find eternal life in the broad way is to hope Christ will prove a false prophet 'T is David's plea I hope in thy word Psal. 119. 81. but this hope is against the word Shew me a word of Christ for thy hope that he will save thee in thine ignorance or prophane neglects of his service and I will never to to shake thy confidence 2. God doth with abhorrency reject this hope Those condemned in the Prophet went on in their sins yet saith the Text they will lean upon the Lord. Mic. 3. 11. God will not endure to be made a prop to men in their sins The Lord rejects those presumptuons sinners that went on still in their trespasses and yet would stay themselves upon the God of Israel Esay 48. 1 2. as a man would shake of the briars as one well that cleaves to his garment 3. If thy hope were any thing worth it would purify thee from thy sins 1 Iohn 3. 3. but cursed is that hope which doth cherish men in their sins Obj. Would you have us to despair An. You must despair of ever coming to Heaven as you are Act. 2. 37. that is while you remain unconverted You must despair ever to see the face of God without holiness but you must by no means despair of finding mercy upon your through repentance and conversion neither may you despair of attaining to repentance and conversion in the use of Gods means V. Without this all that Christ hath done and suffered will be as to you in vain Iohn 13. 8. Tit. 2. 14. that is it will no way avail to your salvation Many urge this as sufficient ground for their hopes that Christ died for sinners but I must tell you Christ never died to save impenitent and unconverted sinners so continuing 2 Tâ—m 2. 19. A great Divine was wont in his private dealings with souls to ask two questions 1. What hath Christ done for you 2. What hath Christ wrought in you Without the application of the spirit in Regeneration we can have no saving interest in the benefits of Redemption I tell you from the Lord Christ himself cannot save you if you go on in this estate I. It were against his trust The mediatour is the servant of the father Esay 42. 1. shews his commission from him acts in his name and pleads his command for his justification Iohn 10. 18 36. Iohn 6. 38 40. And God hath committed all things to him entrusted his own glory and the salvation of his elect with him Mat. 11. 27. Iohn 17. 2. Accordingly Christ gives his father an account of both parts of his trust before he leaves the world Iohn 17. 4 6 12. Now Christ should quite cross his fathers glory his greatest trust if he should save men in their sins for this were to overturn all his counsels and offer violence to all his attributes First To overturn all his counsels of which this is the order that men should be brought through sanctification to salvation 2. Thes. 2. 13. he hath chosen them that they should be holy Eph. 1. 4. They are elected to pardon and life through sanctification 1 Pet. 1. 2. If thou canst repeal the Law of Gods immutable counsel or corrupt him whom the Father hath sealed to go directly against his Commission then and not otherwise maist thou get to Heaven in this condition To hope that Christ will save thee while unconverted is to hope that Christ will falsify his trust He never did nor will save one soul but whom the Father had given him in election and drawn to him in effectual calling Iohn 6. 37 44. Be assured Christ will save none in a way contrary to his Fathers will who came on purpose to do his will Iohn 6. 38. Secondly To offer violence to all his attributes 1. To his Iustice. For the righteousness of Gods judgment lies in rendring to all according to their works Rom. 2. 5 6. Now should men sow to the flesh and yet of the spirit reap everlasting life Gal. 6. 7 8. where were the glory of divine Justice since it should be given to the wicked according to the work of the righteous 2. To his holiness If God should not only save sinners but save them in their sins his most pure and strict holiness would be exceedingly defaced The unsanctified is in the eyes of Gods holiness worse than a swine or viper Mat. 23. 33. 2 Pet. 2. 22. Now what cleanly nature could endure to have the filthy swine bed and board with him in his parlour or bed chamber It would offer extremest violence to the infinite purity of the divine nature to have such to dwell with him They cannot stand in his judgment they cannot abide in his presence Psal. 1. 5. Psal. 5. 4 5. If holy David would not endure such in his house no nor in his sight Psal. 101. 3 7. shall we think God will Should he take men as they be from the trow to the table from the harlots lips from the sty and draugh to the glory of Heaven the world would think God were at no such distance from sin nor had such dislike of it as we are told he hath they would conclude God were altogether such a one as themselves as they wickedly did but from the very forbearance of God Psal. 50. 21. 3. To his veracity For God hath declared from Heaven That if any shall say they shall have peace though he should go on in the imagination of his heart his wrath shall smoak against that man Deut. 29. 19 20. That they only that confess and forsake their sins shall find mercy Prov. 28. 13. That they that shall enter into his â—ill must be of clean hands and a pure heart Psal. 24. 3 4. Where were Gods truth if notwithstanding all this he â—hould bring men to salvation without Conversion O desperate sinner that darest to hope that Christ will put the lie upon his Father and nullify his word to save thee 4. To his wisdom For this were to throw away the choicest mercies on them that would not value them nor were any way suited to them First they would not value them The unsanctified sinner puts but little price upon Gods great salvation Mat. 22. 5. He sets no more by Christ than the whole by the physician Mat. 9. 12. he prizes not his balm values not his cure tramples upon his blood Heb. 10. 29. Now would it stand with wisdom to force pardon and life upon them that would give him no thanks for them Will the all-wise God when he hath forbidden us to do it throw his holy things to dogs and his pearl to swine that would as it were but turn again and rent him Mat. 7. 6. This would make mercy to be despised indeed Wisdom requires that life be given in a way suitable to Gods honour and that God provide for the securing his own glory as well as mans felicity It would be dishonourable to God to set his
AN ALARME TO Unconverted Sinners In a Serious TREATISE SHEWING I. What Conversion is not and correcting some Mistakes about it II. What Conversion is and wherein it consisteth III. The Necessity of Conversion IV. The Marks of the Unconverted V. The Miseries of the Unconverted VI. Directions for Conversion VII Motives to Conversion Whereunto are annexed divers Practical Cases of Conscience Judiciously Resolved By Ioseph Alleine late Preacher of the Gospel at Taunton in Somerset-shire LONDON Printed by E. T. and R. H. and are to sold by Nevil Simmons at the Princes Arms in St. Pauls-Church-yard 1672. To all the Ignorant Carnal and Ungodly who are Lovers of pleasures more than God and seek this world more than the Life Everlasting and live after the Flesh and not after the Spirit These Calls and Counsels are directed in hope of their Conversion to God and of their Salvation He that hath an ear to hear let him hear Miserable Souls THere is that Life and Light and Love in every true Believer but especially in every Faithful Minister of Christ which engageth them to long and labour for your Salvation Life is communicative and active It maketh us sensible that Faith is not a fantasie nor true Religion a stage-play nor our hopes of eternal happiness a dream And as we desire nothing more for our selves than to have more of the Holy Life which we have alas in so small a measure so what is it that we should more desire for others With the eye of an infallible though too weak faith we see the Heaven which you neglect and the blessed souls in Glory with Christ whose companions you might be for ever we see the multitudes of souls in hell who came thither by the same way that you are going in who are shut out of the glorious presence of God and are now among those devils that deceived them remembring that they had their good things here Luke 16. 25. and how they spent the day of their visitation and how light they once set by God by Christ by Heaven by Mercy whilest Mercy was an earnest solicitour for their hearts And with our bodily eyes we see at the same time abundance of poor sinners living about us as if there were no God no Christ no Heaven no Hell no Judgment no nor Death to be expected as if a man were but a master beast to rule the rest and feed upon them and perish with them And if it were your own case to see what souls do in Heaven and Hell and at once to see how unbelievingly carelesly and senselesly most men live on earth as if there were no such difference in another world would it not seem a pitiful sight to you If you had once seen the five brethren of Dives on earth eating drinking laughing and merry clothed and faring daily with the best and at the same time seen their brothers soul in Hell begging in vain for a little ease and wishing in vain that one from the dead might go warn his brethren that they come not to that place of torment would it not seem to you a pitiful sight would not pity have made you think Is there no way to open these Gentlemens eyes No way to acquaint them what is become of their brother and where Lazarus is and whither they themselves are going No one driveth or forceth them to Hell and will they go thither of themselves and is there no way to stop them or keep them back Did you but see your selves what we see by faith believing God and at once beheld the Saints in Heaven the lost despairing souls in Hell and the senseless sensual sinners on earth that yet will lay none of this to heart sure it would make you wonder at the stupidity of mankind Would you not say O what a deciver is the Devil that can thus lead on souls to their own damnation O what a cheater is this transitory world that can make men so forget the world where they must live for ever O what an enemy is this flesh that thus draweth down mens souls from God! O what a besotting thing is sin that turneth a reasonable soul into worse than a beast What a Bedlam is this wicked world when thousands are so busily labouring to undo themselves and others and gratifying the Devil against the God and Saviour who would give them everlasting blessed life And as we have such a sight as this by Faith to make us pity you so have we so much tast of the goodness of God the sweetness of his wayes and the happiness of believers as must needs make us wish that you had but once tryed the same delights which would turn the pleasures of sin into detestation God knoweth that we desire nothing more for our selves than the Perfection and Eternity of this holiness and happiness which we believe and tast And should we not desire the same for you And being thus moved with necessary pitty we ask of God what he would have us to do for your salvation And he hath told us in Scripture that the preaching of his Gospel to acquaint you plainly with the truth and earnestly and frequently intreat you to turn from the flesh and world to God by Jesus Christ is the means with which his grace is ready to concurr for your salvation when obstinate resistance causeth not the Holy Spirit to forsake the sinner and leave him to himself to follow his own Counsels Lusts and Wills In this hope we undertook the Sacred Ministry and gave up our selves to this great and most important work in the great sense of our unworthiness but yet in the sense of your souls necessity We were not such fools at our first setting out as not to know it must be a life of labour self-denial and patience and the devil would do his worst to hinder us and that all sorts of his instruments would be ready to serve him against our labours and against your souls Christ our Captain saved us by patient Conquest and so must we save our selves and you and so must you save your selves under Christ if ever you be saved It was no strange thing to Paul that bonds and afflictions did every where abide him nor did he account his life dear that he might finish his course with joy and the Ministry committed to him by the Lord. Act. 20. 23 24. It was no strange thing to him to be forbidden to preach to the Gentiles that they might be saved by such as were filling up the measure of their sins and were under Gods uttermost wrath on earth 1 Thess. 2. 15. 16. Devils and Pharisees and most where they came both high and low were against the Apostles preaching of the Gospel and yet they would not sacrilegiously and cruelly break their Covenant with Christ and perfidiously desert the souls of men even as their Lord for the love of souls did call Peter Satan that would have tempted him to save his life and
flesh instead of making it a sacrifice for our sins Mat. 16. 23. What think you should move us to undertake a calling so contrary to our fleshly ease and interests Do we not know the way of Ease and Honour of Wealth and Pleasures as well as others And have we not flesh as well as others Could we not be content that the cup of reproach and scorn and slander and poverty and labours might pass from us if it were not for the will of God and your salvation Why should we love to be the lowest and trodden down by malignant pride and counted as the filth of the world and the off-scouring of all things and represented to Rulers whom we honour as schismaticks disobedient turbulent unruly by every Church-usurper whom we refuse to make a God of Why give we not over this preaching of the Gospel at the will of Satan that is for the everlasting suffering of your souls under the pretense of making us suffer Is not all this that you may be converted and saved If we be herein besides our selves it is for you Could the words of the ignorant or proud have perswaded us that either your wants and dangers are so inconsiderable or your other supplies and helps so sufficient that our labours had been unnecessary to you God knoweth we should have readily obeyed the silencing sort of Pastors and have betaken us to some other land where our service had been more necessary Let shame be that hypocrites reward who taketh not the saving of souls and the pleasing of God for a sufficient reward without Ecclesiastical Dignities preferments or wordly wealth I have told you our motives I have told you our business and the terms of our undertaking It is God and you sinners that next must tell us what our entertainment and success shall be Shall it be still neglect and unthankful contempt and turning away your ear and heart and saying we have somewhat else to mind Will you still be cheated by this deceiving world and spend all your daies in pampering your guts and providing for that flesh that must lie rotting very shortly in a grave Were you made for no better work than this May not we bring you to some sober thoughts of your condition nor one hour seriously to think whither you are going What! not to one awakened look into the world where you must be for ever Nor one heart-raising thought of the everlasting Glory Not one heart-piercing thought of all your Saviours love nor one tear for all your sinful lives O God forbid Let not our labour be so despised Let not your God your Saviour and your souls be set so light by O let there be no profane person among you like Esau who for one morsel sold his birth-right Poor sinners We talk not to you as on a stage in customary words and because that talking thus is our trade We are in as good earnest with you as if we saw you all murdering your selves and we are perswading you to save your lives Can any man be in jest with you who believeth God who by faith foreseeth whither you are going and what you lose and where the game of sin will end It is little better to jest with you now in Pulpit or in private than to stand jesting over your departing souls when at death you are breathing out your last Alas with shame and grief we do confess that we never speak to you of these things as their truth and weight deserve nor with the skill and wisdom the affection and fervency which beseemeth men engaged in the saving of poor souls But yet you may perceive that we are in good sadness with you For God is so What else do we study for labour for suffer for live for Why else do we so much trouble our selves and trouble you with all this ado and anger them that would have had us silent For my own part I will make my free confession to you to my shame that I never grow coâ—d and dull and pittiless to the souls of others till I first grow too cold and careless of my own unless when weakness or speculative studies cool me which I must confess they often do We never cease pittying you till we are growing too like you and so have need of pitty our selves When through the mercy of my Lord the prospect of that world of souls which I am going to hath any powerful operation on my self O then I could spend and be spent for others No words are too earnest no labour too great no cost too dear the frowns and wrath of malignant opposers of the preaching of Christ's Gospel are nothing to me But when the world of spirits doth disappear or my soul is clouded and receiveth not the vital illuminating influences of Heaven I grow cold first to my self and then cold to others Come then poor sinners and help us who are willing at any rate to be your helpers As we first crave Gods help so we next crave yours Help us for we cannot save you against your wills nor save you without your consent and help God himself will not save you without you and how should we We know that the Devil is against us and will do his worst to hinder us and so will all his ministers by what names or titles soever dignified or distinguished But all this is nothing if you will but take our parts your selves I mean if you will take Christs part and your own and will not be against your selves Men and Devils cannot either help or hinder us in saving you as you may do your selves If God and you be for us who shall be against us And if you will help us give over striving against God and Conscience give over fighting against Christ and his Spirit take part no more with the world and the flesh which in your Baptism you renounced set your hearts to the message which we bring you Allow it your man-like sober thoughts search the Scripture and see whether these things which we speak be so or not We offer you nothing but what we have resolvedly chosen our selves and that after the most serious deliberation that we can make We have many a time looked round about us to know what is the happiness of man And had we found better for our selves we had offered better to you If the world would have served our turns it should have served yours also and we would not have troubled you with the talk of another world But it will not I am sure it will not serve your turns to make you happy nor shall you long make that sorry self-deceiving shift with it as now you do But if you will not think of these things if you will not use the reason of men alas what can we do to save your souls O pitty them Lord that they may pitty themselves Have mercy on them that they may have some more mercy on themselves Help them that they
may help themselves and us If you still refuse will not your loss be more than ours If we lose our labour which to our selves we shall not if we lose our hopes of your salvation what is this to your everlasting loss of salvation it self And what is our suffering for your sakes in comparison of your endless sufferings But O this is it that breaketh our hearts that we leave you under more guilt than we found you and when we have laid out life and labour to save you the impenitent souls must have their painâ— increased for the refusing of these Calls And that it will be part of your Hell to think for ever how madly you refused our Counsel and what pains and cost and patience were used to have saved you and all in vain It will be so it must needs be so Christ saith that it shall be easier for Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of Iudgment than for the rejecters of his Gospel-calls The nature of the thing and the nature of Iustice certainly tell you that it must be so O turn not our complaints to God against you Turn us not from beseeching you to be reconciled to God to tell him you will not be reconciled Force us not to say that we earnestly invited you to the heavenly feast and you would not come Force us not to bear this witness against you Lord we could have born all our labour and sufferings for them much easilyer if they would but have yielded to thy grace But it was they themselves that broke our hearts that lost our labour that made us preach and intreat in vain It was easier to preach without maintenance than without success It was they that were worse to us than all the persecutors in the world How oft would we have gathered them but they would not but are ungathered still How many holy faithful Ministers have I known these eleven years last past who have lived in pining poverty and want and hardly by charity got bread and cloathing and yet if they could but have truly said Lord the Sermons which I preach privately and in danger have won home many souls to thee it would have made all this burden easie But I tell thee senseless impenitent sinner thou that deniedst God thy heart and thou that deniedst them thy Conversion which was the end of all their labours hast dealt much more cruelly with them than they that denied them the Levites bread Poor sinners I know that I am speaking all this to those that are dead in sin but it is a death consisting with a natural life which hath a capacity of spiritual life Or else I would no more speak to you than to a stone And I know that you are blind in sin but it is a blindness consisting with a reasonable faculty which is capable of spiritual Illumination Or else I would no more perswade you than I would do a beast And I know that you are in the fetters of your own lusts your wills your love your hearts are turned away from God and strongly bewitched with the dreams and dalliances of the flesh and world But your wills are not forced to this Captivity Surely those wills may be changed by Gods grace when you clearly see sufficient reason for to change them Else I would as soon preach were I capable to Devils and damned souls Your case is not yet desperate O make it not desperate There is just the same hope of your Salvation as there is of your true conversion and perseverance and no more Without it there is no hope and with it you are safe and have no cause to doubt and fear Heaven may yet be yours if you will Nothing but your own wills refusing Christ and a holy life can keep you out And shall that do it Shall Hell be your own choice And will you not I say will you not be saved O think better what you do Gods terms are reasonable His word and ways are good and equal Christs yoke is easie and his burden light and his Commandments are not grievous to any but so far as blindness and a bad and backward heart doth make them so You have no true reason to be unwilling God and Conscience shall one day tell you and all the World that you had no reason for it You may as wisely pretend reason to cut your throats to torment your selves as plead reason against a true conversion unto God Were I perswading you not to kill your selves I should make no question but you would be perswaded And yet must I be hopeless when I perswade you from everlasting misery and not to prefer the world and flesh before your Saviour and your God and before a sure everlasting Joy God forbid Reader I take it for a great mercy of God that before my head lieth down in the dust and I go to give up my account unto my judge I have this opportunity once more earnestly to bespeak thee for thy own salvation I beg it of thee as one that must shortly be called away and speak to thee no more till we come unto our endless state that thou wouldst but sometimes retire into thy self and use the reason of a man and look before thee whither thou art going and look behind thee how thou hast lived and what thou hast been doing in the world till now and look within thee what a case thy soul is in and whether it be ready to enter upon Eternity and look above thee what a Heaven of Glory thou dost neglect and what a God thou hast to be thine everlasting Friend or Enemy as thou choosest and as thou livest and that thou art always in his sight Yea and look below thee and think where they are that died unconverted And when thou hast soberly thought of all these things then do as God and true Reason shall direct thee And is this an unreasonable request I appeal to God and to all wise men and to thy own conscence when it shall be awake If I speak against thee or if all this be not for thy good or if it be not true and sure then regard not what I say If I speak not that message which God hath commanded his Ministers to speak then let it be refused as contemptuosly as thou wilt But if I do but in Christs name and stead beseech thee to be reconciled to God 2. Cor. 5. 19 20. refuse it at thy peril And if Gods beseeching thee shall not prevail against thy sloth thy lust thy appetite against the desires of thy flesh against the dust shadows of this world remember it when with fruitless cries and horrour thou art beseeching him too late I know poor sinner that Flesh is bruitish and lust and appetite have no reason But I know that thou hast reason thy self which was given thee to over-rule them and that he that will not be a Man cannot be a Saint nor a Happy man I know that thou livest
point save carnal interests ask them why they are Preachers or Priests And if Conversion and Holiness be a needless thing what use they themselves are of and why the Country must be troubled with them and pay them tythes and owe them reverence When these twenty Questions are well answered conclude that you may be saved without Conversion But if poor soul thou art fully convinced and askest What should I do to be converted The Lord make thee willing and save thee from hypocrisie and I will quickly tell thee in a few words 1. Give not over sober thinking of these things till thy heart be changed Psal. 119. 59. 2. Come to Christ and take him for thy Saviour thy Teacher thy King and he will pardon all that 's past and save thee Iohn 1. 12. and 3. 16. and 5. 40. 1 Iohn 5. 11 12. 3. Believe Gods love and the pardon of sin and the everlasting joyes of Heaven that thou maist feel that all the pleasures of the world and flesh are dung in comparison of the Heavenly delights of Faith and Hope and holy Love and peace of Conscience and sincere obedience 4. Sin no more wilfully but forbear that which thou maist forbear Isa. 55. 7. 5. Away from Temptations occasions of sin and evil company and be a Companion of the humble holy heavenly and sincere Psal. 119. 115. 63. 6. Wait on Gods spirit in the diligent constant use of his own means Read hear meditate pray Pray hard for that grace that must convert thee wait thus and thou shalt not wait in vain Psal. 25. 3. and 37. 34. and 69. 6. Pitty O Lord and perswade these souls Let not Christ's blood his doctrine his example his spirit be lost unto them and they lost for ever Let not Heaven be as no Heaven to them while they dream and dote on the shaddows in this world And O save this land from the greater destruction than all our late plagues and flames and divisions which our sins and thy threatnings make us fear O Lord in thee have we trusted let us never be confounded Having thus contributed my endeavour in this Preface to the furtherance of the design of this excellent book I must tell thee Reader that I take it for an honour to commend so masculine a birth unto the World The Midwife of Alexander or Aristotle need not be ashamed of her office Who the Author of this treatise was how he preached how he lived how he suffered and for what and how he died his Life and Letters lately printed fully tell you and I earnestly commend the reading of them to all but especially Ministers not to tell them what men have been here forbidden to preach Christ's Gospel and for what nor what men they are that so many years have done it but to tell you what men Christ's Ministers should be But say not He kill'd himself with excessive Labour and therefore I will take warning and take my ease For 1. He lived in perfect health all his days notwithstanding his labours till after his hard and long imprisonment 2. It was not the greatest labours of his times of liberty that hurt him but his preaching 6 or 7 or 8 times a week after that he was silenced because he could not speak to all his people at once O make not an ill use of so excellent an example Say not like Iudas What need this waste His labour his life his sufferings his death were not in vain The ages to come that read his Life and read this little popular treatise and his Call to Archippus shall say They were not in vain And though he was cut off in the midst of his age and his longer labours more elaborate writings thus prevented take thankfully this small but methodical warm and serious tractate Read it seriously and it cannot be but it must do thee good I am one that have lookt into books and sciences and speculations of many sorts and seriously tell thee as a dying man that after all my searches and experience I have found that Philosophical enquiries into the Divine Artifices and the Nature of things hath among a greater number of uncertainties a great many pretty pleasant probabilities which a holy soul can make good use of in admiring God may find us a lawful kind of sport but in the moralities which Atheists count uncertainties the knowledge of God and our duty and our hopes the doctrine and practice of Holiness Temperance Charity and Iustice and the diligent seeking joyful hopes of life everlasting is all the true Wisdom the Goodness the Rest and Comfort of a soul whatever be our play this is the satisfying certainty the Business and the beatifying improvement of our lives I have done when I have sought to remove a little scandal which I foresaw that I should my self write the Preface to his Life where himself and two of his friends make such a mention of my name which I cannot own which will seem a praising him for praising me I confess it looketh ill-favouredly in me But I had not the power of other mens writings durst not therefore forbear that which was his due Had I directed their pens they should have gone a middle way and only esteemed me a very unworthy servant of Christ who yet long to see the peace and prosperity of his Church and should have forborn their undeserved praise as other men should have done their slanderous libels But if the Reader get no harm by it I assure him the use I made of it was to lament that I am really so much worse than they esteemed me and to fear lest I should prove yet worse than I discern my self who see so much sin and weakness in my betters and much more in my self as to make it the constant sentiment of my soul that PRIDE of mens GREATNESS WISDOM and GOODNESS is the first part of the DEVILS IMAGE on mans soul and DARKNES is the second and MALIGNITY the third Râ— Baxter TO THE UNCONVERTED Reader READER HOw well were it if there were no more unconverted ones among us than those to whom this is directed Vnconverted persons how many are there but how few unconverted Readers especially of such Books as this before thee A Play or a Romance better suits the lusts and therefore must have more of the eye of such what will cherish the evil heart is only grateful not what will change it How many are there to whom this is directed who will not know that they are the men and how little hope is there that this excellent Treatise should reach its end with those who apprehend not themselves concern'd in it Art not thou one of them Art thou a Convert or art thou not yet in thy sins What is sin What is Conversion It may be thou canst tell me neither and yet a Convert thou sayst thou art But to what purpose is it then like to be for the servant of God to
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
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