N21487:37
A call to the unconverted, to turn and live
A call to the unconverted, to turn and live; and accept of mercy, while mercy may be had; as they ever would find mercy, in the day of extremity from the living God. / By his unworthy servant, Richard Baxter.
Philadelphia: printed for Matthew Carey, 1795Philadelphia: printed for Mathew Carey, 1795
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
BUT I foresee there are two things that are like to harden the unconverted, and make me lose all my labour, except they can be taken out of the way; and that is the misunderstanding of those two words, (The wicked) and (Turn.) Some will think to themselves, it is true the wicked must turn or die; but what is that to me, I am not wicked, though I am a sinner, as all men be: Others will think, 'it is true that we must turn from our evil ways, but I am turned long ago, I hope this is not now to do.' And thus while wicked men think they are not wicked, but are already converted, we lose all our labour in persuading them to turn. I shall, therefore, before I go any farther, tell you here who are meant by the wicked; and who they be that must turn or die; and also what is meant by turning, and who they be that are truly converted: And this I have purposely reserved for this place, preferring the method that fits my end.
BUT I soresee there are two things that are like to harden the unconverted, and make me lose all my labour, except they can be taken out of the way; and that is the misunderstanding of those two words, (The wicked) and (Turn.) Some will think to themselves, it is true the wicked must turn or die; but what is that to me, I am not wicked, though I am a sinner, as all men be: Others will think, 'it is true that we must turn from our evil ways, but I am turned long ago, I hope this is not now to do.' And thus while wicked men think they are not wicked, but are already converted, we lose all our labour in persuading them to turn. I shall, therefore, before I go any farther, tell you here who are meant by the wicked; and who they be that must turn or die; and also what is meant by turning, and who they be that are truly converted: And this I have purposely reserved for this place, preferring the method that fits my end.
And here you may observe, that in the sense of the text, a wicked man and a converted man are contraries. No man is a wicked man that is converted; and no man is a converted man that is wicked; so that to be a wicked man and to be an unconverted man, is all one; and, therefore, in opening one, we shall open both.