Casuistical morning-exercises the fourth volume /

5. He makes a public profession of his faith in Christ, and owns him to the very teeth of his Enemies, and that too when Peter had denied him, the other Disciples forsaken him, and those that had rallied after their rout, and were now come to be the Spectators of the most doleful Object had ever been presented before their eyes, were so far from making any such public confession of him, that their Faith was ready to expire with him, ch. 24.21.

5. He makes a publick profession of his faith in Christ, and owns him to the very teeth of his Enemies, and that too when Peter had denied him, the other Disciples forsaken him, and those that had rallied after their rout, and were now come to be the Spectators of the most doleful Object had ever been presented before their eyes, were so far from making any such publick confession of him, that their Faith was ready to expire with him, ch. 24.21.

II. Repentance being Gods gift, and God being a Sovereign Agent, he may give it where, and when he pleaseth; as to whom he will; to one and not to another; so at what time he will; to one sooner, to another later. He may give it to one early in the morning of his days, to another late, and when his Sun is Setting. And if the great Master of the Vineyard shall call some into it, not only at the sixth or ninth hour, but even at the last minute of the eleventh hour, what is that to any? who shall call him to an account for it?

3. God, being not only a Sovereign Agent, but an Almighty one, can by his Power, and that in an instant, remove all hindrances on the Creatures part, and whatever might obstruct his work; and so with one turn of an Omnipotent hand, bring about the heart of the most obdurate Sinner, work repentance in the most unlikely Subject, and where there is most within to make head against him, and resist his Grace, suppose the most obstinate and rooted habits of sin. Grace is an infused and supernatural habit, and the power that works it a supernatural and creating Power; and we are not to confine God in his working Grace, to those methods whereby men acquire natural or moral habits. In these, I grant, there may need time to unlearn, and extirpate those vicious habits they have so long been contracting, and to acquire new ones by a long series of, and accustoming themselves to better actions. Custom in Men may be strong, and like another Nature, and they may not be able presently to overcome it, nor on the sudden to bring themselves to a readiness and easiness in doing those things, which tho their reason approves, yet their boisterous appetites, (strengthened too by custom) hurry them against. But let the habit of sin be never so deeply radicated in the Soul, and the Heart of Man never so averse to holy actions, yet God can soon make a change; soon remove the sinful disposition, and enable and incline the Soul to what it was most averse and impotent. He can even in a moment overcome that love of sin, and hatred of holiness which is either natural to a Man, or contracted by him, and both abate, lessen, weaken the power of sin in the Soul, whereby it was wont to resist the workings of his Spirit, and restrain and suspend any actual resistance it might make. Let the mind of a Man be as dark as darkness it self,