The Christians great interest

Answ. It is true, that saving Faith, by which alone a man can heartily close with God in Christ, is above our power, and is the gift of God, as we said before in the premises: Yet remember, 1. The Lord hath left it as a Duty upon all who hear this Gospel, cordially by faith to close with his offer of salvation through Christ, as is clear in the Scripture; And you must know, that although it be not in our power to perform that duty of our selves, yet the Lord may justly condemn for not performing of it, and we are inexcusable, because at first he made men perfectly able to do whatsoever he should command. 2. The Lord commanding this thing, which is above our power, ⟨p. 107⟩willeth us to be sensible of our inability to do the thing, and would have us putting on him to work it in us. He hath promised to give the new heart, and he hath not excluded any from the benefit of that promise. 3. The Lord useth by these Commands and Invitations, and mens meditation on the same, and their supplication about the thing, to convey power unto the soul to perform the duty: Therefore, for answer to the objection, I do beseech thee in the Lords Name, to lay to heart these his Commandments and Promises; and meditate on them, and upon that blessed business of the New Covenant, and pray unto God as you can, over them, (for he will be enquired to do these things, Ezek. 36. 37.) and lay thy cold heart to that device of God expressed in the Scriptures, and unto Christ Jesus, who is given for a Covenant to the People, and look to him for life and quickening; Go and essay to plead that salvation in the way God doth offer it, and to close with, and rest on Christ for it, as if all were in thy power, yet looking to him for the thing, as knowing that it must come from him; And if thou do so, he who meets these who remember him in his ways, Isa. 65. 5. will not be wanting on his part, and thou shalt not have ground to say, that thou moved towards the thing until thou could do no more for want of strength, and so left it at Gods door: It shall not fail on his part, if thou have a mind for the business. Yea, I may say, if by all thou hast ever heard of that matter, thy heat loveth it, and desireth to be in hands with it, thou hast it already performed within thee, so that difficulty is past, before thou wast aware of it.