break loofe from him, and lay force upon Damnation! How inexcufable will this make thee? What Man, what Angel, can or dare plead for thee, after fuch horrid wilfulness? By it thou fhutteft up all Mens Compaffion against thee. Were thy Error an Infirmity, or had invincible Ignorance caufed thy Folly, fome or other poffibly might be moved to fpeak in favour of thy concerns; but that thou, knowing the Will of God, and having power to think what the end of thy courfes will be, and power to avoid the danger, and power to pray for help, a gracious God to encourage thee, a glorious Reward to entice thee, Eternity to fright thee, the everlasting Gulph to ftartle thee, fhouldst in despight of all these Motives, wilfully and malicioufly fhun thine own cure! This is a malady which no Creature can juftly fhed a tear, or frame an Apology for. Be aftonished, O ye Heavens, and tremble, O thou Earth! Ye Angels, that rejoyce at a Sinner's Converfion here on Earth; O all ye that pafs by, behold and fee whether there be a forrow as such a Sinner's forrow is? We have read of Men that have eaten their Enemies, or Monsters that have devoured their own Children; but here is one devours himself, inhuman to a prodigy! One that contrives how to fhut himself out of Heaven, plots how to undermine his everlasting Salvation, and studies how to fink into the Dungeon of Desperation.

Sirs, What is it that we are exhorting you unto? Is it to dig down Mountains? Is it to exhaust

the

the Sea? Is it to pull down the Sun from his Orb? Is it to reverse the Course of Nature? Is it to work Miracles? Is it to unhinge the Earth, or to ftop the flux and reflux of the Ocean? One would think, by the earnestnefs and vehemency of Expreffions we are forced to use, that it must be something beyond the power of Man: But no, all that we keep this ftir for is only, that you would confent to be happy, contrive how to inherit an incorruptible Crown, and think seriously how to escape your own Torment; and needs there any intreaty for this? One would think you should run to us,break down the Doors of our Habitations, pull us out of our Studies, interrupt us though we were never fo bufie, and importune us, as that Widow did the Judge, and follow us Day and Night to be fatisfied, the thing is of that_importance. And Oh! did you but believe an Eternity, you would do fo. Believe! Why, what should hinder you from believing it? What Arguments can you defire that you have not? Can there be any thing furer than the Word of God? Can there be a greater Witness than the Son of God? God cannot deceive you, he cannot impose upon you, he cannot delude you; dare to believe him: Though you have not look'd into Hell, certainly there is one; though you have not feen the Joys above, yet fuch Joys there are: And, to confider, to ftudy, to ponder, how to arrive to them, is the great thing we prefs upon you, as being fenfible of your danger, fenfible that Death will arreft you before you are aware of it, fenfible that many thousands are for ever

miferable

miferable for neglecting such exhortations. O Sirs, we do not envy your worldly Happiness; we dare affure you, that it is not any grudge we have against your profperity, that makes us put you in mind of thefe unwelcome Leffons; we have a God calling upon us, to stop you in your earnestness for the World: Woe to us, if we give you no warning! Woe to you, if ye take no warning! If making provifion for the Flesh, to fulfil the Lufts thereof, would make you happy; if Rioting and Drunkennefs, Chambering and Wantonnefs, and rolling in all the Pleasures that you Flesh does promife, and your Fancy pay, could contribute any thing to your felicity; if folacing your felves in the wanton Streams of fenfual Delights would lead you into Paradise, we promise you we would not moleft or difturb you in your ways; nay, if you had not Souls to be faved, did your Spirits die with your Bodies, we would not ftint you in your Jollities. But oh! can we read, how the Wrath of God is revealed from Heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of Men, and fee you fall a Prey to that Indignation? Can we read how Tribulation and Anguish fhall certainly fall upon every Soul that doth evil, and not speak to you to prevent it? Can we read, how the Lord Jefus will e'er long come from Heaven in Flames of Fire, to take vengeance of those who have continued to disobey his Gofpel, and to punish them with everlasting deftruction from the Prefence of the Lord, and from the Glory of his Power, and not call to you, Repen', for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand? Can

Can we read, how the unprofitable Servant, that made not use of his Talent, but buried it under ground, and would not watch or make himfelf ready to meet his Master, fhall be thrown into outer Darkness, where there is howling and gnashing of Teeth, and not beg of you to trim your Lamps, and arife from the Dead, that Chrift may give you Light? Can we remember, how many Millions lie now roaring under the fears and terrors of their own Confciences in another World, that would not be perfuaded to part with their darling bofom Sins, till Death tore them away from them, and not teftifie unto you, left you alfo come into that place of torment? Can we fee you stand upon the brink of deftruction, and be fo cruel, as not to acquaint you with the bottomlefs Gulph that's underneath? Would you have us to be as tyrannical to you, as you are to your own Souls? Or would you have us leap into everlasting burnings with you, for not reclaiming you from venturing into that Fire?

Sirs, what is it that doth difcourage you from a fincere Confideration of your Spiritual Condition? What are you afraid of? Why do you loiter? Why do you deliberate whether you fhall or no? Why do you difpute the Caufe? Why do ye stand mufing? What hinders you? Is there any impediment that you may not remove, if you will? Had you been but a quarter of an hour in Hell, would not you call all thofe Men Sots and Fools, that now excuse their wilful negle& of this Work? Would not you fee the vanity of their Pretences? Would not you confefs, that all

thofe

those pretended clogs are mere Cobwebs, which may be broke through with the greatest ease? Would you be frighted from this Duty by any temporal Loffes, as now you are? Are you afraid Men will laugh at you for being serious? Had not you better be laughed at here, than be fcorned by God and his holy Angels to all Eternity? Had not you better be jeer'd here, than have the great King of Heaven laugh at your endless Calamity, and mock when your everlasting fears do come upon you? If a Fool laughs at you, do you regard it? And why should you regard fuch Mens fcorn any more than the laughter of Fools? Alas they are diftempered in their Brains, they fee not the things that belong to their Peace, they know not what Religion means! Will any Man give over the study of Divinity, or Law, or Phyfick, because the ignorant Peasant fneers at him? Will a Tradefman leave his Calling, becaufe fuch a Man makes Songs and Ballads upon't? If you are perfuaded, that Confideration, and longing after your Spiritual Concerns, is the way to real Happiness, will you be miserable, because another Man will not have you to be happy? Will that Man that laughs at you for defpifing the World, fave you harmless at the Day of Judgment? Will he bail you out, when God's Thunders fhall break out upon all difobedient Sinners? Will he undertake for you, when God will be abused and mocked no longer, and the Day of his Wrath doth come? Will he be your Advocate, when you fhall have your Confciences pleading against you? Alas, poor forlorn Wretches!

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