.0)5 ofCornierPo, orTarningonto God. S a CT. ff. Mnfterd -feed, to Leaven, to a Sword, to an Hammer, to Fire: Now'wby doth God caufe thisnoife always to found in thyears,bnt becaufe thou fh6ulda hearkenand be obedient ? It is true indeed, we muff diftinguifh ofwicked men; they are either fuch as live inPaganifm, in the ignorance of God, andwithout the Church (though God hath not left filch without a teftimony and a wit- nefs their confciences within, and the creatures without , bearing witnefs of God) yet we cannot fay, that God fo immediately wills their falvation, as of others, Rill keeping to the firftdiftinftionwe mentioned, and not contradifting that : Why indeedGodfhould thus differently difpenfe the means of grace to foam, and not to others ; yea negleft the far greater part of mankinde, isa myftery toodeep for us towade in : Godsways are alwaysmolt juft,when they are moil ferret and unknown to us ; yei even offuch deftitute perfons,we may fay, God hath ne pleafure in theirdeath, according to our .premifed fenfe; for he giveth them warnings againft fin, and implanted a thoufandwitneffes within them, to secure them if ever they do evil : or Inch wicked men, who live un- der the foundof the trumpet, that are awakened, and reminded every day of their tranfgrefïìons, to filch as theft God dticovers, how unwilling he is, that they fhouldperifh in their impieties. Confider therefore, that every leaf in the Scripture, every Sermon thou heareft, will be a terrible matter of account at thatdreadful day : Godwillfay, How often would 1 have converted thee, in- ftruëìed thee, but thou wouldit not I Then thereare internal means, ofwhich anon. Reafon3. Thirdly, Gods pleafure in the converfion of wicked, men isfees:, by thofepatben.. caland4rflionate expreffons, Which We fee the Scripture ufeth; which do not onely argueGods will, but theheight and ftrength of his will : As here inthe Text; Fall, Gods Oath, As Ilive (faith God;) then the ingemination of the duty, Turnye, turnye ; laftly, a vehement expoftulation, Why Wi/lye dye ? So you may read many times in the Scripture thofe exclamations, Oh that mypeople WereWife, that they Would confider their latter end; and we fee Chrift himfelf, though in the midfl of all that pomp and glory which was attributed to him ; yet weepingover 7erufalom, Oh that then hadit known the things that belong to thy peace, etc. Luke 19.42. The truth of this alto will further be amplified, if you-confider what zealous and importunateMeffengers his Prophets are : Wede- feechyou, aediritreat you to be reconciled unto God, ZCor.5.20.Ifye Will not hear (faith 7eremy) emy foul ¡ball mourn in ferret for you, Jer. 13.17. The con- fiflency of thefe things, with an abfolute Eleftion, in the fenfe that the Ortho- dox maintain it, and not which their adverfaries calumniouflyfatten upon them, See in Con:roverfal Writers. Reafon 4. Fourthly, That the death of a Wickedman is difpleaftng to God, appeareth, in that fen, Whichis thecaufeof death, is the onelyevil hated by him, and that only Which he bath decreed topsenifb toall eternity: Thou art of purer eyes, then to behold ini- quity, Hab.:. and, God ie angry With the Wicked every day : He that commands us to hate ir, how much rather mull he himfelf loath it? Godtherefore is not the author and lover of fin; for Noneft author ejus,cujus eft ultor, He is not the Author of that of which he is the Avenger: How then canGoddelight in thy damnation,when the caufeof it is fo abominatedby him I Indeed (as you heard) feting damnation is an aft of J6hice, and fo bath the natureof good, God dorh delight in it ; but as it is ruine of the creatureby fin, foit is not accepta- ble to him. Rea on Fifthly, GodsunWillingnefs that the Wicked ¡bould perifh, appeareth in theft in- f í ternal means, and inward Works of Gods Spirit , that are venchfafed to many : God thinks it not enough to give the word, and the ordinances, and thus out- wardly to knock at the door; but he alto opens the door in fomemeafure. Hence come thofe convictions of Confcience, thofe illuminationsof the under- flanding, and many inch ferret motions of Gods fpirit, that if polfible, the
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