I cannot now enter upon the consideration of many other pretences, whereby finners fhelter themselves from convictions: only I wish 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 eafy way. The righteous are fcarcely 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 fhall pass this, and in the

Second place, to fuch of you as are not yet a wakened, 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 still 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 polfibly be, that fome whose cafe this is, fhall fay or think, or at least carry as if they thought there was no danger of this at all. But I affure fuch, whatever their thoughts may be, there is great hazard of this; for,

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(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 first offer of the gospel; he has not dealt so 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 fo 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 ministry 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 less particular. What perfon, what family has not, either in themfelves, or in their relations, felt the ftroke

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of God's hand? which tells all upon whom it lights, that they have finned, and come short of the glory of God. I believe, there is scarce one in this houfe who has not smarted this way. So that scarce is there one amongst us who has not withftood 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 conimon, 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 thefe 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 after 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 ftrive with finners, yet will not always ftrive with them,Gen. vi 4. And the Lord faid, My spirit fhall not always frive with man, for that he alfo is flesh; as if the Lord had faid, 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

I find all means ineffectual, they are entirely corrupt; therefore, I will convince them no more: I will fpare them till they fill up their cup, and be fatned against the day of flaughter; but will never more convince them,or endeavour their conviction. And who can tell, but the Lord has this day pronounced the like fentence against the unconvinced finners of Ceres, or fome of them? Yonder is a people with whom I have long striven, by the word, by providences, by motions of my fpirit, and by fecret checks of confcience, and yet they are not awakened, are not convinced : therefore I will strive no longer with them; I will either take them away with a deluge of wrath, as I did the old world; or I will take my ordinances from them, as I have done from other churches; or I will give my fervants a commiffion to make their cars heavy, their hearts fat, and their eyes blind; and I will pronounce the barren fig-tree's curfe against them. And that all this is not a mere empty bugbear, fet up on purpose to fright you, will appear evident, if it be confidered,

(5.) That this is the ftated meafure, the ordinary way, that the Lord has laid down, for proceeding with perfons in that cafe; as ye will fee if ye turn over to that terrible fcripture, Heb. vi. 7, 8. The earth which drinketh in the rain that' cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dreffed, receiveth bleffing from God; but that which beareth thorns and briers, is rejected, and is nigh unto curfing, whofe end is to be burned. Here is the stated and ordinary rule of God's procedure with finners, who live under a gofpel-difpenfation; and that both with fuch as improve and with fuch as mifimprove

it: the way that God takes with the first fort, the improvers of it, is this; he gives them the means, his word and ordinances, which, like the rain, come down from heaven, and have a fructifying efficacy, when they fall upon good ground; and, upon their bringing forth good fruit, called fruit that is meet for the use of him who dreffeth it, he bleffeth them. On the other hand, we have the carriage of God toward the reft, and their carriage toward him, plainly enough represented unto us; which I fhall fet before you in a few particulars. First, God gives them, as well as others, frequent fhowers; he gives them fometimes the means, and that in great plenty. Secondly, The generality of them ufe the means; both the one fort and the other is fuppofed to drink in the rain; for there is no doubt that these who openly reject the counfel of God against themselves, as the Pharifees and Scribes did of old, Luke vii. 30. fhall be burnt up with unquenchable fire, Thirdly, Tho' this fort of perfons we are now fpeaking of, drink in the rain, as did the other; yet herein are they differenced, they bring not forth fruit meet for the use of him by whom they were thus watered; but on the contrary, they bring forth briers and thorns. That is plainly, the difcoveries of fin did not con vince them, the difcoveries of danger did not awaken them, the influences of grace did not quicken them, but rather made them more stupid, more dead and unconcerned. Fourthly, Upon this account the Lord rejects them; that is, he either gives over dealing with them entirely, or at least withdraws his bleffing from the means. Fifthly, During the time of his forbearance, they are nigh unto curfing; there is nothing to keep the curfe of God from them; it is faft upon its approach to

them;