N02150:81
Religious societies. Proposals for the revival of dying religion, by well ordered societies for…
Religious societies. Proposals for the revival of dying religion, by well ordered societies for that purpose. : With a brief discourse, offered unto a religious society, on the first day of their meeting. : [One line from I Thessalonians]
Boston: printed by S. Kneeland for John Phillips, 1724
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.
Fourthly. THE Holy SPIRIT of GOD at work upon the Soul; This constitutes Our Day in the fairest and brightest Appearance of it. The other Circumstances give Time to us; This does invest us with Opportunity. The Opportunity to approach and address the Master of the House must be before, Luk. 13.25. He hath ⟨p. 16⟩risen up, and shut to the Door. Men may sit under the Gospel all their Days; But they will not come into the Peace of GOD, except they seek Him while He may be found, and call upon Him while He is near. There is a Time when our SAVIOUR says. Rev. III. 20. Behold, I stand at the Door and knock. The Soul which Then does Open to Him, is an Happy Soul. But, thy Delays, O Dilatory Soul, may render thee like Esau, who Afterwards, when he came, and would have Inherited the Blessing, missed of it, tho' he Sought it carefully with Tears. We should, as we say, Strike while the Iron is hot. The Godly themselves may pay dear for their Neglect of doing so. My Beloved has withdrawn Himself and is gone! — may be the Consequence. But this is that which above all issues in the Perdition of Ungodly Men. The SPIRIT of GOD visits them with His Motions. He does it in Sermons; He does it in Troubles; He does it in various Methods. He stirs up Affections in them, for the Things that are Holy and Just and Good. They have such an Opportunity to enter the Strait Gate, as the Israelites had for an Entrance into the Land of Promise. They neglect it; And now, when they come too Late, and Weep unto the LORD, the LORD will not hearken to them. The Door is now shut, and if they come with the Foolish Virgins, and cry, Lord, Lord, Open to me! the cry avails nothing; He answers, I know you not.
Fourthly. THE Holy SPIRIT of GOD at work upon the Soul; This constitutes Our Day in the fairest and brightest Appearance of it. The other Circumstances give Time to us; This does invest us with Opportunity. The Opportunity to approach and address the Master of the House must be before, Luk. 13.25. He hath ⟨p. 16⟩risen up, and shut to the Door. Men may sit under the Gospel all their Days; But they will not come into the Peace of GOD, except they seek Him while He may be found, and call upon Him while He is near. There is a Time when our SAVIOUR says.