The Soul's Preparation for Christ

Secondly, thou must expect it with much difficulty and hardness in thy self, thou that hast been riveted in thy base lusts and corruptions, the Lord will make all crack before thou shalt find mercy; thou that hast out-braved heaven with thy profaneness, the Lord will make thee a mirror of humiliation, as heretofore thou hast been a spectacle of filthiness. A man that hath had a bone long out of joint, & it is now festered, it will make him cry many an oh, before it be brought into his right place again; So it is with a man whose heart is full of filthiness, it will cost him much pains and difficulty and heart-smart, before the Lord will bring the soul to a right set again. Manasseh humbled himself mightily before the Lord, because he had bin a mighty proud rebellious man, the Lord made his humiliation as miraculous as his sins had been, ⟨p. 11⟩and so David when he had given his sins ease in bedding with them, the Lord brake all his bones and did awaken him with a witness.

Secondly, thou must expect it with much difficulty and hardnesse in thy selfe, thou that hast beene rivetted in thy base lu•ts and corruptions, the Lord will make all cracke before thou shalt finde mercy; thou that hast out-braved heaven with thy prophanesse, the Lord will make thee a mirrour of humiliation, as heretofore thou hast beene a spectacle of filthinesse. A man that hath had a bone long out of joynt, & it is now festred, it will make him cry many an oh, before it be brought into his right place againe; So it is with a man whose heart is full of filthines, it will cost him much paines and difficulty and heart-smart, before the Lord will bring the soule to a right set againe. Manasses humbled himselfe mightily before the Lord, because he had bin a mighty proud rebellious man, the Lord made his humiliation as miraculous as his sinnes had beene, ⟨p. 11⟩and so David when he had given his sinnes ease in bedding with them, the Lord brake all his bones and did awaken him with a witnesse.