ven" to consume them that refused Jesus Christ. But it is the preventing of the eternal fire that I have been all this while endeavouring: and O that it had been a needless work! That God and conscience might have been as willing to spare me this labour, as some of you could have been.-Dear friends, I am so loath that you should lie in everlasting fire, and be shut out of heaven, if it be possible to prevent it, that I shall once more ask 'What you, do you now resolve; will you turn or die?' I look upon you as a physician on his patient, in a dangerous disease, that saith to him, Though you are far gone, take but this medicine, and forbear but those few things that are hurtful to you, and I dare warrant your life; but if you will not do this, you are but a dead man.' What would you think of such a man, if the physician, and all the friends he hath, cannot persuade him to take one medicine to save his life, or to forbear one or two poisonous things that would kill him? This is your case as far as you are gone in sin; do but now turn and come to Christ, and take his remedies, and your souls shall Cast up your deadly sins by repentance, and return not to the poisonous vomit any more, and you shall do well. But yet if it were your bodies that we had to deal with, we might partly know what to do for you. Though you would not consent, yet you might be held or bound while the medicine were poured down your throats, and hurtful things might be kept from you. But about your souls it cannot be so; we cannot convert you against your wills: there is no carrying madmen to heaven in fetters. You may be condemned against your wills, because

live.

you sinned with your wills; but you cannot be saved against your wills. The wisdom of God hath thought meet to lay man's salvation or destruction exceedingly much upon the choice of their own will, that no man shall come to heaven that chose not the way to heaven; and no man shall come to hell, but shall be forced to say, I have the thing I chose, my own will did bring me hither.' Now, if I could but get you to be willing, to be thoroughly, and resolvedly, and habitually willing, the work were more than half done. And alas! must we lose our friends, and must they lose their God, their happiness, their souls, for want of this? O God forbid! It is a strange thing to me that men are so inhuman and stupid in the greatest matters, that in lesser things are civil and courteous, and good neighbours. For aught I know, I have the love of all, or almost all my neighbours, so far, that if I should send to any man in the town, or parish, or country, and request a reasonable courtesy of them, they would grant it me; and yet when I come to request of them the greatest matter in the world, for themselves, and not for me, I can have nothing of many of them but a patient hearing. I know not whether people think a man in the pulpit is in good earnest or not, and means as he speaks; for I think I have few neighbours, but, if I were sitting familiarly with them, and telling them of what I have seen or done, or known in the world, and what they themselves shall see and know in the world to come, they would believe me, and regard what I say; but when I tell them, from the infallible word of God, what they show by their lives, they do either not believe it,

or not much regard it. If I met any one of them on the way, and told them yonder is a coal-pit, or there is a quick-sand, or there are thieves lie in wait for you; I could persuade them to turn by. But when I tell them that Satan lieth in wait for them, and that sin is poison to them, and that hell is not a matter to be jested with; they go on as if they did not hear me. Truly, neighbours, I am in as good earnest with you in the pulpit, as I am in my familiar discourse; and if ever you will regard me, I beseech you let it be here. I think there is not a man of you all, but, if my own soul lay at your wills, you would be willing to save it, though I cannot promise that you would leave your sins for it. Tell me, thou drunkard, art thou so cruel to me that speak to thee, that thou wouldst not forbear a few cups of drink, if thou knewest it would save my soul from hell? Hadst thou rather that I did burn there for ever, than thou shouldst live soberly as other men do? If so, may I not say, an unmerciful monster, and not a man? hungry or naked to one of your doors, would you not part with more than a cup of drink to relieve me? I am confident you would if it were to save my life, I know you would, some of

:

thou art If I came

you, hazard And yet your own. will you not be entreated to part with your sensual pleasures for your own salvation? Would you forbear an hundred cups of drink, to save my life, if it were in your power, and will you not do it to save your own souls? I profess to you, sirs, I am as hearty a beggar with you this day for the saving of your own souls, as I would be for my own supply, if I were forced to come in a-begging

to your doors. And, therefore, if you would hear me then, hear me now. If you would pity me then, be entreated now to pity yourselves. I do again beseech 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, and carelessness, and presumption to this day; all you that have been drowned in the cares of the world, and have no mind of God, and eternal glory; all you that are enslaved to your fleshly desires, of meats and drinks, sports and lusts; and all you that know not the necessity of holiness, and never were acquainted with the sanctifying work of the Holy Ghost upon your souls; that never embraced your blessed Redeemer by a lively faith, and with admiring and thankful apprehensions of his love, and that never felt a higher estimation of God and heaven, and a heartier love to them than to your fleshly prosperity, and the things below,-I earnestly beseech you, not only for my sake, but for the Lord's sake, and for your soul's sake, that you go not one day longer in your former condition, but look about you, and cry to God for converting grace, that you be made new creatures, and may escape the plagues that are a little before you. And if ever you will do any thing for me, grant me this request, to turn from your evil ways and live. Deny me any thing that ever I shall ask you for myself, if you will but grant me this. And if you deny me this, I care not for any thing else that you would grant me. Nay, as ever you will do any thing at the request 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 grant him. As ever you would have him hear your prayers, and grant your requests, and do for you at the hour of death and day of judgment, or in any of your extremities, deny not his request now in the day of your prosperity. O sirs, believe it, death and judgment, and heaven and hell, are other matters when you come near them, than they seem to carnal eyes afar off; then you would hear such a message as I bring you with more awakened regardful hearts.

Well, though I cannot hope so well of all, I will hope that some of you are by this time purposing to turn and live; and that you are ready to ask me, as the Jews did Peter, when they were pricked in their hearts, and said, "Men and brethren, what shall we do ?" How might we come to be truly converted? We are willing, if we did but know our duty. God forbid that we should choose destruction, by refusing conversion, as hitherto we have done.

If these be the thoughts and purposes of your hearts, I say of you as God did of a promising people, "They have well said all that they have spoken; O that there were such a heart in them, that they would fear me, and keep all my commandments always!" Your purposes are good: O that there were but a heart in you to perform these purposes! And in hope hereof I shall gladly give you direction what to do, and that but briefly, that you may the easier remember it for your practice.

DIRECTION I.-If you would be converted and saved, labour to understand the necessity and true nature of conversion; for what, and from what, and of what, and by what it is that you must turn.