12. Thou deridest men because they will not be the voluntary destroyers of themselves. Were it not enough for thee to betray them unto others? or to murder any of thy neighbours thyself? but thou must wish them to do it with their own hands, and deride them if they will not? O cruel monster! that wouldst wish a man to lie in the fire of hell for evermore! and to go thither wilfully of his own accord! which is ten thousand times worse than to wish him to cut his own throat. Dost thou say, God forbid! I desire no such thing. Why, man, dost thou do thou knowest not what? Doth not he tempt a man to be hanged, that tempteth him to kill and steal? When the righteous God hath unchangeably determined in his law, that "without holiness none shall see God, and that Christ shall come in flaming fire to render vengeance to them that obey not his gospel, and that all they shall be damned that obey not the truth, but have pleasure in unrighteousness;"[553] when God hath resolved that hell shall be the wages of ungodliness, dost thou not desire them to damn themselves, when thou desirest them to be ungodly? If thou believe that there is any hell at all, then tell me what it is possible for any man to do, to murder his soul and damn himself, but only to be ungodly? If this way do it not, there is no danger of any other. Tell me, dost thou think the devil deserveth to be called a murderer of souls? If not, it seems thou wilt openly take the devil's part; but if he do deserve it, then the reason of all the world be judge, whether that man deserve it not much more, that will do much more against himself, than the devil ever did or can do? The devil can but tempt, but thou wouldst have men do the thing that he tempts them to, and actually to sin, and neglect a holy life. And which is the worse, he that doth the evil, or he that only persuadeth them to it? If the devil be called, "Our adversary, that like a roaring lion goeth about night and day seeking whom he may devour," 1 Pet. v. 8, what should that man be called that doth far more against himself, than all the devils in hell do against him? Sure he is a devourer or destroyer of himself. Tell me, thou distracted scorner! is the devil's work, thinkest thou, good or bad? If it be good, take thy part of it, and boast of it when thou seest the end. If it be bad, (to deceive souls and entice them to sin and hell,) why wouldst thou have men do worse by themselves? He that sinneth doth worse than he that tempteth. Tell me, what way doth the devil take to do men hurt, and damn their souls, but only by drawing them to sin? He hath no other way in the world to undo any man, but by tempting him to that which thou temptest men to; even to sin against God and to neglect a holy life. So that it is plain that thou scornest and opposest men because they will not be worse than devils to themselves.
13. Moreover thou opposest men for not forsaking God! What is it to forsake God, but to refuse to love, and honour, and obey him, as God? He hath told us himself that "he that cometh to God must believe that God is, and that he is the rewarder of them that diligently seek him," Heb. xi. 6. And is it not this diligent seeking him that thou deridest? It is plain then that thou wouldst scorn men away from God, and have them forsake him as thou hast done.