Part II. come in their own room and place. (2.) Others have had as little time as ye have, who yet have taken care of their fouls, and have got the knowlege of God. (3.) Ye lofe as much time upon trifles, or doing nothing, as might bring you to a competent measure of the knowlege of thefe things which do belong to your peace, were it but frugally managed: fo that this will be found to be a weak defence, try it who will. And yet here a great many fhelter themfelves, and that two ways. (1.) Hereby a great many are not capable to understand what we fpeak to them about their fin or their danger, and fo we have no access to them to convince them. (2.) Others do think that their ignorance will atone for their other faults; and this is a fancy fo deeply rooted in the thoughts of many, that nothing is like to cure them of it, till the appearance of the Lord Jefus, for their destruction who know not God, do it.

VIII. There is one defence more whereby fome put by convincing difcoveries of fin, and that is, by comparing themfelves with others. When it is born clofe home upon their confciences, that they are in an estate of extreme danger; then they fay, Well, one thing I am fure of, it is like to fare no worse with me than with others; and if I be damned, many others will be fo befides me. O defperate, and yet common de

fence!

Thou fayft, if thou be damned, then many others are like to be fo: Well, it fhall indeed be fo, many fhall indeed perish eternally as ye heard before: But, 1. What will this contribute to your advantage? I make no doubt, but company will contribute exceedingly to the bleffednefs of the faints above: but I cannot fee what folace or

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comfort the damned can have from their companions; nay, paft all peradventure, this will in hance their misery, their cafe being such as can admit of no alleviation. (2.) Knoweft thou, O wretch, what thou fayft, when thou talkeft at that rate? It is plainly to fay, I will hazard the iifue, be it what it will; than which nothing can be more extravagant and foolish: art thou willing to hazard eternal wrath? Can ye dwell with everlafting burnings? Can ye dwell with devouring flames? If there be any fuch wretch here, as is refolved to hold on at this rate, and hazard the iffue, I have a few questions to put to him: is there any thing in the world, worth the feeking after, that ye would defire to be fure of? If there be any fuch thing, then I pofe you on it, if there be any thing comparable to falvation? If ye fay, there is; then I enquire further, Is there any thing that will go with you after this life is done? Is there any thing that will make up your lofs, if ye lose your fouls? What will be able to relieve you under the extre mity of the wrath of a fin-revenging God? Again, when ye fay, ye will hazard the iffue, then I defire to know of you, do not ye think it as probable, that ye shall be damned, as that ye fhall be faved? Sure ye have reason to think fo indeed. A perfon fo little concerned about falvation, muft think God has a very small efteem of falvation, if he throw it away upon fuch as care not for it. Finally, fince ye are likely to be damned in the iffue, have ye ever thought what damnation imports? I believe not. I fhall only refer you to that fhort account of it, which the final doom of impenitent finners gives of it, in that xxv of Matth. 41. Depart from me, ye curfed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels. N 4

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I cannot now enter upon the confideration of many other pretences, whereby finners fhelter themfelves from convictions: only I with ye may rivet upon your hearts three truths, which will help to preferve you from laying weight upon them. (1.) Be perfuaded that there are but few that will be faved, Chrift has faid fo, and who dare give him the lie? (2.) Believe it, they who fhall be faved, fhall not be faved in an easy way. The righteous arefcarcely faved, 1 Pet. iv. 18. (3.) Ye are to endeavour a folid conviction, that there is no falvation for you but in the gospel way, Acts iv. 12. Understand and believe these three truths, and this will be a mean to preserve you from a reliance upon things that cannot profit. And this for the first word we defigned, to fuch of you as are not convinced of fin and mifery. I shall pass. this, and in the

Second place, to fuch of you as are not yet awakened, as are not yet convinced of your loft and undone ftate, I fay, ye have reason to fear that ye fhall never be awakened and convinced. There is ground to fear, that Chrift has faid to you, fleep on: and if it be fo, then the thunderings of the law, the ftill and calm voice of the gospel, the most fweet and charming providences, yea, the most terrible threatenings of providence shall never be able to open your eyes, or make you confider and lay to heart the things that belong to your peace; but ye fhall fleep on in your fecurity, till the wrath of God come upon you to the uttermost. But it may pollibly be, that fome whofe cafe this is, hall fay or think, or at leaft carry as if they thought there was no danger of this at all. But I aflure fuch, whatever their thoughts may be, there is great hazard of this; for,

(1.) God has taken much pains upon you already, to bring you to a fenfe of your fad ftate and condition; but he has not dealt fo with others. He has not dealt fo with many of the heathen nations; he has not dealt fo with many who have been taken away fuddenly after their refufal of the firft offer of the gofpel; he has not dealt fo with not a few others who have had the gospel light quickly taken from them upon their refufal of it. As for the way of God's dealing with the heathens, there is no place to doubt of it; and that the Lord has not dealt fo with, or been at so great expence either of time or means with others, is plain in your own experience. Tell me, O finners, Have not many been fnatched away by death, from the advantage and ufe of the ordinances, fince the Lord began to deal with you in order to your conviction? Sure, few of you can deny it: and that the Lord did allow others a fhorter time of the ordinances, is no lefs plain from manifold evidences, both in fcripture, and in the experience of the church in all ages. Ye have had more time than Capernaum and many other places where Chrift preached, in the days of his perfonal miniftry up

on earth.

(2.) Ye have reafon to fear this terrible iffue, if ye confider the way that the Lord has taken with you. He has not rested in a general discovery of either your fin or danger; but has dealt particularly with every one of you, as it were by name and firname: he has fpoken particularly to you, by his word, and by his providences. In his name we have dealt particularly with young and old of you: and by his providences he has been no lefs particular. What perfon, what family has not, either in themselves, or in their relations, felt the stroke

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of God's hand? which tells all upon whom it lights, that they have finned, and come bort of the glory of God. I believe, there is fcarce one in this house who has not smarted this way. So that fcarce is there one amongst us who has not with ftood particular dealings of God for his conviction; and this is a fufficient ground to fear that we may never be convinced; fince all the ways that God is wont to take, are either general, when he deals with a perfon in common, by a propofal of fuch things as lay open the fin and mifery of all in general; or particular, when he makes a fpecial application of the general charge, either by his word, or by his providence, and fays, as Nathan did, Thou art the man: and what can be done more for your conviction in the way of means?

(3.) He has not only used these ways and means mentioned, but has waited long upon you in the ufe of the means, even from the morning of your day till now. Many, if not all of you, have had precept upon precept, and line upon line, here a little and there a little. Chrift has rifen up early, and has dealt with you, by fending one meffenger af ter another, one preaching after another, one providence after another, and yet ye are not convinced and awakened. This fuggefts great grounds to fear the illue, if it be confidered,

(4.) That the Spirit of God, though he may long frive with finners, yet will not always ftrive with them,Gen. vi. 4. And the Lord faid, My fpirit fhall not always ftrive with man, for that he also is flesh; as if the Lord had taid, I have long dealt with thefe men, by an awakening miniftry, by awakening difpenfations, bythe inward motions of my fpirit, by checks of their own confcience,to convince them of their fin and danger,and to reform them; but now