Ezek.;z. The Godly arewa4óedaidSaniï'ifted. S a c r.VIII. rocks, andpreach to healis rather then men ; For who knoweth butthat a noyfom dunghil, into a mine ofgold. That of our Saviours fhould be wings tous in our race, WithGodall things are pofble; and that of God, I wilt take away the heart offlow, andgive anheart offielb: Oh that we might fay of all wicked men, that which the Apoftle fpeaketh here in the Text, And fuch wereforte ofion, butye are walhed, bat ye arefanaified : God will not have any wicked man defpairin himfelf, that he is fo wicked that God cannot or will not ever give him a better heart ; nor yet the mintier to defpair, though there be no vifible hopes of ever doing good upon fachunworthy men Onely youmay have this objeftion in your hearts : Kati Why do we not fee God working thus as wonderfully tothe change ofmen, as he bath done heretofore? there the Corinthians, the Ephelians and other Heathens, wallowing inIdalatry,and all moral vices,yetfound thewordof God aflimilating them to its own nature ; it made men leave their corrupt and defiled natures, andcometoimbrace that which formerly was fo contrary to them: But now weYee no fuch things done, no not among Chrillians ; in thofe days anHeathen Adulterer, an HeathenaDrunkard, became wafhed andcleanfed by the word ; but now a Chriftian thus polluted, notwitbltanding his Chriftianity, and theword frequently preached untohim,doth not reformandmake him leave his former impieties. Anfr To this the anfwermay be, That wickedmen living in theirfins, under thedaily , exercife of the Word, quickly provokeafpiritnal cenfure andjudgement to be inflali- ed upon them; by which means, as the clay under the Sun, theybecome more obdurate; wonder not then, if as miracles, fo this wonderful work of convey- (ion ceafeth (at leaft its not fofrequent) for rebellion and unfruitfulnefs under the means of grace, enjoyed fo long a time, bath deferved this: but added (not fo frequently) becaufe even to this day in feveral places, Gadftill goeth out with this Omnipotent power uponCome few, tomefirebrands there are pul- led out of the fire, foreTygers are made Lambs, although this is very rare in comparifonof what bath been formerly ; not but that Godsarm is asftrong, and the word we preach as powerful, but as it is Paid of one place, Chrifl could do nomiracles there, becatsfèoftheir unbelief,Mat6.6 Becould not (that is) he would not, becaufe hefaw their unbeliefmade them fo wretched a people ; fo it is here, our miniftery can do no good, our preaching cannot convert ; not that mens lulls are llronger then Gods grace, but becaufe they pin fuch boltsand bars, fuchobilrudionsin the wayof grace, that thereby God will not make it ef- feflual to them. O thenbe afraid, ifthou, though Rill before thisfire of the word, yet artalways cold and chill, feeling no fpiritual heat at all. In the next place, let us obferve from thewords ofoppofition, Andfuch were foreofyou, butye are wafted e They are not the fame they were once. Were,. That Where convertinggrace is vouchfafed to a man, it makes agreat change, he is not the man he Was once. We may fay of every regenerateman, Such wicked men you wereonce, pro- phane as others, negligent as others, fenfelefs of finand Gods wrath as others, but now this dark night is turned into a glorious day. The Prophet fpake of fore, Amos 6.12. That they turned rigbteon /nefs into hemlock andwormwood e Thet was a wickedturning, but this turneth hemlock into righteoufnefs. The Pro- phet complained of7ereefalem,fallenfrom her mercies, That her gold Was become chefs, and her Wine water, Lam. 4. buthere is the contrary, drofs is become gold, and water wine. Egonon fumego, laid an unclean perfon onceconverted, to the whore that follicited him to the fame courfes Rill : Sodo thou fay to all thy former wickednefs, catching bold on thee as fofephsmiftrefs did on him; I am not I, I have notthe fame judgement, the fame affeftions, the fame delires that onceI had, and therefore cannot imbrace whatI once fo dearly loved, The exact handling of this point will be, when we come to thofeTexts that call it converlon,
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