Soo C fCenverliena or turning unta God. $g c »_ e e £r. }E ..4ty ..-.r s }..+ + SERMON LXXXIVa 1J'hy gods poveer unto Converfion doth not ali'aies go along with hisWord thoughdJ)enfdby afaith- ful ini lry; andwhether corrupt orprophane MiniFlcrs may bea means of Converon. JER.23.23. If theybad flood inmy Connfel, &c. then they /liotdd, Rive turned themfrom their evil nab. Faithful Miniftry (asyouhave heard) following the counfel of the Lord, is Athe lure and ordinaryway forconverlon of men from their evil wales. This Doftrine bath beenexplained: Let us now Antwer Come material quellions which will further clear this point. AndFirft, It maybe demanded, Whether that Mini/frywhich sir ti, irrdeedftasd ha Whether a Gods eoansel, may not for a!l that be wtrhoat this .,îiritaall facce(fe ? May not they . godlymtstllry for all that fee no good and comfortable iflueof their labours? May not they corn- may not be plain theyhave laboured in vain ? Shall we ardue filch a Minibrie to be corrupt e without any and unfaithful,becaufe they ate not bleffedwithfpiritualchildren ,like Oliveplants great Cuccel3e about them. n fn I Anfwer, That it doth too often fall out, that even thole who (land inGods coutel, that follow this liar , do yet plough and fow upon the rocks, and fee no feedgrow up. Therefore this Text or Doftrine is not fuch a general, but that is bath itsexceptions; and if wewill leek for inftances,how plentiful are they to con- firm this : Shall we think that this (eremiah, who is fo zealous againit the faltepro. phets, that hedid not takea true and faithful courfe in hisMinibrie, yes, his whole prophcfe dothmanifeft that. Yethow fad arehis complaints that hehad no file+ ce(it in his Mioithrie, yer 6. 2.9. The belloots are barnt,the leade' confamed ofthefire, thefoundrr meltetlo in vain,the wicked arenot pluck: away; where ?eremiab is com- pared toaRefiner, or Founder,his mouth is the bellows : The prophefie he had fromGod, was the breath, or blall,the corruptand impuremettle was the wicked pews. Now all this blowing,and pains in refining, was in vain,for the drolle would not melt away. Thus alto the Prophet Ifai,heRood in Gods couneei,yet hecrieth out,Who bathbelievedour report? ICai. 5 3, t. And again, LAll the day long bave I ffretchedrot my hands in vain. Ezechielalto, a Prophet fo frequently in communf- that hele revelations may not puffe him up :fYetGd often tels himhegoeth to apeo p'e that will not hear : but whether theywill hear, or forbear, they mutt have a Prophet Pent to them , Ezek. 3. Yea, what need we go further for witnrlfe to confirm this , when Chrift himfelf, in whom were all the treafuresof wifedome and holineffe, and no man ever preached like him ; yet the number ofhis converts were few ,in relpeet of the multitude he preached unto,whichmadehim fo bewail
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