424 DIRECTIONS AND PERSUASIONS sires you to open and let him in, and you wish him to come in ; but you bolt the door, and no entreaty will procure you to open it. It is consideration of the saving doctrine of the gospel, that openeth the heart, and giveth it entertainment. Set yourselves therefore on purpose to this work, and open the doors of your heart, which are now shut, and let the King of glory come in. Who will believe that you love the light, when you shut the windows, and draw the cur- tains? If you will set yourselves to consider of the truth, the windows of your soul will be set open, and then the light will certainly come in. Now you read over whole chapters, and hear sermon after sermon, and either they never stir you, or at least it is but a little for a fit ; like a man that hath a little warmed him at a fire in the winter, and when he goes from it is colder than before : but if you would but set your- selves to consider of what you hear or read, one line of a chapter, or one sentence of a sermon, would lay you in tears, or make you groan, or at least do more than now is done. Satan bath garrisoned the heart of every carnal man : and consideration is the prin- cipal means to cast him out. If by considering of the terrible threatenings of the world, you would dis- charge the cannons of God against them, what a bat- tery would it make in the corruptions of your souls ! Our God is a consuming fire, and the fire of hell is threatened by his law as the wages of sin : by serious consideration you may as it were fetch fire from God and from his word, and set to the very gates of Sa- tan's garrison, and tire him out of many of his holds. But because this is so needful a point, I shall be so large upon it, as, 1. To tell you some of those things that you should consider of: 2. To tell you in what manner you should do it : and 3. To give you some motives to put you on. 1. The first thing that I would have you often to think on, is, the nature of that God with whom you have to do. Consider, that if he be the most wise, it is all the reason in the world that he should rule you..
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