesh and earth. If heaven 
 be too high for you to think on and provide 
 for, it will be too high for 3^ou ever to possess. 
 
 5. If God should sometimes suffer any 
 weak-headed person to be distracted by 
 thinking of eternal things, this is because 
 they misunderstand them, and run without 
 a guide ; and of the two, I had rather be in 
 the case of such a one, than of the mad un- 
 converted world, that take their distraction 
 to be their wisdom. 
 
 Objection 8. I do not think that God cares 
 so much what men think, or speak, or do, as 
 to make so great a matter of it. 
 
 Answer. It seems, then, you take the word 
 of God to be false : then what will you be- 
 lieve ? But your own reason might teach you 
 better, if you believe not the Scriptures ; for 
 you see God sets not so light by us but that 
 he vouchsafed to make us, and still pre- 
 serveth us, and daily upholdeth us, and pro-* 
 videth for us ; and will any wise man make 
 a curious frame for nothing ? Will you make
 
 148 A CALL TO (Doct. 6. 
 
 or buy a clock or watch, and daily look at 
 it, and not care whether it go true or false? 
 Surely, if you believe not a particular eye 
 of Providence obser\'ing your hearts and 
 lives, you cannot believe or expect any par- 
 ticular Providence toobserve your wants and 
 troubles, or to relieve you ; and if God had 
 so little care for you as you imagine, 3"ou 
 would never have lived till now ; a hundred 
 diseases would have striven which should 
 first destroy you; yea, the devils would 
 have haunted you, and fetched you away 
 alive, as the great fishes devour the less, 
 and as ravenous beasts and birds devour 
 others. You cannot think that God made 
 man for no end or use, and if he made him 
 for any, it was surely for himself; and can 
 you think he cares not whether his end be 
 accomplished, and whether we do the work 
 that we are made for? 
 
 Yea, by this atheistical objection you sup- 
 pose God to have made and upheld all the 
 world in vain ; for what are all other lower 
 creatures for, but for man ? What doth the 
 earth but bear us and nourish us, and the 
 beasts but serve us with their labors and 
 lives, and so of the rest? And hath God
 
 Doct. 6.) THE UNCONVERTED. 149 
 
 made so glorious a habitation, and set man 
 to dwell in it, and made all his servants ; 
 and now doth he look for nothing at his 
 hands, nor care how he thinks, or speaks, or 
 lives? This is most unreasonable. 
 
 Objection 9. It was a better world when 
 men did not make so much ado in religion. 
 
 Answer 1. It hath ever been the custom to 
 praise the times past ; that world that you 
 speak of was wont to say it was a better 
 world in their forefather's days ; and so did 
 they of their forefathers. This is but an old 
 custom, because we all feel the evil of our 
 own times, but we see not that which was 
 before us. 
 
 2. Perhaps you speak as you think. 
 Worldlings think the world is at the best 
 when it is agreeable to their minds, and 
 when they have most mirth and worldty 
 pleasure ; and I doubt not but the devil, as 
 well as you, would say that then it was a 
 better world ; for then he had more service 
 and less disturbance. But the world is at 
 the best when God is most loved, regarded, 
 and obeyed ; and how else will you know 
 when the world is good or bad, but by this? 
 
 Objection 10. There are so many ways and
 
 150 A CALL TO (Doct. e. 
 
 religion?, that we know not which to l)e of, 
 and therefore we will be even as we are. 
 
 Answer. Because there are many, will yon 
 be of that way that you may be sure is wrong V 
 None are further out of the way than world- 
 ly, fleshly, unconverted sinners ; for they do 
 not only err in this or that opinion, as many 
 sects do, but in the very scope and drift of 
 their lives. If you were going a journey that 
 your life lay on, would you stop or turn 
 again because you met with some cross- 
 waj's, or because you saw some travellers 
 go the horse-wa}^, and some the foot-wa}', 
 and some perhaps break over the hedge, 
 3^ea, and some miss the way ? Or would you 
 not rather be the more careful to inquire the 
 way ? If you have some servants that know 
 not how to do your work right, and some 
 that are unfaithful, would you take it well 
 of any of the rest that would therefore be 
 idle and do you no service, because they 
 see their companions so bad ? 
 
 Ohjcction 11. I do not see that it goes any 
 better with those that are so godly, than 
 with other men ; they are as poor and in as 
 much trouble as others. 
 
 Anstver. And perhaps in much more, when
 
 Poet, fi.) Tni: r.\c()NVERTF.n. 151 
 
 God sncs it meet. Tliov take not earthly 
 prosperity for their wages ; they have laid 
 up their treasure and hopes in another world, 
 or else they arc not christians indeed ; the 
 less they have, the more is behind, and they 
 are content to wait till then. 
 
 Objection 12. When you have said all that 
 you can, I am resolved to hope well, and 
 trust in God, and do as well as I can, and 
 not make so much ado. 
 
 Answer 1. Is that doing as well as you can, 
 when you will not turn to God, but your 
 heart is against his holv and dili2:ent ser- 
 vice? It is as well as you will, indeed, but 
 that is your misery. 
 
 2. My desire is, that you should hope and 
 trust in God. But for what is it that you 
 will hope? Is it to be saved, if you turn and 
 be sanctified ? For this you have God's pro- 
 mise, and therefore I say, hope for it, and 
 spare not. But if you hope to be saved 
 without conversion and a holy life, this is not 
 to hope in God, but in Satan, or yourselves ; 
 for God hath given you no such promise, but 
 told you the contrary; but it is Satan and 
 self-love that made yon such promises, and 
 raised you to such hopes.
 
 152 A CALL TO (Doct. e 
 
 Well, if these objections, and such as 
 these, be all you have to say ngainst con- 
 version and a holy life, your all is nothing, 
 and worse than nothing ; and if these, and 
 such as these, seem reasons sufiicient to 
 persuade you to forsake God and cast your- 
 selves into hell, the Lord deliver you from 
 such reasons, and from such blind under- 
 standings, and from such senseless, hardened 
 hearts. Dare you stand to aver one of these 
 reasons at the bar of God ? Do you think it 
 will then serve your turn to say, " Lord, 1 
 did not turn, because I had so much to do 
 in the world, or because I did not like the 
 lives of some professors, or because I saw 
 men of so many minds!" O how easily will 
 the light of that day confound and shame 
 such reasonings as these ! Had you the 
 w^orld to look after? Let the world which 
 you served now pay you your wages, and 
 save you if it can. Had you not a better 
 world to look after first, and were you not 
 commanded to seek first God's kingdom and 
 righteousness, and promised that other things 
 should be added to you '? Matt. 6 : 33. And 
 were you not told that godliness is pro 
 fitable to all things, having the promise of
 
 Doct. 6.) THE UNCONVERTED. 153 
 
 this life, and that which is to come? 1 Tim. 
 4 : 8. Did the sins of professors hinder you? 
 You should rather have been the more heed- 
 ful, and learned by their falls to beware, 
 and have been the more careful, and not the 
 more careless. It was the Scripture, and 
 not their lives, that was j^our rule. Did the 
 many opinions of the world hinder you ? 
 Why, the Scripture that was your rule did 
 teach you but one way, and that was the 
 right way. If you had followed thsft, even 
 in so much as was plain and easy, 3'ou 
 would never have miscarried. Will not 
 such answers as these confound and silence 
 3^ou? If these wdll not, God hath those that 
 will. When he asked the man, " Friend, 
 how camest thou in hither, not having on a 
 wedding garment?" Matt. 22:12, that is, 
 what doest thou in my church among pro- 
 fessed christians, without a holy heart and 
 life — what answer did he make? Why, the 
 text saith, " he was speechless ;" he had 
 nothing to say. The clearness of the case 
 and the majesty of God will then easily 
 stop the mouths of the most confident of you, 
 though you will not be put down by any thing 
 we can say to you now, but will make good
 
 154 A CALL TO ( Doct. 6. 
 
 3^our cause, be it ever so bad. I know al- 
 ready that never a reason that now you can 
 give me will do you any good at last, when 
 3^our case must be opened before the Lord, 
 and all the world. 
 
 Na}^, I scarce think that your own con- 
 sciences are well satisfied with your rea- 
 sons ; for if they are, it seems, then, you 
 have not so much as a purpose to repent. 
 But if 3'ou do purpose to repent, it seems 
 you dcf not put much confidence in the rea- 
 sons which you bring against it. 
 
 What say you, unconverted sinners ? 
 Have you any good reasons to give why 
 you should not turn, and presently turn 
 with all your hearts? Or will 3'ou go to 
 hell in despite of reason itself? Bethink 
 you what 3^ou do in time, for it will shortly 
 be too late to bethink 3^ou. Can ^^ou find 
 any fault with God, or his work, or wages? 
 Is he a bad master? Is the devil, whom 
 you serve, a better? or is the flesh a better? 
 Is there any harm in a holy life ? Is a life 
 of worldliness and ungodliness better? Do 
 you think in your consciences that it would 
 do you any harm to be converted and live a 
 holy life ? What harm can it do you ? Is it
 
 Doct.6.) THE UNCONVERTED. 155 
 
 harm to you to have the Spirit of Christ 
 within you, and to have a cleansed, purihed 
 heart? If it be bad to be holy, why doth 
 God sa}^, " Be ye holy, for I am holy ?" 1 
 Pet. 1 : 15, 16 ; Lev. 20 : 7. Is it evil to be 
 like God ? Is it not said that God made 
 man in his own image? Why, this holiness 
 is his image; this Adam lost, and this Christ 
 by his word and Spirit would restore to you, 
 as he doth to all that he will save. How is 
 it that men are baptized into the Holy Ghost 
 as their Sanctifier, and yet you will not be 
 sanctified by him, but think it a hurt to j'ou 
 to be sanctified? Tell me truly, as before 
 the Lord, though you are loth to live a holy 
 life, had you not rather die in the case of 
 those that do so, than of others ? If you 
 were to die this day, had you not rather 
 die in the case of a converted man than of 
 an unconverted ? of a holy and heavenly 
 man than of a carnal earthly man ? and 
 would you not say as Balaam, " Let me 
 die the death of the righteous, and let my 
 last end be like his !" Numb. 23 : 10. And 
 why will you not now be of the mind that 
 you will be of then ? First or last you must 
 come to this, either to be converted, or to
 
 156 A CALL TO (Doct. 6. 
 
 wish you had been, when it is too late. 
 
 But what is it that you are afraid of losing, 
 jf you turn ? Is it your friends ? You will 
 but change them ; God will be your Friend, 
 and Christ and the Spirit will be your Friend ; 
 and every christian will be your friend. You 
 will get one Friend that will stand you in 
 more stead than all the friends in the world 
 could have done. The friends you lose 
 would have but enticed you to hell, but 
 could not have delivered you : but the 
 Friend you get will save you from hell, 
 and bring you to his own eternal rest. 
 
 Is it your pleasures that you are afraid of 
 losing? You think you shall never have a 
 merry day again if once you be converted. 
 Alas ! that you should think it a greater 
 pleasure to live in foolish sports and merri- 
 ments, and please your flesh, than to live in 
 the believing thoughts of glory, and in the 
 love of God, and in righteousness, and peace, 
 and joy in the Holy Ghost, in which the 
 state of grace consisteth. Rom. 14 : 17. If 
 it would be a greater pleasure for you to 
 think of your lands and inheritance, if you 
 were lord of all the country, than it is for a 
 child to play at pins, why should it not be
 
 Docte.) THE UNCONVERTED. 157 
 
 a greater joy to you to think of the kingdom 
 of heaven being yours, than all the riches 
 or pleasures of the world ? As it is but 
 foolish childishness that makes children so 
 delight- in toys that they would not leave 
 them frfr all your lands, so it is but foolish 
 worldliness, and fleshliness, and wicked- 
 ness, that makes you so much delight in 
 your houses and lands, and meat and drink, 
 and ease and honor, as that you would not 
 part with them for the heavenly delights. 
 But what will you do for pleasure when 
 these are gone ? Do you not think of that V 
 When your pleasures end in horror, and go 
 out like a taper, the pleasures of the saints 
 are then the highest. I have had myself 
 but a little taste of the heavenly pleasures 
 in the forethoughts of the blessed approach- 
 ing day, and in the present persuasions 
 of the love of God in Christ ; but I have 
 taken too deep a draught of earthly })lea- 
 sures : so that you may see, if I be partial, 
 it is on your side ; and yet I must profess, 
 from that little experience, that there is no 
 comparison. There is more joy to be had 
 in a day, if the sun of life shine clear upon 
 us, in the state of holiness, than in a whole 
 
 B. Cull. M
 
 158 A CALL TO (Doct. 6. 
 
 life of sinful pleasures. " I had rather be a 
 door-keeper in the house of God than to 
 dwell in the tents of wickedness." Psahn 
 84 : 10. "A day in his courts is better than 
 a thousand" any where else. The mirth 
 of the wicked is like the laughter of a mad- 
 man, that knows not his own misery; and 
 therefore Solomon says of such laughter, " it 
 is mad ; and of mirth, what doeth it?" *' It 
 is better to go to the house of mourning 
 than to go to the house of feasting; for that 
 is the end of all men, and the living will lay 
 it to his heart. Sorrow is better than laugh- 
 ter ; for by the sadness of the countenance 
 the heart is made better. The heart of the 
 wise is in the house of mourning ; but the 
 heart of fools is in the house of mirth. It is 
 better to bear the rebuke of the wise, than 
 to hear the song of fools ; for as the crack- 
 ling of thorns under a pot, so is the laughter 
 of the fool." Eccles. 2 : 2 ; 7 : 2-6. Your 
 loudest laughter is but like that of a man 
 that is tickled ; he laughs when he has no 
 cause of joy. Judge, as you are men, whe- 
 ther this be a wise man's part. It is but 
 your carnal unsanctified nature that makes 
 a holy life seem grievous to you, and a
 
 Doct. 6.) THE UiVCONVKRTED. 159 
 
 course of sensuality seem more delightful. 
 If you will but turn, the Holy Ghost will 
 <live vou another nature and inclination, 
 and then it will be more pleasant to you to 
 be rid of your sin, than now it is to keep it ; 
 and you will then say, that you knew not 
 what a comfortable life was till now, and 
 that it was never well with you till God and 
 holiness were your delight. 
 
 Quest ioji. But how cometh it to pass that 
 men should be so unreasonable in the mat- 
 ters of salvation? They have sense enough 
 in other matters : what makes them so loth 
 to be converted that there should need so 
 many words in so plain a case, and all will 
 not do, but the most will live and die un- 
 converted ? 
 
 Answer. To name them only in few words, 
 the causes are these : 
 
 1. Men are naturally in lo\e with the 
 earth and flesh ; they are born sinners, and 
 their nature hath an enmity to God and god- 
 liness, as the nature of a serpent hath to a 
 man : and when all that we can say goes 
 against an habitual inclination of their na- 
 tures, no marvel if it prevail little. 
 
 2. They are in darkness, and know not
 
 160 A CALL TO (Doct. 6. 
 
 the very things they hear. Like a man that 
 was born bhnd, and hears a high commen- 
 dation of the hght; but what will hearing 
 do, unless he sees it "? They know not what 
 God is, nor what is the power of the cross 
 of Christ, nor what the Spirit of holiness is, 
 nor what it is to live in love by faith : they 
 know not the certainty, and suitableness, 
 and excellency of the heavenly inheritance. 
 They know not what conversion and a holy 
 mind and conversation is, even when they 
 liear of it. They are in a mist of ignorance. 
 They are lost and bewildered in sin ; like a 
 man tliat has lost himself in the night, and 
 knows not where he is, nor how to come to 
 himself again, till the daylight recover him. 
 
 o. They are wilfully confident that the}^ 
 need no conversion, but only some partial 
 amendment, and that they are in the wa}*" 
 to heaven already, and are converted when 
 they are not. And if 3^ou meet a man that 
 is quite out of his way, 3'ou may long 
 enough call on him to turn back again, if he 
 will not believe that he is out of the way. 
 
 4. They are become slaves to their flesh, 
 and drowned in the world, to make provi- 
 sion for it. Their lusts, and passions, and
 
 Doct.6.) THE UNCONVERTED. 161 
 
 appetites have distracted them, and got 
 such power over them that they cannot tell 
 how to deny them, or how to mind any thing 
 else ; so that the drunkard saith, I love a 
 cup of good drink, and I cannot forbear ; 
 the glutton saith, I love good cheer, and I 
 cannot forbear; the fornicator saith, I love 
 to have my lust fulfilled, and I cannot for- 
 bear; and the gamester loves to have his 
 sports, and he cannot forbear. So that they 
 are become even captivated slaves to their 
 flesh, and their very wilfulness is become 
 an impotency ; and what they would not do, 
 they say they cannot. And the worldling is 
 so taken up with earthly things, that he 
 hath neither heart, nor mind, nor time for 
 heavenly; but, as in Pharaoh's dream, 
 Gen. 41 : 4, the lean kine did eat up the fat 
 ones, so this lean and barren earth doth cat 
 up all the thoughts of heaven. 
 
 5, Some are so carried away by the 
 stream of evi)> company, that they are pos- 
 sessed with hard thoughts of a godly life, by 
 hearing them speak against it ; or at least 
 they think they may venture to do as they 
 see most do, and so they hold on in their 
 sinful ways ; and when one is cut off and 
 
 14*
 
 1G2 A CALL TO (D0CL6. 
 
 cast into heil, and another snatched away 
 from among them to the same condemna- 
 tion, it doth not much daunt them, because 
 they see not whither they are gone. Poor 
 wretches, they hold on in their ungodhness 
 for all this ; for they little know that their 
 companions are now lamenting it in tor- 
 ments. In Luke, 16, the rich man in hell 
 would fain have had one to warn his five 
 brethren, lest they should come to that place 
 of torment. It is lik-ely he knew their minds 
 and lives, and knew that they were hasting 
 thither, and little dreamed that he was there, 
 yea, and would little have believed one that 
 should have told them so. 
 
 I remember an occurrence that a gentle- 
 man, yet living, told me he saw upon a 
 bridge over the Severn.* A man was dri- 
 ving a flock of fat lambs, and something 
 meeting them and hindering their passage, 
 one of the lambs leapt upon the wall of the 
 bridge, and his legs slipping he fell into the 
 stream ; and the rest seeing him, did, one after 
 another, leap over the bridge into the stream, 
 till all or almost all were drowned. Those 
 
 * Mr. R. Rowly, of Shrewsbun', upon Acham-Bridge.
 
 Doct. 6.) THE UNCONVERTED. 163 
 
 that were behind little knew what was become 
 of them that were gone before : but thought 
 they might venture to follow their companions ; 
 but as soon as ever they were over the wall, 
 and falling headlong, the case was altered. 
 Even so it is with unconverted carnal men. 
 One dieth by them and drops mto hell, and 
 another follows the same way ; and yet they 
 will go after them, because they think not 
 whither they are going. O, but when death 
 hath once opened their eyes, and they see 
 what is on the other side of the wall, even 
 in another world, then what would they give 
 to be where they were ! 
 
 6. Moreover, they have a subtle malicious 
 enemy that is unseen of them, and plays his 
 game in the dark ; and it is his principal 
 business to hinder their conversion ; and 
 therefore to keep them where they are, by 
 persuading them not to believe the Scrip- 
 lures, or not to trouble their minds with 
 these matters ; or by persuading them to 
 think ill of a godly life, or to think that more 
 is enjoined than need be, and that they may 
 be saved without conversion, and without 
 all this stir ; and that God is so merciful 
 that he will not damn any such as they ; or
 
 164 A CALL TO (Doct.6. 
 
 at least, that they may stay a little longer, 
 and take their pleasure, and follow the 
 world a little longer yet, and then let it go, 
 and repent hereafter. And by such jug- 
 gling, deluding cheats as these, the devil 
 keeps the most in his captivit}^, and leadeth 
 them to his misery. 
 
 These, and such like impediments as 
 these, do keep so many thousands uncon- 
 verted, when God hath done so much, and 
 Christ hath suffered so much, and ministers 
 have said so much for their conversion. 
 When their reasons are silenced and they 
 are not able to answer the Lord that calls 
 after them, "Turn ye, turn ye, why will ye 
 die?" yet all comes to nothing with the 
 greatest part of them ; and they leave us no 
 more to do after all, but to sit down and la- 
 ment their wilful misery-. 
 
 I have now showed you the reasonable- 
 ness of God's commands, and the unreason- 
 ableness of wicked men's disobedience. If 
 nothing will serve to persuade them, but 
 men will yet refuse to turn, we are next 
 to consider who is in fault if they be 
 damned. And this brings me to the last 
 doctrine ; which is.
 
 Doct.7.) THE UNCONVERTED. 1G5 
 
 DOCTRINE VII. 
 
 That if after all this men rvili not turn, it is not the fault 
 of God that they are condemned., hut their own, even 
 their own wilfulness. They die because they will, Oiat 
 is, because they will not turn. 
 
 If you will go to hell, what remedy? God 
 here acquits himself of your blood ; it shall 
 not lie on him if you be lost. A negligent 
 minister may draw it upon him ; and those 
 that encourage you or hinder you not in sin, 
 may draw it upon them ; but be sure of it, it 
 shall not lie upon God. Saith the Lord, con- 
 cerning his unprofitable vineyard: *' Judge, 
 I pray you, betwixt me and my vineyard : 
 what could have been done more to my 
 vineyard that I have not done in it ?" Isa. 
 5 : 1-4. When he had planted it in a fruit- 
 ful soil, and fenced it, and gathered out the 
 stones, and planted it with the choicest 
 vines, what should he have done more to it? 
 He hath made j^ou men, and endowed you 
 with reason; he hath furnished you with all 
 external necessaries ; all creatures are at 
 your service ; he hath given you a righteous 
 perfect law. When you had broken it and 
 undone yourselves, he had pity on you, and
 
 IGG A CALL TO <Doct. 7. 
 
 sent his Son by a miracle of condescending 
 mercy to die for you, and be a sacrifice for 
 vour sins ; and he was in Christ reconciling: 
 
 ^ ' CD 
 
 the world to himself! ' 
 
 The Lord Jesus hath made you a deed of 
 gift of himself, and eternal life with him, on 
 the condition you will but accept it, and re- 
 turn. He hath on this reasonable condition 
 offered ^^ou the free pardon of all your sins ! 
 he hath written this in his word, and sealed 
 it by his Spirit, and sent it by his ministers : 
 they have made the offer to you a hundred and 
 a hundred times, and called you to accept it, 
 and to turn to God. The}^ have in his name en- 
 treated you, and reasoned the case with you, 
 and answered all 3'our frivolous objections. 
 He hath long waited on you, and staid your 
 leisure, and suffered you to abuse him to his 
 face! He hath mercifully sustained you in 
 the midst of your sins ; he hath compassed 
 you about with all sorts of mercies ; he hath 
 also intermixed afflictions, to remind you of 
 your folly and call you to your senses, and 
 his Spirit has been often striving with your 
 hearts, saying, " Turn, sinner, turn to him 
 that calleth thee. Whither art thou going? 
 What art thou doinsf 1 Dost thou know what
 
 Doct. 7.) TUE UNCONVERTED. 1G7 
 
 will be the end ? How long wilt thou hnte 
 thy friends and love thine enemies ? When 
 wih thou let go all, and turn and deliver up 
 thyself to God, and give thy Redeemer the 
 possession of thy soul ? When shall it once 
 be V" These pleadings have been used with 
 thee, and when thou hast delayed, thou hast 
 been urged to make haste, and God haih 
 called to thee, " To-day, while it is called 
 to-day, harden not thy heart." Why not lis- 
 ten now without any more delay ? 
 
 Life hath been set before you ; the joys 
 of heaven have been opened to you in the 
 Gospel ; the certainty of them hath been 
 manifested ; the certainty of the everlasting 
 torments of the damned hath been declared 
 to you — unless you would have had a sight 
 of heaven and hell, what could you desire 
 more ? Christ hath been, as it were, set 
 forth crucified before your eyes. Gal. 3:1. 
 You have been a hundred times told that 
 you are but lost men till j^ou come unto 
 him : as often you have been told of the evil 
 of sin, of the vanity of sin, the world, and 
 all the pleasures and wealth it can nil'ord ; 
 of the shortness and uncertainty of your 
 lives, and the endless duration of the joy or
 
 168 A CALL TO (Doct.7. 
 
 torment of the life to come. All this, and 
 more than this have you been told, and told 
 again, even till you were weary of hearing 
 it, and till you could make the lighter of it, 
 because you had so often heard it, like the 
 smith's dog, that is brought by custom to 
 sleep under the noise of the hammers and 
 when the sparks fly about his ears ; and 
 though all this have not converted you, yet 
 you are alive, and might have mercy to this 
 day, if you had but hearts to entertain it. 
 And now let reason itself be the judge, 
 whether it be the fault of God, or of your- 
 selves, if after all this you will be uncon- 
 verted and be damned. If you die now, it is 
 because you will die. 
 
 What should be said more to you, or what 
 course should be taken that is more likely 
 to prevail ? Are you able to say, and make 
 it good, " We would fain have been con- 
 verted and become new creatures, but we 
 could not ; we would fain have forsaken our 
 sins, but we could not ; we would have 
 changed our company, and our thoughts, 
 and our discourse, but we could not." Whr 
 could you not if you would ? What hinder- 
 ed you but the wickedness of your hearts?
 
 Doct. 7.) THE UNCONVERTED. 1G9 
 
 Who forced you to sin, or who held you back 
 from duty? Had not you the same teach- 
 ing, and time, and liberty to be godly, as 
 your godly neighbors had ? Why then could 
 not you have been godly as well as they? 
 Were the church-doors shut against you, or 
 did you not keep away yourselves, or sit 
 and sleep, or hear as if you did not hear ? 
 Did God put in any exceptions against you 
 in his word, when he invited sinners to re- 
 turn ; and when he promised mercy to those 
 that do return ? Did he say, " I will pardon 
 all that repent except thee V" Did he shut 
 thee out from the liberty of his holy wor- 
 ship? Did he forbid you to pray to him 
 any more than others ? You know he did 
 not. God did not drive you away from him, 
 but you forsook him, and ran away your- 
 selves, and when he called you to him, you 
 would not come. 
 
 If God had excepted you out of the gene- 
 ral promise and offer of mercy, or had said 
 to you, '* Stand off, I will have nothing to do 
 with such as you ; pray not to me, for I will 
 not hear you ; if you repent never so much, 
 and cry for mercy never so much, I will not 
 regard you," — if God had left you nothing 
 
 B. CaU. 15
 
 170 A CALL TO (Doct. 7. 
 
 to trust to but desperation, then you had a 
 fair excuse ; you might have said, " To what 
 end should I repent and turn, when it will 
 do no good?" But this was not your case : 
 you might have had Christ to be your Lord 
 and Savior, 3^our head and husband, as well 
 as others, and vou would not, because you 
 felt yourselves not sick enough for the phy- 
 sician : and becauss you could not spare 
 your disease. In 3^our hearts you said as 
 those rebels, Luke, 19 : 14, *' We wdll not 
 have this man to reign over us." Christ 
 would have gathered you under the wings 
 of his salvation, and you w^ould not. Matt. 
 23 : 37. What desires of your welfare did 
 the Lord express in his holy word ? With 
 what compassion did he stand over you and 
 s-ay, " O that my people had hearkened un- 
 to me, and that they had walked in my 
 w^ays!" Psalm 81 : 13. *' O that there were 
 such a heart in this people, that they would 
 fear me, and keep all my commandments 
 always, that it might be well with them and 
 with their children for ever!" Deut. 5 : 29. 
 *' O that they were wise, that they understood 
 this, that they would consider their latter 
 end !" Dcut. 32 : 29. He would have been
 
 Doct. 7.) THE UNCONVERTED. 171 
 
 your God, and done all for you that your 
 souls could well desire ; but you loved the 
 world and your flesh above him, and there- 
 fore you would not hearken to him : though 
 you complimented him, and gave him high 
 titles ; yet when it came to the closing, you 
 would have none of him. Psalm 81 : 11, 12. 
 No marvel then if he gave you up to your 
 own hearts' lusts, and you walked in your 
 own counsels. 
 
 He condescends to reason, and pleads 
 the case with you, and asks you, " What is 
 there in me, or my service, that you should 
 be so much against me? What harm have 
 I done thee, sinner? Have I deserved this 
 unkind dealing at thy hand ? Many mercies 
 have I showed thee : for which of them dost 
 thou thus despise me? Is it I, or is it Satan 
 that is thy enemy ? Is it I, or is it thy carnal 
 s-elf that would undo thee? Is "it a holy life, 
 or a life of sin, that thou hast cause to fly 
 from? If thou be undone, thou procurcst 
 this to thyself, by forsaking me, the Lord 
 that would have saved thee." Jcr. 2:17. 
 *' Doth not thy own wickedness correct thee, 
 and thy sin reprove thee? Thou mayest see 
 that it is an evil and bitter thing that thou
 
 172 A CALL TO (Doct. 7 
 
 ha?t forsaken me." Jer. 2:19. " What ini- 
 quity have you found in me that you have 
 followed after vanity, and forsaken me ?" 
 Jer. 2 : 5, 0. He calleth out, as it were, to 
 the brutes, to hear the controversy he hath 
 against you. " Hear, O ye mountains, the 
 Lord's controversy, and ye strong founda- 
 tions of the earth ; for the Lord hath a con- 
 troversy with his people, and he will plead 
 with Israel. O my people, what have I done 
 unto thee, and wherein have I wearied thee ? 
 testify against me, for I brought thee up out of 
 Egypt, and redeemed thee." Micah, 6 : 2, 3. 
 *' Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth, 
 for the Lord hath spoken. I have nourished 
 and brought up children, and they have re- 
 belled against me. The ox knoweth his 
 owner, and the ass his master's crib ; but 
 Israel doth not know, my people doth not 
 consider ! Ah, sinful nation, a people laden 
 with iniquity, a seed of evil-doers!" &c. 
 Isaiah, 1 : 2, 4. *' Do you thus requite the 
 Lord, O foolish people and unwise? Is 
 not he thy Father that bought thee ? Hath 
 he not made thee, and established thee?" 
 Deut. 32 : 6. When he saw that you for- 
 sook him, even for nothing, and turned away
 
 Doct. 7.) THE UNCONVERTED. 173 
 
 from iho Lord of life to hunt after the chaff 
 and feathers of the world, he told you of 
 your folly, and called you to a more profit- 
 able emploj^ment, Isaiah, ^^ : 2-7. " Where- 
 fore do you spend your money for that which 
 is not bread, and your labor for that which 
 satisfieth not ? Hearken diligently unto me, 
 and eat ye that which is good, and let your 
 soul delight itself in fatness. Inchne your 
 ear, and come unto me ; hear, and your soul 
 shall live ; and I will make an everlasting 
 covenant with you, even the sure mercies of 
 David. Seek ye the Lord while he may be 
 found : call ye upon him while he is near. 
 Let the wicked forsake his way, and the 
 unrighteous man his thoughts, and let him 
 return unto the Lord, and he will have 
 mercy upon him ; and to our God, for he 
 will abundantly pardon." Isa. ^5 : 2-7 ; and 
 so chap. 1 : lG-18. 
 
 And when you would not hear, what com- 
 plaints have you caused him to bring against 
 you ? charging it on you as your wilfulness 
 and stubbornness. " Be astonished, O hea- 
 vens,#at this, and be horribly afraid ; for my 
 people have committed two evils ; they have 
 forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, 
 
 15*
 
 174 A CALL TO iDoct. 7. 
 
 and hewed them out cisterns, broken cis- 
 terns, that can hold no water." Jer. 2 : 12, 
 13. Many a time hath Christ proclaimed 
 that free invitation to you, *' Let him that is 
 athirst come, and whosoever will, let him 
 take the water of Hfe freely." Rev. 22 : 17 
 But you put him to complain, after all his 
 offers, *' They will not come to me, that they 
 may have life." John, 5 : 40. He hath invi- 
 ted you to feast with him in the kingdom of 
 his grace, and you have had excuses from 
 3^our grounds, and • your cattle, and your 
 worldly business ; and when you w^ould not 
 come, you have said you could not, and pro- 
 voked him to resolve that you should never 
 taste of his supper. Luke, 14 : 16-25. And 
 who is it the fault of now but yourselves ? 
 and what can you say is the chief cause of 
 your damnation but your own wills? yon 
 would be damned. The whole case is laid 
 open by Christ himself. *' Wisdom crieth 
 without, she uttereth her voice in the streets ; 
 she crieth in the chief place of concourse — 
 How long, ye simple ones, wnll ye love sim- 
 plicity, and the scorners delight i{i their 
 scorning, and fools hate knowledge ? Turn 
 ye at my reproof. Behold, I will pour out
 
 Doct7.) THE UNCONVERTED. 175 
 
 my Spirit upon you, I will make known my 
 words unto you. Because I have called, 
 and ye refused ; I have stretched out my 
 hands, and no man regarded ; but ye have 
 set at naught all my counsel, and would 
 none of my reproof. I also will laugh at 
 your calamity, I will mock when your fear 
 Cometh ; when your fear cometh as desola- 
 tion, and your destruction cometh as a whirl- 
 wind ; when distress and anguish cometh 
 upon you, then shall the}^ call upon me, but 
 I will not answer ; they shall seek me early, 
 but they shall not find me, for that they 
 hated knowledge, and did not choose the 
 fear of the Lord. They would none of my 
 counsel; they despised all my reproof; 
 therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their 
 own way, and be filled with their own de- 
 vices. For the turning away of the simple 
 shall slay them, and the prosperity of fools 
 shall destroy them. But whoso hearkencth 
 to me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet 
 from the fear of evil." Prov. 1 : 20-33. I 
 thought best to recite the whole text at 
 large to you, because it doth so fully show 
 the cause of the destruction of the wicked. 
 It is not because God would not teach them.
 
 17G A CALL TO (Doct. 7 
 
 but because they would not learn. It is not 
 because God would not call them, but be- 
 cause they would not turn at his reproof. 
 Their wilfulness is their undoing. 
 
 From what hath been said, you may fur- 
 ther learn these following things : 
 
 1. From hence you may see not only 
 what blasphemy and impiety it is to lay the 
 blame of men's destruction upon God, but 
 also how unfit these wicked wretches are to 
 bring in such a charge against their Maker ! 
 They cry out upon God, and say that he 
 gives them no grace, and that his threaten- 
 ings are severe, and that it is unreasonable 
 that all should be condemned who are not 
 converted and sanctified ; and they think it 
 hard measure that a short sin should have 
 an endless suffering ; and if they be damned 
 they say they cannot help it, when in the 
 meantime they are bringing about their own 
 destruction, even the destruction of their 
 own souls, and will not be persuaded to 
 hold their hands. They think God were 
 cruel if he should condemn them, and yet 
 they are so cruel to themselves that they 
 will run into the fire of hell, when God hath
 
 Doct. 7.) THE UNCONVERTED. 177 
 
 told them it is but a little before them ; and 
 ueither entreaties nor threatenings, nor any 
 thing that can be said, will stop them. 
 
 We see them almost undone ; their care- 
 less, worldly, fleshly lives tell us that they 
 are in the power of the devil ; we know, 
 if they die before they are converted all 
 the world cannot save them ; and knowing 
 the uncertainty of their lives, we are afraid 
 every day lest they drop into the fire ; and 
 therefore we entreat them to pity their own 
 souls, and not to undo themselves when 
 mercy is at hand, but they will not hear us. 
 We entreat thefn to cast away their sin, and 
 come to Christ without delay, and to have 
 some mercy on themselves, but they will 
 have none ; and yet they think that God 
 must be cruel if he condemn them. 
 
 O wilful miserable sinners ! it is not God 
 that is cruel to you, it is you that are cruel 
 to yourselves ; you are told you must turn 
 or burn, and yet you turn not. You are told 
 that if you will needs keep your sins, you 
 shall keep the curse of God with them, and 
 yet you will keep them. You are told that 
 there is no way to happiness but by holiness, 
 and 3'et you will not be holy. What would
 
 178 A CALL TO (Doct,7. 
 
 YOU have God say more to you ? What 
 would you have him do with his mercy ? He 
 offereth it to you, and you will not have it. 
 You are in the ditch of sin and misery, and 
 he w^ould give you his hand to help you out, 
 and 3^ou refuse his help ; he would cleanse 
 you of your sins, and you had rather keep 
 them ; 3"ou love your lust, and love your 
 gluttony, and sports, and drunkenness, and 
 will not let them go. Would you have him 
 bring you to heaven whether you will or 
 not ? Or would you have him bring you 
 and vour sins to heaven tosrether? That is 
 an impossibility ; 3"ou may as well expect 
 lie should turn the sun into darkness. What ! 
 an unsanctified fleshly heart be in heaven! 
 it cannot be. There entereth into it nothing 
 that is unclean. Rev. 21 : 27. " For what 
 communion hath lis^ht with darkness, or 
 Christ with Behal ?" "All the day long 
 hath he stretched out his hands to a diso- 
 bedient and gainsaying people." 2 Cor. 6 : 
 14, 15; Rom. 10:21. 
 
 What will YOU do now ? Will you cry to 
 God for mercy ? Why, God calleth upon you 
 to have mercy upon yourselves, and you 
 will not ! Ministers see the poisoned cup m
 
 Do^t. 7.) THE UNCONVERTED. 179 
 
 the drunkard's hand, and tell him there is 
 j)oison in it, and desire him to have mercy 
 on his soul, and forbear, and he will not hear 
 us ! Drink it he must and will ; he loves it, 
 and therefore, though hell comes next, he 
 saith he cannot help it. What should one 
 say to such men as these ? We tell the un- 
 godly careless worldling, it is not such a 
 life that will serve the turn, or ever bring 
 you to heaven. If a lion were at your back 
 you would mend your pace ; and when the 
 curse of God is at your back, and Satan 
 and hell are at your back, will you not stir, 
 but ask. What need of all this ado ? Is an 
 immortal soul of no more worth? O have 
 mercy upon yourselves ! But they will have 
 no mercy on themselves, nor once regard 
 us. We tell them the end will be bitter. 
 Who can dwell with everlasting fire ? And 
 yet they w^ill have no mercy on themselves. 
 Still will these shameless transgressors say 
 that God IS more merciful than to condemn 
 them, when it is themselves that cruelly and 
 unmercifully run upon condemnation ; and 
 if we should go to them and entreat them, we 
 cannot stop them ; if we should fall on our 
 knees to them we cannot stop them, but to
 
 ISO A CALL TO (DocU7. 
 
 hell they will go, and yet will not believe 
 that they are going thither. 
 
 If we beg of them, for the sake of God 
 that made them, and preserveth them ; for 
 the sake of Christ that died for them ; for 
 the sake of their own souls, to pity them- 
 selves, and go no further in the way to hell, 
 but come to Christ while his arms are open, 
 and enter into the state of life while the door 
 stands open, and now take mercy while 
 mercy may be had, they will not be per- 
 suaded. If we should die for it, we cannot 
 so much as get them now and then to con- 
 sider with themselves of the matter, and 
 turn ; and yet they can say, "I hope God 
 will be merciful." Did you never consider 
 what he saith, Isa. 27 : 11, " It is a people 
 of no understanding; therefore he that made 
 them will not have mercy on them, and he 
 that formed them will show them no favor." 
 If another man will not clothe you when 
 you are naked, and feed you when you are 
 hungry, you will say he is unmerciful. If 
 he should cast you into prison, or beat and 
 torment you, you would say he is unmerci- 
 ful : and yet you will do a thousand times 
 more against yourselves, even cast away
 
 Doct. 7.) THE UNCONVERTED. ISl 
 
 both soul and body for ever, and never com- 
 plain of your own unmercifulness ! Yea, and 
 God that waited upon you all the while 
 with his mercy, must be taken to be unmer- 
 ciful, if he punish you after all this. Unless 
 the holy God of heaven will give these un- 
 godly men leave to trample upon Jbis Son's 
 blood, and with the Jews, as it were, again 
 to spit in his face, and do despite to the Spi- 
 rit of grace, and make a jest of sin, and a 
 mock at holiness, and set more light by 
 saving mercy than by their fleshly pleasures ; 
 and unless, after all this, he will save them 
 by the mercy which they cast awav, and 
 would have none of, God himself must be 
 railed unmerciful by them ! But he will be 
 justified when he judgeth, and he will not 
 stand or fall at the bar of a sinful worm. 
 
 I know there are many particular cavils 
 that are brought by them against the Lord ; 
 but I shall not here stay to answer them 
 particularly, having done it already in mv 
 Treatise of Judgment, to which I shall lefer 
 them. Had the disputing part of the world 
 been as careful to avoid sin and destruction 
 as they have been busy in searching after 
 the cause of them, and forward indirectly to 
 
 B. CaU. 16
 
 182 A CALL TO (Doct. 7. 
 
 impute them to God, they might have ex- 
 ercised their wits more profitably, and have 
 less wronged God, and sped better them- 
 selves. When so ugly a monster as sin is 
 within us, and so heavy a thing as punish- 
 ment is on us, and so dreadful a thing as 
 hell is before us, one would think it would 
 be an easy quesiton who is in the fault; 
 whether God or man be the principal or 
 culpable cause. Some men are such favor- 
 able judges of themselves, that they are 
 more prone to accuse infinite perfection 
 and goodness itself, than their own hearts, 
 and imitate their first parents, who said, 
 *' The serpent tempted me; and the woman 
 that thou gavest me gave unto me, and I 
 did eat ;" secretly imptying that God was 
 the cause. So sav thev, " The understand- 
 ing that thou gavest me was unable to dis- 
 cern ; the will that thou gavest me was un- 
 able to make a better choice ; the objects 
 which thou didst set before me did entice 
 me ; the temptations which thou didst per- 
 mit to assault me prevailed against me," 
 And some are so loth to think that God can 
 make a self-determining creature, that they 
 dare not deny him that which they take to
 
 Doct. 7.) THE UNCONVERTED. 183 
 
 be his prerogative, lo be the determiner 
 of the will in every sin, as the first effi- 
 cient immediate physical cause ; and many 
 could be content to acquit God from so 
 much causing of evil, if they could but re- 
 concile it with his being the chief cause of 
 good; as if truths would be no longer truths 
 than we are able to see them in their per- 
 fect order and coherence ; because our ra- 
 velled wits cannot set them right together, 
 nor assign each truth its proper place, wo 
 presume to conclude that some must be cast 
 away. This is the fruit of proud self-con- 
 ceitedness, when men receive not God's 
 truth as children, in holy submission to the 
 omniscience of our Teacher, but as censur- 
 ers that are too wise to learn. 
 
 Objection. But w^e cannot convert ourseh^es 
 till God convert us ; we can do nothing with- 
 out his grace ; it is not of him that willeth, 
 nor of him that runneth, but of God that 
 showeth mercy. 
 
 Answer 1. God hath two detrrees of mercv 
 to show ; the mercy of conversion first, and 
 the mercy of salvation last ; the latter he 
 will give to none but those that will and noi, 
 and hath promised it to them only. The
 
 1S4' A CALL TO ( Doct. 7 
 
 former is to make them willing that are un- 
 willing ; and though vour own willingness 
 and endeavors deserve not his grace, yet 
 your wilful refusal deserveth that it should 
 be denied to you. Your disability is your 
 very unwillingness itself, which excuseth 
 not vour sin, but maketh it the greater. You 
 could turn if you were but truly willing ; 
 and if your wills themselves are so corrupt- 
 ed that nothing but effectual grace will move 
 them, you have the more cause to seek for 
 that grace, and yield to it, and do what you 
 can in the use of means, and not neglect it 
 and set yourselves against it. Do what you 
 are able first, and then complain of God for 
 denying you grace, if you have cause. 
 
 Objection. But you seem to intimate all thi? 
 while that man hath free will. 
 
 Answer 1. The dispute about free will is 
 beyond your capacity ; I shall therefore 
 now trouble you with no more but this about 
 it. Your will is naturallv a free, that is, a 
 self-determining faculty ; but it is viciously 
 inclined, and backward to do good ; and 
 therefore we see, by sad experience, that 
 it hath not a virtuous moral freedom ; but 
 this is tlie wickedness of it which deserv-
 
 Doct.7.) THE UNCONVERTED. 1S5 
 
 clh the punishment; and I pray you let us 
 not befool ourselves with opinions. Let the 
 case be your own. If you had an enemy 
 who was so malicious as to fall upon you, 
 and beat you, or take away the lives of your 
 children^ would you excuse him because he 
 said I have not free will : it is my nature, I 
 cannot choose unless God give me grace "? If 
 you had a servant that robbed you, would 
 you take such an answer from him ? Might 
 not every thief and murderer that is hanged 
 at the assize give such an answer : I have 
 not free w'ill ; I cannot change my own 
 heart; what can I do without God's grace? 
 and shall they therefore be acquitted? If 
 not, why then should you think to be acquit- 
 ted for a course of sin against the Lord ? 
 
 2. From hence also you may observe these 
 three things together: — 1. What a subtle 
 tempter Satan is. 2. What a deceitful thing 
 sin is. 3. What a foolish corrupted creature 
 man is. A subtle tempter, indeed, that can 
 persuade the greatest part of the world to 
 go into everlasting fire, when they have so 
 many warnings and dissuasives as the}^ 
 have! A deceitful thing is sin, indeed, that 
 can bewitch so many thousands to part
 
 1S6 A CALL TO (DcKf. 7 
 
 with everlasting life for a thing so base and 
 utterly unworthy ! A foolish creature is 
 man, indeed, that will be cheated of his 
 salvation for nothing, yea, for a known no- 
 thing ; and that by an enemy, and a known 
 enemv. You would think it impossible that 
 any man in his senses should be persuaded 
 for a trifle to cast himself into the fire, or 
 water, or into a coal-pit, to the destruction 
 of his life ; and yet men will be enticed to 
 cast themselves into hell. If your natural 
 lives were in 3'our own hand, that you 
 should not die till you would kill your- 
 selves, how long would most of you live? 
 And yet, when everlasting life is so far in 
 your own hands, under God, that you cannot 
 be undone till you undo ^"ourselves, how few 
 of you will forbear your own undoing? Ah, 
 what a silly thing is man ! and what a be- 
 witching and befooling thing is sin ! 
 
 3. From hence, also, you may learn, that 
 it is no great wonder if wicked men be hin- 
 derers of others in the way to heaven, and 
 would have as many unconverted as thev 
 can, and would draw^ them into sin, and keep 
 them in it. Can you expect that they should 
 have mere}' on others, that have none upon
 
 Tlocr. 7.) THL UXCONVERTCn. 1S7 
 
 themselves? n.nd that they should liesitato 
 much at the destruction of others, that liesi- 
 tato not to destroy themselves ? They do 
 no worse bv otlicrs than thev do hy tlieni- 
 selves. 
 
 4. Lastly, You may hence learn that the 
 greatest enemy to man is himself; and th<.' 
 greatest judgment in this life that can befall 
 him, is to be left to himself; and that the 
 great work that grace hath to do, is to sav(; 
 us from ourselves ; and that the greatest ac- 
 cusatit)ns and complaints of men should be 
 against themselves ; and that the greatest 
 work we have to do ourselves, is to resist 
 ourselves; and the greatest enemy that we 
 should daily pray, and watch, and strive? 
 against, is our own carnal hearts and wills ; 
 and the greatest part of your work, if yon 
 would do good to others, and help them to 
 heaven, is to save them from Uiemselves, 
 (!ven from their own blind understandings, 
 and corrupted wills, and perverse affections, 
 and violent passions, and unruly senses. 1 
 only name all these for brevity's sake, and 
 leave them to your further consideration. 
 
 Well, sirs, now we have fcnmd out the G;reai
 
 ISS A CALL TO (Poet. 7 
 
 delinquent and murderer of souls, (even 
 men's selves, their own wills,) what remains 
 but that you judge according to the evidence, 
 and confess this great iniquity before the 
 Lord, and be humbled for it, and do so no 
 more ? To these three ends distinctly I shall 
 add a few words more. 1. Further to con- 
 vince vou. 2. To humble vou. And, 3. To 
 reform you, if there 3^et be any hope. 
 
 1. We know so much of the exceeding 
 gracious nature of God, who is willing to do 
 good, and delighteth to show mercy, that 
 we have no reason to suspect him of being 
 the culpable cause of our death, or to call 
 him cruel: he made all good, and he pre- 
 serveth and maintaineth all ; the eyes of all 
 wait upon him, and he giveth them their 
 meat in due season ; he openeth his hand, 
 and satisfieth the desires of all the living. 
 Psalm 145 : 15, IG. He is not only righ- 
 teous in all his ways, and therefore will deal 
 justly ; and holy in all his works, and there- 
 fore not the author of sin, but he is also good 
 to all, and his tender mercies are over all 
 his works. Psalm 145 : 17, 19. 
 
 But as for man, we know his mind is 
 dark, his will perverse, and liis affections
 
 Doot. 7.) THE UNCONVERTED. ISO 
 
 carry him so headlong, that he is fitted by 
 his folly and corruption to such a work as the 
 destroying of himself. If you saw a lamb 
 lie killed in the way, would j^ou sooner sus- 
 ]>ect the sheep or the wolf to be the author 
 of it, if they both stand by ? Or if you see 
 a house broken open, and the people mur- 
 dered, would you sooner suspect the prince 
 or judge, that is wise and just, and had no 
 need, or a known thief or murderer? I say, 
 therefore, as James, 1 : 13-15, " Let no man 
 say, when he is tempted, that he is tempted 
 of God, for God cannot be tempted with 
 evil, neither tempteth he any man, (to draw 
 him to sin,) but every man is tempted when 
 he is drawn away of his own lust and en- 
 ticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it 
 bringeth forth sin ; and sin, when it is finish- 
 ed, bringeth forth death." You see here that 
 sin is the ofi'spring of your own concupi- 
 scence, and not to be charged on God ; and 
 that death is the oftsprmg of your own sin, 
 ;md the IVuit which it will yield 3^ou as soon 
 ;is it is ripe. You have a treasure of evil in 
 yourselves, as a spider hath of poison, from 
 whence you are bringing forth hurt to your- 
 selves, and spinning such webs as entanirlo
 
 190 A CALL TO (Doct.7. 
 
 your own souls. Your nature shows it is 
 you that are the cause. 
 
 2. It is evident that you are 3^our own de- 
 stroyers, in that you are so ready to enter- 
 tain any temptation almost that is offered to 
 you. Satan is scarcely more ready to move 
 you to any evil, than you are ready to hear 
 and to do as he would have you. If he 
 would tempt your understanding to error 
 and prejudice, you yield. If he would hin- 
 der you from good resolutions, it is soon 
 done. If he would cool any good desires or 
 aftections, it is soon done. If he would kin- 
 dle any lust, or vile affections and desires in 
 3^ou, it is soon done. If he will put you on 
 to evil thoughts, words or deeds, you are so 
 free that he needs no rod or spur. If he 
 w^ould keep you from holy thoughts, and 
 words and ways, a little does it, you need 
 no curb. You examine not his suggestions, 
 nor resist them with any resolution, nor cast 
 them out as he casts them in, nor quench 
 the sparks which he endeavoreth to kindle ; 
 but vou set in with him, and meet him half 
 way, and embrace his motions, and tempt 
 him to tempt you. And it is eas}^ for him 
 to catch such greedy fish that are ranging
 
 Doct 7.) THE UNCONVERTED. 
 
 191 
 
 for a bait, and will take the bare hook. 
 3. Your destruction is evidently of your- 
 selves, in that you resist all that would help 
 to save you, and would do you good, or 
 hinder 3^ou from undoing yourselves. God 
 would help and save you by his word, and 
 you resist it; it is too strict for you. He 
 would sanctify you by his Spirit, and you 
 resist and quench it. If any man reprove 
 you for your sin, you fly in his face with 
 evil words ; and if he would draw you to a 
 holy life, and tell you of your present dan- 
 ger, you give him little thanks, but either 
 bid him look to himself, he will not have to 
 answer for you ; or at best you put him off 
 with heartless thanks, and will not turn when 
 3^ou are entreated. If ministers would pri- 
 vately instruct and help you, you will not 
 come to them; your unhumbled souls feel 
 but little need of their help ; if they would 
 teach you, you are too old to be taught, 
 though you are not too old to be ignorant 
 and unholy. Whatever they can say to you 
 for your good, you are so self-conceited 
 and wise in your own eyes, even in the 
 depth of ignorance, that you will regard no- 
 tning that agreeth not with your present con-
 
 192 A CALL TO (Doct. 7 
 
 ceits, but contradict vour teachers, as if vou 
 were wiser than they ; you resist all that 
 the}' can say to you, by your ignorance, and 
 wilfulness, and foolish cavils, and shifting 
 evasions, and unthankful rejections, so that 
 no good that is offered can find any welcome, 
 or acceptance, or entertainment with you. 
 
 4. Moreover, it is apparent that you are 
 self-destroyers, in that vou " draw the mat- 
 ter of your sin and destruction even from 
 the blessed God himself" You hke not the 
 contrivances of his wisdom ; you like not 
 his justice, but take it for crueUy ; you like 
 not his holiness, but are ready to think he is 
 such a one as yourselves, Psalm 50 : 21. and 
 makes as light of sin as you do ; yon like 
 not his truth, but would have his threaten- 
 ings, even his peremptory threatening?^, 
 prove false ; and his goodness, which vou 
 seem most highly to approve, you partly re- 
 sist, as it would lead you to repentance ; and 
 partly abuse, to the strengthening of youi- 
 sin, as if vou mio-ht more freely sin because 
 (Jod is merciful, and because his grace doth 
 so much abound. 
 
 5. Yea, you draw down destruction even 
 from the blessed Redeemer, and death from
 
 DocU7.) THE UNCONVERTED. 19o 
 
 the Lord of lif(3 himself! and nothing more 
 emboldcneth you in sin, than that Christ hath 
 died tor you ; as if now the danger of death 
 were over, and you might boldly venture ; 
 as if Christ were become a servant to Satan 
 and your sins, and must wait upon you 
 while you are abusing him ; and because 
 he is become the Ph3^sician of souls, and is 
 able to save to the uttermost all that come 
 to God by him, you think he must suffer you 
 to refuse his help, and throw away his re- 
 medies, and must save you whether you will 
 come to God by him or not : so that a great 
 part of your sins are occasioned by your bold 
 presumption upon the death of Christ, not 
 considering that he came to redeem his peo- 
 ple from their sins, and to sanctify them a 
 peculiar people to himself, and to conform 
 them in holiness to the image of their hea- 
 venly Father, and to their head. Matt. 1 : 
 21 ; Tit. 2 : 14 ; 1 Pet. 1 : 15, IG ; Col. 3 : 
 10, 11 ; Phil. 3 : 9, 10. * 
 
 0. You also draw your own destruction 
 from all the providences and works of God. 
 When you think of his eternal fore-know- 
 ledge and decrees, it is to harden you in 
 your sin, or possess your minds with quar- 
 
 U. CaU. 17
 
 194 A CALL TO (Doct. 7 
 
 relling thoughts, as if his decrees might 
 spare you the labor of repentance and a holy 
 life, or else were the cause of your sin and 
 death. If he afflict you, you repine ; if he 
 prosper you, you the more forget him, and 
 are the more backward to the thoughts of 
 the life to come. If the wicked prosper, you 
 forget the end that will set all reckonings 
 straight, and are ready to think it is as good 
 to be wicked as godly ; and thus you draw 
 your death from all. 
 
 7. And you pervert to your ruin all the 
 creatures and mercies of God to you. He 
 giveth them to you as the tokens of his love 
 and furniture for his service, and you turn 
 them against him, to the pleasing of your 
 flesh. You eat and drink to please your ap- 
 petite, and not for the glor}^ of God and to 
 enable you to perform his work. Your clothes 
 3^ou abuse to pride ; 3^our riches draw your 
 hearts from heaven, Phil. 3:18; your ho- 
 nors and appl5.use puff you up ; if you have 
 health and strength, it makes you more se- 
 cure, and you forget your end. Yea, other 
 men's mercies are abused by you to your 
 hurt. If you see their honors and dignity, 
 you are provoked to envy them ; if you see
 
 Doct.7.) THE UNCONVERTED. 195 
 
 their riches, you are ready to covet them ; if 
 you look upon beauty, you are stirred up to 
 lust ; and it is well if godliness itself be not 
 an eye-sore to you. 
 
 8. The very gifts that God bestoweth on 
 you, and the ordinances of grace which he 
 hath instituted for his church, 3'ou turn to 
 sin. If you have better parts than others, you 
 grow proud and self-conceited ; if you have 
 but common gifts, you take them for special 
 grace. You take the bare hearing of 3'our 
 duty for so good a work, as if it would ex- 
 cuse you for not obeying it. Your prayers 
 are turned into sin, because you *' regard 
 iniquity in your hearts," and depart not from 
 iniquity when you call on the name of the 
 Lord. Psalm 66 : IS ; 2 Tim. 2 : 19. Your 
 *' prayers are abominable, because you turn 
 away your ear from hearing the law," and 
 are more ready to offer the sacrifice of fools, 
 thinking you do God some special service, 
 than to hear his word and obey it. Pro v. 
 28 : 9 ; Eccles. 5 : 1. 
 
 9. Yea, the persons that j^ou converse 
 with, and all their actions, you make the oc- 
 casions of your sin and destruction. If thev 
 live in the fear of God, you hate them. If
 
 196 A CALL TO (Doct. 7 
 
 they live ungodly, you imitate them ; if the 
 wicked are many, you think you may the 
 more boldly follow them ; if the godly bo 
 few, 3-0U are the more emboldened to des- 
 pise them. If they walk exactly, you think 
 they are too precise ; if one of them fall in a 
 particular temptation, you stumble and turn 
 away from holiness because others are im- 
 perfectly holy ; as if you were warranted to 
 break your necks because some others have, 
 by their heedlessness, sprained a sinew or 
 put out a bone. If a h3^pocrite discover him- 
 self, 3^ou say, " They are all alike," and 
 think yourselves as honest as the best. A 
 professor can scarce slip into any miscar- 
 riage, but because he cuts his linger you 
 think you may boldly cut your throats. If 
 ministers deal plainly with you, j^ou say they 
 rail. If they speak gently or coldly, you 
 either sleep under them, or are little more 
 affected than the seats you sit upon. If any 
 errors creep into the church, some greedi- 
 ly entertain them, and others reproach the 
 christian doctrine for them, which is most 
 nirainst them. And ifw^e would draw you 
 from any ancient rooted error, which can 
 but plead two, or three, or six, or seven hun-
 
 Doct. 7.) THE UNCONVERTED. 197 
 
 dred years' custom, you are as much offend- 
 ed with a motion for reformation as if you 
 were to lose your life by it, and hold fast old 
 errors, while you cry out against new ones. 
 Scarce a difference can arise among the 
 ministers of the Gospel but you will draw 
 your own death from it ; and you will not 
 hear, or at least not obey, the unquestion- 
 able doctrine of any of those that agree not 
 with your conceits. One will not hear a min- 
 ister because he readeth his sermons ; an- 
 other will not hear him because he doth not 
 read them. One will not hear him because 
 he saith the Lord's prayer ; and another will 
 not hear him because he doth not use it. 
 One will not hear them that are for episco- 
 pacy ; and another will not hear them that 
 are against it. And thus I might show 
 you in many other cases, how you turn all 
 that comes near you to your own destruc- 
 tion ; so clear is it that the ungodly are self- 
 destroyers, and that their perdition is of 
 themselves. 
 
 Methinks now, upon the consideration of 
 what is said, and the review of your own 
 ways, you should bethink you what you 
 
 17*
 
 198 A CALL TO (Doct7 
 
 have done, and be ashamed and deeply 
 Mimhled to remember it. If you be not, I 
 pray you consider these following truths : 
 
 1. To be your own destro3^ers is to sin 
 against the deepest principle in your na- 
 tures, even the principle of self-preservation. 
 Every thing naturally desireth or inclineth 
 to its own felicity, welfare or perfection ; 
 and will you set yourselves to your own de- 
 struction V When you are commanded to 
 love your neighbors as yourselves, it is sup- 
 posed that you naturally love yourselves ; 
 but if you love your neighbors no better than 
 yourselves, it seems you would have all the 
 world to be damned. 
 
 2. How extremely do you cross your own 
 intentions ! I know you intend not your 
 own damnation, even when you are procu- 
 ring it ; you think you are but doing good to 
 yourselves, by gratifying the desires of your 
 flesh. But, alas, it is but as a draught of cold 
 water in a burning fever, or as the scratch- 
 ing of an itching wild-fire, which increaseth 
 the disease and pain. If indeed you would 
 have pleasure, profit or honor, seek them 
 where they are to be found, and do not hunt 
 after them in the way to hell.
 
 Doct.7.) THE Ux\COXVERTED. 109 
 
 3. What pity is it that you should do 
 that against yourselves which none else on 
 earth or in hell can do ! If all the world 
 were combined against you, or all the devils 
 in hell were combined against you, they 
 could not destroy you without yourselves, 
 nor make you sin but by your own consent : 
 and will you do that against yourselves 
 which no one else can do? You have hate- 
 ful thoughts of the devil, because he is your 
 enemy, and endcavoreth your destruction ; 
 and will you be worse than devils to your- 
 selves ? Why thus it is with you, if you 
 had hearts to understand it : when you run 
 into sin, and run from godliness, and refuse 
 to turn at the call of God, you do more 
 against your own souls than men or devils 
 could do besides ; and if you should set 
 yourselves and bend your wits to do your- 
 selves the greatest mischief, you could not 
 devise to do a greater. 
 
 4. You are false to the trust that God hath 
 reposed in vou. He hath much intrusted you 
 with your own salvation ; and will you be- 
 tray your trust? He hath set you, with all 
 diligence, to keep your hearts ; and is this 
 the keeping of them ? Prov. 4 : 23.
 
 200 A CALL To (Doct.7 
 
 5. You do even forbid all others to pity 
 you, when you will have no pity on 3^our- 
 selves. If you cry to God in the day of 
 your calamit}'' for mercy, mercy ; what can 
 3'ou expect, but that he should thrust 3'ou 
 away, and say, " Nay, thou wouldst not 
 have mercy on th3rself: who brought this 
 upon thee but thy own wilfulness?" And 
 if your brethren see 3^ou everlastingly in 
 misery, how shall they pity you that were 
 your own destroyers, and would not be dis- 
 suaded ? 
 
 6. It will everlastingly make you your 
 own tormentors in hell, to think that 3^ou 
 brought yourselves wilfully to that miser}'. 
 O what a piercing thought it will be for ever 
 to think with yourselves that this was your 
 own doing ! that 3^ou were warned of this 
 da}^, and warned again, but it would not do ; 
 that you wilfully sinned, and wilfully turned 
 away from God ! that you had time as well 
 as others, but you abused it ; you had teach- 
 ers as well as others, but 3'ou refused their 
 instruction ; 3'ou had holy examples, but 
 you did not imitate them ; you were offered 
 Christ, and grace, and glory, as well as 
 others, but you had more mind to 3^our flesh-
 
 Doct. 7.) THE UNCONVERTED. 201 
 
 ly pleasures ! you had a price in your hands, 
 but you had not a heart to lay it out. Prov. 
 17 : IG. Can it fail to torment you to think 
 of this your present follv ? O that your eyes 
 were open to s(3C what you have done in the 
 wilful wronging of your own souls ! and that 
 you better understood these words of God, 
 " Hear instruction and be wise, and refuse 
 it not. Blessed is the man that heareth me, 
 watching daily at my gates, waiting at tlie 
 2")0Sts of my doors : lor whoso lindeth me 
 iindeth life, and shall obtain favor of the 
 Lord. But he that sinneth against mc, 
 wrongeth his own soul. All they that hate 
 me love death." Prov. 8 : 33, 36. 
 
 And now I am come to tlic conclusion of 
 this work, my heart is troubled to think how 
 1 shall leave you, lest after this the flesh 
 should still deceive you, and the world and 
 tlie devil should keep you asleep, and I 
 should leave you as I found you, till 3'ou 
 awake in hell. Though in care of your poor 
 souls, I am afraid of this, as knowing the 
 obstinacy of a carnal heart ; yet I can say 
 with the prophet Jeremiah, "I have not de- 
 sired the woful day, thou Lord knowest."
 
 202 A CALL TO (Doct. 7. 
 
 17 : IG. I have not, with James and John, 
 desired that "file might come from heaven'* 
 to consume them that refused Jesus Christ. 
 Luke, 9 : 54. But it is the preventing of the 
 eternal fire that I have been all this while 
 endeavorinc: : and O that it had been a need- 
 less work ! that God and conscience might 
 have been as willing to spare me this labor 
 as some of vou could have been. Dear 
 friends, I am so loth that you should lie in 
 everlasting fire, and be shut out of heaven, 
 if it be possible to prevent it, that I shall 
 once more ask you, what do you now re- 
 solve ? Will you turn, or die ? I look upon 
 you as a physician on his patient in a dan- 
 gerous disease, that saith to him, " Though 
 3^ou are far gone, take but this medicine, 
 and forbear but these few things that are 
 hurtful to you, and I dare warrant your life ; 
 but if 3^ou will not do this you are but a 
 dead man." What would you think of such 
 a man, if the physician, and all the friends 
 he hath, cannot persuade him to take one 
 medicine to save his life, or to forbear one 
 or two poisonous things that would kill him ? 
 This is your case. As far as you are gone 
 in s.in, do but now turn and come to Christ,
 
 DocL7.) THE UNCONVERTED. 203 
 
 and take his remedies, and your souls shall 
 live. Cast up your deadly sins by repent- 
 ance, and return not to the poisonous vomit 
 any more, and you shall do well. But yet, 
 if it were your bodies that we had to deal 
 with, we might partly know what to do for 
 you. Though you would not consent, yet 
 you might be held or bound while the me- 
 dicine was poured down your throats, and 
 hurtful things might be kept from you. But 
 about your souls it cannot be so ; we cannot 
 convert you against your wills. There is 
 no carrying madmen to heaven in fetters. 
 You may be condemned against your wills, 
 because you sinned with your wills ; but 
 you cannot be saved against your wills. 
 The wisdom of God has thought meet to lay 
 men's salvation or destruction exceedinfr 
 much upon the choice of their own will, that 
 no man shall come to heaven that chose not 
 the way to heaven ; and no man shall come 
 to hell, but shall be forced to say, " I have 
 the thing I chose, my own will did bring me 
 hither." Now, if I could but get you to be 
 willing, to be thoroughly, and resolvedly, 
 and habitually willing, the work were more 
 than half done. And alas ! must we lose
 
 204 A CALL TO (Doct 7 
 
 our friends, and must they lose their God, 
 their happiness, their souls, for want of this V 
 O God forbid I It is a strange thing to me 
 that men are so unnatural and stupid in the 
 greatest matters, who in lesser things are 
 civil and courteous, and good neighbors. 
 
 For aught I know, I have the love of all, 
 
 or almost all my neighbors, so far, that if I 
 
 should send to any man in the town, or 
 
 parish, or county, and request a reasonable 
 
 courtesy of them, they would grant it me ; 
 
 and yet when I come to request of them the 
 
 greatest matter in the world, for themselves 
 
 and not for me, I can have nothing of many 
 
 of them but a patient hearing. I know not 
 
 whether people think a man in the pulpit 
 
 is in good earnest or not, and means as he 
 
 speaks ; for I think I have few neighbors ; but 
 
 if I were sitting familiarly with them, and 
 
 telling them what I have seen and done, or 
 
 known in the world, they would believe me 
 
 and regard what I say ; but when I tell them, 
 
 from the infallible word of God, w^hat they 
 
 tliemselves shall see and know in the world 
 
 to come, they show by their lives that they 
 
 do either not believe it or not much regard 
 
 it. If I met any one of them on the way,
 
 Doct. 7.) THE UiVCOiWERTED. 205 
 
 and told them yonder is a coal-pit, or there 
 is a quicksand, or there are thieves lying in 
 wait for you, I could persuade them to turn 
 by ; but when I tell them that Satan lieth in 
 wait for them, and that sin is poison to them, 
 and that hell is not a matter to be jested 
 with, they go on as if they did not hear me. 
 Truly, neighbors, I am in as good earnest 
 with you in the pulpit as I am in any fami- 
 liar discourse ; and if ever j^ou will regard 
 me, I beseech you let it be here. 
 
 I think there is not a man of you all, but, 
 if my own soul lay at your wills, you would 
 be willing to save it, though I cannot pro- 
 mise that 3"ou would leave your sins for it. 
 Tell me, thou drunkard, art thou so cruel to 
 me, that thou wouldst not forbear a few 
 cups of drink, if thou knewest it would save 
 my soul from hell'/ Hadst thou rather that I 
 did burn there for ever than thou shouldst 
 live soberly as other men do ? If so, may I 
 not say, thou art an unmerciful monster, and 
 not a man i If I came hunirry or naked to 
 
 CD J 
 
 one of your doors, would you not part with 
 more than a cup of drink to relieve me ? I 
 am confident vou would. If it were to save 
 my life, I know you would f some of you, 
 
 D. Call. 18
 
 206 A CALL TO (Doct-7. 
 
 hazard 3'our own ; and yet will you not be 
 entreated to part with your sensual plea- 
 sures for 3'our own salvation ? Wouldst 
 thou forbear a hundred cups of drink to 
 save my life, if it were in thy power, and 
 wilt thou not do it to save thy own soul ? 
 I profess to ^-ou, sirs, I am as hearty a beg- 
 gar with you this day for the saving of your 
 own souls, as I would be for my own sup- 
 ply, if I were forced to come begging to 
 your doors; and therefore if you w^ould 
 hear me then, hear me now. If you would 
 pity me then, be entreated now to pity 
 yourselves. I do again beseech you, as if it 
 were on my bended knees, that you would 
 hearken to 3'our Redeemer, and turn, that 
 you may live. 
 
 All 3'OU that have lived in ignorance, and 
 carelessness, and presumption, to this day ; 
 all you that have been drow^ned in the cares 
 of the world, and have no mind of God and 
 eternal glory ; all you that are enslaved to 
 your fleshly desires of meats and drinks, 
 sports and lusts ; and all you that know not 
 the necessity of holiness, and never were 
 acquainted with the sanctifying w^ork of the 
 Holy Ghost upon your souls ; that never em-
 
 Doct 7.) THE UNCONVERTED. 207 
 
 braced your blessed Redeemer by a lively 
 faith, and with admiring and thankful ap- 
 prehensions of his love ; and that never felt 
 a higher estimation of God and heaven, and 
 a heartier love to them than to 3'our fleshl}" 
 prosperity, and the things below ; I earnest- 
 ly beseech you, not only for my sake, but 
 for the Lord's sake, and for your soul's sake, 
 that you go not on one day longer in your 
 former condition, but look about 3'ou, and 
 cry to God for converting grace, that you 
 may be made new creatures, and may es- 
 cape the plagues that are but a little before 
 you. And if ever you will do any thing for 
 me, grant me this request, to turn from your 
 evil ways and live. Deny me any thing that 
 ever I shall ask you for myself, if you will 
 but grant me this ; and if you deny me this, 
 I care not for any thing else that you would 
 grant me. Nay, as ever you will do any 
 thing at the request of the Lord that made 
 you, and redeemed you, deny him not this ; 
 for if you deny him this, he cares for nothing 
 that you shall grant him. As ever you would 
 have him hear your prayers, and grant your 
 requests, and do for you at the hour of death 
 and day of judgment, or in any of your ex-
 
 208 A CALL TO (Doct. 7. 
 
 tremities, deny not his request now in the 
 day of your prosperity. O sirs, believe it, 
 death and judgment, and heaven and hell, 
 are other matters when you come near them, 
 than they seem to carnal eyes afar off: then 
 you would hear such a message as I bring 
 vou with more awakened re2:ardful hearts. 
 
 Well, though I cannot hope so well of all, 
 I will hope that some of you are by this time 
 purposing to turn and live ; and that you are 
 ready to ask me, as the Jews did Peter 
 when they were pricked in their hearts and 
 said, " Men and brethren, what shall we 
 do ?" Acts, 2 : 37. How may we come to 
 be truly converted ? We are willing, if we 
 did but know our duty. God forbid that we 
 should choose destruction by refusing con- 
 version, as hitherto we have done. 
 
 If these be the thoughts and purposes of 
 your hearts, I say of you as God did of a 
 promising people, Deut. 5 : 28, 29, " They 
 have well said all that they have spoken : 
 O that there was such a heart in them, that 
 they would fear me, and keep all my com- 
 mandments always !" Your purposes are 
 good : O that there were but a heart in you 
 to perform these purposes ! And in hope
 
 Doct, 7.) THE UNCONVERTED, 209 
 
 hereof I shall gladly give you direction 
 what to do, and that but briefly, that j'ou 
 may the more easily remember it lor your 
 practice. 
 
 Direction I. — If you would be convert- 
 ed and saved, labor to understand the ne- 
 cessity and true nature of conversion : for 
 what, and from what, and to what, and by 
 what it is that you must turn. 
 
 Consider in what a lamentable condition 
 you are till the hour of your conversion, that 
 you may see it is not a state to be rested in. 
 You are under the guilt of all the sins that 
 ever you committed, and under the wrath 
 of God and the curse of his law; you are 
 bond slaves to the devil, and daily employ- 
 ed in his work against the Lord, yourselves, 
 and others ; you are spiritually dead and 
 deformed, as being devoid of the holy life, 
 and nature, and image of the Lord. You 
 are unfit for any holy work, and do nothing 
 that is truly pleasing to God. You are with- 
 out any promise or assurance of his protec- 
 tion, and live in continual danger of his jus- 
 tice, not knowing what hour you may be 
 snatched away to hell, and most certain to 
 
 18»
 
 210 A CALL TO (Doct.7. 
 
 be damned if you die in that condition ; and 
 nothing short of conversion can prevent it. 
 Whatever civilities, or amendments, or vir- 
 tues are short of true conversion, will never 
 procure the saving of your souls. Keep the 
 true sense of this natural misery, and so of 
 the necessity of conversion, on your hearts. 
 
 And then you must understand what it is 
 to be converted ; it is to have a new heart 
 or disposition, and a new conversation. 
 
 1. Consider /or what you must turn. For 
 these ends following, which you may attain: 
 1. You shall immediately be made living 
 members of Christ, and have an interest in 
 him, and be renewed after the image of 
 God, and be adorned with all his graces, 
 and quickened with a new and heavenly 
 life, and saved from the tyranny of Satan 
 and the dominion of sin, and be justified 
 from the curse of the law, and have the par- 
 don of all the sins of your whole lives, and 
 be accepted of God, and made his sons, 
 and have liberty with boldness to call him 
 Father, and go to him by prayer in all your 
 needs, with a promise of acceptance ; you 
 shall have the Holy Ghost to dwell in you, 
 to sanctify and guide you ; you shall have
 
 Doct7.) THE UNCONVERTED, 211 
 
 part in the brotherhood, communion, and 
 prayers of the saints ; you shall be fitted for 
 God's service, and be freed from the do- 
 minion of sin, and be useful, and a blessing 
 to the place where you live ; and shall have 
 the promise of this life, and that which is 
 to come : you shall want nothing that is 
 truly good for you, and your necessary af- 
 flictions you will be enabled to bear ; you 
 may have some taste of communion with 
 God in the Spirit, especially in all holy or- 
 dinances, where God prepareth a feast for 
 your souls; you shall be heirs of heaven 
 while you live on earth, and may foresee by 
 faith the everlasting glory, and so may live 
 and die in peace; and you shall never be 
 so low but your happiness will be incom- 
 parably greater than your misery. 
 
 How precious is every one of these bless- 
 ings, which I do but briefly name, and which 
 in this life you may receive ! 
 
 And then, 2. At death your souls shall go 
 to Christ, and at the day of judgment both 
 soul and body shall be justified and glorified, 
 and enter into your Master's joy, where your 
 happiness will consist in these particulars : 
 
 (1.) You shall be perfected yourselves;
 
 212 A CALL TO (Doct. 7. 
 
 your mortal bodies shall be made immortal, 
 and the corruptible shall put on incorrup- 
 tion ; you shall no more be hungry, or thirs- 
 t}^, or weary, or sick, nor shall you need to 
 fear either shame, or sorrow, or death, or 
 hell ; your souls shall be perfectly freed from 
 sin, and perfectly fitted for the knowledge, 
 and love, and praises of the Lord. 
 
 (2.) Your employment shall be to behold 
 your glorified Redeemer, with all your holy 
 fellow-citizens of heaven, and to see the glo- 
 ry of the most blessed God, and to love him 
 perfectl}^ and be beloved by him, and to 
 praise him everlastingh^ 
 
 (3.) Your gloiy will contribute to the glory 
 of the New Jerusalem, the city of the living 
 God, which is more than to have a private 
 felicity to yourselves. 
 
 (4.) Your glory will contribute to the glo- 
 rifying of your Redeemer, who will everlast- 
 ingly be magnified and pleased in you that 
 are the travail of his soul, and this is more 
 than the glorifying of yourselves. 
 
 (5.) And the eternal Majesty, the living 
 God, will be glorified in your glory, both as 
 he is magnified by your praises, and as he 
 communicateth of his glory and goodness to
 
 Doct,7.) THE UNCONVERTED. 213 
 
 you, and as he is pleased in you, and in the 
 accomplishment of his glorious work, in the 
 glory of the New Jerusalem, and of his Son. 
 All this the poorest beggar of you that is 
 converted shall certainly and endlessly enjoy. 
 
 2. Next you must understand from wfiat 
 you must turn ; and this is, in a word, from 
 your carnal self, which is the end of all the 
 unconverted : from the flesh that would be 
 pleased before God, and would still be en- 
 ticing you ; from the world, that is the bait; 
 and from the devil, that is the angler for 
 souls, and the deceiver. And so from all 
 known and wilful sins. 
 
 3. Next you must know to what you 
 must turn ; and that is, to God as your end ; 
 to Christ as the way to the Father ; to holi- 
 ness as the way appointed you by Christ; 
 and to the use of all the helps and means of 
 grace afforded you by the Lord. 
 
 4. Lastly ; you must know hy what you 
 must turn ; and that is by Christ, as the only 
 lledeemer and Intercessor ; and by the Holy 
 Ghost, as the Sanctiher; and by the word, as 
 his instrument or means ; and by faith and re- 
 pentance, as the means and duties on your 
 part to be performed. All this is of necessity.
 
 214 A CALL TO (Doct. 7. 
 
 Direction II. If vou will be converted 
 and saved, be much in secret serious con- 
 sideration. Inconsiderateness undoes the 
 world. Withdraw yourselves oft into retired 
 secrecy, and there bethink you of the end 
 why you were made, of the life you have 
 lived, of the time you have lost, the sins you 
 have committed ; of the love, and sufferings, 
 and fulness of Christ ; of the danger you are 
 in ; of the nearness of death and judgment ; 
 of the certainty and excellency of the joys 
 of heaven; and of the certainty and terror of 
 the torments of hell, and the eternity of both ; 
 and of the necessity of conversion and a holy 
 life. Absorb your hearts in such considera- 
 tions as these. 
 
 Direction III. If 3'ou will be converted 
 and saved, attend upon the word of God, 
 w^hich is the ordinary means. Read the 
 Scripture, or hear it read, and other holy 
 writings that do apply it ; constantly attend 
 on the public preaching of the word. As God 
 will lighten the world by the sun, and not by 
 himself without it, so will he convert and 
 save men by his ministers, who are the lights 
 of the world. Acts, 26 : 17, 18 ; Matt. 5 • 14.
 
 Doot. 7.) THE UNCONVERTED. 215 
 
 When he had miraculously Immbled Paul, 
 he sent Ananias to him, Acts, 9 : 10, and 
 when he had sent an angel to Cornelius, it 
 was but to bid him send for Peter, who must 
 tell him what to believe and do. 
 
 Direction IV. Betake yourselves to God 
 in a course of earnest constant prayer. Con- 
 fess and lament your former lives, and beg 
 his grace to illuminate and convert you. Be- 
 seech him to pardon what is past, and to 
 give you his Spirit, and change your hearts 
 and lives, and lead you in his ways, and 
 save 3"ou from temptation. Pursue this w^ork 
 daily, and be not weary of it. 
 
 Direction V. Presently give over your 
 known and wilful sins. Make a stand, and 
 go that way no farther. Be drunk no more, 
 but avoid the very occasion of it. Cast away 
 your lusts and sinful pleasures with detesta- 
 tion. Curse, and swear, and rail no more ; 
 and if you have wronged any, restore, as 
 Zaccheus did ; if you will commit again your 
 old sins, what blessing can you expect on 
 the means for conversion ? 
 
 Direction VI. Immediatel}'', if possible,
 
 216 A CALL TO (Doct,7. 
 
 change your company, if it hath hitherto 
 been bad ; not by forsaking your necessary 
 relations, but your unnecessary sinful com- 
 panions ; and join yourselves with those that 
 fear the Lord, and inquire of them the way 
 to heaven. Acts, 9 : 26 ; Psalm 15 : 4. 
 
 Direction VII. Deliver up yourselves to 
 the Lord Jesus, as the physician of your 
 souls, that he may pardon you by his blood, 
 and sanctify you by his Spirit, by his word 
 and ministers, the instruments of the Spirit. 
 He is the way, the truth, and the life ; there 
 is no coming to the Father but by him. John, 
 14 : 6. Nor is there any other name under 
 heaven by which you can be saved. Acts, 
 4 : 12. Study, therefore, his person and na- 
 tures, and what he hath done for you, and 
 what he is to you, and what he will be, and 
 how he is fitted to the full supply of all your 
 necessities. 
 
 Direction VIII. If you mean indeed to 
 turn and live, do it speedily, without dela}^. 
 If you be not willing to turn to-day, you are 
 not willing to do it at all. Remember, you 
 are aU this while in your blood, under the
 
 Docl. 7.) THE UNCONVERTED. 217 
 
 guilt of many thousand sins, and under God's 
 wrath, and you stand at the very brink of 
 hell ; there is but a step between you and 
 death : and this is not a state for a man in 
 his right mind to be quiet in. Up therefore 
 presently, and fly as for your lives, as you 
 would be gone out of your house if it were 
 all on fire over your head. O, if you did but 
 know in what continual dano-er vou live, and 
 what dailv unspeakable loss you sustain, and 
 what a safer and sweeter life vou mis^ht live, 
 you would not stand trifling, but presently 
 turn. Multitudes miscarry that wilfully de- 
 lay when they are convinced that it must be 
 done. Your lives are short and uncertain ; 
 and what a case are vou in if you die before 
 you thoroughly turn ! You have staid too 
 long already, and wronged God too long. 
 Sin getteth strength while you delay. Your 
 conversion will grow more hard and doubt- 
 ful. You have much to do, and therefore put 
 not all ofl'to the last, lest God forsake vou, 
 and give you up to yourselves, and then 
 you are undone for ever. 
 
 Direction IX. — If you will turn and live, 
 do it unrcscrvcdlv, absolutclv, and univcr- 
 
 B. C;ill 19
 
 218 A CALL TO (Doct. 7 
 
 sally. Think not to capitulate with Christ, 
 and divide your heart between him and the 
 world ; and to part with some sins and keep 
 the rest ; and to let that go which your flesh 
 can spare. This is but self-deluding ; you 
 must in heart and resolution forsake all that 
 3^ou have, or else you cannot be his dis- 
 ciples. Luke, 14 : 26, 33. If j^ou will not 
 take God and heaven for j^our portion, and 
 lay all below at the feet of Christ, but j^ou 
 must needs also have your good things here, 
 and have an earthly portion, and God and 
 glory are not enough for 3^ou, it is vain to 
 dream of salvation on these terms ; for it 
 will not be. If you seem ever so religious, 
 if yet it be but a carnal righteousness, and 
 if the flesh's prosperity, or pleasure, or safe- 
 ty, be still excepted in your devotedness to 
 God, this is as certain a way to death as 
 open profaneness, though it be more plausible. 
 
 Direction X. — If you will turn and live, 
 do it resolvedly, and stand not still delibe- 
 ratins:, as if it were a doubtful case. Stand 
 not wavering, as if you were uncertain 
 whether God or the flesh be the better mas- 
 ter, or whether sin or holiness be tlie better
 
 Doct. 7.) THE UNCONVERTED. 219 
 
 way, or whether heaven or hell be the better 
 end. But away with your former lusts, and 
 j^resently, habitually, fixedly resolve. Be 
 not one da}^ of one mind and the next day 
 of another ; but be at a point with all the 
 world, and resolvedly give up 3'ourselve3 
 and all you have to God. Now, while 3^ou 
 are reading, or hearing this, resolve ; before 
 you sleep another night, resolve ; before 3"ou 
 ^tir from the place, resolve ; before Satan 
 have time to take you off, resolve. You will 
 never turn indeed till you do resolve, and 
 that with a firm unchangeable resolution. 
 
 And now I have done my part in this 
 work, that you may turn at the call of God 
 and live. What will become of it I cannot 
 tell. I have cast the seed at God's com- 
 mand ; but it is not in my power to give lue 
 increase. I can go no further with my mes- 
 sage ; I cannot bring it to your heart, nor 
 make it work; I cannot do your part for 
 you, which is to entertain it and consider it ; 
 nor can I do God's part, by opening vour 
 heart to cause you to entertain it; nor can 
 I show heaven or hell to vour sii^ht, nor
 
 220 A CALL TO THE UNCOWEKTED. (Doct. 7, 
 
 give you new and tender hearts. If I loiew 
 what more to do for ^^our conversion, I hope 
 I should do it. 
 
 But O thou that art the gracious Father 
 of spirits, thou hast sworn thou dehghtest 
 not in the death of the wicked, but rather 
 that thev turn and hve ; denv not thv bless- 
 ing to these persuasions and directions, and 
 suffer not thine enemies to triumph in thy 
 sight, and the great deceiver of souls to pre- 
 vail against thy Son, thy Spirit, and tliy 
 Word! O pit}?- poor unconverted sinners, 
 that have no hearts to pity or help them- 
 selves ! Command the blind to see, and the 
 deaf to hear, and the dead to live, and let 
 not sin and death be able to resist thee. 
 Awaken the secure, resolve the unresolved, 
 confirm the wavering; and let the eyes of 
 sinners, that read these lines, be next em- 
 plo3^ed in weeping over their sins, and bring 
 them to themselves, and to thy Son, before 
 their sins have brought them to perdition. 
 If tliou say but the word, these poor endea- 
 vors shall prosper to the winning of many a 
 soul to their everlasting joy and thine ever- 
 lasting glory. — Amen. 
 
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