The saints everlasting rest

He that durst not lift up his eyes to heaven, but stood afar off smiting his breast, and crying, LORD, be merciful to me a sinner! now to be lifted up to heaven himself! He who was wont to write his name in Bradford's style, the unthankful, the hard-hearted, the unworthy sinner! and was wont to admire that patience could bear so long, and justice suffer him to live: sure he will admire at this alteration, when he shall find by experience, that unworthiness could not hinder his salvation, which he thought would have bereaved him of every mercy. Ah! christian, there is no talk of our worthiness or unworthiness. If worthiness were our condition for admittance, we might sit down with St. John, and weep, Because none in heaven or on earth is found worthy. But the lion of the tribe of Judah is worthy, and hath prevailed; and by that title must we hold the inheritance. We shall offer there the offering that David refused, even praise for that which cost us nothing. Here our commission runs, freely ye have received, freely give. But Christ hath dearly received, yet freely gives. Yet this is not all. If it were only for nothing, and without our merit, the wonder were great: but it is moreover against our merit, and against our long endeavouring our own ruin. The […] that hath known the desert of sin, doth […] understand […] what I say. What an astonishing thought it will […] to think of the unmeasurable difference between our deservings, and our receivings! between the state we ⟨p. 49⟩should have been in, and the state we are in! to look down upon hell, and see the vast difference that free grace hath made betwixt us and them! to see the inheritance there, which we were born to, so different from that which we are adopted to! Oh! what pangs of love will it cause within us, to think, yonder was the place that sin would have brought me to; but this is it that Christ hath brought me to! Yonder death was the wages of my sin; but this eternal life is the gift of GOD, through JESUS CHRIST my LORD. Doubtless this will be our everlasting admiration, that so rich a crown should sit the head of so vile a sinner! that such high advancement, and such long unfruitfulness and unkindness can be the state of the same persons! and that such vile rebellions can conclude in such most precious joys! But no thanks to us;

He that durst not lift up his eyes to heaven, but stood afar off smiting his breast, and crying, LORD, be merciful to me a sinner! now to be lifted up to heaven himself! He who was wont to write his name in Bradford's style, the unthankful, the hard-hearted, the unworthy sinner! and was wont to admire that patience could bear so long, and justice suffer him to live: sure he will admire at this alteration, when he shall find by experience, that unworthiness could not hinder his salvation, which he thought would have bereaved him of every mercy. Ah! christian, there is no talk of our worthiness or unworthiness. If worthiness were our condition for admittance, we might sit down with St. John, and weep, Because none in heaven or on earth is found worthy. But the lion of the tribe of Judah is worthy, and hath prevailed; and by that title must we hold the inheritance. We shall offer there the offering that David refused, even praise for that which cost us nothing. Here our commission runs, freely ye have received, freely give. But Christ hath dearly received, yet freely gives. Yet this is not all. If it were only for nothing, and without our merit, the wonder were great: but it is moreover against our merit, and against our long endeavouring our own ruin. The that hath known the desert of sin, doth understand what I say. What an astonishing thought it will to think of the unmeasurable difference between our deservings, and our receivings! between the state we