thee go umilltho" haftblejfed me, faith Jacob: So the faithful foul layes hold upon the Lord for Mercy, Pardon, Power, and Grace, and though the Lord feem to give him up to the torment of Sin and Corruption, yet the foul faith, 'Thot<gh my foul go down to hell, I will hold here for M ercy, tdl the Lord comfort and pardon,_ and fubdue gractOujly thefo wrfod ,·orrupti~ns, which I am not able to_mafter my foif. As tt ts Wtth a ~un-dtal, the needle is ever movmg, and a man may Jog tt thts way and that way, yet tt wtll never frand fl:ill, till it come to the North-point: So when the Lord leaves off a believing heart with frown~, and with the expreffion of difplcafure, and the foul turns to the Lord Chrift and will never leave till it go God-ward,and Chrift-wara,and Grace-ward, and faith, Let the Lord do what he pleafe~ I_willgo no further, till he be plaafod to jlmv Mercy. Thus the foul once come to Chnft, t~ wtll never away, but ~ver cleaves to the Promife, and is turned towards God and Chnll:, whatfoever befalls tt. Vfo 1 , Poor foul, art thou yet fhut up in Unbelief? do then as the Prifoners in New-gate; what lamentable cries do they utter to every Paffenger by? So do thou, look out from the gates of Hell, and from under the bars of infidelity, and cry, tha~ God would look on thee in mercy, and fay, Spare, Lord, a poor t<nbelzevmg wretch, lock) up under the bars ofVnbelief: good I.ord,fuccow, and deliver in thy due time. David could fay? Let the pfaf, 79 •11, JigiJing•f the prifonm come up brf;rethee; that mdeed was meant ofbodtly tmpnfonment, yet the argument prevails much in regard of the Spiritual; Good L ord, In the jighi11g of pri{omrs comeup before thee; let the ftghing of poor dijfmftful fouls come up before thy M ajejly: 0 [md helpfrom heaven, and deliver rhefoul ofthy_(ervrmt from thefc wretched di(fempers ofheart. Is there no caufe thus to pray? He that be/ieveth not (faith our Saviour J t5 condemned already : He is caft in heaven and earth, by the Law and Go'pel; there is no relief for him abi.ding in this condition; lay this under thy pillow, John 3· rS. an<! fay, How ccm I jlerp, and be a condemned man? What ifGod jhould tal<! away my life this night ? A iriS ! I never k.new what it WM to be enlightemd, or W>unded for fin; I can comma fin, andplay tvith fin, but I never k..,new what it WM to be t.Vo11ndedfo.r finne; I never k_nnv what it lV·t5 to be z.ealom in ag•od ca"fe; 0 I confefs I have !10 faith at all! Beloved! would you yield this, then were there fome hopes that you might get out of this condition and fl:ate; to have a fenfe of its want, to go to the Lord by prayer, and to ask; hearty counfel of fome faithful Minill:<r, are the firft (l:eps to obtain it. And to help a poor wretch in this cafe, 0 you that are gracious, go your ways home, and pray for him ; Brethren, let us leave preaching and hearing, and all of us fall to praying and mourning: In truth, I condemn my own foul , becaufe I have not an heart to mourn for him; we reprove his finne, and condemn him ofhjs fin ; and we muft do fo · but where are the heart-blood petitions that we put up for fuch a one? \Vhere are rh/tears that'"' m.11z;for the ]lain ofour people ? You tender-hearted Mothers, and you tenderhearted \'Vtves, 1fyour chtldren or husbands be in this woful ca(e, 0 mourn for them, let your hearts break over them, and fay, 0 wo is me for my 'hildrtn! 0 1vo is mefor that poor hwbr._nd of mine ! . Or fecondly, hall: thou gotten faith? then labour to husband this grace well, a11d td Vj't ;t, tmprove tt for the bell: good. It is a marvellous fhame, to fee thofe that are born to fatrmeans (I mean the poor Saints of God) that have a Right and Title to GraGe and Chllll:, and yet to ltve at fuch an und~r-rate: I would have you to live above the wotld, for the Lord doth not grudge hts people of comfort, but would have them live chearfully, & have ll:rong confolations, and mighty alfurance of Gods love: Is them not caufe? why, faith (if it be right) will make the life of a Chriftian moft eafie moft comfortable. Unfait~ful fouls fink in their forrows upon every occafion,butfaith'gives cafe to a man Ill all hts converfatwn : r. Becaufe faith hath a skill, and a ldnde o£ fltght to put over all cares to another: We take up the Crofs but faith hurles all the chre on Chnll:_; an eafie niatter it is to lie under the burthcn 'when another bears all the n;e•gnt of tt. Look how it is with two Ferry-men, the ~ne halcs his Boat about ~-~ .ohr, ahd ea nnot get off, but tugs, and pulls, and never puts her forth to the fr•lle' ~e ~ er puts h,s Bo~t upon the fiream, and fets up his fail, and then he may fit a faithf~f I< oat; and the wmd will carry him whither he is to go: Jull: thus it is with h fi ouJ, and an unbel!ever; all the care of the faithful foul is to put himfelf upon ~ed rer:;n ° Gods Providence, and to fet up the fail of Faith, and to take the g•le.of 0 .s h_ercband Providence, and fo he goes on ehcarfully, ·.Q.ccaufe it is not he that c~r~esb 'fi 11 • lllut the Lord Jefus Chrill: :" whereas every unfaithful foul tugs and pulls a t e u me e, and can finde neither cafe nor fuccelfe ; Alas! be thinks by his own wits and
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=