316 on the Excellency of the Soul. heart, and cries to God, Lord,. what wilt thou have mecca, do ? I, he was in a good way of falvation; and fo when a vile finnet.that bath gone on without the fear of God :. upon. him, .fhallnow come in trembling, beholding the dread=: fulnefs of the Infinite God, that eternal firh-beeing that it bath to deal withall, and now lhall have his fear flrike into it, this foul is in a good way of falvation, it is .hopt in the. way of defltuaion, and it is in a good way of falvation; and that is very obfervable further in the..Text, work out }osar own fe?lvatson with fear and trembling, for it is God that work; ;-ou. That is a place that many people grofly a-- bufe, they think they need do nothing; but,mark how .bold- ly do these people crofs.rhe Spirit of God, in the Text, for the Spirit ofGod makes this Argument, do you work out your falvation, becaufeGod.works, and fay :cheyy It muff bee God that works, and therefore I will do nothing; Oh if you Mould wilfully -go on in waits of provocation to God, and upon your lick -bed, and death-bed, cry, Oh Lord. ! thae, now thou weuldefl. bee pleafed to work upon, my foul, as thou urea to work upon thofe that thouintendefl to fave; If God ( hould make this-anfwer,.Thou a bold wretch,t hat haft provok'd the eyes of my glory all -thy- daies, and doll, thou now cry to mee to do it ? If any of you, do, think that there, will ever bee a time when you will hand in need of Gods mercy to fave your fouls, you had need walk with fear and trembling before this God,; Now I put this to the foul of every one here) .doa thou notthink, O thou fitful foul, that there will bee a time that thou (halt hand. in need of. the mercy of God ? and what courfe doll thou take now before- hand ? is that courfe that thou takefl before -hand a continu- al provocation of God ? is that a good. preparationto that time ? , if there were a man that you lived neer, though for the.prefent you care not for him, but flighted him, yet if you knew than there would bee a time that you muff flan& in need of that man, fo as i£ het should forfakeyou, you would bee a loft man , would you dare to provoke that Pan ? wee all know what need wee than have of the mer- cy.:
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