Oh saith a poor sinner, when the Lord hath struck his heart, and he feels guilt, and terror, and mighty strength of corruption, If the Lord Jesus would take away these evils from me, though I cannot, means cannot; that will be exceeding rich mercy. The Lord doth not wound the heart to this end, that the soul should first heal it self, before it come to the Physician, but that it might seek out, or feeling its need, be willing and desirous of a Physician, the Lord Jesus, to come and heal it. It is the great fault of many Christians, either their wounds and sorrows are so little, they desire not to be healed; or if they do, they labour to heal themselves first, before they come to the Physician for it; they will first make themselves holy, and put on their jewels, and then believe ⟨p. 86⟩in Christ. And hence are those many complaints, What have I to do with Christ? Why should he have to do with me that have such an unholy, vile, hard, blind, and most wicked heart? If I were more humbled, and more holy, then I would go to him, and think he would come to me. Oh for the Lords sake, dishonour not the grace of Christ. It is true, thou canst not come to Christ, till thou art loaden, and humbled, and separated from thy sin. Thou canst not be ingrafted into this Olive, unless thou beest cut, and cut off too from thy old root. Yet remember for ever, that no more sorrow for sin, no more separation from sin is necessary to thy closing with Christ, then so much as makes thee willing, or rather not unwilling that the Lord should take it away. And know it, if thou seekest for a greater measure of humiliation antecedent to thy closing with Christ then this, thou showest the more pride: therein, who wilt rather go in to thy self to make thy self holy and humble, that then mightest be worthy of Christ, then go out of thy self, unto the Lord Jesus, to take thy sin away. In a word, who thinkest Christ cannot love thee, until thou makest thy self fair, and when thou thinkest thy self so (which is pride) wilt then think otherwise of Christ. The Lord therefore when he teacheth his people how ⟨p. 87⟩to return unto him after grievous sins, directs them to this course, not to go about the bush to remove their iniquities themselves, or to stay and live securely in their sins, until the Lord did it himself;
Oh saith a poore sinner, when the Lord hath struck his heart, and he feeles guilt, and terrour, and mighty strength of corruption, If the Lord Jesus would take away these evils from me, though I cannot, means cannot; that will be exceeding rich mercy. The Lord doth not wound the heart to this end, that the soule should first heale it selfe, before it come to the Physitian, but that it might seek out, or feeling its need, be willing and desirous of a Physitian, the Lord Jesus, to come and heale it. It is the great fault of many Christians, either their wounds and sorrowes are so little, they desire not to be healed; or if they doe, they labour to heal themselves first, before they come to the Physitian for it; they will first make themselves holy, and put on their jewels, and then beleeve ⟨p. 86⟩in Christ. And hence are those many complaints, What have I to do with Christ? Why should he have to doe with me that have such an unholy, vile, hard, blind, and most wicked heart? If I were more humbled, and more holy, then I would goe to him, and think he would come to me. Oh for the Lords sake, dishonour not the grace of Christ. It is true, thou canst not come to Christ, till thou art loaden, and humbled, and separated from thy sinne. Thou canst not be ingrafted into this Olive, unlesse thou beest cut, and cut off too from thy old root. Yet remember for ever, that no more sorrow for sinne, no more separation from sinne is necessary to thy closing with Christ, then so much as makes thee willing, or rather not unwilling that the Lord should take it away. And know it, if thou seekest for a greater measure of humiliation antecedent to thy closing with Christ then this, thou shewest the more pride: therein, who wilt rather goe in to thy selfe to make thy selfe holy and humble, that then mightest be worthy of Christ, then goe out of thy selfe, unto the Lord Jesus, to take thy sin away. In a word, who thinkest Christ cannot love thee, untill thou makest thy selfe faire, and when thou thinkest thy selfe so (which is pride) wilt then think otherwise of Christ. The Lord therefore when he teacheth his people how ⟨p. 87⟩to returne unto him after grievous sinnes, directs them to this course, not to goe about the bush to remove their iniquities themselves, or to stay and live securely in their sins, untill the Lord did it himselfe;
