Againft Self•mt~rder. §. 5· D'rect. 5· Kttp up a Btli<ving f ortfight of tht Jlatt which Death wiU find ) 'OU to: and then if Dire//. 5• you havt: rhc ufc of Reafon, H..ll at katl will hold your hands, and make you atfaid of venturing up~ on drarb. What Rtpentancc arc you like to have, when you dye in the very ad- of fin ? And when an unmortifitd lufi or love of the world, doth hurry you to the halter by tinful d{fcontcnt ? And what hope of pudon without Repentance? How exceeding likely therefore is it, that when ever you put )'our (elves out of your prcfmr pain and r~ouble, you fend_your fouls to cndlefs torments. And will it cafeyou ro pafs from poverty or croffes mto Hell? Cr w1ll you damn your fouls, bccaufe another wrongeth you? 0 the madnefs of afinncr ? Who will you think hath wronged you moll, when you ftel Hell fire? Are you aweary of your lives, and will you go to Hell for cafe? Alas, how Quickly would you beglad tobe here again, in a painfuller condition, than that whichyou were r-o weafy of? yea, and to endure it a thoufand years? SuppofC you faw Hell before your cyc:s ? Would you leap in.:. ro ir? Is not time of Repentance a mercy to be valued? Yea, a lictlc reprieve from endlefs mifcry is bettrr than nothing. What need you make hafie to come to Hell? WiU it not be foon enough if you flay thence as long as you can? And why will you throw away your hopes, and put your {elves pan all pollibiiity of recovery, before God put you fo himfelf? §. 6. Direct. 6. V nd.,jland tbt wonders of mercy revealed, and beftowed on mankjnd in Je[U< Chrij!: Direl/. 6. a11d underjland tbt trnour ofthe Covenant ofGrace. The ignorance ofthis is it that keeptch a bitter talle upon your Spirits; and rnakerh you ·cry out, Forfok..en andVndont; when fuch Miracles of mercy art wrought for your falvation. And the ignorance of this is it that makerh you foolilhly cry our, -there is tto hope; 1he day of grace is paft; It is too late; God will nt-ver fhtw me mercy ! When his \Vord affureth all that will believe it, that whoever. confeJ!etb and forfak,_etb hit fins, jhaU bavt me 'Icy ! Prov. 28 13. And ifwt co>t{ifi our [tns, ht is f•ithful and ju/1 to forgiue. "r John r. 9· And rhat whoever n:ilt, may freely drink.,. of the W.JltrJ of life. Rev. 22· 17. And that whoever btlitvtth in him, jhaU not pcrijJJ, bu1 b<lve everlajli;tg lift. John 3· I7· 1 havt no other hope of my falvation, but that Gofpel, which promiftlh pardon and fllvation unto all, that at any time, repmt and turn to God by faith in Chrifi ; A11d I dare lly my falvarion on the truth of this, that Chrit\ never reje&,d any Jinner how great foevcr, that at any time in this life, was truly willing to come to him, and to God by him, John 6. 37• Ht tbat cometb tmto me, I will in no wife cajt out. Hut the rnalitious Devil would fain make God fcem odious to the fOul, and rcprcfenteth Love ir fClf as our enemy, that we might not Love him 1 Dcfpair is fuch a part ofHell, that if he could bring us 10 it, he would think he had us half in Hell already : and then he:.would urge us ro difpatch our fclVcs, that we might be there indeed, ancl our dcfpa~r might be uncurable. How blind is he that feeth not the Devil in all this? Hhhhhhh :z. CHAP.
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