A fourth volume containing one hundred and fifty sermons on several texts of Scripture…

(3.) There are excellent Enforcements to encourage us to embrace this Salvation; God is very impatient of being denied, now he speaks in the Gospel, and useth all kind of Methods. As a Man who cannot undo a Door, and having a bunch of Keys in his Hand, tries one after another, till the Lock doth fly open: So the Lord tries all kind of Methods, beseecheth, threateneth, promiseth, that the Heart of the Sinner might fly open. He beseecheth, God falls a begging to his own Creature, and deals with us as importunately as if the Benefit were his own; thus doth he pray us to be reconciled. And then God threatens eternal Death, to stir us up to take hold of eternal Life; he tells us of a Pit without a Bottom, and a Worm that never dies. Sometimes he seeketh to work upon our Hope, and sometimes upon our Fear; he not only tells us of the loss of Happiness, which is very grievous to an ingenuous Spirit, Heb. 12.14. Follow Holiness, without which no Man shall see the Lord: But he tells us of those eternal Torments that are without End and Ease, of a Worm than never dies, and of a Fire that shall never be quenched: O whose Heart doth not tremble at the mention of these things! Then (on the other side) we have Promises as great as Heart can wish for, and more, 2 Pet. 1.4. Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious Promises. It hath not entered into the Heart of Man to conceive of these things. Who ever hired a Man to be ⟨p. 17⟩happy, or a thirsty Man to drink, or a hungry Man to eat? Salvation is so acceptable, and the heavenly and blessed Hope so glorious, that we should purchase it at any rate; but God taketh all Methods to awaken Man. Thus the Gospel may well be said to be a powerful Instrument of our Salvation, because it hath a powerful Tendency that way.

(3.) There are excellent Enforcements to encourage us to imbrace this Salvation; God is very impatient of being denied, now he speaks in the Gospel, and useth all kind of Methods. As a Man who cannot undo a Door, and having a bunch of Keys in his Hand, tries one after another, till the Lock doth fly open: So the Lord tries all kind of Methods, beseecheth, threatneth, promiseth, that the Heart of the Sinner might fly open. He beseecheth, God falls a begging to his own Creature, and deals with us as importunately as if the Benefit were his own; thus doth he pray us to be reconciled. And then God threatens eternal Death, to stir us up to take hold of eternal Life; he tells us of a Pit without a Bottom, and a Worm that never dies. Sometimes he seeketh to work upon our Hope, and sometimes upon our Fear; he not only tells us of the loss of Happiness, which is very grievous to an ingenuous Spirit,