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

Secondly, as this is the fittest time for God to work upon a man in regard of the constitution of his body, so also in ⟨p. 201⟩regard of corruption, because a young man that is come to the strength of his years, his mind will be sooner informed, and his judgement sooner convinced in regard of those corruptions that are in him, because he hath not continued long in any base course, therefore he is most easy to be wrought upon, but when a man is grown old in wickedness, when his soul as his body begins to buckle under the sins of his younger years, when the heart is hardened, and the conscience seared in wickedness, then it is desperately hard, it is a marvellous miracle for the means of salvation to take place in such a man, we see it is marvellous hard to drive a nail into an old knotty snarly post, especially when it is weatherbeaten and seasoned, and clung together. It is no wonder that we spend our hearts and can do no good, for those that have been old weatherbeaten sinners, knotty snarly, stubborn rebellious hearts, a man were as good speak to the seats where they sit, and to the walls as to the hearts of them, it is marvellous hard to bring any thing home to the affections of such men, they will not away from their old corruptions, their hearts are riveted to their old lusts and corruptions, and therefore they will not entertain that which may do good unto them, if a man will transplant a tree, he doth not take an old withered rotten tree, that is not fit to be transplanted, but he takes a young tender twig and transplants it, so it is here, those old trees, old sinners that are withering, dying and decaying, such are of the Lepers spots, and Blackamoor's hue, they that are settled in their corruptions, and resolve to take up their old courses; ⟨p. 202⟩now they are too old to learn, thus long they have lived, and if they be now stubborn they will be so ever; if they be now peevish and malicious they will be so ever; if they be now covetous they will be so ever, they will not entertain, they will not partake of those things which God hath appointed for their good. The third and last argument is in regard of grace it self;

Secondly, as this is the fittest time for God to worke upon a man in regard of the constitution of his body, so also in ⟨p. 201⟩