which they were addicted unto, they suppose they are become true converts. But this is a great mistake. In true converfion, there is more than a turning from fin, there is alfo a turning to the Lord. The converted finner, not only for fakes his finful ways and thoughts, but he likewife returns to the Lord, to God in Chrift, as his fovereign Lord, and laft end. He makes God's law the rule of his life, and God's glory the end of his life. O then truft not to meer negatives; that you are not fuch vicious perfons, as you once were, or as other men are. This is no more than what the unconverted Pharifee boafted in, who yet was not justified. Luk. xviii. II. God, I thank thee I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this Publican.

USE. 2. Let finners then be exhorted, to return unto God. This is the exhortation given by the prophet in our text; and by the apostle, A&t. iii. 19. Repent ye therefore, and be converted. Sinners fhould be concerned to repent of their fins, and turn unto the Lord. They fhould do all they can in the way of means, with prayer inceffant, to promote their own converfion to God. For Motive here confider fundry things.

Mot. 1. Confider the exceeding finfulness of refufing to return to God. Sinners that are negligent and careless about leaving fin and returning to God, do not feem to apprehend any great evil therein. They feem to live well enough fatisfied in their way of forfaking God and keeping away from him, as if they did nothing amifs in fo doing. But their fin, however, is aftonishingly great. So God himfelf, who is the beft judge in this cafe, represents it to us. Fer. ii. 12, 13. Be astonish ed, O ye heavens, at this, and be ye horribly afraid, be ye very defolate, faith the Lord. For my people have committed two evils: they have forfaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cifterns, broken cifterns that can bold no water. The very heavens, if they were capable, would wonder, and ftand aftonifhed, at fuch heinous impiety. And that we may be more clearly convinced

of

of the amazing finfulness of refusing to return to God, let us attend to these evidences of it.

1. To refufe to return to God, is a most vile preferring other things before God. There is no one that is unconcerned about returning to God, but what gives the preference to fomething elfe. There is fomething, which he is not willing to forfake and turn from, and which he counts more worthy of his efteem than God. This will very plainly appear to us, if we confider the feveral (formerly mentioned) notions of God, under which finners refuse to return to him. As how, they refuse to turn to God as their fupream Lord. They refufe to have him for their Lord, to ferve and obey him. They practically fay unto God, Depart from us; for we defire not the knowledge of thy ways: What is the Almighty, that we fbould ferve him? Job xxi. 14, 15. Now, while they do thus refufe to ferve God, they do willingly ferve the Devil and fin. They chufe rather to be the fervants of fin and Satan, than to be the fervants of God. And what is this, but preferring the Devil and a luft before God? He who fays, that he will fulfil the will of the Devil and of his own lufts, does fay, that the will of these is preferable to the will of God. He fays, that the Devil and fin, are more worthy to be obeyed, and have more right to his fervice, than God. And what horrid blafphemy is this! Again, finners refufe to return to God as their chief good. They have forfaken God, the fountain of life; and have turned to the creatures, feeking their happiness in them. They feek not a portion in God, but in the things of this world. They refufe to withdraw their immoderate affections from the creature, and to fet them principally upon God. Now, what is this but a preferring broken cifterns, to the fountain of living waters? They do herein fay, that the creature is better than the Creator; that there is more of happiness in the enjoyment of the world, than in the enjoyment of God. And is not this a moft horrid undervaluing of God ! Again, finners refuse to return to God as their laft end. They do not live to God, but

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to themselves. Self-eafe, felf-praife, felf-intereft, is the utmost of their aim. These are the things which they propound to themfelves as their ultimate end, and not the glory of God: Now what is this but exalting self above God? Such do fay, that they themselves are more excellent than God, and more worthy to be made their own laft end, than God. And is not this most curfed pride, and a most horrid debafing of God !---From these things then it appears, that their fin is exceeding great, who refufe to return to God. O that finners would think hereof, and no longer continue to commit fach great wickedness in the fight of God.

2. To refufe to return to God, is a moft vile contempt of his rich grace. It is a fruit of most wonderful grace in God, that there is any poffibility of our returning to God. He might most righteously have left us for ever, in our state of distance from himfelf. He might have barr'd up all ways of accefs to or communion with himfelf. He might have destroyed us without any remedy, because of our finful apoftacy from him. But thus he has not dealt with us, as he has with apoftate angels. He has opened to us a door of hope, as to re-admiffion into his favour, in the way of repentance and faith in Jefus Chrift. And he is following us with his gracious calls, to return to him in this way, that it may be well with us for ever. And how much his heart is in these calls, we have him in the most folemn manner declaring unto us, Ezek. xxxiii. 11. Say unto them, As I live, faith the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live : Turn ye, turn ye, from your evil ways; for why will ye die, a boufe of Ifrael? Thus is God moft graciously and affectionately calling upon us, to turn to him and live. If therefore we refufe to return unto the Lord, we are guilty of defpifing the riches of his grace and goodness. And, how heinous a fin this is, we may plainly fee from that heavy punishment, which fhall be inflicted for it. Rom. ii. 4, 5. Or defpifeft thou the riches of his goodness, forbearance, and long fuffering; not know

ing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance ? but after thy bardness and impenitent heart treasureft up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath, and revela tion of the righteous judgment of God! They that are not led to repent, and turn to God, by the riches of his goodness, but go on in their hardness and impenitence of heart; are heaping up treasures of wrath to themselves. They fhall have greater measures of wrath poured out upon them, as being guilty of greater in than others. O wherefore do the wicked contemn God! Pfal. x. 13.

3. To refufe to turn to God, is wilful felf deftruction. Sinners are in fcripture faid to be felf deftroyers. Hof. xiii. 9. O Ifrael, thou hast deftroyed thyfelf. And this is molt true of them who refufe to turn to God, when he calls them fo to do, with a promife of mercy in cafe they do it. Such as thefe, do defiroy themselves, and that moft wilfully. For they do know, that if they do not turn from their fins, their folly will prove their ruin, Ezek. xviii. 30. Repent, and turn yourselves from all your tranfgreffions; fo iniquity fhall not be your ruin. They ; know, that if they abide at a distance from God, they fhall incur deftruction. Pfal. Ixxiii. 27. For lo, they that are 5 far from thee, fhall perish: thou haft destroyed all them that go a whoring from thee. Thefe things they know to be fo, from the mouth of that God, who cannot lie. Now, if finners, after this, will not forfake their fins, and return unto the Lord, they are juftly chargeable with wilful felf deftruction. Thus God charges his impenitent people of old, Ezek. xxxiii. 11. Turn ye, turn ye; for why will ye die, O boufe of Ifrael? They that will not turn to God, will die; they do will their own death. They that will not forfake the ways of fin, which certainly end in death; and they that will not return to God, with whom is the fountain of life; do certainly will their own death. They do it, though not nextly and immediately, yet remotely and confequentially. For he that will not come to God for life, nor leave fin which tends to death, does refufe life, and does chuf

D d

deab,

death, in the causes thereof. Prov. viii. 36. He that fin neth against me, wrongeth bis own foul: All they that bate me, love death. Now, how great a fin is it, for a man to destroy himself? For a man to deftroy his body by felf murder, is a moft heinous fin much more is it a great fin, to destroy one's foul. No fuch heinous murder, as foul murder. O then let us take heed, that we be not guilty of fuch crying iniquity. Why shouldst thou deftroy thyfelf? Why should any be refolved upon their own eternal damnation? Why fhould fuch madness be in our hearts while we live, and after that go down to the dead?

Mot. z. Confider the happiness, that will follow upon returning to God-God is the fountain of living waters. Jer. ii. 13. And therefore to return to him, is the way to have all our wants fupplied, and all our defires fatisfied. All our happiness is laid up in God; and therefore, if we return to him, we fhall be happy. Particularly,

1. We shall be happy in this life.-While we keep at a diftance from God, our prefent life is an unhappy life. He is in a miferable condition, that is without God in the world. Eph. ii. 12. Thus the Prodigal fon was in a peribing estate, while he was gone far from bis Fa ther. (Luk. xv. 17, 22.) But as foon as he returned to his Father, all was well with him. And every one that truly returns to God, fhall find his condition to be much better than it was before. Hof. ii. 7. She shall fay, I will go and return to my first bufband, even God; for then was it better with me than now. Before, they forfook their own mencies; but now they confult their own good, in returning unto the Father of mercies and fusb a one they fhall find him to be unto them. For in our text he promises to have mercy on them. He will extend every fort of mercy to them; fparing mercy, pardoning mercy, bealing mercy; yea, all the paths of the Lord fhall be mercy and truth to them. Pfal. xxv. 10. And what can a perfon defire more than to be the fubject of

mercy,