Oh! lay this to heart thou convicted sinner, what offers 1of mercy hath God made to thee? what calling unto mercy hast thou heard, outward calls, inward calls of the the Spirit of God. Oh! how hath God called after thee, Return, return thou Shulamite; Return, return, return thou wretched wilful sinner, Oh come in and return, what means of all sorts hast thou had to cause thy ⟨p. 109⟩heart to return to God, and yet standest out? think of that Scripture in Job, 9. 4. Who hath hardened himself against 2him and hath prospered? What, doest thou think to harden thy self against God, and yet think to prosper? Who hath hardened himself against him and hath prospered? and mark what follows; Which removeth the Mountains, and they know not; which overturneth them in his anger, which shaketh the Earth out of her place, and the Pillars thereof tremble. And yet cannot thy heart be overturned, nor tremble? In this that thou refusest to return, thy sin is aggravated above the sin of the Devils themselves, for we do not 3know that ever the Devils refused to return; for they were never offered mercy, God did never offer the Devils mercy, God never sent to preach to them, either by his Ministers, or Spirit, and to call them to return and you shall have mercy; here's a price paid, here's a salvation for you, your sins may be pardoned; the Devil had never such an offer, Who knows what the Devil might do if such an offer were made to him? But now these offers are made to thee, and thou refusest to return; Oh! return therefore, O thou sinful soul who art wandering from God in the ways of death and destruction, give in thine answer; as we read in Jer. 3. 22. where 4the Lord there calls his back-sliding children, Return, ye back-sliding children, and I will heal your back slidings. Mark the answer that they give to God, Behold, we come unto thee; for thou art the Lord our God. Oh! that there 5might be such an answer given this day from some back-sliding soul that is turned from God! Oh poor soul! whither art thou gone? God calls this day to thy soul, Return, return, and professes that he is willing to heal thy backslidings, Oh! give in this answer, Oh Lord, behold we come; for thou art the Lord our God: Oh! that some soul might return, and might refuse no longer to return; Why wilt not thou return?
Oh! lay this to heart thou convicted sinner, what offers 1of mercie hath God made to thee? what calling unto mercie hast thou heard, outward calls, inward calls of the the Spirit of God. Oh! how hath God called after thee, Return, return thou Shulamite; Return, return, return thou wretched wilful sinner, Oh come in and return, what means of all sorts hast thou had to cause thy ⟨p. 109⟩heart to return to God, and yet standest out? think of that Scripture in Job, 9. 4. Who hath hardened himself against 2him and hath prospered? What, doest thou think to harden thy self against God, and yet think to prosper? Who hath hardened himself against him and hath prospered? and mark what follows; Which removeth the Mountains, and they know not; which overturneth them in his anger, which shaketh the Earth out of her place, and the Pillars thereof tremble. And yet cannot thy heart be overturned, nor tremble? In this that thou refusest to return, thy sin is aggravated above the sin of the Devils themselves, for we do not 3know that ever the Devils refused to return; for they were never offered mercie, God did never offer the Devils mercie, God never sent to preach to them, either by his Ministers, or Spirit, and to call them to return and you shall have mercie; here's a price paid, here's a salvation for you, your sins may be pardoned; the Devil had never such an offer, Who knows what the Devil might do if such an offer were made to him? But now these offers are made to thee, and thou refusest to return; Oh! return therefore, O thou sinful soul who art wandering from God in the waies of death and destruction, give in thine answer; as we reade in Jer. 3. 22. where 4the Lord there calls his back-sliding children, Return, ye back-sliding children, and I will heal your back slidings. Mark the answer that they give to God, Behold, we come unto thee; for thou art the Lord our God. Oh! that there 5might be such an answer given this day from some back-sliding soul that is turned from God! Oh poor soul! whither art thou gone? God calls this day to thy soul, Return, return, and professes that he is willing to heal thy backslidings, Oh! give in this answer, Oh Lord, behold we come; for thou art the Lord our God: Oh! that some soul might return, and might refuse no longer to return; Why wilt not thou return?
