no better: But 1anfwer, Say it, though you be no better, becaufe God bids you fay it : Say it, an:! fly it again; it may be he will come m when you fay rt, H of ' 4·+ The foul bjed: again How can I pray & have not farth 'I anfwer, Put thy fclfupon prayer, ~~d1~ho knows but affilbnce, and bleffing, and fai~h may come? Pray that God would leafe to prepare thy heart,to fanC1rfie thy affed:wns,to orde; thy wdl, to prefet ve thee f..om fin to prepare thee for growth unto full holrnetfe and nghteoufnefs: thts was the cffeC1 ~f Jcremiahs prayer, Com-ert me, 0 Lord, and I ]hall be converted; heal me, 0 Lord, aY/d I ]hall be hcahd; fa7Je m•, 0 Lord, and I ]hall be fa7Jcd: Turn rho_u a ood Lord, midfo ]hall we be turned, ]er. 17. 14. and Lammt. 5· 21. It IS ~h~ L~rd that converts, and heals, actd faves, and turns; and i'rayer is the means to proditce thiit/fetl in thee: when we are rcqmred to _pray, to repent and beheve, we are not to feek fl:rength in our felves, but to fearch mto the Covenant, and turn the romife into prayer. As the command is, Repcm, AC1. 17. 30. fo the Covenant rs, ~lrrift jhn!lgi7Je Repentance, AC1. 5. 31. and therefore pray, Titrn rhou me, and I jhall betHmcd, Jer, 3'· r8. Therefore bow thy knees, and humbly,. hearttly, frequently, fervently implore the influence of Gods blctfed Spmt: Cry Wtth the Spoufe m the Canticles, A 1vak!, 0 North-1vi11d, & come thoit So~<th-wmd, andblow upon my garden, that thefpices thtreofmay flowforth. Cant. 4- 16. The mo:e rufhmg and nHghty thts wi:>d ofthe Spirit is, the more will he make thee fruchfie m hts graces and bleffings; therefore cry again and again, 0 Lord, let 'hJ Spirtt '""""upon me : create m me a cl<tm heart, 0 God, '"'d renctv a rightfpin·t withtn me. 0 Lord Jef•u, Jcnd thy Spmt mto me which may reftore me from th1s death offin, 1tnto the life ofholmejfe. Thus wouldfl: thou ask and continue asking, thus wouldell: thou cry, and continue crying, then could I atfu~e thee of th~ promife (when the Lord comes in) which Goi hath made, and can. not deny, He that ask!th rccci7Jcth; and, he that foek.fth ji11dcth, and, to him that k_no<iv eth (by continuance and perfeverance) it]hall beopened, Mat. 7· 8. The fecond wing, or hand, that bears and leads thee to1:hefe fl:eps ofrhenewbirth, is, Conftant hearing ofthe IVord: thou mufl: attend thegattscf lrifdom, and waiun her pofls: thou mull: come to Gods houfe, and hearken to the miniltery of the \Vord: no doubt, bm •f thou beef/ conflant in this dmy, God will flir up fome good Samuel, God will 11{e fomc of his Pricjls ( confecratcd to that office) to beget thee again: Underfiand thi~; foberly; for if Jefus Chrifl: himfelf thould preach to the foul every day, and give not out ofhimfelfe, the ordinance would be empty to it: it is Chrifl:s coming into his people in the ordinances, that only fills the empty foul with good things. Andyet Gods Mini– ilers are called Spiritual Fathers, I have begottenJOlt ( faith Paul) through the miniffra– tion of the Gofpel, I Cor. 4· 15. The Pafl:ors tongue is the Lords conduit-pipe, and hereby he derives the fweet and wholefome waters of life into the fouls of his chof~n; only do thou frequent the meansi and thou !halt fee at one time or other God will re' member thee in mercy: It is true, I know not when; and therefore I wifh thee milfe no Lords day to rCJ?air to Gods houfe, lefl: the day of thy neglect mi&ht have been the day of thy conver!ion; certain it is, no man fhould expect Gods bleffing without his ordinances'· no eatin~ of_bread withom plowing and fowing, no recovering of health Wtthout eatmg and dnnkmg, no pofl:mg on land WJthout fomewhat to ride on; no patfage on feas, without fomewhat. t? faile in; fo no bleffing, no grace, no regenerati– on, no newbmhat all, wrthout WaJtmg upon God in his wayes, and in his ordinances. Now then, .as thou dcfirefl:hcaven or (the way to heaven) to be born again, I b<f eech thee malt! h•gh account oftku ordmance of God, the preaching ofhis Word: In preaching ofthe Gofpel, !Jght, motwn, and power go out to all, which men refifl:: and fome are defl:royed, not becaufe they could not believe but becaufe they refifl: and will notobey, and fo die, A tls 7· 5'· Luk! q. 34~ Ez.ek. 33 . rr. H of ,'3. g. and yet l WJfh thee not only to hear it, b~t after thou hail: heard, confider of it, ponder on tt; ancllay the threats and reproofs, the precepts and promifes, unto thine own foul : thus tf thou hearefl: and meditatell:, I doubt not but Gods Word will be a .Word ofpower to thee, and (together with prayer) bring thee towards the new birth, whither, exupt" m411 come, he cannot (poffibly)fee the Kingdom of God. . Thus far o.f rhe new bmh: you fee we have mounted thofe Jl:eps, whofe tbp (like Jacobs ladder) rcacherh ttp to Heaven; .WJtnctfe the next word, he that is born again fhadllfee the k.!ngdomofGod; but he that IS n:ot born agmn, be cannot fee the kingdom of Go . Jcr.3 '· '8' Jer ' 7· 14, Liltn, S• 21, Canr. 4 1S. P.al.si. Jti, 1 Cor. 4· 1). Gen. o8. 10,
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