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

he is able to break the brazen door of their hearts, which hinders the light of the Gospel from shining in, and therefore cry to this God for help and succour, and mercy, and say, good Lord, thou that wert able to break off the fetters, wherewith Peter was bound, and to make the iron door to open, good Lord I beseech thee, do thou work upon my father, my husband, or my child, especially that he may never be so hardened, slip the lock, and break in upon him, and humble him here, that he may be saved hereafter; especially when you see the load is coming, then draw, oh then draw with all your power; when you see their minds are enlightened, and ⟨p. 18⟩their judgements informed, why then the load is coming, pray therefore then to God especially for help; who knows but God may humble them, and convert them to himself, and therefore strive amain with God, use all means both ordinary and extraordinary for the benefit of them: and this shall suffice for the first passage, namely, that the soul of a man by nature is glued, and fastened to sin and corruption. The next point considerable, is this, who it is that must deliver the soul from the bondage of sin and Satan, and pluck it from sinne• a man cannot do this of himself, it is the Lords own work that must bring it to pass, for so saith the text, no man cometh to me, except the father draweth him; it is he that must do the deed. The point is this, the Lord by a holy kind of violence, doth pluck the hearts of sinners from sin, unto himself, this is the scope of the text, and this is the aim of our Saviour in the verse, and this is the work, on Gods part considerable: for as we have heard before, we must observe two things in preparation; First Gods act upon the soul, Secondly the frame and disposition that is wrought in the soul by God. The act of God is a drawing of the soul by an holy kind of violence, from sin unto himself. I will not here speak of the inability of the soul, or that God is the author of this work, for these I have handled before, out of that place, Ezech. 11.19. it is God that taketh away the stony heart, and giveth a heart of flesh:

he is able to break the brasen doore of their hearts, which hinders the light of the Gospell from shining in, and therefore cry to this God for help and succour, and mercy, and say, good Lord, thou that wert able to break off the fetters, wherewith Peter was bound, and to make the iron doore to open, good Lord I beseech thee, do thou work upon my father, my husband, or my child, especially that he may never be so hardened, slip the lock, and break in upon him, and humble him here, that he may be saved hereafter; especially when you see the load is comming, then draw, oh then draw with all your power; when you see their minds are inlightned, and