Souls. As for the dying Sinner himfelf, however I pity him, I dare not give him hopes farther than I have warrant from God and Authority from the Gospel, which no Minifter can have to affure him of Pardon and Salvation from a mere late and DeathBed Repentance. He can only advise fuch an one to do all he can at that time, which may help, if not wholly to remit his punishment yet in fome measure, to abate and mitigate it, which is a very great thing, and commend him to the Extraordinary and Uncovenanted Mercy of God, which is not limited by any thing but the recitude of his own Nature, to which we must leave fome great Ca fes not knowing what to judge of them our felves, but as to the ordinary and covenanted Mercy of God which he himfelf has limited, and which ought not be itretchit or extended any more than narrowed or confined to any other bounds than those of the Gospel, fuch à Repentance has no title to it by any promife there that I know of, and therefore I would not for all the world venture my Soul upon it, nor would have any Man elfe to do fo; for be

fides all other hazards of a fudden Death and the like that attend fuch a Repentance, 'tis venturing whether God will not break the Rules and Measures of the Gofpel, or at least abate them, and be more merciful than he has there promised to be, which no Man has any reafon to expect he fhould be, but rather a great deal to question whether he can be.

Let none of us therefore truft to fuch a Late and Death-Bed Repentance which will expofe us not only to infinite danger, but to inevitable and certaiu ruine, nor let us believe any fuch Doctrine which has no foundation either from the Thief on the Crofs, or from any thing elfe in Scripture to be relyed on, but however fevere the other Doctrine be, let us confider it is true as I fhall fully prove it is and I know no Mischief of its feveribut this which is the plain confe quence of it, that we must not delay our Repentance, but take care to live a good life if we hope to go to Hea

ry

ven.

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SECT

SECT. III.

The Invalidity of a Death-Bed Repen tance shown from the Parable of the Wife and Foolish Virgins.

HAY

Aving Examined and Answered the Pleas and Pretences on behalf of a Death-Bed Repentance I fhall fhow its Invalidity and Infufficiency by fuch plain and pofitive Proofs as fhall take away that common error and fatal mistake on the other fide and fully confirm and establish my Opinion againft it, The firft whereof fhall be that Excellent Parable of the Wife and Foolish Virgins, Matth. 25. efpecially the latter part of it at the io, II, 12. verfes, for I fhall not reprefent it entire in all the parts but only what is more full and home to my purpose in relation to the foolish Virgins of whom it is faid, That while they went to buy the bridegroom came, and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage and the door was shut, afterwards came alfo the other Virgins, faying, Lord, Lord,

open

open to us, but he answered and said verily I know you not.

Parables were an Eastern and Jewish way of inftruction very frequently ufed by their wifemen, and fo made cuftomary to the people, for all forms and modes and habits of fpeech like those of cloths would look odd and antick and uncouth that were not fo; as they were very antient and very common among them and from thence taken up by our Saviour, fo they were very agreeable to Nature, and a moft ufeful lively and familiar way of representing any Truth or Doctrine by way of Hiftory and Similitude; They fhewed us the thing in an Image and Picture, fo that we faw it as it were before us and it thereby made a ftrong impreffion upon both the fancy and the memory, and they fet us a pattern and example of it by which we might the most easily comprehend, underftand and remember it and have it as it were in a Scene drawn before our eyes and acted before us, which are the moft natural ways by which Mankind are to be taught moved and affected; Abstracted naked Truths are many times too fine for their grofs thoughts and

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and understandings, and they cannot conceive Spiritual things fo well as when they are dreft up in another garb, and brought down to their Senfes; Mott of our thoughts and apprehenfions are formed by fuch ideas and images on the brain and mind as are the draughts: and models of the things themfelves, and Parables have thefe two things in them which are apt to make the ftron geft impreffion upon the minds of Men which are Imagery or Picture, Acting or Representation by Example. Now in thefe Dramatical Compofures and Inftructions there is a main Plot or one chief and Principal Defign runs through the whole, and is chiefly aimed at and carried on in all the parts and acts of it, and that is chiefly to be minded as the Scope and Aim of the Parable, the Air and Countenance and Eye as I may call it of this moral Picture, which looks upon fuch a principal Truth, Doctrine and Inftruction as what it intends chiefly to convey and reprefent thereby to our minds: Now the very Scope and Drift and Design of the Parable of the Wife and Foolifh Virgins is to show that we ought to be always prepared and provided

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