wilt thou not yield to thus much at leaft, to put it to the queftion, Am I not mistaken? Thou art worse than mad, if thou thinkeft fuch a question may not be put. Doft thou not know that the heart is falfe and deceitful? Yet because it fpeaks good concerning thee, muft it not be queftioned whether it fpeaks true or no? Be fo wife as to conclude, I may be mistaken; and thus come to the trial whether thou art miftaken or not.

"And if upon trial by the marks that are before thee, thou come to be undeceived, and fee thyfelf wrapped up in that mifery which hitherto thou wouldst not fufpect, the next news I expect to hear from thee is, What fhall I do to be faved?

were it come to that once! then thou haft an answer at hand in those means thou wilt find prefcribed thee and because they are fuch as thou wilt hardly be perfuaded to use, take in the motives that follow, and they will help down the means; confider both the one and the other, and if thou doft not find the means proper, and the motives weighty, I think I fhall 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 the highest importance, 'tis a matter of life or death. If thou fayeft The terms upon which life is offered are hard, confider, is it not harder to die? He is worthy to die who will lofe his foul to fave his labour. If thou couldst step down into the deep, and take a turn or two with those damn'd souls who are drench'd with fire and brimstone, and bound in everlasting chains of vengeance, and should ask them, Now what do you think of the terms upon which life was offered? Now what think you that Repentance, of that Obedience, of that Circumfpection, Self-denial, and the greatest Severity which by the Gofpel were impofed upon you? If you might once again have the fame terms granted

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you for your Redemption from this place of torment, would you yet fay, Hard terms! let me rather die this death for ever, than live such a life! let me broil in this furnace, rather than escape with fuch difficulty? Shouldst thou ask them thus that have felt what 'tis to be damned, what answer dost thou think they would make! O Friend! never again groan under the difficulties of converfion, till thou believe them to be worse than hell. But I will no farther anticipate my worthy Author.

"Nor is there much need I fhould commend either himself or his works, for the Author himfelf thou mayeft at a fmall charge get acquainted with, in that hiftory of his life and death which is extant, concerning which I fhall only fay,

Sic mihi contingat vivere, ficque mori.

"And for this work of his, what commendation I fhall give of it will be needed no longer than till thou haft read it over: thou wilt find fuch wine in it as needs no bufh. This only fhall I fay, as far as my credit will go, it is exceedingly well worth thy moft ferious perufal: O mayeft thou hear that voice (fuch 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 confider, and confent unto him, who by the pen of his fervant calls to thee from heaven, Why wilt thou die, Turn and live. O fuffer this word of inftruction and exhortation to open thy blind eyes, to turn thee from darkness to light, from the power of Satan unto God, that thou mayeft receive forgiveness of fins, and an inheritance among them that are fanétified, Et cum talis fueris, memento mei. When it is thus with thee, then pray for

The Friend and Servant of thy Soul,
RICHARD ALLEINE."

AN EARNEST

INVITATION to SINNERS

To Turn to GOD,

In order to their ETERNAL SALVATION.

D

EARLY beloved and longed for, I gladly acknowledge myself a debtor to you all, and am concern'd, as I would be found a good Steward to the Household of God, to give to every one his portion; but the Phyfician is most folicitous for thofe patients, whofe cafe is most hazardous ; and the Father's bowels are especially turned towards his dying child: the numbers of unconvert`ed fouls call for my moft earnest compaflion: and therefore, to thefe, firft, I fhall apply myself.

But, Lord, wherewith fhall I woo them? Wherewith fhall I win them P. O that I could but tell? I would write unto them in tears; I would weep out every argument, verily (were I able) I would: O how thankful would I be, if they would be prevailed with to repent and turn!

" But,

"But, Lord, how infufficient am I for this work ! Lord, what a task haft thou sent me to do! Alas, wherewith fhall I make the heart to feel that is hard as a piece of the nether mill-ftone! Shall I go and lay my mouth to the grave, and look when the dead will obey me and come forth? Shall I give the blind to fee? From the beginning of the world was it ever heard that a man opened the eyes of the blind? But thou, O Lord, canft pierce the scales and prick the heart of the finner: I can but draw the bow at a venture, but do thou direcț the arrow between the joints of the harness, kill the fin, and fave the foul of a finner that cafts his eyes on these labours."

But fome of you do not know what is meant by Converfion, and therefore for your fakes I fhall fhew. what Converfion is. Others cherifh fecret hopes of mercy, tho' they continue as they are; and for them I must fhew the neceffity of Converfion. Others harden themselves with a vain conceit that they are converted already: unto them I must fhew the marks of the Unconverted. Others, because they feel no harm, fear none, and fo fleep upon the top of the maft to them I fhall fhew the Mifery of the Unconverted. Others fit ftill, because they fee not their way out; to them I fhall fhew the Means of Converfion. And finally, for the quickening of all, I fhall clofe with the Motives to Converfion.

CHA P. I.

Shewing what CONVERSION is not.

LET the blind Samaritans worship they know

not what, John iv. 22. Let the heathen Athenians fuperfcribe their Altar Unto the Unknown

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God,

God, A&s xvii. 23. They that know man's conftitution, cannot but know that the Understanding having the empire in the foul, he that will go rationally to work, muft labour to let in the light here. Therefore, that you may not miftake me, 1 fhall fhew you what I mean by the Conversion I perfuade you to endeavour after.

The devil hath made many counterfeits of Converfion, and cheats one with this, and another with that; and fuch craft and artifice he hath, that (if it were poffible) he would deceive the very Elect. Now, that I may cure the damnable miftakes of fome who think they are converted when they are not, I fhall fhew you the nature of Converfion, both what it is not, and what it is.

1. It is not the taking upon us the Profeffion of Chriflianity. Doubtless Christianity is more than a-name. If we will hear Paul, it lies not in word but in power, 1 Cor. iv. 20. If to cease to be Jews and Pagans, and to put on the Chriftian Profeffion, had been true Converfion, who better Chriftians than they of Sardis and Laodicea? Thele were all Chriftians by profeffion, and had a name to live, but because they had but a name, are condemned by Chrift. Are there not many that mention the name of the Lord Jefus, that yet depart not from iniquity? And will God receive thefe for true converts ? What! Converts from

fin, when they yet live in fin! We find not only Profeffors, but Preachers of Chrift, and Wonder. workers, turned off because Evil-workers, Matt. vii. 22, 23.

2. it is not the being washed in the Laver of Regeneration, or putting on the badge of Chrift in baptifm, Many wear the livery of Chrift, that yet never ftand to their colours, nor follow their Leader. Ananias, and Sapphira, were baptized as well as the rest. How fondly do many mistake here, deceiving and being deceived! dreaming that grace is neceffarily tied to the external admi niftration