The Soul's Preparation for Christ

First, if God have a purpose to civilize a man, he will lay his sorrow as a fetter upon him; he only means to civilize him, and knock off his fingers from base courses, as we have known some in our days; many desperate persecutors of Gods people, God casts his sorrow into their hearts, and then they say, they will persecute Gods people no more, haply they are naught still, but God confines them first: God only rips the skin a little, and layeth some small blow upon him: but if a man have been rude and a great rioter, the Lord begins to serve a writ upon him, and saith, Thou art the man, to thee be it spoken, thy sins are weighed, and thou art found too light, heaven and salvation is departed from thee, thy sorrow is begun here, never to have end hereafter, but thou must continue in endless torments: thou hast continued in sin, and therefore expect the fierce anger of the Lord to be upon thee for ever; so that now the soul seeth the flashes of hell and Gods wrath upon the soul, and the terrors of hell lay hold upon the heart, and he confesseth he is so, and he hath done so: And therefore he is a poor damned creature, and then the soul labours to welter it, and it may be his conscience will be deluded by ⟨p. 143⟩some carnal minister that makes the way broader then it is, and bids him go and drink, and play, and work away his sorrow: or else it may be, he stops the mouth of conscience with some outward performances: it may be his conscience saith, Thou hast committed these & these sins, and thou wilt be damned for them; And then he entreats conscience to be quiet & hold his peace, and he will pray in his family, and hear sermons, and take up some good courses; and thus he takes up a quiet civill course, and stayeth here a while, & at last comes to nothing: And thus God leaves him in the lurch, if he means only to civilize him.

First, if God have a purpose to civilize a man, he will lay his sorrow as a fetter upon him; he only meanes to civilize him, and knocke off his fingers from base courses, as wee have knowne some in our daies; many desperate persecutors of Gods people, God casts his sorrow into their hearts, and then they say, they will persecute Gods people no more, haply they are naught still, but God confines them first: God only rippes the skinne a little, and layeth some small blow upon him: but if a man have been rude and a great ryoter, the Lord begins to serve a writ upon him, and saith, Thou art the man, to thee be it spoken, thy sins are weighed, and thou art found too light, heaven and salvation is departed from thee, thy sorrow is begunne here, never to have end hereafter, but thou must continue in endlesse torments: thou hast continued in sinne, and therefore expect the fierce anger of the Lord to be upon thee for ever; so that now the soule seeth the flashes of hell and Gods wrath upon the soule, and the terrours of hell lay hold upon the heart, and he confesseth he is so, and he hath done so: And therfore he is a poore damned creature, and then the soule labours to welter it, and it may be his conscience will be deluded by