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

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.

Now,¹ The second Means of Cure is this, Take heed of judging thy Estate by carnal Reason without the Rule, which is commonly the Fashion and Fault of poor distressed Spirits, who pass fearful Sentence against themselves upon groundless Arguments, and say, I never found it, I feel no such Thing, and I fear it is not so. But in this we hear but carnal Pleas, coming out of Satan's Forge, and by his Help, from our selves, against our selves, for we judge our selves by them. But, I say, Take heed of this Wile of Satan's,