A
CALL
TO THE
Unconverted.

Ezek .33.11.
Say unto them, As I live saith the
Lord God, I have no pleasure in
the death of the wicked, but that
the wicked turn from his way
and live. Turn ye, turn ye from
your evil ways; for why will ye
die O house of Israel?

IT hath been the
astonishing wonder
of many a man as
well as me, to read
in the holy Scripture
how few will
be saved, and that the greatest part

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even of those that are called, will
be everlastingly shut out of the
Kingdom of Heaven, and be tormented
with the Devils in Eternal
fire. Infidels believe not this when
they read it, and therefore must
feel it. Those that do believe it,
are forced to cry out with Paul
Rom. 11. 33. Oh the depth of the
riches both of the wisdom and knowledge
of God! How unsearchable
are his Judgements, and his waies
past finding out! But nature it
self doth teach us all to lay the
blame of evil works upon the
doers; and therefore when we see
any hainous thing done, a principle
of justice doth provoke us to
enquire after him that did it, that
the evil of the work may return
the evil of shame upon the author.
If we saw a man killed and
cut in pieces by the way, we would
presently ask, Oh who did this cruel
deed? If the town were wilfully

set on fire, you would ask, What
wicked wretch did this? So when
we read that the most will be firebrands
of hell for ever, we must
needs think with our selves, How
comes this to pass? and who is it
long of? Who is it that is so cruel
as to be the cause of such a thing
as this? And we can meet with
few that will own the guilt. It is
indeed confest by all that Satan is
the cause: but that doth not resolve
the doubt, because he is not
the principal cause. He doth not
force men to sin, but tempt them to
it, and leave it to their own wills
whether they will do it or not.
He doth not carry men to an Alehouse,
and force open their
mouths, and pour in the drink,
nor doth he hold them that they
cannot go to Gods service, nor
doth he force their hearts from
holy thoughts. It lieth therefore
between God himself and the sinner:

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One of them must needs be
the principall cause of all this misery,
which ever it is: For there
is no other to cast it upon; And
God disclaimeth it: He will not
take it upon him. And the wicked
disclaim it usually, and they will
not take it upon them. And this is
the Controversie that is here managing
in my text.
The Lord complaineth of the
people; and the people think it is
long of God. The same controversie
is handled Chap. 18. where
Verse 25. they plainly say, that the
way of the Lord is not equal; and
God saith, It is their wayes that
are not equal. So here they say,
Verse 19. If our transgressions and
our sins be upon us, and we pine away
in them, how shall we then live?
As if they should say, If we must
die and be miserable, how can we
help it? As if it were not long of
them, but God. But God in my

text doth clear himself of it, and
telleth them how they may help
it if they will, and perswadeth
them to use the means, and if they
will not be perswaded, he lets them
know that it is long of themselves;
and if this will not satisfie them,
he will not therefore forbear to
punish them: It is He that will be
the Judge; and he will Judge
them according to their wayes;
They are no Judges of him or of
themselves; as wanting authority,
and wisdom, and impartiality: Nor
is it their cavilling and quarrelling
with God that shall serve their
turn, or save them from the execution
of Justice which they murmur
at.
The words of this Verse contain,
1. Gods purgation or clearing
of himself from the blame of
their Destruction. This he doth,
not by disowning his Law, that
the wicked shall die, nor by disowning

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his Judgement and Execution
according to that Law; or giving
them any hope that the Law shall
not be executed; But by professing
that it is not their death that
he takes pleasure in, but their returning
rather, that they may live:
And this he confirmeth to them
by his Oath. 2. An express Exhortation
to the wicked to Return;
wherein God doth not only
Command, but perswade, and
condescend also to reason the case
with them, Why they will die?
The direct end of this Exhortation
is, That they may Turn and
Live. The Secundary or reserved
ends, upon supposition that this is
not attained, are these two. First
to convince them by the means
which he used, that it is not long
of God if they be miserable.
Secondly to convince them from
their manifest wilfulness in rejecting
all his commands and perswasions,

that it is long of themselves:
and they die even because
they will die.
The substance of the Text doth
lie in these observations following.
Doct. 1. It is the unchangable Law
of God that wicked men must
Turn or Dye.
Doct. 2. It is the promise of God,
that the wicked shall live if they
will but Turn.
Doct. 3. God taketh pleasure in
mens Conversion and Salvation,
but not in their death or damnation.
He had rather they would
return and live, then go on and
die.
Doct. 4. This is a most certain
truth, which because God would
not have men to question, he hath
confirmed it to them solemnly by
his Oath.
Doct. 5. The Lord doth redouble

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his commands and perswasions to
the wicked to Turn.
Doct. 6. The Lord condescendeth
to reason the case with them,
and asketh the wicked, Why they
will die?
Doct. 7. If after all this the wicked
will not turn, it is not long
of God that they perish, but of
themselves: their own wilfulness
is the cause of their damnation,
they therefore die, because they
will die.

Having laid the Text open before
your eyes in these plain propositions,
I shall next speak somewhat
of each of them in order;
though very briefly.

Doct. 1. IT is the unchangeable
Law of God that wicked
men must Turn or Die.

If you will believe God, believe
this: There is but one of these
two wayes for every wicked man,
either Conversion or Damnation.
I know the wicked will hardly be
perswaded either of the truth or
Equity of this. No wonder if the
Guilty quarrel with the Law. Few
men are apt to believe that which
they would not have to be true:
And fewer would have that to be
true which they apprehend to be
against them. But it is not quarrelling
with the Law, or with the
Judge, that will save the Malefactor.
Believing and regarding the
Law might have prevented his
death: but denying and accusing
it will but hasten it. If it were not

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so, an hundred would bring their
reasons against the Law, for one
that would bring his reason to the
Law: and men would rather
choose to give their reasons why
they should not be punished, then
to hear the commands and reasons
of their Governours which require
them to obey. The Law was not
made for you to Judge, but that
you might be ruled and Judged by
it.
But if there be any so blind as
to venture to question, either the
Truth or the Justice of this Law
of God, I shall briefly give you
that Evidence of both, which me
thinks should satisfie a reasonable
man.
And first, if you doubt whether
this be the word of God or not,
besides an hundred other texts,
you may be satisfied by these few.
Mat. 18. 3. Verely I say unto you,
except ye be converted and become

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as little children, ye cannot enter into
the Kingdom of Heaven. John
3, 3. Verily, verily, I say unto thee,
except a man be born again he cannot
see the Kingdom of God 2 Cor.
5. 17. If a man be in Christ, he
is a new creature: Old things are
past away, behold all thing are
become new. Colos, 3. 9. 10. Ye
have put off the old man with his
deeds, and have put on the new man,
which is renewed in knowledge after
the image of him that created him.
Heb. 12. 14. Without holiness none
shall see God. Rom. 8. 8, 9. So
then they that are in the flesh cannot
please God.
Now if any man
have not the Spirit of Christ, he is
none of his. Gal. 6. 15. For in
Christ Jesus neither Circumcision
availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision,
but a new creature. 1 Pet.
1. 3. According to his abundant
grace he hath begotten us again to
a lively hope. Verse 23. Being born

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again, not of corruptible seed, but
of incorruptible, by the Word of
God, which liveth and abideth for
ever, 1 Pet. 2. 1, 2. Wherefore laying
aside all malice, and all guile,
and hypocrisies, and envies, and evil
speakings, as new born babes desire
the sincere milk of the word, that ye
may grow thereby. Psalm 9. 17. The
wicked shall be turned into hell, and
all the Nations that forget God.
Psalm 11. 5. And the Lord loveth
the righteous, but the wicked his soul
hateth.
As I need not stay to open these
Texts which are so plain, so I think
I need not add any more of that
multitude which speak the like:
If thou be a man that dost believe
the Word of God: here's already
enough to satisfie thee, that the
wicked must be converted or condemned.
You are already brought
so far, that you must either confess
that this is true, or say plainly,

you will not believe the Word of
God. And if once you be come
to that pass, there is but small hopes
of you: look to your selves as
well as you can; for its like you
will not be long out of Hell. You
would be ready to flie in the face
of him that should give you the
lie: and yet dare you give the
lie to God? But if you tell God
plainly you will not believe him,
blame him not if he never warn
you more, or if he forsake you
and give you up as hopeless. For
to what purpose should he warn
you if you will not believe him?
should he send an Angel from heaven
to you, its seems you would
not believe. For an Angel can
speak but the Word of God: and
if an Angel should bring you another
Gospel, you are not to receive
it, but to hold him accursed,
Gal. 1. 8, 9. And surely there is
no Angel to be believed before the

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Son of God, who came from the
Father to bring us this Doctrine,
If he be not to be believed, then
all the Angels in heaven are not
to be believed. And if you stand
on these terms with God, I shall
leave you till he deal with you in a
more convincing way. God hath
a voice that will make you hear.
Though he intreat you to hear the
voice of his Gospel, he will make
you hear the voice of his condemning
Sentence, without intreaty.
We cannot make you believe
against your wills: but God will
make you feel against your
wills.
But let us hear what reason you
have, why you will not believe
this word of God, which tells us
that the wicked must be Converted
or condemned? I know your reason;
it is because that you judge
it unlikely that God should be so
unmerciful: you think it cruelty

to damn men everlastingly for so
small a thing as a sinful life. And
this leads us up to the second
thing, which is to justifie the
Equity of God in his Laws and
Judgements.
And first I think you will not
deny but that it is most sutable to
an immortal soul, to be ruled by
Laws that promise an immortal
reward, and threaten an endless
punishment. Otherwise the Law
should not be suited to the nature
of the [illegible] subject; who will not be
fully ruled by any lower means,
then the Hopes or Fears of everlasting
things: As it is in case of
temporal punishment; if a Law
were now made that the most hainous
crimes shall be punished with
an hundred years captivity, this
might be of some efficacy, as being
equal to our lives. But if there
had been no other penalties before
the flood, when men lived eight

or nine hundred years, it would
not have been sufficient, because
men would know that they might
have so many hundred years impunity
afterward. So is it in our
present case.
2. I suppose you will confess
that the promise of an endless and
unconceivable glory is not unsuitable
to the wisdom of God, or the
case of man. And why then should
you not think so of the Threatning
of an endless and unspeakable misery?
3. When you find it in the
Word of God that so it is, and so
it will be, do you think your selves
fit to contradict this Word? Will
you call your Maker to the Barr?
and examine his Word upon the
accusation of falshood? will you
sit upon him and judge him by the
Law of your Conceits? Are you
wiser, and better, and righteouser
then he? Must the God of heaven

come to School to you to
learn wisdom? Must infinite wisdom
learn of folly? and infinite
Goodness be corrected by a swinish
sinner, that cannot keep himself
an hour clean? Must the Almighty
stand at the Bar of a worm? Oh
horrid arrogancy of sensless dust!
Shall every mole, or clod, or dunghill,
accuse the Sun of darkness,
and undertake to illuminate the
world? Where were you when
the Almighty made these Laws,
that he did not call you to his
counsel? Surely he made them
before you were born, without
desiring your advice: and you
come into the world too late for to
reverse them: if you could have
done so great a work, you should
have stept out of your Nothingness,
and have contradicted Christ
when he was on earth, or Moses
before him, or have saved Adam
and his sinful progeny from the

threatned death, that so there
might have been no need of Christ!
And what if God withdraw his
patience and sustentation, and let
you drop into Hell while you are
quarrelling with his Word, will
you then believe that there is a
Hell?
4. If sin be such an evil that it
requireth the death of Christ for
its expiation, no wonder if it deserve
our everlasting misery.
5. And if the sin of the Devils
deserved an endless torment, why
not also the sin of man?
6. And me thinks you should
perceive, that it is not possible for
the best of men, much less for the
wicked to be competent Judges
of the desert of sin. Alas we are
all both blind and partial. You can
never know fully the desert of sin,
till you fully know the evil of sin;
and you can never fully know the
evil of sin, till you fully know,

1. The Excellency of the soul
which it deformeth. 2. And the
excellency of holiness which it doth
obliterate. 3. And the reason and
excellency of the Law which it
violateth. And 4. the excellency
of the Glory which it doth despise.
And 5. the excellency and
office of Reason which it treadeth
down. 6. No nor till you know
the infinite Excellency, Almightiness
and Holiness of that God
against whom it is committed.
When you fully know all these,
you shall fully know the desert of
sin. Besides, you know that the
offendor is too partial to judge
the Law, or the proceedings of his
Judge. We judge by feeling,
which blinds our reason. We see
in common worldly things that
most men think the cause is right
which is their own: and that all
is wrong thats done against them:
and let the most wise, or just, impartial

friends perswade them to
the contrary, and its all in vain.
There's few children but think the
Father is unmerciful, or dealeth
hardly with them, if he whip
them. There's scarce the vilest
swinish wretch, but thinketh the
Church doth wrong him if they
excommunicate him: Nor scarce
a Thief or Murderer that is hanged,
but would accuse the Law and
Judge of cruelty, if that would
serve turn.
7. Can you think that an unholy
soul is fit for heaven? Alas,
they cannot love God here, nor do
him any service which he can accept.
They are contrary to God,
they loath that which he most
loveth; and love that which he
abhorreth: They are uncapable
of that imperfect Communion
with him, which his Saints do here
partake of. How then can they
live in that perfect love of him,

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and full delights, and Communion
with him, which is the blessedness
of heaven? You do not accuse
your selves of unmercifulness, if
you make not your enemy your
bosom Counseller; or if you take
not your swine to bed and board
with you; no nor if you take
away his life, though he never
sinned. And yet will you blame
the absolute Lord, the most wise
and gracious Soveraign of the
world if he condemn the Unconverted
to perpetual misery?

Vse.

I Beseech you now, all that love
your souls, that instead of
quarrelling with God and with his
Word, you will presently stoop
to it, and use it for your good.
All you that are yet unconverted
in this Assembly, take this as the

undoubted truth of God: You
must ere long be converted or condemned.
There is no other way,
but Turn or Dye. When God that
cannot lye hath told you this;
When you hear it from the Maker
and Judge of the world its time
for him that hath ears to hear. By
this time you may see what you
have to trust to. You are but dead
and damned men, except you will
be converted. Should I tell you
otherwise, I should deceive you
with a lye. Should I hide this from
you, I should undoe you, and be
guilty of your blood, as the verses
before my Text assure me, Ver. 8.
When I say to the wicked, O wicked
man thou shalt surely dye, if thou
dost not speak to warn the wicked
from his way, that wicked man shall
dye in his iniquity; but his blood
will I require at thine hand. You
see then, though this be a rough
unwelcome Doctrine, its such as

we must preach, and you must
hear. It is easier to hear of Hell
then feel it. If your necessities did
not require it, we would not gall
your tender ears with truths that
seem so harsh and grievous. Hell
would not be so full, if people were
but willing to know their case,
and to hear and think of it. The
reason why so few escape it, is because
they strive not to enter in at
the strait gate of Conversion, and
to go the narrow way of holiness
while they have time: and they
strive not because they be not
wakened to a lively feeling of the
danger they are in: and they be
not wakened, because they are
loth to hear or think of it; and
that is partly through foolish tenderness,
and carnal self-love, and
partly because they do not well
believe the Word that threatneth
it. If you will but throughly believe
this truth, me thinks the

weight of it should force you to
remember it; and it should follow
you, and give you no rest till you
are converted. If you had but
once heard this word by the voice
of an Angel, Thou must be Converted
or Condemned; Turn or
Die: would it not stick in your
mind, and haunt you night and
day, so that in your sinning you
would remember it, and at your
labour you would remember it, as
if the voice were still in your ears,
Turn or Die. O happy were your
souls if it might thus work with
you, and never be forgotten, or
let you alone, till it have driven
home your hearts to God. But if
you will cast it out by forgetfulness
or unbelief, how can it work to
your Conversion and Salvation?
But take this with you to your
sorrow; though you may put
this out of your minds, you cannot
put it out of the Bible; but

there it will stand as a sealed truth
which you shall experimentally
know for ever, that there is no
other way but Turn or Die.
O what's the matter then that
the hearts of sinners be not pierced
with such a weighty truth! A
man would think now, that every
Unconverted soul that hears these
words, should be pricked to the
heart, and think with themselves,
This is my own case; and never be
quiet till they found themselves
converted. Believe it Sirs, this
drowsie careless temper will not
last long. Conversion and Condemnation
are both of them
awakening things; and one of them
will make you feel ere long. I can
foretel it as truly as if I saw it with
my eyes, that either Grace or Hell
will shortly bring these matters to
the quick, and make you say,
What have I done? What a foolish
wicked course have I taken!

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The scornful, and the stupid state
of sinners will last but a little
while. As soon as they either
Turn or Die, the presumptuous
dream will be at an end, and then
their wits and feeling will return.

BUT I foresee there are two
things that are like to harden
the unconverted, and make me
lose all my labour, except they can
be taken out of the way: and
that is the misunderstanding of
these two words, [The Wicked]
and [Turn.] Some will think with
themselves, Its true, the wicked
must Turn or Die: but what's
that to me? I am not wicked, though
I am a sinner, as all men be. Others
will think, Its true that we must
Turn from our evil waies: but I
am Turned long ago; I hope this is

not now to do. And thus while
wicked men think they are not
wicked, but are already Converted,
we lose all our labour in perswading
them to Turn. I shall therefore before
I go any further, tell you here
who are meant by [the wicked]
and who they be that must turn or
die; and also what is meant by
Turning, and who they be that are
truly converted: And this I have
purposely reserved for this place,
preferring the Method that fits my
end.
And here you must observe,
that in the sense of the Text, a
wicked man, and a converted man
are contraries. No man is a wicked
man that is converted; and no
man is a converted man that is
wicked: So that to be a wicked
man, and to be an unconverted
man, is all one. And therefore
in opening one we shall open
both.

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Before I can tell you what either
Wickedness or Conversion is,
I must go to the bottom, and fetch
up the matter from the beginning.
It pleased the great Creator of
the world, to make three sorts of
living creatures: Angels he made
pure Spirits without flesh: and
therefore he made them only for
Heaven, and not for to dwell on
earth. Bruits were made flesh
without immortal souls: and
therefore they were made only
for earth and not for Heaven.
Man is of a middle nature between
both, as partaking of both flesh
and Spirit; and therefore he was
made both for Earth and Heaven.
But as his flesh is made to be but a
servant to his Spirit, so is he made
for earth but as his passage or way
to Heaven, and not that this
should be his home or happiness.
The blessed state that man was

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made for, was to behold the Glorious
Majesty of the Lord, and to
praise him among his holy Angels;
and to love him and be filled with
his Love for ever. And as this was
the End that man was made for,
so God did give him means that
were fitted to the attaining of it.
These means were principally
two. First the right Inclination and
Disposition of the mind of man.
Secondly the right ordering of his
life and practice. For the first,
God suited the Disposition of man
unto his End; giving him such
knowledge of God as was fit for
his present state, and an Heart
Disposed and Inclined to God, in
holy Love. But yet he did not fix
or confirm him in this condition;
but having made him a free agent,
he left him in the hands of his own
free-will. For the second, God did
that which belonged to him; that
is, he gave man a perfect Law, requiring

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him to continue in the
Love of God, and perfectly to
obey him. By the wilful breach
of this Law, man did not only forfeit
his hopes of everlasting life,
but also turned his heart from
God, and fixed it on these lower
fleshly things: and hereby did
blot out the spiritual Image of
God from his soul. So that man
did both fall short of the Glory of
God, which was his End, and put
himself out of the Way by which
he should have attained it; and
this both as to the frame of his
heart and of his life. The holy Inclination
and Love of his soul to
God, he lost; and instead of it, he
contracted an Inclination and
Love to the pleasing of his flesh,
or carnal-self by earthly things;
growing strange to God, and acquainted
with the creature: And
the course of his life was suited to
the Bent and Inclination of his

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heart: he lived to his carnal self,
and not to God: he sought the
creature for the pleasing of his
flesh, in stead of seeking to please
the Lord. With this Nature or
Corrupt inclination we are all now
born into the world: For who
can bring a clean thing out of an
unclean? Job 14. 4. As a Lyon
hath a fierce and cruel nature before
he doth devour; and as an
Adder hath a venemous nature before
he sting; so in our very infancy
we have those sinful Natures
or Inclinations before we think, or
speak, or do amiss. And hence
springeth all the sin of our lives.
And not only so; but when God
hath of his mercy provided us a
Remedy, even the Lord Jesus
Christ to be the Saviour of our
souls, and bring us back to God
again, we naturally love our present
state, and are loth to be
brought out of it, and therefore

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are set against the means of
our Recovery; and though
custom have taught us to thank
Christ for his good will, yet
carnal self perswadeth us to
refuse his Remedies, and to
desire to be excused when we
are commanded to take the
Medicines which he offereth,
and are called to forsake all,
and follow him to God and
Glory.
I pray you read over this leaf
again and mark it; for in these
few words, you have a true Description
of our natural state; and
consequently of a wicked man.
For every man that is in this
state of corrupted nature, is a
wicked man, and in a state of
death.
By this also you are prepared
to understand what it is to
be Converted, to which end
you must further know, That

32

the mercy of God, not willing
that man should perish in his
sin, provided a Remedy, by causing
his Son to take our Nature,
and being in one person God
and man, to become a Mediator
between God and man, and by
dying for our sins on the Cross, to
ransom us from the curse of God,
and the power of the Devil; and
having thus Redeemed us, the Father
hath delivered us into his
hands as his own. Hereupon the
Father and the Mediator do make
a New Law and Covenant for
man; not like the first which gave
life to none but the perfectly obedient,
and condemned man for
every sin: but Christ hath made a
Law of Grace, or a Promise of
Pardon and Everlasting life to all
that by true Repentance and by
Faith in Christ are Converted unto
God. Like an Act of Oblivion
which is made by a Prince to a

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company of Rebels, on condition
they will lay down arms and come
in, and be loyal subjects for the time
to come.
But because the Lord knoweth
that the heart of man is grown so
wicked, that for all this men
will not accept of the Remedy,
if they be left to themselves,
therefore the Holy Ghost hath
undertaken it as his office to inspire
the Apostles, and seal up
the Scripture by Miracles and
Wonders, and to illuminate
and convert the souls of the
Elect.
So that by this much you see that
as there are three persons in the
Trinity, the Father, the Son, and
the Holy Ghost, so each of these
persons have their several works,
which are eminently ascribed to
them.
The Fathers works were to
Create us, to Rule us as his Rational

creatures, by the Law of
Nature, and Judge us thereby:
And in mercy to provide us a Redeemer
when we were lost, and
to send his Son, and accept his
Ransom.
The works of the Son for us
were these, To Ransom and Redeem
us by his Sufferings and
Righteousness; to give out the
Promise or Law of Grace, and
Rule and Judge the world as their
Redeemer, on terms of Grace,
and to make intercession for us,
that the benefits of his death may
be communicated; and to send
the Holy Ghost (which the Father
also doth by the Son.) The
works of the Holy Ghost for us
are these: to indite the Holy
Scriptures, by inspiring and guiding
the Prophets and Apostles, and
sealing the Word by his Miraculous
gifts and works; and the illuminating
and exciting the ordinary

35

Ministers of the Gospel, and
so enabling them and helping them
to publish that Word: and by the
same word Illuminating and Converting
the souls of men. So that
as you could not have been reasonable
creatures, if the Father had
not Created you, nor have had
any access to God, if the Son had
not Redeemed you; so neither can
you have a part in Christ, or be saved,
except the Holy Ghost do sanctifie
you.
So that by this time you may see
the several causes of this work.
The Father sendeth the Son: the
Son Redeemeth us, and maketh
the Promise of Grace: the Holy
Ghost inditeth and sealeth this Gospel:
the Apostles are the Secretaries
of the Spirit, to write it:
the Preachers of the Gospel do
proclaim it, and perswade men to
obey it. And the Holy Ghost doth
make their preaching effectual, by

36

opening the hearts of men to entertain
it. And all this to repair
the image of God upon the soul:
and to set the heart upon God
again, and take it off the creature
and carnal self, to which it is revolted;
and so to turn the current
of the life into an heavenly course,
which before was earthly: and all
this by the entertainment of Christ
by Faith, who is the Physitian of
the soul.
By this which I have said, you
may see what it is to be Wicked, and
what it is to be Converted. Which
I think will be yet plainer to you if
I describe them as consisting of their
several parts: and for the first, a
wicked man may be known by these
three things.
First, he is one who placeth his
chief content on earth, and loveth
the creature more then God, and
his fleshly prosperity above the
heavenly felicity: He savoureth

37

the things of the flesh, but neither
discerneth nor savoureth the
things of the Spirit: though he
will say, that Heaven is better then
earth, yet doth he not really so
esteem it to himself. If he might
be sure of earth, he would let go
heaven, and had rather stay here,
then be removed thither. A life
of perfect holiness in the sight of
God, and in his love and praises
for ever in heaven, doth not find
such liking with his heart, as a life
of health, and wealth, and honour
here upon earth. And though he
falsly profess that he loveth God
above all, yet indeed he never felt
the power of Divine Love within
him, but his mind is more set on
the world, or fleshly pleasures,
then on God. In a word, whoever
Loveth earth above heaven,
and fleshly prosperity more then
God, is a wicked unconverted
man.

On the other side, a Converted
man, is illuminated to discern
the Loveliness of God: and
so far believeth the Glory that
is to be had with God, that
his heart is taken up to it, and
set more upon it, then on any
thing in this world. He had rather
see the face of God and
live in his everlasting love and
praises, then have all the wealth
or pleasure of this world. He seeth
that all things else are vanity; and
nothing but God can fill the soul;
and therefore let the world go
which way it will, he layeth up
his treasure and hopes in heaven,
and for that he is resolved to let
go all. As the fire doth mount upward,
and the Needle that is
touched with the load stone still
turneth to the North: so the
Converted soul is enclined unto
God. Nothing else can satisfie
him; nor can he find any Content

39

and Rest but in his Love. In a
word, All that are Converted, do
Esteem and Love God better then
all the world, and the Heavenly
felicity is dearer to them then their
fleshly prosperity. The proof of
what I have said you may find in
these places of Scripture, Phil. 3.
18, 21. Mat. 6. 19, 20, 21. Col. 3.
1, 2, 3, 4. Rom. 8. 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 18, 23.
Psal. 73. 25, 26.
Secondly, a wicked man is one
that maketh it the principal business
of his life to prosper in the
world, and attain his fleshly ends.
And though he may read, and
hear, and do much in the outward
duties of Religion, and forbear
disgraceful sins, yet this is all but
upon the by, and he never makes
it the trade and principal business
of his life to Please God and attain
everlasting glory, but puts off
God with the leavings of the
world, and gives him no more

service then the flesh can spare:
for he will not part with all for heaven.
On the contrary, a Converted
man is one that makes it the principal
care and business of his life to
Please God, and to be saved, and
takes all the blessings of this life
but as accommodations in his
journey towards another life; and
useth the creature in subordination
unto God: he loveth an holy
life, and longeth to be more holy:
he hath no sin but what he hateth,
and longeth, and prayeth, and
striveth to be rid of. The drift and
bent of his life is for God; and if
he sin, it is contrary to the very
bent of his heart and life, and
therefore he riseth again, and lamenteth
it, and dare not wilfully
live in any known sin. There is
nothing in this world so dear to
him, but he can give it up to God,
and forsake it for him and the

hopes of glory. All this you may see
in Col. 3. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. Mat. 6. 33, 20.
Luk. 18. 22, 23, 29. Luk. 14. 18, 24,
26, 27. Rom. 8. 13. Gal. 5. 24. Luk.
12. 21, &c.
Thirdly, the soul of a wicked
man did never truly discern and
relish the mystery of Redemption,
nor thankfully entertain an offered
Saviour, nor is he taken up with
the love of the Redeemer, nor
willing to be ruled by him as the
Physitian of his soul, that he may
be saved from the guilt and power
of his sins, and recovered unto
God: but his heart is insensible of
this unspeakable benefit, and is quite
against the healing means by which
he should be recovered. Though
he may be willing to be carnally
Religious, yet he never resigneth up
his soul to Christ, and to the motions
and conduct of his Word and
Spirit.
On the contrary, the Converted

42

soul having felt himself undone by
sin, and perceiving that he hath
lost his peace with God, and hopes
of heaven, and is in danger of
everlasting misery, doth thankfully
entertain the tidings of Redemption,
and believing in the
Lord Jesus as his only Saviour,
resigneth up himself to him for
wisdom, righteousness, sanctification
and redemption. He taketh
Christ as the Life of his soul,
and liveth by him, and useth him
as his salve for every sore, admiring
the wisdom and Love of God in
this wonderful work of mans Redemption.
In a word, Christ doth
even dwell in his heart by faith,
and the life that he now liveth is
by the Faith of the Son of God,
that hath loved him and gave himself
for him. Yea it is not so much
he that liveth, as Christ in him.
For these, see John 1. 11, 12. &
3. 19, 20. Rom. 8. 9. Phil. 3. 7.

8, 9, 10. Gal. 2. 20. Job. 15 2, 3. 4.
1 Cor. 1. 20. &2. 2.

YOU see now in plain terms
from the Word of God, who
are the wicked, and who are the
Converted. Ignorant people think
that if a man be no swearer, nor
curser, nor rayler, nor drunkard,
nor fornicator, nor extortioner,
nor wrong any body in their dealings,
and if they come to Church,
and say their prayers, these cannot
be wicked men. Or if a man that
hath been guilty of drunkenness,
or swearing, or gameing or the
like vices, do but forbear them for
the time to come, they think that
this is a Converted man. Others
think, if a man that hath been an
enemy and scorner at godliness, do
but approve it, and joyn himself
with those that are godly, and be

44

hated for it by the wicked as the
godly are, that this must needs be
a Converted man. And some are
so foolish as to think they are
Converted, by taking up some
new and false opinion, and falling
into some dividing party, as Anabaptists,
Quakers, Papists, or such
like. And some think, if they
have but been affrighted by the
fears of Hell, and had Convictions
and Gripes of Conscience, and
thereupon have purposed and promised
amendment, and taken up a
life of Civil behavour, and outward
Religion, that this must
needs be true Conversion. And
these are the poor deluded souls
that are like to lose the benefit of
all our perswasions; and when
they hear that the wicked must
Turn or Die, they think that this
is not spoken to them, for they are
not wicked, but are Turned already.
And therefore it is that Christ

45

told some of the Rulers of the
Jews, who were graver and civiler
then the common people, that Publicans
and Harlots do go into the
Kingdom of God before them, Mat.
21. 31. Not that an harlot or gross
sinner can be saved without Conversion;
but because it was easier
to make these gross sinners perceive
their sin and misery, and the
necessity of a change, when the
civiler sort do delude themselves
by thinking that they are Converted
already, when they be
not.
O Sirs, Conversion is another
kind of work then most are ware
of: Its not a small matter to bring
an Earthly mind to Heaven, and
to shew man the amiable excellencies
of God, till he be taken up in
such Love to him, that never can
be quenched; to break the heart
for sin, and make him flie for refuge
unto Christ, and thankfully

embrace him as the life of his soul,
to have the very drift and bent of
the heart and life to be changed,
so that a man renounceth that
which he took for his felicity, and
placeth his felicity where he never
did before, and liveth not to the
same end, and driveth not on the
same design in the world, as formerly
he did: in a word, he that
is in Christ, is a new creature; old
things are past away, behold all
things are become new, 2 Cor. 5. 17.
He hath a new understanding, a
new will and resolution, new sorrows,
and desires, and love, and
delight, new thoughts, new speeches,
new company (if possible)
and a new conversation. Sin that
before was a jesting matter with
him, is now so odious and terrible
to him, that he flies from it as from
death. The world that was so
lovely in his eyes, doth now appear
but as vanity and vexation: God

that was before neglected, is now
the only Happiness of his soul; before
he was forgotten, and every
lust preferred before him; but now
he is set next the heart, and all
things must give place to him:
and the heart is taken up in the attendance
and observance of him:
and is grieved when he hides his
face, and never thinks it self well
without him. Christ himself that
was wont to be slightly thought
of, is now his only hope and refuge,
and he liveth upon him as on
his daily bread; he cannot pray
without him, nor rejoyce without
him, nor think, nor speak, nor live
without him. Heaven it self that
before was lookt upon but as a
tolerable reserve, which he hoped
might serve turn as better then
hell, when he could not stay any
longer in the world, is now taken
for his home, the place of his only
Hope and Rest, where he shall

48

See, and Love, and Praise that God
that hath his heart already. Hell
that before did seem but as a bugbear
to frighten men from sin, doth
now appear to be a real misery,
that is not to be ventured on, nor
jested with. The works of holiness
which before he was weary
of, and seemed to be more ado
then needs, are now both his recreation
and his business, and the
trade that he lives upon. The Bible
which was before to him but almost
as a common book, is now as
the Law of God, as a Letter written
to him from heaven, and subscribed
with the name of the Eternal
Majesty; it is the Rule of his
thoughts, and words, and deeds;
the commands are binding, the
threats are dreadful, and the promises
of it speak life to his soul.
The godly that seemed to him but
like other men, are now the excellentest
and happyest on earth. And

F

the wicked that were his play-fellows
are now his grief: and he
that could laugh at their sin, is
readyer now to weep for their sin
and misery, Psalm 16. 3. &15. 4.
Phil. 3. 18. In short, he hath a New
End in his thoughts, and a New
Way in his endeavours, and therefore
his Heart and life is New.
Before his Carnal Self was his
End; and his pleasure, and worldly
Profits, and Credit were his
Way: and now God and everlasting
Glory is his End: and Christ,
and the Spirit, and Word, and Ordinances,
Holiness to God, and
Righteousness and Mercy to men,
these are his Way. Before Self was
the chief Ruler, to which the matters
of God and Conscience must
stoop and give place: and now
God in Christ, by the Spirit, Word,
and Ministry is the chief Ruler,
to whom both Self, and all the
matters of Self must give place.

50

So that this is not a change in one
or two, or twenty points; but in
the whole soul: and the very end
and Bent of the Conversation. A
man may step out of one path into
another, and yet have his face
the same way, and be still going towards
the same place: but tis another
matter to turn quite back
again, and take his journey the
clean contrary way to a contrary
place. So it is here. A man may
turn from drunkenness to thriftiness,
and forsake his good fellowship,
and other gross disgraceful
sins, and set upon some duties of
Religion, and yet be going still to
the same End as before, intending
his carnal Self above all, and giving
it still the Government of his
soul. But when he is Converted,
this Self is denyed and taken
down, and God is set up, and his
face is turned the contrary way:
and he that before was addicted to

F 2

himself, and lived to himself, is
now by Sanctification devoted to
God, and liveth unto God: before
he asketh himself, what he
should do with his time, his parts,
and his estate; and for himself he
used them: but now he asketh
God what he shall do with them,
and he useth them for him. Before
he would Please God so far as
might stand with the Pleasure of
his flesh, and Carnal Self, but not
to any great displeasure of them.
But now he will please God, let
Flesh and Self be never so much
displeasd. This is the great change
that God will make upon all that
shall be saved.
You can say, that the Holy-Ghost
is your Sanctifier, but do
you know what Sanctification is?
Why this is it that I have now
opened to you: and every man
and woman in the world must
have this, or be condemned to everlasting

52

misery. They must Turn or
Dye.
Do you believe all this Sirs, or
do you not? Surely you dare not
say you do not: For tis past
doubt or denyal: These are not
Controversies, where one learned
pious man is of one mind, and
another of another: where one
party saith this, and the other saith
that: Papists, and Anabaptists,
and every Sect among us that deserve
to be called Christians, are all
agreed in this that I have said:
and if you will not believe the
God of Truth, and that in a case
where every sect and party do believe
him, you are utterly unexcusable.
But if you do believe this, how
comes it to pass that you live so
quietly in an unconverted state?
Do you know that you are Converted?
and can you find this
wonderful change upon your

F 3

souls? Have you been thus born
again and made anew? Be not
these strange matters to many of
you? and such as you never felt
upon your selves? If you cannot
tell the day or the week of your
change, or the very Sermon that
Converted you, yet do you find
that the work is done? and such a
change indeed there is? and that
you have such hearts as are before
described? Alas, the most do follow
their worldly business, and
little trouble their minds with such
thoughts. And if they be but restrained
from scandalous sins, and
can say, I am no whore-monger,
nor thief, nor curser nor swearer,
nor tipler, nor extortioner, I go to
Church and say my prayers, they
think that this is true Conversion,
and they shall be saved as well as
any. Alas this is foolish cheating
of your selves. This is too much
contempt of an endless glory: and

too gross neglect of your immortal
souls. Can you make so light
of Heaven and Hell? Your corpses
will shortly all lye in the dust, and
Angels and Devils will presently
seize upon your souls, and every
man and woman of you all, will
shortly be among other company,
and in another case then now you
are; you will dwell in those houses
but a little longer: you will work
in your shops and fields but a little
longer: you will sit in those
seats, and dwell on this earth but
a little longer: you will see with
those eyes, and hear with those
ears, and speak with those tongues
but a little longer, till the Resurrection
day: and can you make
shift to forget this? O what a
place will you be shortly in of Joy
or Torment! O what a sight will
you shortly see in Heaven or Hell!
O what thoughts will shortly fill
your hearts, with unspeakable

F 4

Delight or Horrour? What work
will you be employed in? to
Praise the Lord with Saints and
Angels, or to cry out in fire
unquenchable with Devils? And
should all this be forgotten? And
all this will be endless and sealed
up by an unchangeable decree:
Eternity, Eternity, will be the
measure of your Joyes or sorrows,
and can this be forgotten? And
all this is true Sirs, most certain
true: when you have gone up and
down a little longer, and slept and
awak't a few times more, you'l be
dead and gone, and find all true
that now I tell you: and yet can
you now so much forget it? You
shall then remember that you
heard this Sermon, and that this
day, from this place, you were remembred
of these things: and
perceive them matters a thousand
times greater then either you or I
could here conceive: and yet

shall they be now so much forgotten?
Beloved friends; if the Lord
had not awakened me to believe
and lay to heart these things my
self, I should have remained in the
dark and selfish state, and have perished
for ever: but if he have
truly made me sensible of them,
it will constrain me to compassionate
you, as well as my self: If your
eyes were so far opened as to see
Hell, and you saw your neighbours
that were Unconverted
dragg'd thither with hideous cries,
though they were such as you accounted
honest people on earth,
and feared no such matter by
themselves; such a sight would
make you go home and think of it,
and think again; and make you
warn all about you as the damned
worldling in Luke. 16. 28. would
have had his Brethen warned, lest
they come to that place of torment

F 5

Why, faith is a kind of
sight; it is the eye of the soul;
the Evidence of things not seen:
If I believe God, it is next to seeing:
And therefore I beseech you
excuse me, if I be half as earnest
with you about these matters, as
if I had seen them. If I must die
to morrow, and it were in my
power to come again from another
world and tell you what I had
seen, would you not be willing
to hear me, and would you not believe,
and regard what I should tell
you? If I might preach one Sermon
to you after I am dead, and
have seen what is done in the
world to come, would you not
have me plainly speak the truth,
and would you not crowd to hear
me? and would you not lay it to
heart? but this must not be;
God hath his appointed way of
teaching you by Scripture and Ministers:
and he will not humour

Unbelievers so far as to send men
from the dead to them, and to alter
his establisht way: if any man
quarrel with the Sun, God will
not humour him so far as to set him
up a clearer light. Friends, I beseech
you regard me now, as you
would do if I should come from
the dead to you: for I can give
you as full assurance of the truth
of what I say to you, as if I had
been there and seen it with my
eyes: For its possible for one from
the dead to deceive you: but Jesus
Christ can never deceive you: the
Word of God delivered in Scripture,
and sealed up by the Miracles
and holy workings of the
Spirit, can never deceive you.
Believe this, or believe nothing.
Believe and obey this, or you are
undone. Now as ever you believe
the Word of God, and as ever
you care for the salvation of your
souls, let me beg of you this reasonable

59

request, and I beseech you
deny me not: that you would
without any more delay, when
your are gone from hence, remember
what you heard, and enter into
an earnest search of your hearts,
and say to your selves, [Is it so
indeed, must I Turn or Die? Must
I be Converted or Condemned? Its
time for me then to look about me,
before it be too late. Oh why did I
not look after this till now? Why
did I venturously poste off, or slubber
over so great a business? Was I
awake, or in my wits? Oh blessed
God, what a mercy is it that thou
didst not cut off my life all this
while, before I had any certain hope
of eternal life? Well, God forbid
that I should neglect this work any
longer. What state is my soul in?
Am I Converted, or am I not? Was
ever such a change or work done upon
my soul? Have I been illuminated
by the Word and Spirit of the

Lord, to see the odiousness of sin, the
need of a Saviour, the Love of
Christ, and the Excellencies of God
and Glory? Is my heart broken or
humbled within me for my former
life? Have I thankfully entertained
my Saviour and Lord, that offered
himself with pardon and life to my
soul? Do I hate my former sinful
life, and the remnant of every sin
that is in me? Do I flie from them
as my deadly enemies? Do I give up
my self to a life of Holiness and Obedience
to God? Do I love it, and delight
in it? Can I truly say that I
am dead to the world and carnal
self, and that I live for God and the
Glory which he hath promised?
Hath Heaven more of my Estimation,
and Resolution, then Earth?
And is God the dearest and the
Highest in my soul? Once I am
sure I lived principally to the world
and flesh, and God had nothing but
some heartless services which the

world could spare, and which were
the leavings of the flesh. Is my heart
now turned another way? Have I
a new design, and a new end, and a
new train of holy affections? Have
I set my hopes and heart in heaven?
And is it now the scope, and design,
and bent of my heart and life, to get
well to heaven, and see the glorious
face of God, and live in his everlasting
Love and Praise? And
when I sin, is it against the very habitual
bent and design of my heart?
And do I conquer all gross sins, and
am I weary, and willing to be rid of
mine infirmities? This is the state
of a Converted soul. And thus
must he be with me, or I must perish.
Is it thus indeed with me, or is it
not? Its time to get this doubt resolved,
before the dreadful Judge resolve
it. I am not such a stranger
to my own heart and life, but I may
somewhat perceive whether I am
thus Converted or not: if I be not,

it will do me no good to flatter my
soul with false conceits and hopes.
I am resolved no more to deceive my
self; but to endeavour to know
truly off or on, whether I be Converted,
yea or no; that If I be, I
may rejoyce in it, and glorifie my
gracious Lord, and comfortably go
on till I reach the Crown: and if I
am not, I may set my self to beg and
seek after the Grace that should convert
me, and may turn without any
more delay: For if I find in time
that I am out of the way, by the
help of Christ, I may turn and be
recovered; but if I stay till either
my heart be forsaken of God in
blindness and hardness, or till I be
catcht away by death, its then too
late. There is no place for Repentance
and Conversion then; I know
it must be now or never.]
Sirs, this is my request to you,
that you will but take your hearts
to task, and thus examine them,

63

till you see if it may be, whether
you are Converted or not? and if
you cannot find it out by your
own endeavours, go to your Ministers,
if they be faithful and experienced
men, and desire their assistance.
The matter is great;
let not bashfulness nor carelesness
hinder you. They are set over
you to advise you, for the saving
of your souls, as Physitians advise
you for the curing of your bodies.
It undoes many thousands that
they think they are in the way to
salvation, when they are not; and
think that they are Converted
when it is no such thing. And
then when we call to them daily to
Turn, they go away as they
came, and think, that this concerns
not them; for they are turned
already, and hope they shall do
well enough in the way that they
are in, at least if they do pick the
fairest path, and avoid some of

64

the foulest steps, when alas, all
this while they live but to the
world, and flesh, and are strangers
to God and Eternal life, and are
quite out of the way to Heaven.
And all this is much, because we
cannot perswade them to a few serious
thoughts of their Condition,
and to spend a few hours in the
examining of their states. Is there
not many a self-deceiving wretch
that heareth me this day, that never
bestowed one hour or quarter
of an hour in all their lives, to examine
their souls, and try whether
they are truly Converted or
not? O merciful God, that will
care for such wretches that care no
more for themselves! and that
will do so much to save them from
Hell, and help them to Heaven,
who will do so little for it themselves.
If all that are in the way
to Hell, and in a state of damnation,
did but know it, they durst not

65

continue in it. The greatest hope
that the Devil hath of bringing
you to damnation without a rescue,
is by keeping you blindfold,
and ignorant of your state, and
making you believe that you may
do well enough in the way that
you are in. If you knew that
you are out of the way to heaven,
and were lost for ever if you
should die as you are, durst you
sleep another night in the state
that you are in? durst you live
another day in it? Could you
heartily laugh or be merry in
such a state? What! And not
know but you may be snatcht
away to hell in an hour! Sure it
would constrain you to forsake
your former company and courses,
and to betake your selves to
the waies of Holiness, and the
Communion of the Saints. Sure
it would drive you to cry to God
for a new heart, and to seek

66

help of those that are fit to counsel
you. Theres none of you sure
that cares not for being damned.
Well then, I beseech you presently
make enquiry into your hearts,
and give them no rest, till you find
out your condition, that if it be
good, you may rejoyce in it, and
go on: and if it be bad, you may
presently look about you for recovery,
as men that believe they
must Turn or Die. What say you,
Sirs? Will you resolve and promise
to be at this much labour for
your own souls? Will you fall
upon this self examination when
you come home? Is my request
unreasonable? Your consciences
know it is not. Resolve on it
then before you stir: Knowing
how much it concerneth your
souls, I beseech you for the sake of
that God that doth command
you, at whose Bar you will shortly
all appear, that you will not deny

me this reasonable request.
For the sake of those souls that
must turn or dye, I beseech you deny
me not; even but to make it
your business to understand your
own Conditions, and build upon
sure ground, and know off or on
whether you are Converted or no,
and venture not your souls on
negligent security.
But perhaps you'l say, What if
we should find our selves yet unconverted;
what shall we do then?
This question leadeth me to my second
Doctrine, which will do much
to the answering of it, to which I
shall now proceed.