The poor doubting Christian drawn to Christ. Wherein the main hindrances, which keep men…

And here he goes on, and saith to his Minister, speak to the Heart of such an humble Penitential, and tell him from Me, nay tell him from Heaven, and tell him from the Lord Jesus Christ, and from under the Hand of the Spirit, that his Person is accepted, and his Sins are all of them done away, and he himself shined upon in great Mercy.

Here Ephraim is the Picture of a Soul truly humbled, in whose Behaviour we may see the Behaviour of a true Penitent towards God, and God's Dealing towards him. The Text saith, Jer. 31.18, 19, 20. Surely I have heard Ephraim bemoaning himself (there's the Heart broken and thirsty) thou hast chastised me, and I was chastised; turn thou me, and I shall be turned; thou art the Lord my God. Surely after that I was turned, I repented, and after that I was instructed, I smote upon my Thigh; I was ashamed, yea, even confounded, because I did bear the Reproach of my Youth. Thus the Sinner, as if he should have said, I am the Wretch that have seen all the Means of Grace in an abundant Measure, and yet never profited under the Hand of any. The Lord hath corrected me, but I would not be tamed; and he instructed me, but I would not learn. Lord turn me, thou art my God; I have nothing in my self; nay, now I see the Evils which before I never perceived; and I observe the Baseness of my Course, which before I considered not. Now I am ashamed of my Abuse of Grace so plainly revealed: I am even now confounded with the Sense of those Abominations my Soul did formerly take Pleasure in. This may be conceived to be the Mourning of a poor and much broken Sinner. And now mark God's Answer: Ephraim is my Son, he is a pleasant Child: For since I spake against ⟨p. 42⟩him, I do earnestly remember him still, therefore my Bowels are troubled for him, I will surely have Mercy upon him. As much as to say; I observed all those secret Sighs, I considered all those Tears, I heard all those Prayers, and took Notice of all those Complaints, and my Bowels even yearn towards this poor dejected Sinner, an humble Soul that seeks to me for Mercy. The Truth is; I will embrace him with my loving Kindness. This for the first Means of Help.