First, this confutes and overthrows the ⟨p. 209⟩conceits of a company of carnal Gospellers that say, they fast not, nor pray not, nor profess not so much as such and such, but for the truth of their love to Christ they defy all the world, they find no difficulty in the matter, and they make no doubt thereof; and therefore if any Christian man, or any faithful Minister of God, shall begin to challenge them with the want of love to Christ and grace, they will answer, What? not love the Lord Jesus? it is pity that ever that man should live; they have loved him, and will love him for ever, and all the world shall not persuade them to the contrary. Oh poor deluded creatures! it is an undoubted argument that thou never hadst the love of God in thee, because thou thinkest it such an easy matter to love him. Many men make nothing of it, they make it but an holy-day task, and say, Who cannot love Christ? I say, neither thou nor I can do it by any power or virtue in our selves; nay I say thou art as able to save thy own soul, and to redeem thy self without Christ; as thou art able to love Christ, unless he by the power of his spirit enable thee to do it. Nay, you that make nothing of it, to love Christ, mark what I say: If a man might have happiness in hand, and heaven laid down upon the nail, if he could love the Lord Jesus of himself, I say, if he had ⟨p. 210⟩no more but nature, he would never go to heaven, nor never be happy: Nay, it will cost more than so, it will cost time and pains, and many tears and prayers; you must have the Father come down from heaven to teach you, and you must go to another school than ever you were at yet, before you can learn it: and unless the Father make you able to love Christ, you can never do it. It is true, if it were nothing but prattling and professing, and yet to stand in open opposition to the power of grace and the spirit, this cannot be: for to welcome a Saviour, to receive Christ answerable to the worth of him, a man cannot do it by the mere power of nature, it is the work of the Lord, as the Apostle Saint John saith, 1 Joh. 1.5. God is light, and in him is no darkness: and Ephes, 5.8. You were darkness: God is nothing but holiness, and you are nothing but darkness. Now you know darkness can oppose light, and wickedness can oppose holiness, but never give way to it nor receive it:
First, this confutes and overthrowes the ⟨p. 209⟩conceits of a company of carnal Gospellers that say, they fast not, nor pray not, nor professe not so much as such and such, but for the truth of their love to Christ they defie all the world, they find no difficulty in the matter, and they make no doubt therof; and therefore if any Christian man, or any faithfull Minister of God, shall begin to challenge them with the want of love to Christ and grace, they will answer, What? not loue the Lord Iesus? it is pitty that euer that man should live; they have loved him, and will loue him for ever, and all the world shall not perswade them to the contrary. Oh poore deluded creatures! it is an undoubted argument that thou never hadst the loue of God in thee, because thou thinkest it such an easie matter to love him. Many men make nothing of it, they make it but an holy-day taske, and say, Who cannot love Christ? I say, neither thou nor I can doe it by any power or vertue in our selues; nay I say thou art as able to save thy owne soule, and to redeeme thy selfe without Christ; as thou art able to love Christ, unlesse he by the power of his spiritenable thee to doe it. Nay, you that make nothing of it, to loue Christ, marke what I say: If a man might have happinesse in hand, and heaven laid downe upon the nayle, if he could love the Lord Iesus of himselfe, I say, if he had ⟨p. 210⟩no more but nature, he would never goe to heaven, nor never bee happy: Nay, it will cost more than so, it will cost time and paines, and many teares and prayers; you must have the Father come downe from heaven to teach you, and you must goe to another schoole than ever you were at yet, before you can learne it: and unlesse the Father make you able to loue Christ, you can never doe it. It is true, if it were nothing but pratling and professing, and yet to stand in open opposition to the power of grace and the spirit, this cannot bee: for to welcome a Saviour, to receive Christ answerable to the worth of him, a man cannot doe it by the meere power of nature, it is the worke of the Lord, as the Apostle Saint Iohn saith, 1 Ioh. 1.5. God is light, and in him is no darknesse: and Ephes, 5.8. You were darknesse: God is nothing but holines, and you are nothing but darknesse. Now you know darknesse can oppose light, and wickednesse can oppose holinesse, but never give way to it nor receive it:
