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
into the bag and take thence a stone and sling it do thou carry it unto the mark and make it sink not into the forehead 1 Sam. 17. 49. but the heart of the unconverted sinner and smite him to the ground with Saul in his so happy fall Act. 9. 4. Thou hast sent me as Abraham did Eliezer to take a wife unto my master thy son Gen. 24. 4. But my discouraged soul is ready to fear the woman will not be willing to follow me O Lord God of my Master I pray thee send me good speed this day and shew kindness unto my Master and send thine Angel before me and prosper my way that I may take a wife unto thy son Gen. 24. 12. That as the servant rested not till he had brought Isaac and Rebeckah together so I may be succesful to bring Christ and the souls of my people together before we part But I turn me unto you Some of you do not know what I mean by conversion and in vain shall I perswade you to that which you do not understand and therefore for your sakes I shall shew what this Coversion is Others do cherish secret hopes of mercy though they continue as they be and for them I must shew the necessity of Conversion Others are like to harden themselves with a vain conceit that they are converted already unto them I must shew the marks of the Vnconverted Others because they feel no harm fear none and so sleep upon the the top of the maâ—t to them I shall shew the misery of the Vnconverted Others sit still because they see not their way out to them I shall shew the means of Conversion And finally for the quickening of all I shall close with the motives of Conversion CHAP. I. Shewing the Negative what Conversion is not and correcting some mistakes about it LEt the blind Samaritans worship they know not what Ioh. 4. 22. Let the heathen Athenians superscribe their Altar to the unknown God Act. 17. 23. Let the guileful Papists commend the mother of destruction Hos. 4. 6. for the mother of devotion they that know mans constitution and the nature of the reasonable souls operation cannot but know that the understanding having the Empire in the soul he that will go rationally to work must labour to let in the light here Ignorantis non est consensus And therefore that you may not mistake me I shall shew you what I mean by the conversion I perswade you to endeavour after It is storied that when Iupiter let down the golden chaplets from Heaven all of them but one were stoln Whereupon left they should lose a relique of so great esteem they made five others so like it that if any were so wickedly minded as to steal that also they should not be able to discern which was it And truly my beloved the Devil hath made many counterfeits of this conversion and cheats one with this and another with that and such a craft and artifice he hath in this mystery of deceits that if it were possible he would deceive the very Elect. Now that I may cure the damnable mistakes of some who think they are converted when they are not as well as remove the troubles and fears of others that think they are not converted when they areâ— I shall shew you the nature of conversion both negatively or what it is not and positively what it is We will begin with the negative 1. It is not the taking on us the profession of Christianity Doubtless Christianity is more than a name If we will hear Paul it lies not in word but in power 1 Cor. 4. 20. If to cease to be Jews and Pagans and to put on the Christian profession had been true conversion as this is all that some would have to be understood by it who better Christians than they of Sardis and Laodicea These were all Christians by profession and had a name to live but because they had but a name are condemned by Christ and threatened to be spewed out Rev. 3. 1 16. Are there not many that name the name of the Lord Jesus that yet depart not from iniquity 2 Tim. 2. 19. and profess they know God but in works deny him Tit. 1. 16. And will God receive these for true converts because turned to the Christian religion What converts from sin when yet they do live in â—in 'T is a visible contradiction Surely if the lamp of profession would have served the turn the foolish virgins had never been shut out Matt. 25. 3 12. We find not only professours but preachers of Christ and wonder-workers turned off because â—yil workers Matth. 7. 22 23. 2. It is not in the being washed in the laver of Regenerationâ—â— or putting on the badge of Christ in baptism Many take the press-money and wear the Livery of Christ that yet never stand to their colours nor follow their leader Ananias and Saphira and Magus were baptized as well as the rest How fondly do many mistake here deceiving and being deceived dreaming that effectual grace is necessarily tied to the external administration of baptism which what is it but to revive the popish tenent of the Sacraments working grace ex opere operato and so every infant should be regenerated not only Sacramento tenus sacramentally but really and properly Hence men do fancy that being regenerated already when baptized they need no further work But if this were so then all that were baptized in their infancy must necessarily be saved because the promise of pardon and salvation is made to conversion and regeneration Act. 3. 19. 1 Pet. 1. 3 4. Matth. 19. 28. Our Calling Sanctification as to the beginnings of it or conversion which are but the same thing under different conceptions and expressions is but a middle link in the golden chain fastened to election at the one end and glorification at the other Rom. 8. 30. 2 Thes. 2. 13. 1 Pet. 1. 2. The silver cord may not be broken nor the connexion between sanctification and salvation between grace and glory impiously violated Matth. 5. 8. If we are indeed begotten again it is to an inheritance incorruptible reserved in Heaven for us and the divine power is ingaged to keep us for it 1 Pet. 1. 5. And if the very regenerate may perish at last in their sins we will no more say That he that is born of God his seed remaineth in him and that he cannot sin 1 Iohn 3. 9. i. e. unto death nor that it is impossible to deceive the very elect Matth. 24. 24. And indeed were this true then we need look no further to see our names written in Heaven than only to search the register and see whether we were baptized then I would keep the certificate of my baptism as my fairest evidence for Heaven and should come by Assurance of my gracious state with a wet finger then men should do well to carry but a certificate of their baptism under the
which burneth with fire and brimstone which is the second death 1 Cor. 6. 9 10. Know you not that the 〈◊〉 us shall not inerit the Kingdom of God Be not deceived neither fornicatours nor idolaters nor adulterers nor effeminate nor abusers of themselves with mankind nor thieves nor covetous nor drunkards nor revilers nor extortioners shall inherit the Kingdom of God See Gal. 5. 19 20 21. Woe to them that have their names written in these bed-rolls such may know as certainly as if God had told it them from Heaven that they are unsanctified and under an impossibility of being saved in this condition There are then these several sorts that past all dispute are unconverted they carry their marks in their foreheads 1. The Vnclean These are ever reckoned among the goats and have their names in whoever be left out in all the forementioned catalogues Eph. 5. 5. Rev. 21. 8. 1 Cor. 6. 9 10. 2. The Covetous These are branded for idolaters and the doors of the Kingdom are shut against them by name Eph. 5. 5. Col. 3. 5. 1 Cor. 6. 9 10. 3. Drunkards not only such as drink away their reason but withal yea above all such as are too strong for strong drink The Lord fills his mouth with woes against these and declares them to have no inheritance in the Kingdom of God Esay 5. 11 12 22. Gal. 5. 21. 4. Liars The God that cannot lie hath told them that there is no place for them in his Kingdom no entrance into his hill but their portion is with the Father of lies whose children they are in the lake of burnings Psal. 15. 1 2. Rev. 21. 8 27. Iohn 8. 44. Prov. 6. 17. 5. Swearers The end of these men without deep and speedy repentance is swift destruction and most certain and unavoidable condemnation Iames 5. 12. Zech. 5. 1 2 3. 6. Railers and Backbiters that love to take up a reproach against their neighbour and fling all the dirt they can in his face or else wound him secretly behind his back Psal. 15. 1 3. 1 Cor. 6. 10. 1 Cor. 5. 11. 7. Thieves Extortioners Oppressors that grind the poor over-reach their brethren when they have them at an advantage these must know that God is the avenger of all such 1 Thess. 4. 6. Hear O ye false and purloining and wastful servants Hear O ye deceitful tradesmen hear your sentence God will certainly hold his doors against you and turn your treasures of unrighteousness into treasures of wrath and make your ill-gotten silver and gold to torment you like burning mettal in your bowels 1 Cor. 6. 9 10. Iames 5. 2 3. 8. All that do ordinarily live in the prophane neglect of Gods worship that hear not his word that call not on his name that restrain prayer before God that mind not their own nor their families souls but live without God in the world Iohn 8. 47. Iob 15. 4. Psal. 14. 4. Psal. 79. 6. Eph. 2. 12. 4. 18. 9. Those that are frequenters and lovers of evil company God hath declared he will be the destruction of all such and that they shall never enter into the hill of his rest Prov. 13. 20. Psal. 15. 4. Prov. 9. 6. 10. Scoffers at religion that make a scorn of precise walking and mock at the messengers and diligent servants of the Lord and at their holy profession and make themselves merry with the weaknesses and failings of professours Hear ye despisers hear your dreadful doom Prov. 19. 29. 2 Chron. 36. 16. Prov. 3. 34. Sinner consider diligently whether thou art not to be found in one of these ranks for if this be thy case thou art in the gall of bitterness and bond of iniquity for all these do carry their marks in their foreheads and are undoubtedly the sons of death And if so the Lord pity our poor Congregations Oh how little a number will be left when these ten sorts be set out Alas on how many doors on how many faces must we write Lord have mercy upon us Sirs what shift do you make to keep up your confidence of your good estate when God from Heaven declares against you and pronounces you in a state of damnation I would reason with you as God with them How canst thou say I am not polluted Ier. 2. 23. See thy way in the valley know what thou hast done Man is not thy conscience privy to thy tricks of deceit to thy chamber pranks to thy way of lying Yea are not thy friends thy family thy neighbours witnesses to thy prophane neglects of Gods worship to thy covetous practices to thy envious and malicious carriage May not they point at thee as thou goest There goes a gaming prodigal there goes a drunken Nabal a companion of evil-doers there goes a railer or a scoffer a loose liver Beloved God hath written it as with a Sun-beam in the book out of which you must be judged that these are not the spots of his children and that none such except renewed by converting grace shall ever escape the damnation of hell Oh that such of you would now be perswaded to repent and turn from all your transgressions or else iniquity will be your ruine Ezek. 18. 30. Alas for poor hardened sinners Must I leave you at last where you were Must I leave the tipler still at the ale-bench Must I leave the wanton still at his dalliance Must I leave the malicious still in his venome And the drunkard still at his vomit However you must know that you have been warned and that I am clear of your blood And whether men will hear or whether they will forbear I will leave these three scriptures with them either as thunderbolts to awaken them or as searing Irons to harden them to a reprobate sense Psal. 68. 21. God shall wound the head of his enemies and the hairy scalp of such a one as goeth on still in his trespasses Prov. 29. 1. He that being often reproved hardeneth his neck shall suddenly be destroyed and that without remedy Prov. 1. 24. c. Because I have called and ye refused I have stretched out my hand and no man regarded c. I will mock at your calamity when your destruction cometh as a whirlwind And now I imagine many will begin to bless themselves and think all is well because they cannot be spotted with the grosser evils above mentioned But I must further tell you that there are another sort of unsanctified persons that carry not their marks in their foreheads but more secretly and covertly in their hands These do frequently deceive themselves and others and pass for good Christians when they are all the while unsound at bottom Many pass undiscovered till death and judgment bring all to light Those self-deceivers seem to come even to Heaven-gate with confidence of their admission and yet are turned off at last Mat. 7. 22. Brethren Beloved I beseech you deeply to lay to heart and firmly to retain this