Casuistical morning-exercises the fourth volume /

Infer. 1. It is not the bare hearing of the best Preachers in the World that will save you. Though a Minister be never so successful in the Conversion of Sinners, unless your Souls be Converted, you had better never have heard him. Let not any scoffing Atheist say, Then I'll never hear any of them more. Sirs, pray believe this one word; that will not make your Damnation more tolerable.^(a) That which cometh into your mind shall not be at all; We will be as the Heathen, as the families of the Country, to serve wood and stone. As I live saith the Lord God, surely with a mighty hand, and with a stretched out arm, and with fury poured out, will I rule over you. God will not send his Word to a people, and leave them at their liberty to continue in their infidelity, or to return to it at their pleasure; if they will live as Heathens, their Condemnation shall be far worse.

1. (a)Ezek. 20.32, 33.

Infer. 2. Many persons, who lay aside other Business, spend much time, and take much pains to hear the best Preachers, but they either not proposing, or not pursuing a right end, renders all they do worse than nothing; and they drop into Hell, while they seem to be knocking at Heaven door. We read of five thousand Men, besides Women and Children; ⟨image 7⟩(may we not moderately reckon the Women and Children to double the number?)^(b) these poor people when they came from home took Provision with them for several days, drank Water, lay several nights upon the ground in the open Fields, staid after their Victuals was s•ent, till they were scarce able to get home for faintness; all this appears by having Baskets so ready to gather up the Fragments; whereas in the Wilderness there was none to be bought or borrowed. But alas! How few of this Ten Thousand were then savingly Converted? We read not of any great numbers of Converts by Christs Preaching, for Christ but covertly and sparingly discovered himself to be the Messiah, least he should hinder the main thing he came into the World for, viz. to dye for sinners; for