meafurably or unwarrantably to fpeak hardly of thofe that they Suffer by upon Religious accounts; though perhaps they are their (uperiours whom they are bound to honour.

1. The first fort are arrived at fuch a measure of maliciousness and mifery, that they are, as mad men, the objects of compaffion to all men fave themfelves. Their fin and mifery is fo notorious, that I need not fay any thing to discover it to others, that have any thing of reafon and true Religion: And for themselves, being so far forfaken of God, as to hate and reproach the means of their falvation, no wonder if withal they are given over to that blindness as not To understand the words that fhould convince then, and neither to-fee their shame, nor the light that would difcover it and to fuch impentreney, as not to feel or

fear

fear the wrath and threatnings of the Almighty, but boldly to rage on, till Hell hath brought them to their wits. Prov. 14. 16. A wife man feareth and departeth from evil, but the fool rageth and is confident. Yet this much briefly I fhall fay to thefe, if any of them be this day my auditors,that I may not leave them as utterly pait hope.

1. Thou art one of the most felf-condemned ftigmatized flaves of Satan in the world. Thou beareft openly fo undoubted a brand of wickedness, that there is no room for any rational Hope in thy felf, or any of thy friends, that ever thou shouldft be faved,if thou die in fuch a ftate: Some Hope is left that yet thou mayft be converted but none, that thou fhouldst be faved without conver fon. It is poffible with God that can do all things, that yet thy

wilful blindness may be cured, and thy tongue may unfay all that thou haft faid; and thou mayft cry out of thy folly, and cry fhame against thy felf, for that which now thou glorieft in. It is poffible for God of such a stone, to make a child of Abraham! and to melt that hardened heart of thine, and lay it bleeding at the feet of Chrift, and make thee wifh with tears or groans,that fuch thoughts had never entred into thy heart, nor fuch words of malice proceeded from thy mouth. And happy art thou, if God will have to much mercy on thee, that haft derided mercy, as to vouchfafe thee fuch a change. And pray for it, and pray hard, and pray again, if thou love thy foul: For this is thy Hope: and thou haft no other. For that ever fuch a wretch as thou fhouldft be faved, in the ftate that now thou art in, is as impoffible as for God

God to he; and as impoffible as for the Devils to be faved. I wonder (but that fuch a forsaken foul, is a fenflefs block, and as a lifeless carkaife) that thou doft not quake with the fears of Hell, which way ever thou goeft; and that thou art not ftill thinking whither thou art going, and how the Devils are ready to take thy foul, as foon as Death hath opened the door and let it out, into Eternity!! As carelefly or fcornfully as thou fitteft here, I wonder that thou doft not tremble to confider, where it is that thou must fhortly be, and where thou must abide for ever? It is one of the moft notable difcoveries of the powerfull craft of Satan, that he is able to keep fuch a Garrifon as thy heart in fo much peace, and to quiet a poor wretch, that is uncer tain to be one hour our of Hell That thy fleep is not broken with terrible

terrible dreams, and that thou doft not eat thy meat in terrours; and that ever a fmile fhould be seen in thy face! That thy business, or company, or sports, or pleasures, fhould once put out of thy mind thy endless mifery. While I am fpeaking, and thou art hearing, Hell-fire is burning, and the Devils are waiting, and thy blinded foul is pofting on, and for ought thou knowe, may be there this night. Poor finner, for my part, I know thee not! and therefore cannot justly be fufpected to bear thee any ill will, or to fpeak thefe words with a defire of thy hurt, I know this is language that the guilty do not love to hear. But I muft tell thee, that reproachest or deridest a serious holy life, that except the Blafphemers of the Holy Ghoft, there is few in the world in more certain mifery then thou. Other finners, though miferable,

may