theirs, to mediate an enterview, to propose the fixing fome time of parley, and befpeak their pa tience to hear it out: And let them but grant this, let them but dare to do fo much in order to their own fafety, and I can scarce think it poffible they fhould after retain that daring, which only tends to their ruine. In a word, let men seriously and attentively listen to that voice within them, and they will certainly need no other medium, to convince them either of the error or danger of thus procraftinating their Repentance, which them felves acknowledge must not upon their utmost peril be finally omitted, and yet nothing but an immediate difpatch can fecure it shall not,

'TWILL be needlefs to defcend to a particular view of more of these deceits, they will eafily be detected by this one general Rule, that whatsoever falls fhort of a prefent, univerfal, permanent Change, falls as much short of Repentance.. All the pretences that are made upon any other score are but the Garments of the elder brother put upon the back of the younger, which though they might delude a blind Ifaac, will never be able to deceive an all-feeing God. All that remains is to offer to the Readers confideration, how nearly he is concern'd to guard himself against all delufions in this fo important an affair. It was an ancient Stratagem of War to poifon the waters in an Enemies Camp, that fo they may drink their own deaths: but Satan has here far out-vied that Policy. Were but our Nourishment infected, we had still a recourfe left us to Medicine, but

here

here he has envonom'd our very Phyfick, and what cure remains for those whofe very remedies are their disease: when that Bath which was defign'd to cleanse us, is its felf polluted, we may well cry out as Dyonifius of the corrupted River of Alexandria, ποῖον προλο ἂν πάντα καθαίροιλος ύδατος ὕδωρ äno navázor, what Flood fhall cleanse these Waters? Where can we be fecure, when our Repentance (which the Apostle, 2 Tim. 2. 26. fuppofes the Means of difentangling us) is its felf become our Snare. This as it loudly proclaims our dan ger, fo furely in all reafon it fhould awake our care, teach us not to fuffer our felves to be abus'd with delufive appearances and fhadows of Repen-" tance, left we finally find that Ixion-like we have embrac❜d a Cloud. What an amazing defeat will it be to him, who prefumes his Tears have blotted out the hand-writing against him; to find the full Bill brought in at the great Affize, and those he call'd his penitential forrows here, to prove but the Prologue to that Tragedy which ends in weeping and gnashing of teeth. And there fore let every one timely provide against that fa tal furprize, use this excellent receipt, not as a Cofmetick only to beautifie the face, give him fome fair appearance to himself, but as Medicine to restore health; reduce him to fuch an Athle tick vigorous Habit, as may evidence its felf in all vital Actions, which will prove the best evidences in our last trial, where the inquifition will not be fo much upon our Mouths or Eyes, as upon our Hands: not how many confeffions we have

made,

made, or how many tears fhed, but what acts of Vertue we have substituted in the room of our Vices: whether we have broke off our Sins by righteousneß, and our Iniquities by fhewing mercy to the Poor, and without this 'tis infallibly certain, our Christianity will be as ineffectual to our Bliß, as it is to our Piety: if we will not permit it here to bring us to the obedience of Servants, it fhall never inftate us hereafter in the inheritance of Sons.

CHAP. VIII

A furvey of the Mischiefs arifing from Miftakes concerning Almighty God, and the methods of his Providence.

T

O thefe Miftakes of our felves and interefts, we have added others alfo concerning God, which are no less destructive to Christian Practice, for as the right knowledge of God is by our Saviour, Fo. 17. 3. put as the Epitome and fumme of all that leads to bliss, fo our mifprifions and misapprehenfions of him, are no lefs remarkable for the contrary effects; nor can we fuppofe it otherwise, when we remember that this is the grand work and basis of all Religion, and therefore if this foundation be deceitfully laid, the fuperftructure must neceffarily fink and perish: and in this fenfe 'tis poffible for us at once to build on the Rock and the Sand too, we may fix

our

our faith intentionally on God, and yet by abfurd notions and unwarranted conceits of him, defeat in the particulars what we establisht in the grofs: reprefent him fo utterly diftant from what he is, that under that disguise he will not much appear, either an Encourager or Rewarder of our Piety, and then we may guefs how 'tis like to flourish, fince the Apostle gives it as a Fundamental Axiome, Heb. 12. 6. That he who comes to God muft believe that he is a rewarder of them which diligently feek him.

OF thefe Miftakes concerning God, there are divers; many more than the defign'd brevity of this difcourfe will admit me to examine. I fhall only mention three, thofe are, Firft, concerning his Decrees, Secondly, his Attributes, Thirdly, his Providence.

.

BY his Decrees, I mean not thofe ftanding rules which he has in his Word fet forth as the measures by which he will distribute rewards and punishments; but those fecret purposes of his Will, which he neither commands us to fearch after, nor will permit us to know. That there are many Mistakes concerning these, the numberless Difputes that have been rais'd about them will fufficiently atteft, it being impoffible for two Contradictory Opinions to be both true, though in things of this abftrufe nature 'tis very poffible both may be falfe. 'Tis not my purpose to wade into those bottomlefs controverfies, which like a Gulph have fwallowed up fo much time and industry of learned men: I fhall only in general

commend

commend it to the Readers confideration, whether it be probable or indeed poffible for those Opinions to be true which infer falfhood in God: And then let the second enquiry be, whether that be not too evidently the refult of those difcourfes, which fet an Oppofition between his revealed and his fecret Will, his Commands and his Decrees, making the one a blind for the better execution of the other, as if all the Transportation and Zeal he expreffes for us, all the paffionate enamoring invitations he makes to us, were only to sport himself with our credulity: like the divertifement of thofe Men, who court them for Wives, whom they would abhor to marry: nay, as if all the proteftations and most folemn oaths of God, were defign'd but to advance the delufion, and raife expectations meerly to defeat them. This is fuch a fevere fort of Irony, as we would all think not only unkind but unjust in a man; and 'tis not poffible that God, who appeals to us concerning the equality of his ways, fhould fall fhort of the ftricteft measures among us, or exemplifie to us an unfincerity he forbids us to follow.

HOW very inaufpicious influence fuch doEtrines are apt to have on practice is too vifible, for fince 'tis as well the inftinct as duty of our nature to afpire to an affimulation with God, even that most laudable and generous ambition fhall by this means become our fnare; for when God fhall be thus mifreprefented to us, 'drawn out by the black Lines, not only of feverity, but deceit, rendred a Falfifier of his Word, nay Oath; 'twill