'DireUions to the Unmzewed. 'Do your beft to dijcowr your unconvert~d ftau. 13 9. 3 , Perhaps you think that the Preacher ( or private admoni!her) is too plai;z with you: But Se~e_ca I!p. 87. you fhould confider that[elf-love is like to make you partial in your own caufe, and therefore a m?re ~;;{~~iu~4{u~ uncapable Judge than they. And you fhould confider that God hath commanded them to deal plam- Yfi RD"m - ly and told them that elfe the peoples blood !hall be required at thetr hands, lfa. 58. •· Ezei<, t S. pop•l• "!'' A~d that God befi knoweth what Medicine and Dyet is fittefi for your Difeafe : And that the cafe is ca~o~rm, quam of fuch grand importance ( whether you iliall1ive in Heaven or Hell for ever?) that it is fcarce poffi- Sc:'ootc~: ble for a Minifier to betoo plain and ferious with you : And that your difeafe is fo obfiinate, that gent- ~p7u:;'r~~ff;~~~ ]er means have been too long frufirate, and therefore £harper mufl: be tryed : elfe why were you not Alter cum m~ri: converted by gentler dealing until now >Ifyou fall down in a fwoon, or be ready to be drowned, you ' "' beUu~ will give leave to the fianders by to handle you a little more roughly than at another time, and .~ll t'ffi'· not bring your action againfi them for laymg hands on you, or ruffimg your Silks or Bravery :_If your houfe beon fire, you will give men Jeave tofpeak in another manner) than when they modulate their voices into acivill and complementing tone. . · It may be you think that they are cenforious in judging you to be uriconverted, when you are not, and to be worfe and in more danger than you are, and fpeaking hard,er of you than you defcrve. But it's )'O" that £hould be mofi fufpicious of your felves, and afraid in fo ;Sreat a matter of being de· ceived. A fiander bymay fee more than a player: I am fure he that 1s awake may know more of you, than you of your felves when you are afleep. 9. 4· But fuppofe it were as you Imagine, it is his Love that millakingly attempt<th your good : Hi: intended1 you no harm : It isyour falvation that he defireth: It is your damnation that he would prevent : You h..lVe caufe to love him, and be thankful for his good wiU, and not to be angry with him, and reproach him for his mifiakes. He is none of thofe that brings you into the i11quijition, and would fine, or imprifon, or baniCh, or burn, or hang, or torment you, in order to convert and fave you : The worll he doth, isbut to fpeak thofc words, which if true, you are deeply concerned to regard ; anJ ifmillaken, can do you no hurt, unlefs you arc the caufe your felf. If it be inpublici;, preaching, he fpeaketh generally by defcriptions, and not by nomination ; no more of you, than of others in your cafe ; Nor of you at all, if you arc not in that cafe. If he fpeak privately to you, there is no 'Witnefs but your felf; and therefOre it is no matter of difgrace. Never, for Chamc, pretend that thou art willing tobe converted and favcd, when thou hatell thofe that would promote it; and art angry with every one that tells thee of thy cafe, and could(! find in thy heart to flop their mouths, or do them a mifchief. Direction 8. IF thou art wiJJing indeed to be converted, drJ thy beft to difcover that yet thou art uncon- Dire[]. 8. versed, and ina lojf and miferable ftate. 9· 1• Who will endeavour to cure aDifeafe which he thinks he hath not? Or to Vorni~ up the poi– fon which he thinks be never too~? or taketh to b~ no poi[on? Or to come out ofthe ditch, that thinks he is not in it ? Or who will turn back again, that will not believe but he is in the right way ? Who will labour to be converted, that thinks he is converted already? Or who Will come to Chrifi as the Phyficion of his foul, that thinks he 'is not fick, or is cured already. The common caufe that men live and die without the grace of Repentance, Sanllification and Jullification which fhould fave them, is be,aufe they will not believebut that they have it, when they have it not , and that they are penitent, and jufiified and fanttified already. It is not my defire to make anyof you think worfe of your condi– tion than it is : But ifyou win not know what it is, you will not be fit for recovering grace, nor ufe the means for your own recovery: you think it is fo fad a conclufion, to find your felves in a fiate of condemnation, that you are exceeding unwilling to know it or confefs it. _9· 2· But l befee~h you confider but the!e two things; Fi•fi, Either it is true that you are in fo Be,n.rtd. dt ffiJ~erabJe a fiate, or 1t IS not true : If it be not true, the dofeft tryal will but comfort you, by dif- grad. humi/. covering that you arc fancrified already : But if it betrue, then do you think it will fave you •to be ·'"d. 8. de– ignorant ofyour danger ? Will it cure your difeafe, to believe that you ha've it not? Will thinking fcnbetb men_s ~ell of your (elves .falfly, pro~e ~hat .you are well indeed? Is it_the way to grace) to think.you have (,~~u:~~s t eif n, when you have u not? Wdl1t brmg you to Heaven, to thmk that you arc going thither, when it may be, you ar~in the way to Hell? Nay, do you not know, that it is the principal temptation of the Devil, to the~ will f.t~·;· keep men from a fiate ofRepentance and Salvation, to deceive them thus, and perfwade them that they ~ did noc do are in fu~h a fiate already? Jud.ge foberly of t~e cafe :. Do yoa think if aH ~he in:pen~tent unconverted ~~ ~;: ~~fefin; finners m the wctldwere certam that they are mdeed m a gracdefs fiate, mwh1ch 1f they died, they but lawful; or were pall all hope, that they would not quickly look about them, and better underfiand the. offers of elfe, I did it a Saviour, a:nd live in continual folicitudc and fear, till they found thcmfelves in afafer fiare? If you not oft or were .fure your felves, ~h.at you mufi yet be made new creaturu, or be dam~e~,. would it not fet you ~~~~~~rn~fe, on work to feek more d!l1gmtly after grace than ever you have done? The DeVi1 knowcth this well harm; orelfe; enough; that he could fcarce keep you quiet this night 'in his fnares, but you wOuld be- re<rdy to re.. l wn perfwa; pent and beg for mercy, and refolve on a new life, before to morrow, if you were but fure that you ded by ano-: are yet in afiate of condemnation.. And t~ereforc he d?th all that he can to hide your fin and ~~:~:1 t~"ft by danper from your eyes, and to qUiet you wtth the conceit, that though you are finners, yet you are rempwion.] pemtent, pardoned and fafe. 9· 3· Well Sirs, there can·be no harm in knowing the truth. And therefore will you but try yout felves, Whether you are unfanttliied or not? You were baptized into the name of the Holy Ghot\ as yout
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