the Devil is bufie to difcourage thee from ic God faith, Here I will be found; the Devil fuggefts, that the Sons of Anack dwell there. God wishes thou wouldst yield, and live; the Devil, that thou wouldest stand out, and die. God feeks to crown thee; the Devil to rob thee of thy Diadem. God affures thee that this is the Garden where thy Graces muft grow; the Devil argues, that nothing but weeds and thiftles grow there. All the difpute is, who fhall have thy Soul, God or the Devil? Think, Sinner, for God's fake, think who is the Rewarder, and who is the Tormenter? who is the King that can save thee, and who is the Executioner that studies only to ruine thee; shall not God prevail? wilt not thou give him thy heart? and fhall Satan go away with thy Soul? fhall he poffefs that Treasure, which Angels are ambitious of? for fhame, let not God go away empty; think what a condefcenfion it is in God, to be willing to accept of fo inconfiderable a present as thy heart? what is thy Soul to him? what benefit doth he receive by offering thee his bofom? If thou haft fuch a mind to be the Devils Slave, what need God take pains to rescue thee from that bondage? doft thou think he cannot live without thee? doft thou think thy being in his Heaven,doth add any thing to his felicity? cannot he as well be glorified in thy torments, as he can in thy falvation? cannot he make his Justice triumph over such a stubborn Wretch as thou art? wherein doth his advantage lie? Ee 3 may . may not he be God, and great, and glorious, and admired by Angels, while thou frieft in Hell? thou haft very highly obliged him indeed, that he need be at all this trouble to make thee in love with his ways? fhouldst not thou ftand amazed at his favour? fhouldft not thou wonder, that this immenfe and infinite Majesty will vouchsafe a gracious look to fo vile a Worm as thou art? and canft thou fee a God court thee, and grow coy? doth God offer to kifs thee with the kifles of his lips, and doft thou fcorn his embraces ? canft thou fee him carefs thee, and turn away thy face? wilt thou prefer the motions of a lying Devil, before the Oracles of the great God of Heaven? hadst thou rather go along with him, that will murther thee, than accompany him that will encircle thy head with a Crown of Glory? fhall God magnifie his Mercy upon thee, and wilt thou fall in love with his Enemy? Doth God intend, by making love to thy Soul, to give a character to the world of his infinite goodness and compaffion, and dareft thou be fo bold as to leffen that character, by thy contempt and ingratitude? Behold, Sinner, God is willing to lay afide his flaming Sword, thou shalt hear of him no more in the Earthquake, or in the Storm, or in the mighty Wind, that breaks the Rocks in pieces, but in the ftill fmall Voice: the voice of Boanerges thall found no more in thy ears, he'll blow his Trumpet of War no more, all his frowns fhall 2 fhall be done away, he'll fright thee no more with Hell-fire; if his Grace, his Mercy, his Compaffion, can but allure thee to bethink thy felf, and close with him, and fo to confider the concerns of thy Soul, as to refign thy felf altogether to his guidance and direction; his Afpect shall be kind, his Countenance fhall be no thing but fmiles, his Face fhall be a perpetual Sun-fhine if by confideration of thy ways thou wilt become fenfible of thy former folly, and throw it away, and take up with him alone: if his kindly Beams can thaw thy frozen heart, if his Calm can win thee, and make thee proftrate thy felf before the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, Heaven and Earth fhall be no longer in confpiration against thee, and thou shalt not need to look any more for Thunders and Lightnings from that Heaven; ftand ftill, finner, and fee the falvation of God; behold Grace and Mercy lies weeping at thy feet, the free, the fovereign, the extenfive, the attractive Grace of God comes wooing to thy Soul, and doth be fpeak thee in this manner; Hold, hold, thou poor befotted Creature, whither doft thou run? Hear, hear, I bring thee the joyfulleft tidings that ever were brought to the ears of men; God will be thy Father, the Lord Jefus thy Saviour, the Holy Ghost thy Comforter, the Angels thy Companions; thy Life fhall be a perpetual Holiday; thou shalt be a Friend of God, an Heir of Heaven, and Coheir with Chrift, thy fins fhall be all done away, thy iniquities shall be Ee 4 remem remembred no more, all the promises of the Gofpel fhall be thine, God will vouchsafe to live with thee, the Holy Ghost will make thy Soul his Temple, thou shalt have ftrength to overcome Hell and Devils, Flames and Swords, and be more than a Conquerour through him that loved thee, the Lord Jefus Chrift; ask a Hea ven, and thou shalt have it; a Crown, and it fhall be thrown into thy bolome; a Kingdom, and it shall be thine; ask all the Treafures of Glory, and they shall not be denied thee: From this time forward thy name fhall be inrolled among the Favourites of Heaven, and in thy Soul, as in Jacob's Ladder, the Angels fhall be continually afcending and defcending, and thy Head, like Gideon's Fleece, fhall be water'd with the dew of Heaven, while the unbelieving World shall be dry; and all this shall be thine, if my Love, my Mercy, my Kindness can prevail with thee, and engage thee to think seriously what thou must do to please God, and to be happy for ever, finner, had those who now lie fweltring under the burning wrath of Almighty God, fuch an offer as this, how would they leap, and triumph, and agree to fo reafonable a condition, and thank God upon their bended knees, day and night, and praise him without intermiffion, that he will vouchfafe to receive them on no harder terms than thefe! O inner, Is thy heart of ftone, that it doth not dillolye at this gracious Meflage? Can the Rock hold out against thefe bowels of compassion ? Poor 1 Poor ftubborn Wretch !, were not thy heart all fteel, were not thy Confcience feared, how couldst thou forbear being prick'd at the heart, badft thou but the leaft fpark of good nature left in thee what might not thefe golden Chains, these filken Strings, these Cords of Love, do with thy immortal Soul? The only reason that the Servants of Benhadad had, to humble themselves to the King of Ifrael, was this, We have heard that the Kings of Ifrael are merciful Kings. Sinner, haft not thou both heard and feen, and feeft it to this day, that the true King of Ifrael is a merciful King; and will not this prevail with thee, to throw thy felf down at his feet, and kiss his Scepter, and confider thy imprudence, in deviating so long from the end of thy Creation and Redemption, and make thee contented to part with all the strong holds of iniquity within thee, and with all imaginations, that exalt themselves against the obedience of Christ Jesus. O do not tell me, that thou wilt most certainly bethink thy felf fome time hereafter, when fickness and approaching death fhall take thee off from thy worldly bufineffes: Vain foolish Man! How dost thou know thou shalt live till to morrow? for, What is thy life? even a vapour that appears for a little time, and then vaniles away. How many thousands are cut off as they are going up the hill, in the noon of their days, before half their race be run? and what |