spiritual slumber; but when we are, Eph. 2. 1. dead in trefpaffes and fins, so that Apoc. 3. 1. all breath of holy affection is ftopt, 1 Tim. 5. 6. and no fpiritual pulfe from our heart doth appear; that all fenfe of duty is loft, all appetite to good doth fail, no ftrength or activity to move in a good course doth exert it felf; that our good complexion is diffolved, and all our finer fpirits are diffipated; that our mind is quite crazed, and all its Powers are shattered or fpoiled, when thus, I fay, we are fpiritually dead, how can we raise our felves, what beneath omnipotency can effect it? as a stick, when Frangas citius once 'tis dry and ftiff, you may quam corrigas quæ in pravum break it, but you can never bend it induruerunt. into a ftreighter posture, fo doth the Quintil. 1. 3. Man become incorrigible, who is fettled and ftiffned in vice. The ftain of habitual fin may fink in fo deep, and fo thoroughly tincture all our Soul, that we may be like thofe People, of whom the Prophet faith, Can the Ethiopian change his Jer. 13. 23. skin, or the Leopard his spots? then

John 3.8.

may ye do good, that are accustomed to doe evil: Such an impoffibility may arise from nature; one greater and more infuperable may come from God.

To an effectual repentance the fuccour of divine grace is neceffary; but that is arbitrarily difpenfed; the Spirit bloweth where it lifteth, yet it lifteth wifely, with regard both to the past behaviour, and prefent capacities of Men; fo that to fuch who have abused it, and to fuch who will not treat it well, it fhall not be imparted: And can we be well affured, can we reasonably hope, that after we by our prefumptuous delays have put off God and dallied with his grace; after that he long in vain hath waited to be gratious; after that he hath endured To many neglects, and fo many repulfes from us; after that we frequently have flighted his open invitations, and fmothered his kindly motions in us; in fhort, after we fo unworthily have mifufed his

good

goodness and patience, that he farther will vouchsafe his grace to us ? when we have forfeited it, when we Τὸ πνεῦμα τ have rejected it, when we have fpur- ußeicas. ned and driven it away, can we Heb. 10. 29. Αδύνατον. hope to recover it? Heb. 6. 4.

There is a time, a feafon, a day Luke 19.42, allotted to us; our day it is termed, 44. a day of Salvation, the season of our 2 Cor. 6. 2. vifitation, an acceptable time; where- Heb. 3.13. John 9. 4. in God freely doth exhibit grace, and prefenteth his mercy to us; if we let this day flip, the night Luke 19. 42. cometh when no man can work; when the things belonging to our peace will Ifa. 59. 10. be hidden from our eyes; when (as the Prophet expreffeth it) we fhall grope for the wall like the blind, and Stumble at noon-day as in the night, and be in defolate places as dead men; after that day is fpent, and that comfortable light is fet, a difmal night of darkness, of cold, of dif confolateness will fucceed; when Jer. 15. 6. God being weary of bearing with Mal. 2. 17. Ifa. 1. 14.7.13. Men doth utterly defert them, and Rom. 1.24 delivereth them over to a reprobate 26, 28.

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mind;

Pfal. 81. 12.

Ifa. 63. 17.

mind; when fubtracting his gratious direction and affiftence, he gi

veth them over to their own hearts

lufts, and to walk in their own counfels; when they are brought to complain with those in the Prophet, O Lord, why haft thou made us to err from thy ways, and hardned our heart from thy fear? when like Pharaoh they furvive only as objects of God's justice, or occafions to glorify his power; when like Efau, they cannot find a place of repentance, although they seek it carefully with tears; when as to the foolish Matth. 25. 10. loitering Virgins, the door of mercy

Rom. 9. 17.

Heb. 13.17.

is fhut upon them; when the mafter Luke 13.25. of the house doth rife and shut the door, &c. when that menace of di

vine wifedom cometh to be execuProv. 1. 28. ted; They fhall call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall feek me early, but they shall not find me for that they hated knowledge, and did not chufe the fear of the Lord: And if neglecting our season, and prefent means, we once fall into this ftate,

then

then is our cafe most deplorable; we are dead Men irreversibly doomed, and only for a few moments reprieved from the ftroak of final vengeance; we are veffels of wrath Rom. 9. 22. fitted (or made up) for deftruction; by a fatal blindness and obduration fealed up to ruine; we are like the terra damnata, that earth (in the Apoftle,) which drinking up the rain, eis à minsav. that cometh oft upon it, and bearing Heb. 6. 7, 8. thorns and briars, is rejected, and is nigh unto curfing, and whofe end is to be burned. Wherefore according to the advice of the Prophet, Seek ye Ifa. 55.6. the Lord, when he may be found, call ye upon him, while he is near.

It is true, that God is ever ready upon our true converfion to receive us into favour, that his arms are always open to embrace a fincere Penitent that he hath declared,

;

whenever a wicked man turneth from Ezek. 18. 17. his wickedness, and doeth that which is right, he fhall fave his foul alive; that if we do wash our felves, make Ifa. 1. 18. us clean, put away the evil of our doK 3

ings,