A call to the unconverted, to turn and live

USE.

I Do now entreat thee, if thou be an unconverted sinner that bearest these words, that thou wouldst ponder a little upon the forementioned doctrines, and bethink thyself a while, who it is that takes pleasure in thy sin and damnation? Certainly, it is not God; he hath sworn for his part, that he takes no pleasure in it. And I know it is not the pleasing of him that you intend. You dare not say, that you drink, and swear, and neglect holy duties, and quench the motions of the spirit to please God.— That were as if you should reproach the prince, and break his laws, and seek his death, and say, you did all this to please him.

I Do now intreat thee, if thou be an unconverted sinner that bearest these words, that thou wouldst ponder a little upon the forementioned doctrines, and bethink thyself a while, who it is that takes pleasure in thy sin and damnation? Certainly, it is not God; he hath sworn for his part, that he takes no pleasure in it. And I know it is not the pleasing of him that you intend. You dare not say, that you drink, and swear, and neglect holy duties, and quench the motions of the spirit to please God.— That were as if you should reproach the prince, and break his laws, and seek his death, and say, you did all this to please him.

Who is it then that takes pleasure in your sin and death? Not any that bear the image of God, for they must be like minded to him. God knows it is small pleasure to your faithful teachers to see you serve your deadly enemy, and madly venture your eternal state, and wilfully run into the flames of hell. It is small pleasure to them to see upon your souls (in the sad effects) such blindness, and hard-heartedness, ⟨p. 51⟩and carelessness, and presumption, such wilfulness in evil, and such unteachableness and stiffness against the ways of life and peace; they know these are marks of death, and of the wrath of God, and they know from the word of God what is like to be the end of them, and, therefore, it is no more pleasure to them than to a under physician to see the plague-marks break out upon his patient. Alas, to foresee your everlasting torments, and know not how to prevent them! To see how near you are to hell, and we cannot make you believe it and consider it. To see how easily, how certainly you might escape, if we knew how to make you willing! How fair you are for everlasting salvation, if you would but turn and do your best, and make it the care and business of your lives! but you will not do it; if our lives lay on it, we cannot persuade you to it. We study day and night what to say to you, that may convince you and persuade you, and yet it is undone; we lay before you the word of God, and show you the very chapter and verse where it is written, that you cannot be saved ept you be converted, and yet we leave the most of you as we found you: We hope you will believe the word of God, though you believe not us, and regard it when we show you the plain scripture for it; but we hope in vain, and labour in vain as to any saving change upon your hearts. And do you think that this is a pleasant thing to us: Many a time, in secret prayer, we are fain to complain to God with sad hearts. ("Alas, Lord, we have spoken to them in thy name, but they little regard us: We have told them what thou bidst us tell them concerning the danger of an unconverted state, but they do not believe us; we have told them that thou hast protested that there is no peace to the wicked"