A Call to the Unconverted

8.13. but they say they will believe in thee, when they will not believe thee: and that they will trust in thee, when they give no credit to thy word; and when they hope that the threatenings of thy word are false, they will yet call this a hoping in God: and though we show them where thou hast said, that when a wicked man dyeth all his hopes perish, yet cannot we persuade them from their deceitful hopes, Prov. 11.7. We tell them what a base unprofitable thing sin is; but they love it, and therefore will not leave it. We tell them how dear they buy this pleasure, and what they must pay for it in everlasting torment, and they bless themselves, and will not believe it, but will do as the most do, and because God is merciful, they will not believe him, but will ⟨p. 108⟩venture their souls, come on it what will we tel• them how ready the Lord is to receive them, and this doth but make them delay their repentance, and be bolder in their sin. Some of them say they purpose to repent, but they are still the same; and some say, they do repent already when yet they are not Converted from their sins. We exhort them, we entreat them▪ we offer them our help; but we cannot prevail with them: but they that were drunkards are drunkards still, and they that were voluptuous flesh pleasing wretches, are such still; and they that were worldlings, are worldlings still; and they that were ignorant, and proud and self-conceited, are so still. Few of them will see and confess their sin, and fewer will forsake it, but comfort themselves that all men are sinners, as if there were no difference between a Converted sinner and an Unconverted: Some ⟨p. 109⟩of them will not come near us, when we are willing to instruct them, but think they know enough already, and need not our instruction; and some of them will give us the hearing, and do what their list: and most of them are like dead men that cannot fe•l; so that when we tell them of the matters of everlasting consequence, we cannot get a word of it to their hearts. If we do not obey them, and humour them in baptizing the children of the most obstinately wicked, and giving them the Lords Supper, and doing all that they would have us, though never so much against the word of God, they will hate us, and rail at us: but if we beseech them but to confess and forsake their sins, and save their souls, they will not do it.