— Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts, and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him: and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon, ver. 6, 7.] And so Isa. 1.16, 17, 18. And when you would not hear, what complaints have you put him to, charging it on you as your wilfulness and stubbornness, Jer. 2.12, 13. [Be astonished O heavens at this, and be horribly afraid. — For my people have committed two evils, they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters; and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns that can hold no water.] Many a time hath Christ ⟨p. 217⟩proclaimed that free invitation to you, Revel. 22.17. Let him that is a thirst come: and whoever will, let him take the water of life freely.] But you put him to complain after all his offers, [They will not come to me that they may have life, John 5.40.] He hath invited you to feast with him in the Kingdom of his grace, and you have had excuses from your grounds, and your cattle, and your worldly business, and when you would not come, you have said you could not: and provoked him to resolve that you should never taste of his Supper, Luke 14.15, to 25.] And who is it long of now but your selves? and what can you say is the chief cause of your damnation, but your own Wills? You would be damned. The whole case is laid open by Christ himself, Prov. 1. from the 20. to the end. [Wisdom crieth without, she uttereth her ⟨p. 218⟩voice in the streets, she crieth in the chief place of Concourse, — How long ye simple ones will ye love simplicity, and the scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge? Turn ye at my reproofs: behold I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you. Because I have called and ye refused; I have stretched out my hands, and no man regarded, but ye have set at naught all my counsel, and would none of my reproofs: I also will laugh at your calamity, I will mock when your fear cometh: when your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you: then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me. For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the Lord. They would none of ⟨p. 219⟩my counsels: they despised all my reproof:
— Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts, and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him: and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon, ver. 6, 7.] And so Isa. 1.16, 17, 18. And when you would not hear, what complaints have you put him to, charging it on you as your wilfulness and stubbornness, Ier. 2.12, 13. [Be astonished O heavens at this, and be horribly afraid. — For my people have committed two evils, they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters; and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns that can hold no water.] Many a time hath Christ ⟨p. 217⟩proclaimed that free invitation to you, Revel. 22.17. Let him that is a thirst come: and whoever will, let him take the water of life freely.] But you put him to complain after all his offers, [They will not come to me that they may have life, Iohn 5.40.] He hath invited you to feast with him in the Kingdom of his grace, and you have had excuses from your grounds, and your cattel, and your worldly business, and when you would not come, you have said you could not: and provoked him to resolve that you should never taste of his Supper, Luke 14.15, to 25.] And who is it long of now but your selves? and what can you say is the chief cause of your damnation, but your own Wills? You would be damned. The whole case is laid open by Christ himself, Prov. 1. from the 20. to the end. [Wisdom cryeth without, she uttereth her ⟨p. 218⟩voice in the streets, she crieth in the chief place of Concourse, — How long ye simple ones will ye love simplicity, and the scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge? Turn ye at my reproofs: behold I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you. Because I have called and ye refused; I have stretched out my hands, and no man regarded, but ye have set at naught all my counsel, and would none of my reproofs: I also will laugh at your calamity, I will mock when your fear cometh: when your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you: then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me. For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the Lord. They would none of
