The Life and Death of Joseph Alleine, Letters · Letter 4
LETTERS IV. (A Call to the Unconverted.)
To the Beloved People the Inhabitants of the Town of Taunton, Grace, Mercy, and Peace from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Most endeared and beloved Friends:
I Do most readily acknowledge my self a Debtor to you all, and a Servant of all, and therefore I have sent these few Lines to salute you all. My Lines did fall in a fair place when the Lord did cast my Lot among you; for which I desire to be thankful. God hath been pleased to work a mutual affection between me and you. I remember the Tears and Prayers that you have sent me hither with, and how I saw your hearts in your eyes; How can I forget how you poured out your Souls upon me. And truly you are a People much upon my heart, whose welfare is the matter of my continual prayers, care, and study. And oh! that I knew how to do you good: Ah? how certainly should never a son of you miscarry if I knew how to save you. Ah! how it pities me to think how that so many of you should remain in your sins after so many and so long endeavours to convert and bring them in. Once more, Oh! my Beloved, once more hear the call of the most high God unto yon. The Prison Preaches to you, the same Doctrine that the Pulpit did. Hear, O People, hear; he that hath an ear let him hear. The Lord of Life and of Glory offers you all Mercy, and Peace, and Blessedness: Oh, why should you die! whosoever will, let him take of the Waters of Life freely; what miss of life when it is to be had for the taking? God forbid. O my Brethren, my Soul yerns for you, and my bowels towards you. Ah! that I did but know what Arguments to use with you: who shall chuse my words for me that I may prevail with sinners not to reject their own Mercy: how shall I get within them? How shall I reach them? Oh! that I did but know the words that would pierce them? That I could but get between their sins and them. Beloved Brethren, the Lord Jesus hath made me, most unworthy, his Spokesman, to bespeak your hearts for him: And oh, that I knew but how to … for him, that I might prevail! these eight years have I been calling, and yet how great a part do remain visibly in their sins, and how few, alas! how few souls have I gained to Christ by sound conversion. Once more I desire with all possible earnestness to apply my self to you, I have thought it may be a Sermon out of a Prison might do that which I could not do after my long striving with you, but have left undone … then, O Friends, and let us reason together.
Many among you remain under the power of Ignorance: Ah! how often have I told you the dangerous, yea, damnable estate that such are in. Never make excuses, nor flatter your selves that you shall be saved though you go on in this; I have told you often, and now tell you again, God must be false of his Word, if ever you be saved without being brought out of the state of Ignorance: If ever you enter in at the door of Heaven, it must be by the Key of Knowledge, you cannot be saved, except you be brought to the knowledge of the Truth. A people that remain in gross ignorance, that are without understanding, the Lord that made them, will not have mercy on them. O why will you flatter your selves, and wilfully deceive your own selves? when the God of Truth hath said you shall surely die if you go on in this estate: Oh, for the love of God and of your Souls, I beseech you awake and bestir your selves to get the saving knowledge of God: you that are capable of learning a Trade to live by, are you not capable of learning the way to be saved: yea, I doubt not but you are capable if you would but beat your heads about it, and take pains to get it. And is it not pity that you should perish for ever for want of a little pains, and study, and care to get the knowledge of God: Study the Catechism, if possible get it by heart, if not, read it often, or get it read to you, cry unto God for knowledge; improve the little you have by living answerable. Search the Scripture daily, get them read to you if you cannot read them. Improve your Sabbaths diligently, and I doubt not but in the use of these means you will sooner arrive to the knowledge of Christ than of a Trade. But for thee, O hardned sinner, that wilt make thy excuses that thou hast not time nor abilities to get knowledge, and to sit still without it, I pronounce unto thee that thou shalt surely perish: And I challenge thee to tell me, if thou canst, how thou wilt answer it before the most High God when he shall fit in judgement upon thee, that thou wouldest be contented to undergo a seven years Apprentiship to learn how to get thy living, and that thou mightest have got the knowledge of the principles of Religion in half the time, but thou wouldest not beat thy head about it.
Many are swallowed up in meer profaneness: Alas! that there should be any such in a place of such means and mercies! but it cannot be concealed. Many of them proclaim their sin like Sodom, and carry their deadly Leprosie in their foreheads. I am ashamed to think that in Taunton there should be so many Alehouse-haunters and Tiplers, so many lewd Gamesters, and Rioters and debauched livers; so many black mouthed Swearers, who have Oaths and Curses for their common language, so many Raylers at Godliness, and Prosane Scoffers, so many Lyars and deceitful Dealers, and unclean and wanton Wretches. O what a long list will these and such like make up, if put together: it saddens me to mention such as these. O how crimsen is their guilt! how often have you been warned, and yet are still unreformed, yea loose and profane. Yet one warning more have I sent after you from the Lord, to repent. Return, O finners, what! will you run into everlasting burnings with your eyes open?
Repent, O Drunkards or else you shall be shut out of the Kingdom of Heaven, … Cor. 6. 9, 10. Repent, O Swearers, else you shall fall into condemnation, … 12. Repent, O Lyars, put away lying, and speak every one truth to his neighbour; else you shall have your part in the Lake that burneth with Fire and Brimstone, Rev. 20. 8. Repent, O Company-keepers, forsake the foolish and live, but a Companion of the wicked shall be destroyed, Prov. 13. 20. Repent you Deceivers of your unrighteous dealings, or else you shall have no Inheriance in the Kingdom of God, 1 Cor. 6. 9, 10. The Lord that made us, knows my earnest desire for your conversion and Salvation, and that I speak not this to you out of any evil will toward you, for I would … at your feet to do you good, but out of a sense of your deplorable estate, while you remain in your sins. I know there is mercy for you if you do soundly repent and reform, and bow to the Righteousness and Government of the Lord Christ: but if you go on, and say, you shall yet have peace, I pronounce unto you, that there is no escape, but the Lord will make his wrath to smoak against you, he will wound the head of his enemies, and the hairy scalp of such an one as goeth on still in his Trespasses.
Others have escaped the gross pollutions of the World, but stick in the form of Godliness, and content themselves with a negative Righreousness, that they are no Drunkards, nor Swearers, &c. or at best with an outward conformity to the duties of Religion, or some common workings, instead of a saving. O I am jealous for you that you should not lose the things that you have wrought, and miss your reware for want of sincerity: for the Lords sake put on, and beware of perishing in the Suburbs of the City of Refuge: beg of God to make through-work with you, and be jealous for your selves; get a right understanding of the difference between a Hypocripe and a sincere Christian, and try you estates much, but only with those marks, that you are sure from the Scripture will abide Gods trial.
But for you that fear the Lord in sincerity, I have nothing but good and comfortable words: I have proclaimed your happiness in the last Token I sent to the Town: I mean the abstract of the Covenant of Grace, upon the Priviledges, comforts, mercies there summed up and set before you. May your souls ever live; what condition can you devise wherein there will not be abundance of comfort, and matter of joy unspeakable, to you. O Beloved, know your own happiness, and live in that holy admiring, commending, adoring, praisins of your gracious God, that becomes the people of his praise. I have been long, yet methinks I have not emptied half my heart unto you: I trespass much, I fear, upon the Bearer, therefore in haste I commend you to God. The good will of him that dwelt in the Bush be with you all. The Lord Create a defence upon you, and Deliverance for you: the Lord cover you all the day, and make you to dwell between his shoulders; I desire your constant, instant, earnest Prayers for me, and rest,
A willing Labourer, and thankful Sufferer for you, JOS. ALLEINE. From the common Goale in Juelchester, July 4th. 1663.