when a Man never yields to God, but when God hath him under, and he can sin no longer. And what assurance have we, that we shall have a Heart to mind Salvation at all, and turn to God hereafter? When all our Distractions are out of the way, is Grace at our beck? There is an offer of it to day, Heb. 3.15. While it is said, To day if ye will hear his Voice, harden not your Hearts. Nay, there's a shrewd Presumption to the contrary, that Obduracy, Hardness of Heart and Despair will grow upon us. Long use makes the Heart more obdurate, and long Resistance grieves the Spirit of God, and makes him more offended with us. By putting off the Change of your Lives, you put your Souls into Satan's hands by Consent, for a while. He that delays his Conversion, doth (as it were) pawn his Soul into the Devil's Hands, and saith, if he do not fetch it again at such a day, it is his for ever. Again, it is a great Honour to seek the Lord betimes. Mnason was an old Disciple. Seniority in Grace is a very great Honour. The Apostle saith, Rom. 16.7. Salute Andronicus and Junia, — who were in Christ before me. And the Lord saith, Jer. 2.2. I remember thee, the kindness of thy Youth, and the love of thine Espousals. God prizeth these pure Virgin-Affections, when before our Hearts be prostituted to the World we apply our selves to seek his Face. You lose the Advantage of much early Communion with God, whenever you are called to Grace; and if ever you taste of the Sweetness of Grace, it will be your Grief that you were acquainted with it no sooner, and all the time that remains will be little enough to repent the loss of that which is past. Consider, a Man can never come soon enough into the Arms of Mercy, nor soon enough out of the Power of Satan. Present Necessity admits of no Deliberation, therefore charge your selves to be more solid and serious. Sin, if you let it alone, will gather more Strength. Jer. 13.23. Can the Ethiopian change his Skin, or the Leopard his Spots? then may ye also do Good that are accustomed to do Evil. When a Stick hath been long bent, it will hardly ever be set right again. Some that have been late converted, have much bewailed their Disadvantage, their standing out so long, till their Inclinations were fixed, and that they have got a stubborn Nature so strong, and ever apt to recoil upon them.
when a Man never yields to God, but when God hath him under, and he can sin no longer. And what assurance have we, that we shall have a Heart to mind Salvation at all, and turn to God hereafter? When all our Distractions are out of the way, is Grace at our beck? There is an offer of it to day, Heb. 3.15. While it is said, To day if ye will hear his Voice, harden not your Hearts. Nay, there's a shrewd Presumption to the contrary, that Obduracy, Hardness of Heart and Despair will grow upon us. Long use makes the Heart more obdurate, and long Resistance grieves the Spirit of God, and makes him more offended with us. By putting off the Change of your Lives, you put your Souls into Satan's hands by Consent, for a while. He that delays his Conversion, doth (as it were) pawn his Soul into the Devil's Hands, and saith, if he do not fetch it again at such a day, it is his for ever. Again, it is a great Honour to seek the Lord betimes. Mnason was an old Disciple. Seniority in Grace is a very great Honour. The Apostle saith, Rom. 16.7. Salute Andronicus and Junia, — who were in Christ before me. And the Lord saith, Ier. 2.2. I remember thee, the kindness of thy Youth, and the love of thine Espousals. God prizeth these pure Virgin-Affections, when before our Hearts be prostituted to the World we apply our selves to seek his Face. You lose the Advantage of much early Communion with God, whenever you are called to Grace; and if ever you taste of the Sweetness of Grace, it will be your Grief that you were acquainted with it no sooner, and all the time that remains will be little enough to repent the loss of that which is past. Consider, a Man can never come soon enough into the Arms of Mercy, nor soon enough out of the Power of Satan. Present Necessity admits of no Deliberation, therefore charge your selves to be more solid and serious. Sin, if you let it alone, will gather more Strength. Jer. 13.23. Can the Ethiopian change his Skin, or the Leopard his Spots? then may ye also do Good that are accustomed to do Evil. When a Stick hath been long bent, it will hardly ever be set right again. Some that have been late converted, have much bewailed their Disadvantage, their standing out so long, till their Inclinations were fixed, and that they have got a stubborn Nature so strong, and ever apt to recoil upon them.
