The unbelievers preparing for Christ. By T.HThe vnbeleevers preparing for Christ. By T.H

So take a covetous man, art thou able to set open thy house, if thou hast wronged any man, or griped or co•ened any man? art thou able to say, I will restore him fourfold? art thou able to do this? No no, thou must ask thy covetousness leave first; now whether you think that the devil will suffer you to go out of his clutches when he hath power over you, if you think sin will give you leave to forsake your lusts when you are servants to it; I appea•e to your own consciences, and therefore whosoever he be that is a natural man, let him not co••n himself, he hath no power in himself to forsake sin; if heaven were laid down before him and ⟨p. 109⟩offered him for the leaving of one lust, he could as well make a world, as part with one lust for heaven, and therefore every man should labour to see this and say, Lord heretofore I have been deluded, I thought if I would have grace at any time, I might have grace when I would, if I would not have grace I might choose, and therefore I thought I would have profit now, and pleasures now, and corruptions, and hereafter I will repent, hereafter I will have Christ, but Lord I was deluded, what was it in my power then to entertain the Lord Jesus? then it was in my power to go to heaven, to make a world, and to create a soul also? I will assure you it is the almighty power of God that must do this, in the first of Ephesians 19.¹ there the Apostle giveth us to understand how God worketh in our conversion; What is the exceeding greatness of his power, saith he, to us ward that believe, according to the working of his mighty power, which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places. When the Lords body had lien in the grave three days, the self same power that raised Christ from the dead; this is the very same almighty power that works in the heart of a man that is converted in this case; canst thou raise Christ from the dead? if thou canst do this, then thou mayst repent, if not, then of thy self thou canst not repent; for the very same power that raised Christ from the dead, the same power must work repentance in the heart of a man;

So take a covetous man, art thou able to set open thy house, if thou hast wronged any man, or griped or coened any man? art thou able to say, I will restore him fourefold? art thou able to doe this? No no, thou must aske thy covetousnesse leave first; now whether you thinke that the divell will suffer you to goe out of his clutches when hee hath power over you, if you thinke sinne will give you leave to forsake your lusts when you are servants to it; I appeae to your owne consciences, and therefore whosoever he be that is a naturall man, let him not con himselfe, he hath no power in himselfe to forsake finne; if heaven were layd downe before him and