viewing all of them together Upon mount Thabor when the Glory of his Blessed Soul shin'd through his body like the Sun through a transparent cloud upon the dazled eyes of his Disciples giving them a glympse of the Eternall Glory we expect hereafter Our Saviour seem'd to be as much delighted with the prospect of his Passion as with all the joys of Heaven and as upon another occasion Jo. 4.31.34 when his Disciples pray'd him to eat He told them My meat is to do the will of Him that sent me finish his work So when they desir'd Him to stay and make Tabernacles Luke 9.30.33 it was his joy delight to talk with Moyses Elias of his Decease his Passion which he should accomplish v. 31. at Hierusalem Ah Christians you have reason to admire wonder that the God of all your comfort is now heavy disconsolate 2. Cor. 1.3 But you will fear and tremble more than wonder if you seriously reflect that all his Grief proceeded chiefly from the terrible Idea which He had of Sin not his but ours S. Hierome says Apud D. Tho. In Cat. His greatest Grief proceeded not from fear of suffering because He came to Suffer But He cheifly griev'd for Judas for the Scandall of the Apostles and the Reprobation of the People c. ... This agrees exactly with our Saviour's words Luke 23.27.28 to those who follow'd Him to Calvary when turning to the women who lamented Him He said Daughters of Hierusalem weep not for me only weep also for your selves for your children Weep not for me My torments will be short weep for your selves your torments if you do not weep repent mend will be Eternall Alas the Torments which I willingly freely suffer for your sake are Nothing to the Pains of Hell which you for ever will endure unless by penitentiall tears mixt with my bloud You wash away your Sins v. 31. If they do thus in the green wood what will they do in the Dry If I though Innocent suffer thus for your Sins You who are Guilty what are you like to suffer for your own If I who am true God the only beloved Son of my Eternall Father who never once offended Him if because I interpose betwixt you his Justice I am thus severely treated what will become of miserable Creatures grievous Sinners who so often have offended Him if they do not joyn their tears with mine if they are not afflicted with me for their Sins for which I dy upon the Cross Levit. 23.29 Every Soul who upon this day is not afflicted shall perish Every Soul who thinks upon this Day and is not afflicted with his dying Saviour is not heartily afflicted for those Sins for which He dies shall certainly perish Neither does it contradict what commonly is said that One great Difference betwixt our Saviour his Martyrs was that by a miracle of Grace He gave them that undaunted Courage which by a greater miracle He now refus'd to himself T is true He freely sufferd in himself the Naturall Fear of Death to shew himself True Man as well as God to let us see at once the Weakness of our Nature the Power of Grace and comfort us by making it appear that such Infirmities of Nature are not Sins as long as Reason gouverns them Resignation submitts to the will of God But yet there is another greater Difference betwixt his Case theirs Martyrs who die for God's sake are Secure of their Success they are sure not to suffer in vain they are certain to possess All that they desire to enjoy eternally their God to whom they Sacrifice their Lives This is the reason why our Martyrs look Death boldly in the face with open armes receive it go to meet it with the same assurance as if they went to Heaven Let the Body suffer all the worst of Pains the Soul is unconcern'd Anima de Deo suo semper secura S. Cypr. the Soul is secure of God the Soul is in Heaven before hand When Man dies to enjoy God he is sure he shall enjoy him But alas it is not so when Jesus dies for Man He dies to gain his Love at the same time knows that he will prove ungratefull He dies to enjoy him in Heaven foresees he will be damn'd for all Eternity The lively apprehension of his torments all together was enough to make him Sorrowfull even to Death but however if he have promis'd himself the Eternall Salvation of all those dear-bought Souls for which He died the joyfull assurance of so happy a Success would have eas'd the burthen of his Grief His torments all of them would have been well come upon that condition But to sweat bloud in vain to be scourg'd to no purpose to spend the last drop of his sacred veins to no effect was an Affliction not to be supported without praying his Eternall Father to have pitty compassion on Him Math. 26.30 Father if it be possible dispence at least with this part of my Sentence Let me die But do not let me die in vain T is said of Joseph in the Book of Genesis 45.15 He kiss'd all his Brethren wept over every one of them I may say the same of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane He griev'd for All is brethren wept over every one of them in particular He saw before his eyes the Sins of every person in the World the Graces which he would from time to time bestow upon us the neglect of all his Offers abuse of all his Favours He foresaw every Temptation which we yield to griev'd to see it He foresaw each profanation of the Sacrament which we frequent unworthyly and fainted with grief when He thought how often his most precious Bloud would by our fault become the Poyson of our Souls He foresaw in the whole course of our Lives where when how we would resist render ineffectuall all the Directions Admonitions Exhortations of his Ministers and fell into a bloudy Sweat at the very thought of our Ingratitude by which the chief means of attaining Everlasting Happyness serve only in the end to justifie our Sentence of Eternall Misery Isaiah 35.4.6 He bore our Griefs He carried our Sorrows He took upon him the Iniquities of us All and every one of our most grievous Sins appear'd to him in a more hideous shape than ever it appear'd to any Creature Mortall Sin is as Bad as God is Good It separates us from our God leaves our Souls as Empty as our God is Great So that as God is infinitely Good the Malice of a Mortall Sin is infinitely Evill As none of us can understand the infinite Goodness of the one so none of us are able to conceive the infinite Malice of the other Christ himself as God could comprehend them Both as Man He comprehended neither But yet
the generall Reason why Humility is harder to be found in Sinners than in Saints The First have more to humble them but the more they have the blinder they are the less they know it The Second have less to humble them but the less they have the more their eyes are open by God's Grace the more clearly they discover what 's enough to make them fear tremble all their life SECT VI. First Reason why the greatest Saints are the most humble I Shall only add two Reasons more because all Saints I speak of such as are now living are compris'd in these two Classes They are either such as have been Sinners heretofore or such as may be so hereafter The first Reason is so universall that it comprehends them both but more particularly Those who have preserv'd the Innocence of their Baptismall Grace D. Sp. ch 26. T is gatherd from that Oracle of Scripture work out your Salvation with Fear Trembling Philip. 2.12.13 For it is God who works in you to will to do according to his pleasure See the unsearchable Abyss of the Almighty's Judgments where t is dangerous to dwell too long search too curiously lest it cast us into an excess of Fear T is enough that none are sav'd but who persever to the End that the greatest Saints can never be assur'd of their Perseverance T is a speciall Gift which the Apostle chiefly points at when he says Rom. 9.18.16 God has mercy on whom he will have mercy It is not of him that wills or him that runs but of God that shews Mercy And again Ephes 2.8.9 By Grace you are sav'd that not of your selves it is the Gift of God Not of works lest any Man should boast Alas how is it possible for any Saint to be assur'd of his condition for the future since he is not certain even of his present State Who can sound the bottom of our Heart Or rather Who can sound the Heart of God tell us what He thinks of our condition Who is He that can assure us We are good enough to be Rewarded by Him wo be to that Life how innocent soever says S. Austin Psal 19.12 which He Judges without Mercy VVho is He says David that can understand his failings Cleanse me from my secret faults Psal 143.2 O Lord and enter not into judgment with thy servant for in thy sight shall no man living be justified if once Thou judgest him according to the utmost rigour of thy Justice Who is there that dos not tremble when he hears the Just Holy man whom God himself was pleas'd to praise confess that all his life time God was such a Terrour to him Job 31.23 he was hardly able to endure it Who can without trembling hear the Prophet Isaiah tell us 64.6 we are all unclean all our righteous works like filthy Rags Or hear S. Hierom in the life of S. Hilarion tell us how that blessed Saint was terrified at the approach of Death to encourage his departing soul said to himself Go forth my Soul what are thou Now afraid of Thou hast serv'd thy God these threescore ten years dost thou tremble Now to appear before him Let us therefore fear tremble in the way to Heaven Never let us fancy we are so advanc't in Virtue that we need not fear The greatest Saints were never so Presumptuous as to banish from their thoughts the Fear of God Philip. 2.12 They workt out their Salvation with Fear Trembling They were always full of Fear this Fear always Humbled them They were not Blinded as we are with Passion Humour but as they improv'd in Grace they every day discover'd more more their secret Imperfections The Property of Grace is to enlighten the Understanding as well as to enflame the Heart It makes us Know our Misery Love our God who only can deliver us These two Effects of Grace were lively represented on the Day of Pentecost by that mysterious Fire which rested on the heads of the Apostles Fire gives Light Heat as the Fire encreases it affords more Heat greater Light So Grace Enlightens and Enflames the Minds Hearts of Saints with Knowledg of themselves Love of God as their Grace improves this Heat and Light encrease They discern more clearly the innumerable dangers that surround them become more Humble under the Almighty Hand of God 1. Pet. 5.6 S. Paul compares the different States of Sin Grace to Light and Darkness Night and Day Rom 13 12.13 The Night says he is spent the Day is at hand Let us cast of the works of Darkness put on the armour of Light Let us walk honestly as in the Day A Traveller benighted walks he knows not where He hardly sees his Hand much less his Feet He sees perhaps some Stars shine through the clouds whose sparkling light serves only to amuse him mislead him to a Precipice But when the rising Sun appears the Stars immediatly vanish out of sight our Traveller no longer gazes there but has a much more usefull prospect of the Earth below him where he plainly sees the Ground he go's upon the Risings the Descents the Inequalities Precipices of it Sinners like benighted Travellers march blindly on mind little what they Do much less where they Go. However now then they practise some good actions either out of custom or good nature amuse themselves with some few semblances of virtue whose dim lustre seems perhaps more sparkling in the Darkness of that Night which hides them even from themselves But t is not so with Saints Their Night is spent their Day appears The Sun of Justice Rises in their Hearts 2. Pet. 1.19 Their Virtues like the Stars which only shine in Darkness disappear immediatly The Clay which they are made of the Corruption of their Nature the Enormity of Sin the Power of their Passions the Weakness of their Reason These are Motives of Humility which Now they clearly see dayly have before their eyes Besides all This they plainly see an infinite variety of Artifices Disguises of Self-love which easily assumes all shapes counterfeits all Virtues even Charity it self And therefore they suspect the best of all their Actions trembling at the very thought of them for fear they may be secretly corrupted by Self-love But above all the importunity of Pride which never ceases to attack them but continually endeavours to surprise them notwithstanding all these motives of humility is that which seems the most extravagant of all their faults humbles them the most Behold the Misery of Man And what can be more miserable if the Sight of so much misery suffices not to humble him the greatest Saint who is not conscious to himself of any forfeiture of his first Innocence has no Assurance of his being justified D.
them Ezek. 33.11.14 says the Prophet If the wicked turn from his sin if he repent if he amend v. 15. walk in the Statutes of Life He shall surely live what can be more sure since God himself is pleas'd to say it v. 15. He shall surely live He shall not die v. 16. None of the sins he has committed shall be ever mention'd to him he shall hear of them no more they shall not rise in judgment against him God himself has promis'd v. 16. He shall surely live He shall not die Say to them again and say it boldly in his Name whose Justice makes them tremble Ezek. 33.11 As I live says the Lord God I have no pleasure in the Death of the wicked but that the VVicked turn from his way Live Return says He Return from your evill ways VVhy will you die VVhy will you Die As who should say you may live if you will I always am at hand prepar'd to help you if you heartily repent you know you may recover if you have a mind to it you know that if you die it is because you will As I Live have no pleasure in your Death and therefore I have reason to complain VVhy WILL you Die Dear Christians What can we wish for more We know that God can help us if He will Whether He will or no we need no farther proof than his own Word We have his Word We have his Oath He cannot take his own Great Name in vain And He has sworn by his own Life He has no pleasure in our Death He dos not of himself desire it but that we return live O! we are happy O beatos quo rum causâ Deus jurat O miseros si nec juranti Domino credimus for whose sake God swears But O! how miserable are we if when God himself is pleas'd to swear we can't beleeve Him If Deeds are better proof than Words Let us pass from what He has said to what He has done What has He done for Sinners Or rather What has He not done For them He came from Heaven for them He lived a pain full life on Earth for them He died upon the Cross Math. 9.13 I came not says He to call the Just but Sinners He came because 't was necessary he should come And therefore for their sakes for whom it was most necessary for them he principally came He never was so kind to any as to Sinners All his Conversation was in their Company He made it his chief business to oblige them He follow'd them from place to place He thought of nothing else but how to gain their love He came with a design to enflame their hearts He brought down fire from Heaven with him wisht for nothing more than that this fire might burn His more than ordinary Kindness was in all occasions so visibly remarkable that He was taken notice of pointed at The Pharisees were scandaliz'd to to see 't And in those days it was his great Reproach He was too much a Friend to Publicans Sinners Math. 11.19 All this while alas they little understood his Business upon Earth His great Compassion of their Misery was the occasion of his coming And since their Indigence first brought him from above it was no wonder the Relieving of it was his chief Employment here below He came as a Physician to his dying Friends whom He most dearly lov'd therefore took most care was the most concern'd for those who were most dangerously sick Thus did our God behave himself to Sinners Thus did he love his Enemies and treat them as his dearest Friends Thus did He live to serve them till at length He died to save them S. Paul concludes from hence Rom. 5.10 We now have much more Hope than ever For if when we were Enemies we then were reconcil'd to God undoubtedly we now have much more reason being reconcil'd to hope we shall be sav'd If then before he sent his only Son God lov'd his Enemies so dearly as to send him We may well conclude that since He came amongst us since He interpos'd betwixt us his Father's Anger since He died to reconcile us to Him since He rose again Rom. 8.34 at the right hand of his Father is our Advocate in Heaven making intercession for us surely now our humble Supplications joyn'd with his offer'd in his Name Jo. 14. v. 15. will for his sake be much more easily receiv'd If then a Contrite an Humble Heart was always so agreable He never would despise it Will He now refuse it If the Totall Sum of all the horrid Crimes of Mankind during severall Ages if the Malice of them All together could not any way divert the course of overflowing Mercy if it could not hinder Him from sending Jesus to redeem the World How can we think the Greatness of our Sins can hinder Him from having Mercy on us when we heartily repent Let us therefore once for all humbly confess own our Fault The Truth is We are proud willing to excuse our selves We are willing to lay the blame of our Impenitence at our Creator's door say He will not pardon us He will not give us Grace He will not save us When if we well examine we shall find the blame is always ours We will not repent We will not comply with his Grace in a word We will not be sav'd All we can say in our defence is that our sins are great God will not look upon such grievous Sinners as we are I cannot say they are not great or that we are not grievous Sinners But that therefore God will never look upon us is as false as the Word of God is true He hates the Sin but loves the Sinner He hates the Leprosie but loves the Leper S. Aug. Conf. lib. 8. cap. 3. And as a Mercifull Father He rejoyces more at the Repentance of one Sinner than the Innocence of ninety nine who do not stand in need of it Let us therefore once again humbly acknowledg confess our Fault We only pretend our Leprosie is so inveterate God will not suffer us to come into his sight He will not cure us He will not make us clean The Truth is we are so negligent so stupid so insensible of our condition that though we now then are terrified to see the Danger of it nevertheless we will not make our Supplications to Him as we ought We will not be cur'd We will not be cleans'd DANGER OF DELAY SECT I. Hew apt we are to differr Repentance THat we are All of us some time or other betwixt this Death oblig'd under pain of Eternall Damnation to rouse our sleepy souls from the bewitching Lethargy of Sin is an important Truth which no man can dispute We All are fully satisfied that if we live in the state of Sin if our Affections are
is who dayly gives him all he has to whom he ows the bread he eats the air he breaths the ground he goes upon the hand he moves the very life he spends in Sin all the Time allowd him to repent Can such a Creature so oblig'd by such a Benefactor be so basely so horribly ungratefull to betray Him preferr before Him the unreasonable satisfaction of a silly Humour of a shamefull Passion of a sinfull Inclination Open once for all thy Eyes Blind Sinner confess that no Ingratitude but that of Judas can compare to thine A Slave I wish he were so to his Master A Slave to Passion Humour A Slave to Sin Misery A Slave condemn'd to worse than Galleys during Life afterwards to the Eternall Flames of Hell 1. Cor. 2.9 where neither Eye has seen Nor Ear has heard nor has it ever entred into the heart of any Man what Torments God's great Justice has prepar'd for those who dare abuse his Mercy A vile Slave deliver'd from the mischief of all This by God himself descending from his Glory living here a poor painfull life laying down the same with every drop of his most precious bloud to pay the the ransom of this Wretch That such a Slave deliver'd so by such a Hand should offer to abuse the Mercy which once sav'd him still holds him by a slender thred from falling into everlasting Misery A Servant I should have said A miserable Insect full of sinfull putrefaction A vile Spawn of Man's originall Corruption A Worm whose very Crawling on it's fellow-dust is more Preferment than it can deserve That such a Thing as This should be so proud as to despise the Master of the World So Great so VVise so Infinitely Perfect so every way Deserving as He is This Vermin has indeed a Soul an Angell once by Grace but now by Sin a Devil black as Hell it self Gen. 3.5 Isai 14.14 a Lucifer that will be knowing Good Evill will be like the Highest will pretend to Gouvern in his Master's House despise his Orders slight his Menaces neglect his Admonitions Be astonisht Jer. 2.12 O ye Heavens at this A most insolent Criminall A Criminall so insolent as to offend before God's Face in presence of his Generall his King his Father his Deliverer his Benefactor his Master and besides all this in presence of his Judge before the very Bar where he continually is upon his Tryall for his everlasting Life or Death Our Saviour says that Whosoêre beleeves not Jo. 3.18 is condemn'd already We may say the same of every Sinner In the very moment he offends He is condemn'd already His All-Seeing Judge is always VVitness of his Thoughts Words Actions Desires and He no sooner is a Criminall but He is Tryd Judg'd This Insolence of his in some respect exceeds all other Aggravations of his Crime T is an Extravagance of which we hardly find the least Example betwixt Man Man We often hear of Souldiers that Desert But whensoêre they go they steal away We never hear that they acquaint their Generall with such Designs We often hear of Subjects that conspire against the Gouvernment but never hear them talk such matters loudly in the hearing of their Prince We often hear of Murders Robberies many other Outrages committed in the World But when the Prisoner once was brought to Tryall did you ever hear He either Robb'd or Murder'd at the Bar No no such Insolence was never heard of betwixt Man Man And yet this very Insolence is infinitely less than Ours which we are always guilty of in every Mortall Sin I say no more I tremble at the very thought of having said so much when I reflect how All that we can either say or think will nêre convert us without Grace There 's nothing but the Grace of God can make a deep Impression of it in our Hearts VI. Our Saviours Idea of Sin the Impression it made upon Him OUr Saviour Jesus Christ best knew the great Enormity of Sin we may judge how great it is by the Impression which it made upon Him when the approaching Hour of his Passion laid before his Eyes the terrible Idea of it T was the first bloudy Scene of all his Sufferings He began to be Sorrowfull very heavy Math. 26.37 A Deluge of Grief broke in upon his Soul quite overwhelm'd his Heart lay so heavy upon his fearfull Thoughts He was not able to conceal it any longer support the pressing weight of his Affliction all alone in silence His three most Dear most Familiar Disciples were surpris'd so much to see this suddain alteration in their dearest Lord They were not able to enquire the Cause but like Job's three Friends they stood astonisht spoke not one word to Him Job 2.13 because they saw his Grief was very Great Our Saviour could hold no longer but broke out into this dolefull expression Math. 26.38 My Soul is exceeding Sorrowfull even unto Death Ah my dear Disciples if you knew as well as I do all the Motives of my Grief you would not wonder that the very Thought of them makes me look pale shews you the face of Death in my countenance The violent pangs of my afflicted Soul are so sharp piercing that did not my Divinity support me preserve my life I should immediatly this very moment dy upon the place Stay a while and watch with me Math. 26.38 You who love me best who have been always most familiar with me Be not now so unkind as to leave me in this sad condition all alone Stay a while watch with me till my Storm of Grief blow over Dear Christians Let us stay a while with these three Disciples not only admire but search into the cause of this great alteration in the Soul of our Redeemer How was it possible that now He should begin to fear so much that Death which all his life He had so much desir'd His Love for Man his Desire of dying for us were conceiv'd by the operation of the Holy Ghost they came into the World with him ever after so employ'd his Thoughts He scarce could talk of any thing else Amongst his Disciples his common Discourse was of his Sufferings the Cup he was to drink his Obligation his Readyness his Impatience to fullfill the Prophecies I have says he Luke 12.50 a Baptism to be baptis'd with how am I straitned till it be accomplisht When the time drew nearer He redoubled his desires of dying for us Luke 22.25 with Desire I have desir'd to eat this Passeover with you And why says S. Chrysostom Because it is a preparation to my Passion which I have so long so earnestly desir'd He knew from the beginning every Torment every degree of it Often reflected on each Circumstance apart as often took delight in
the clear full Idea He had of it was proportion'd to his Beatifick Vision of God's Essence by consequence the perfectest that ever was His clearest Sight ardent Love of God were in a manner infinite So were his Knowledge his Hatred of all Mortall Sin And the Impression this Idea made upon him was the chief if not the only Reason why our Saviour could not hold from telling his Disciples My Soul is exceeding Sorrowfull Math. 26.38 even unto Death His Soul was overwhelm'd with such a Deluge of Affliction that his Grief not being able to contain it self within the Bounds of Nature violently forc'd it self through all his Pores in Tears of Bloud Ah my dear Jesus when shall I be able to make such a perfect Act of true Contrition for my Sins as Thou hast made for mine When shall I be able to say My Soul is exceeding Sorrowfull even unto Death When shall I lament my grievous Sins in Tears of Bloud Give me at least Jerem. 9.1 water to my Head Fountains to my Eyes No Contrite Heart but Thine bleeds otherwise than at the Fyes and 't is I hope enough for me if I can be so sorry for my Sins as to lament them all the days I have to live rather Die than ever Sin again VII The Saints Idea of Sin How much it humbles Them THere 's Nothing but the Grace of Jesus Christ can make us Saints There 's Nothing else can make us clearly See and heartily Detest the Malice of our Sins The greater share we have of this great Grace the more we see it detest it so much more we fear and tremble at the very thought of it as our Grace encreases we grow every day more humble by remembring it To make this out I need not write the lives of all the Saints A Pattern is enough to judge of all the Piece especially such a one as S. Deg. 5. John Climacus an ancient Father of the Church has left behind him He assures us Ar. 20. his Relation is no Fable He affirms that what he says Art 2. He saw with his own eyes that He was a whole month in their Company Ar. 27. Draw near says he all You who have provok't the wrath of God by your Offences Come Hear the Wonders He was pleas'd to let me See for my Edification Be attentive to my words all You who have a mind to reconcile your selves to God by a sincere Conversion When I was says he in the Monastery of Penitents I saw Men so extremely humbled with the grievous weight of their Offences that their cries prayers to God would even move the stones themselves With heads bow'd down eyes upon the ground I heard them say we confess O Lord we confess that we deserve to suffer all chastisements afflictions because our Sins are such that should we Summon all the Vniverse to weep for us the Tears of all the world would never make sufficient Satisfaction There remains one only thing we ask one only thing we pray for that Thou never mayst correct us in thy Anger Ps 6.1 nor chastise us in thy great displeasure but a little spare us through thy infinite Mercy T is enough O Lord that Thou deliver us from those inexplicable Torments hidden in the Center of the Earth VVe dare not ask a full perfect Pardon we who have not kept the holy Laws of our Profession but have broken them again when Thou hadst given us the most endearing Marks of Love Mercy in forgiving of our Sins Who ever saw them Laugh Who ever heard amongst them any idle Talk Who ever could observe that any Passion transported them Or any Anger mov'd them Alas they hardly knew what Anger was their great Affliction and continuall Grief had now extinguisht in them all Emotions of Resentment There was never known the least appearance of Dispute the least lashing out in Discourse the least Sign of Vainglory There was no Jollity of Feasting no Concern for the body no Love of ease pleasure no Thought of Wine no Use of fruits no Care for delicacies pleasing to the palate The Desire of all such things was quite extinct And after all there was not to be found the least Censoriousness or least appearance of an Inclination to Judge their neighbours Some of them now then would knock their breasts and as if they were already at the Gate of Heaven Open us said they O Judge of Mankind Open us the Gate of Happyness which we have shat by Sin Others would say Luke 1.79 Give light to us O Lord who sitt in Darkness in the Shades of Death guide our steps into the way of Peace Others again will the Almighty look upon as any more Is' t possible to pay our Debts satisfy for our Offences will our God once more afford us any Comfort we are laid in chains of Sin And shall we one day hear him say Come forth They always had their Hour of Death before their eyes sometimes they would say to one another what will then become of us what Sentence will our God pronounce upon us what will be our End shall we be then call'd home from Banishment to which we have been hitherto condemn'd for our Offences Shall such Criminalls as we find any favour then Such Sinners as we are Such miserable wretches coverd with Confusion Darkness Have our Prayers mounted to the Throne of God Or have they been rejected as they well deserve If well receiv'd how far have they prevail'd Have they obtaind a full Discharge or only Part Alas they could not have much force proceeding from such mouths so sinfull so impure as Ours At other times They thus discourst their fears doubts what think you Brethren Do you think that we advance Do you think that we obtain the effect of our Demands Do you think that God will once again receive us Do you think He 'l open us the Gates of Heaven VVho can tell said the Ninivites who knows but God may change the Sentence which He has pronounc't against us Though perhaps He will not free us from the rigorous Chastisements which we have deserv'd However Let us labour all we can Do whatever we are able If He open us the Gate of Heaven we are Happy if He dos not He is Just therefore never let us cease to bless Him Doubtfull as we are of what may be our Destiny we must continue all our life still knocking at the Door Perhaps our Importunity our Constancy our Perseverance may find Admittance in the End Behold the Language of the Saints Consider how their Fear Trembling humbles them in Presence of their angry God Consider the Idea which They have of Sin how different it is from what we generally have Consider the Impression which it makes upon them compare it with our Stupidness our Hardness our Insensibility