Do not come merely to hear what a Man can say, or to hear the Gifts and Abilities of a Man, or to get a few new Notions, and the like: But when you come to attend upon the Gospel, come, I say, unto it as the great Ordinance that is appointed by God, to bring peace to the Souls of those, that He doth intend Eternal good unto: And this is to come in a right way and manner, to the Preaching of the Gospel. This, I say, is to have a right understanding of what Good there is in the Gospel. And if any of your Souls have had a peace before you have come to a right understanding of the Gospel, know that all that peace is Naught, it will Undo you, you will never have any good by it. You have had peace in your own Spirits a great while, and you bless God that you are not troubled: How came you by that peace which you have had for these many years? You have gone on quietly, ⟨p. 181⟩and the Terms between God and your Souls, have not troubled you. But I this day, in the Name of God demand of you, How came you to have this Peace? How came God and your Souls to be Friends? This I can tell you, That there was a time that every one of you were Enemies to God. If God hath Revealed any Truth in this Book, this is a certain Truth, That every one in this place, was an Enemy to God. Now then, how you have made up your peace, your had need look to it. Certainly, it must come by the Gospel, or else it is a Delusion: If so be that the Treaties between God and your Souls, were not the Treaties of the Gospel; that is, the Gospel Revealing the great Counsels of God unto you about this, and the Terms upon which He would be Reconciled; and then your Souls sending up your Answer to God, how you would be willing to accept of those Conditions, that are propounded in the Gospel. I put this to your Souls, What Treaties hath there been between God and you? Have you found the Ministry of the Gospel to be powerful upon you, and to bring this Peace into you? If it hath not come in this way, I say it is but a Delusion, and the great Work of Reconciliation between God and your Souls, is to make up at this day.
Do not come meerly to hear what a Man can say, or to hear the Gifts and Abilities of a Man, or to get a few new Notions, and the like: But when you come to attend upon the Gospel, come, I say, unto it as the great Ordinance that is appointed by God, to bring peace to the Souls of those, that He doth intend Eternal good unto: And this is to come in a right way and manner, to the Preaching of the Gospel. This, I say, is to have a right understanding of what Good there is in the Gospel. And if any of your Souls have had a peace before you have come to a right understanding of the Gospel, know that all that peace is Naught, it will Undo you, you will never have any good by it. You have had peace in your own Spirits a great while, and you bless God that you are not troubled: How came you by that peace which you have had for these many years? You have gone on quietly, ⟨p. 181⟩and the Terms between God and your Souls, have not troubled you. But I this day, in the Name of God demand of you, How came you to have this Peace? How came God and your Souls to be Friends? This I can tell you, That there was a time that every one of you were Enemies to God. If God hath Revealed any Truth in this Book, this is a certain Truth, That every one in this place, was an Enemy to God. Now then, how you have made up your peace, your had need look to it. Certainly, it must come by the Gospel, or else it is a Delusion: If so be that the Treaties between God and your Souls, were not the Treaties of the Gospel; that is, the Gospel Revealing the great Counsels of God unto you about this, and the Terms upon which He would be Reconciled; and then your Souls sending up your Answer to God, how you would be willing to accept of those Conditions, that are propounded in the Gospel. I put this to your Souls, What Treaties hath there been between God and you? Have you found the Ministry of the Gospel to be powerful upon you, and to bring this Peace into you? If it hath not come in this way, I say it is but a Delusion, and the great Work of Reconciliation between God and your Souls, is to make up at this day.
