- 40 The Nmure .of Converfi()n.: thy petition, and w;~at is thy.req;ujl? and it /hJll ~!!r gra 11.ted thee, Efther .;. ~· \Vhat \vould.R: thou ask·? Go into the gardens of pleafure, and gather.all the ftagrant fl owers fro1n thence: Would thefecontent thee? Go to the creafures of Mtmmon ;fuppofe thou n1ighffl: lade thy felfwhile thouwouldfl: fromhence.: Go to the towers, tQ the trophies of honour : What , thinkeR: thouof being a manof renown., and hav– ing a name like the natneof the great men of the. earth? Would anyrof this ; all this, fuffice thee, and make thee count thy felf a happy 1nan? If fo, t hen certainly thou art carnal, and unconverted. If not, go farther ; wade into the divine exceilencies, the ftore of his mercies, the hidingof his power, the deeps unfathomable of his All- fufficiency: D~th. this fuit theeb~ft, and pleafe thee mofl: ? Doft thou. fay, 'rh good to..be here, !v1atth. 1 7· 4· Here I will pitc~, here I will live and die? Wilt thou let all the world go,. t~ather than this? Then ·cis well between God and t:hee: Happy art thou, 0 man! happy art thou.that ever thou waft born: If a God can n:1ake thee happy, thou mufi: needs be happy; -. for thou· ·~ haft avouched the Lord to be.thy God, Deut. 26. 17. DoH thou fay to Chrift, as he to us, Thy Fatber fl;.tll be my Father, and thy God myGod?· ]oh.2.o. 17. Here. is the turning point. An unfound profeffor never takes uphis rcfi:.-in God, but converting g{ace does the work, and fo cures the fatal mifery of th~ fall, by·turning the heart from its idofs, to the41 living God, I:· Th~ f 1. 9· Now,fays the foul, iord, w'!itber foould I go?· 'rbou haft the:words of.e.ternal life, ]oh. 6. 68'• Here he centres, here hefen les: 0, ·'tis as the e~trance of heaven to .him, to fee his intereft in God. \Vhen he difcovers this~ he faith, Retur.J% unto thy refl, 0 my,foul; for tbe Lord .'bath dealt bountifully ~itb tbee, Pfal. 116.- 7. And: it ·is even r_eady to breatheout S.ime~n,s fong,LQrd,.now lette;~~ t/;ou thJ. fer ... . ~J-
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