think with yourselves, That this was your own doing That you were warned of this day, and warned again, but it would not do that you wilfully finned, and wilfully turned away from God: you had time as well as others, but you abused it : you had teachers as well as others, but you refused their inftructions: you had holy examples but you did not imitate them: you were offered Chrift, and grace, and glory, as well as others, but you preferred your fiefhly pleafure: you had a price in your hands, but you had not a heart to lay it out. Can it choose but torment you to think of this your folly? O that your eyes were opened to fee what you have done in the wilful wronging of your own fouls! and that you better understood these words of God, Prov. viii. 33, 34, 35, 36. "Hear inftruction and be wife, and refuse it not. Bleffed is the man that heareth me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at the pofts of my doors. For whofo findeth me, findeth life, and fhall obtain the favour of the Lord. But he that finneth against me, wrongeth his own foul: All they that hate me, love death."

CONCLUSION.

AND now I am come to the conclufion of this work,

my heart is troubled to think how I fhall leave you left, after this, the flesh fhould ftill deceive you, and the world and the devil should keep you asleep, and I should leave you as I found you, till you awake in hell. Dear friends! I am fo loth you fhould lie in everlafting fire, that I once more ask you what you refolve on? Will you turn or die? As far as you are gone in fin, do but now turn and come to Chrift, and your fouls fhall live. If it were your bodies which we had to deal with we might know what to do for you. Though you would not confent, you might be held or bound, while the medicine was poured down your throats, and hurtful things might be kept from you. But about your fouls it cannot be fo: we cannot convert you against your wills. There is no carrying mad-men to heaven in fetters. You may be condemned against your wills because you finned

:

with your wills but you cannot be faved against your wills. The wisdom of God has thought meet to lay man's falvation or deftruction exceeding much upon the choice of his own will: that no man fhall go to heaven who choofes not the way to heaven and no man shall go to hell, but fhall be forced to fay, I have the thing I choose; my own will did bring me bere. Now if I could but get you to be willing, to be thoroughly and refolutely willing, the work were more than half done. And, alas! muft we lose our friends, and muft they lose their God, their happiness, their fouls, for want of this? I do Lagain befeech you, as if it were on my bended knees, that you would hearken to your Redeemer, and Turn, that you may live. All you that have lived in ignorance, careleffhefs, and prefumption, to this day: all you that have been drowned in the cares of the world, and have no defire after God, and eternal glory: all you that are enflaved to your flefhly defires, of meats, and darkes sports, and lufts: and all you that know not the fity of holiness, and never were acquitted with the !tifying work of the Holy Ghoft upon your fouls; t never embraced your blessed Redeemer by a lively fait and with admiring and thankful apprehenfions of .. love, and that never felt a higher ellimation of God and heaven, and a heartier love to them, than to the things below: I earnestly befeech you, not only for my fake, but for the Lord's fake, and for your foul's fake, that you go not one day longer in your prefent condition; but look about you, and cry to God for converting grace, that you may escape the plagues which are before you. Deny me any thing that ever I shall ask you for myself, if you will but grant me this. Nay, as ever you will do any thing at the requeft of the Lord that made you and redeemed you, deny him not this: for if you deny him this, he cares for nothing that you shall grant him. As ever you would have him hear your prayers, and grant your requests, and blefs you at the hour of death, and day of judgment. deny not his requeft now in the day of your profperity. O believe it, death and judgment, and heaven and hell, are other matters when you come near them, than they feem afar

off.

Well, I hope that fome of you are by this time purpofing to turn and live: and that you are ready to ask me, as the Jews did Peter, when they were pricked in their hearts, What shall we do? How may we come to be truly converted? We are willing, if we did but know our duty. God forbid that we fhould chufe deflruction, by refufing converfion, as hitherto we have done.

If thefe be the purposes of your hearts, I fay of you as God did of a promifing people, Deut. v. 28, 29, "They have well faid, all that they have spoken. O that there were fuch a heart in them, that they would fear me, and keep all my commandments always !"Your purpofes are good: O that there were but a heart in you to perform thefe purpofes! And, in hope thereof, I fhall gladly give you direction what to do; and that but briefly, that you may the eafier remember it for your practice.

DIRECTION I.

F you would be converted and faved, labour to underftand the neceffity and nature of converfion.

Confider what a lamentable condition you are in till your converfion, that you may fee it is not a ftate to be refted in. You are under the guilt of all the fins that ever you committed; and under the wrath of God, and the curfe of his law you are bound slaves to the devil, and daily employed in his work, against the Lord, your felves, and others: you are fpiritually dead, as being void of the holy life, and nature, and image of the Lord. You are unfit for any holy work, and do nothing that is truly pleafing to God. You are without any promise or affurance of his protection, and live in continual danger of his juftice, not knowing what hour you may be fnatched away to hell; and most certain to be damned, if you die in that condition. And nothing short of converfion can prevent it. Whatever amendments are short of true converfion, will never procure the faving of your fouls. Keep the true fenfe of this natural mifery, and of the neceffity of conversion on your hearts. And then

you must understand what it is to be converted it is to have a new heart, or difpofition, and a new conversation.. Queft. For what mufl we turn?

Anfw. For these ends following, which you may attain: You shall hereby be made living members of Chrift, and have an intereft in him, and be renewed after the image of God, quickened with a new and heavenly life, and faved from the tyranny of Satan, and the dominion of fin, and be juftified from the curfe of the law, and have the pardon of all the fins of your whole lives, and be accepted of God, and made his fons, and have liber ty with boldness to call him Father, and go to him by prayer in all your wants, with a promise of acceptance ;. you fhall have the Holy Ghoft to dwell in you, to fanc tify and guide you: you fhall have part in the communion, and prayers of the faints: you fhall be fitted for God's fervice; and fhall have the promife of this life, and that which is to come.

And, at death, your fouls fhall go to Chrift; and at the day of judgment both foul and body fhall be juftified. and glorified, and enter into your Mafter's joy.

All this the pooreft beggar of you that is converted. fhall certainly and endlessly enjoy.

DIRECTION II.

you will be converted and faved, be much in fecret, ferious confideration. Inconfideratenefs undoes the world. Withdraw yourselves often into fecrecy, and meditate on the end for which you were made;, on the life you have lived, the time you have loft, the fins you have committed; on the love and fufferings and fulness of Chrift; on the danger you are in; or the nearness of death and judgment; and on the certainty and excellency of the joys of heaven; and on the certainty and terror of the torments of hell, and eternity of both; and on the aeceffity of converfion and a holy life.

DIRECTION III.

upon the word Read the fcrips

IF you will be converted and faved, attend of God, which is the ordinary means.

ture, or hear it read, and other holy writings, which do apply it, conftantly and attend on the public preaching of the word. As God will lighten the world by the fun, and not by himself alone without it: fo will he convert and fave men by his minifters, who are the lights of the world. When he has miraculously humbled Paul, he fends Ananias to him, Ads ix. 10. and when he has fent an angel to Cornelius, it is but to bid him fend for Peter, who must tell him what he is to believe and do.

DIRECTION IV.

Be

his

BETAKE your felves to God in a course of carneft, conflant prayer. Confefs and lament your former lives, and beg his grace to illuminate and convert you. feech him to pardon what is past, and to give you spirit and change your hearts and lives; and lead you in his ways, and fave you from temptation. And ply this work daily, and be not weary of it.

DIRECTION V.

PRESENTLY give over your known and wilful fins, Make a ftand, and go that way no further. Be drunk, no more: but avoid the place and occafion of it. Caft away your lufts and finful pleafures with deteftation.. Curfe and fwear and rail no more and if you have wronged any, reftore as Zacheus did. mit again your old fins, what bleffing the means for converfion..

DIRECTION VI.

If you will comcan you expect on

PRESENTLY if poffible, change your company. Not by forfaking your neceflary relations, but your un neceflary and, finful companions; and join your felves with thofe that fear the Lord.