The Young Mans Guide, Chapter 7
CHAP. VII. Containing two main Arguments to Conversion.
I Shall make use of two great Arguments in this matter.
1. Thy Necessity.
2. Thy Commodity.
1. Thy necessity methinks should prevail with thee. A necessity is laid upon thee to turn to the Lord, and wo to thee if thou turn not; thou must turn, or die, Matth. 18. 9, Except ye be converted, ye cannot enter into the Kingdom of God. Necessity is a mighty Argument to perswade to any thing. What is there but necessity will perswade men to? Sinners will make use of this argument to perswade themselves to, and to excuse and justifie themselves in, any wickedness. We shall hear them sometimes saying, If I have stollen it was for my necessity. If I have lyed or sworn falsly, it was upon necessity, I was forced upon it. And when they have said this ('twas my necessity that brought me to it) they think they have said enough to justifie themselves.
This argument of Necessity hath great place in the present Case: it is of necessity that thou be converted: For
1. It's necessary that thou live, that thou secure thine own being, and the blessedness thereof, that thy soul be so looked to, that it be not left to die and perish for ever. This is of the highest necessity for every man to look to it, that he go not down into the infernal pit. It is not necessary to be rich in this world, to have great houses, and fine cloathes, and costly fare, and many Friends, to be in health, to live in credit and prosperity in the world. Thou maist be, and be happy without all this; there's many an honest poor man, who hath lived comfortably and contentedly, that hath scarce been worth a groat, besides his labours, and it may be hath scarcely had one friend in the world to relieve him. But it's necessary to keep thee out of Hell, to keep thy soul out of the hands of the devil; this is more necessary than to have a Being: better thou hadst never been born than at last to be damned.
2. It's necessary to be converted that so thou maist live. Thou diest without remedy, thou diest without mercy, if thou turn not: Ezek. 18. 31, 32, Why will ye die? turn and live. Intimating that it's impossible but men must perish everlastingly if they turn uot, Except ye repent, ye shall all perish, Luke 13. 3.
Sinners will sometimes acknowledge and say, 'twould be well for me if I could mind my Soul; 'twould be well for me if I could repent of my sins; If I could leave this Drunkenness, or this Company-keeping, or this Covetousness; 'twould be well for me, if I could bring my heart to it, to leave off this carnal course of life, and give my self to Christianity, and Godlyness. 'Twould be well for thee, Why is that all …hou hast to say in so important a case? How will it be with thee if thou repent not? 'Twould be well for thee, dost thou say, to turn to God? Why man, it's necessary for thee: a necessity is laid upon thee, and wo be unto thee if thou turn not. If thou wert in extream poverty, and hadst no bread to eat, no house to dwell in, nor friend to relieve thee; or if thine house were all on fire over thine head, would such a cold or low expression suffice to set out thy case? 'Twould be well for me if I could get bread, or a house, or a friend to relieve me, 'twould do well for me, if I could get out of mine house, ere the fire devour me: No thou wouldst then cry out of thy necessity, of thy extremity; I starve, I am ready to perish for want, I shall be burnt to ashes, if I fly not out of my house.
Escape for thy life, sinner, thy soul starves, it dies, is like to burn for ever in the bottom of hell. Oh its necessary for thee to get thee out of this fearful case: why lingrest thou? haste thee, haste thee, let the extremity of the danger, and misery thy soul is in, press thee to make a sudden escape, thy case will not bear delayes, flie for thy life, flie unto Christ and live.
II. Thy commodity or profit perswades thee to turn to the Lord. Commodity is the great argument of the thristy World, that puts them upon all their labours. What will not men undertake, and endure for their commodity? This chooses their habitations, builds their houses, plants their Orchards, this animates their Trade…, and is the encouragement and reward of all their labours, the profit that is expected to come in by them.
Why now sinner consider, Godliness is the great profit. It's profitable to all things, 1 Tim. 4. 8. There's nothing truely profitable besides. Sinners count that Godliness is good for nothing unless to make men proud and conceited. Fools cry out with those, Job. 21. 15. What is the Almighty that we should serve him, and what profit shall we have, if we pray unto him? They count that this is the onelyonly thing, that stands in the way of their profit, their great hindrance in the world: they think they might get more, and thrive better, if it were not for this Godliness, this Conscience hath been many a mans undoing. How many a man is there, that hath lost a good living, because he would keep a good Conscience? If it were not for this Conscience, men might get, not only by honesty, but by fraud, or by violence; lying or false▪swearing, might then bring them in many a penny, but Conscience pares off all that gain.
But yet whatever Fools think, Godliness is great gain, 1 Tim. 6. 6. It is our onelyonly profit. Nothing can truely be counted our profit, but that which is, or contributes to our happiness. Wilt thou call that thy profit, which when thou hast it, thou art like to be never the better for it? neither the honester man nor the happier man? Nothing can be accounted our happiness? or conducing to it, but that which either will abide by us, or do us good when it is gone. Holiness will abide by us, and the exercises of Holiness will do us good, when they are over and past. In such times, when through sickness and weakness, or some other invincible hindrances, we cannot pray, or hear, or labour in the work of our souls, 'twill then be a great comfort to us, that we have prayed, and heard, and laid up against such a time of need, when we had ability. The fruits of praying will remain, and the very remembrance of our faithfulness to God will be a comfort to us in our greatest weaknesses and distresses. Sinners when their estates are gone, their labours are done, their pleasures are over; then they will know whether these things be their happiness or no.
This getting life, this merry life, which thou now blessest thy self in, will not last alwayes with thee, and when 'tis gone, then thou wilt see how wise a man thou wert in promising thy self happiness in such things as these, where is the hope of the Hypocrite though he hath gained, when God shall take away his Soul? Job. 27. 8. Thy soul, Man, thy soul must be gone, the time is at hand when God will take away thy s…ul, and lay it in the dark for ever: and when that day comes, where then will thy gains be? What shall it profit a man to win the whole World, and lose his own soul? Matth. 16. 26.
Young man, what art thou for? Art thou for profit? Wilt thou study thy own commodity? Wilt thou count that thy p…ofit, which will make thee the honester man, and the happier man? Wouldst thou get something to comfort thee when thou art old? Wouldst thou be really happy? Then go to God, joyn thy self to him, give thy self to him to be his servant for ever: Get the Lord to be thy portion, and then thou maist say, Return to thy rest, O my Soul, for the Lord hath dealt bountifully with me, Psal. 116. 7. Wilt thou now Young man, take these arguments and urge them home upon thy heart? stand in the presence of God, and in his fear reason thus with thy self, Why should I not now become a sincere convert to God?
1. Is there not a necessity laid upon me? Must I not either turn or burn? Is it not necessary for me to look to the salvation of my soul? and is there any way for that, but turning from my sin? My flesh pretends necessity for my serving of it; I must have bread, I must have cloaths, I must have money; I am sure these things are necessary for me, for I must not starve. I, but is there not an higher necessity here? whether I have bread or no, whether I starve or no, I must look to it, that I be be not damned for ever. Skin for skin, and all that a man hath will a man give for his life, Job. 2. 4. I, but skin, and flesh, and bone, and life, and all must go, rather than lose my soul. If I can live and maintain my self here in an honest way it must be done. If I can be a rich man and a good Christian, a wealthy man and a godly man, 'tis well enough. But whether I be rich or poor, I must have Christ, and Life, and Christ I cannot have without turning from my sins to him.
What, O my soul, art thou such an enemy to Godliness, that thou wilt rather die, than become a Godly man? Art thou so in love with a carnal and earthly life, that thou wilt sell thy life to the Devil, rather than change thy course? will thy necessity prevail nothing with thee? Thou art in necessity, O my soul, in necessity of Christ, in necessity of pardon, in necessity of Grace and holiness. Thou art ready to perish, a slave to Lust, a slave to the Devil; these Tyrants are thrusting thee down to the eternal prison, thou art in necessity of Christ; there's no hope of escaping, but by getting thee into Christ.
2. Would it not be for my profit to turn? How can I spend my time to better advantage, than by making the everlasting Kingdom sure to me? Whom dost thou, O my Soul, account to have been wise men, and the best husbands in the World, whose care, and whose labour have best turned to account? either those, who have gotten oyle into their Lamps, that have been sowing to themselves in righteousness, that have been laying up to themselves treasure in Heaven; or they that have had their occupation wholly about this earth, or else loytered their time in mirth and idleness? which of these two sorts dost thou think are best provided for? whose Harvest or Vintage is like to be the most plentiful and blessed? However thou judgest now in this sowing day, yet when the reaping-day comes, then in which of the two cases wouldst thou be, either of those, who had sown in Righteousness, and reap in mercy: or else in case of those, which have sown in the flesh and reap Corruption, which have sown in Iniquity and must reap in wrath and fire? would it not be more to thy profit, to reap with the righteous and the godly, than with the wicked and ungodly? Why, does the case stand thus? Is it both necessary and profitable for me to be a sincere Convert to the Lord? Come my Soul, away with all excuses, away with all delayes, come in this day, and yield thy self to the Lord; come, give thy self, come, joyn thy self to him in a perpetual Covenant, that shall never be forgotten.