The Soul's Preparation for Christ

Overly discourses that they are sinners and great sinners in other countries, and you should do well to look to your ways and the like: These are like the confused noise that was in the ship when Jonah was asleep in it, which never troubled him, at last the Master cometh and saith, Arise, ¹O Sleeper, and call upon thy God; And as a father observes, they came about him, and every man had a blow at him, and then he did awake. So because of general reproofs of sin, & terms a far off, men come here, and sit and sleep, and are not touched nor troubled at […]. But when particular application cometh […] to the heart, and a minister saith; this is thy drunkenness, and thy adultery and profaneness, and this will break thy neck one day, what assurance ⟨p. 67⟩hast thou got of Gods mercy? and what canst thou say for heaven? Then men begin to look about them. There was never any convicting Ministry nor any man that did in plainness apply the word home, but their people would be reformed by it, or else their consciences would be troubled and desperately provoked to oppose God and his ordinances, that they may be plagued by it. The word of God is like a sword, the explanation of the text is like the drawing out of this sword, and the flourishing of it: and so long it never hits: But when a man strikes a full blow at a man, it either wounds or puts him to his fence: so the application of the word is like the striking with the sword, it will work one way or other, if a man can fence the blow, so it is: I confess it is beyond our power to awaken the heart, but ordinarily this way doth good.

Overly discourses that they are sinners and great sinners in other countries, and you should doe well to looke to your wayes and the like: These are like the confused noise that was in the ship when Ionah was asleep in it, which never troubled him, at last the Master commeth and saith, Arise, ¹O Sleeper, and call upon thy God; And as a father observes, they came about him, and every man had a blow at him, and then he did awake. So because of generall reproofes of sin, & termes a farre off, men come here, and sit and sleepe, and are not touched nor troubled at 〈…〉. But when particular application commeth to the heart, and a minister saith; this is thy drunkennesse, and thy adulterie and prophanenesse, and this will breake thy necke one day, what assurance