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

and how many throbs, think we, hath the Lord endured in this time, saying, oh ye men of England, will you never be clean? when will it once be? the Lord thus travels in patience, looking when we will receive mercy, oh when will it once be, will it never be that those proud hearts will be humbled, will it never be that those stubborn hearts will be softened, will it never be that those unregenerate hearts will be sanctified, will it never be that those profane hearts will be pure and holy, why when will it once be? thus Christ waiteth still, and expecteth still, if not this day, then the next week, if not the next week, then the next month, if not the next month, then the next ⟨p. 40⟩quarter, if not the next quarter, then the next year, if not the next year, then the next score of years: you old sinners that are grayheaded in wickedness, how long hath the Lord waited upon you, for shame let him wait no longer, but turn unto him, that you may receive mercy from him, and have your sins pardoned by him. This is the last cord of Gods mercy; first, the Lord will entertain poor sinners if they come; secondly, he doth command them to come; thirdly, he doth entreat and beseech them to come; and lastly, if all this will not do, then he waits in patience for their amendment: and thus the Lord makes up his great cable rope of mercy; and this, one would think, should melt the hardest heart under the Sun: but if this will not do, if God by these cords of mercy cannot draw a sinner, then he takes himself unto another course, and as he justly, may he lets in other cords in the heart: you will not come with mercy, will you? very well, I tell you, the Lord will lay hooks upon you, that shall bring you with a witness; if these bonds of love will not prevail with you, the Lord hath iron cords that will pluck you in pieces; and therefore the third means whereby God draweth a sinner from corruption to himself, is the cord of conscience, which God lets down into the soul, and this same iron cord, this iron chain of conscience hath three hooks at the end of it, which are able to rend the heart of a sinner, and pluck it in pieces, and draw the soul unto God; if the cords of Gods mercy ⟨p. 41⟩will not draw you, then these iron hooks of conscience will pull you to the Lord;

and how many throbs, think wee, hath the Lord endured in this time, saying, oh yee men of England, will you never be cleane? when will it once be? the Lord thus travels in patience, looking when we will receive mercy, oh when will it once be, will it never be that those proud hearts will be humbled, will it never be that those stubborne hearts will be softned, will it never be that those unregenerate hearts will be sanctified, will it never be that those prophane hearts will be pure and holy, why when will it once be? thus Christ wayteth still, and expecteth still, if not this day, then the next week, if not the next week, then the next moneth, if not the next moneth, then the next