Mount from whence the curses were denounced he tells them in his Word of the cursedness and wo of the unconverted's state He sends the Law as School-Master to teach them a sad Lesson that because of their frequent transgressions they are just upon the brink of eternal misery and his design is that hereby they may be awakened and stopt in their destructive way and not flatter themselves with hopes of peace though they still walk on after the imagination of their evil heart This voice of the Lord by the Law is loud and terrible uttered on purpose to rouze startle them that are dead asleep When the Law was delivered There was a burning with fire there was blackness and darkness and tempest the sound of a trumpet and the voice of words which voice they that heard increated that the word might not be spoken to them any more and so terrible was the sight that Moses said I exceedingly fear and quake Heb. 12. 18 19 21. And if the manner of the Law 's delivery was so dreadful much more dreadful will be the manner of the Laws execution upon those by whom it has been violated The fire and darkness at Mount Sinai were nothing in comparison with the fire of Hell and the blackness of darkness there Upon the impenitently wicked the Lord has threatned to rain snares fire and brimston and an horrible tempest this shall be the portion of their câ—p Psal 11. 6. And truly this lecture of the Law is necessary that we may attain to a true knowledge and understanding of sin and when we have been thus at the foot of Mount Ebal and Sinai and have heard that sin is the great hindrance of all sorts of blessings and loads us with curses of all sorts both temporal and spiritual and also everlasting this is the way to cure our unreasonable doating upon it and to make us fear and tremble because we have given so much way to it 2. God calls upon sinners from Mount Gerizzim to turn to him from hence of old the blessings were â—ounded forth He not only gives them a sight of wrath as nigh at hand while they continue workers of iniquity but also he gives them a view of mercy afar â—ff which shall be brought neer them on condition their wickedness is forsaken Upon the unrighteous man's forsaking of his sinful ways and thoughts mercy and abundant pardon are promised Isa 55. 7. This call of the Gospel from Mount Gerizzim is like the still voice after the strong wind the fire and the earthquake How full of encouragement are those words Zech. 1. 3. Turn unto me saith the Lord of Hosts and I will turn unto you saith the Lord of Hosts And Hos 14. 1. O Israel return unto the Lord thy God for thou hast fallen by thy iniquity Thou hast destroyed thy self but in me is thy help found I will heal thy back-slidings and will love thee freely though thou deservest nothing but my anger and my hatred Satan by tempting us to sin has taken away our blessing from us yet we ought not to despond for the Lord has more than one blessing That which the first Adam forfeited the second Adam was sent to restore Act. 3. 26. God having raised up his Son Jesus sent him to bless you in turning away every one of you from his iniquities The Lord does take sinners up as it were into mout Gerizzim he shews them his Kingdom and the glories of it he tells them of his store of blessings of the inestimable benefits which his Son has purchased justification adoption sanctification glory and assures them All shall be theirs if they will but turn indeed And truly these are other kind of offers than Satan ever did or can possibly make 3. God calls upon sinners to turn by the most passionate pleadings and pressing expostulations His design in expostulating is to make them sensible of their unreasonableness in persuing deceitful vanities and fulfilling their defiling lusts and refusing to convert unto him who both can sanctifie them from their defilements and satisfie them with his all-sufficiency He expostulates the matter with Judah Isa 55. 2 3. Why will you spend your money for that which is not bread and your labour for that which cannot satisfie since upon your coming to me the life of your souls and the sure mercies of an everlasting covenant may be obtained The Lord pleads with the ungodly by the Ministry of the Word after this manner What! Though you are told of sins deceitful defiling and damnable nature will you still embrace and hold it fast to my dishonour and your own destruction Though you are forewarned of the heat and heaviness of my anger will you not flee from it though you are informed so often how little Hell will be for your ease will you needs run thither and burn there for ever though you are told of a Kingdom that cannot be moved will not you be moved with desire after it will you not be perswaded to strive for it Are grace and glory of no worth at all Is not a Saviour to be prized by them who by sin have enslaved and lost themselves and are in danger of being lost unto eternity Consider these things and shew your selves men O ye transgressors Thus the Lord pleads that he may prevail with sinners for their own good 4. God calls upon sinners to turn by the examples of others and by the voice of the rod upon themselves The ungodly are very prone to observe bad examples that they may imitate them but 't is their duty to take notice when exemplary punishments are inflicted upon them that they may be afraid to follow them in wickedness any longer When we behold others plagued for the sins which we are guilty of the Lord bids us to see the heinousness of our own iniquities in the stroaks which others have felt before our eyes And we may justly expect that like sins will have like ends if there be a continuance in provocation Examples are purpurposely set before us that we may not lust after evil things 1 Cor. 10. 6. that we may be admonished to turn out of those paths which have led others to ruin But especially when the rod does fall upon our own backs God calls upon us in a more perceivable and sensible way to turn to him The design of the rod is to imbitter sin both to the flesh and to the conscience and that it may not any longer be imagined delightful which is the procuring cause of every stripe that is endured The rod has a voice as well as the Word which 't is our wisdom to hear When affliction is laid upon the sinners â—oyns by it the Lord speaks such kind of â—anguage Jer. 2. 17. Hast thou not procured â—his unto thy self by sin to turn from thine â—niquity is to consult thine own ease let the â—ain of the rod which yet is nothing to the â—ains of Hell convince thee that
of knowledge Since without knowledge thy heart cannot be good nor thou thy self in a safe estate Thou art gene astray Oh Turn immediately lest the next step thou takest be into the Grave and Hell 'T is but small security not to perceive thy danger 't is but a pitiful happiness to be ignorant of thy misery for this very ignorance increases thy danger and will make thy misery the more unavoidable Sin is such a thing as none ever repented of their parting with therefore be perswaded to deny thy former ungodliness and worldly lusts and to live soberly and righteously and godly in this present evil world If thou art a Professor but not a practiser of Religion consider 't is not a feigned conversion but a turning with the whole heart upon which Life is promised and assured If thou hast a form of godliness without the power what does this prove but that thou hast more of the Atheist in thee Surely thou thinkest the Lord does not regard and will not punish at least to thee he will be partial I wonder how thou darest come so often into his presence so neer his Ark where his jealousie is hottest and so frequently engage in duties of his Worship some sin or vanity all the while keeping thy heart away from him But if thou art indeed converted Oh geâ— neerer unto God and turn more and more like to him Grace is so excellent a thing that methinks thou shouldst be restlesly importunate for a greater measure of it The more you follow on to know the Lord the better you will love him and the more unwilling you will be to leave him and return again to folly Conversion is a nail which the Prophets of old were hammering upon perpetually Our Lord and his Apostles endeavoured to drive this nail home And God of late has not only sent his Ministers to ply this business but has taken the hammer of judgments to make this nail to enter Now the stronger the resistance is we make we must expect from this hammer the more stroaks We have seen lately dayes of great calamity and affliction and yet they have in some sense been also dayes of grace Therefore temporal judgments have been sent that spiritual mercies might be prized and eternal judgments might be prevented God has had a design of love at the bottom of all his severities Let us comply with it for if we still walk contrary he has threatned in fury to chastize us seven-fold more than as yet he has chastized us And I may well tremble to think of those judgments which will be seven times worse than the Plague and Fire But if we learn wisdom and instruction by his correction and turn unto him that has smitten us we shall find the expressions of his favour and loving kindness fâ—â— greater than ever were the signs of his displeasure N. V. THE Conversion OF A SINNER EZEK 33. 11. latter part Turn ye turn ye from your evil wayes for why will ye die O house of Israel T Is not very easie to discern whether Man discovered greater folly in departing from God at first or whether his folly be now more inexcusable in refusing to return to him At first he knew by blessed experience how good it was to be neer his Maker to enjoy the light of his countenance in the state of innocency and yet he ventur'd to go away Now he feels the effects of his Apostacy for sin has loaded him with various miseries calamities vexations and yet how hardly is he perswaded to come back again The children of men are easily induced to yield to Satan as if 't were their interest to give themselves into the hands of a Murtherer but the Lord besides whom there is no Saviour may call and call with frequency with earnestness yet call in vain their hearts are dull their ears are deaf they will not hearken to him It can never be sufficiently lamented that sin has made so many madmen in the world life and death blessing and cursing are set before them yet death is chosen before life the most astonishing and intollerable curses are embraced when blessings of the highest and most durable nature are rejected Proh superi quantum mortalia pectâ—ra caecae Noctis habent Hence 't is that the Lord expostulates not only in reference to sin but in reference to punishment He not only sayes Why will you venture to transgress but also Why are you so forward to die O house of Israel The Prophet in the beginning of this Chapter is by the Lord appointed a Watchman over the house of Israel he is commanded to lift up his voice when he sees the revenging sword drawn forth and comming to cut the ungodly off for their ungodliness and unless he call to the wicked to turn and live he is accessary to their death and their blood will be required at his hand And being thus commissioned he is commanded to stop the mouths of evil doers who cavil and reply against their Maker and charge God foolishly A Controversie it seems there was at whose door the destruction of sinners is to be laid The house of Israel very peremptorily and boldly lay the blame on God they stick not to say the way of the Lord is not equal But the God of mercy and of truth does vindicate himself from that undeserved imputation professing that if sinners were not perversly bent upon their own ruin destruction would be escaped By his life he swears that the death of the wicked pleases him not therefore in the Text his voice is loud and doubled Turn ye turn ye from your evil wayes and the saddle is set upon the right horse mens own Wills are the cause of their own Woe Why will ye die O house of Israel The words express a very pathetical and serious call wherein observe 1. The persons called The house of Israel 2. To what they are called they are called to Turn 3. The urgency of this call which appears in the doubling of it Turn ye turn ye 4. From what they must turn from their evil wayes 5. The argument used to prevail which has abundance of holy rhetorick in it VVhy will ye die Without turning death is certain Satan may say to the posterity as once to the Parents Ye shall not surely die but this will be sound true Those shall â—e turned into Helâ— Psal 9. 17. who will not turn to God thither 't is that evil wayes have all a tendency Several paths there are in the broad way but in death the second death they all conclude and meet Therefore the Lord is brought in pitying of sinners and pleading with them VVhy will ye die Is it because I am speedy in revenging you know I am slow to anger and by experience have found me so else my wrath had long e're this broken forth upon you or is it because I am inexorable not to be intreated when once provoked VVhy I have proclaim'd myself ready
sin is not â—o be admired for its pleasure at present thou art only chastized with whips but if thou arâ—â—ncorrigible and sinnest yet more and more assuredly at last thou shalt be lashed with scorâ—ions 5. God calls upon sinners to turn to him by the internal voice and motions of his Spirit The Spirit often suggests concerning the sinful and false way This is â—ot the way and therefore turn out of it but concerning the way of holiness which leads to God This is the way therefore turn into it and without declining walk iâ— it Isa 30. 21. All the other Calls will be to little purpose unless the Spirit do accompany them Without his conviction thâ— denunciation of curses will not awaken Without his illumination the blessing profered will be undervalued Withouâ— his setting an edge upon them the mosâ— pathetical expostulations will not havâ— the least efficacy to perswade the loudeâ— word will be no more regarded than if iâ— were a whisper Unless the Spirit joy his teaching and instruction the rod wiâ— be mute and insignificant nothing wiâ— be learned either by personal afflictionâ— or by National judgments 'T is dangerous therefore to be heedless of and resiâ— the holy Ghost since the efficacy of aâ— depends upon him There is a twofold Call of the Spirit more commune and more special 1. More commune and so many aâ— called which never are throughly converted 'T was the commune work of thâ— Spirit which made Felix tremble whicâ— brought Agrippa within a step of Christianity and caused Herod to do many thingâ— Multitudes of unregenerate ones have feâ— the waters stirr'd the holy Ghost moving them to conversion and readily profering his aid and assistance and perhaps for a while they have been led by him But then some lust or vanity they refused to let go which he has bid them to abandon they would not turn their spiritual sloth into serious diligence about the concerns of their immortal souls and so by disregarding of his motions slighting of his help they have made the Spirit to go away in grief that came in love to work upon them 2. There is a Call of the Spirit which is more special and efficacious and when he thus moves them to turn to God sinners are not only almost but perswaded altogether Now the Method of the Spirit in working on those who are indeed made Converts is much to be observed 1. Those whom the Spirit calls effectually he convinces of sin Joh. 16. 8. He sets the Law before them and he himself is the Laws Interpreter and by his Commentary on it they are made to see that the Law forbids not only the breakings forth of sin at the lips and in the life but also the inward lustings and risings of sin in the heart And when the Law thus comes Oh! how does the offence abound The Spirit sets their iniquities in order before their eyes and holds their eyes waking to behold them The Book of Conscience is opened and how many transgressions are presently beheld there registred And if upon dipping into this book so many abominations do appear what an innumerable multitude are down in the book of Gods remembrance Though sinners may not consider it yet God remembers all their wickedness Hos 7. 2. This the soul layes to heart Innumerable evils compass him about as David speaks his iniquities take hold upon him Psal 40. 12. when he lyes down they lye down when he rises they rise with him wherever he goes or is they continually dog and haunt him If the sinner have been notorious how hideous and horrid will sin appear to him when all pleas and excuses are silenced when the painted visour is pull'd off and it is seen by him in its native complexion drunkenness uncleanness oaths profane jesting greediness after the world will no longer then be made light of These and such like before seemed to have nothing of danger much of delight and pleasure but after conviction their deceitful and damnable nature will be as evident as the Sun at noon-day And though the sinner has been free from the more gross pollutions of the world yet enough shall be shewed him to cause him to conclude himself a Wretch and in a lost estate What! are all his omissions or mocking of the jealous God by heartless performances nothing Is his mispence of time and regardlessness of eternity nothing Is his delighting in creatures and vanity and the things of the world and loving these more than God and Christ and glory but a small matter These are heinous sins which yet the more civilized are to be charged with This conviction of the Spirit is strong and lasting wears not off till the sinner is brought quite home Actual transgressions with their aggravations lye heavy and original sin which is the fountain whence â—ne other flow is discover'd And in this â—ountain there is enough to feed ten thouâ—nd times more streams than have issued â—rth David is not only convinced of the â—urder and adultery he had committed â—ut is made to trace these sins to the Wellâ—ad the original corruption of his naâ—re Psal 51. 5. and the sight of this how much did it tend to his humiliation Finally this conviction is not only of some acts of sin but of the badness of the sinners state he is made to see himself because a child of disobedience therefore also a child of wrath And without cavilling all is yielded to and acknowledged with such evidence is this conviction of the Spirit 2. Those whom the Spirit calls effectually he works fear in them The spirit of bondage to fear goes before the spirit of adoption Of these fears and terrors there are degrees indeed yet such a measure is wrought in all towards whom the Lord has designs of love as to make them restlests in a natural estate Carnal security is one of the first things that is struck at by the Spirit he bids the soul awake and lets him know that while he sleeps in sin 't is much more hazardous than if he slept upon the top of a Mast Well may the sinner be afraid wrath armed with irresistible and almighty power he has engaged against himself And who can stand before Gods indignation who can abide the fierceness of his anger Nah. 1. The curses of the Law have a dreadful sound in the sinners ears and because threatned damnation will not slumber long the propinquity and neerness of such great evils raises fear exceedingly His assent is strong and in his mind he now foresees the Lord Jesus revealed with his mighty Angels in flaming fire ready to take vengeance on them that know not God and disobey the Gospel and to punish them with everlasting destruction 2 Thes 1. 8 9. And on thinks he with himself how terrible will it be to be of the number of them who shall call to the rocks and mountains to fall upon them that they may be hid from the face of him that sits
upon the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb This causes him to make an halt in his wicked course he dares not still rush into sin as the horse rushes into the battel 3. Those whom the Spirit calls effectually he raises grief and sorrow in them because of their sin and misery They see what they have done against God against themselves and this makes their spirits troubled This is that being weary and heavy laden which the Scripture speaks of that is in those whom Christ calls to come to him that they may find rest unto their souls Mat. 11. 28 29. There was a voice heard upon the high places weeping and supplication of the children of Israel because they had perverted their way and had forgotten the Lord their God and this went before their closing with his invitation to return Jer. 3. 21 22. The sinner by the Spirit is made to behold the sadness of his case the evil of his sin how miserably he has been deceived by his lusts and Satan and so his own folly in yielding to them How does he now accuse and condemn himself His heart is grieved he is pricked in his reins because he has been so foolish and ignorant so like a beast before God Psal 73. He wishes a thousand times that temptations had been resisted and that sin had never been committed I shall represent the workings of the sinners heart in this Prosopopoeia O wretched as I am What have I been doing all my dayes Was this the end I was made for to undo my self Was there no better employment to be found than to ad sin to sin and so to treasure up wrath against the day of wrath How much time have I mispent and what pains have I taken to make my self miserable Ah foolish self-destroying wretch Dost thou not see how far thou art gone in the broad way how long sin has made a meer slave of thee and how bitterly thou hast provoked the Lord to anger Oh that my head were waters and my eyes fountains of tears that I might weep day and night The damned will weep and wail for ever and shall not I mourn and weep that have so highly deserved to de damnned Well may I be troubled and bowed down greatly and go mourning all the day long Thus the sinner grieves and bemoans himself and carnal company sensual pleasures worldly diversions cannot drive away this sorrow none but he who broke the heart is able to bind up the wounds of it 4. Those whom the Spirit calls effectually he causes to despair in themselves They are made to perceive that they have no power to raise themselves out of those depths of sin and misery which they have plunged themselves into and as they are unable to help themselves so they see that they are utterly unworthy to be helped God may justly suffer them to lye where they are fallen and should he deal thus they would fall lower and lower till fallen past recovery The sinner may have recourse to his duties hoping by these to make amends to God for what he has done amiss but he is made to see that his best duties have so much sin mingled with them that were it not for Christs righteousness and intercession they would be a meer abomination Now he is beaten off from his own bottom he has no confidence in the flesh as the Apostle speaks Phil. 3. 3. He can do nothing of himself he can claim nothing as his due to be done for him but he must be beholding to grace for all Upon this he cryes out of the depths unto the Lord Psal 130. 1. he perceives himself sinking and cryes Lord save me or I perish I am at the brink of the bottomless pit and in I shall fall unless the hand of mercy catch hold of me He begs with Ephraim Turn thou me and I shall be turned And as the evil of sin is presented to his view so the goodness of God is in some measure by the Spirit discovered and therefore he desires to be converted not only upon necessity because else he would be extreamly and eternally miserable but also upon choice because this is the way unto the truest happiness And these desires to be turned are as it were the first breathings of the new creature Thus have I shewed the manner of the spirits operation in those whom he calls effectually to turn to God as also the several other wayes how the Lord calls upon sinners to conversion most whereof prove ineffectual because those that are called are deaf disobedient and gainsaying My work in the second place will be to lay down the reasons Why God does thus call the children of men to turn from their evil wayes and live The reasons are such as these 1. Hereby he shews his gracious nature that he delights not in the death and destruction of his creatures Indeed death will be inflicted on them upon their obstinate continuance in evil but the shewing mercy and giving life is the thing that pleases God therefore he calls the most obdurate to conversion 2. The Lord calls us to turn that hereby he may inform us of our duty We may understand from hence that 't is our duty to go astray no longer but to come to our Fathers house with speed and by the pressing frequency of the calls our obligation to this duty is vastly heightned And truly the disregarding of our duty in this particular and the great engagements to it our refusing to Turn will do us more harm than all our other sins All our other sins upon our conversion would be abundantly pardoned but as long as we continue unconverted not one is forgiven the guilt of all does lye upon us and we assuredly do lye under wrath 3. The Lord calls upon us to Turn to shew that our turning to him will not be in vain Though sin has very much abounded yet there is not only a possibility but a certainty upon our returning of our being graciously received and embraced And this is matter of great encouragement unto a soul who lies under the apprehensions of sin and wrath Hark what language is spoken unto Judah Jer. 3. 1 5. Behold thou hast spoken and done evil things as thou couldst thou hast play'd the harlot with many lovers yet return again to me saith the Lord. This call evidently shews that their transgressions though multiplied exceeding if now they would but turn unfeignedly should not be a bar to shut against them the door of mercy 4. The Lord calls upon us to turn to intimate 't is from himself we must have power and strength to turn in truth The precepts and exhortations in Scripture to convert to repent to believe to stand fast and such like are not delivered that from hence we might conclude we have power in our selves to do what we are commanded and exhorted to but they are delivered that we might turn these precepts into prayers For instance when we