fome good by them. Yet, (2.) I say ye cannot thence infer that he will fave you; för, 1. Many who have had the gospel ordinances have been damned. 2. It is not the having, but the improving of them that faves any. 3. To lean upon them is the worft mifimprovement of them poffible, and therefore take care that ye truft not in lying words, faying, The temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord are thefe. V. Others finding no shelter from their convitions here, betake themselves to their good duties. We tell them, they are finners, and lay open to their eyes their miferable and wretched condition and state: they turn their eyes to their duties, and, like the Pharifee fpoken of by our Lord, Luke xviii. 11. they will ftop the mouth of confcience, with an enumeration of their performances, whereby they excel others. True it is, will fuch an one fay, I have finned; but on the other hand, I am not guilty of grofs outbreakings, and fcandalous fins; nay, more, I am much and frequent in the performance of the duties of religion, I pray, I faft, I communicate, and a great many other things I do, and therefore I hope to get heaven notwithstanding all my fins. O how natural is it for man to prefer a defenceless hiding place of his own contrivance, to the impregnable city of refuge contrived by infinite wif dom and grace. the homefpun robe of his own, to the heaven-wrought robe of Chrift's righteoufnefs? Here many of you hide yourfelves; I pray, I read, I feek into God, and therefore all is well: A fad conclufion! To this plea 1 anfwer, (1.) If ye fhould diffolve in tears, pray till your knees grow into the ground, and give all ye have in alms, and fast every day; all this will not atone N 2 for for one fin. (2.) Your beft duties do but increase your guilt. This the church well faw, Ifa. lxiv. 6. We are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteoufnefs are as filthy rags, (3.) Good duties when refted on, have damned many, but never did, nor ever shall fave any. To lean to them, is to fay to the work of our hands, Te are our gods; a fin that the Lord forbids and abominates. VI. Another fort of perfons, when convictions get hold of them, and their fin and mifery are plainly and clearly discovered to them, get in behind their good refolutions, and thereby they fhelter themselves. They refolve to confider of this matter at a more convenient feafon, like Felix who difiniffed Paul when once he came to deal closely with him, and promised him a hearing afterwards: fo do many, when they are almost convinced, they dimifs convictions, and promife to hear them afterwards. Now, I fhall address myfelf to fuch in a few ferious expoftulatory queftions. And, (1.) I enquire at you, Is the confi deration of fin and mifery, and of your escape from it, a bufinefs to be delayed? Is there any thing that ye can be concerned about that deferves to be preferred to this? Is there any hazard like damnation? any mercy comparable to falvation from the wrath of God? If a man gain a world and lofe a foul, is he profited by the exchange? (2.) Who is better judge of the most convenient occafion, God or ye? He has determined the prefent opportunity to be the beft: Now is the accepted time, now is the day of falvation, (3) When art thou refolved to take under ferious confideration thy fin and mifery, that now thou shifteft the thoughts of? Ye muft furely fay, that it will be fome time after this. But now I ask you, What What certainty have ye of fuch a time? And what certainty have ye that ye fhall then have the means that are neceffary in order to this end? I believe ye dare not say that ye are fure of either. (4.) Sure I am, fome who in the fame manner have made many fair promifes and refolutions, have thereby cheated themselves out of their fouls. But a VII. Sort get in behind their own ignorance, and think to shelter themselves there. They promise themselves fafety, though they be not concerned about falvation, because they are but ignorant. God, fay they, may deal feverely with o thers that know better things; but for me, I hope he will have mercy upon me, because I know no better. With what aftonishing confidence have we heard fome plead this! Ye fay ye are ignorant, and therefore God will have mercy upon you; I fay ye are ignorant, and therefore God will have no mercy upon you, Ifa. xxvii. 11. Ye are ignorant, but whofe fault is it? Has not God given you the means of knowlege? Has not the light of the glorious gospel fhined clearly about you? Have not others got knowlege by the use of the very fame means which ye have neglected and flighted? This is a common excufe for fins, but a moft unhappy one as ever any meddled withal; for, (1.) God has exprefly told us, that ignorant people fhall be damned, 2 Theff. i. 8, 9. (2.) He has told us that ignorance will be the ground of the fentence. This is the condemnation of ignorant finners, that they love darkness rather than light, John. iii. 19. Nor will it excufe you to tell, that ye want time; for, (1.) All other things fhould give place to this. Seek firft the kingdom of God,. and the righteoufnefs thereof, and other things will N 3 come 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 speak to them about their fin or their danger, and fo we have no accefs to them to convince them. (2.) Others do think that their ignorance will atone for their o ther 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 deftruction 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 themselves 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 worfe 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 o thers are like to be fo: Well, it shall 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 bleffedness of the faints above: but I cannot fee what folace or com comfort the damned can have from their companions; nay, paft all peradventure, this will inhance their mifery, their cafe being fuch 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 iffue, 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 everlasting 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 pose 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 lofe 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 shall be faved? Sure ye have reason to think so 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 issue, have ye ever thought what damnation imports? I believe not. I fall only refer you to that short 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 I can |