A59035:1223
The bowels of tender mercy sealed in the everlasting covenant wherein is set forth…
The bowels of tender mercy sealed in the everlasting covenant wherein is set forth the nature, conditions and excellencies of it, and how a sinner should do to enter into it, and the danger of refusing this covenant-relation : also the treasures of grace, blessings, comforts, promises and privileges that are comprised in the covenant of Gods free and rich mercy made in Jesus Christ with believers / by that faithful and reverend divine, Mr Obadiah Sedgwick ... ; perfected and intended for the press, therefore corrected and lately revised by himself, and published by his own manuscript ...The bowels of tender mercy sealed in the everlasting covenant wherein is set forth the nature, conditions and excellencies of it, and how a sinner should do to enter into it, and the danger of refusing this covenant-relation : also the treasures of grace, blessings, comforts, promises and priviledges that are comprized in the covenant of Gods free and rich mercy made in Jesus Christ with believers / by that faithful and reverend divine, Mr Obadiah Sedgwick ... ; perfected and intended for the press, therefore corrected and lately revised by himself, and published by his own manuscript ...
London: printed by Edward Mottershed for Adoniram Byfield, 1661
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
2. Another reason may be this, The nature of holiness; holiness is that work 1of God which utterly subverts the state of sin, breaks down all the powers of it, crucifies the body of it, separates 'twixt the heart and sin, changes the heart of the sinner, turns the love of sin into the hatred of sin, and the delights in sin, into sorrow for sin; makes us new creatures, will not suffer the sinner to enjoy his old lusts, and his old ways, brings a new frame of Spirit, and a new course of life; it is absolutely contrary, and it is utterly destructive of the sinful condition, and straitly binds the whole man to the whole will of God; and all these things are grievous unto a natural man.
2. Another reason may be this, The nature of holinesse; holinesse is that work 1of God which utterly subverts the state of sinne, breaks down all the powers of it, crucifies the body of it, separates 'twixt the heart and sinne, changes the heart of the sinner, turns the love of sinne into the hatred of sinne, and the delights in sinne, into sorrow for sinne; makes us new creatures, will not suffer the sinner to enjoy his old lusts, and his old wayes, brings a new frame of Spirit, and a new course of life; it is absolutely contrary, and it is utterly destructive of the sinful condition, and straitly binds the whole man to the whole will of God; and all these things are grievous unto a natural man.
- 1The nature of holiness.The nature of holinesse.
3. A third reason of it may be this, The obloquy and scorns, and reproaches, 1and persecutions of the world against holiness; the men of the world draw their arrows, and spit all their venom against holiness, they hate it, and deride it, and oppose it, and discountenance and defame it, and load it with all sorts of defamation; and caral men love the world, and fear the world; they love the praise of the world, and the peace of the world, and the ease of the world, and the favour and opinion of the world; men must suffer reproaches and persecutions, and troubles, if they will be holy; but they cannot suffer in their names, nor in their delights, nor in their profits, nor in their friendship, and therefore they will not be holy: I say no more to you but this, if you will not be holy, then you profess you will not be the people of God, and that you will not have God to be God, and he will not be your God, nor shall you be his people, and hence it follows that he will never show mercy to you, nor peace to you, nor his salvation to you; get thee a portion wherein thou canst, but in him, but in his mercy, but in his Christ, but in his glory, thou shalt never have part nor portion.