Sometimes then in the second place, the Lord suddenly §2sets on the blow, and leaves mighty and prevailing impressions at the very present, speedily and unexpectedly goes through stitch with the work, pierceth the soul through at one thrust. Sometimes at one sermon, may be in the handling of one point, nay some one sentence, or some special truth, the Lord is pleased to arm it and discharge it, with mighty power and uncontrollable evidence, that it astonisheth and shivereth the heart of the sinner all in pieces; As it is in the […] of a piece it may be one scattered shot or splinter hits and kills when all the rest miss; so with the splinter of a truth when directed aright, God lets in so much of the amazing beauty of his own holiness and purity, the dreadfulness of his displeasure, and the infinite crossness in himself to the least corruption, and consequently that abhorred […] in the nature of sin even the smallest, that look as it is with terrible thunder and lightning, it melts all before it, and that most where there is opposition against it even the league that is between the heart and the lust, soaks into the very root of the soul; and hence under such a sudden thunderclap, such mauling blows now and then, the sinner dyes and faints away under it in the very place where he sits, sometimes roars out as one that hath received his deaths wound in his bosom, and that he hath heard his doom, and was delivered up into the hands of the Devil ready to drop into the dungeon, and to be carried post to the bottomless pit; ⟨p. 373⟩and such soul sinking and confounding terrors, which takes off a serious and judicious consideration of the […] assaulting, they vanish away for the most part and come to little or nothing when the tartness of the horror is once allayed; But sometimes lastly the sinner takes in the truth kindly and contains himself, hath his load as much as his heart can bear, for the while as much as […] and soul can hold together, goes away, droops and buckles under his burden, steps into a solitary place and hangs the wing as a foul that is shot; the saving truth thus set on lies gnawing and eating at the heart blood of a sinner, (as aqua-fortis doth in iron) leaves it not until it eat asunder the league betwixt the lust and the heart.
Somtimes then in the second place, the Lord suddenly §2sets on the blow, and leaves mighty and prevailing impressions at the very present, speedily and unexpectedly goes through stich with the work, pierceth the soul through at one thrust. Sometimes at one sermon, may be in the handling of one point, nay some one sentence, or some special truth, the Lord is pleased to arme it and discharge it, with mighty power and uncontroulable evidence, that it astonisheth and shivereth the heart of the sinner al in pieces; As it is in the 〈…〉 of a piece it may be one scattred shot or splinter hitts and kils when al the rest miss; so with the splinter of a truth when directed aright, God lets in so much of the amazing beauty of his own holiness and purity, the dreadfulness of his displeasure, and the infinite crossness in himself to the least corruption, and consequently that abhorred 〈…〉 in the nature of sin even the smallest, that look as it is with terrible thunder and lightning, it melts al before it, and that most where there is opposition against it even the league that is between the heart and the lust, soakes into the very root of the soul; and hence under such a sudden thunderclap, such mauling blowes now and then, the sinner dyes and faints away under it in the very place where he sits, sometimes roars out as one that hath received his deaths wound in his bosom, and that he hath heard his doom, and was delivered up into the hands of the Devil ready to drop into the dungeon, and to be carried post to the bottomless pit; ⟨p. 373⟩and such soul sinking and confounding terrors, which takes off a serious and iudicious consideration of the 〈…〉 assaulting, they vanish away for the most part and come to little or nothing when the tartness of the horrot is once allayed; But sometimes lastly the sinner takes in the truth kindly and contains himself, hath his load as much as his heart can bear, for the while as much as 〈…〉 and soul can hold together, goes away, droops and buckles under his burden, steps into a solitary place and hangs the wing as a foul that is shot; the saving truth thus set on lyes gnawing and eating at the heart blood of a sinner, (as aqua-fortis doth in iron) leaves it not until it eat asunder the league betwixt the lust and the heart.
