prayer 2. Sam. 24. 16. The Lord repented Him of the evill and said to the Angeâ—â— that destroyed the people it is enough stay now thine hand Is it in the power of man to overcome God to withstand Him when He comes to take vengeance to cause Him to change His mind Yes verily Iacob had thaâ— power Gen. 32. 26 when the Lord had wrestled with Him and said Let Me go he would not let Him go but Verse 28. as a prince he had power with Gâ—d and pâ—evâ—iled And how did he overcome God thâ—s By prayer as you may see Hos. 12. 4. He hâ—d power â—ver the Angell and prevailed he wept 〈◊〉 madâ— supplication untâ— him Say not those were rare men for all Gods people have this name given them they are all called the Israel of God Gal. 6. 16. and therefore as Princes may prevaile with God this way And no marvell though Gods people may thus prevaile with God for the staying of His hand inteâ—porall judgements or removing of them from their brethren seeing they are able to prevaile with God even for the pardon of their sinnes which are the causes of those judgements and for the converting and saving of their soules Iam. 5. 15. The prayer of faiâ—h shall sâ—ve the sicke and if he have committed sinâ—â—s they shal be forgiven him And 1 Ioâ— 5. 16. If any 〈◊〉 see his broâ—â—er sinneâ— sinne which is not â—nto death he shall aske and he shall give him life for them that sinne not 〈◊〉 death The Use this Doctrine serves unto is for Instruction Râ—proofe Examination First for instruction To teach us what account is to be made of such as are true Israelites And know thou hâ—st two reasons to moâ—e thee to make much of such 1. They are a blessing to the place where they live Esa. 19. 24. Israel shall be a blessing in the midst of the land They are the props and pillars of the Land for their sakes the Land is spared If there had been butten such in Sodom Sodom had beene spared Gen 18. 32. 2. They are able as Princes to prevaile mightily with God by their prayers to stand in the breach and to hold Gods hands they are the charioâ—s of Israel and the horseâ—eâ—â— thereof as they are called 2 King 13. 14. Indeed there are but a few such true Israelites which makes the Prophet speake in that manner Psal. 25. 12. What man is he that feareth the Lord But where thou knowest such make much of them Why should not Gods favouritâ—s be as much honoured as the favourites of the greatest King Get as many such into the towne thou livest in as thou canst They are as Lâ—ts in Sodom Gen. 19. 22. till Lâ—t was gone out of Sodom the Angell could not destroy it Get as many such into thy family as thou canst As David professed he would do Psal. 101. 6. Miâ—e eyes shal be upon the faithfull in the land that they may dwell with me Gen. 39. 5. The Lord blessed the Egyptiâ—ns house for Iosephs sâ—ke Get such friends as these are Psal. 119. 63. I am a companion of all them that feare Thee Vers. 79. Let those that feare Thee turne unto me and those that have knowne thy testimonies I tell thee Paul as great an Apostle as he was knew how to esteeme and make use of such friends Rom. 15. 30. Nâ—w I beseech you brethren for the Lâ—rd Iesus Christs sake and for the lâ—ve of the spirit that you strive together with me in your prâ—yers to God for mee I know I shall offend many of you in speaking so much for such whom above all others you detest most and are ready to shew it upon every occasion And I have wondred much to see the bitter hatred that many who are otherwise civill men beare to such as feare God For think I Psal. 11. 3. and What hâ—th the righteous done Bâ—t I have found in Gods Booke the true cause of it and that is this that every naturall man hateth God and is an enemy to Him Rom. 5. 10. and that God hath put enmity betweene the seed of the serpâ—â— and the seed of the womâ—n Gen. 3. 15. and therefore so long as thou continuest an enemy unto God and one of the serpents seed thou must needs hate all such as truly feare God The good Lord be mercifull to thee and give thee an heart to take notice of thy wretched estate that thou maist repent and come out of it The second Use is for reproofe of three sorts of men I Of them that cannot pray 2. Of them that do not use to pray 3. Of them that will not pray First of them that cannot pray O consider how miserable a man thou art First thou wantest that whereby thou shouldest helpe thy poore brethren in their misery A griefe it is to an honest mind to see his brother in extreme want and misery and he hath nothing to relieve him with Therefore is that commandment given Ephes. 4. 28. Let him labour in some honest calling that be mâ—y have to give How much more just cause of griefe is this when thou canst not so much as pray for him Secondly thou wantest that whereby thou shouldest keepe off Gods judgements from thy selfe or remove them or yeeld thee comfort in them For my love thâ—â— were mine â—dversaries saith David Psal. 109. 4. but I gave my selfe to prayer That was his chiefe comfort in all his afflictions Thirdly thou wantest that that should give thee comfort in thy present estate For thou canst have no assurance that thou art Gods child or that thou hast any truth of grace in thee if thou cannot not pray The spirit of grace is the spirit of sâ—pplication Zac. 12. 10. Because ye â—re sonnes saith the Apostle Gal. 4. 6. God hath sent fâ—rth the spirit of His Sâ—nne into your hearts crying Abbâ— Father No man is the child of God nor hath the spirit of Christ in him that is not able feelingly and fervently to call Godâ—Father and to pray unto Him Learne therefore to cry earnestly unto God as the Disciples did Lâ—k 11. 1. Lord teach me to pray The second sort that are to be reproved by this Doctrine are such as can but through lazinesse and prophaâ—e negligence do not use to pray Many there be that seldome or never pray it may be in their sicknesse or extreme danger they will but they beare upon them that brand of an hypocrite that Iob speaâ—eth of 〈◊〉 27. 10. Will he call upon God at all times that is constantly and not by fits and starts onely Many that did once use constantly to pray with their families and in secret have now given it over To whom the Lord will one day say as Esa. 43. 22. Thoâ— hast not called upon 〈◊〉 O 〈◊〉 but thâ—â—â—ast beeâ—e â—eary of â—e O Isâ—â—â—l they that neglect their calling upon God and are 〈◊〉 of prayer are weary of God Maâ—y never poâ—â—ed out prayer to God
2 Pet. 2. 8. that in seeing and hearing hee vexed his righteous soule from day to day with the unlawfull deeds of the Sodomites This hath a great promise of speciall protection in the dayes of common calamity Goe through the midst of the City through the midst of Ierusalem saith the Lord to the man clothed in linen with the writers inkhorne by his side Ezek. 9. 4. and set a marke upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof 3. For the sins especially of our owne families for they should trouble us most Nehemiah in his fast complained chiefly of his owne and of the sinnes of his fathers house Neh. 16. And it is said that when God should poure the spirit of grace and of supplications upon his people they should mourn every family apart Zac. 12 12. And Iob eveÌ„ out of the feare that his sons in their feasting might have sinned offred burnt offrings which were alwayes accompanied with profession of humiliation for them Iob 1. 5. Certainly he that careth not how much lewdnes there bee in the towne where he liveth nor in his owne family and that is not unfainedly troubled for it nor endeavoureth to reforme it was never yet rightly humbled for any sinne of his owne FINIS A SERMON PREACHED IN Ashby-Chappell Oct. 4. 1629. BY ARTH. HILDERSAM LONDON Printed by George Miller for Edward Brewster 1633. A SERMON PREACHED in Ashby-Chappell Octob. 4. 1629. Eccl. 11. 8. But if a man live many yeeres and rejoyce in them all yet let him remember the dayes of darkenesse for they shall be many All that cometh is vanity THe occasion of these words and the dependance they have upon that went before is this Salomon in the six first verses of this Chapter had earnestly exhorted to the works of mercy and charity and enforced his exhortation by many strong and perswasory arguments In this verse and that which goeth before it hee concludes that exhortation with another forcible argument taken from the consideration of our future estate And the summe of his argument is as if he should have said thus Doe all that thou art able to doe that thou maist provide well for thy future estate It is the very same argument in effect which our blessed Saviour useth to the same purpose Luk. 12. 33. Sell that yee have and give almes provide your selves bagges that wax not old a treasure in the Heavens that faileth not where no theef approacheth neâ—ther moth corrupteth As if he should say bestow your goods so while you live here as you may have most use and comfort of them in the life that is to come As our Merchants that trade into Turky or Persia will lay out their mony there upon those commodities that will bee most beneficiall to them heere when they shall come home againe This argument Salomon propounds heere by way of answer to an objection that men specially voluptuous men are apt to make against all this that he had said to perswade them to workes of charity and mercy and whereby they are made most backward unto this duty The Objection is set downe in the 7. verse Truely the light is sweet and a pleasant thing it is for the eyes to behold the sunne Where it is to bee observed for the opening of the words that by light is meant a pleasant and prosperous and comfortable life For as our life is called in Holy Scripture the light of the living Psal. 56. 13. because life it selfe is sweet and comfortable to man so is a comfortable estate in this life oft set forth and resembled by this metaphore When Eliphas would perswade Iob how beneficiall a thing it would be unto him to returne unto the Almighty not onely in respect of spirituall and eternall but even of worldly and temporall blessings also that he should be sure to receive by it he expresseth it thus Iob 22. 28. thou shalt decree a thing and it shall be established unto thee and the light shall shine upon thy wayes that is thou shalt prosper in whatsoever thou takest in hand and have comfort in it The Iewes saith the sacred Story Est. 8. 16. upon the advancement of Mordecay and the reversing of Hamans letters had light and gladnesse and joy and honour So that the Objection which the voluptuous man maketh verse 7. is in effect thus much Certainly life is sweet and it is a great happinesse to live plentifully and prosperously neatly and pleasantly in this world which I can never doe if I should not bee carefull to keepe that I have If I should hearken to thy counsaile and be so liberall and bountifull to the poore as thou wouldst have me to be This Objection Salomon gives answer to in this verse And in his answer 3. points are to be observed 1. A supposition of two things 1. Suppose saith he that a man doe live many yeeres which yet no man specially no voluptuous man hath cause to looke for For what is your life saith the Apostle Iam. 4. 14. It is even a vapour that appeareth for a litle time and then vanisheth away 2. Suppose also that he rejoyce in them all which yet is more unlikely and in a manner impossible for all men good and bad are subject in their whole life to many occasions of sorrow which they can by no meanes avoid Man is born unto trouble saith Eliph Iob 5. 7. as the sparkes fly upward Yea every day of mans life will bring forth some new occasion of sorrow unto him or other sufficient unto the day is the evill thereof saith our Saviour Mat. 6. 34. Yea it is thus even with the best men all the day long have I beene plagued saith the Prophet Psal. 73. 14. and chastened every morning Then followes the 2. point to be observed in the words and that is a charge or admonition as if he should say admit both those things that I have thus supposed yet for all that I advise and charge him Let him remember the dayes of darkenesse Wherein also observe for the opening of the words 1. that by the dayes of darkenesse he meanes all that time that we shall spend in the estate of the dead For though the godly in respect of their soules be presently after death translated into Paradise according to that speach of our Saviour Luk. 23. 43. this day shalt thou be with me in Paradise and there is no darknesse there nothing but light and comfort unspeakable the inheritance of the Saints is in light saith the Apostle Col. 1. 12. In thy presence is fulnesse of joy saith David Psal. 16. 11 at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore yet in respect of the bodyes of all men as this life is fitly compared to light so is the state of the dead unto darknesse And so speaketh Iob of it Iob 10. 21. Before I goe whence I shall not returne even to the
be very small yet many heaped together will make an intollerable burden Iob 6. 3. Iob saith his grief was heavier then the sand of the Sea If for one sinne Adam was so terrified that he fled from God Gen. 3. 8. what cause of terrour have I maist thou well say to thine owne soule Fiftly How oft thou hast relapsed and fallen backe againe into the same sin that thy heart hath smitten thee for and thou hast repented of and covenanted with God that thou wouldst forsake it returning with the dogge to that thou hast loathed and vomited up 2 Pet. 2. 22. An arme once broken cannot be cured without paine but if often the cure will be more dangerous and painefull If thou hadst broken thy promises and covenants with men thou wouldst count it a matter of infamy and shame unto thee what cause of shame is it then that thou hast broken thy promises unto God See also how this circumstances doth aggravate sinne Eccle. 5. 4. When thou vowest a vow unto God deferre not to pay it for hee hath no pleasure in fouls Sixtly How thou hast by thy sinne corrupted others whereof it may bee some are in Hell already and some in the way to Hâ—ll and thou canst not draw them unto repentance Indeed if thou canst truly repent this shall not hinder thy salvation that thou hast beene a meane of the damning of others for so was Paul Act. 26. 11. Yet must it needs be a heart-breaking to thee whensoever thou dost seriously thinke of it all the dayes of thy life and so was it unto Paul If thou hadst beene the meane to undoe another in his outward estate much more if thou hadst taken away his life it would be a just cause of heavinesse to thee how much more cause of humbling is it that thou hast beene a meane of destroying the soule of any Matth. 18. 7. Woe to the man by whom the offence cometh Ier. 6. 28. they are brasse and iron they are corrupters Seventhly consider the person against whom thou hast sinned Psal. 51. 4. Against thee thee onely have I sinned And consider the Lord 1. in his greatnesse and excellency of power and justice If one man sinne against another saith Ely to his sonnes 1 Sâ—m 2. 25. the judge shall judge him but if a man sinne against the Lord who shall intreat for him 2. But specially in his goodnesse towards thy selfe Consider that that God whom thou hast offendâ—d thou dost not onely live by Act. 17. 28. but also hee is of that gracious difposition that notwithstanding all thy rebellions he would not have thee perish For 1. he is apt to forgive thee upon thy repenâ—ance Esa. 55. 7. 2. He hath proclaimed a generall pâ—rdon and not excluded thee Ioh. 3. 16. but will have it offred unto thee Mar. 16. 15. 3. Hee seâ—kes to thee to be reconciled 2 Cor. 5. 20. 4 He hath done more for thee hee loves thee with the love of a father for to such specially I speake and thou hast received the spirit of adoption whereby thou art able to cry Abba father Rom. 8. 15. Consider well of this and it will have more force to mollifie thy heart then any thing else in the world The sense of our desperate estate without this may make us roare and rave and rage against the Lord like a wild Bull in a net as the Prophet speaketh Esay â—1 20. but nothing will humble the heart so kindly nor make it melt in godly sorrow as the true consideration of this love of God Psal. 130. 4. there is forgivenesse with thee that thou mayest bee feared It was not the crowing of the Cock twice that made Peters heart melt but the gracious looke that Christ cast upon him Luke 22. 61 62. The Lord turned and looked upon Peter then Peter remembred the Word of the Lord and Peter went out and wept bitterly This was that that wrought upon the heart of the prodigall Luk. 15. 18. I will arise and goe to my father and I will say father I have sinned And so must thou say to thine owne heart if ever thou wouldst have it to melt and thine eyes shed teares for thy siâ—nes It is my father my father that I have so offended Say to it as Moses doth to the Iewes Deut. 32. 6. Have I 〈◊〉 requited the Lord O foolish and ungratious wretch that I am Is hee not my father hath he not made mee and established mee The fourth and last thing we must doe to bring our hearts unto this godly sorrow is fervent prayer For thou must 1. complaine to God of the hardnes of thy heart as Esa 63. 17. O Lord why hast thou hardned my heart from thy feare 2. Begge this grace of him and cry to him for it That which the Apostle saith of wisdome may bee said of this grace also Iam. 1. 5. If any of you lacke a soft heart let him aske of God who giveth to all men liberally and upbraideth not and it shall be given him 3. Challeng him with his promise and in a holy reverence charge him with that covenant mentioned Ezek. 36. 26. I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh and I will give you an heart of flesh And Zach. 12. 10. I will poure upon the house of David and upon the inhabitants of Ierusalem the spirit of grace and of supplications and they shall looke upon mee whom they have pierced and they shall mourne for him as one that mourneth for his onely sonne and be in bitternesse for him as one that is in bitternesse for his first borne 4. Bee importunate in this suite as one that will take no nay nor give it over till thou hast obtained it as David Psal. 27. 4. and the woman of Canaan Mat. 15. 27. 5. Waite for an answer and pray still limit not the Lord his time Lâ—ke 18. 1 Wee ought alwayes to pray and not to faint Consider how oft the Lord called upon thee before thou didst answer him and how long hee waited for thee Romans 10. 21. All the day long have I stretched forth my hands unto a disobedient and gaine-saying people Remember that promise Esay 49. 23. They shall not bee ashamed or disappointed that wait for mee SERMON VIII August 2. 1626. IT followeth now that we proceed to â—hew you the signes and notes whereby wee may bee able to discerne whether wee have beene yet rightly humbled for our sinnes whether that sorrow for sinne that we have felt in our selves be unfeigned yea or no whether it be that saving sorrow of Gods elect unto which all these promises of comfort and mercy that we have heard of doe belong And surely it is a matter of great use and necessity to have notes given us out of Gods Word to try our humiliation and sorrow for sinne by First Because as it is certaine our sinnes are not pardoned unlesse we have truly repented of them Act. 5. 31. Christ giveth repentance to
l have sinned and have done wickedly but these sheepe what have they done He knew well that not the sinnes of those that perished in that grievous plague but his owne sinnes had a chiefe hand in provoking GOD unto that judgement So that we see that there is no one man amongst us all that hath not just reason to be affected with GODS judgements upon the Land though himselfe be spared seeing that he is a cause of it as well as they that are smitten and it may be as great a cause as they nay it may be a greater cause than any of them were And this was that that made good Nehemiah cry thus in his prayer unto GOD Neh. 1. 6. Both I and my fathers house have sinned As if he had said that Ierusalem prospers no better I and my fathers house are as great a cause as any other We have heard the Doctrine which this example of David teacheth us delivered and confirmed in a generall manner let us now come to make use of it and to apply it to our owne case and to the occasion of our meeting at this time This Doctrine therefore serveth to exhort us unto two duties 1. That we would labour to take to heart and to be rightly affected with this judgement of GOD that is now upon London and sundry other parts of the Kingdome 2. That when we are rightly affected with it we would make right use of it to our selves For the first You will say it is a needlesse exhortation for who is not affected with this plague who is not affraid of it and wherefore come we hither els if we be not affected with it I answer That none of us I feare are sufficiently affected with it and that this is the fountaine and foundation of all good uses we can make of it either for their benefit that are visited with it or for our selves that we would labour to be affected with this judgement of GOD as we ought to be I will therefore shew you what just causes we have to be deeply affected with this judgement And they are principally three First In respect of the grievousnesse of the judgement it selfe For wee shall finde this called one of GODS sore judgements Ezek. 14. 21. And when the LORD threatens that Hee Himselfe would fight against Ierusalem with an out-stretched hand and a strong arme even in anger and in fury and in great wrath Ier. 21. 5. He tels them in the next Verse how He would do this He would smite the city with a great pestilence Certainly the LORD therefore now fights against our Land yea He fighteth against it in fury and in great wrath Observe foure things in this judgement 1. What a waster it is Psal. 91. 6. it is called the destruction that wasteth at noone-day In a short time even in three dayes it consumed seventy thousand in Israel 2 Sam. 24. 15. A grievous judgement it must needs be when GOD Himselfe matcheth a pestilence of three dayes continuance as a thing of equall force to afflict and destroy with a famine of seven yeares and with flying by the space of three moneths before their enemies that pursued them as we know He doth 2 Sam. 24. 13. And hath not the pestilence that GOD hath now sent into our Land proved a terrible waster when in one weeke in one City it hath swept away three thousand five hundred eighty two 2. Consider how suddenly it takes them away that have beene smitten with it many that were well in the morning have beene dead of it before night it is therefore called the LORDS arrow Psal. 91. 5. It strikes and pierceth men suddenly with a deadly wound and Vers. 6. it is said to walke in darknesse And certainly sudden death though it be not absolutely to be prayed against yet it is to be esteemed a temporall judgement and a signe of GODS anger Let destruction come upon him at unawares saith the Prophet here Vers. 8. It must needs add much to the bitternesse of death when it comes so suddenly that a man can neither commend himselfe to GOD nor set things in order for the world before he die 3. Consider it is such a judgement as oft makes men destroyers of them whom they most love and desire to keepe alive the father setting at unawares the infection upon the child the husband on the wife a man on his dearest friend A great cause of humbling it is for a man to have killed any other man at unawares as you may see by that law Numb 35. 28. and what is it then to have killed them that are dearest to them 4. It is such a sicknesse as doth usually debarre men of many comforts that other sicke persons do enjoy First many that are visited with this sicknesse do want convenient attendance and lodging dying in the streets and high-wayes of whom that may be said Esa. 51. 20. Thy sonnes have fainted they lie at the head of all streets the fury of the LORD the rebuke of thy GOD. Secondly their friends dare not visit them which as it is a worke of mercy so it is a great meanes of comfort to the afflicted and such as CHRIST hath enjoyned us Mat. 25. 36. 3. Whereas none have so much need of spirituall comfort as they because the very disease makes them more subject to terrors and feares than others and is therefore called the terrour by night Psal. 91. 5. they poore wretches can have none to comfort them but may in anguish of soule cry out Lam. 1. 16. The comforter that should relieve my soule is farre from me So that in respect of this first consideration the grievousnesse of the judgement it selfe they may cry to us all and to all GODS people throughout the Land as Lam. 1. 12. Is it nothing to you all ye that passe by Behold and see if there be any sorrow like unto my sorrow wherewith the LORD hath afflicted me in the day of His anger And will you not be affected with it Secondly if this will not serve come to a second cause we have to be deeply affected with it because none of us can tell how farre it may go how neare it may come to our owne dwellings In which respect though we may say as Namb. 16. 46. we are sure wrath is gone out from the LORD the plague is begun yet as the Psalmist saith Psal. 74. 9. There is not amongst us any that knoweth how long it will last or how farre it will spread Let no man say I am farre enough from London I dwell in a good ayre and we have taken good order to prevent all danger of this infectioâ—s disease no carriers shall come from thence to us no Londoners shall lodge amongst us These are good meanes I will not deny if they be used with that compassion that becomes Christians to shew unto them in misery and must not be neglected But all these cannot secure us from
Lord is nigh saith he to them that are of a broken heart If we would strive in our daily prayers when wee make confession of our sinnes to doe it with feeling and not formally it would not onley make our prayers more effectuall with God but keepe our hearts from hardning and bring them to a good temper Luk. 18. 13 14. When the Publican made confession of his sinnes with that feeling smiting upon his breast and saying God be mercifull to mee a sinner It is said â—ee went home to his house justified rather then the other Fourthly This daily accustoming our selves unto this worke of calling our selves to account and afflicting our hearts for our sinnes would make it more easy and familiar unto us when we shall have extraordinary occasion to betake our selves to it That which is said by the Prophet of the Lords chastening of us may fitly be applyed to this chastening of ourselves Lam. 3. 27. It is good for a man that he beare the yoke in his youth and to have beene accustomed to stoop unto and to beare patiently the Lords afflicting hand By this that hath beene said you see it is good for us to be doing somewhat in this worke every day Yet are there five speciall times and seasons that will yeeld us great helpe in this businesse more then other times will doe The first fit time to worke our hearts to godly sorrow is presently after some fall we have received some grosse sinne we have slipped into A great advantage it will be unto us to humble our soules for it presently and without delay For first sinne newly committed may be better knowne and remembred with all the circumstances whereby it is aggravated And that is a great helpe to the humiliation of the soule as wee may perceive in Davids speech Psal. 51. 3. For I acâ—nowledge my transgressions and my siâ—â—e is ever before me Secondly The heart will not be so hardned by sinne that is newly committed but more easily wrought upon and softned then when sin hath lyen long upon it As a bone that is out of joint the longer it is neglected will be set againe with more difficulty and paine A Leopard may as soone leave his spots an Ethiopian his blacknesse as he can do his sinne that hath lyen long in it Ier. 13. 23. Secondly Another fit season for this worke is when wee prepare our selves to renew our covenant with God in the holy Sacrament For 1. at that time God requires of us a speciall care to examine our selves and call to mind our sins and to judge our selves for them else it is not possible we should receive worthily 1 Cor. 11. 28. 29 31. When thou bringest thy gift to the altar saith our Saviour Mat. 5. 23. as at the Lords table we doe offer and present our selves unto God our soules and bodyes as a holy reasonable and lively sacrifice unto him and there remembrest that thy brother hath ought against thee Teaching us that at that time specially we should remember and call to mind what our brother and much more what our heavenly father hath against us 2. At that time men if they have any spark of grace in them are apt to find in themselves some stirrings of their affections unto goodnesse some motions of Gods spirit some dispositions unto devotion and remorse for sinne Ministers that use to deale privately with their people at that time shall find them more easie to be wrought upon and so shal every man his own heart then at other times These good motions should bee followed without delay As it is said that they that lay at the poole of Bethesda stroue to get in so soone as euer the Angell had stirred the water Iohn 5. 4. And Iosuah so soone as God by a vision had stirred him up to search and find out the sinne that had provoked God against Israel Iosh. 7. 16. went without delay immediatly about it So should we doe in this case When we feele God begins to soften our hearts and to stirre up these good dispositions to devotion in us then should wee set our selves seriously to this worke of calling to mind our sinnes and bringing our hearts to sorrow for them For 1. when God stirs up such motions he knocks at the doore of our hearts and sheweth himselfe willing to enter in Rev. 3. 20. 2. Satan will bee ready to quench the spirit in these good motions As it is said he watched the infant to devoure it so soone as ever it should be borne Rev. 12. 4. Thirdly The dayes and times wee set apart for fasting and prayer upon whatsoever just occasion are a most fit season for us to goe about this work For 1. we find Gods people have had their hearts wonderfully softned at such times The Israelites in the fast that they kept for successe against Benjamin came into the house of God and wept Iudg. 20. 26. And in the fast they kept as Mispeh they wept so abundantly that they are said 1 Sam. 7. 6. to have drawne water as by buckets full out of their hearts and to have poured it out before the Lord. 2. This exercise of a religious fast is a great help and furtherance to this work As wee see heere in Davids example Psal. 35. 13. I humbled my selfe with fasting 69. 10. I wept and chastened my soule with fasting Fourthly When any judgements of God lye heavy upon our selves or our brethren that is a fit season to goe about this work When these men were in misery David fell heere to afflicting of his soule Psal. 35. 13. For 1. the Lord by every one of his judgements doth testify from Heaven that he hath matter against us as Naoâ—i saith Ruth 1. 21. Why doe you call mee Naomi seeing the Lord by taking away my husband and my children hath testified against me and the Almighty hath afflicted me 2. God by his judgements doth call upon us to examine our wayes and humble our selves before him Hag. 1. 5 6 7. Now therefore saith the Lord of Hosts coâ—sider your wayes yee have sowen much and brought in liâ—le thus saith the Lord of Hosts consider your wayes And Esa. 22. 12. In that day did the Lord God of Hosts call to weeping and to mourning 3. God by his judgements softneth the hearts of men and worketh in them more remorse more pronenesse and aptnes to repent then at other times Iob 23. 16. God maketh my heart soft saith Iob and the Almighty troubleth mee A man shall find himselfe fitter to pray then then at other times and we should take the advantage and opportunity of this time for it Iam. 5. 13. Is any afflicted let him pray This hath beene oft seene even in many notable hypocrites who how profane soever their hearts have beene at other times yet in their affliction have found in themselves a disposition to pray and to repent Psal. 78. 34. When he slew them then they sought him