PraClical Cbrifiianity, not prize Salvat ion while it is attainable1they never accou.nt their Souls pr ecious till they arc:: loft,_ yea, and loft beyond all ho~c of recovery . I cannot tell how there many and wetghty .A_rgumems that have be~n propounded may work wi th you, God and your own Confctences know; but this 1· can tell, the Dt'Vil can never biing fuch ftrong Reafom why you fuould deftroy and damn your [elves ai have now been laid bef?rc }'Oll why you fhould _work o_ut your own Salvation': And if they do not prevail wtth you, tn1ly there ts nothmg that you can plead for your felvcs : You cannot plead that you could not do thefe Things~ that ObjeCtion hath been anfwered; you cannot plead tha t there would no Profit arife to you if you did th~m,, for t he Rell'ard hath bee? abune.antly difcovercd !o you; .if yon plead any thtng lt muft be bec:n1~~ you w1ll1.10t do them, and that 1s t he thtng that will condemn y6u: Therefore 1f thefc Thmgs do not prevail with you, if you frill continue obft inate, and inftead of working the Works of God, you work the Works of your Father the Devii; God acquits himfelf,your Blood lies not upon him, you have been fairly warned and told of it, but your own DeftruCl:ion Ihall jufl:Jy lie upon your own Heads. And thus having done with the Arguments to prefs you to this Duty of working out your own Salvation with Fear and Trembling; 1 come now to Anfwer fame Objefliom. And, Obj. I. F irft, It may pojfibly enter into the Heart of fome de {per ate Sinner or otlm· to foy, Theft irtdeed are ftrong Arguments that have been propounded JoY the infoYcing thU Duty of workir'l out our Salvation ufon rhofe that expdi Salvation ; but for my p11rt I pretend not fo high, let me but now en;o;Y the Sins that I {erve, atid the Pleafures that I pur. Jue, and for the ft ate of my Soul hereafter, I /hall commend it to the Mrrcy of God ; had I true Grace, I might be perfuilded to attempt this hard Work with hopes of fom-e goad fuccejj; but I 1nm my [elf to be a Sinner, and you tell me I cannot chm'te my own Heart , 11nd without this change no Salvation can be expelled; why then jl10uld } dijquilt my [elf in vain, by labouring for that which I c~tnnot accompliPJ ? If I mufl perijh, I will perijh with as much Eafc and Pleafm::e as I maJ; if I muft go to Hell, I may be as [ooit carried down thither in a Flood of Tears, 1h wi1h a Flood of Sins; if God hath fmtenced me to HeU hereafter, why jhould I [emcncc my /elf f() a Hell here? And therefore if Salvation and Happinejj be ji1ch Points, I will give r/Jtm over and embrace more ea/h artd obvious Pleafures, I know there is no pious Heart but fhivcreth with Horror at fuch Language a5 this is, though it be but prcfented to them; and may, and do, think it rather the Speech of Devils than Men that are in a way of Sa lvation. It is true it is the Speech of Devits, but it is the Speech of Devils in Mens Hearts. But what now? Shall we leave thefe Men to fuch defperate Refolutions as thc:fe are? Shall we fuffer them thus to go down flaming to Hell? Certainly Religion bath !="eafon enough in it to convince furh as thefe, if they will but Chew themfelves to be Ratio· nal Men. For, An[lv. Confider, thou who hadft rather perifu than make thy Life a Trouble to thee: by Obedience, God under thy Difobedience may make thy Life a Trouble, yea, a Hell to thee by his Terrors. Thou thinkeU: the filthy Garments of t hy Sin and Pollution fit more ca:fie and loofe about thee, than the clofe Garments of Ho· licefs and Obedien~e will do; nay, but God can wrap and roll thefe filthy Garments of thine in Drimfl:one , and fet them on Fire about t hine Ears. Many Mens Confcicnccs indeed are like Iron that bath lain for fome time out of the Fire, that you would not fufpefr to be hot till you let fome Water fall upon it, and then it appears to be fo by its noife and hiffing: So truly their Confciences fcem cold and dead and fuch as you might handle at your Pleafure; but when once God lets fall fome Drops of his Wrath upon their Confciences, then they hifs and boil, and fill the Soul with Smoak and Smother. A hard Heart is no fecurity from a troubled Confcience. It is with the Hearts 3nd Confciences of wicked Men, as it is with a Sore in the. Body, which it may be is the hardeft part in the Body and yet the foreft alfo, the red Flcfu about the Sore is har~ and yet full of Pain and Anguilh : So is it many times with the Hearts and Confc1e~ces of wicked Men, which though they are exceeding hard , yet are full of P::un and Prai.Ss. 3• Anguifh. We read of Heman, That whzlfl IJe fiiff"ered the Terrors 0c[ God he 1Mi Pfal. o6. diftr~t£ted. Aud David tells m, The S()rroJvs of De_ath cmJpa[s'd me about, and the J· Pains of Hell got hold of""· And if the Wrath ot the Almighty be thus f~;:,i;I~
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