because of the number, I will go over them with the greater brevity.

:

1. Consider to whom it is that you are commanded to turn and then tell me whether there can be any reason for delay. It is not to an empty, deceitful creature, but to the faithful, all-sufficient God: to him that is the cause of all things; the strength of the creation, the joy of angels, the felicity of the saints, the sun and shield of all the righteous, and refuge of the distressed, and the glory of the whole world. Of such power, that his word can take down the sun from the firmament, and turn the earth and all things into nothing; for he doth more in giving them their being and continuance. Of such wisdom, that was never guilty of mistake, and therefore will not mislead you, nor draw you to any thing that is not for the best. Of such goodness, as that evil cannot stand in his sight, and nothing but your evil could make him displeased with you; and it is from nothing but evil that he calleth you to turn. It is not to a malicious enemy, that would do you a mischief, but it is to a gracious God, that is love itself: not to an implacable justice, but to a reconciled Father: not to revenging indignation, but to the embracement of those arms, and the mercy of that compassionate Lord, that is enough to melt the hardest heart, when you find yourself as the poor returning prodigal, (Luke xxv. 20.) in his bosom, when you deserved to have been under his feet. And will the great and blessed God invite thee to his favour, and wilt thou delay and demur upon the return? The greatest of the angels of heaven are glad of his favour, and value no happiness but the light of his countenance; heaven and earth are supported by him, and nothing can stand without him; how glad would those very devils be of his favour, that tempt thee to neglect his favour! And wilt thou delay to turn to such a God? Why man, thou art every minute at his mercy; if thou turn not, he can throw thee into hell when he will, more easily than I can throw this book to the ground; and yet dost thou delay? There are all things imaginable in him to draw thee: there is nothing that is good for thee, but it is perfectly in him; where thou mayst have it certain and perpetuated. There is nothing in him to give the least discouragement: let all the devils in hell, and all the enemies of God on earth, say the worst they can against his majesty, and they are not

able to find the smallest blemish in his absolute holiness, and wisdom, and goodness: and yet wilt thou delay to turn?

2. Consider also, as to whom, so to what it is that thou must turn. Not to uncleanness, but unto holiness: not to the sensual life of a beast, but to the noble, rational life of a man, and the more noble, heavenly life of a believer: not to an unprofitable, worldly toil, but to the most gainful employment that ever the sons of men were acquainted with: not to the deceitful drudgery of sin, but to that "godliness which is profitable to all things, having the promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come;" 1 Tim. iv. 8. Sirs, do you know what a life of holiness is? You do not know it, if you turn away from it: I am sure if you knew it, you would never fly from it, no, nor endure to live without it. Why, a life of holiness is nothing but a living unto God, to be conversant with him, as the wicked are with the world, and to be devoted to his service, as sensualists are to the flesh. It is to live in the love of God and our Redeemer; and in the foretastes of his everlasting glory, and of his love; and in the sweet forethoughts of that blessed life that shall never end; and in the honest, self-denying course that leadeth to that blessedness. A godly life is nothing else but a sowing the seed of heaven on earth; and a learning in the school of Christ, the songs of praise which we must use before the throne of God; and by suffering, a learning how to triumph and reign with Christ. And is there any thing in this life which you have cause to be afraid of? The sins and weaknesses of the godly are contrary to godliness; and therefore godliness is no more dishonoured by them, than health and life are dishonoured by your sicknesses. As health is never the worse to be liked, but the better, because of the painful grievousness of sickness, so godliness is to be liked the better, because the very failings of the saints are so grievous. If a true believer do but step out of the way of God, he is wounded, he is out of joint, he is as undone till he come in again; though it was but in one particular, And can you endure to continue strangers to it altogether so long? I know you may find faults in the godly, till they are perfect; but let the most malicious enemy of Christ on earth find any fault in godliness if he can.

Can you delay to come into your Father's family; into the vineyard of the Lord; into the kingdom of God on earth,

to be fellow-citizens of the saints, and of the household of God; to have the pardon of all your sins, and the sealed promise of everlasting glory? Why, sirs, when you are called on to turn, you are called to the porch of heaven, into the beginning of salvation. And will you delay to accept everlasting life?

3. Consider also, from what you are called to turn; and then judge whether there be any reason of delay. It is from the devil, your enemy; from the love of a deceitful world; from the seducement of corrupted, brutish flesh; it is from sin, the greatest evil. What is there in sin that you should delay to part with it? Is there any good in it? Or what hath it ever done for you that you should love it? Did it ever do you good? Or did it ever do any man good? It is the deadly enemy of Christ and you. That caused his death, and will cause yours, and is working for your damnation, if converting and pardoning grace prevent it not. And are you loath to leave it? It is the cause of all the miseries of the world, of all the sorrow that ever did befal you, and the cause of the damnation of them that perish. delay to part with it?

And do you

4. Your delaying shews that you love not God, and that you prefer your sin before him, and that you would never part with it if you might have your will. For if you loved God, you would long to be restored to his favour, and to be near him, and employed in his service, and his family. Love is quick and diligent, and will not draw back. And it is a sign also that you are in love with sin; for else, why would you be so loath to leave it? He that would not leave his sin, and turn to God, till the next week, or next month, year, would never turn if he might have his desire. For that which makes you desirous to stay a day or week longer, doth indeed make you loath to turn at all. And, therefore, it is but hypocrisy to take on you, that you are willing to turn hereafter, if you be not willing to do it now without delay.

or

5. Consider, but what a case you are in while you thus delay. Do you think you stand on dry ground, or in a safe condition? If you knew where you are, you would sit as upon thorns, as long as you are unconverted; you would be as a man that stood up to the knees in the sea, and saw the tide coming towards him, who certainly would think that

there is no standing still in such a place. Read what I have said of the state of the unconverted, and in my first "Treatise of Conversion." In a word, you are the drudges of sin, the slaves of the devil, the enemies of God, the abusers of his grace and Spirit, the despisers of Christ, the heirs of hell. And is this a state to stay in an hour? You have all your sin unpardoned; you are under the curse of the law. The wrath of God is upon you; and the fulness of it hangs over your heads. Judgment is coming to pass upon you the dreadful doom; the Lord is at hand; death is at the door, and waits but for the word from the mouth of God, that it may arrest you, and bring you to everlasting misery. And is this a state for a man to stay in?

6. Moreover, your delaying giveth great advantage to the tempter. If you would presently turn and forsake your sins, and enter into a faithful covenant with God, the devil would be almost out of hope, and the very heart of his temptations would be broken. He would see that now it is too late. There is no getting you out of the arms of Christ. But as long as you delay, you keep him still in heart and hope. He hath time to strengthen his prison and fetters, and to renew his snares. And if one temptation serve not,

he hath time to try another, and another. As if you would stand as a mark for satan to shoot at, as long as he please. What likelihood is there, that ever so foolish a sinner should be recovered and saved from his sin?

7. Moreover, your delaying is a vile abuse of Christ, and the Holy Ghost, and may so far provoke him, as to leave you to yourself, and then you are past help. If you delight so to trample on your crucified Lord, and will so long put him to it by refusing his grace, and grieving his Spirit, what can you expect, but that he should turn away in wrath, and utterly forsake you, and say, "Let him keep his sin, seeing he had rather have it than my grace; let him continue ungodly, seeing he is so loath to be sanctified; let him take his own course, and die in his sin, and repent in hell, seeing he would not repent on earth?" You provoke Christ thus to give you up.

8. Consider also, I beseech yon, if you ever mean to turn, what it is that you stay for. Do you think to bring down Christ and heaven to lower rates, and to be saved hereafter with less ado? Sure you cannot be so foolish.

For God will be still the same, and Christ the same, and his promise hath still the same condition, which he will never change; and godliness will be the same, and as much against your carnal interest hereafter as it is now. When you have looked about you never so long, you will never find a fairer or nearer way; but this same way you must go, or perish. If you cannot leave sin now, how should you leave it then? It will be still as sweet to yourself as now. Or if one sin grow stale by the decay of nature, another that is worse will spring up in its stead, and though the acts abate, they will all live still at the root; for sin was never mortified by age. So that if ever you will turn, you may best turn

now.

row.

9. Yea, more than that, the longer you stay, the harder it will be. If it be hard to-day, it is like to be harder to-morFor as the Spirit of Christ is like to forsake you for your wilful delays, so custom will strengthen sin; and custom in sinning will harden your hearts, and make you as past feeling, to work all uncleanness with greediness; Eph. iv. 19. Cannot you crush this serpent when it is but in the spawn, and can you encounter it in its serpentine strength? Cannot you pluck up a tender plant, and can you pluck up an oak or cedar? O sinners! what do you do, to make your recovery so difficult by delay? You are never like to be fairer for heaven, and to find conversion an easier work than now you may do. Will you stay till the work be ten times harder, and yet do you think it so hard already?

10. Consider also, That sin gets daily victorious by your delay. We lay our batteries against it, and preach, and exhort, and pray against it, and it gets a kind of victory over all, as long as we prevail not with you to turn. It conquereth our persuasions and advice; it conquereth all the stirrings of your consciences; it conquereth all your heartless purposes, and deceitful promises. And these frequent conquests do strengthen your sin, and weaken your resistance, and leave the matter almost hopeless. Before a physician hath used remedies, he hath more hope of a cure, than when he hath tried all means, and finds that the best medicines do no good, but the man is still as bad or worse. So when all means have been tried with you, and yet you are unconverted, the case draws towards desperation itself. The very means are disabled more than before; that is, your hearts