A03611:87
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.
Good Lord, what rock or mountain can bear the weight of my sins thus sealed up & settled, and laid close to my heart. And so God seals up an hundred thousand oaths in one bag, and an ocean of pride and mischiefs done to Gods people and Church are barrelled up, in another: and the Lord shall one day lay all these upon thy neck; Who is able to bear all these sins?
Good Lord, what rock or mountaine can beare the weight of my sinnes thus sealed up & setled, and laid close to my heart. And so God seales up an hundred thousand oathes in one bagge, and an ocean of pride and mischiefes done to Gods people and Church are barrelled up, in another: and the Lord shall one day lay all these upon thy necke; Who is able to beare all these sinnes?
Now it falls out with a sinner as it is with a bankrupt debtor, one man throws him into prison, and when he is there, every one comes against him, and so he shall never come out, but ⟨p. 23⟩die and rot in the prison, so though the Lord will not execute judgement on thee speedily, yet in the end the Lord will be paid for all thy sins; and when thou art in hell, then mercy, and justice, and patience will cry all to heaven for justice and vengeance; then happily a drunkard is cast into prison for his drunkenness, and for his blasphemy, and then all his filthiness comes in as so many bills of indictment against him: Oh therefore labour to see sin alive: we play with sin as if it were dead: when children see the picture of a dead lion upon a wall, they labour to pull him in pieces, but if there were a live lion in the place, it would make the strongest to run. So thou paintest thy sin, and sayest it is thy infirmity, & God forgive your swearing, & the like; and thus you dally with your sins: but brethren, labour to see sin alive, and to see sin roaring upon you, see the paw of sin and the condemnation that shall be thrown upon the soul by it, and this will awake the soul in the apprehension of it.
Now it falles out with a sinner as it is with a banckrout debtor, one man throwes him into prison, and when he is there, every one comes against him, and so he shall never come out, but