And though he continually asserted the Humane Impotency and would have you sensible, That you cannot Convert yourselves; Yet he urgently dehorted you from siting still Profanely, as if you had nothing to do; urgently directed you to make that Cry unto the Glorious One, Turn thou me and I shall be Turned; urgently Charged you to make yourselves a New Heart, by seeking unto GOD, that He would bestow a New Heart upon you.
But then, like the Angel, that Hastened the Lingerers out of Sodom, how Zealously, how Terribly, did he call on the Delaying Sinner, Fly for thy Life! The Word with him, was ⟨p. 226⟩To Day; To Day! To Day!— Can you forget the Piercing Sound of it? The uncertain Approaches, and Surprisals of Certain Death, and the Hazardous Madness of Disobliging the Holy SPIRIT, whose Influences your Conversion depends upon; how powerfully for this purpose, were you minded o' them!
Hence, as he had been himself a Pattern of Early Piety, and in the close of his Days, there was no one thing that so much Comforted him, as This; I gave myself up to GOD in my Youth! So he was a most fervent Preacher of it. Early Piety, how Mightily, how Ardently, and with how Frequent Excitations, did he Solicit for it! His Printed Essays upon it, are in your Hands, Children, may your Hearts feel the Efficacy of them. Oh, Remember these Things; And know that you are deaf to Thunder, if you continue in your Unregeneracy.
III. Remember how you have Received and Heard, That Persons may go very far, and seem very fair, in a Profession of Religion. And after all, be Hypocrites and Castaways. It was with a singular Agony, that your Pastor many Years ago, Preached several sermons, on Job XXVII 8. What is the Hope of the Hypocrite? But how often, how often, & in how many Sermons, & with what an Unparalleled Solemnity, did he tell you; That many seem to be Religious, whose Religion is Vain? That many flatter themselves with vain Expectation to be found among the Good whom GOD will do Good unto, who yet after ⟨p. 227⟩all shall be Led forth with the Workers of Iniquity? That many pass through Convictions, and Contributions, and Awakenings, and come to some Reformations, and some Consolations, and for want of closing with a CHRIST in all His Offices, and for keeping some Lust from which they are not willing to be Divorced by Him, and for Him, they find themselves Miserably Deceived at the Last?
And though he continually asserted the Humane Impotency and would have you sensible, That you cannot Convert yourselves; Yet he urgently dehorted you from siting still Profanely, as if you had nothing to do; urgently directed you to make that Cry unto the Glorious One, Turn thou me and I shall be Turned; urgently Charged you to make yourselves a New Heart, by seeking unto GOD, that He would bestow a NewHeart upon you.
But then, like the Angel, that Hastened the Lingerers out of Sodom, how Zealously, how Terribly, did he call on the Delaying Sinner, Fly for thy Life! The Word with him, was ⟨p. 226⟩To Day; To Day! To Day!— Can you forget the Piercing Sound of it? The uncertain Approaches, and Surprizals of Certain Death, and the Hazardous Madness of Disobliging the Holy SPIRIT, whose Influences your Conversion depends upon; how powerfully for this purpose, were you minded o' them!
Hence, as he had been himself a Pattern of Early Piety, and in the close of his Days, there was no one thing that so much Comforted him, as This; I gave myself up to GOD in my Youth! So he was a most fervent Preacher of it. Early Piety, how Mightily, how Ardently, and with how Frequent Excitations, did he Sollicit for it! His Printed Essays upon it, are in your Hands, Children, may your Hearts feel the Efficacy of them. Oh, Remember these Things; And know that you are deaf to Thunder, if you continue in your Unregeneracy.
III. Remember how you have Received and Heard, That Persons may go very far, and seem very fair, in a Profession of Religion. And after all, be Hypocrites and Castaways. It was with a singular Agony, that your Pastor many Years ago, Preached several sermons, on Job XXVII 8. What is the Hope of the Hypocrite? But how often, how often, & in how many Sermons, & with what an Unparallel'd Solemnity, did he tell you; That many seem to be Religious, whose Religion is Vain? That many flatter themselves with vain Expectation to be found among the Good whom GOD will do Good unto, who yet after ⟨p. 227⟩all shall be Led forth with the Workers of Iniquity? That many pass through Convictions, and Contributions, and Awakenings, and come to some Reformations, and some Consolations, and for want of closing with a CHRIST in all His Offices, and for keeping some Lust from which they are not willing to be Divorced by Him, and for Him, they find themselves Miserably Deceived at the Last?
