Lift up your heads, O ye gates, and be ye lifted up ye everlasting doors, that that king of glory may come in. And because the door of mens hearts is locked and barred, and bolted, and men are in a deep sleep, & will not hear the knocking that is at the gate, though it be loud, though it be a King: therefore David knocks again, Lift up your heads, O ye gates, and be ye lifted up ye everlasting doors: Why, what haste, saith the sinner? What haste? Why, here's the King at your Gates; and that not an ordinary King neither, he is a glorious King that will honour you ⟨p. 61⟩so far, if you open quickly, as to lodge within, to take up his abode in your house, to dwell with you; but the soul for all this doth not yet open, but stands still questioning, as if it were an enemy, rather then a friend that stood there, and ask, who is this King of glory? Who? he answers again, It is the Lord of hosts; he, that if you will not open quickly and thankfully, can easily pull your house down about your ears; He is the Lord of Hosts, that King who hath a mighty Army always at his command, who stand ready for their Commission, and then you should soon know who it is you might have had for your friend; Lift up therefore your heads, O ye gates; open quickly, ye that had rather have God for your friend then for your enemy. O why should not the soul of every sinner cry out, Lord, the Door is locked, and thou hast the key, I have been trying what I can do, but the Wards are so rusty that I cannot possibly turn the Key; but Lord, throw the Door off the Hinges, any thing in the world, so thou wilt but come in and dwell here: Come, O mighty God, break through Doors of Iron, and Bars of Brass, and make way for thy self by thy love and power. Come, Lord, and make thy self welcome, all that I have is at thy service: O fit my soul to entertain thee! But where is the sinner that is in this note? How seldom do poor Creatures desire Gods company, or bewail his absence? Where almost are the men and women to be found, that do in good earnest long to be acquainted with God? Men are naturally strangers to God, and it is a wonderful difficult thing to persuade men to enter into so much as a serious deliberate consideration of ⟨p. 62⟩these things. Though it be so infinitely for their interest;
Lift up your heads, O ye gates, and be ye lifted up ye everlasting doors, that tht king of glory may come in. And because the door of mens hearts is lock'd and barr'd, and bolted, and men are in a deep sleep, & will not hear the knocking that is at the gate, though it be loud, though it be a King: therefore David knocks again, Lift up your heads, O ye gates, and be ye lifted up ye everlasting doors: Why, what haste, saith the sinner? What haste? Why, here's the King at your Gates; and that not an ordinary King neither, he is a glorious King that will honour you ⟨p. 61⟩so far, if you open quickly, as to lodge within, to take up his abode in your house, to dwell with you; but the soul for all this doth not yet open, but stands still questioning, as if it were an enemy, rather then a friend that stood there, and ask, who is this King of glory? Who? he answers again, It is the Lord of hosts; he, that if you will not open quickly and thankfully, can easily pull your house down about your ears; He is the Lord of Hosts, that King who hath a mighty Army always at his command, who stand ready for their Commission, and then you should soon know who it is you might have had for your friend; Lift up therefore your heads, O ye gates; open quickly, ye that had rather have God for your friend then for your enemy. O why should not the soul of every sinner cry out, Lord, the Door is locked, and thou hast the key, I have been trying what I can do, but the Wards are so rusty that I cannot possibly turn the Key; but Lord, throw the Door off the Hinges, any thing in the world, so thou wilt but come in and dwell here: Come, O mighty God, break through Doors of Iron, and Bars of Brass, and make way for thy self by thy love and power. Come, Lord, and make thy self welcome, all that I have is at thy service: O fit my soul to entertain thee! But where is the sinner that is in this note? How seldom do poor Creatures desire Gods company, or bewail his absence? Where almost are the men and women to be found, that do in good earnest long to be acquainted with God? Men are naturally strangers to God, and it is a wonderful difficult thing to perswade men to enter into so much as a serious deliberate consideration of ⟨p. 62⟩these things. Though it be so infinitly for their interest;
