434 DIRECTIONS SOR GETTING AND KEEPING know of himself, or any other, that God bath thus finally forsaken bim ; for God hathgiven us no sign to know it by; (at least who sin not against the Holy Ghost.) God bath not told us his secret intents concerning such. 3. Yet some men have far greater cause to fear it than others ; especially those men, who, under the most searching, lively sermons, do continue secure and willful in known wickedness; either hating godliness and godly persons, and all that do reprove them, or at least being stupefied; that they feel no more than a post the force of God's terrors, or the sweetness of his promises, but make a jest of sinning, and think the life of god- liness a needless thing. Especially if they grow old in this course, I confess such have great cause to fear, lestthey are quite forsak- en of God ; for very few such are ever recovered. 4. And there- fore it may well be said to all men, " To-day, if you will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, ". &c. And "This is the acceptable time; this is the day of salvation;" both asthis life is called, "the day of salvation," and because no man is certain to live another day, that he may repent ; nor yet to have grace to repent if he live. 5. But what is all this to you that do repent? Can you have cause to fear that your day of grace is over, that have received grace? Why, that is as foolish a thing as if a man should come to the market and buy corn, and when he bath done, go home la- menting that the market was past before he came. Or as a man should come and hear a sermon, and when he hath done, lament that the sermon 'was done before he came. If your day of grace be past, tell'me, (and do not wrong God,) Where had you the grace ofrepentance ? How came you by that grace of holy de- sires? Who made you willing to have Christ for your Lord and Savior ? so that yin had rather have him, and God's favor, and a holy heart and life, than all the glory of the world.. How came you to desire that you were such aone as .God would have you to be ? And to desire that all your sin's were dead, and might never live in you 'more? And that ydu were able to love God, and delight in him, and please him even in perfection? And that you are so troubled that you cannot do it? Are these signs that your day of grace is over? Doth'God's Spirit breathe out groans after Christ and grace within you ? And yet is the day of grace over? Nay, what ifyou had no'grace? Do you not hear God daily of- fering you Christand grace? Doth he not entreat and beseech you to be reconciled unto him ? (2 Cor. v. 19, 20.) And would he not compel you to » come in ? (Matt. xxii.) Do you not feel some unquietness in your sinful condition? and some motions and strivings atyour heart toget out of it ? Certainly, (though you ,shouldbe one that bath yet no grace to salvation,) yet these con-
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