their hearts; and commonly they charge them with heart-sins, which none can see but God, because they can charge them with no such wickedness in their lives as they are guilty of themselves.

Objection 5. But I am no whoremonger, nor drunkard, nor oppressor; and therefore, why should you call upon me to be converted?

Answer. As if you were not "born after the flesh," and had not lived after the flesh, as well as others! Is it not as great a sin as any of these, for a man to have an earthly mind, and to love the world above God, and to have an unbelieving, unhumbled heart? Nay, let me tell you more, that many persons that avoid disgraceful sins are as fast glued to the world, and as much slaves to the flesh, and as strange to God and averse to heaven, in their more civil course, as others are in their more shameful notorious sins.

Objection 6. But I mean nobody any harm, nor do any harm; and why then should God condemn me?

Answer. Is it no harm to neglect the Lord that made thee, and the work for which thou camest into the world, and to prefer the creature before the Creator, and to neglect grace that is daily offered thee? It is the depth of thy sinfulness to be so insensible of it; the dead feel not that they are dead. If once thou wert made alive, thou wouldst see more amiss in thyself, and marvel at thyself for making so light

of it.

Objection 7. I think you would make men mad, under pretence of converting them; it is enough to rack the brains of sinful people to muse so much on matters so high for them.

Answer1. Can you be more mad than you are already, or, at least, can there be a more dangerous madness than to neglect your everlasting welfare, and wilfully undo yourselves?

2. A man is never so well in his wits till he be converted; he never knows God, nor knows sin, nor knows Christ, nor knows the world, nor himself, nor what his business is on earth, so as to set himself about it, till he be converted. The Scripture saith, that the wicked are "unreasonable men," and "that the wisdom of the world is foolishness with God." It is said of the prodigal, "that when he came to himself," he resolved to return. It is a wise world when men will disobey God, and run to hell for fear of being out of their wits.

3. What is there in the work that Christ calls you to, that should drive a man out of his wits? Is it the loving of God, and calling upon him, and comfortably thinking of the glory to come, and the forsaking of our sins, and loving one another, and delighting ourselves in the service of God? Are these such things as should make men mad?

4. And whereas you say that these matters are too high for us; you accuse God himself for making this our work, and giving us his word, and commanding all that will be blessed to "meditate on it day and night." Are the matters which we are made for, and which we live for, too high for us to meddle with? This is plainly to unman us, and to make beasts of us, as if we were like them that must meddle with no higher matters than what belongs to flesh and earth. If heaven be too high for to think on and provide for, it will be too high for you ever to possess.

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5. If God should sometimes suffer any weakheaded persons to be distracted by thinking of eternal things, this is because they misunderstand them, and run without a guide; and of the two, I had rather be in the case of such a one, than of the mad, unconverted world, that take their distraction to be their wisdom.

Objection 8. I do not think that God cares so much what men think, or speak, or do, as to make so great a matter of it.

Answer. It seems, then, you take the word of God to be false, and then what will you believe? But your own reason might teach you better, if you believe not the Scriptures, for you see God sets not so light by us; but that he vouchsafed to make us, and still preserveth us, and daily upholdeth us, and provideth for us; and will any wise man make a curious frame for nothing? Will you make or buy a clock or watch, and daily look to it, and not care whether it go true or false? Surely, if you believe not a particular eye of providence observing your hearts and lives, you cannot believe or expect any particular providence to observe your wants and troubles, or to relieve you; and if God had so little care for you as you imagine, you would never have lived till now-an hundred diseases would have striven which should first destroy you; yea, the devils would have haunted you, and fetched you away alive, as the great fishes devour the less, and as ravenous beasts and birds devour others. You cannot think that God made man for no end or use; and if he made him for any, it was sure for himself: and can you think he cares not whether his end be

accomplished, and whether we do the worst that we are made for?

Yea, by this atheistical objection, you make God to have made and upheld all the world in vain: for what are all other lower creatures for, but for man? What! doth the earth but bear us, and nourish us, and the beasts do serve us with their labours and lives, and so of the rest? And hath God made so glorious an habitation, and set man to dwell in it, and made all his servants; and now doth he look for nothing at his hands, nor care how he thinks, or speaks, or lives? This is most unreasonable.

Objection 9. It was a better world when men did not make so much ado in religion.

Answer 1. It hath ever been the custom to praise the times past; that world that you speak of was wont to say it was a better world in their forefathers' days, and so did they of their forefathers. This is

but an old custom, because we all feel the evil of our own times, but we see not that which was before us.

2. Perhaps you speak as you think. Worldlings think the world is at the best when it is agreeable to their minds, and when they have most mirth and worldly pleasure; and I doubt not but the devil, as well as you, would say, that then it was a better world; for then he had more service, and less disturbance. But the world is at the best when God is most loved, regarded, and obeyed; and how else will you know when the world is good or bad, but by this?

Objection 10. There are so many ways and religions, that we know not which to be of, and therefore we will be even as we are.

Answer. Because there are many, will you be of

that way that you may be sure is wrong? None are further out of the way than worldly, fleshly, unconverted sinners; for they do not only err in this or that opinion, as many sects do, but in the very scope and drift of their lives.

If you were going a journey that your life lay on, would you stop or turn again, because you meet with some cross-ways, or because you saw some travellers go the horse-way, and some the foot-way, and some perhaps break over the hedge, yea, and some miss the way? or would you not rather but be the more careful to inquire the way? If you have some servants that know not how to do your work right, and some that are unfaithful, would you take it well at any of the rest that would therefore be idle, and do you no service, because they see the rest so bad?

Objection 11. I do not see that it goes any better with those that are so godly, than with other men. They are as poor, and in as much trouble as others.

Answer. And perhaps in much more, when God sees it meet. They take not earthly prosperity for their wages; they have laid up their treasure and hopes in another world; or else they are not Christians indeed; the less they have, the more is behind, and they are content to wait till then.

Objection 12. When you have said all that you can, I am resolved to hope well, and trust in God, and do as well as I can, and not make so much ado.

Answer 1. Is that doing as well as you can, when you will not turn to God, but your heart is against his holy and diligent service? It is as well as you will, indeed, but that is your misery.

2. My desire is, that you should hope and trust in God. But for what is it that you will hope? Is