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Luke 12. 58, the faithful servants of your King? Be ruled

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then, and accept of my brother's invitation, and overstand not the time of mercy, but agree with thine adversary quickly. Ah, Mansoul, suffer not thyself to be kept from mercy, and to be run into a thousand miseries, by the flattering wiles of Diabolus. Perhaps that piece of deceit may attempt to make you believe that we seek our own profit in this our service; but know it is obedience to our King, and love to your happiness, that is the cause of this undertaking of ours.

"Again I say to thee, O Mansoul, consider if it be not amazing grace that Shaddai should so 2 Cor. 5. 18- humble himself as he doth: now he, by us, reasons with you, in a way of entreaty and sweet persuasions, that you would subject yourselves to him. Has he that need of you that we are sure you have of him? No, no; but he is merciful, and will not that Mansoul should die, but turn to him and live.”

The speech of Captain Judgment to Mansoul.

Then stood forth Captain Judgment, whose were the red colours, and for an escutcheon he had the burning fiery furnace, and he said, "O ye, the inhabitants of the town of Mansoul, that have lived so long in rebellion and acts of treason against the King Shaddai, know that we have come not to-day to this place, in this manner, with our message of our own minds, or to revenge our own quarrel; it is the King, my Master, that hath sent us to reduce you to your obedience to him ; the which if you refuse in a peaceable way to yield, we have commission to compel you thereto. And never think of yourselves, nor yet suffer the tyrant Diabolus to persuade you to think, that our King,

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by his power, is not able to bring you down, and to lay you under his feet; for he is the former of all things, and if he touches the mountains they smoke. Nor will the gate of the King's clemency stand always open; for the day that shall burn Mal. 4. 1. like an oven is before him; yea, it hasteth greatly, it slumbereth not.

2 Pet. 2. 3.

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"O Mansoul, is it little in thine eyes that our King doth offer thee mercy, and that after so many provocations? Yea, he still holdeth out his golden sceptre to thee, and will not yet suffer his gate to be shut against thee: wilt thou provoke him to do it? If so, consider of what I say: to thee it is opened no more for ever. If thou sayest thou shalt not see him, yet judgment is before him; therefore trust thou in him. Yea, because there is Job 36. 18, wrath, beware lest he take thee away with his stroke; then a great ransom cannot deliver thee. Will he esteem thy riches? no, not gold, nor all the forces of strength. He hath prepared his throne for judgment; Ps. 9. 7. for he will come with fire, and with his chariots like a whirlwind, to render his anger with fury, and his rebuke with flames of fire. Therefore, O Mansoul, take heed lest, after thou hast fulfilled the judgment of the wicked, justice and judgment should take hold of thee."

Isa. 66. 15.

Now, while the Captain Judgment was making this oration to the town of Mansoul, it was observed by some that Diabolus trembled; but he proceeded in his parable and said, "O thou woful town of Mansoul, wilt thou not yet set open thy gate to receive us, the deputies of thy King, and those that would rejoice to see thee live? Can Ezek. 22. 14.

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Luke 12. 58, the faithful servants of your King?

59.

Be

then, and accept of my brother's invitation
overstand not the time of mercy, but agre
thine adversary quickly. Ah, Mansoul, sut
thyself to be kept from mercy, and to be r
a thousand miseries, by the flattering y
Diabolus. Perhaps that piece of dec
attempt to make you believe that we
own profit in this our service; but k
obedience to our King, and love to y
ness, that is the cause of this undertakir

"Again I say to thee, O Mansoul, it be not amazing grace that Shadda 2 Cor. 5. 18- humble himself as he doth: now he, by with you, in a way of entreaty' and s sions, that you would subject yours Has he that need of you that we are su him? No, no; but he is merciful, an Mansoul should die, but turn to him

The speech of Captain Judgment to Mansoul.

Then stood forth Captain Ju were the red colours, and for an esc the burning fiery furnace, and he s inhabitants of the town of Man lived so long in rebellion and against the King Shaddai, know come not to-day to this place, in t` our message of our own minds, o own quarrel; it is the King, my N sent us to reduce you to your o the which if you refuse in a peace: we have commission to compel yo never think of yourselves, nor yet Diabolus to persuade you to think

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The speech of Captain Execution.

Matt. 3. 7

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thine heart endure, or can thy hands be strong, in the day that he shall deal in judgment with thee? I say, canst thou endure to be forced to drink, as one would drink sweet wine, the sea of wrath that our King has prepared for Diabolus and his angels? Consider betimes, consider.”

Then stood forth the fourth captain, the noble Captain Execution, and said, "O town of ManSoul, once famous, but now like the fruitless bough, once the delight of the high ones, but now a den for Diabolus, hearken also to me, and to the words that I shall speak to thee in the name of the great Shaddai. Behold, the axe is laid to the root of the tree; every tree, therefore, that bringeth not forth good fruit, is hewn down, and cast into the fire.

"Thou, O town of Mansoul, hast hitherto been this fruitless tree; thou barest nought but thorns and briers. Thy evil fruit bespeaks thee not to be Deut. 32. 32. a good tree; thy grapes are grapes of gall, their clusters are bitter. Thou hast rebelled against thy King; and, lo! we, the power and force of Shaddai, are the axe that is laid to thy roots. What sayest thou? Wilt thou turn? I say again, tell me, before the first blow is given, wilt thou turn ? Our axe must first be laid to thy root before it be laid at thy root: it must first be laid to thy root in a way of threatening, before it is laid at thy root by way of execution; and between these two is required thy repentance, and this is all the time that thou hast. What wilt thou do? Wilt thou turn, or shall I smite? If I fetch my blow, Mansoul, down you go; for I have commission to lay my axe at as well as to thy roots, nor will anything

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