would not beftow his Power on me in vain, and if not in vain, it ought moft certainly to be employed on things of the greatest Concernment; and what things are there of greater Concernment, than turning from the Power of Satan unto God, and laying up Treasures there, where the Moth cannot corrupt, and where Thieves cannot break through and steal?

Nay, why should God affure the Sinner that his Impenitence shall be punished with everlasting Deftruction, but that he would have him make ufe of his Reason, and confider the truth and importance of this Threatning; the uncertainty of his own Life; and how Sin will certainly harden him, if he doth not turn with all speed; and how foon Ruin and Destruction may feize on him, and how dear his Pleasures may coft him; and how fearful it will be to fall into the hands of an angry God, whofe Patience hath been abused, whofe Words have been scorn'd, whofe Thunder-bolts have been laugh'd at, and whofe Compaffion hath been look'd upon only as a Shift or Trick to enfnare Men into rigorous Severity.

Lord God! I am not bereft of my Reason, when I hear the Supreme Governour of Heaven and Earth threaten me; when I hear him, who fits on the Circle of the Earth, denounce Wrath and Indignation against me; I have a Tongue in my Head, and can enquire of Men, wiser than my felf, whether this be really the Threatning of God, or no? And whether the great Creator, when he threatens thus, be in good earnest, or no? When the Threatning was pronounced; where delivered; what Perfons are concerned in

it; upon what Condition the Threatning proceeds; whether that Condition be in me; whether I come under that Judgment; whether I have Caufe to be afraid; and what it is that may justly move me to be fo? I have Eyes to read whe ther there be a mistake in fuch Comminations, or no: I have a reflexive Power within me, which enables me to determine, when two ways are before me, which of them is fafeft to be taken; and whether the Reasons for my turning from my evil Ways be stronger than those which would diffuade me from it: I have Reason to ponder how many thoufands have, with Shifts, and Excufes, and Delays, been the cause of their own Ruin; and I have power to reflect, how, that if I am guilty of the fame Folly, I fhall fhortly be wrapt in the fame Calamity with them; and what poor, what inconfiderable Comfort it will be, to find thofe Men Companions in eternal Mifery and Calamity, that have been formerly Companions to me in Sin, and offending God. I have Reason and Power ferioufly to debate, whether there be a future Judgment, or no; and with very little trouble may fatisfie my felf, that things are fo as the Gofpel reprefents them, and that there is no jefting with edg'd Tools. I have Power to reflect, that if there were no more but á Poffibility of eternal Torment, if we could ftrain the Notion no higher than to a may be, it would become a wife Man to prepare for the worit, and to endeavour to be on the fure-fide of the Hedge. And having reafon to confider all this, power to weigh and ponder all this, and fo to ponder it, that my Understanding, thus poffeffed,

feffed, may prevail with my Will and Affections to refolve for contempt of Sin, and of the World; I must neceffarily conclude, that God expects I fhould proceed, and come to that Spiritual Life, this way. To have fuch a Power, and to let it continue in an unactive State, to let it be dormant, and spend and confume it felf, and like a fickly Perfon, whofe Stomach naufeates the wholfom Food the curious Hand hath drefs'd, to let it grow cold and infipid, must needs be a great Injury to the God that gave it, and intendedit fhould be actuated, and exercifed, as are the other Faculties, and fo great an unfaithfulness to our felves, that in fo doing we grow Strangers to our Self-love, and become our own greatest Enemies. And let no Man tell me here, that this is to make Men independent from God, and to affert, that Men may convert themselves, and change their own Hearts, and give themselves that Repentance and Faith which the Scripture every way afferts to be the Gift of God: For God's Power and Glory is fo far from receiving any Prejudice by this Doctrine, that I know nothing can advance and promote it more than this Affertion. It's confeffed, that Converfion is the Work of God, but then he expects I should do my Part, and work according to the Power he hath given me, and improve the Talents he hath already bestowed upon me, and trade with them, and make ufe of the Faculties I have, and exercise them as much as I can, in order to a ferious Change of Life; and in the Ufe of fuch Means God will be found,as we fee in Cornelius, Acts 10,4, And his Holy Spirit fhall come down

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and

and make the Work effectual; and bless thofe honest Endeavours with Grace and Mercy; and make the Wheels go merrily, which went but heavily before; and turn that Piety which proceeded from fear of Hell before, into a fincere Love of God, and to the Beauty of Holiness; and make that Obedience univerfal which was but partial and by halves before, and that's a kindly Converfion. To indulge our felves in Lazinefs and Idleness, and Wearinefs of God's Ser-vice, upon pretence that we must wait God's Time, and itay till God is pleased to work upon our Hearts, is no better than mocking of God. And a Man that's fallen into the Water may as well cry, that there he will lie till God by an Angel from Heaven drags him out; as a Sinner that is loth to give over finning, pretend that he can do nothing till God by fome powerful Charm leads him out of that Captivity. As well may we forbear working, and expect Providence will maintain us, as he did Elijah by the Ravens, as forbear struggling and ftriving to get out of the Snares of Sin, till Chrift by a Voice from Heaven calls to us as he did to Saul, Man, Man, why perfecuteft thou me? For God, who hath proteited, that he'll caft none out that will but come to him, and never left himself without Witness and is engaged by promise to be a Rewarder of them that diligently feek him; hath no where in his Word promifed to work upon our Hearts, except we will ufe fuch Means as he hath given us Power to make use of, in order to a Converfion; and he that lets the Power God hath given him for this Ufe lie dead, doth but im

bezzel

bezzel the Gift of God, and with that unprofitable Servant, lays up his Pound in a Napkin, and confequently can expect no other Answer than was returned to him; Out of thine own mouth will I judge thee, thou wicked fervant : thou knewest that I was an auftere man, taking up that I laid not down, and reaping that I did not fow. Wherefore then gaveft not thou my money into the Bank, that at my coming I might have required my own with ufury? Therefore take from him the pound, and give it to him that hath ten pounds. And as for those mine Enemies, that would not that I should reign over them, (and it seems such are all thofe that will not improve the Powers God hath given them, efpecially this of Confideration, in order to be reclaim'd from the error of their ways) bring them hither, and flay them before me, Luke 19. 22, 28.

And indeed, he that can fit down and confider what loffes may befal him, what mischief may happen to him, if he keeps company with a turbulent quarrelfom Man, and thereupon fhuns his Society; He that can confider what terror it will strike into him if he lie in a haunted Chamber,how it will difcompofe him,how it will break his reft, what fickness it may bring upon him, and what cold fweats the fight of a Ghoft will caft him into, and thereupon will not be perfwaded to take up his Lodging there; will find in the Last Day, that he might as well have fate down and confider'd, what evil a finful life would bring upon him. His Reafon, to be fure, capable of taking the one into Confideration

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