Four useful discourses viz. ... /Four usefull discourses viz. ... /

and he laid it upon my mouth and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips, and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged. Here's three notable works of God to prepare the heart of this Prophet: then in v. 8. I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, whom shall I send, and who will go for us? then I said, here am I, send me. After he had first seen the glory of God; secondly, after he had been humbled for his sin; and thirdly, after he had had such an extraordinary testimony of the pardon of his sin. Now Lord, as if he should say, send me about the hardest work that thou hast to do, and then the Lord tells him what that hard Message should be that he should carry? he should go to a people and Preach, but it should be to harden their hearts, and not to prevail with their Spirits. And the like we have in the Prophet Ezekiel, if you read the second, and the beginning of the third chap. the Lord tells him, that he was to go to a Rebellious House; but you shall observe such a strange work of God for the preparing of his Heart for it in the most part of the first Chapt. the Prophet had a most glorious Vision of God for the setting of him a work; that teaches us, that indeed there is nothing will set us so much a work as the sight of God. Secondly, such a voice of God as humbled him, for when I heard, I fell upon my face; and then God comes and comforts him, and sets him upon his feet. Further, ⟨p. 243⟩the Spirit enters into him, and spake unto him, and then declared his Message, and gave him the roll, and bid him eat it; and made it to be sweet unto him, though it was a message of threatening: I speak all this to this end, to show that there is no work more difficult than the work of a Minister, and especially when his Ministry hath not success; and therefore this point is very reasonable to tell unto them all, that though they have not the success that they desire, yet the good of their Ministry shall return upon them again. Are there a People that they are sent to, to whom do they offer Christ? Why they would fain gain their Souls unto Christ, that they may live for ever in praising the riches of the grace of God in Christ in the highest Heavens. But will they not, Know, thou shalt have the blessing of that peace; look what glory and comfort they should have had, it shall return into thy bosom. It is here in the Ministry of the Word, as in other Duties;

and he laid it upon my mouth and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips, and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged. Here's three notable works of God to prepare the heart of this Prophet: then in v. 8. I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, whom shall I send, and who will go for us? then I said, here am I, send me. After he had first seen the glory of God; secondly, after he had been humbled for his sin; and thirdly, after he had had such an extraordinary testimony of the pardon of his sin. Now Lord, as if he should say, send me about the hardest work that thou hast to do, and then the Lord tells him what that hard Message should be that he should carry? he should go to a people and Preach, but it should be to harden their hearts, and not to prevail with their Spirits. And the like we have in the Prophet Ezekiel, if you read the second, and the beginning of the third chap. the Lord tells him, that he was to go to a Rebellious House; but you shall observe such a strange work of God for the preparing of his Heart for it in the most part of the first Chapt. the Prophet had a most glorious Vision of God for the setting of him a work; that teaches us, that indeed there is nothing will set us so much a work as the sight of God. Secondly, such a voice of God as humbled him, for when I heard, I fell upon my face; and then God comes and comforts him, and sets him upon his feet. Further,