First, You must and shall see your sin, self and guilt, do what you can, there is no avoiding it; if as you are loth to see sin and guilt now, so you could take a course that you should never see it, nor know the effects of it, then you might have some reason on your side, why you so oppose this work; but this is impossible, 1God will set mens sins in order before them, Psal. 50.21. he will set them in order; the word is used variously, sometimes for the ordering of a Table, sometimes for the ordering of an Army: God will set them Rank and File, and a terrible Army will this appear, Before thine eyes; turn thy eyes which way thou wilt, yet there shalt thou see thy sins, you shall not be able to turn your eyes from them; My sin is ever before me, said David, Psal. 51.3. David did not now seek to hide it, nor could hide it. Thus have those found it whom God intends to save, by this discovery of their sin and guilt, bringing them to repentance and embracing of Christ: And blessed is that sight of sin, when God withal gives the sight of a Saviour. Thus also have others found it in a day of evil, often on a death-bed, when their sleepy Consciences come to be awakened; now they can see their sins set in order before them, and hell attending them; and a sad time it is, when the despised Ministers and Christians are sent for, but know not what to say to them: I have found it a great trouble what to say at such a time; one while our bowels move, hearts relent, to hear poor Creatures that now lye under the fears of dropping into hell every moment, what sad complaints they make, and how they cry out for one word of comfort: on the other side, when we have known their lives, how the Word, the Offers of Christ and Promises have been slighted, ⟨p. 58⟩but now they see their lusts forsake them, they must part, now they would be glad to have Christ and a Promise, and how dare a faithful Minister apply any? upon what grounds can he do it? It is a mans duty always to believe in Christ, that is true, and that we must counsel them to lay hold on Christ: But what said one to me, who had once been a zealous and profitable Preacher, but apostatized sadly; a week before he dread, he put that question to me, What shall I do to be saved? Sir, said I, it is a question you have answered many a time your self; you know what answer Paul gave to the Jailer when he propounded this question.
First, You must and shall see your sin, self and guilt, do what you can, there is no avoiding it; if as you are loth to see sin and guilt now, so you could take a course that you should never see it, nor know the effects of it, then you might have some reason on your side, why you so oppose this work; but this is impossible, 1God will set mens sins in order before them, Psal. 50.21. he will set them in order; the word is used variously, sometimes for the ordering of a Table, sometimes for the ordering of an Army: God will set them Rank and File, and a terrible Army will this appear, Before thine eyes; turn thy eyes which way thou wilt, yet there shalt thou see thy sins, you shall not be able to turn your eyes from them; My sin is ever before me, said David, Psal. 51.3. David did not now seek to hide it, nor could hide it. Thus have those found it whom God intends to save, by this discovery of their sin and guilt, bringing them to repentance and embracing of Christ: And blessed is that sight of sin, when God withall gives the sight of a Saviour. Thus also have others found it in a day of evil, often on a death-bed, when their sleepy Consciences come to be awakened; now they can see their sins set in order before them, and hell attending them; and a sad time it is, when the despised Ministers and Christians are sent for, but know not what to say to them: I have found it a great trouble what to say at such a time; one while our bowels move, hearts relent, to hear poor Creatures that now lye under the fears of dropping into hell every moment, what sad complaints they make, and how they cry out for one word of comfort: on the other side, when we have known their lives, how the Word, the Offers of Christ and Promises have been slighted, ⟨p. 58⟩but now they see their lusts forsake them, they must part, now they would be glad to have Christ and a Promise, and how dare a faithful Minister apply any? upon what grounds can he do it? It is a mans duty alwayes to believe in Christ, that is true, and that we must counsel them to lay hold on Christ: But what said one to me, who had once been a zealous and profitable Preacher, but apostatized sadly; a week before he dred, he put that question to me, What shall I do to be saved? Sir, said I, it is a question you have answered many a time your self; you know what answer Paul gave to the Jaylour when he propounded this question.
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