A serious Call to Obstinate Sinners Or A sounding Trumpet to the UNCONVERTED Laying forth the danger of living in Sin and delay of REPENTANCE Which may be a Warning-blow for Wicked Men to forsake sin and to turn to God unfeignedly I have no pleasure saith God in the Death of the wicked but that the wicked might turn from his evil ways and live Ezek. 11.33 Except you be converted you cannot enter into the Kingdom of Heaven Matt. 18.20 In the waies of Righteousness the Saints find Treasure so shall the Sinner by returning unto God Jer. 24.7 By William Knowls London Printed by H. B. for W. Thackeray at the Angel in Duck-Lane 1684. To the Reader Christian Reader I Intreat thee from the Lord that thou wouldest read this small Book and treasure it up in the Closet of thy heart to seal your Salvation to the day of redemption Beest thou never such a siâ⦠now turn unto the Lord by Repentance and thâ⦠mayst find mercy now obey his call while his mercy is open and run the race that is set before you throw by sin as a monstrous enemy and cast the Devil behind thee and the profits and pleasures of the World tread under your feet set Christ and his Glory before thine eyes and remember Death and Judgment have a strong Faith wrought in Christ Jesus in which way you 'l find treasures exceedingly and so shall the wicked bâ turning to the Lord for there is great joy in heaven at a sinners returning more than at ninety nine righteous persons that need not repentance O you wicked sinners I beseech you make timely preparation for your sins O consider your own good and be wise my prayers are ever for you and my daily study is to find out medicines to cure you and among you I throw the Seed of the Word I travel in pain to the hazard of my life and all to save your Souls from Hell and that iniquity might not be your ruine So hoping in the Lord for some of your conversions â rest your friend in the Lord Jesus W.K.B. in P. A serious Call to Obstinate Sinners Turn you turn you from your evil ways for why will you dye O house of Israel Ezek. 33.11 CHristian Friends and beloved whom the Lord would ever cover with the shadow of his wings and embrace in his Arms but you will not you love Death better than Life because your deeds are evil But hearken to the call of God and to the Doctrine of Christ our Lord you which are unconverted draw nigh now while I sound the Truâpet in Sion and sound you an Alarm in your Holy Mountains O you sinners you inhabitants of the Earth tremble at this sudden call from God for the day of the Lord is at hand Joel 2,1 And a most swift and sudden destruction attendeth the wicked for God will most certainly showre down his wrath and vengeance upon all such as forget God and will not be brought to the knowledge of his truth nay you will not discern the mystery of Christs Body which was crucified on the Cross and whose most dear and preââ¦s blood was spilt for redemption of Sinners O bewail your ignorance and beséech the Lord to give you the knowledge of his truth and instruct you sinners not to make any longer a âest at his words and threatnings and ãâã not you can be saâ⦠when you will â⦠he not so deceived nor vââ¦ed by the Prince of darkness O it ãâã the Devils proââ¦se to deceive the very ãâã God chosen ones O you are called ãâ¦ã âpecial grace of God to inherit a Kingdom now therefore obey this special Call To day ãâã you wiâ⦠hear his Voice hardon not your âearts tomorrow is another day and who knows what â day brings forth continue no longer in filthiness for the day of slaughter is nigh and a just reward is prepared for the wicked O we anâ sinners who â hearts are double-minded and whose will works deceit How many caâs have you had How many câecks of Conscience how many godly Sermons Precepts upon Precepts Line upon Line one Grace upon the neeâ of another and yet remains all this while as wicked as you did what shall be used moâe for your remedy doth not your Ministers baptize you into Christ and unto Christ and to make you a member of that mystical body and for all this you remain unsanctified they administer the outward Ordinance of the Supper of Christ to make you mindful of his death and passion to bind you to his will and to knit your hearts to his spiritual Ordinance yet all this availeth not let the Ministers of God say what they will yee you do not regard them you are now grown so wise you need no teaching you make light of Christ and Salvation the swearers and drunkards and ãâã and fornicatoâs and deceitful men do ãâã they shall be saved as well as others when there is no ãâã hope but Death and Dâmnation is reserved or the wicked He that lives and dyes in sin is a Hell-hound and a son of perdition T is the turning from the state of the âhâ wicked to the waues of God that shall guide ãâã to the glory of the Father of lights with who ãâ¦ã is no ãâã nor shadow of turââ¦os ãâã man throw off the world â the pleasures deââ¦ght ãâã it with the deceivable Lusts of the ãâ¦ã and âoââ¦ness be in your life ãâ¦ã present condâ⦠be unrebuke ãâ¦ã God and man you cannot serve God and the ãâã yea you must lose all for the faâ⦠of Christ and count the world but dâss in comparâioâ to the wâ⦠of Christ this all Sinners would do it thee did but know the Oracle of God and the mystery of his ãâã word and the reward they shall gâ⦠in by Kingdom of Heaven you would not underâue the worth of Christ you would not make light of ãâã O I beseech you to make a speed turn to ãâã Lord seek âeâk for the Fountain that every ãâã and vaâ⦠your Souls in tâ⦠precious ãâã of Christ his only body feed oâ and his ãâã drink of freââ¦y in not one ãâã fall to the Ground it is altogether excellent precious it cannot be got for Gold of Ophir aâ Diamond can purchase it no Pearl can equaâ⦠it Christ cannot be bought for Gold nor Sââ¦ver and the worth of Christ is beyond Rubies loe this is the Fountain and therefore pray Cleanse me O Lord and I shall be cleansed 't is he and he only that is the door and the way and opens for hungry and thirsty souls whâ never tasted the sweetness of Christs body ãâã Blood but only the outward Ordinance which gives not life 't is the spiritual feeding and spiritual washing that makes the corrupted Souls of men perfect Oh let these things prick your hearts and cry What shall we do to be saved saith St. Peter and be baptized every one of you for remission of Sins No Repentance
no Salvation therefore you sinners be reconciled to God and obey his Gospel and speedily turn from the vain glory of the World unto the righteousness of God and see here is happiness in the state of the Righteous What hinders you that you will not be reconciled to God doth the world hinder you and the profits and pleasures of it what are you seeking that you seek not God and his Kingdom what seek you preferment honour and riches or glory in the world which things doth darken your minds understandings and draws our hearts more and more from God should not the Lord in mercy forbear the iniquity of the world and wait upon the sinner for Repentance but in wrath and vengeance pour upon this Nation such severe Iudgments the sins of this Nation cryeth for there would be nothing but utter destruction therefore O Nations gather your selves together before the decrees comes forth before the fierce anger of the Lord comes upon you Seek the Lord while he may be found and while pardon and remission of sins may be had for if once the door of mercy is shut against you you are utterly lost you are past Remedy if you overslip the day of Grace you may then when it is too late call and cry but God will not hearken but will laugh at your calamity you may seek him early but God will not answer and if you seek the Lord with Tears you cannot find him Prov. 1.28 Why will not God be found saith God They hate knowledg and refuse instruction and do not walk in the fear of God Prov. 2.4 O you must incline your ears to wisdom give up thy heart to understanding you must séek the Lord as for fine silver search to find him as for precious treasure then shall thou know the fear of God and obtain the excellent knowledge of Christ you must seek diligently with a pure heart yea you must hunger thirst after righteousness if you mean to be filled in the end you shall reap if you faint not ãâã but how backward is the people of the world tâ hearken and how loth are they to spend haâ an hours time from their worldly employments to hear the salvation of Sion how slow in hearing how dull in understanding are the wise meâ of this world the natural man perceiveth noâ the things of the Spirit neither doth he know them they seem foolishness to him because they are spiritually discerned Let the Ministers of Christ call and cry and tell you you are out of the way and perswade you to turn or else you will travel into utter destruction and tell you that you are at the brink of Death you will not believe but make light of it until your Soul drops into Hell I beseech you therefore in time to avoid the path of death let not the ease pleasure and delights of it entice you any longer to walk in the danger of it set but the dreadful character before your eyes and consider that the end of your way is death the Devil to deceive you tells the worldlings that the way to Heaven and the walking in this path of the righteous is full of misery and sorrow all your Life long hard to be endured and so by these evils he deceives the hearts of men but do but understand what comfort the Saints enjoy and have more peace of conscience in a life of misery than the wicked hath in the greatest Felicity in the World for there attendeth on earthly ââ¦easuces everlasting sorrow on honour abasement on wealth and riches attendeth poverty in all things else that attendeth the wicked for ââ¦light is altogether vanity and vexation of spirit Solomon had the enjoyments of all earthly pleasures that could be thought on yet all proâed but vanity then why should we seek after that profits not let us seek Heaven and the Righteousness of it and all other things shall be added thereto Fight the good âight of Faith and so lay hold on Eternal life God is the only refuge of the Righteous and the greatest reward The Righteous listens to tne call of God The sheep hears the voice of the Shepherd they follow him for they know his voice John 10.3 You worldlings it is a sign you are none of the Sheep when you will not hearken to the voice of the Shepherd when he calls you by the mouth of his Ministers How many hundred calls have you had from God and you return no answers from the appearance of your conversations whose motives are evil and actions unjust Doth not all the Sermons you hear every Sabbath little prevail with you and do they not all call upon you to turn and do not men labour to write hundreds of Books suitable to convince the sins of the wicked and calls out for you to turn and yet it appears you live in a life most desperate by your loose living and ââ¦less giving ear to the word of God and yoâ making light of Christ and Salvation with you readiness to hear and see pastime and gameing or else some idle lusts or desires which corruâ the spiritual minds of men and increases viâ⦠when the Apostle saith Lay aside vain bablâ and use no foolish jesting which are things oâ comely but rather be giving of thaâks whâ becometh the Saints of God Are not the with ready to deride them that tells them of the things as if it were not true Doctrine O â⦠alas I could wish they would understand â⦠word of the Lord and give better heed to â⦠blessed word draw nigh you sinners to the present call from God it may be the last ãâã you may have it may be the last hour of your lives make a speedy turn therefore to the Lord for though you were sheep that were gone astray but now are turned to your shepherd and Bishop of your Souls 1 Peter 1.25 Think it no lost labour to turn from the World unto God for he will receive you if you quickly turn yea he 'l cloath you with royal robes of Righteousness he 'l seat you in the Glorious Throne of Heaven you shall have bread of Life to feed on and the precious blood of Christ to drink on if you will but turn you shall never hunger and if you will believe on Christ you shall never thirst nor you shall need no Candle either light of the Sun for the Lord God and ââ¦e Lamb will be your light yea his Glory all light you his power defend you and his ââ¦vourable Arms embrace you but if you will all remain obstinate and not turn he will ââ¦ing Iudgment upon the wicked as will he ãâã swift witness against South-sayers drunkards âdulterers false-swearers and he that keepeth ââ¦ck the hireing from his wages and vexes the ââ¦dow and fatherless and oppresses the stranger and fears not the Lord of Hosts O but in âime return unto me and I will return unto you saith the Lord. Mal. 3.7 For at that
of ligâ⦠and create in your selves a new heart and ãâã new spirit For why will you dye O house ãâã Israel Romans 13 12. Ezek 18.31 Caâ⦠thereâore one another to turn for saith St. Paul Romans 3.12 You are all gone out of the way and altogether unprofitable whose Throat is an open Sepulchre who uses their tongues to deceit and your mouâhs full of cursing and bitterness with feet swift to shed blood Destruction calamities are in your ways who ââ¦ws not the way of peace nor no fear of God âefore your eyes O cleanse your minds within ãâã and make preparation to entertain the Lord âf life What Royal entertainment is made for âorporal Princes you 'l make every Room clean ãâã his Royal entertainment but how much âreater is the King of Kings who would feign ãâã you make preparation to entertain him and cleanse and purifie your hearts and minds for ââ¦cept you be cleansed you cannot receive the Holy Ghost and Christ must live in you except you be Reprobates but he lives with none that acteth wickedness Be you therefore holy ãâã Christ our Lord is holy 1 Pet. 1.15 And ãâã no more to the state of the wicked as a Dog returns to his Vomit or like a Hog to the wallowing in the mire for your conversation is an unexpressible joy to the Host of Heaven for there is more joy in one sinners returning than ninety nine iust persons that need no repentance Luk. 15.7 O but mark the Sentence to those that return not âaith the Lord Luk. 13.27 Depart ye cursed you love the world and the pleasures of it more than God and his Kingdome but the World passes away and that therein is 1 John 2.17 Chuse rather misery with the righteous than joy with the wicked and pleasures of sin for a moment Heb. 11 2â The rebuke of Christ is greater Riches thaâ Treasures of the World Weep therefore ãâã worldlings and howl for your life of pleasure in wantonness have nourished your hearts to day of slaughter Gen. 5.5 For behold the is coming you shall burn as the stubble and proud and all that doth wickedly shall be ãâã up Mal. 4,1 For at the last day the ãâã will be revealed whom the Lord will ãâã with the brightness of his coming and all the deceiveableness of the wicked shall perish becaâ⦠they will not receive the ove of the truth ãâã they might be saved 1 Thess 1.8 O what a dreââ¦ful thing it is to refuse salvation where it ãâã be had how worse than mad are the bewitâ men of the World who might have Life Liberty if they would receive it but ãâã will not they choose death rather than ãâã because their déeds are evil I have spread ãâã my hands all the day long to a Rebellioâ⦠people saith the Lord which walks not in thâ ways that are good but in their own imagination a people that provokes me to anger exceedingly who blaspheme me to my face ãâã with fury and wrath will I recompence the iâniquity into their bosoms O that these Iudgments might but waken you out of sin and security and open your eyes to behold the danger ãâã walk in whom the God of this world blinds ãâã you cannot discern the light of the Gospel ãâã shine upon you 2 Cor. 4,4 From whence âiâes contention but through your pleasures at fight in your members you crave yet not ãâã ye ask by Prayer and receive not beââ¦se you ask amiss that you might lay the same ãâã on your pleasures O the amity of the world ãâã enmity with God Whosoever therefore is a ââ¦end to the World is an enemy to God let ââ¦ur laughter be turned into mourning your ãâã into heaviness and cast down your selves to ãâã Lord and he will lift you up James 4.6 By ãâã time are some of you resolved to turn and ãâã up your selves to know God for except you ââ¦ent God will presently strike he hath wherâ⦠Sword he hath bent his Bow and is ready to shoot he hath prepared deadly weapons ãâã hath ordained Arrows to persente you Psal 7,12 O make a speedy turn and be reconciled to God and let this day be thy day of conversion let this sound of Salvation enter into the Closer of thine heart and throw by all busie affairs to hear of Salvation in Sion and the sinners Repentance let go the world and the pleasures and profits of it and take hold of Christ and let nothing hinder you from hearing this blessed Call of the Lord. O that you would but give me a serious hearing and it cannot chuse but work in your hearts for I come not to draâ you from obedience to God his worship ãâã run not into so many opinions for fear Gâ⦠should cut you off like Luke-warm creature which if he should he would even spue you oâ of his mouth pray âay and night I beseech ãâã that you may attain assurance of your salvation Gods promises are to the penitent in heart a humble and a broken heart God will not despise so you will but come to amendment of Life stir therefore and abide not a moment in the state of the wicked for the wicked are curse with curses and the Plagues of Hell attending them Tell them saith God three or four times of their sins but if they refuse your Admonition present them and there shall be to them no covering for sin but a fearful looking for Iudgment and in their earthly felicity these curses attend the Swearers the Lyers the drunkards the murtherers the stealers adulterers inchanters southsayers and all other wicked people you shall be cursed saith God Deut. 28.16 At some and abroad in your wealths and possessions and all that thou settest thy hand unto will perish the Lord will smite you with the pestilence and desperate diseases and your very Carcass shall be meat for Fowls you shall be struck with blindness that you shall grope at noon day as in the darksome night and thou ãâã not prosper in that thou takest in hand ãâã Calf shall be slain thy Goods shall be ââ¦sed and thy Children shall be given to other Nation and the Land wherein thou âest shall be plagued wonderfully even with ââ¦t Plagues and the Land shall burn with ârimstone like Sodom then shall all Nations ãâã Why hath God poured his wrath and ârce indignation on this Land who shall anââ¦er Because they forsake the Law of the ââ¦d and walk in the indignation of their ân hearts therefore will the Lord root out ãâã wicked out of the Land in his heavy displeasure O how the wicked live to the âorld and not to God how they worship themselves but not the Lord O how full â mirth and pleasures is their hearts as if ââ¦ey were purposely made for the World their hands and eyes they lift up but not âheir hearts to the Lord You confess me saith God with your mouths but your âearts are far from me O but in time lay ââ¦part all filthiness and put far from you all maliciousness and be doers of the word and not hearers only lest you enter into Condemnation James 1.22 Walk worthy of God âhat the knowledge of Christ may be increased in you Col. 1.10 How would this Nation be blessed if the wicked would repent as did Niniveh who lay in the dust be wailing their traâgressions and they would be greatly blessed home abroad whose wealth will multiply ãâã whose enemies would fly like dust before the The Heavens shall give Rain in Season and the increase shall multiply upon the earth Deut. 28. God will exceedingly bless you if you will glorifie his name in your Lives and Godly Conversations O but alas you are such who profess you know God but in works you deny him anâ are abominable and disobedient and unto ever good work are Reprobates Tit. 1.16 For whâ⦠is reserved eternal destruction with Devils hâ⦠the Righteous shall have all Tears wiped awâ⦠from their eyes and called by the Lamb to sing Come ye blessed inherit a Kingdom to the wicked saith God Go you cursed inherit destruction And now I am coming to the end of my work my heart trembles to think how I shall leavâ you lest the devil and the delights of the world should deceive you for he continually watches to make you his Bond-slave and to keep you in Hell to all Eternity O friends let timely repentance prevent this eminent danger And let Christ dwell in your hearts by Faith Eph. 2.17 O as I could desire that same of you Are you resolved to turn O that I could but win one Soul to Heaven this day and I wish that he that hears me not preach this Doctrine in my assembly may he ready to cover after my Books ââ¦t in Print do but read or hear them read you cannot chuse but profit by them let not that which is good seem too dear for you I have taken ãâã paines to pen it in the usual Volume that all âight come to the price of it but the worth that ãâã revealed it cannot be bought for Gold nor Silver for the price of Christ is above Rubies And now I have done my work what will beââ¦me of it I cannot tell I have thrown out the ââ¦eâ at Gods command but I cannot give thee increase If you will obey the call of God you ââ¦y have mercy but I cannot entertain it for âit I cannot shew you Heaven or Hell by Eyeââ¦ght but I herve shewed you the joy and sorrow ât both and I beseech the Lord to work in you what hath been said Heb. 13.20 And make you perfect in all works working in you that which is pleasing in his sight through Jesus Christ our Lord Amen FINIS