THE UNCONVERTED, 113 despised his name durst ask, " Wherein have we des- - pised thy name?" And "when they polluted his altar, and made the table of the Lord contemptible," they durst say, "Wherein have we polluted thee?" Mal. i. 6, 7. But" Wo unto him (saith the Lord) that striveth with his Maker! Let the potsherds strive with the potsherds of the earth: shall the clay say to him that fashioneth it, What makest thou? " Quest.-But why is it that God will reason the case with man? , 1 Jlnsw.-1. Because that man being a reasonable creature, i accordingly to be dealt with, and by reason to be persuaded and overcome; God hath therefore endowed them with reason that tliey might use it for him. One would think a reasonable creature should not go against the clearest, the greatest reason in the world, when it is set before him. 2. At least, men shall see that God did require nothing ofthem that was unreasonable; but both in what he commandeth them, and what he forbids them, he hath all the right reason in the world on his side; and they have good reason to obey him,- but none to disobey. And thus even the damned shall be forced to justi(y God, and confess that it was only reasonable that they should have turned to him; and they shall be forced to condemn themselves, and confess that they had little reason to cast away themselves by the neglecting of his grace in the day of their visitation. UsE.-Look up your best and strongest reasons, ' sinners, if you will make good your way. You see now with whom you have to deal. What sayest thou, unconverted sensual sinner? Darest thou venture upon a dispute with God? Art thou able to confute him? Art thou ready to enter the lists? God asketh thee, Why wilt thou die? Art thou furnished with a suilicient answer? vVilt thou unuertake to prove that God is mistaken, ant! that thou art in the right? 0 what an undertaking is that! Why, either 10
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