The Soul's Preparation for Christ

Brethren (ye cannot be ignorant how) a wounded heart is affected with every touch, you that have broken hearts you know it, I shall not need to tell you: Therefore when ever the Lord comes to rake in those filthy and drunken hearts of yours, they will shake within you, and you will say, this is my sin, and these are my abominations, whereby God hath been so much dishonoured.

Brethren (yee cannot be ignorant how) a wounded heart is affected with every touch, you that have broken hearts you know it, I shall not need to tell you: Therefore when ever the Lord comes to rake in those filthy and drunken hearts of yours, they will shake within you, and you will say, this is my sinne, and these are my abominations, whereby God hath beene so much dishonored.

¹The third use is for exhortation, if you know these things (as I am persuaded you do) then ⟨p. 239⟩be entreated in the name of the Lord Jesus to walk in that way which God hath revealed; this is the baseness of our hearts, we are loath to unbuckle our vile and secret distempers, they are shameful themselves, and yet we are loath to take shame for them. Therefore deal openly & freely with your souls, confess your sins freely, that God may deal comfortably with you; hath the Lord at any time let in this horror into thy soul; and is thy heart now troubled at the word; and after all thy tears, and pains, and means using with uprightness, do thy corruptions still remain? are they not yet subdued as they might be? canst thou not get any assurance of the pardon of them? I say then, cast away thy shameful hiding and concealing of sin, and do not say, what will the world, and ministers say of me? away with these shifts, God calls thee to confession, the Saints have done it, and thou must, nay, thou wilt do it, (if ever thy heart be kindly broken, as it should be,) in some measure pleasing unto God, and profitable to thy self.