refused Pro. 1.24 because I stretched out my hand and none would regard but ye have despised all my counselle and yee would none of my correction I will also laugh at your destruction and mocke when your feare commeth when your feare commeth like sudden desolation and your destruction as a whirlewind There was a time when the Lord called to all despisers of grace and refusers of mercie how long and how often but they that would not heare the time will come when the Lord will say I will laugh at your destruction when a poore sinnefull creature at the day of judgement shall come before the Lord of glory the devill drawing him and then the Lord shall laugh at him and say how often have I sent unto you and called upon you and you would not heare nor regard me Behold men and Angels this is the man this is hee that contemned my Word and slighted the meanes of salvation and therefore laugh at him mocke at his destruction Oh what will become of that man then when the Lord of mercy shall not onely take mercy from him when the God of goodnesse shall not onely take goodnesse from him but shall laugh at his confusion and shall rejoyce when hee executes his judgements upon this man to his everlasting destruction and therefore I beseech you take heede of this dangerous conceit The fourth shift is this if all will not work upon the soule then it falls upon this is it so that grace and mercie being neglected they shall never be obtained why then it takes up this conclusion if I never have grace and mercy then I can live without it oh foole if there were any creature of this distemper in this congregation I may speake terrible things unto that soule when a man is brought to this passe that he cares not what becomes of his soule when hee sayes what matter is it if I have not grace is this such a losse When a soule is come to this oh then he is in a miserable cōdition in a woefull lamentable estate is it no matter to be saved is it no matter to be comforted is it no matter to be glorified eternally what matter is it to lose grace Nay what availeth it to live frolickely here and miserably hereafter What matter is it to neglect grace here and to be deprived of glory hereafter is this no matter Let me say to you as the man of God did to his servant 2 Kings 5.26 2 King 5.26 Is this a time to take money and receive garments and olives and vineyards and sheepe and oxen So say I is this a time to live frolickely and merrily Is this a time for a man to follow cursed companions and embrace sinnefull corruptions is this a time for a man to follow the world and the vanities thereof and in the meane time neglect the meanes of life and salvation No no know it is the day of God the day of grace our soules lie at pawne if these opportunities be omitted woe and griefe and paine and wormewood will be upon that man by whom they be neglected he that despiseth these meanes here shall live miserably hereafter everlasting happinesse and glory depends upon this opportunitie tell not me it is a day of marchandise and you must provide for your families I tell you it is a day of salvation hast thou time to provide for thy house and familie and not for thy soule and for thy ever lasting happinesse So then gather up all briefely and the scope will be this it is now the most opportune time and therefore the fittest it is the day of salvation therefore the shortest it is the day of visitation and therefore the greatest commoditie the opportunity is the fittest the day is the shortest the commoditie the greatest and what remaineth now but that the Lord will worke this upon your soules that he which spake this to Ierusalem whilst he lived on earth may speake the same to you though now in glory and perswade your hearts to entertaine this opportunitie to make use of this day and embrace this commoditie But if all meanes will not perswade men hereunto then the last use is an use of exhortation unto us all to pitty the case of such men and to shew remorse for the desolation of those that neglect the meanes of their salvation If wee cannot perswade you yet give us leave to mourne for you if our perswasions will not take place in your soules yet I hope you will give us leave to goe in secret and let our eyes droppe downe teares for the miserable desolation that will fall upon those that neglect the meanes of life and happinesse you must not thinke to passe thorough Purgatory you must not thinke to goe to heaven whither you will or no me thinks I see a poore creature that slighted mercy salvation when it was offered unto him me thinkes I see that soule lying upon his death bed light is departing from his eyes his soule is departing from his body his body is a burthen to him in regard of his disease and his conscience a hell unto him in regard of his sinnes oh the name of a Minister of a Church they are all as bills of inditements comming against the soule of this man me thinkes I heare such a man say at his last gaspe the day is gone the gate is shut and now it is too late to enter and thus the soule departs from the body the body to the grave and the soule to hell Oh what bitter and wofull lamentations will that soule make when it comes in hell Oh the golden time that I have seene and not regarded oh the gracious opportunities of salvation that my eyes have beheld and yet I neglected Oh the mercy and grace and goodnesse of God that have been offered unto me and I have contemned and trampled under my feet and therfore now must be tormented with the devil his angels from ever lasting to everlasting on the Lord give us hearts to take notice of these things If we cannot doe what good we would to men yet let us lament their miserable conditions wives mourne for your husbands parents mourne for your children and say the Lord hath offered the meanes of salvation both profitable and comfortable yet my husband heares not my child receives not these meanes why then mourne and lament oh my poore husband oh my child thou mightest have had grace but now it is taken from thee thou hadst the offer of salvation and now perhaps it shall never again be tendered to thee but if mercy cannot prevaile with you nor the voyce of the Ministers take place in you yet let the saftie and comfort of your owne soules move you to make much of the opportunities and meanes of grace and salvation Let every master of a family goe home and resolve and say this is my day Lord this very day may be my day and thy day the
Luke 10. 〈…〉 when our Saviour Christ sent out his Disciples to prepare way for himselfe he saith into what house soever ye enter say first peace be unto this house and if the sonne of peace be there your peace shall rest upon it if not it shall turne to you againe By peace is meant here all prosperity whatsoever all good temporall and eternall it was the manner of the â—â—lutation of the Hebrews to say Peace be unto you therin including all good things whatsoever now saith the Text if the house be worthy that is if the house be truely disposed if the son of peace be there that is he which hath a soule so disposed towards peace as a Son is towards his Father that is he that desires peace upon that Soule peace shall rest a blessing shall be upon that soule but if the house be not worthy that is if the heart will not receive the Gospell of Salvation if the Sonne of peace be not there if he be a rebell against God and against peace in this kind then let your peace returne to you againe there is no footing for Salvation in the soule of that man that refuseth the Gospell and the meanes of Salvation which God hath tendered and as our Saviour Christ before he comes in doth knocke at the doore that he may come in so whensoever the doore is opened Reve. 3.20 he will come in Reve. 3.20 there saith the Text Behold I stand at the doore and knocke if any man will heare my voice and open the doore I wil come in to him and suppe with him and he with me The doore is the heart if the doore be opened if the will be opened to prize and entertaine Christ then Christ and his Father will come into that soule and dwell with it for ever and refresh it with all spirituall comfort and in the 15. of Luke Luk. 15.17.18 the 17 and 18 verses when the Prodigall sonne was returning to his Father when hee saw that hee was in misery and how the case stood with him no body succoured nor releeved him he returned to himselfe saith the text and reasoneth thus with himselfe How many hired servants in my fathers house have bread enough and to spare but I perish with hunger as who should say Now I know what it is to be â—n a fathers family here no man considers meeâ— no man regards me or respects me and though I bee 〈◊〉 sonne yet there are many in my fathers house which are but servants which have bread enough â—ut I though a sonne have want of all things and â—m ready to famish here is the prize now that hee â—utteth upon a fathers house hee thinkes now it is good to be in a fathers house hee thinks now oh â—he provision and love of a father happy are they that have it blessed are they that doe enjoy it and when hee had set this prize upon his fathers house Then he ariseth and saith I will go to my Father and say Father I have sinned against heaven and against thee and am no more worthy to be called thy sonne make me as one of thy hyred servants Then the soule doth put a prize upon Christ and returneth to him when it seeth the excellency that is in him The father of the Prodigall sonne when he saw this that his sonne returned unto him and humbled himselfe and confessed his fault he made much of him The Prodigall had a purpose a will a desire to come to his father And assoone as his father saw him afarre off he went out to meete him and fell on his necke and kissed him and made much of him and commanded to bring forth the bestrâ—be put it on him put a ringâ— on his hand and shooes on his feete The Prodigall is a sinner and hee that is enlightned so farre forth as to see his wretchednesse and is able to set a prize upon the mercy of Christ hee that hath runne away from God the base sinfull wretch that never made any account of the word if the Lord hath awakned his hâ—â—rt so farre forth as that heâ— can set a high prize upon the word and say I wondered heretofore 〈◊〉 see men runne to sermons so fast and make such hast to the house of God when the bels rnuge woe is me I could never doe so but oh happy are they 〈◊〉 and blessed are they that did so 〈◊〉 oh one promise now is worth a world now the assurance of the forgivenesse of sinnes is worth all the world besides when the soule of a poore sinner begiâ— thus to prize Christ and resolves to go to Christ and expects mercy from him then the Lord seeth this soule a farre off and is resolved to give entertainement to it to afford comfort thereunto But you will say what is the reason of it that if a maâ— wils Christ and salvation he shall have it I answer the reasons hereof are three The first is this because the Lord requires no more at the hands of a poore sinner nay the Lord Iesus is fully contented when the soule commeth to give entertainment to him this alone will give contentment wholy to the Lord Iesus Christ It is the meaning of that speech of the Wiseman in the Prov. My sonne give me thy heart by heart in that place is not meant the substance of the soule as it was created of God this is not that which God looketh for but My sonne give me thy heart that is let the actions of thy heart bee set upon mee prize mee and choose me this is that with which the Lord is contented nay it is the maine thing with which the Lord is fully pleased In the 5. of Deut. 29. Deut. 5.29 when the people heard the voyce of Moses and were â—esolved to yeeld obedience to Gods Commandements they sayd Whatsoever the Lord hath spoken by thee that will we doe when the Lord heard that â—hey would attend and obey his word which hee â—oke by his servant Moses these are very good words saith the Lord But oh that there were such a â—eart in them to feare mee and keepe my Commandements alwayes that it might bee well with them and with their children for ever God hee tooke their outward profession and appearance in good part but oh that there were such a heart this strikes all dead this gives God full content and therefore we shall observe that when all other things are weake in us though there be many failings and many distempers in a poore soule yet when the heart is sound and sincere that is that which giveth the Lord full contentment hee goeth away fully satisfied with that In the 2. of Chron. 15.17 2 Chron. 15.17 there the text saith of Asa that hee did not take away the high places out of Israel neverthelesse the heart of Asa was perfect all his dâ—yes though he failed in many things yet his heart was perfect and upright and
Vse III. It is of Exhortation to labour to get out of thy naturall estate p. 119. The meanes p. 121 EZECH 11.19 Doct. THe taking away of the indisposition of the soule to any good duty and the fitting of a soule to performe any spirituall service is the alone worke of God p. 132 The Reasons why the Lord onely can doe it vid. p. 135 Vse I. It is an use of Instruction to shew you that this worke of preparing a sinner to entertaine Christ it is a worke of marvellous difficultie p. 145 Vse II. It is a ground of comfort to support the hearts of those that are hard hearted p. 147 Vse III. It is of exhortation to those that carry a stonie heart about them to have recourse to God p. 149 LVKE 19.42 Doct. THat while life is continued and the meanes of grace afforded to a people is the season wherein God meaneth to worke the heart to receive life and salvation p. 160 Vse I. Instruction to be thankefull to the Lord for the enjoyment of the meanes of salvation p. 168 Vse II. Exhortation to pitty the estate of such men that neglect the meanes of salvation p. 185 MATTH 20.3 4 5 6. Doct. THat God can and doth call in all ages some in their younger some in their riper some in their old age p. 192 FINIS PREPARING FOR CHRIST Iohn 6.44 No man can come unto me except the Father which hath sent me draw him and I will raise him up at the last day FOr the application of the merits and obedience of Christ Iesus to the soule of a poore sinner and for the enjoying of the same there are two things mainly observable First the soule must be prepared for the Lord Iesus and secondly it must be ingrafted and implanted into Christ Iesus before it can be made partaker of the saving grace and salvation in Christ contained and from Christ communicated to those that love and feare his name Now concerning this great work of preparation wherein is the 〈◊〉 of a Christian for if the heart bee but prepared the Lord will then suddenly come into his Temple as the Prophet Malachy speakes Now this preparation consists of two parts First the dispensation of Gods gracious work upon the soule of a poore sinner Secondly the frame and disposition that God works upon the soule in converting it to himselfe Vpon these two hangs the maine work of preparation and herein lyeth the great drift of a Christian for the mercy of God is very free but we cannot make men fit to receive this mercy And therefore in preparation hereunto wee must apprehend two things somewhat must prepare secondly somewhat must be prepared he that doth prepare is the Lord he that doth receive the work and is prepared is the soules of those whom God hath elected to salvation So that as I said before something on Gods part must bee observed something on mans part must be considered on Gods part the dispensation of his work and on mans part the disposition that is wrought in the soule I come â—o the first thing which is the maine thing to be 〈◊〉 out of the Text namely the manner 〈◊〉 God worketh upon the soule when hee prepares 〈…〉 himselfe and this discovereth it selfe in two particulars we will handle them both together 〈◊〉 God doth pluck a poore sinner from his corruptions and darling sinnes to which he was glued and fastned and secondly as he draweth the soule from sinne so he draweth it to himselfe to beleeve in him and to receive mercy from him First God plucks the soule from sinne secondly he drawes it to the Lord Iesus And for this purpose wee have chosen this text that so we may have some footing for that which we speak out of Scripture and my purpose is not to handle all particulars in the Text which are many but to choose those that do concerne our present purpose and best fit us in our proceeding And the two maine points which I meane to discover out of the Text are these First that every man in his naturall condition is fastened and settled in the state of sinne and corruption Secondly that the Lord by a holy kind of violence plucks off the soule from sin and draweth it to himselfe These are the two things which in the Text I aime at but the second is the main thing I look at we must handle them both because the drawing of a thing from another implyeth that the thing which is drawn was fastned to some thing from whence it is to be drawne and therefore when the Lord saith he will draw a poore sinner to himselfe it implyes that wee were stuck fast and glued to our corruptions from whence we must be drawne and when this is once done then the face is towards heaven towards Zion then it is fitted to receive mercy from the Lord Iesus and because this drawing unto God doth imply a fastning of the soule unto sinne from whence it must be drawne the point therefore is this namely that every mans naturall estate and condition is fastned and settled and riveted to his sinnes and corruptions a poore creature by nature is not onely ingrafted into sinne but he is rooted into the rebellions of Adam and is growne strong with sinfull corruptions and distempers of his owne soule nay a man is not able to expresse the strong combination betweene sinne and the soule it is scrued into sinne and riveted into corruptions which have beene convaied thereunto and derived from our first parents and that the soâ—â—le is thus fastned and settled and glued to sinne wee may observe it in two particulars Partly in the dominion that sinne and Satan hath over the soule Partly in the amity that the soule hath to sinne First then consider the dominion that sinne hath over the soule that soveraigne and uncontroulable command which sinne exerciseth over the soule of every poore creature under heaven which is in a naturall estate in the bond of iniquity and under the power of Satan and we shall see that the soule is fastened to sinne Acts 26.18 the text saith that they are under the power of Satan To open their eyes saith the text that they may turne from darknesse to light and from the power of Satan to God If you aske me how the Devill hath power over poore sinners the Apostle telleth you That he catcheth them at his pleasure the proud man must go no further than he will and the covetous man must do nothing but that which he list but this is not all neither though this be sufficient to discover the power that Satan hath over the soule of a sinner but when hee hath thus taken a poore soule and fettered him in this case he then shuts him up in prison Tim. 2.2.26 there the next saith that the divell takes poore sinners prisoners at his will Gal. 3.22 it is said that all men by nature are under the law shut up under sinne it
is a phrase taken from prisoners a prisoner that is under the hand of the jaylor and hath his legges settered and is shut up in prison we use to say that such a man is sure enough And not only so sinne and Satan have not only taken a poore prisoner and settered him and shut him up in prison but they have slaine him and taken away his life also and therefore now sinne musts needs he fastened deep in the soule of a poore sinner If a theefe or a Traytor were apprehended and convicted and imprisoned and had bolts and fetters upon him and further if he were condemned and hang'd drawne and quarter'd then though the partie were never so resolute or his practises never so outragious yet â—en might say now he is sure enough now he will steale no more nor plot treason any more just so it is with the soule of a poore sinner every man naturally is so farre forth under the power of sinne and Satan that he is not only surprised and taken by Satan but his sinnes are as so many bolts and fetters about him nay he is shut up in prison nay further sinne hath slaine him out right in so much that a man may as soone pluck hell from the place where it is as pluck a poore sinner out of his corruptions The devill hath not only taken a poore sinner but he hath fetterd him and imprisoned him and taken away his life and therefore now the devill hath him sure enough as we may so speâ—l he is now firmly fastned unto sinne This is the first passage adde to this the second As the dominion of sinne over the soule is great so also that same land of league and close kind of firme fastning that same union that is betweene the soule and corruptions is marvellous great The Scripture never enough expresseth the love that is between sinne and the soule look what love and union there is between the husband and the wise Rom. â— 2 there faith the text the woman which is in subjection to a man is bound to the man while he liveth the one must die before the other can marry such is the union between sinne and the soule a poore sinne is married and given over to sinne in so much that before the Lord conquers and slayeth sinne the soule is never free Nay further look as the members are to the body such is sinne to the soule Collos 3.5 mortifie your members which are on earth saith the Apostle as fornication uncleannesse inordinate affection and the like nay sinne is called the old man in Scripture as if sinne were another man in us there is a head of sinne and an eye of sinne and a hand of sinne and a foot of sinne in every sinfull creature it is as another man within him Nay to go further Matth. 16.24 there sinne is called a mans selfe there saith our Saviour let a man deny himselfe and take up his crosse and follow mee let him deny himselfe that is let him deny his pride and his other sinfull distempers and abominations I tell you a naturall mans sinnes are as neere unto him as his own life he will part with his own bloud before he will part with his corruptions nay his sinnes are himselfe they are so fast and so firmely setled unto him that you may as easily pluck selfe from selfe as a man from his sinnes So then if it be so that the dominion that Satan hath over the soule of a sinner is the strongest of all other if the union betweene sinne and the soule be the firmest of all other then it is cleare that every naturall man sticks fast in sinne he is bound hand and foot in sinne sinne and a man makes but one man and therefore it musts needs be a hard thing to pluck a man from his sinfull distempers so that then the case is cleare every man is informed of this that the soule is fastned and glued and firmely setled unto sinne we will now proceed unto the use of the poynt And first for instruction 1 Vse we may here see that wofull servitude and base slavery that all poore creatures are in if they be no better by grace than they are by nature though they carry it out never so bravely and lift up their heads never so high and think their penny good silver yet their servitude is of all other the worst and their vassalage of all other in the world the basest There was never poore soule stuck so fast in a pit of clay wherein was no bottome as a poore soule sticketh in his sinnes and corruptions You have heard of the house of bondage that the Israelites were in when they were in Aegygt how miserably they were afflicted and tormented by the hands of unreasonable Tyrants how they were forced to gather their straw and then to scorch themselves in the fiery furnace to make brick You have heard of Ieâ—eâ—â—ie in the dungeon how ho stuck fast in the mire and 〈◊〉 and could have no ease untill Evil merodach came and delivered him You have heard of the Mill that Samson grinded in after the Philistims had put out his eyes that they should then put him as a horse to grind in the Mill. You would think it marvellous irksome and troublesome to be thus oppressed by unreasonable men I tell you the house of bondage that the Israelites were in was a heaven it was a Paradise to that slavery that bondage that servitude that vassalage which every poore sinner is in under sinne and Satan nay Samsons Mill was an excellency it was a glory to that slavery which every poore sinner is faine to performe to be at Satans call and to be at the devils command if he bid a man to be proud then he must be proud if the divell command a man to be covetous then he must obey him and go like an Oxe to the slaughter and a Foole to the stocks to do whatsoever sinne and Satan bids him what a base slavery and servitude is this Ieremie in the dungeon it was a delight to be there where he might look up to heaven and leave the desires of his soule with God but for a poore soule to be in the dungeon of his sinnes where his mind cannot be enlightned â—or his judgement informed where hee can see nothing nor know nothing where there is no help where all the men on earth nor all the Angels of heaven cannot help him what a wofull miserable wretched condition is this Oh that God would open mens eyes and set open the consciences of those that look so high and bragge of their priviledges Many men boast of their base courses and wicked practises as if a thiefe should brag of his chaines and fetters this is a wofull misery many creatures make this a great part of their liberty that they can break all bonds and snap all cords in peeces and cast the holy commandements of God behind their backs
hee will bee made fit for mercy Vse 2 The next use is a word of terrour it discovers the fearefull estate and wofull condition that those men are in which purpose to set themselves against that work of preparation which God meaneth for to work upon the soules of men Is this the work of the Lord that hee doth by an holy kind of violence draw a sinner from corruption to himselfe out of the bowells of his compassion what then shall we think and judge of those men that use all meanes and all slights that employ their wits to draw sinners from God to sinne is it Gods great work his Master-piece the greatest good that hee intends for his people to pluck them from their corruptions and draw them to himselfe what then wil become of those men that go professedly against God and oppose the work of God in this kind if there be any such persons here as I doubt there are many such in the congregation I tell you if God be an holy God then thou art an unholy man if God bee mercifull to poore sinners to save them then thou art cruell to damne them if God bee a gracious God and would draw poore sinners from sinne unto himselfe then thou art a gracelesse man and in a miserable condition that wouldst draw poore soules from God to hell and yet do no our townes swarme with such wretches and are not our villages pestered with such ungracious miscreants such as the wise man in the Proverbs speaketh of that eat the bread of wickednesse and drink the bloud of violence and they cannot sleep unlesse they cause some to fall the God of heaven open these mens eyes and awaken their consciences that they may see their wretched estate such as eat the bread of wickednesse and drink the wine of violence unlesse they can get such a man to bee drunk with them and such a woman to play the whore with them and such a fellow to couzen and cheat their hearts cannot be at quiet they are not at rest in this case their sleep departeth from their eyes unlesse they cause some to fall if the Lord let in a light into the soule of a sinner and discover unto him that he is in a wrong way and that hee must take up a better course if the Lord by the cords of mercy seeke to prevaile with a sinner nay if he lay the hooks of conscience upon a sinner to pluck him from sinne to himselfe there are a company that are mad the contrary way and they labour to cut the cords of mercy and breaketh the hookes of conscience and labour to hale a poore sinner downe to hell and destruction nay wicked men have invented cord against cord and hook against hook in this kind the devill hath his factors and his brokers under him which lay cords upon poore sinners to withdraw them from the Lord to sinne as God plucks heaven-ward so they pluck to hell-ward nay they have a cord for a cord God hath not so many cords to pluck from sinne to himselfe but they have as many to pluck men from God to sinne and into the paths of ungodlinesse that they may perish for ever the Lord hath mercies to allure and they have profits and pleasures to perswade and entice the Lord hath the hooks of conscience to awaken and they have base shifts this way also I will therefore discover these two things first the cunning of men in this course secondly the miserable condition that they are in which continue in this course I take it they are in the most wofull and wretched estate of any men under heaven First to see the cunning of sinners in this kind they will work upon the heart and draw the soule and cut Gods cords and break Gods bonds that God may not draw a poore sinner from sinne to himselfe they have a cord for a cord and a hook for a hook in this kind First if God let in the light of knowledge into the understanding of a poore sinner a young man perhaps receiveth direction by the word that hee is not in the right way the spirit that calls after him and tells him he is wrong and saies this is the good ancient way walk in it when the Lord lets in the light thus into the soule of a sinner and reveales the good way to him when the Lord thus turneth a man out of the mouth of the Lyon and paw of the Beare then happily he goes into a corner and mournes for his sinnes and resolves to forsake them hee will not keep company with his old companions but seeks God alwayes and prayes to God continually Now mark what hooks they apply to pull him off from this good course they use a company of carnall reasons to perswade him to the contrary when the master father or husband seeth that God is drawing his wife or his servant or his child unto himselfe why then the towne is in an uproare as if there were some fire in the towne mark what the husband saies my wife was wont to be carefull to go about her businesse but now shee leaves all at six and seven and is so precise that she is alwayes praying or poring upon a booke The child hee thinks his father distracted his father perhaps gives him a strict charge not to prophane the Sabbath any more no more gaming now sirra no more sporting now the child wonders at this and stands amazed he admires what is become of his father hee was wont to suffer him to do these things without any controulment and because now he commands him the contrary he thinks his father is out of the right way And as the child is to the father so is the father to the child if the understanding of the child be enlightned and he be creeping to salvation if hee will not do as he did in former times if hee will not runne on in those wicked practises which hee did before then the father thinks his sonne is undone his sonne was wont to yeeld obedience to him and hee was wont to have service from him but now hee is growne so curious and exact that he expects no goodnesse from him hee can look for nothing to be done by him I now give him over for lost and as their hearts are thus troubled so they pluck with a kind of violence from God as God plucks to himselfe so they labour to pluck a poore soule from God and they begin to chide taunt and chafe and brawle what say they will you alwayes be reading and will you alwayes be praying I warrant you think your mother and I are not in the right way because we doe not as you doe you thought heretofore such a man to be an honest man and your friend also and yet hee doth not do thus as you do nor you your selfe were not wont to do thus in former times neither Thus mark what cords they lay upon a man that hath
will buy house and land and make it his owne for ever he first chooseth that house and land and then hee resolves to keepe it for ever and never part with it againe and if hee part from it or sell it againe then he is sayd to refuse it as well as to choose it and the stomach that chooseth meate when it hath such liking to any dyer that it openeth it selfe and receiveth it and closeth with it then we are sayd to will and choose Christ when we see the worth of Christ and take him before all and fasten upon him to make him our owne for ever when wee take such delight in him that we will not be freed from him but desire that he may be for our soules and our soules for him forever this is to will the Lord Iesus So then to gather up all when the soule priseth Christ as the chiefest of all when it chooseth him above all when the soule answerablely giveth up it selfe to Christ that Christ may take possession of it and never sever from it then a man doth will Christ Iesus heartily So that by this time we see the nature of the point and the English of the Doctrine is thus much the soule that seeth the worth of Christ and chooseth him above all things and closeth with him that soule willeth Christ Iesus But now heere a question may arise you may aske mee whether a man can will Christ and grace thus naturally out of the power of nature I answere no it is beyond the power of man to will Christ and grace naturally it is the free gift of God as it is the Lord which must give grace so it is the Lord that must give the will to receive grace what availeth all the water in the Sea if we have no vessell to receive it what avayleth it to have meate if wee have no stomach to digest it what avayleth it to have the fountaine of grace set open unto us if we have no vessels no hearts to receive it if we have no stomach to digest it all is worth nothing therfore the doctrine of the Scripture is compared to raine the raine which falleth upon a rock remaineth not but presently slides off so it is here the fountaine of grace is set open to every one that heareth the Word this day but if you have no vessels to receive no wills to embrace it no heart to entertaine it all this mercy of God grace of God love of God will fall downe at your feete you may carry away some words in your mouthes but unlesse you have a will to receive grace it will never dwell in your hearts it is impossible that the soule should receive grace and Salvation by the Lord Iesus unlesse it hath a will to entertaine him for common sence telleth us that those actions that have relation one to another cannot bee done one without the other no man can buy unlesse another will sell no man can take or receive any thing unlesse another will give it and bestow it upon him Christ cannot be bestowed upon us and given unto us unlesse wee have a will to receive him there is no giving of a thing unlesse there bee a taking and receiving of it Christ will not be a guest with us unlesse he bee entertained by us If a man should come unto an Inne and aske for lodging if the Host of the Inne tell him that the Inne is full and there is no roome for him and thereupon hee goes his way this man cannot be sayd to be a guest unto that Inne but that hee onely offered himselfe to bee a guest so it is here there is no soule that ever can or shall receive Christ as a guest to himselfe unlesse he be content to make roome for Christ and bee a receiver of him Christ will never come with salvation or comfort unto thy heart unlesse thou hast a will to entertaine him if our willing of Christ bee that which makes roome for Christ then it must go before the entertaining of Christ but the willing of Christ is that which makes roome for Christ and therefore it must goe before the entertaining of him So then the case is cleare and the point evident that a man must will to receive Christ before hee shall have Christ and grace and salvation by him The use of the point is threefold the first is for reproofe must a man have a will to receive Christ and grace before hee can receive Christ and grace then this condemneth that carnall conceit of a company of poore deluded persons in the world that thinke they may receive grace upon other conditions than the word hath revealed upon other conditions than Christ ever made agreement with them this conceit it is mervailous common it is a generall fault in all carnall professors they thinke to goe to heaven nay they make no doubt of it they thinke they have grace and why because they say so and professe so and therefore it must needs be so because a man can say hee beleeves and would have grace and wils to receive Christ therefore out of all question it must needes be so grace must needes be given them they cannot be without grace because they say they have it and if a man presse upon them and say the truth is the world knowes it that you live in base courses a common swearer you are a covetous wretch a base usurer that loves your money more than God true say they all flesh is grasse and in many things we sinne the Lord give us of his grace and for give us our sinnes and I hope he will doe so and this will make up the breach presently nothing but repent and say Lord have mercy upon us and then all will be well it is true if you can but truely repent all will be well indeede your sinnes shall bee forgiven you but now you talke of cost you must do more than say so you must do so likewise but thus a thousand poore soules goe to hell hood-winckt after this fashion they have invented a shorter cut to heaven they have invented a new way a backe doore to heaven and happinesse more than the word ever discovered But let any soule make this conceit good in Scripture and then I will beleeve them but if it be so that they cannot make it good by the word of God then know that if you continue in it your soules will be damned Is it thus in the word hee that saith hee hath grace hath grace if a man professe grace he cannot bee without grace no no it is not thus in Scripture the text saith He that wils grace that is hee that hath a heart to receive grace he shall have grace not hee that saith and professeth that he hath grace but hee that wils it you must not bring your tongues to talke of grace and your heads to thinke of grace but you must bring your hearts to will grace
not doe this I will doe nothing for eternall life this is that God expects all that he lookes for Every man that will let him take grace and mercy and that freely In the 2 of King 5.13 the text saith of Naaman the â—â—â—irian 2 King 5.13 when hee came to Elisha the man of God to bee healed the Prophet sent a messenger unto him saying Goe and wash seven times in Iordan and thy flesh shall come againe to thee and thou shalt bee cleane Now hee being a man of authority and of some place he tooke this somewhat in disdaine that hee should send a messenger out unto him and bid him wash seven times in Iordan hee was wrath and went away and sayd Behold I thought hee would surely come out to me and stand and call upon the name of the Lord his God and stroke his hand over the place and remoove the Leper hee did thinke the Prophet would have done some great matter unto him and therefore when hee saw that he bid him goe wash seaven times in Iordan he went away in a kind of indignation but then his servants they came neare to him in the 13. 2 King 5 13. verse and said My father if the Prophet had bid thee c. As who should say if you will not doe so small a matter to be cured you will doe nothing So I say to every soule here present if the Lord had required a great matter of us whereby we might attaine salvation if hee had required a thousand Rams 10. thousand rivers of Oyle if he had required the first borne of our body for the sinne of our soules if the Lord had enjoyned every soule of us to live howling crying all the dayes of our life for mercy if hee had commanded us to goe into a Chamber secretly and there to fall upon our knees and pray unto him continually for mercy untill our eyes had failed with looking up to heaven for mercy untill our hands had beene wearied with holding them up to heaven untill our tongues had beene hoarse with crying for mercy and untill our hearts failed us and fainted within us if at the very last gaspe wee should be crying for mercy and did 〈◊〉 then receive one drop of it it would quit cost it would be worth our labour if the Lord had required all things whatsoever of you for one drop of mercy if you had had your eyes about you yâ—â— would have given them but what a wonderfull goodnesse is this that the Lord should require nothing at our hands for Christ and grace and salvation but a will to receive them let me presse this a little further if God had required a great thing of you would you not have done it to have beene saved how much more when it commeth to this once that it is at a lower rate then wee can desire or expect it should bee onely be willing to take mercy and you shall have it doe but carry away grace and it is your owne for ever I cannot conceive of any easier tearme whereby God might better expresse his wonderfull goodnesse towards us wilt thou receive Christ and salvation by himâ— why then thou mayst have him nay the Lord even forceth his commodities and his favour upon us he doth not onely offer us this but he forces it upon us in this kind he is not onely willing that we should receive Christ if wee be but willing to take him but the Lord himselfe doth beseech us that wee will be reconciled unto him and receive mercy from him and be blessed for ever Take notice of this unmatchable and unconceiveable mercy of the Lord in that he offereth Christ and the meanes of salvation upon so easie conditions and at so low a rate if wee can but will Christ wee shall have Christ and salvation by him nay we shall not onely receive Christ if we will entertaine him but the Lord himselfe doth beseech us to take mercy at his hands aske your owne soules therefore if it bee not equall that you should entertaine the offer of Christ thus pronounced unto you But be â—â—les as a further motive hereunto consider that as the termes are equall and easie so the commodity also in the second place is worth the price and this may also inforce our hearts to forsake all for the getting of the possession of this goodnesse which wee stand so in neede of if the commodity were not good though the condition were caste and the price reasonable it were theâ— indeed something wee could thinke to mend ourselves in another place but here as the termes are most easie so the good is farre better than can bee conceived you cannot mend yourselves goe whither you will use what meanes you will If you will have Christ what then will you have as men use to say when a man hath a commodity offered him a good penny worth and hee knowes not a good bargainâ— when he hath it marke what Chapmen will say Oh say they you will goe further and speed worse just so it is here it is the woefullâ—â—â— thing under heaven for â—en not to know when they have a good bargainâ— and when they are weâ— dealt withall To refuse mercy and salvation when it is offered them and that upon so easie termes and at so low a rate for what will you have if you will not have Christ if you will nor have grace and salvation why what will you have upon what will you bestow your hearts you will have your sinnes and corruptions and not grace and mercy you will have damnation and not salvation you will have hell you will not have heaven you will be like the Iewes who refused Christ and chose Barrabas a murtherer for whensoever a soule refuseth the Lord Iesus it is certaine that he chooseth a Barrabas if you refuse the one you must needes receive the other and then consider which is best you will not have Christ and salvation what will you then have hell damnation confusion and destruction you will not bee happy and therefore you must bee miserable and therefore this is observeable the Lord hath sent from heaven this day and offered salvation and happinesse to men as freely as ever any man had any thing offered I come this day from the Lord to enquire how the case standeth and how the match goeth forward betweene Christ and you Let me therefore goe to your soules and answer you mee unto my question the offer of grace you see is free the condition is easie the price is reasonable whither now will you have mercy and salvation or no you little ones you young ones that have beene married to profits and pleasures to lusts and corruptions the Lord Iesus is become a great suter to you all this day and I am Christs spoksman to speake a good word for him be not oh bee not squeamish and coy and say afterward you will speake with him and tell him how
your minde stands deferre not the time but welcome him and give entertainment unto him now presently do not put him off with delayes but presently embrace his kinde offer and be married unto him for if you will not now take him he will come in a flaming fire hereafter to take vengeance of you all that now refuse and reject him and therefore I beseech you let 〈◊〉 get your good will for this every man that will let him take grace and salvation freely tell mâ—â— then will you have mercy and salvation oh take heed of refusing it for if you do the time will come when you shall never have it though you never so earnestly desire it if you obtaine it you are made for ever if you enjoy it not you are for ever damned returne therefore I beseech you a comfortable answere to the demand which the Lord maketh if you will receive grace and Christ and Salvation from him then speake to the Lord in this case let your soules answere him cheerefully we will Lord the Lord saith come unto me ye sinfull sonnes of men and I will hâ—ale your rebellions answere the Lord and say we come Lord for thou art our God thinke upon this and worke your soules hereunto graâ—nt Christ your good wills in this kind if you will but prize him and choose him above all things in this world if you be resolved to cleave onely to him and forsake all other things in the world for him if your soules be but willing to receive Christ I proclaime mercy and salvation unto you we are as I told you before Christs messengers sent to speake a good word for Christ and to get your good wills for him oh that we may have our errant from you shall I say to the Lord Iesus all the poore soules that have heard the Word this day and received the tender of Salvation this day I have all their hands they have all writ downe their names that they will have Christ and they will have salvation offered unto them is it thus with you if it be so then I may goe and returne a chearefull answer to Christ but doe not doe not I beseech you give me the deniall doe not say I cannot live by grace I must provide for family for wife and children can you not so why I must not take this answer from you let not Gods messengers go drooping to heaven and returne this uncomfortable answer to the Lord in this case let us not say we offered mercy no body would receive it we tendred salvation but no body regarded it shall we returne this answer no no we must have another answer from you and therefore I beseech you worke yet more upon your soules and turne unto us a chearefull answer in this case for God looketh for a comfortable answer he wooeth from heaven and therefore never give her the deniall Deut. 5.29 In the 5. of Deut. 29. Oh that there were such a heart in my people to feare me and keepe my Commandements that it may goe well with them and with their children after them thus hee writeth thus wee speake what answer shall wee have from you that you will not have Christ and you will not have grace and salvation Oh take heede of this wee come for your hearts and wee must have your hearts therefore shut up your doores against all other lovers and come and say cheerefully wee will Lord wee will cleave to thee onely goe home therefore and whatsoever you now resolve this way persevere in it and take heed that no man inveagle you and withdraw your love from the Lord Iesus and when you come at home reason with your owne soules and say Lord I have followed raâ—ties heretofore I have had profits and pleasures do looke after but now I care for nothing but for the Lord Iesus if I may but have him I care for nothing else I â—are not whether I ever see good day againe or no and therefore if pleasures call if profits entise if lusts and corruptions stirre then I will answer I am married to Christ I will have Christ and I will have salvation nothing shall make mee forsake him thus cleave fast unto Christ forever let every soule resolve that hath heard mee this day that they will have Christ and let them take heede that they never start backe from him and say to your soâ—â—es before so many witnesses in the Congregation the Lord called and asked whither I would have him and I answered I was willing and what shall I now breake off my resolutionâ— no never doe it for shame for if you doe for sake Christ and do not keepe close to your resolution at the last day when the Angels of God a whole Congregation shall come and witnesse against you what a miserable estate will you then bee in therefore resolve to hold fâ—st to Christ and keepe this resolution unto the end 1 COR. 2.14 The naturall man receiveth noâ— the things of the Spirit of God for they are foolishnesse unto him neither can he know them because they are spiritually discerned WEE have propounded heretofore five generall circumstances of preparation First a man must know that the offer of grace is free Secondly that a man must will Christ and grace before hee shall have Christ grace Thirdly he that doth will Christ shall have Christ and salvation by him all which we have already handled out of that place Revel 22.17 Whosoever will let him take of the water of life freely And now wee are come to the fourth circumstance which is that no man by nature can will Christ and Grace and for this purpose I have chosen this Text. And a little to make way for our selves if you take your eyes backe to the beginning of the Chapter about the 3 4 and 5. Verses you may see how the holy Apostle doth expresse his earnest desire to preach nothing not know any thing but Christ Iesus and him crucified and therefore hee lookes not after the excellencie of humane eloquence or wisedome of men though hee could have had this too and happily expressed this also yet hee proclaimes it in the eares of the Corinthian Doctours that hee desired nothing in that Vniversity for Corinth was a famous Vniversity as Cambridge and Oxford is but to know the Lord Iesus and him crucified and therefore his speech and preaching was not with entising words of mans wisedome but in demonstration of the spirit and of power the Corinthâ—an Doctors bragged of that humane wisedome and learning wherewith they were endued but hee tells them he desired not this nor never lookâ— after it Now least some might cavill at the Apostles neglecting of this elegance whereby 〈◊〉 might sugar over his doctrine that was to be dâ—â—â—vered by him to the people least by the nor regarding of this he might bring a neglect upon himselfe and upon his doctrine the Apostle therefore to remoove these filly objections and secret
the Spirit of God and then the point will fall faire and undeniable To this I answere there are some things of God that are revealed in the creation of the world Rom. 1.20 there saith the text Rom. 1.20 The invisible things of him meaning God from the creation of the world are cleerely seene being understood by the things that are made even his eternall power and Godhead that is a man that looketh into the frame and fabricke of the world and seeth the making of the earth and the Sea and all things therein hee cannot say but God hath beene here an infinite wisdome and an Almighty power hath beene here and framed all these things but these are not the things of God which are meant in the text but there are other things of God which we must looke after and they cannot be discerned by the creation of the world and therefore 1 Cor. 1.21 1 Cor. 1.21 we shall observe this After that in the Wisedome of God saith the text the world by wisedome knew not God it pleased God by the foolishnesse of Preaching to save them that beleeve marke the naturall men might have knowne though they would not that there was a God by the wisedome of God that is by the wisedome of God in creating of the World and by the observation of things in the same but they could not take notice of him as a God reconciled as a God that should appoint Christ as a redeemer and as a God that should send Christ to bee a redeemer these are the things which men could not know by the creation of the world and by the wisedome thereof the things of grace and of our redemption the favour and love that God beares towards his in Christ these are the things of God the things of election sanctification justification and glorification these are the things of God which are meant especially in the Text as if he had sayd God by the spirit can onely reveale these things these come immediatly from God by the meanes hee hath appointed a man may know that God hath created heaven and earth and that he hath made all and provided for all and yet goe to hell But hee that hath found Gods love in Christ God working graciously upon his soule God humbling his heart and pulling downe his soule that hee might bee fit to receive mercy and then bestowing mercy upon him when a soule seeth these things then these are the things of God here meant Gods spirit must onely work these the spirit onely must reveale these and by the operation of the spirit wee are made partakers of these these are the things of God which are to be understood in the Text God is said to call and to sanctifie it is the Spirit that converts and adopts and humbles mens soules as who should say These are the workes of the Spirit there is no seeing there is no perceiving of these there is no way to be made partakers of these without the spirit so that the doctrine now lieth open and that is this No man naturally is able of his owne power to receive the spirituall things of grace and salvation no naturall man that is he that hath not the spirit of God working in him no man that is in his naturall estate can receive the spirituall things of grace and salvation Hee doth not receive them nay he cannot receive them saith the Text to put out all doubts and to cast away all cavills the Text doth not onely say he doth not receive them but that he cannot receive them doe hee what he will doe he what he can come to a naturall man and aske him will you receive Christ and the worke of grace why yes with all his heart and he makes no doubt but he doth so and hee hopes hee shall finde the comfort of it The Text saith God saith the truth saith you doe not nay you cannot you say you doe whom shall wee beleeve in this case God or you I can prove you are a naturall man you live in base wicked courses the Spirit of God is an holy Spirit you live in ungodly and unlawfull courses the Spirit of God is a wise Spirit you are ignorant and know not the things belonging to salvation and therefore the world knowes and you know that you are a naturall man and the spirit that saith a naturall man cannot receive the things of God and yet you say you can whom therefore shall we beleeve so that the point is plaine that a man by nature hath not power to will to receive Christ and grace and salvation by him and we will make good the point in foure particulars by way of explication That a man hath not power to will to receive grace and salvation by Christ First to omit that which the Papists themselves confesse in this case namely that a naturall man of himselfe cannot finde out the meanes of life and Salvation but God must give him some preventing grace he must be enlightned that is God must reveale and make knowne the things that concerne his peace unto him out of the Word hee must discover those things unto him which appertaine to his peace and justification by Christ I will omit this and speake onely of the power which a naturall man hath to entertaine the things belonging to life and Salvation and suppose it be granted that the things of Salvation must be made knowne unto a naturall mat in this case or else he can never of himselfe finde them out yet when these things be set open to mens cares by the ministers of God when grace and Salvation are offered unto men yet marâ—â— when these are proclaimed a naturall man cannot entertaine these things but the heart of a naturall man will 〈◊〉 away from these things which we may plainely see if wee looke but into the 19 of Mat. Mat. 19.22 22. there was a young man made some good profession he came unto Christ and asked him Master what good thing shall I doe to inherit eternall life Christ sayd unto him If thou wilt enter into life keepe the Commandements the young man askeâ— Christ which Commandement he should keepe our Saviour answers him Thou shalt not kill Thou shalt not commit adultery c. The young man answers All these things have I observed from my youth what lacke Iyet Then Christ saith unto him if thou wilt be perfect goe sell all that thou hast and give it to the poore and thou shalt have treasure in heaven but the text saith Vers 32. When the young man heard this he went away sorrowfull for he had great possessions All the while before our Saviour had not touched him to the quicke but when he saith unto him Goe thy wayes sell all that thou hast and follow me and thou shalt have treasue in heaven he then went away why marke here Christ made him a brave offer hee told him he should inherit heaven and happinesse if he
thou able to doe this No thou must aske thy sin leave first So take a covetous man art thou able to set open thy house if thou hast wronged any man or griped or coâ—ened any man art thou able to say I will restore him fourefold art thou able to doe this No no thou must aske thy covetousnesse leave first now whether you thinke that the divell will suffer you to goe out of his clutches when hee hath power over you if you thinke sinne will give you leave to forsake your lusts when you are servants to it I appeaâ—e to your owne consciences and therefore whosoever he be that is a naturall man let him not coâ—â—n himselfe he hath no power in himselfe to forsake finne if heaven were layd downe before him and offered him for the leaving of one lust hee could as well make a world as part with one lust for heaven and therefore every man should labour to see this and say Lord heretofore I have beene deluded I thought if I would have grace at any time I might have grace when I would if I would not have grace I might choose and therefore I thought I would have profit now and pleasures now and corruptions and hereafter I will repent hereafter I will have Christ but Lord I was deluded what was it in my power then to entertaine the Lord Iesus then it was in my power to goe to heaven to make a world and to create a soule also I will assure you it is the almighty power of God that must doe this in the first of Ephesians 19. Ephes 1.19 there the Apostle giveth us to understand how God worketh in our conversion What is the exceeding greatnesse of his power saith hee to us ward that beleeve according to the working of his mighty power which he wrought in Christ when hee raised him from the dead and set him at his owne right hand in the heavenly places When the Lords body had lien in the grave three dayes the selfe same power that raised Christ from the dead this is the very same almighty power that workes in the heart of a man that is converted in this case canst thou raise Christ from the dead if thou canst doe this then thou mayst repent if not then of thy selfe thou canst not repent for the very same power that raised Christ from the dead the same power must worke repentance in the heart of a man be not therefore deceived but now looke to it â—â—â—ny Christians have thought that they might have grace and salvation when they would at commend but when God opened their eyes O then they saw no hope of this they then knew that the same power that raised Christ out of the grave the same power must raise them out of the grave of their sinner I beseech you therefore to be informed to yeelâ— to to be convinced of this truth the Text saithâ— naturall man cannot receive the things of God you say you can who shall we beleeve now What will you be Atheists the Lord saith the word saith a naturall doth not receive the things of God nay he cannot now whether thy word or the word of God will stand thou wilt one day know it to thy everlasting woe and therefore now be perswaded to see your owne follies and abandon this foolish conceit The second use is an use of examination namely from the former doctrine delivered every soule that heareth the word this day if they will deâ—â— plainely with their soules may understand what their condition is you may reade your owne estates whether you bee naturall men or spirituall whether gracious or gracelesse men what wouldst thou know then whether thou art a naturall man 〈◊〉 no and if thou beest so woe be unto thee The triall is easie in this kind observe what disposition thou hast to the things of God observe whether thy soule be affected with them whether thy soule can give entertainement to them the 〈◊〉 man cannot receive the things of God if thou beest a naturall man thou then canst not receive grace nor entertaine Christ and salvation so then canst thou finde that if pleasures come then thy heart giveth way to them if profits come then thy heart is transported with the love thereof Is thy soule inlarged to these things dost thou love and desire them canst thou swallow downe all entertaine all digest all very willingly in this kind never too much riches never too much honour never too much profit never too much pleasure is thy soule thus disposed But when the word calleth for repentance when the Gospell calleth for selfe deniall at thy hand the Lord Iesus would rule in thy heart when the Lord would take away all thy sinnes and all thy corruptions is it so now that thy heart is weary to heare the seâ— is it so that thou canst not give way to these then the case is cleare thou art in a naturall estate for the Lords sake take notice of it naturall things please thee profits and pleasures sinnes and corruptions please thee but thou canst not away with the things of the Spirit thou art therefore a naturall man there is therefore no roome for Christ in thy soule therefore there is no true grace yet wrought in thy soule In the 8. of the Rom. 5. 〈◊〉 saith the Text They that are after the flesh doe mind the things of the flesh but they that are after the spirit the things of the Spirit Now observe therefore what rellish thou findest in the things 〈◊〉 â—â—â—â—low canst thou rellish base courses and ill â—â—â—â—pany is any course or advice taken that may adduce thee unto wickednesse canst thou sweare with the blasphemer and swagger with the drunkard canst thou rellish and appove of these courses but when the Gospell comes and when a man checkes thee for drinking and swearing and tells thee that these things stand not with the kingdome of God the kingdome of Christ consists in righteousnesse and joy and peace in the holy Ghost and thou must deny thy selfe before thou canst receive the Lord Iesus if a man shall tell thee that thou must be pure as Christ himselfe is pure that the Lord Christ Iesus did not come into the world to make men loose and carelesse but holy and righteous to live soberly in this present world and deny all ungodly and worldly lusts to renounce and abhorre these when thou hearest that thou must become a foole that thou mayst 〈◊〉 made wise and that the Lord came to refesh those onely that where laden with the burthen of 〈◊〉 firmes when thou hearest these things how 〈◊〉 thou take them most men may give this answer wee thinke not so wee beleeve it not nay we cannot be perswaded of it is it thus with thee why then the case is ended the tryall is doâ—â— whoever doth not nay cannot receive the thingâ— of God the Gospell of God and the things revealed therein why the Text saith and the
the one and give the other First if we consider the nature of the stony heart and the distempers thereof it will appeare that it must bee the worke of the Lord onely to take it away and not to follow any other similituds then the Text affords I will shew the similitude and resemblance that is betweene the sturdy stout heart of a sinner and a stone by which it shall bee made manifest that none but the Almighty power of God is able to remoove it Now in a stone observe three particulars which discover the nature of it first the ground of all the hardnesse which is in the stone is from hence there is a close fastning combining and knitting of the parts together which is the ground of the hardnesse that is therein as for example take a path if it be continually plowed up it will bee soft and loose but if many walke upon it if it be continually trod upon then it will be hard what is the reason of this namely this hardnesse proceeds from the close fastning and setling of the earth together this it is which makes the way hard but if it were daily plowed and the earth continually loosened it would then 〈…〉 soft but when there is a naturall fastning and compiling of the earth together it cannot but bâ—e hard Secondly from this fastning of the parts of a stone together as there comes hardnesse so also from this hardnesse ariseth a great strength in the stone and that is the reason that the hardest things are marvelous strong a child before his joynts be setled is but weake he is not come to his strength but a man when his parts are setled and his joynts throughly knit together then wee use to say bee is come to his full strength and so it is in mettals those mettals that are closest knit together and most nearely concocted they are sayd to bee strongest mettalls as Gold is sayd to be a stronger mettall then Silver and Silver is sayd to bee a stronger mettall then Lead because the parts thereof are more nearely setled and more closely concocted So it is the nature of stones those stones whose parts are most combined together as Flints they are sayd to be the hardest stones and those whose parts are not so closely knit they are sayd to be more soft and of lesse strength Thirdly from the hardnesse and strength of a stone there comes a resistance against any thing from without it because the parts of a stone are knit together therefore it is hard and from the hardnesse thereof proceedes strength and being hard and strong in the third place it resists and beaâ—s backe any thing that falls upon it as if you knocke against a stone with a hammer it resists it and makes it â—lie backe by reason of the strength and hardnesse of it Even so it is with the soule of every poore sinner of 〈◊〉 sinfull creature under heaven it hath an inward secret kind of union betweene sinne and its selfe betweene corruption and its owne nature The heart of a poore sinfull soule hath a neere combination with sinne there is a fast closure betweene sinne and the soule and therefore sinne in the Scripture is tearmed by the name of the old man as who should say The sinne and corruption that is in a poore sinner is as it were another nature in him in so much that the union and combination that is betweene sinne and the soule is farre stronger then any other bond of nature and this is the reason of that phrase Luke 21.16 there saith the Text Luke 21.16 Yee shall be betrayed also of your parents and of your brethren and kinsmen and some of you shall be put to death and yee shall be hated of men all for my names sake this is the reason because the union that is betweene sinne and the soule of a wicked man exceeds all other bonds of nature as for example if a naughtie wicked father have a godly religious child the father will neglect those duties to his child which even nature it selfe 〈…〉 him to performe and if a wicked lewd for the 〈◊〉 a good father he will not discharge those 〈◊〉 unto him which nature binds him unto but the â—ather he hates the sonne and the sonne he hates 〈◊〉 father the mother hates the daughter 〈…〉 daughter hates the mother and they breake 〈◊〉 bonds both of nature and religion the 〈◊〉 father will doe any thing against his sonne before the bond that is betweene sinne 〈…〉 soule shall be broken before this union 〈…〉 broken he will not abide the presence of his sinne nay that which is most unreasonable to consider a wicked lewd ungracious man will lose his life he will spend his owne heart blood before hee will leave one sinfull beloved lust or corruption and the reason of this is because there is a nearer 〈◊〉 on and a closer combination betweene sinne and the soule then betweene all relation that nature can put upon a man insomuch that a man will rather have his sinnes and his lusts then his owne child nay such is the union betweene sinne and the soule that it becomes 〈◊〉 God unto the soule looke as it is with a stone the parts thereof being closely fastned and nearely setled together it becomes marveilous strong and hard so when God hath forsaken the soule and it closeth with his corruptions this union that is betweene the soule and its corruptions is marveilous strong and firme nay so strong and firme that there is no meanes under heaven no creature in the world that is able to breake this union and dissolve this combination that is betweene sinne and the soule unlesse the Lord by his Almighty power come and breake this concord and conspiracy that is betweene sinne and the soule against himselfe and the glory of his name and for the truth hereof observe this all outward meanes are too scant too narrow too short to breake the union betweene the soule and sinne as it is with the body of a man if there were a great and an old distemper in a mans stomacke if a man should put a rich doublet upon him and lay him in a Featherbed and use all other outward meanes this would doe him no good because the disease is within and is become as it were another nature in him it is an old distemper that hath eaten into his very bowels and therefore all outward meanes cannot make a separation betweene the disease and the body because the disease being inward they cannot come neare it Iust so it is with the soule of a man a mans heart will have his sinne there is an inward combination betweene the soule and sinne now all meanes as the Word and the like is outward and can doe no good in this kind they cannot break the union betweene a mans heart and his corruptions unlesse God give a blessing to these meanes unlesse the Lord by his Almighty power and
ever he meane to come to heaven and this is the first meanes when the soule of a sinner is inlightned and his mind informed that he is in a wrong course and that he must take a better course or else he shall never come at heaven and this the Lord doth suddenly the sinner not perceiving of it the Lord setteth a sudden flash upon his soule and telleth him that he is going unto hell the soule presently wonders at this and marvels how it came to passe Esay 66.1 there saith the text I am sought of them that asked not for mee and I am found of them that sought mee not the Lord putteth a sudden light into soules of men which they never dreamed of Hypocrites if they can but goe to Church and sit in the Church as Gods servants do and leane on their elbowes and heare as Gods people do then all is well with them but as many of them as belong to God God will discover unto them that they are in a wrong way and he will shew and reveale another way unto them which they never dreamed of and therefore this is that we shall observe haply we shall see a man come riding into a town on a Sabboth day and when he comes there hee seeth the people going to Church well perhaps then he sets up his horse at the Inne and goes into the Church for a custome and for company sake and when he is in the Church he goes into a seat and sets down his staffe and sits down and attends the Minister and never thinks of any thing well at last the Lord sends a light into his soule and telleth him thou art now riding about thy own worldly businesse when thoushouldst be in sanctifying of my Sabboth I tell thee my friend thou art in a wrong way thou takest a naughty course thou dost wickedly and if thou continuest and goest on in this course thou wilt never come at heaven And this the Lord doth on a sudden when a man never so much as thought of any such matter And after a man is thus enlightned he will be ready to say the truth is heretofore I went to heare the word but for customes sake but when I least dreamed of any such thing it pleased the Lord blessed be his name to reveale such things unto mee as I before never knew he told mee that which sticketh upon mee to this present houre he discovered that unto mee which I hope I shall carry with me unto my grave this is that we may observe in the 9. of the Acts Paul there was running on in a resolute-course he had gotten letters at Damascus and purposed to make havock of all poore Christians where he came now while he was in his journey the Lord met him from heaven and cryed unto him Saul Saul why persecutest thou mee as he if had said this is not the way to heaven you think to persecute my poore Saints but Saul Saul I tell thee this is not the way thou takest a wrong course he called unto him as a man would call after one that is running out of his right way into some wildernesse or dangerous place And when Saul heard this he presently fell off his horse and humbled himselfe and said Lord what wilt thou that I do and so Luke 15.4 the text saith that the shepherd that had lost his sheep left his ninty and nine and went into the wildernesse to seek that which was lost and if he had not gone to seek the sheep the sheep would never have sought him alas the poore sheep was gone astray and bewilderd and if the shepheard had not followed it and sought after it that would never have found the sheepheard nay to go further many a man goeth to the word and heareth it for nothing else but to carp at the Minister and yet the Lord hath caught many such men also and hath put such a light into their hearts that he hath made them know that they were in a wrong way and mark when the Lord hath let in this light then the soule begins to be at a stand and thinks with himselfe surely if this be the right way I am in the wrong if the Minister saith true then I am not right but then sometimes the heart would put out this light it would not be informed and perswaded if the Minister tels a man that he must sanctifie Gods Sabboths here or else he shall never sanctifie a Sabboth unto him in heaven hereafter when the Minister saith that unlesse God humble us here he will break us in peeces in hell hereafter loath a man is to know this and be informed of this because hee would not be offended by this and provoked to performe this but though a sinner would shift off this yet the Lord will not leave him but will still pursue him and lay reasons upon him unanswerable the soule would fain play tricks with the Lord in this case and put out this light but God will reveale to the soule of a sinner that these things are certainly true God will lay hold upon the understanding of a poore sinner and follow him with reasons that are undeniable untill his reason shall yeeld and his understanding give verdit to that which the Lord reveales untill hee sayes I confesse Lord it is true I yeeld full assent thereto Thus the Lord knocketh at the doore or heart of a poore sinner and not only so but lifts up the latch and opens the doore of a mans heart and letteth in the light and this is the first course that God useth 2 2. The second is this after that the Lord hath thus enlightened the minde and let in the light of his spirit into the heart of a sinner and though a man would defeat the power of it yet God still followeth him with forceable arguments untill the understanding is setled and reason answered after the Lord hath done this then the second cord wherewith God draweth sinners unto himselfe is a cord of mercy whereby the Lord doth compasse a poore sinner about with kindnesse goodnesse and compassion Hos 11.4 there saith the Lord I taught Ephraim to goe taking them by the armes I drew them with the cords of love and with the bonds of a man This same cord of Gods mercy is a cable rope the abundant riches of Gods mercy is a great thick cable and we will tell you of what it is twisted it makes known it selfe in foure particulars if the illumination that God sends into the heart will not bee able to perswade the heart though it answers all objections pursueth it with arguments undeniable why then the Lord will draw us with the cord of his mercy and this great cable of Gods goodnesse is made up of foure cords First First Cord. the Lord revealed himselfe to be ready to receive and willing and easie to entertayne poore sinners when they come unto him Esay 55.7 there saith
Gods love that the Lord should beseech us oh that you would receive pardon for your sinnes and bee blessed for ever why this is wonderfull mercy and admirable goodnesse if this Cord will not draw a man what will do it this makes a poore soule to stand agast and amazed and say good Lord is this possible that the great King of Heaven should come and beseech such a traytor such a rebell as I am to take pardon if the King of England should proclaime a pardon to some notorious Traytor that had plotted some dangerous treason against his person this were much but that the King should lay downe his Crowne and come creeping to him and beseech him upon his knees to take mercy and not to be punished why this is a thing beyond all expectation no man will do this no man should doe this but when the soule shall thinke what a King intreat a Traytor a Rebell a Conquerer intreat a slave to take mercy what shall heaven stoop to earth shall majesty stoope to misery shall the great God of heaven and earth that might have condemned my soule that is a God holy and just and if I had perished and beene damned might have tooke glory by my destruction is it possible is it credible that this God should not only entertayne me when I come and command me for to come but intreat and beseech me to come and receive mercy from him oh the depth of the incomprehensible love of God! imagine you saw God the Father intreating you and God the Sunne beseeching you as he doth this day come now and forsake your sinnes and take mercy which is prepared for you and shall bee bestowed upon you would not this make a soule think thus with it selfe what for a rebell not only to have mercy offered but to bee intreated to receive mercy and pardon why then if I will not take it it were pitty but I should goe to hell and be damned for ever nay I tell you this mercy one day if you refuse it will plunge you into the bottomlesse pit of hell I tell you you were better heare ten Sermons of judgement than one of mercy if you do not take the same when it is offered The Lord hee complaineth why will ye die as I live saith the Lord I desire not the death of a sinner the Lord takes an oath upon it that he desires not the death of a sinner and calls after sinners turne ye turne ye why will ye die ye sinfull sonnes of men Mercy is offered you the Lord Iesus reacheth out his hand to you to pluck the drunkard out of the alehouse and the adulterer out of the company of his whore I tell you you had beene better have beene at the East-Indies where you might never have heard of mercy than slight it when it is offered if you do break this cord I know not what to say unto you this is able to breake a mountaine in peeces shake O mountaines saith the Psalmist why because God hath redeemed Iacob the redemption of Iacob was enough to shake a mountaine when thou hast been a great sinner and heaped up transgression upon transgression and drunk in iniquity like water why yet after all this the Lord offereth mercy unto thee and beseecheth thee to receive it I tell thee if thou wilt not have mercy now it is pitty but thou shouldest goe to the Devill and if thou dost goe to hell then thank thy selfe it was thy owne fault thou mightest have had mercy and wouldest not and this is the third cord of Gods mercy he intreats a poore sinner to come unto him and receive mercy from him but if the soule bee yet awke and untoward and will not come but say if mercy be so free then we will let it alone a while and take it hereafter if God bee so carefull of us then wee will bee a little carelesse our selves why then there remaines but one cord more and if thou breakest this thou art in a miserable condition and that is this The Lord doth wait and stay in long patience suffering Fourth Cord. to see if at any time a sinner will turne unto him our Saviour followes poore sinners from Alehouse to Alehouse and sayes I beseech you you drunkards take mercy and have your sinnes pardoned the Lord tyres himselfe so and wearieth himselfe with waiting one day after another and one weeke after another it may bee this day this weeke this Sabbath this Sermon a sinner will turne unto me what will it never be why are you not ashamed that the Lord Iesus should thus wayt your leisure and follow you from house to house and into the field nay that Christ should every morning appeare unto your understanding and every night come to your bed-side and say let this bee the last night of sinning and the next day the first day of your repenting oh when will you be humbled when will you receive mercy that it may goe well with you and yours for ever why for shame if none of all the other will move you yet let this cord draw you unto the Lord this is the last cord of Gods mercy he stayeth our leisure the Lord will not wait alwaies but hee waiteth a long time for our amendment hee stayed above a hundred yeares for the old world Ier. 13.27 there God taketh upon him the person of a travelling woman oh Ierusalem wilt thou not bee made cleane oh when will it once bee a woman that is in travell and oppressed with paine oh how she expects and longs for her delivery when the throâ— comes then she cryes when will deliverance come and then the throb comes the second time and then she cryes would death would come so deliverance would come and thus her heart breaks almost with waiting in this kind for the birth of the child which is to be delivered God the father doth take upon him the person of a travelling woman he is travelling even unto death untill he can bring forth his first borne untill some soule be converted and brought home unto him oh Ierusalem wilt thou not be cleane oh when will it once be I have wayted one yeare ten yeare twenty yeare forty yeare why when will it once be if a woman should be in travell forty yeares she would be accounted the wonder of the world nay it were impossible she should endure so long but the Lord hath travelled twenty yeares yea forty for the birth of poore sinners and how many throbs think wee hath the Lord endured in this time saying oh yee men of England will you never be cleane when will it once be the Lord thus travels in patience looking when we will receive mercy oh when will it once be will it never be that those proud hearts will be humbled will it never be that those stubborne hearts will be softned will it never be that those unregenerate hearts will be sanctified will it never be that
answer it at the dreadfull day of judgement take heed of those evills and sinfull practises that heretofore you have committed lest you damne your soules for ever and you must know that conscience comes not without a commission but he hath a commission in his pocket and he shewes it also Pro. 29.1 there is one part of conscience's commission there saith the text he that being often reprooved hardeneth his neck shal suddenly be destroyed and that without remedy if you be often reprooved will not be bettered nor informed then the Lord sayes conscience froÌ„ the Lord tells you be it at your own perill ye shall surely perish that without remedy and in the 2. of the Thess 3.14 there is another part of his commission If any man obey not our word by this Epistle note that man and have no company with him that he may be ashamed hee that will not obey the Gospel he that will not stoope thereto nor be framed thereby why conscience he shewes his commission and charges men to take heed of this the God of heaven will take the part of conscience and will come in flaming fire to render vengeance to that soule that will not obey the Gospel But you will say cannot a man shift and free himselfe from the terrour of conscience I answer no conscience hath now a great deale of ayd from heaven because he hath been in former times so badly dealt withall therefore he will go no more so slenderly garded Deut. 29.19 there saith the text If it come to passe that hee that heareth the words of this curse shall blesse himselfe in his heart and say I shall have peace though I walke in the imagination of my heart to adde drunkennesse to thirst the Lord will not spare him but then the anger of the Lord and his jealousie shall smoke against that man and al the curses that are written in this book shall lie upon him the Lord shall blot out his name from under heaven and therefore you that say conscience may command what he pleaseth yet you will do what you list and though you adde dunkennesse unto thirst yet you shall have peace and it shall go well with you tell you the wrath of the Lord shall smok against your soules he shall blot your names out of the book of life the wrath of the Lord shall follow thee into all places and upon all occasions whatever thou dost or whithersoever thou goest the wrath of God shall follow thee Gods wrath shall follow thee to the Ale house and the Brothel-house and to the Taverne God shall follow thee and pluck thee out to thy shame here to thy confusion hereafter and this is the first work of conscience He hath been snubbed in former times and no man cared for him but now he is a wakened and backt with power from the Lord and gives a peremptory command to the soule of a sinner bee it at your owne perill if you meddle with sinne and this makes sinnefull wâ—â—â—ches lie snugge for a while they dare not shew themselves but shut themselves under hatches conscience perkes then upon the crowne and this makes them hang the wing a little and withdraw themselves from their base courses and abstaine from the Ale-house awhile but now when wicked persons see that their companion is gone and that they have lost one of their company they make after him amaine and then conscience plucks one way and they pluck another way they lay siege to the soule of a poore sinner conscience bids him look to himselfe and take heed what he doth perhaps conscience sees him halfe perswaded to yeeld to his old companions and then conscience hath an eye to him and biddeth him take heed unto himselfe and saies I command and charge you as you will answer it at the dreadfull day of Iudgement before the Tribunall seat of God that you runne not into your former wicked courses but then his cursed companions they draw backward and come unto him and say what is the reason that now you begin to sever your selfe from us he tells them his conscience hath troubled him and he heard the Word of God he heard the commission of conscience read that whosoever was often reproved and not bettered thereby should perish and that hee which obeyed not the Gospell should be accursed and this makes him do as he doth when his companions heare this they begin to blind his judgement as much as they can and take off the command of conscience you have heard say they many threatnings from God and conscience hath told you that you shall perish and be damned if you continue in your old courses but threatned men live long these words break no bones and this breath blowes no corne there have beene many so threatned and yet never felt any of those judgements but have lived a merry life to this day and are the bravest fellowes and the boonest companions in the whole countrey and thus by carnall company and cursed perswasions the soule is drawn back againe to his former wicked course and so haply this hooke is broken and the sinner is gone but when conscience sees this that his first hook is broken and that his command is slighted he followes fast after him and layeth another hooke upon him and as before hee was a commander over him so now he comes to be an accuser of him and a witnesse against him he accuseth him before God and is a witnesse against him because he hath committed those sinnes which he upon paine of Gods everlasting displeasure and his owne everlasting damnation commanded and charged him he should not commit conscience before was only Gods Herald to tell him what God commanded but now conscience is become a Pursevant and a Sergeant to arrest him and therefore 2. Sam. 24.10 Davids heart smote him after hee had numbred the people conscience hee flung his actions upon him know how-ever a man may avoid the warning of conscience and break the command of conscience yet he cannot avoid the herror and stroke of conscience but conscience will smite him and fling this hooke into the very heart of him and conscience will smite the heart so much the more heavily because his former commands were despised look as it was with Gideon Iudg. 8.5 when he was pursuing after the Midiâ—â—ites he came unto the men of Succoth and prayed for aide of them he intreated them to help him and joyne sides with him but they refused and scorned him and said Are Zâ—â—â— and Zalumna now in thy hands that wee should give bread unto thine army as if they had said art thou a commander over them art thou sure to overcome them no no wee will not helpe thee Marke now what answer Gidâ—on makes these men of Succoth in the 7th verse weâ—â— saith hee When the Lord hath delivered Zebâ— and. Zalumna into mine hands then I will teare your flesh with thornes of the
to commit any sinne againe Iohn 16.11 there Christ saith that he will send the spirit the Comforter and he shall reprove the world of righteousnesse and of sinne and of judgement In that it is said he will reprove the world of judgement thereby is nothing else meant but that the Lord will govern men and why shall the comforter convince the world of judgement because Satan is judged saith the text that is he is kept off and cannot pluck the soule to himselfe the government that Satan had over the soule is wholly removed and Christ hath the soule under his command and the soule is contented to be wholly at at his disposing In the time that Christ lived upon the earth when the divells did possesse the bodies of men the Lord saith unto them I charge thee thou uncleane spirit to come out so the Lord saith now to the divell that hath taken possession of the soules of those men which do belong to the election of grace after the Lord hath rent a poore sinner from his corruptions and haled him to himselfe then he saith come out of him Satan and never rule him more never take place in him more and then he takes the soule into his hands that he may governe him and dispose of him according to his owne good will and pleasure This wee see the cords whereby God draweth a sinner to himselfe First he inlightens the mind and reveales to the soule of a sinner that he is in a wrong way and that he must take another course if ever he meane to come at heaven and then the layes the cords of mercy and the cords of conscience upon him whereby he constraines and forces him to come unto him and the last is the cord of the Spirit whereby he doth take the soule out of the hands of Satan into his owne possession The next thing to be considered is the reasons why the Lord by a holy kind of violence Reasons or Arguments thus drawes a sinner from corruption to himselfe the arguments are three The first is taken from those tear me whereby the Scripture discovereth this work of God upon the soule of a sinner Matth. 12.29 there saith our Saviour No man commeth into a strong mans house but first he overcomes and binds the strong man before he takes possession of his house and spoyles his goods this is the parable the meaning is this the house is nothing else but the heart of a sinner the strongman is nothing else but sinne and Satan the divell and sinne taking possession of and ruling in the soule of a sinner and this is the wofull condition of many men that think their penny good silver and beare their heads aloft howsoever they lift their heads so high yet their soules are nothing else but habitations for the divell now Satan ruling and overpowering the soule by sinne is the strong man that usurps authority over the soule by reason of the corruptions that prevayle over the soule for if there were not sinne within the soules of men there were no power that Satan could usurp over men now observe it the Lord Iesus is the stronger man and before he can come and take possession of the soule and work effectually in the soule he must bind Satan and take away the weapons of Satan and then when he hath bound him and overcome him then he takes possession of the soule this is the meaning of the parable Now I reason thus conquering binding and slaying imply a kind of violence Satan will not come out by intreaty the devill must be commanded to go out or else drawn out by a kind of violence if all the Angells in heaven and all the men on earth should intreat Satan to come out of the soule he would not come out but this implyeth a holy kind of violence that Christ offereth to corruptions in the soule when he drawes the soule from sinne to himselfe In another place it is said that Christ came to destroy the works of the divell Ioh. 3.8 those works are the sinfull corruptions that were at first put into the soule by the delusion of Satan when he tempted our first parents to eat of the forbidden fruit Now Christ commeth to destroy those works now the works of Satan will not destroy themselves sinne and Satan will not bind and overcome themselves the enemy will not come out of his hold willingly but the work that must be put forth for the binding conquering and destroying of those must needs imply a work of constraint and holy violence which is offered A man offers violence to his enemy when he binds him a man offers violence to his enemy when he overcomes him a man offers violence to his enemy when he flayes and destroyes him such is the work of the Lord when he takes possession of a soule this way and this is the interpretation of Divines in this case they say that the Lord doth take away that deadnesse and stupidity of heart whereby it may lay hold on grace if it resist not the good motions of the Spirit The second Argument The second Argument is taken from the naturall union betweene the soule and corruption and then I reason thus one contrary expells another from a naturall subject by constraint and compulsion but the spirit as a contrary doth drive out sinne from the soule in the work of preparation as a contrary thereunto and therefore must do it by constraynt and compulsion Wee will open both the parts of the Argument I say one contrary driveth out another by violence and constraynt as for example wheresoever heat is if it commeth to drive out cold it doth it by a certaine kind of violence for the ground of all constraint ariseth from the crossenesse and contrariety that things have one to another wee need no constraint to to make things doe that which is naturall unto them as to make fire hot or a Lyon fierce or a Wolfe ravenous but he that will make a Lyon become a Lamb and he that will make a wolfe become a Kidd he that doth this must offer a kind of violence to the nature of the Lyon and of the Wolfe and break the combination that is betweene the fiercenesse of the thing and the thing it selfe so that it is cleare that one contrary driveth out another from a naturall subject by constraint and violence and that sinne is naturally in a corrupt heart is evident Ioh. 3.6 whatsoever is born of the flesh is flesh that is whosoever commeth from Adam is rooted in sinne now mark sinne being thus naturally in the soule the Spirit of grace and the Lord Iesus when he commeth to drive away sinne from the soule breaketh that neere union that is between sinne and the soule by a holy kind of violence Gal. 6.17 there saith the Apostle from henceforth let no man trouble mee for I beare in my body the marks of the Lord Iesue the Lord Iesus breaking
in the beginning and thus his children his brokers and factors do in the end of the world these are the two sonnes of Satan the chiefest schollers in his schoole they are able to bring many to destruction and confusion Rev. 12.4 there the Text saith that the Dragon stood before the woman that was to bee delivered for to devoure her child as soone as it should bee borne the woman is the Church the Dragon is the divell the child to be borne is the soule that is to be converted when the Church doth bring a soule to life why then the Dragon watcheth when the child is borne that he may devoure it if there be any that looke to heaven if there be any whose hearts are humbled whose minds are inlightned and consciences awakened the divell watcheth when this soule is borne that hee may devoure it so it is with wicked persons that beare the image and exercise the practise of the divell if there be any that God is pleased to work upon why wicked men they court them at all times and occasions that can be all is too good for them in this kind nicenesse and exactnesse and precisenesse and madnesse and all is cast upon them to devoure poore sinners and hinder poore Saints to hinder the birth of the child that the Church travelleth withall why wouldst thou devoure a poore creature that God in mercy would deliver from sinne here and bring to salvation hereafter Dost thou envy him dost thou by cursed perswasions and wicked devices endeavour to pluck from God to sinne I tell thee if there were ever a divell in a man there is one in thee if there were ever a child of the divell that was wicked here and shall be damned hereafter thou art surely one and this is the first thing wherein the miserable condition of these men is discovered they are the children of the divell the Lord of heaven open your eyes and awaken your consciences and reveale these things to your soules that you may forsake these base courses secondly as they are most like to the divell so also their wretched estate appeares in this that they are the greatest and deadliest enemies to God that place formerly named will serve for the opening of this Acts 13.10 there saith the Text thou child of the divell and enemy to all righteousnesse Paul calls Elymas the sorcerer because hee withstood him and resisted the work of God not only the child of the divell but an enemy to all righteousnesse mark that as who should say he that withholds a Saint of God hee that would pluck a soule from walking uprightly before God he is an enemy to all righteousnesse and this is a most fearfull thing for other kind of sinnes are of a lesse nature for a drankard is an enemy to sobriety an unjust person is an enemy to justice a lyer is an enemy to truth an adulterer is an enemy to chastity and a malicious man is an enemy to charity but he that is an enemy to the saving work of Gods grace in the soule of a man he that withstands and resists the worke of conversion hee is an enemy to all righteousnesse for how shall a man walk holily before God or righteously before his brethren how shall he love God above all things and his neighbour as himselfe unlesse grace be wrought in the soule of a man and unlesse the word of God bee placed in the heart of a man men ought to keep Gods Cōmandements that they may receive comfort from God now unlesse God bestow faith and grace and his spirit upon a man how shall hee do this but when thou sayest I would not have such a man converted I would not have the spirit work effectually in his heart when thou hinderest the work of God in this kind then thou hinderest a man from performing obedience to Gods Commandements and therefore thou art an enemy to God Gods Sabbaths can never be sanctified the life of thy neighbour can never be tendered the chastity of thy neighbour can never be preserved thou art a drunkard thou art an adulterer thou are a murtherer he that murthereth a man is an enemy to the life of a man but he that will not suffer the word of God to take plane in the soule of a sinner he is the murtherer of the soule of a man he is an enemy to all righteousnesse he cannot performe any service unto God there is no duty to be performed no sinne to bee omitted but thou art an enemy to all for when thou dost hinder a sinner from receiving of grace and from being made partaker thereof thou dost hinder a sinner from honouring of God here and receiving of comfort hereafter and what a wofull wretched condition is this to be an enemy to all righteousnesse and not only so but full of all mischiefe for so saith the Text aforenamed thou enemy of all righteousnesse and full of all mischiefe marke the opening of the words full that is brimme full top full ready to runne over with wickednesse and the cause is this it s naught for a man to be wicked and to resolve to be no better is worse but for a man not only to be wicked and resolve to be no better but to hinder others also from being good this is the very height of all impiety this is to be an enemy to all righteousnesse and to be full of mischiefe Thirdly as they are the children of the divell and enemies to all righteousnesse so also they are the greatest enemies to the salvation of mens soules they compasse sea and land to make a Proselyte I beseech you take notice of it thou art a drunkard and a blasphemer and a wretched lewd person thou art not only bad thy selfe but such a man hath had his mind inlightned and his conscience awakened but thou by thy wicked counsells and carnall reasons and sinfull arguments catchest him and with drawest him againe into his former wicked courses and base practises and then the end of that man is worse than the beginning and hee becomes twice a child of the divell well he shall perish and so shalt thou he shall be damned but the Lord shall require his bloud at thy hands and this is the maine cause why men perish and go downe to hell namely the wicked counsells and cursed perswasions which sinfull damned persons use to hurry poore soules downe into destruction as though they could not go fast enough of themselves to hell but they must lay these base sinfull cords upon them to draw them headlong into the bottomlesse pit of confusion Well the time will come when these poore creatures shall call for vengeance at the hand of God to bee executed against you they will accuse you at the last day and curse you and call for vengeance to be poured downe upon your heads you that are guilty of this whensoever you meet with the day of death here or with the day of judgement
sinnes lies heavie upon his heart and the soule complaines as David did my sinnes are gone over my head they are to heavie for me I am not able to beare them these mightie corruptions I shall never bee able to master them these sinnes that hang upon me and these distempers that cleave unto me oh I cannot bee rid of them I see my sinnes more than ever I did and yet they follow me and still they pursue after me I shall never be freed from them I shall never get dominion over them why there is admirable comfor from the former point for such a poore soule that is thus oppressed by and overwhelmed with corruptions the doctrine is this God by a holy kind of violence doth pluck men from sinne and draw them to himselfe though thy sinnes will not part from thee yet the Lord will pluck those corruptions from thy soule hee will awaken thy conscience and humble thy heart he will bring downe thy sturdie heart be thy sinnes therefore never so great and thy corruptions never so mightie yet take consolation hereby the maine trouble of a poore soule lieth in three respects partly in regard of the temptations of Satan partly in regard of corruptions partly in regard of the opposition a man finds in a good course these are marvellous hinderances to a Christian and here is marvellous comfort from the former truth against all those first for temptations when the Lord letteth Satan loose upon a poore sinner and the divell begins to domineere over a sinner and trample upon a sinner and tells a sinner that to hell he must go and away hee must with him it is in vaine to strive for his sinnes are so strong that they shall never bee removed his corruptions will never part from him and therefore he wisheth a sinner to put an end to his daies and so to his sinning for he shall never be recovered he shall never be freed from the guilt of his sinnes and the dominion of them this is Satans power and this is like the wind that blew downe Iobs house that great and mightie tempest which came from the wildernesse and smote the foure corners of his house and made it fall upon his sonnes so I conceive the violent whurries of temptation and the fierce assaults of Satan come East and West North and South upon the heart of a sinner insomuch that the heart beginnes to sinke and conceives it selfe almost in hell it thinks it shall never overcome those assaults it thinks it shall never get out of these temptations you that finde these now or may find these hereafter let it please God to speake peace unto you you may observe marvellous comfort from the former doctrine the Text saith if Satan will not come out the Lord Iesus will bind the strong man and overcome him and take his weapons away from him and free the house of him and then he himselfe will go in and take possession Rom. 16.20 there saith the Text The Lord of heaven shall shortly beate downe Satan and trample hith under â—â—eet however haply Satan will not downe but be proud and malicious towards you though you cannot conquer him and quiet him though you cannot command the churlish curre yet the master can if there bee a bandogge or a mastiffe in the way the passenger must seeke by all faire meanes to appease him and yet haply hee will not be quiet but if tho muster comes he can command him and still him presently so it is with this curre divell he is nothing else but Gods bandogge Gods mastiffe whereby hee whurrieth poore sinners to make them runne to heaven for comfort though you cannot quiet him yet God can command him and make him fall under your feet and though he will not go out yet God will by strong hand cast him out whether hee will or no nay though there were a legion of devills in thee yet the Lord will force them out Luke 8.30 Christ met with a man which had divells a long time and when bee saw Iesus hee fell downe before him and cryed with a loud vayce what have wee to do with thee Iesus than sonne of the living God and Iesus asked him what is thy name and they said legion because many divells were entred into him I command thee thou uncleane spirit to come out of him saith Christ and so Satan was forced out whether hee would or no and therefore cheare thou thy soule and comfort thou thy heart which findest troubles in this kind and the temptations of Satan if hee be violent in tempting God will be as strong in conquering and binding of him and hee will cast him out and this is the first thing which hinders a man in a christian course namely the temptations of Satan and if thy heart bee still manuring and perplexed and saith the temptations of Satan are fierce But secondly these corruptions of mine oh they are extreme so that my sinnes are like a mayne flood which passeth over my head one wave commeth after another wickednesse after wickednesse and iniquity after iniquity now proud now sturdy now covetous now loose now prophane now unfaithfull oh these secret sinnes of mine and these bosome abominations of mine by which my heart hath so long beene swayed in which my soule hath so long continued I shall never bee freed from these I shall never get the mastery over these especially these beloved darlings lusts of mine God must breake my bones before they will out for my soule is still pursuing these distempers so that the poore sinner concludes as he did 2 King 7.2 when there was a great famine in Samaria the Prophet Elisha came and prophecied saying to morrow about this time shall a measure of fine flowre be sold for a shekell and two measures of barley for a shekell in the gates of Samaria then a ruler or a noble man upon whom the King leaned sayth the text answered the man of God and sayd behold if the Lord would make windowes in heaven might this thing be as who should say is it possible there should be such plenty on the suddaine no though God make windowes in heaven it cannot be So the soule sayth is it possible these sweet lusts these darling abominations so long committed so long continued so long practised can they ever bee pardoned if the Lord should make windowes of comfort and consolation is it possible that my soule should ever be refreshed why yet for all this behold a great deale of comfort from the former point though thy sinnes bee never so violent to pursue thee though thy corruptions bee never so strong to set upon thee yet God is more strong to conquer those sinnes and more strong to subdue those corruptions bee the union between sinne and thy soule never so neere God will breake that bond and snap those cords in sunder bee the dominion that sinne hath over thy soule never so great yet the power which Christ
spirit when the Lord had shewed mercy to him then saith he I will teach thy way to the wicked and sinners shall be converted as if he should say I will have no nay at the hands of sinners in this kind the proud heart shall bee humbled and the sturdy heart shall be softned I will exhort all sinners to come unto thee that art a God hearing sinners and shewing mercy unto sinners if God bee urgent so be you also labour you with a holy kind of violence to draw sinners unto heaven and to help on this exhortation for your help herein labour to draw them these two wayes labour your selves to do whatsoever in your power lyeth secondly labour to help them by the supply of others that may doe that which you cannot first in regard of your selves foure things are remarkable first set upon the sinner with a holy kind of heavenly resolution of soule and labour every way to expresse your love towards him for the good and benefit of him by sweet counsell loving exhortations gentle admonitions and sharp reproofes do to your utmost power worke upon poore sinners Heb. 3.13 Exhort one another saith the Text daily while it is called to day lest any of you be hardned through the deceitfulnesse of sinne but above all that place is remarkable for this purpose that we should advise and comfort and quicken and every way do that which may be most advantagious for our brethren 1. Thess 5.14 Wee exhort you brethren saith the Apostle warne them that are unruly comfort the feeble minded support the weake be patient toward all men see that none render evill for evill unto any man but ever follow that which is good both among your selves and to all men the Apostle doth not say that it is in one mans power to do this but all ought to do it men brethren and fathers ought to do it every sonne and daughter of Adam if there bee any weak strengthen them if there bee any down raise them deale patiently and lovingly with all deale answerably to the necessities of all sinners whom you have to do withall but you will say am I my brothers keeper aye that you are your brethrens keepers or else you are their murtherers wouldst thou not defend thy brother from murthering if thou shouldst see a cōpany of theeves set upon him go about to slay him wouldst thou not labour by all meanes possibly to succour him and hath God care of Oxen and Asses wilt thou preserve thy brother from a bodily death and wilt thou not doe much more for the soule of thy brother for the saving of him from eternall death and damnation dost thou set a sinner whurried and teared by Satan dost thou see the divell robbing him of all his graces and hearest him crying murther murther and wilt thou not help him and relieve him if you should lie in your beds and heare one cry murther murther would you not rise rescue him why every sinner every proud man every covetous man every malicious man every drunkard adulterer blasphemer the divell and those sins do prey upon them and worry their soules oh help them mercifully and perswade them lovingly rescue your child or your husband or your friend out of the jawes of Satan and work every way for their good in the 17. of Inde remember that build up one another saith the Text on your most holy faith labour to save some and pluck them out of the fire and though they doe not call to thee for help yet offer thy helping hand unto them if thy neighbours house be on a fire thou wilt not stay till thou beest called but if they that be within be dead in sleep then thou wilt break open the doore upon them and awake them and rouse them up so deale with the soules of poore sinners there is one man his soule is set on fire with hell it is all on a flame with devilish lust dost thou see the soule of thy neighbour all on a flame in this kind why then breake in upon him haply hee will not intreat thy help but that 's no matter stand not upon complements but with a holy kind of violence pluck him out of the fire you that are wise pluck the drunkard off the Ale-bench hale poore creatures out of hell and corruption did the Lord deale so with you why then deale you so with your fellow brethren and if you be not able to prevaile your selves if your owne counsell bee too weak then take two or three with thee it is Christs counsell Mat. 18.16 If thy brother shall trespasse against thee goe and tell him his fault betweene thee and him alone if hee shall heare thee thou hast gained thy brother but if hee will not heare thee then secondly take to thee two or three more that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may bee established that is take severall neighbours wise and holy and so double reproofes admonitions doe not onely perswade him but overpower him not only reprove him but convince him let thy neighbour exhort and thou also let thy neighbour admonish and thou too let thy neighbour reprove and thou too double your exhortations and admonitions and reproofes that at last you may prevaile with him But you will say if the soule still staieth in his distempers what must wee then do why if he returne to sinne againe then thirdly returne you to reproofes and exhortations againe and never leave him when thou goest to his house and meetest him in the way and seest him in the fields then still in all places upon all occasions reprove and exhort him and hale him from his ungodly courses and if the sinner yet will not hearken to thy exhortations but scorneth thee then the Lord doth free thee from thy counselling of him doe not cast pearles before swines but yet though thou needst not counsell him publickly yet go into thy chamber and mourne for him secretly as Ieremy did for the people of Ierusalem Lam. 1.17 for these things saith he I weepe mine eye mine eye runneth downe with water because the comforter that should relieve my soule is farre from me and my children are desolate doe thou so for the soule of a poore sinner and pluck hard to get help from heaven for him and intreat God never to give quiet to his soule untill his eyes be opened and his heart humbled lastly when your selves have done what you can and when you have used the help of others if after this he returnes to his former course and then when thou fallest to reprove him and exhort him againe he then becomes a scorner then labour to bring him to receive what succour hee may from others and that two wayes first by what meanes you may bring him to the publick meanes it was so with Cornelius after that by Gods Commandement he had sent for Peter and Peter was to come he drew all his friends and
acquaintance together saith the Text and then he saith to Peter we are all here present-before thee to heare all things that are commanded thee of God and it was that passage Ezech. 33.3 there the people speake one to another saying Come let us goe up to the house of the Lord and heare what is the word that commeth from the Lord mark how they call one another together and rap at one anothers doore thus do you counsell men to come unto the Lord and heare his word they will never come under the power of the hammer else that they may bee stricken hale them and draw them to the ministery of the word that so what you cannot do privately that the word may do in publick Ioh. 5.4 there was an Angell went downe at a cortaine time into the poole of Bethesda and troubled the waters then whosoever first stepped in was made whole of whatsoever disease he had now there lay a poore lame man at the brinke of the waters and because he was not able to step in every one stepped in before him and no man would help him mark how hee complaineth in the seventh verse I have no man saith he when the water is troubled to put me into the poole but while I am comming another steppeth downe before me he would faine have got in bâ— could not the word of God is like this poole of Bethesda when the word of God is opened and plainly and familiarly discovered when the spirit moveth upon the waters why put a poore soule into the water fling the soule of your child or your servant or your friend into the poole perswade what you may and compell those that are under you to come unto the word of God wheÌ„ the word of God is soundly revealed delivered why put a poore soule into the waters such a man hath a lame heart hee is lame in his practise and lame in his praying and lame in the performance of holy duties he is a cripple from his cradle why bring such of your neighbours and put them into the water and intreat the Lord to work upon them that the Angell may move from heaven and work conversion and salvation to the soules of them secondly as you must labour to bring them under the power of the word so secondly when God hath made knowne his word to the hearts of them follow you the blow as much as in you lyeth if there bee any exhortation settle it if there be any admonition presse it if there be any reproofe apply it home unto their soules strike thou while the iron is hot if thy child were touched and inlightned by the word when the Lord hath strucken his heart follow thou the blow when the Lord is pleased to smite his soule bring thou the blow home unto the heart of him remember that Deut. 6.7 there saith the Text these words which I command thee shall be in thy heart and thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children the word in the originall is thou shalt sharpen them thou shalt teach them that is thou shalt sharpen them upon the soules of thy children and upon the soules of thy servants the Ministers do what they can and you heare reproofes and exhortations and when you go out of the Church leave them in your stooles behind you but you should sharpen them and bring them home to the hearts of your wives and your children and servants and they that belong unto you you should follow the blow home when the Lord is pleased to exhort exhort you when the Lord is pleased to reprove reprove you it is no great matter haply to bring your children or servants under the word but when they are here they play and sport and talk and runne about as though there were no God here and therefore you should tell your children and servants it is the word of the Lord child and it is the word of the Lord servant it is not the word of man as you may think but it is the word of the Lord by which you shall one day be judged the Minister told you that God hateth a proud man and and a drunkard and an adulterer and a swearer why this was the word of the Lord thus bring the word home unto their soules and this is the way to bring them home unto God here that they may receive salvation hereafter we should use all the cords of mercy and love and anger and indignatioÌ„n that so if it were possible we might hale the soules of poore sinners to God oh blessed spirit of Saint Paul in this kind I wonder what is become of that love zeale that was in him as we may see in the 19. of the Acts he travells from place to place froÌ„ countrey to countrey he goes from house to house and rappes at every mans doore perswading men with all patience to be reconciled to God he dealeth as the nurse doth with her child the child cries and shrâ—ikes and wrawles and yet the nurse beares all so doth the Apostle Paul he met with much opposition here mocked there imprisoned there set in the stocks and scourged and yet he beares all with patience and perswades and beseeches men to be reconciled I say this power this zeale this love is gone if wee had hearts and hands and endeavours much more might be done in this case and God might work more mercifully with us powerfully by us for the conversion of poore sinners and this doth not lie only in the Ministers hands but Masters in yours and Officers in yours and so much shall serve for this poynt The next thing considerable in the Text is from the order first drawing then comming you cannot come unto me except my father draweth you the point is that God must first pluck us froÌ„ sin before we will fasten our soules upon the Lord Iesus it is evident Mat. 12.29 no man commeth into a strong mans house saith the Text unlesse he first bind the strong man first there must be binding and casting out before there can be taking of possession the house is the heart and the strong man is Satan the Lord must bind the one before he can take possession of the other the soule must be drawne before it will come to God however for the manner of this drawing it be divers God dealeth with some one way and some another some hee drawes with the cords of his mercy and some with the hookes of conscience yet this is certaine there must be a drawing before there can or will be a comming Gal. 3.22 it is said that all men are shut up under sinne c. Ioh. 1.12 As many as received him to them he gave power to become the sonnes of God now before the Lord Iesus can be received the bonds of sinne must be removed and the lock must bee opened before the Lord Iesus can come in and bee entertained but God doth loose these locks divers wayes as sometimes
hee could not help himselfe but must needs perish if he should glory in this case and say I am here in this pitt and if I get not out I shall perish yet this is my comfort no body lookes after me no body will vouchsafe to helpe me this is thy condition thou art funke downe into thy sinnes and let downe into the bottom of hell thou stickest there and art like to perish there and yet for all this thou gloriest and boastest and sayst the Lord will not open my eyes the Lord will not draw the Lord will not perswade me and work upon me and therefore thou art like to continue there and bee confounded there is this thy glory it is the greatest curse that ever befell any man and therefore if there bee any whose eyes God hath opened hath the Lord let in the cord of conscience into thy soule and let in the flashes of hell fire and brought thee almost to dispaire then blessed be the name of God thou art drawing goe home be comforted thou goest in the right way be not disquieted in this condition the Lord is now drawing of thee hee will anon bring thee to himselfe Second Vse Secondly it is a word of direction if there must bee drawing before there can bee comming then what are we to be advised of but this to blesse God for his worke when wee see it in our selves or others wheresoever your see this worke wrought in your selves or those that belong unto you blesse God for that mercy it is a good ground that God intendeth good to a man when hee beginneth the right way and observe this to check that conceit and overthrow that cursed opinion it is the ordinary practise of carnâ—ll men in the world if any that belong to them bee awakened and humbled they count it the heaviest curse that ever befell them the greatest crosse that ever came to their houses the wife the childe is undone they complaine the wife is so holy and the servants so devout that if there be any spare time they then goe to reading and praying I wonder whither they will go next I trow I tell thee whither they will goe next they are going now to Christ and the next journey they take they will goe to heaven this is the worst newes and art not thou ashamed to complaine of this if there be any soule present that is guilty of this crime take notice of it art thou content thy wife should take up her loose adulterous courses and go to the devill and not take up a good course and goe to the Lord Iesus Christ when God is working upon men hee is drawing of them to himselfe that they may go to the Lord Iesus and receive mercy from the Lord Iesus and therefore I beseech the Lord to shew men this sottish conceit and reforme the same when thou seest God worke upon a poore soule then blesse God for the same is thy wife that was an Adulteresse before now humbled doth she now see her sinnes then goe into a corner and blesse God for the same and say I have had an untoward wife but now the Lord blessed bee his Name hath humbled her I had a loose servant that was given to drunkennesse prophannesse but now the Lord hath opened his eyes and awakened his conscience and humbled his soule and is drawing of him to himselfe why blesse God for this his glorious comfort bee comforted herein and incouraged hereby and blesse God for the same FINIS The Table IOHN 6.44 No man can come unto me except the Father which hath sent me draw him Doctrine I. THat every man in his naturall condition is fastened and setled in the state of sinne and corruption Page 3. This appeareth in the dominion that sinne and Sathan hath over the soule p. 4. And secondly in the amity that the soule hath to sinne p. 6 Vse I. Instruction to inâ—orme our mindes of the woefull servitude and daily slavery that all men are in by nature p. 7 Vse II. It is a word of Exhortation to all the Saints of God to pittie poore naturall creatures p. 11 Doctrine II. The Lord by a holy kinde of violence doth plucke the hearts of sinners from sinne unto himselfe p. 18 What is meant here by drawing vid. p. 20 The meanes whereby God drawes the heart of a poore sinner unto himselfe are foure Meanes I. The Lord letteth in a light into the minde of a poore sinner and discovereth unto him that he is in a wrong way p. 26 Meanes II. The Lord doth draw poore sinners unto himselfe with the cord of his mercy p. 30 This cable rope of Gods mercy is made up of foure Cords The first Cord is this The Lord reveales himselfe to be ready to receive poore sinners p. 31 The second Cord is this The Lord doth call and command sinners for to come p. 32 The third Cord is this The Lord intreates and beseecheth poore sinners to come to receive mercy p. 34 The fourth Cord is this The Lord doth wait and stay in long patience and suffring to see if at any time a sinner will turne unto him p. 38 Meanes III. The Lord draweth poore sinners unto himselfe by the iron cords of conscience p. 40 These iron cords of conscience have three maine hâ—â—kes to pull sinners to the Lord that is there are three great workes of conscience which God useth to worke upon men to draw them from sinne to himselfe p. 41. The first Hooke of conscience is this Conscience is a warner to the soule and admonisheth it of sinne and to come from sinne upon paine of damnation p. 41 The second Hooke is this Conscience accuseth the creature before God and witnesseth against him p. 47 The third Hooke is this Conscience at the last condemnes the soule p. 13 Meanes IV. The Lord draweth poore sinners unto himselfe by the Cord of his Spirit p. 61 The Reasons why the Lord doth thus draw a sinner from sinne to himselfe are three p. 62. Reason I. Because the strong man must first be cast out p. 63 Reason II. Because of that naturall union betweene the soule and corruption p. 64 Reason III. Becaus of that soveraigne kinde of power that sinne hath over the soule and prevaileth within the soule p. 67. Vse I. It is a ground of Instruction to teach all people to admire the inconceiveable goodnesse of the Lord to poore miserable damned creatures p. 70 Vse II. It is a word of terrour to discover the woefull estate of all those that doe set themselves against the worke of preparation p. 74 Vse III. It is a use of comfort and consâ—lation to all poore soules that are oppressed with their sinnes p. 95 Vse IV. It is a use of Exhortation to all Gods people to endeavour to pluche others from sinne this is the course God takes p. 103 Vse V. Of Examination to trie your selves how you have beene drawne to God p. 114 FINIS
those prophane hearts will be pure and holy why when will it once be thus Christ wayteth still and expecteth still if not this day then the next week if not the next week then the next moneth if not the next moneth then the next quarter if not the next quarter then the next yeare if not the next yeare then the next score of yeares you old sinners that are grayheaded in wickednesse how long hath the Lord waited upon you for shame let him wayt no longer but turn unto him that you may receive mercy from him and have your sinnes pardoned by him This is the last cord of Gods mercy first the Lord will entertaine poore sinners if they come secondly he doth command them to come thirdly he doth intreat and beseech them to come and lastly if all this will not do then he wayts in parience for their amendment and thus the Lord makes up his great cable roap of mercy and this one would think should melt the hardest heart under the Sunne but if this will not do if God by these cords of mercy cannot draw a sinner then he takes himselfe unto another course and as he justly may he lets in other cords in the heart you will not come with mercy will you very well I tell you the Lord will lay hooks upon you that shall bring you with a witnesse if these bonds of love will not prevayle with you the Lord hath iron cords that will pluck you in peeces and therefore the third meanes whereby God draweth a sinner from corruption to himselfe is the cord of conscience which God lets down into the soule and this same yron cord this yron chayne of conscience hath three hookes at the end of it which are able to rend the heart of a sinner and pluck it in peeces and draw the soule unto God if the cords of Gods mercy will not draw you then these yron hookes of conscience will pull you to the Lord for this same cord of conscience hath three maine hookes that is there are three great works of conscience which God useth to work upon men to draw them from sinne to himselfe First conscience is a warner of the soule and admonisheth the sinner of his waies this conscience gives a sinner an uncontrouleable command to come from sinne conscience gives him a peremptory charge upon paine of the heaviest judgement that can bee inflicted upon him not to meddle with corruption it is conscience that doth this the Lord stirreth up conscience and armes him with authority as a Vicegerent under him that he may stifle those sinfull lusts and over-power those sinfull distempers that harbour in the soule and overcome the soule it is true that wicked men by reason that they live in sinne have their consciences either blinded or asleep their consciences oftentimes come to be seared and hardened wicked men have their consciences some times under them they stifle their conscience and stop the mouth of conscience if conscience offer to reproove them they presently take him on the mouth and make him quiet they bind the hands of conscience in this kind but if a wicked man belong to God then hee will awaken conscience in this life but if they do not belong unto him then they may be sure when they are in hell to have their consciences awakened they carry a black dogge in their bosome that will teare them with a witnesse but if God purpose good unto a man then he will awaken his conscience in this life hee will arme conscience with authority and put a new commission into the hand of conscience insomuch that now conscience stands upon termes and conscience will not put it up as he hath done howsoever it hath heretofore beene stifled yet now it gives men a peremptory command upon paine of their everlasting torment as they love their own soules to take heed that they meddle not with sin for if they do it will cost them everlasting life now when conscience hath such a commanding power then the command is marvellous awfull terrible and fearefull and it maks a sinner start aside and withdraw himselfe from his former courses it makes him hang downe his head and he dares not looke out of doores he dares not runne with that courage into wicked practises as he did before it is with conscience in this case as it is with a Lievetenant or a Shreife of a countrey happily in the Kings absence a company of rebels joyne together in a conspiracy and rend the commission out of the Lievetenants hand and beset the Shreifes house the officers because the rebels are more in number dare doe little or nothing unto them they may say as David did to the sonnes of Serviah ye are too strong for me ye sonnes of Serviah and therefore he would not meddle with them and so in some unruly towne wee shall see a company of ryotous fellowes because they are more in number than the officers they set the Constable in stockes when as they are more worthy to goe to the gallowes than he to the stocks just so it is with conscience haply wicked men in former times have stifled conscience and tooke the comission out of the hands of conscience but when the King comes into the countrey and the officers shall complaine unto the King of this conspiracy then he gives them a larger command and gives them more power hee puts a new commission into their hands and furnisheth them with greater ayd and commandeth upon paine of death that there be no more such uproares made and when this is proclaymed upon the Market-post then this makes those resolute fellowes to pull in their heads and they dare not shew themselves So it is with conscience sometimes the Lord letts wicked men blind conscience and feare it wicked men oftentimes make a mock at conscience if a man reprooves them for some sin and admonisheth them for conscience sake not to cōmit wicked practises then they flout at the person that speakes unto them and say what your conscience will not suffer you to do as we do you will not drink will you why oh your conscience will not suffer you you will not commit adultery will you your conscience will not suffer you what you are a man of conscience are you and you will suffer your conscience to make a foole of you what care we for your conscience or you either thus many sinners keep conscience under but howsoever conscience be thus slighted and dispised the time will come when God will awaken conscience and put a new commission into his hands and sends him help from heaven and sayes goe to such a man and tell him you have blasphemed and you have spoken against Gods Saints you have broken Gods Sabbaths and slighted Gods word and contemned Gods ordinances and neglected the meanes of salvation be it known therefore unto thee that I have a command from heaven and from God I charge you as you will