you continue in it; for without Blood there is no Remiffion, Heb. 9. 22.

Many other Reafons might be given, but that I would not be too tedious: Yet I would put in this Caution, that if there be any Souls that be but now willing to venture their Salvation upon the Merits of a naked Jefus, I do verily for the prefent believe, they have not finned that Sin; because there is ftill a Promise holds forth itself to fuch a Soul, where Chrift faith, He that comes to me. I will in no wife (for nothing that he hath done) caft him out, John 6. 36. That Promife is worthy to be written in Letters of Gold.

Object. But alas, though I fhould never fin that fin, yet I have other Sins enough to Damn

me.

Anfw. What though thou hadst the Sins of a Thousand Sinners; yet if thou come to Christ he will fave thee, John 6. 36. fee alfo Heb. 7. 25.

Object. Alas! But how fhould I come? I doubt I do not come as I fhould do; my Heart is nought and dead; and alas, then how fhould I come?

Anf. Why bethink thy felf of all the Sins that ever thou didst commit, and lay the Weight of them all upon thy Heart, till thou art down loaden with the fame, and come to him in fuch a Cafe as this, and he will give thee Reft for thy Soul, Mat. 11. the three laft Verses.

And again, if thou wouldeft know how thou fhouldeft come, come as much undervaluing thy felf as ever thou canft, faying,. Lord here is a Sinner, the bafeft in all the Country, if I had my deferts I had been damned in Hell

Hell Fire long ago: Lord I am not worthy to have the leaft Concern in the Kingdom of Heaven; and yet, O that thou wouldest have Mercy! Come like Berhadad's Servants to the King of Ifrael, 1 King. 20. 31, 32. with a Rope about thy Neck, and fling thy felf down at Chrift's Feet, and lie there a while, ftriving with him by thy Prayers, and I'll warrant thee Speed, Mat. 11. 28, 29, 30. John 6. 37.

Object. O, but I am not fanctified.

Anfw. He will fanctify thee, and be made thy fanctification alfo, 1 Cor. 6. 10, 11. 1 Cor. 1. 30. Object. O, but I cannot pray.

Anfw. To Pray, is not for thee to down on thy Knees, and fay over a many Scripture Words only; for that thou may'ft do, and yet do nothing but babble: But if thou from a Senfe of thy bafenefs canft groan out thy Heart's defire before the Lord, he will hear thee, and grant thy Defire; for he can tell what is the meaning of the groan-. ings of the Spirit, Rom. 8. 26, 27.

Object. O, but I am afraid to Pray, for fear my Prayers fhould be counted as Sin in the Sight of the great God.

Anfw. That is a good Sign that Prayers are more than bare Words, and have fome Prevalence at the Throne of Grace through Chrift Jefus, or elfe the Devil would never feek to labour to beat thee off from Prayer, by undervaluing thy Prayers, telling thee they are Sin; for the beft Prayers he will call the worft, and the worft he will call the beft, or elfe how fhould he be a Liar?

Object. But, I am afraid the Day of Grace is paft, and if it fhould be fo, what should I do then? Anfw. Truly, with fome Men indeed it doth fare thus, that the Day of Grace is at an End N

befor

before their Lives are at an End. Or thus, the Day of Grace is past before the Day of Death is come, as Chrft faith, if thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy Day, the things that belong unto thy Peace, (that is the Word of Grace or Reconciliation) but now it is hid from thine Eyes, Luke 19.41, 42. But for the better fatisfying of thee, as touching this thing, confider thefe following Things :

First, doth the Lord knock ftill at the Door of thy Heart by his Word and Spirit? If fa, then the Day of Grace is not paft with thy Soul; for where he doth fo knock, there he doth alse proffer, and promise to come in and Sup, (that is, to communicate of his Things unto them) which he would not do, was the Day of Grace ,paft with the Soul, Rev. 3. 20.

Object. But how fhould I know whether Chrift do fo knock at my Heart, as to be deĥrous to come in? That I may know alfo whether the Day of Grace be paft with me or no?

Anfw. Confider thefe Things;

Firft, Doth the Lord make thee fenfible of thy miferable State, without an Intereft in Jefus Chrift? And that naturally thou haft no fhare in him, no Faith in him, no Communion with him, no delight in him, or love in the leaft to him? If he hath, and is doing of this, he hath, and is knocking at thy Heart.

Secondly, Doth he, together with this, put into thy Heart an earneft defire after Communion with nim, together with holy Refolutions not to be fatisfied without real Communion with him.

Thirdly, Doth he fometimes give thee fome fecret Perfuafions (tho' not fcarcely difcernable) that thou mayeft attain, and get an Intereft in kim! Fourthly,

Fourthly, Doth he now and then glance in fome of the Promises into thy Heart, caufing them to leave fome heavenly favour (tho' but for a very fhort time) on thy Spirit?

Fifthly, Doft thou at fome time fee fome little Excellency in Chrift? and doth all this ftir up in thy Heart fome Breathings after him? If fo, then fear not, the Day of Grace is not paft with thy poor Soul; for if the Day of Grace should be paft with fuch a Soul as this, then that Scripture muft be broken, where Chrift faith, He that cometh unto me, I will in no wife (for nothing, by no Means, upon no Terms whatfoever) caft aut John 6. 37.

Object. But furely if the Day of Grace was not paft with me, I fhould not be fo long without an Anfwer of God's love tomy Soul; that therefore doth make me miftruft my State the more, is, that I wait and wait, and yet am not delivered.

Anfw. Haft thou waited on the Lord fo long as the Lord hath waited on thee? It may be the Lord hath waited on thee this twenty, or thirty, yea, forty Years, or more, and thou haft not waited on him feven Years: Caft this into hy Mind therefore when Satan tells thee, that God doth not love thee, because thou haft waited fo long without an Affurance; (for it is his Temptation) for God did wait longer on thee, and was fain to fend to thee by his Amballadors time after time: And therefore, fay thou, I will wait to fee what the Lord will Jay unto me; and the rather, becaufe he will speak Peace, for he is the Lord thereof.

But, Secondly, know, that it is not thy being under trouble a long time, that will be an Argument fufficiently to prove that thou art paft hopes

Nay, contrariwife; for Jefus Chrift did take our Nature upon him, and alfo did undertake deliverance for thofe, and bring it in for them whe were all their life-time fubject to Bondage, Heb. 2. 14, 16.

Object. But alas! I am not able to wait, all my Strength is gone, I have waited fo'long I can wait no longer.

Anfw. It may be thou haft concluded on this long ago, thinking thou shouldest not be able to hold out any longer; no not a Year, a Month, cr a Week; nay, it may be not fo long. It may be in the Morning thou hast thought thou shouldeft not hold out 'till Night, and at Night 'till Morning again Yet the Lord hath fupported thee, and kept thee in waiting upon him many Weeks and Years; therefore that is the Temptation of the Devil to make thee think fo, that he might drive thee to defpair of God's Mercy, and fo to leave off following the Ways of God, and to clofe in with thy Sins again. Ő therefore do not give way unto it, but believe that theu, fhalt fee the Goodness of the Lord in the Land of the Living. Wait on the Lord, be of good Courage, and he fall ftrengthen thy Heart; wait, I fay, on the Lord, Pfal. 27. 23, 24. And that thou mayeft fo do, confider these things:

Firft, If thou, after thou haft waited thus long, fhouldest now give over, and wait no longer, thou wouldeft lofe all thy Time and Pains that thou haft taken in the way of God hitherto, and wilt be like to a Man that because he fought long for Gold, and did not find it, therefore turned back from feeking after it, tho' he was.

by it, and had almoft found it; and all be

e was loth to look and feek a little further.