Thus you see how loath the sinner is now to take a hay of life everlasting.  He that once would not be persuaded to close with the Lord Jesus, though one should have persuaded him with tears of blood, behold how fast he now hangs about the Lord:  what arguments he frames with mournful groans; how with shifts and words he seeks to gain time, and to defer the execution.  “Lord, open unto us!  Lord, Lord, open unto us!  Lord, thou hast taught in our streets, and we have both taught in thy name, and in thy name have we cast out devils.  We have eat and drank in thy presence.  And when did we see thee hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister to thee?” O, poor hearts; how loath, how unwillingly do they turn away from Christ; how loath are they to partake of their ungodly doings!  Christ must say, “Depart,” once, and “Depart,” twice, before they will depart.  When he hath shut the door upon them, yet they knock, and cry, “Lord, open unto us:”  when he hath given them their answer, that he knows them not, yet they plead and mourn.  Wherefore, he is fain to answer again, “I tell you, I know you not whence you are; depart.”

O this word, depart, how dreadful is it; with what weight will it fall on the head of every condemned sinner!  For you must note, that while the ungodly stand thus before the Judge, they cannot choose but have a most distinct view both of the kingdom of heaven, and of the damned spirits in hell.  Now they see the God of glory, the King of glory, the saints of glory, and the angels of glory; and the kingdom in which they have their eternal abode.  Now they also begin to see the worth of Christ and what it is to be smiled upon by him, from all which they must depart; and as I say they shall have the view of this, so they will most clearly behold the pit, the bottomless pit, the fire, the brimstone, and the flaming beds that justice hath prepared for them of old.

At the day of judgment, will be tried whether thou art within that part of the book of life wherein all the elect are recorded; for all the elect are written here, as Christ saith, “Rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”

Now then, if thy name be not found either among the prophets or apostles or the rest of saints, thou must be put by as one that is cast away, as one polluted, and as an abominable branch.  Thy name is wanting in the genealogies and rolls of heaven; thou art not marked for everlasting life; therefore thou must not be delivered from that soul-amazing misery:  for there are no souls can, though they would give a thousand worlds, be delivered at the day of God, but such that are found written in this book.  Every one of those that are written, though never a one of those that are not written, shall in that day be delivered from the wrath to come.