The door of salvation opened by the key of regeneration

I say serious consideration; The thoughts must dwell upon Divine weighty truths; Surely men if they should do thus, would undo all they have done; but when the thoughts of God, and Christ, sin and holiness, death and judgment, heaven and hell, pass speedily through them, as travellers through a Country making no stay, no wonder if they cannot give any account of the worth and virtue of them. It is not the hasty shower, but soft snow which soaks deep; whilst the former goeth off as ⟨p. 206⟩fast as it comes on, the latter gently creeps into every chink of the ground.

I say serious consideration; The thoughts must dwell upon Divine weighty truths; Surely men if they should do thus, would undo all they have done; but when the thoughts of God, and Christ, sin and holiness, death and judgment, heaven and hell, pass speedily through them, as travellers through a Country making no stay, no wonder if they cannot give any account of the worth and vertue of them. It is not the hasty showre, but soft snow which soaks deep; whilst the former goeth off as ⟨p. 206⟩fast as it comes on, the latter gently creeps into every chink of the ground.

It is with the truths of God, as with a salve; if a man have never so precious a salve, which will help a dangerous mortal wound in twelve hours, and he do nothing but lay the plaster (which is spread with this salve) on the wound, and take it off presently, twill never heal the wound; if ever it eat out the corruption and cure the sore, it must lie on some considerable time together, the best salve under heaven, will not otherwise do the wounded man good. So if a man turn his thoughts upon the loathsome nature of sin, the unspeakable danger of sinners, the misery that he is liable to, whilst he continueth carnal; the mercy that he might obtain if he were spiritual; the all-sufficiency of God, the excellency of godliness, the purchase of Christ, and the promises of the Gospel, every of which is a precious medicine to cure soul maladies; yet if his thoughts do not stay upon them, if they are only glancing thoughts off and on, like lightening, flashing on the conscience and away, they will never heal thy spiritual diseases. That messenger which would dispatch business of weight, and concernment, must not call at a door, and then be gone, but he must go in, sit down, and make some stay there.