A03611:409
The Soul's Preparation for Christ
The souls preparation for Christ. Or, A treatise of contrition Wherein is discovered how God breaks the heart and wounds the soul, in the conversion of a sinner to Himself.The soules preparation for Christ. Or, A treatise of contrition Wherein is discovered how God breaks the heart and wounds the soule, in the conversion of a sinner to Himselfe.
London: printed by M. Flesher for Robert Dawlman, 1632London: printed by M. Flesher for Robert Davvlman, 1632
THE SOULS PREPARATION FOR CHRIST.THE SOVLES PREPARATION FOR CHRIST.
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
1First, we may here take notice of the marvellous tenderness, and the loving nature of God in dealing with poor sinners; that in all his courses of justice remembers some mercy; and in all the potion of his wrath still he drops in some cordials of comfort: he deals not with us as he might; but so, as might be most comfortable every way, and useful to work upon our hearts, & to draw our souls home unto himself. Should the Lord come out against a poor sinner, and in his wrath let fly against him, his soul would sink down under him; but blessed be God, that he doth not deal with our hearts as we deserve, if he were as rigorous against us, as we have been rebellious against him, we should sink in sorrow and fall into despair never to be recovered any more.
1First, we may here take notice of the marvelous tenderness, and the loving nature of God in dealing with poore sinners; that in al his courses of justice remembers some mercy; and in all the potion of his wrath still he drops in some cordials of comfort: he deales not with us as he might; but so, as might be most comfortable every way, and usefull to worke upon our hearts, & to draw our soules home unto himself. Should the Lord come out against a poore sinner, and in his wrath let fly against him, his soule would sinke downe under him; but blessed be God, that he doth not deale with our hearts as we deserve, if he were as rigorous against us, as we have beene rebellious against him, we should sinke in sorrow and fall into despaire never to be recovered any more.
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But as the Lord batters us, so he relieves us; as we may see in Saul, he had gotten letters to Damascus, and now he hoped,1 being general of the field, to bind and to imprison all, and he would not spare the poor Christians a jot; but Christ meets him in the field, & threw him down, and might have killed him too: but the Lord desired rather that he might be humbled then confounded: I cannot read that ever he showed his letters, but laid all flat down before the Lord, and so was accepted; the Lord showed him his misery, yet he lets him not perish there, but gives him a little crevice of comfort.