58 A CALL TO your necessities did not require it, we would not gall your tender ears with truths that seem so harsh and grievous. Hell would not be so full, if people were but willing to know their case, and to hear and think of it. The reason why so few escape it is, because they strive not to enter in at the strait gate of con~ version, and go the narrow w:ay of holiness, while they have time: and they strive not, because they are not awakened to a lively feeling of the danger they are in; and they are not awakened because they are loth to hear or think of it: and that is partly through foolish tenderness and carnal self love, and partly be~ cause they do not well believe the word that threat~ eneth it. If you will not thoroughly believe this truth, methinks the weight of it should force you to remember it, and it should follow you, and give you no rest till you are converted. If you had but once heard this word by the voice of an angel, " Thou must be converted," or" condemned: turn, or die:" would it not stick in your minds, and haunt you night and day? so that in your sinning you would re~ member it, as if the voice were still in your ears, "Turn, or die !" 0 happy were your souls if it might thus work with you and never be forgotten, or let you alone till it have driven home your hearts to God. But if you will cast it out by forgetfulness or unbelief, how can it work to your conversion and sal~ vation? But take this with you to your sorrow, though you may put this out ofyour minds, you can~ not put it out of the Bible, but there it will stand as a sealed truth, which you shall experimentally know for ever, that there is no other way but turn, or die. 0 what is the matter then that the hearts of sin~ ners are not pierced with such a weighty truth? A man would think now, that every unconverted soul that hears these words should be pricked to the heart, and think with themselves, ' This is my own case,' and never be quiet till they found themselves converted. Believe it, sirs, this drowsy careless tern-
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