descend with you Psal. 49. 17. 1. Tim. 6. 7. If not had you not need look after somewhat that will What mean you to stand wavering to be off and on Foolish children how long will you stick between the womb and the world Shall I leave you at last no farther than Agrippa but almost perswaded Why you are for ever lost if left here As good not at all as not altogether Christians You are half of the mind to give over your former negligent life and to set to a strict and holy course you could wish that you were as some others be and could do as 〈◊〉 can do How long will you rest in idle wishes and fruitless purposes when will you come to a fixed full and firm resolve Do not you see how Satan gulls you by tempting you to delays How long hath he toll'd you on in the way to perdition How many years have you been purposing to amend What if God should have taken you off this while Well put not me off with a dilatory answer Tell not me of hereafter I must have your present consent It you be not now resolved while the Lord is treating with you and wooing of you much less are you like to be hereafter when these impressions are worn out and you are hardened through the deceitfulness of sin Will you give me your hands Will you set open the doors and give the Lord Jesus the â—ull and present possession Will you put in your names into his covenant Will you subscribe What do you resolve upon If you are sâ—ill upon your delays my labour is lost and all is like to come to nothing Fain I would that you should now put in your adventures Come cast in your lot make your choice Now is the accepted time now is the day of salvation to day if you will hear his voice Why should not this be the day from whence thou shouldst be able to date thine happiness Why shouldst thou venture a day longer in this dangerous and dreadful condition What if God should this night require thy soul Oh that thou mightest know in this thy day the things that belong unto thy peace before they be hid from thine eyes Luke 19. 42. This is thy day and 't is but a day Iohn 9. 4. Others have had their day and have received their doom and now art thou brought upon the stage of this world here to act thy part for a whole eternity Remember thou art now upon thy good behaviour for everlasting If thou make not a wise choice now thou art undone for ever Look what thy present choice is such must thine eternal condition be Luke 10. 42. Luke 16. 25. Prov. 1. 27 28 29. And is it true indeed is life and death at thy choice Yea 't is as true as truth is Deut. 30. 19. Why then what hinders but that thou shouldst be happy Nothing doth or can hinder but thine own wilful neglect or refusal It was the passage of the Eunuch to Philip See here is water what doth hinder me to be baptised So I may say to thee See here is Christ here is mercy pardon life what hinders but that thou shouldst be pardoned and saved One of the Martyrs as he was praying at the stake had his pardon set by in a box which indeed he refused deservedly because upon unworthy terms But here the terms are most honourable and easie Oh sinner wilt thou burn with thy pardon by Why do but forthwith give up thy consent to Christ renounce thy sins deny thy self take up the Yoke and the Cross and thou carriest the day Christ is thing pardon peace life blessedness all are thâ—â—â—e And is not this an offer worth the embracing Why shouldst thou hesitate or doubtfully dispute about the case Is it not past controversy whether God be better than sin and glory better than vanity Why shouldst thou forsake thine own mercy and sin against thine own life When wilt thou shake off thy sloth and lay by thine excuses Boast not thy self of to morrow thou knowst not where this night may lodge thee Prov. 27. 1. Beloved now the holy spirit is striving with you He will not always strive Hast thou not felt thy heart warmed by the word and been almost perswaded to leave off thy sins and come in to God Hast thou not felt some good motions in thy mind wherein thou hast been warned of thy danger and told what thy careless course would end in It may be thou art like young Samuel who when the Lord called once and again he knew not the voice of the Lord 1. Sam. 3. 6 7. but these motions and items are the offers and essays and the calls and strivings of the Spirit O take the advantage of the tide and know the day of thy visitation Now the Lord Jesus stretcheth wide his arms to receive you He beseecheth you by us How â—â—ovingly how meltingly how pitifully how passionately he calleth you The-Church is put into a suddain extasie upon the sound of his voice The voice of my beloved Cant. 2. 8. Oh wilt thou turn a deaf ear to his voice It is not the voice that breaketh the Cedars and maketh the mountains to skip like a Calf that shaketh the Wilderness and divideth the flames of fire it is not Sinais Thunder but the soft and still voice It is not the voice of Mount Ebal a voice of cursing and terrour but the voice of Mount Gerizim the voice of blessing and of glad tidings of good things It is not the voice of the Trumpet nor the noise of War but a message of peace from the King of peace Eph. 6. 15. 2 Cor. 5. 18 20. Methinks it should be with thee as with the spouse My soul failed when he spake Cant. 5. 6. I may say to thee O sinner as Martha to her Sister The master is come and he calleth for thee Iohn 11. 28. Oh now with Mary arise quickly and come unto him How sweet are his invitations He cryeth in the open concourse If any man thirst let him come unto me and drink Iohn 7. 37. Prov. 1. 21. He broacheth his own body for thee Oh come and lay thy mouth to his side How free he is he excludeth none Whosoever will let him come and take the water of life freely Rev. 22. 17. Whoso is simple let him turn in hither Come eat of my bread drink of the Wine which I have mingled Forsake the foolish and live Prov. 9. 4 5 6. Come unto me c. Take my yoke upon you and learn of me and ye shall find rest unto your souls Mat. 11. 28 29. Him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out John 6. 37. How doth he bemoan the obstinate refusers O Jerusalem Jerusalem how often would I have gathered thy Children as a Hen gathereth her Chickens under her wings and ye would not Mat. 23. 37. Behold me behold me I have stretched out my hands all the day to a
treat with thee about this matter Let him bid thee believe thou art a beâ—â—ever already let him bid thee repent and turn to the Lord that work thou sayâ—â— is not now â—o do What can there be said to this man that 's like to bring him to good Friend know thy self better or thou perishest without remedy Thou maist pray but what hope is there in thy praying Thou maist read but what hope is there in thy reading Yet read on this little hope there is In this book there 's Eye-Salve that may heal thee of thy blindness In this book there is a Glass that will shew thee thy face Dost thou know thine own face when thou seest it Behold thy very Image in those Marks that are given of an unconverted person Read and consider them and then say if thou be not the man Be willing to know thy self and to know the worst of thy case wink not at the light hide not thy self from thine own soul. Wilt thou never know thy disease till thou be past remedy Much of our hardest work would be over if we could see the sinners to whom we are sent to be convinced sinners If we could but open the blind eyes there were hope we should shortly raise the dead Sinner of a truth thou art in evil case whether thou know it or not thou art among the dead and there is but a step betwixt thee and Hell Thou wilt not believe it though it be told thee yet once again let me beseech thee come to the Glass that is here presented to thee and narrowly observe whether the very marks of the dead be not found upon thee If there be a miscarriage in this first work if thou wilt not understand thy misery and thy danger there 's an end of all hopes concerning thee Whilest this self-ignorance abides upon thee all the Counsels that are necessary to a man in thy case will do thee no good they are never like to prosper with thee because thou wilt not count them proper for thee Who will be perswaded to do that which he believes is already done Who will take the Counsel of the Physician that does not think himself sick The man of God may spare his pains of perswading thee to Conversion whilest thou art confident thou art converted already Who will be at the pains of repentance that concludes he hath repented Who will bear the labour and the pangs of the new birth that is confident he is already passed from death to life But Friend let me a little reason with thee Thou art confident it is well with thee yet why wilt thou not yield to thus much at least to put it to the question am I not mistaken Thou art worse than mad if thou thinkest such a question may not be put Dost thou know that thine heart is false and deceitful and yet because it speaks good concerning thee must it not be question'd whether it speak truth or no Be so wise as to conclude I may be mistaken and thus come to the trial whether thou art mistaken or not And if upon trial by the marks that are before thee thou come to be undeceived and see thy self wrapped up in that misery which hitherto thou wouldst not suspect the next news I expect to hear from thee is What must I do to be saved O were it come to that once Then thou hast an answer at hand in those Means thou wilt find prescribed thee And because they are such as thou wilt hardly be perswaded to use take in the Motives that follow and these will help down the means Consider both the one and the other and if thou dost not find the means proper and the motives weighty I think I shall do thee no wrong if I tell thee thou art still of a blind mind and an harder heart Friend the matter which this little book comes to treat with thee about is of highest importance 't is a matter of life and death If thou sayest The terms upon which Life is offered are hard consider is it not harder to dye He is worthy to dye who will lose his soul to save his labour If thou couldst step down into the deep and take a turn or two with those damned souls who are drench'd with fire and brimstone and bound in everlasting chains of vengeance shouldest ask them Now what do you think of the terms upon which life was offered Now what think you of that repentance of that obedience of that holy circumspection self denyal and the greatest severity which by the Gospel were imposed upon you If you might once again have the same terms granted you for your redemption from this place of torment would you yet say Hard terms Let me rather dye this death for ever than live such a life let me broil in this furnace rather than escape with such difficulty Shouldst thou ask them thus that have felt what 't is to be damned what answer dost thou think they would make O friend never again groan under the difficulties of conversion till thou believe them to be worse than Hell But I will not farther anticipate my worthy Author Nor is there much need I should commend either himself or his works for the Author himself thou maist at a small charge get acquaintance with him in that History of his life and death which is extant concerning which I shall only say Sic mihi contingat vivere sicque mori And for this work of his what commendation I should give of it would be needed no longer than till thou hast read it over Thou wilt find such Wine in it as needs no Bush. This only I shall say as far as my credit will go it is exceedingly well worth thy most serious perusal O maist thou hear that voice such a voice from Heaven there is whether thou hear it or no Tolle lege take up and read Read friend and read over again Read and understand understand and pray pray and consider consider and consent unto him who by the pen of his servant calls to thee from Heaven why wilt thou dye turn and live O suffer this word of instruction and exhortation to open thy blind eyes to turn thee from darkness to light from the power of Satan unto God that thou maist receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among them that are sanctified Et cum talis fueris memento mei When it is thus with thee then pray for The Friend and Servant of thy Soul Richard Alleine Mr. JOSEPH ALLEINE'S CALL TO THE UNCONVERTED DEarly Beloved and longed for I gladly acknowledge my self a debtour to you all and am concerned as I would be found a good steward of the houshold of God to give to every one his portion But the Physician is most sollicitous for those Patients whose case is most doubtful and hazardous and the Fathers bowels are especially turned towards his dying child The numbers of the unconverted souls among you
you but send you packing with an I never knew you Mat. 7. 23. They that know what 't is to have a God to go to a God to live upon they know a little what a fearful misery it is to be without God This made that holy man cry out Let me have a God or nothing Let me know him and his will and what will please â—im and how I may come to enjoy him or would I had never had an understanding to know any thing c. But thou art not only without God but God is against thee Ezek. 5. 8 9. Nah. 2. 13. Oh if God would but stand a neuâ—er though he did not own nor help the poor sinner his case were not so deeply miserable Though God should give up the poor creature to the will of all his enemies to do their worst with him though he should deliver him over to the tormenters Mat. 18. 34. that devils should tear and torture him to their utmost power and skil yet this were not half so fearful But God himself will set against the sinner and believe it 't is a fearful thing to fail into the hands of the living God Heb. 10. 31. There 's no friend like him no enemy like him As much as Heaven is above the earth Omnipotency above impotency Infinity above nullity so much more horrible is it to fall into the hands of the living God than into the paws of bears or lions yea furies or devils God himself will be thy tormenter thy destruction shall come from the presence of the Lord. 2 Thess. 1. 9. Tophet is deep and large and the wrath of the Lord like a river of brimstone doth kindle it Fsay 30. 33. If God be against thee who shall be for thee If one man sin against another the Iudge shall judge him but if a man sin against the Lord who shall intreat for him 1 Sam. 2. 25. Thou even thou art to be feared and who shall stand in thy sight when once thou art angry Psal. 76. 7. Who is that god that shall deliver you out of his hands Dan. 3. 15. Can Mammon Riches profit not in the day of wrath Prov. 1 I. 4. Can Kings or warriours No they shall cry to the mountains and rocks Fall on us and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the Throne and from the wrath of the Lamb. For the great day of his wrath is come and who shall be able to stand Rev. 6. 15 16 17. Sinner methinks this should go like a dagger to thine heart to know that God is thine enemy Oh whither wilt thou go where wilt thou shelter thee There is no hope for thee unless thou lay down thy weapons and sue out thy pardon and get Christ to stand thy friend and to make thy peace If it were not for this thou mightest go into some howling wilderness and there pine in sorrow and run mad for anguish of heart and horrible despair But in Christ there is a possibility of mercy for thee yea a proffer of mercy to thee that thou maist have God to be more for thee than he is now against thee But if thou wilt not forsake thy sins nor turn throughly and to purpose unto God by a sound Conversion the wrath of God abideth on thee and he proclaims himself to be against thee as in the Prophet Ezek. 5. 8. Therefore thus saith the Lord God Behold I even I am against thee I. His face is against thee Psal. 34. 16. The face of the Lord is against them that do evil to cut off the remembrance of them Woe to them whom God shall set his face against When he did but look upon the host of the Egyptians how terrible was the consequence Ezek. 14. 8. I will set my face against that man and will make him a sign and a proverb and will cut him off from the midst of my people and you shall know that I am the Lord. 2. His heart is against thee He hateth all the workers of iniquity Man doth not thine heart tremble to think of thy being an object of Gods hatred Ier. 15. 1. Though Mâ—ses and Samuel stood before me yet my mind could not be towards this people cast them out of my sight Zecb 7. 8. My soul loathed them and their soul also abhorred me 3. His hand is against thee 1 Sam. 12. 15. 4. All his attributes are against thee First His justice is like a flaming sword unsheathed against thee If I whet my glittering sword and my hand take hold on judgment I will render vengeance is mine adversaries and will reward them that hate me I will make mine arrows drunk with blood c. Deut. 32. 40 41. So exact is Justice that 't will by no means clear the guilty Exod. 34. 7. God will not discharge thee he will not hold thee guiltless Exod. 20. 7. but will require the whole debt in person of theeâ— unless thou canst make a scripture claim to Christ and his satisfaction When the enlightned sinner looks on justice and sees the ballance in which he must be weighed and the sword by which he must be executed he feels an earth-quake in his breast But Satan keeps this out of sight and perswades the soul while he can that the Lord is all made up of mercy and so lulls it asleep in sin Divine Justice is very strict it must have satisfaction to the utmost farthing it denounceth indignation and wrath tribulation and anguish to every soul that dâ—th evil Rom. 2. 8 9. It curseth every one that continueth not in every thing that is written in the Law to do it Gal. 3. 10. The justice of God to the unpardoned sinner that hath a sense of his misery is more terrible than the sight of the bailiff or creditour to the bankrupt debtour or than the sight of the Judge and bench to the robber or of the irons and gibbet to the guilty murderer When justice sits upon life and death oh what dreadful work doth it make with the wretched sinner Bind him hand and foot cast him into outer darkness there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth Matt. 22. 13. Depart from me ye cursed into everlasting fire Mat. 25. 41. This is the terrible sentence that justice pronounceth Why sinner by this severe justice must thou be tried and as God liveth this killing sentence shalt thou hear unless thou repent and be converted Secondly The holiness of God is full of antipathy against thee Psal. 5. 4 5. He is not only angry with thee so he may be with his own children but he hath a fixed rooted habitual displeasure against thee he loaths thee Zech. 11. 8. and what is done by thee though for substance commanded by him Esay 1. 14. Mal. 1. 10. As if a man should give his servant never so good meat to dress yet if he should mingle filth or poison with it he would not touch it Gods nature is infinitely contrary to sin
and is ready to envy the very stones that lie in the street because these are senseless and feel not his misery and wishes he had been a dog or a toad or serpent rather than a man because then death had put an end to his misery whereas now it will be but the beginning of that which will know no ending How light soever you may make of it now you will one day find the guilt of unpardoned sin to be a heavy burden This is a milstone that whosoever falleth upon it shall be broken but upon whomsoever it shall fall it shall grind him to powder Mat. 21. 44. What work did it make with our Saviour it pressed the very blood to a wonder out of his veins and broke all his bones and if it did this in the green tree what will it do in the dry Oh think of thy case in time Canst thou think of that threat without trembling Ye shall die in your sins Iohn 8. 24. Oh better were it for thee to dye in a gaol dye in a ditch in a dungeon than dye in thy sins If death as it will take away all thy other comforts would take away thy sins too it were some mitigation But thy sins will follow thee when thy friends leave thee and all worldly enjoyments shake hands with thee Thy sins will not dye with thee 2 Cor. 5. 10. Rev. 20. 12. as a prisoners other debts will but they will to judgment with thee there to be thine accusers and they will to Hell with thee there to be thy tormentors Better to have so many fiends and furies about thee than thy sins to fall upon thee and fasten in thee Oh the work that these will make with thee Oh look over thy debts in time How much art thou in the books of every one of Gods laws How is every one of Gods commandments ready to arrest thee and take thee by the throat for innumerable bonds that it hath upon thee What wilt thou then do when they shall altogether lay in against thee Hold open the eyes of conscience to consider this that thou maist despair of thy self and be driven to Christ and fly for refuge to lay hold upon the hope that is set before thee Heb. 6. 18. V. Thy raging lusts do miserably enslave thee While unconverted thou art a very servant of sin it reigns over thee and holds thee under its dominion till thou art brought within the bond of Gods covenant Iohn 8. 34 36. Tit. 3. 3. Rom. 6. 12 14. Rom. 6. 16 17. Now there 's no such Tyrant as sin Oh the filthy and fearful work that it doth engage its servants in Would it not pierce a mans heart to see a company of poor Creatures drudging and toiling and all to carry together faggots and fuel for their own burning Why this is the imployment of sins drudges Even while they bless themselves in their unrighteous gains while they sing and swill in pleasures they are but treasuring up wrath and vengeance for their erernal burning they are but lâ—ying in Powder and bullets and adding to the pile of Tophet and flinging in oyl to make the flames rage the fiercer Who would serve such a master whose work is drudgery and whose wages is death Rom. 6. 23. What a woful spectacle was that poor wretch possessed with the legion would it not have pityed thine heart to have seen him among the tombs cutting and wounding of himself Mark 5. 5. This is thy case such is thy work Every stroke is a thrust at thine heart 1 Tim. 6. 10. Conscience indeed is now asleep but when death and judgment shall bring thee to thy senses then thou wilt feel the raging smart and anguish of every wound The convinced sinner is a sensible instance of the miserable bondage of sin Conscience flies upon him and tells him what the end of these courses will be and yet such a slave is he to his lusts that on he must though he see it will be his endless perdition and when the temptation comes lust gets the bit in its mouth breaks all the cords of his vows and promises and carries him headlong to his own destruction VI. The furnace of eternal vengeance is heated ready for thee Esay 30. 33. Hell and destruction open their mouths upon thee they gape for thee they groan for thee Esay 5. 14. waiting as it were with a greedy eye as thou standest upon the brink when thou wilt drop in If the wrath of a man may be as the roaring of a Lion Prov. 19 12. more heavy than the sand Prov. 27. 3. What is the wrath of the infinite God If the burning furnace heated in Nebuchadnezars fiery rage when he commanded it to be made yet seven times hotter were so fierce as to burn up even those that drew near it to throw the three children in Dan. 3. 19 22. How hot is that burning oven of the Almighty's fury Mal. 4. 1. Surely this is seventy times seven more fiâ—rce What thinkest thou O man of being a faggot in Hell to all eternity Can thine heart indure or can thine hands be strong in the day that I shall deal with thee saith the Lord of hosts Ezek. 22. 14. Canst thou dwell with everlasting burnings Canst thou abide the consuming fire Esay 33. 14. When thou shalt be as a glowing Iron in Hell and thy whole body and soul shall be as perfectly possessed by Gods burning vengeance as the fiery sparkling iron when heated in the fiercest forge Thou canst not bear Gods whip how then wilt thou endure his scorpions Thou art even crushed and ready to wish thy self dead under the weight of his finger how then wilt thou bear the weight of his loins The most patient man that ever was did curse the day that ever he was born Iob 3. 1. and even wooe death to come and end his misery Iob 7. 15 16. when God did but let out one little drop of his wrath How then wilt thou endure when God shall pour out all his vials and set himself against thee to torment thee When he shall make thy conscience the tunnel by which he will he pouring his burning wrath into thy soul for ever and when he shall fill all thy powers as full of torment as they be now full of sin When immortality shall be thy misery and to die the death of a bruit and be swallowed into the gulf of annihilation shall be such a felicity as a whole eternity of wishes and an Ocean of tears shall never purchase Now thou canst put off the evil day and canst laugh and be merry and forget the terror of the Lord 2 Cor. 5. 11. but how wilt thou hold out or hold up when God shall cast thee into a bed of torments Rev. 2. 22. and make thee to lie down in sorrows Esay 50. 11. When roarings and blasphemy shall be thine only musick and the wine of the wrath of God which is poured out without