Come & welcome to Jesus Christ, or, A plain and profitable discourse upon the…

Besides, the Holy Ghost hath a way to greaten Heavenly things, to the understanding of the coming sinner; yea, and at the same time to greaten too the sin, and unworthiness of that sinner. Now the Soul staggeringly wonders, saying; What! to be made like Angels, like Christ! To live in Eternal bliss, joy and felicity! This is for ⟨p. 212⟩Angels, and for them that can walk like Angels.

If a Prince, a Duke, or Earl, should send (by the Hand of his Servant) to some poor, sorry, beggarly scrub, to take her for his Master, to wife; and the Servant should come and say, My Lord and Master, such an one, hath sent me to thee, to take thee to him to wife; he is rich, beautiful; and of excellent qualities; he is Loving, Meek, Humble, Well-spoken, &c. What now would this poor, sorry, beggarly Creature think? what would she say, or how would she frame an answer? When King David sent to Abigail upon this account, and though she was a rich woman, yet she said, Behold, Let thine hand maid be a Servant to wash the feet of the Servants of my Lord. (1 Sam. 25. 40, 41.) She was confounded, she could not well tell what to say, the offer was so great, beyond what could in reason be expected.

But suppose this great person should Second his Suit, and send to this Sorry Creature again; What would she say now? Would she not say, you Mock me? But what if he affirms that he is in good earnest, and that his Lord must ⟨p. 213⟩have her to wife; yea, suppose he should prevail upon her to Credit his Message, and to address her self for her Journey: Yet behold, every thought of her pedigree confounds her; also her sense of want of beauty, makes her ashamed: and if she doth but think of being embraced, the unbelief that is mixed with that thought, whirls her into tremblings: And now she calls her self fool for believing the Messenger, and thinks not to go: If she thinks of being bold, she Blushes, and the least thought that she shall be rejected, when she comes at him, makes her look as if she would give up the Ghost.