ditions of peace and mercy, when offered; especially when offered by one, against whom thou hast rebelled, and one who is of power to tear thee to pieces, for so is Shaddia our king; when he is angry, can any stand be fore him. If you say you have not sinned, or acted rebellion against our king, the whole of your doings, since the day that you cast off his service (and there was the beginning of your sin) will sufficiently testify against you; what else means your hearkening to the tyrant, and your receiving him for your king? What means else your rejecting the laws of Shaddai, and your obeying Diabolus? Yea, what means this your taking up arms against, and shutting your gates upon us, the faithful servants of your king? Luke xii. 58, 59. Be ruled, then, and accept of my brother's invitation, and overstand not the time of mercy, but agree with thine adversary quick ly. Ah Mansoul! suffer not thyself to be kept from mercy, and run into a thousand miseries, by the flattering wiles of Diabolus: perhaps that piece of deceit may attempt to make you believe, that we seek our own profit in this our service ;* but know, it is obedience to our king, and love to your happiness, that is the cause of this undertaking of our's.

'Again, I say unto thee, O Mansoul, consider if it be not amazing grace, that Shaddai should so humble himself as he doth, 2 Cor. v. 18--21. Now he, by us rea sons with you, in a way of intreaty and sweet persuasion, that you would subject yourselves to him. Has he that need of you, that we are sure you have of him? No, no; but he is merciful, and will not that Mansoul should die, but turn to him and live.'

Then stood forth captain Judgment, whose were the red colours, and for a scutcheon had the burning fiery furnace;

* The ways of God were, from the beginning, evil spoken of by unconverted worldings: nevertheless, wisdom is justified of her children," Matt. xi. 19. May we ever remember, with the profoundest humility, that not for our sakes (for we can have no claim to favour,) but according to his mercy, he saved us," Titus iii. 5.

furnace; and he said, 'O ye inhabitants of the town of Mansoul, that have lived so long in rebellion and acts of treason against the King Shaddai: know, that we come not to-day to this place, in this manner, with our message, of our own minds, or to revenge our own quarrel; it is the King our master that hath sent us to reduce you to your obedience to him; the which if you refuse in a peaceable way to yield, we have commission to compel you thereto. And never think of yourselves, nor yet suffer the tyrant Diabolus to persuade you to think, that our King, by his power, is not able to bring you down, and lay you under his feet: for he is the Former of all things; and if he touches the mountains, they smoke, Nor will the gate of the King's clemency stand always open for the day that shall burn like an oven is before him; yea, it hasteth greatly, and slumbereth not,* Mal. iv. 1. 1 Pet. ii. 3. O Mansoul, is it little in thine eyes, that our King does offer thee mercy and that after so many provocations? Yea, he still holdeth out his golden sceptre to thee, and will not suffer his gate to be shut against thee; wilt thou provoke him to do it: Consider of what I say to thee it shall be opened no more for ever, Job xxxvi. 14, 18. Ps. ix. 7. Isa. lxvi. 15. "If thou sayest thou shalt see him, yet judgment is before him; therefore trust thou in him. Yea, because there is wrath, beware lest he take thee away with his stroke; then a great ransom cannot deliver thee. Will he esteem thy riches? No, not gold, nor all forces of strength. He hath perpared his throne of judgment; for he will come with fire, and with his chariots, like a whirlwind,

* When death overtakes the body, judgment will soon find the soul; "where the tree falls, there it lieth," Eccles. xi. 9. for "there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom in the grave, whither thou goest," Eccles. ix. 10. Since the important concerns of eternity depend, for ought we know, on the present moment, may the Lord the Spirit incline sinners to listen to the voice of heavenly love, thus intreating: "To day, if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts," Ps. xcv. 7, 8. and sweetly constrain them to obey the call.

whirlwind, to render his anger with fury, and rebukes with flames of fire." Therefore, O Mansoul, take heed, lest, after thou hast fulfilled the judgment of the wicked, justice and judgment should take hold of thee. Now, while captain Judgment was making this oration to the town of Mansoul, it was observed by some, that Diabolus trembled.* But he proceeded in his speech, and said, "O thou woeful town of Manscul! wilt thou not yet set open the gate to receive us, the deputies of the King, and those that would rejoice to see thee live? Ezek. xxii. 14. "Can thine heart endure, or can thine hands be strong, in the day that he shall deal in judgment with thee?" I say, canst thou endure to be forced to drink, as one would drink sweet wine, the sea of wrath that our King has prepared for Diabolus and his angels? Consider, betimes consider.'

Then stood forth the fourth captain, the noble captain Execution, and said: "O town of Mansoul, once famous, but now like the fruitless bough; once the delight of the high ones, but now a den for Diabolus :hearken also to me, and to the words that I shall speak to thee in the name of the great Shaddai. Behold, "the ax is laid to the root of the tree; every tree therefore, that bringeth not forth good fruit, is hewn down, and cast into the fire," Matt. iii. 7---10.

'Thou, O town of Mansoul, hast hitherto been this fruitless tree; thou bearest nought but thorns and briers, Deut. xxxiii. 32. thee not to be a good tree: gall, thy clusters are bitter.

Thy evil fruit forespeaks thy grapes are grapes of Thou hast rebelled against

thy

* What an inestimable blessing, that such foul revolters as we are, can be reconciled through the blood of Christ, to an infinitely holy God! That this God can be just, and yet the justifier of the ungodly, who believeth in Jesus!" Rom. iii. 26 O my soul, may thy gratitude, for such amazing goodness, be testified by thy walking in love and holy obedience, to the glory of such a precious Saviour!

thy King;* and lo we, the power and force of Shaddai, are the ax that is laid to thy roots. What sayest thou? Wilt thou turn? I say again, Tell me, before the first blow is given, wilt thou turn? Our ax must first be laid to thy root before it be laid at thy root; it must first be laid to thy root in a way of threatening, before it is laid at thy root by way of execution : and between these two is required thy repentance, and this is all the time thou hast. What wilt thou do? Wilt thou turn, or shall I smite? If I fetch my blow, Mansoul, down you go: for I have commission to lay my ax at, as well as to, thy root; nor will any thing, but yielding to our King, prevent doing of execution. What art thou fit for, O Mansoul, if mercy preventeth not, but to be hewn down and cast into the fire and burnt?

"O Mansoul! patience and forbearance do not act for ever: a year or two, or three, they may; but if thou provoke by a three years rebellion (and thou hast already done more than this,) then what follows, "but cut it down?" nay, after that, "thou shalt cut it down,” Luke xiii. 8. And dost thou think that these are but threatenings, or that our King has not power to execute his words? O Mansoul, thou wilt find in the words of our King, when they are by sinners made little or light of there is not only threatenings, but burning coals of fire.

• Thou

* The quickening spirit of truth reigns not in the hearts of men ; natural men call not upon God, neither do they thank him for the numberless mercies they are continually receiving from his hand: they reject his blessed Self, saying. "Depart from us, for we desire not the knowledge of thy ways." Job. xvi. 14. An enmity to God is always attended with a love of sin; so that they become spiritual idolaters, and make a league with hell. May the good Lord break the horrid confederacy, and set up the kingdom of Christ, on the ruins of that of sin and Satan!

+ God would not thus invite and beseech sinners to repentance, were not salvation the most inestimable jewel that can be obtained.

• Thou hast been a cumber-ground long already, and wilt thou continue so still? Thy sin has brought this army to thy walls, and shall it bring in judgment to do execution to thy town? Thou hast heard what the captains have said, but as yet thou shuttest thy gates: speak out, Mansoul, wilt thou do so still; or wilt thou accept of conditions of peace?'

These brave speeches of these four noble captains, the town of Mansoul refused to hear: yet a sound thereof did beat against Ear-gate, though the force thereof could not break it open. In fine, the town desired a time to prepare their answer to these demands. The captains then told them that if they would throw out to them one Ill-pause, that was in the town, that they might reward him according to his works, then they would give them time to consider: but if they would not cast him to them over the wall of Mansoul, then they would give them none: for, said they, we know, that so long as Ill-pause draws breath in Mansoul, all good considerations will be confounded, and nothing but mischief will come thereon.*

Then Diabolus, who was there present, being loth to lose Ill-pause, because he was his orator (and yet be sure he had, could the captains have laid their fingers on him,) was resolved at this instant to give them answer by himself; but then changing his mind, he commanded the then lord mayor, the lord Incredulity, to do it; saying, My lord, do you give these renegades an answer, and speak out, that Mansoul may hear and understand you.

So

Rightly named Ill-pause, no doubt. Giving ear to the whis perings of corrupt and carnal reason, is too frequently a means of preventing the soul from closing with Christ. It is the duty and interest of all, to suffer the word of exhortation: to give implicit credit to God, who cannot err or deceive, for his testimony concerning us, and wait in a way of duty for the fulfilment of it to our comfort, which will come in due time: " Wait, I say, on the Lord," Psal. xxvii. 14. O that sinners would meekly sit at the feet of Jesus for instruction? then would he enable them to hear and believe the word of eternal life, which is able to save their souls.