A Call to the Unconverted

And when thou hast delayed, thou hast been urged to make hast, and God hath called to thee, [To day, while it is called to day, harden not thy heart; Why not now without any more delay? ⟨p. 208⟩Life hath been set before you; The Joys of Heaven have been opened to you in the Gospel: The Certainty of them hath been manifested: The certainty of the everlasting Torments of the damned hath been declared to you: Unless you would have had a sight of Heaven and Hell, what could you desi•• more? Christ hath been as it were set forth crucified before your eyes, Gal. 3.1. You have been an hundred times told that you are but lost men till you come unto him; As oft have you been told of the evil of sin, of the vanity of sin, the world, and all the pleasures and wealth it can afford; of the shortness and uncertainty of your lives, and the endless duration of the Joy or Torment of the life to come. All this, and more then this have you been told, and told again, even till you were a weary of hearing it, and till you could make the ⟨p. 209⟩lighter of it, because you had so often heard it; like the Smiths dog, that is brought by custom to sleep under the noise of the hammers, and when the sparks do fly about his ears: and though all this have not converted you, yet you are alive, and might have mercy to this day, if you had but hearts to entertain it. And now let Reason it self be Judge; whether it be long of God or you, if after all this you be unconverted and be damned. If you die now, it is because you will die. What should be said more to you? Or what course should be taken, that is liker to prevail? Are you able to say and make it good, We would fain have been converted and become new creatures, but we would not; we would fain have forsaken our sins, but could not; we would have changed our company, and our thoughts, and our discourse, ⟨p. 210⟩but we could not. Why could you not if you would? What hindered you, but the wickedness of your hearts? Who forced you to sin? or who did hold you back from Duty? Had not you the same teaching, and time, and liberty to be godly as your godly neighbours had? Why then could not you have been godly as well as they? Were the Church-doors shut against you? or did you not keep away your selves? or fit and sleep, or hear as if you did not hear?