be glad if God would but forfake thee, and let them alone with thee, and leave thee to their will; how quickly would they deal with thee in another manner? And thou canft not be delivered from them but by turning unto God. Thou art fallen under his wrath by thy fin already; and thou knoweft not how long his patience will yet wait. Perhaps this is the laft year; perhaps the last day; his fword is even at thy heart while the word is in thine ear; and if thou turn not, thou art a dead and undone man. Were thy eyes but open to see where thou ftandeft, even upon the brink of hell, and to fee how many thousands are there already that did not turn, thou wouldft fee that it is time to look about thee.

Well, Sirs, look inwards now, and tell me, how are your hearts affected with these offers of the Lord? You hear what is his mind; he delighteth not in your death; he calls to you, Turn, turn: It is a fearful fign if all this move thee not, or if it do but half move thee; and much more if it make thee more careless in thy mifery, because thou heareft of the mercifulness of God. The working of the medicine will partly tell us whether there be any hope of the cure. O what glad tidings would it be to those, that are now in hell, if they had but fuch a meffage from God! What a joyful word would it be to hear this, F

Turn, and live.-Yea, what a welcome word would it be to thyfelf, when thou haft felt that wrath of God but an hour! or, if after a thousand or ten thousand years torment thou couldst but hear such a word from God, Turn, and live; and yet wilt thou now neglect it, and fuffer us to return without our errand.

Behold, finners, we are fent here as the meffengers of the Lord, to fet before you life and death. What fay you; Which of them will you choose? Chrift ftandeth, as it were, by thee, with heaven in one hand, and hell in the other, and offereth thee thy choice; which wilt thou choose ?" The voice of the Lord maketh the rocks to tremble," Pfalm xxvi. and is it nothing to hear him threaten thee, if thou wilt not turn? Doft thou not underftand and feel this voice, "Turn ye, turn ye, why will ye die?"-Why, it is the voice of love, of infinite love, of thy beft and kindest friend, as thou mighteft eafily perceive by the motion; and yet canft thou neglect it? It is the voice of pity. The Lord feeth whither thou art going better than thou_doft, which makes him call after thee, "Turn, turn." He feeth what will become of thee if thou turn not. He thinketh with himfelf, "Ah this poor finner will caft himfelf into endless torments if he do not turn; I muft in justice deal with him according to my righteous law;" and therefore he

calleth after thee, Turn, turn, O finner! If you did but know the thousandth part as well as God doth, the danger that is near you, and the mifery that you are running into, we should have no more need to call after you to turn.

Moreover, this voice that calleth to thee, is the fame that hath prevailed with thoufands already, and called all to heaven that are now there: And they would not now, for a thousand worlds, that they had made light of it, and not turned to God. Now what are they poffeffing that turned to God's call? Now they perceive that it was indeed the voice of love that meant them no more harm than their falvation. And, if thou wilt obey the fame call, thou shalt come to the fame happiness. There are millions that muft for ever lament that they turned not; but there is never a foul in heaven that is forry that they are converted.

Well, Sirs, have you yet refolved, or have you not? Do I need to say any more to you? What will you do? Will you turn or not? Speak, man, in thy heart to God, though thou fpeak not out to me; fpeak, left he take thy filence for denial; fpeak quickly, left he never make thee the like offer more. Speak refolvedly, and not waveringly, for he will have no indifferents to be his followers. Say in thy heart now, without any more delay, even be

fore thou ftir from hence. "By the grace of God, I have refolved presently to turn. And because I know my own infufficiency, I have refolved to wait on God for his grace, and to follow him in his ways, and forfake my former courfes and companions, and give up myself to the guidance of the Lord."

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You are not thut up in the darkness of heathenism, nor in the defperation of the damned.-Life is before you; and you may have it on reasonable terms, if you will; yea, on free coft, if you will accept it. The way of God lieth plain before you; the church is open to you; you may have Chrift, and pardon, and holinefs, if you will. What say you Will you, or will you not? If you fay nay, or fay nothing, and ftill go on, God is witnefs, and this congregation is witnefs, and your own confciences are witneffes, how fair an offer you had this day. Remember, you might have had Chrift, and would not. Remember, when you have loft it, that you might have had eternal life as well as others, and would not; and all because you would not turn.

SERMON

Say unto them, As I live, faith the Lord God, I have no pleafure 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 houfe of Ifrael?.

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T has been explained, and proved, that God taketh pleasure in men's converfion and falvation, but not in their death or damnation.. He would rather they would turn and live,, than go on and die': -That he may leave man no pretence to doubt of it, the Lord hath confirmed it to us by his oath. Yea, farther, so earnest is God for the converfion of finners, that he doubleth his commands and exhortations with vehemency, Turn ye, turn ye.

Having already illuftrated and applied each of these points, let us come to the next doctrine, and hear your reafons.

Doct. 6. The Lord condefcended to reafon the cafe with unconverted finners, and to afk them why they will die.

A ftrange difputation it is, both as to controverfy, and as to the difputants.