that sin and the world will do for men? What do they find that lose the Lord? What do they get that miss of heaven? What do they choose, that refuse the needful, better part?

And here I am even amazed at that which I must give you an account of. O wonderful, astonishing thing, that ever such base, unworthy trifles should, by reasonable men, be put into any comparison with God! Wonderful, that so much madness and wickedness can enter into the mind and heart of man, as to let go all this glory for a toy! And yet more wonderful, that this should be the case of the greatest part of men on earth! And yet more wonderful, that so many make so mad a choice, even when the case is opened to them, and plainly opened, and frequently opened; and when they are carefully entreated to be wiser, and importuned to make a better choice!

In a word, all that is set against the Lord, and all that is preferred before this everlasting life, and all the portion of ungodly men, is no more than this: The pleasure of sin for a season: the satisfying of the flesh. A little ease, and pelf, and fair words from men as miserable as themselves; and all this but for a little, a very little time, when temperance is as sweet at least; a little that is excessive or forbidden, in wealth, or meat, or drink, or clothes, or lust, or other fleshly pleasures, is the joy, and the heaven, and the god of the ungodly. The fleshly pleasures which are common to the beasts, and a little vainglory among men, and this for a short uncertain time (and then to pass to everlasting punishment), this is the chosen portion of the wicked. This is all for which they refuse the Lord, and for which they refuse a holy life. This is all for which they part with Christ, and part with their everlasting peace! This is all that they have for heaven and their salvation! and all for which they sell their souls! To the everlasting shame of sin and sinners, it shall be known that this was all! To the abasing of our own souls, that sometime were guilty of this madness, I shall tell you again that this is all! To the humbling of the best, to the confounding of the wicked, and the amazement of us all, I must say that this is all! This dirt, this dream, this cheat is all that the wicked have for God and glory! This nothing is all that they obstinately prefer and choose before him that is all in all! O wonderful madness, stupidity, and deceit! so common! so wilful! and so

incurable! till tender mercy and grace shall cure it, in them that shall be saved.

Well, the balance is now set before you. You see what is in the one end and in the other. You see the part that believers choose, and the part that is chosen by the rest of the world. And are you not yet resolved which is best, and which to choose?

Two sorts I look to meet with here, to whom I shall apply myself distinctly before I come to the comparative work. First some will tell me, that all these are needless words ; and that there is no man so senseless as to think that temporal things are better than eternal, or the world than God, or sin than holiness.

Answ. O that this were true! how happy then were all the world! I grant that many are superficially convinced, that are not converted; and that many have a slight opinion that heaven and holiness is best, that yet have no love to it, and will not seek it above all. But their practical judgment doth not go along with their opinions. They relish the world as sweetest unto them. In the prevailing, deepest thoughts of their hearts, they set most by the pleasures of this world. Why else is their hearts most towards them? Why else do they choose them, and refuse to live a holy life? Why have they no delight in God? and why have we so much ado with them, to bring them to a heavenly mind and life, and all in vain? What! will not men be persuaded to choose that which they know is best for them?

Object. Temptations are strong, and men are weak, and so men go against their knowledge.'

Answ. 1. What do temptations prevail with you to do? Is it not to think well of sinful pleasures, and to think more hardly of the ways of God? Is it not to like a worldly, fleshly life better than a holy life? If not, how can you follow those temptations? And if it be so, then they draw you for that time to think that fleshly pleasures are the better part.

2. But if indeed it be as you say, you are the most inexcusable miscreants in the world. What! do you know that God is best for you, and yet will you fly from him? Do you know that heaven is the only happiness, and yet will you seek this world before it. Do you know what is best for you, and will not have it? and what is worst, and yet will keep it? Will

you go to hell, and know whither you are going. And will you run from heaven and damn yourselves, and know that you do so? yea, and that while we day by day entreat you to the contrary? If this be the case of any one of you, the God of justice shall teach you to know what you are doing, by his everlasting vengeance. Heaven and earth shall be witness against you, your own consciences, and such confessions of your own shall bear witness against you; that you justly perish, and are damned, because you would be damned, and are shut out of heaven because you would not be persuaded to come thither.

Object.' But we hope we may have both pleasure here, and heaven hereafter; and that we may be saved by the mercy of God and the blood of Christ, without the sanctification of the Spirit, and though we do not live a holy life.'

Answ. And who gave you these hopes? Is it God, on whom you pretend to trust? or the devil that doth deceive you? Certainly not God; for he hath told you over and over, that he will save none but the sanctified (Acts xxvi. 18.), and "that except a man be born again, even of the Spirit as well as of water, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God" (John iii. 3. 5.), and that " without holiness none shall see the Lord;" Heb. xii. 14. And is it God that persuadeth you that his word is false? Doubtless it is the devil. When God had told Adam and Eve, "that in the day that they did eat the forbidden fruit, they should die the death," was it not the serpent that gave them hopes of living, and told them that they should not die? If you be at that pass that you will take on you to trust in God, and yet will not believe him, but your trust is but trusting that God is a liar, you are as foolish in your presumption, as heathens are in their infidelity. For who is worse, he that believeth that there is no God (as Atheists do), or he that believeth that God is a liar, which is to be no God, and worse?

If therefore you do believe indeed that heaven is best, you must needs believe that holiness is necessary; yea, and best too, when heaven consisteth so much in perfected holiness. And therefore you must choose and seek with the greatest diligence, that happiness which you confess is best, or never hope that it will be yours. O did you at the heart believe it to be best, and that for you, you would love it, and

seek it, and be a holy people without delay. You cannot so turn away from that which you heartily judge to be best for you indeed.

But the most that I have to deal with, are they that cannot be persuaded at the heart, but that feasting, and drinking, and lust, and wealth, and worldly honour are better for them than a holy life, with such promises of heaven as God hath left us. For all or most ungodly men have this persuasion next their hearts, whether they observe it, and know of it or not.

Now with such deluded, unbelieving souls, I am next to plead this weighty cause. If thou that readest this be one of them, that takest a worldly felicity, with God's threatenings, to be better, and rather to be chosen than holiness, with his promise of future happiness, I will now debate the case with thee, and undertake by the light of Christ, to open the horrible folly of thy mistake. And if I do not give thee such sound and weighty undeniable evidence, that no man of reason should resist, to prove the choice of holy persons to be the wisest, and their part the best, I will give thee leave to call me a liar, and a deceiver for ever.

CHAPTER II.

What in Reason he must do that would be certainly resolved which is the best part and way. And who shall be Judge.

But before we come to the debate, I have two questions to put to thee, that in reason must be first resolved.

The first is, Whether thou art willing to know the truth, and resolved to choose the best part when thou knowest it? It is in vain for me or any man to reason with thee, if thou wouldst not know; and to shew thee the truth, if thou hate it, and wilt not acknowledge it when thou seest it; and to bring thee in the clearest light, if thou be beforehand resolved to shut thy eyes. And if thou wilt not choose that which thy conscience shall be convinced thou shouldst choose, as being absolutely best, to what purpose then should it be revealed to thee? Wouldst thou be a happy man or not? Wouldst thou have joy or sorrow? good or evil? Stop here,

and before thou goest any further, make me this promise before the Lord, That thou wilt not wilfully resist the light, and that thou wilt choose, and presently, and resolvedly choose, that part that thy conscience shall tell thee upon certain evidence is the best. Promise but this, which no man of reason should refuse, and then we may make something of our debate.

My second question is, Who it is that shall be judge between us in this debate? or whose witness it is that you will take for current?

I am willing to stand to the judgment of any that understand the case, and are impartial. I hope you will consent, that we shall take the most competent witnesses and judge. And if so, 1. You know that the devil is no competent judge. It is he that persuadeth you that present delights are the better part, and rather to be chosen than a holy life. But he is God's enemy, and therefore no wonder if he speak against him. He is your deadly enemy; and therefore no wonder if he would deceive you. He is cast out of heaven himself, and would not have you possess the room that he hath lost. He is a wicked, lying spirit, and therefore is not to be believed. He is a murderer from the beginning, and therefore will not speak for your salvation; Job viii. 44. If the devil be to be believed, then none are wiser than the ungodly, sensual, worldly men; and none are in a worse condition than those that are despised by the world for holiness, and that suffer all things for a life unseen. But the enmity that is planted in your very natures against the devil, I hope will help you to confess, that he must not be the judge.

2. And truly ignorant, ungodly men are unmeet judges. And it is they that bawl against religion, and speak against they know not what. 1. They are blind by nature, and more blind by customary sin. And must a blind man be your judge or witness in a case of everlasting moment? 2. They are inexperienced in the ways of God. How can they judge of a state that they were never in, and of a way that they never went? They never tried the work of the new birth, nor never tried the holy exercise of faith, or love, or any grace, and therefore you may as well take the judgment of a simple man concerning another country, that was never there, or concerning navigation, that never was at sea, or concerning learning that never read a book, or concerning music that