Baxter - HP BV4920 B38 1829

76 A CALL TO quest. For the sake of those souls that must turn or die, I beseech you deny me not; but make it your business to understand your own conditions, and build upon sure ground, and know whether you are converted or not; and venture not your souls on negligent security. But perhaps you will say, 'What if we should find ourselves yet unconverted, what shall we do then?' This question leads me to my second Doctrine; which will do much to the answering of it, to which I now proceed. DocTRINE 2. It is the promise of God, that the wicked shall live, if they will but turn, unfeignedly and thoroughly turn. The Lord here professeth that this is what he takes pleasure in, that the wicked turn and live. Heaven is made as sure to the converted, as hell is to the nuconverted. Turn and live, is as certain a truth as Turn or die. God was not bound to provide us a Saviour, nor open to us a door ofhope, nor call us to repent and turn, when once we had cast ourselves away by sin. But he hath freely done it to magnify his mercy. Sinners, there are none ofyou shall have cause to go home, and say I preach desperation to you. Do we use to shut the door of mercy against you? 0 that you would not shut it up against yourselves ! Do we use to tell you that God will have no mercy on you, though you turn and be sanctified? When did you ever hear a preacher say such a word? You that cavil at the preachers of the gospel, for desiring to keep you out of hell, and say, that they preach desperation; tell me if you can, when did you ever hear any sober man say, that there is no hope for you, though you repent, and be converted? No, it is the direct contrary that we daily proclaim from the Lord; and whoever is born again, and by faith and repentance doth become a new creature, shall certainly be sav-

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