the way of gospel-preaching and salvation: "The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom ye slew and hanged on a tree. Him hath God exalted with his right hand, to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins" Repentance in order before forgiveness. When men turn from sin, God turneth from his punishing wrath; but not before. God hath "granted to the gentiles repentance unto life." The sum of Paul's doctrine was, "Repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ"." For this do God's ministers" instruct in meekness them that oppose themselves, if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth, that they way recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his willa;" and 2 Pet. iii. 9. it is said, that "God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance ;" which plainly implieth, that if they come not to repentance, they must perish for all that. And therefore repentance is one of the fundamentals, and preaching repentance is laying the foundation, as appeareth, Heb. vi. 1. And he that is grown uncurable, and remediless by apostasy, is said to be one that" cannot be renewed by repentance. Which supposeth that there can be no other way of renewing. And a desperate man is one that "findeth no place for repentance." And in the godly, all the fruits of holiness are made the "fruits of repentanced."

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4. The very providence of God in mercy and affliction, are purposely to bring sinners to repentance. And therefore certainly, Repentance is necessary to salvation"." "Despisest thou the riches of his goodness, and forbearance and long-suffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance? But after thy hardness and impenitent heart, treasurest up to thy self wrath against the day of wrath, and revelation of the righteous judgment of God." If conversion were not necessary to salvation, God would not make so much ado by affliction and mercy to bring us to it.

5. God makes it the duty even of every man in his place, to do all that he can for the conversion of others: and this he would never do, if there were another way to salvation. "They that turn many to righteousness shall shine as the stars for ever and ever f." James saith," If any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him, let him know, that he that converteth a sinner from the error of his ways, shall save a soul from death, and cover a multitude of sins "." And David promiseth, if God would pardon and restore him, that he "will teach transgressors his way, that sinners may be converted to him h." So that, lay all this now together, and judge whether it be likely that God would have set all the world on work for the conversion of sinners, if there had been any other way to save them. Should Christ himself have come upon this errand? Should the word of God be written to this end? Should all the prophets, apostles, and ministers of the Gospel be sent on this message? Should all mercies, and all afflictions be directed to this use? Should it be made the duty of every Christian to endeavour it? If men could be saved without conversion, by any other way? Doubtless the case is plain, it should not be.

I beseech you therefore, let this be received by you as an unquestionable truth: make no halt or doubt in the business; shift it not off with foolish cavils; but ground it even in the bottom of your heart, that without true conversion, there is no hope of salvation.

You have as good proof of it as you can desire of any truth in the world. Yea, besides all that I have said, it is a thing that in general is confessed by heathens, and discerned even by the light of nature. They that will not believe in Christ, will confess the necessity of repentance and reformation, which yet cannot be wrought without faith in Christ. Though I know there is a great deal more necessary to this work, yet I should think I had done something to-day, if you would but all go home resolved without all doubt of the truth of my text: and would never more think that there is any other way to salvation, besides conversion. For certainly, if you were must every man of you be con

once well resolved, that

f Dan. xii. 3.

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verted, or condemned, you would look a little better about you than most do. At least this would destroy your deceiving hopes and presumption, and make you see what is yet to be done, and would much help to prepare you for a further work. And that none of you may say another day, that you never heard or knew the truth, I do here solemnly proclaim it to you all in the name of Christ, that there is no hope of salvation without true conversion. And I have fully proved it to you from the word of God. So that if ever a man or woman that is here before the Lord this day, shall yet dare to live in an unconverted state, you are left without a cloak for your sin. You shall not be able to tell the Lord at judgment, that you never heard or knew so much. If he ask any of you at that day, how it came to pass that you turned not to God, nor sought after converting grace, and how you could ever think to look God in the face without conversion? you shall not be able to say, 'We lived under a minister that never told us of it; we thought we might have done well enough without it, and some particular repentance might have served the turn.' The truth hath shone this day in your eyes: you have heard what Christ saith, and what his apostles say, and what is the drift of all the Scripture. If yet you will believe that a man may be saved without conversion, it is your wilful obstinacy and unbelief that maketh you think it: you must wink hard, and draw the curtains of carnal security about your ears, if in the midst of this day-light you will sleep as in the night of former darkness.

Quest. But are there not many in the world that need no conversion, even from their infancy? Doth not God regenerate men by baptism, or at least before, which baptism sealeth; or at least by Christian education in their infancy? And what need have these of after conversion?

Answ. To this I shall answer briefly, but plainly, in these propositions following: 1. No doubt but God doth pardon original sin to multitudes of infants by the blood of Christ, through the covenant of grace, which is made to the faithful, and their seed. And being thus pardoned, they may be truly said to be new creatures, or regenerate relatively. And this pardon bestowed by the covenant, is sealed by baptism, which solemnly conferreth it. 2. It is most

probable that God doth also make some change on the hearts of infants, secretly giving them some seed of inward grace before, or in their baptism. 3. It is certain, that sometimes before their death, he doth give this Spirit to elect infants, according to their capacity, and thereby fit them for glory. I mean those that die in infancy. 4. Holy education of parents may be a means through God's blessing, of actual converting those that were before but seminally changed, yea, and of those that were not. And if parents did their duty first in a believing dedication of their children to God by baptism, and then in a careful bringing them up in his fear; it is most certain, that this would be the most ordinary age and season of regeneration and sanctification to life. For God would not be wanting to his own ordinances used in faith by his own people. He did not appoint them in vain, neither hath he given them a precept without a promise. 5. If any one did receive the seed of true grace in their infancy, it will certainly appear in a holy life, even from their infancy upwards. And therefore there is the same work done in the hearts of such as were converted in infancy, and after were brought up in the fear of God, as I have before described to you in the truly converted. If any man did but live one year, or month, or week of his childhood after he had the use of reason, state utterly graceless, that man hath no reason to take the least comfort now to himself, upon any conceit that he was regenerate in his infancy. If he have from his childhood unfeignedly loved God above all, and been heavenlyminded, and hated sin, and delighted in all holiness, and feared God, and repented of all known sin, and laboured to subdue it, and had the rest of the marks of grace in his heart, then he may be sure that he was sanctified betime. But if any man have lived to the world or the flesh but one month, since his infant state, never minding the life to come, nor loving the holy ways of God, nor hating iniquity, he may be sure that he must have another conversion, than any he had in his infancy, or it will not serve his turn for heaven. An infant-conversion may serve for an infant state of salvation; but he that hath after that lived to sin, must have an actual conversion, as he was actually a sinner. And if he had grace in infancy, he must have the same working of it

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toward God and heaven, which in the work of conversion I described before. So that I do not call you to judge of your state by the time or manner of your change, so much as by the matter or thing itself. Find all that work upon your judgments, heart, and life, which I have before laid down, and be sure it is there, and then, whensoever you came by it, you are happy. But if it be not now there, it is a silly delusion, to glory in the conceits of an infant-baptismal change. Yet I doubt not but there is many a true Christian, who hath received this grace so early, that they have the greater cause to be for ever thankful for it to God.

So much for the confirmation of the point. That certainly this work of conversion is necessary to all that will be saved. One time or other the image of God must be imprinted on the heart, and in those at age expressed in the life.

II. I am next, according to the method propounded, to give you the reasons of it. Why a man cannot enter into the kingdom of heaven except he be converted. The case is so clear, that we may easily see reason for it, if we be willing to see.

1. If there were no other reason apparent to us but the word of God, one would think it might satisfy such as we. Heaven is his own, and he may give it to whom he will, and he hath told us in his word, that he will give it to no other, and should not that suffice us? May not he do with his own as he list? It is his hand that must set on the crown; and may not he set it on what head he please? We are sure of these two things: 1. That God hath full power to dispose of it, and therefore can do no wrong to others by denying it. 2. And that he is infinitely wise, and good, and just, and therefore it must needs be the wisest and best way that he takes, though such dark sinners as we could not see the wisdom, or the goodness, or justice of it. Do you grudge at this doctrine, that none shall be saved but those who are converted? Why, then you grudge at God. And do you think indeed that he knoweth not what he doth? Are you wiser than he? or are you more righteous than he? What! must the God of heaven come down to you to learn wisdom, or justice, or mercy? Will you question him at the bar of judgment, and ask him why he doth