Of Elef1ion. ~moved to do it, and toanfwerGod'sCall, as in the following words of that BooK IV. :z.:z.th verfe, Behold, we come u111o thee: For thou art the Lordour God, God, ~you fee, continues toown them, after their mofi def)Jerate backlliding, and · to do all in them, and for them, and then they return to own him. You have thdame, Ijai. 57· 17, 18. For the iniqutty of hi. covetoufiu{s WM I wroth rmd }mote him: I htd me and wtU wroth, and he wml on froward/~ in th; way of hu Heart. I have[em hi. Wt!JS and wi!J heal him: 1 wi!J leadhim alfo .• andreflore comforts utlto him, rmd to hi. mourners, As alfo Ho[. '4· 4· I wtlt heat tlmr backjltndmgs I wttl love them freely: And truly, this hap– PY ilfue of healing in the end , what is it otherthan what is in the Text .After ye have ftiffered a white, I wtltflrengthm , ~c. ' From all which palfages this conclufion will remain for me, that if God bath married himfetf, by Calling us once, and then bath forgiven us, as a God of all Grace, fo many years finnings contrived in (for which a Man never fo much as once repented all his life ) then how much more will he forgive thofe, which thou intermingledly humblefi thy Soul for , and appliefi the Blood of Chrifi for l Which is of as much force to be fure,under the New Tefiamenf, as it was under the Old, to make rtconciliatio11 andatonemmt between God, and them that art theca/Jed accordi11g to hi.purpofein all fuch cafes, And thirdly ; he can do all this with more eafe; (as I may fo fpeak) than what he did for thee at the firfi. For firfi , At the firfi thou hadfi an Heart that was wholly hard and impeni– tent, and did God then break it, and melt it, and withal, forgave thee alt thy Si11s l How much more eafily can he, yea, and doth he, break thy Heart, that hath been broken already? Melt and [often the Heart that bath been mel– ted, and which never yet came to be wholly cold, after its firfi melting? And though it lhould be fo, yet one can more ealily fet that Coal on lire that bath been in the fire fo often already, than kindle a green Stick that never was kind– led. And as he can more eafily melt thy heart, than at firfi ; So fecondly, He can in this way of dilpenfation more cafily forgive thee, than at the firfi he did : For at the firft Converfion he pardoned all, and all at once; but his courfe of pardoning thy fins, after Calling, is but by driblets (as we fay) or by lelfer Sums. For he now pardons you afrelh every day as thou committefi them , and humblefi thy felf for them: And fo that of Johll is fulfilled, The blood of Chrifl cleanfnh from a!J fin. Which words note out a continued act; for fuch it is to a Soul after Calli11g, that Blood becomes a Fonntain. Fons pertnnu,that daily runs and walheth, Zech. 1 l · 1, [,.that day there jhaU 6e Fountain o– pnud to the Hot4fe of David, mtd to the Inha6ita1lts o/ Jerufalem for fin, and for uncteannefs : that is, It continues to be fuch after it bath been lirft open· ed, as at lir.fl Converfiori it begins to be. Afore Converlion Chrifi was as the Rock which Mo(es firuck, it had fiood long in the Ifradites view, it flowed not at all till Mo{es applied his Rod to it; but when once firuck, it became a continual Ri~er that fot!owedthem; amd that Rock wi1D Chrijl, as I Co.-. IO+ and that Wate.- was his Blood, which when once opened, it runs con,inually , and runs with eafe, without any force or violence ufed, and in that manner walheth out the ftains of daily fins with far more eafc and expedition (if any fuch difference may be fuppofed) than it did thofe Guilts of a deeper dy, t.hat had continued from man's In f.1 ncy till then,and which at firft Converlion a man was found guilty of. And did God do this then for thee at thy Calling,ar.d will he not afterwards; cfpecially when thou art found to humble thy felf all along as thou finneft, and continueft to feek grace, as a man condemned ufeth to do for life, and bafi a daily recourfe fr ill as thou failefi, unto the Throne of Grace for grace and mer· cy in time of need ? Thou confeffefi, acknowledgefi thy fins, appJ.yefr t~e Blood of Chrift to them, and pleadefi forgivenefsfor his fake, and tborow bts Inrerceffion ; and though it is not for thefe ( that is , thefe humblings an~ feekings, as thy are they doing) that God pardoneth thee , yet this way h1s courfe of pardoning dotb run.
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