anguish of some severâ— application I have known a very good Phisitian that when he could not cure the palsie any other way would cast his Patient into a Burning Fever and then he knew what he had to do with him It is necessary that the whole man be distempered and disordered that the mind may be the better brought into an Evangelical frame and teâ—per Agreeable to this method sure was S. Peters practise in the recovery of the 3000. souls we read of Act 2 41 Ye men of Israel hear these words Jâ—sâ—s of Nazareth a man approv'd of God among â—ou by miracles wonders and signes which Gâ—d did by him in the middest of you as ye your selves also know him ye have taken and by wicked hands have crucified and slain whom God hath raised up c. Here was a word of no small terror a word able to break a Jewiâ—h heart in pieâ—es The blood of the Son of God is brought home unto them and laid at their own doors And see what a kind and piercing operation this bitter potion had upon their minds it is said when they heard this they were pricked in their hearts and they said unto Peter and the rest of the Apostles Men and Brethren What shall we do And what â—oes S. Peter prescribe unto them in such aâ— affrighted trembling condition whilst this Ague fit was on them No more but Repentance and Baptisme and then immediatly applies an Evangelical Cordial Repent and be Baptized and ye shall receive the gift of the holy Ghost for the promise is unto you and to your children c. Thus the converted Jaylour being first awakened by an Earthquake that shook the very foundation of the prison and being at his wits end as well as at his swords point upon a supposition his prisoners were escaped he came trembling and fell down before Paul and Silas and brought them out and said Quid faciam ad Salutem Sirs what must I do to be saved I refuse not to do any thing that may bring me into a Salvable Condition Certainly those hearts are wisely and seasonably broken that are moulded into a present Complyance with any thing that may tend to their comfort and Conversion and the way to have a cleer and a Saving Interest in Christ is to see our selves irrecoverably lost without him There are some dâ—seases in the body contractâ—d with no lesse guilt of conscience then blemish of reputation wherein the patient must be brought as low in his constitution as possibly can be and yet Live his spirits must be exhausted his blood evacuated and changed and the nearer he is brought to the gates of Death the better hopes there is of life and a safe recovery And there are some diseases in the Soul wherein the unseasonable application of Cordials strengthens the peccant humour making it mortal and irrecoverable We read of a sort of Divels that were not to be cast out but by prayer and fasting And there are sins which for their long possession in the soul are not to be ejected but by strong cries and teares by much self denyal and great maceration of Spirit Cordials are then seasonable when the malignity of the disease is killed Healing plaisters are then to be applied when thy wound hath been throughly searched and clensed The Apostles rule is that the old Leven be so purged out that the regenerate man may become a new Lump There were some in the Prophet Jeremies time that thought themselves perfectly clensed and cured when there was no such matter for God tels them that though they washed themselves with nitre and much Sope yet their iniquity was marked out before him Ier. 2. 22. Where let us pause a little and enquire what these spots might be that were so hard to be gotten out and they are expresly set down vers 34. In thy skirts is found the blood of the Souls of the poor Innocents yet thou sayest because I am innocent surely his anger shall turn from me Behold I will plead with thee because thou sayest I have not sinned Why gaddest thou about so much to change thy way So that the Spots which nitre and much Sope will not get out are these Three which I shaâ—… leave our Ierusalem to enquire after withâ—… her own walls There is first the deep scarlet spot of Blood-guiltiness especially if it be Sanguis Animarum the blood of souls that perish for want of sharp and sincere reproofs Secondly there is the white spot of pretended sanctity and impunity notwithstanding all their guilt and Thirdly there is the changeable spot of gadding Inconstancy when men reel too and fro and stagger from one extream into another and without fixing upon any certain principles Act and drive on furiously like Jehu according as necessity or advantage shall direct them And would you know the reason how the disease in this people came to be thus desperate the same Prophet will inform ye Jer. 6. 14. They have healed the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly saying Peace peace when there is no peace They skinned the wound without searching it to the quick and lest the corruption in the bottom which made the wound to fester inwardly and to grow desperate and incurable So that the first step to the cure of the infatuated spirit is to deal impartially with the disease The best expedient to bring a man to believe and rely on Christ for life and salvation is to represent cleerly his condition out of Christ to be an estate of death and damnation And the more we are ashamed and confounded at the sight of our own ugly selves the more amiable and acceptable we shall appear in the sight of our Redeemer God hath erected two Tribunals unto which all men living are summoned to appear there to give an account of themselves The one is within our own wals as I may so speak within our own Souls and that is the Tribunal of Conscience In which Tribunal there is an undoubted power of acquitting and condemning as the Delinquent shall be found more or lesse guilty Which I take to be very cleer from that of S. John If our Heart Condemn us God is greater then our heart and knoweth all things that is he knoweth more by us then we do or can know by our selves But if our Heart condemn us not then have we confidence towards God 1 Ioh 20. 21. The other is that grand Tribunal of Iudgement whereunto all the world shall be summâ—nâ—d at the General Resurrection which shal be in that place which God shall chuse for the manifestation of his mercy and Justice upon all men according as their works shall be Now in secular and Iudicial Proceedings for a man to have leave to make choice of his own Iudicatory his own Iudge his own Iury witnesses is so high an Indulgence advantage that it cannot be expected from any earthly power yet the great Iudge of Heaven and Earth men
and strikes the Soule with Numnesse that she cannot feel the comfort of Gods mercy There is a Blasphemy against the Holy Ghost that shall never be forgiven because there shall never any place be sound for repentance But yet though we may conclude that such a sâ—n there is yet we cannot without great rashnesse and uncharitablenesse conclude thaâ— This or That man is that irrecoverable sinner It is for the most part agreed that The sin against the Holy Ghost is a Total Apostacy from the Gospel of Christ formerly acknowledged and professed together with a verbal Calumniating and a real persecuting of the same with a deliberate purpose so to continue and persevere unto the Death and then to passe away in that disposition But supposing â—his Definition to be rightly stated can any man say that this mans Apostacy is Total that it is malicious that it is Deliberate and that it shall be final Saint Peter was a Blasphemer but he did not persecute the Church Saint Paul was a Blasphemer and a Persecuter but he did not persevere There was a perhaps left for Symon Magus his recovery even at the same time when he was in the Gall of bitternesse and in the bond of Iniquity when his overture was so profane and Blasphemous that he attempted to purchase the gift of the Holy Ghost with mony Repentance and prayer were prescribed unto him by Saint Peter The schoolmen tell us that there are six sins that are dangerous Introductions into this irrecoverable gulf namely Presumption and Desperation Impenitency and Hardnesse of heart The resisting of a Truth after Convincement and the Envying Gods grace in other men But no man can conclude a man to be Totally and finally surprized with theâ—e unlesse he be perfectly acquainted with the close of his life We read in the History of our Saviours Cures that he cured one woman that had an issue of blood running upon her twelve yeers another woman whom Satan had bound and bowed together eighteen yeers That he cured a Cripple at the pool of Bethesda that had been there thirty and eight yeers And if these were bodily infirmities only and so no fit presidents for any spiritual Cure we read of Mary Magdalene who had been a notorious sinner and possessed along time by seven Divels and yet by the mercy of her Saviour was recovered into a more Evangelical temper then many of the Apostles themselves as appears Luc. 7. 44. We read also of witchesâ— that having renounced their Baptisme contracted with the Divel and resigned up themselves to his entire possession and Command for many yeers have yet been recovered into the Christian faith and a Salvable condition That madmen should be poysoned because Physitians know not how to cure them That menshould take away tâ—eir lives because God hath taken away their understanding is a proceeding that savours â—ore of Conveniâ—nce then Conscience for this is to put no difâ—erence at all between Christians and Dogs and Cats in times of Infection I know it is impossible in nature for a Camel to passe through the ey of a needle and yet we read that this and all things els are posâ—…ble unto God I say all things that imply not Contradiction or repugnancy to his nature We must grant saith Augustine that God is able to do somthing which we are not able to find out in such works the whole reason of the doing is the power of the doer It is God that hath done them consider the author and all doubts will cease And since the scripâ—ure assures us that neither The incestuous Corinthian for the haynousnesse of his sin nor the Theise upon the crosse for his perseverance in sin unto the last hour were excluded Heaven There is little Reason and lesse Grace for any man to conclude himself Damned on this side the grave But let not any mâ—n mistake me or deceive himself by deriving an Encouragement unto presumption from that which I intend only for an Antidoâ—e against Despaire So that a possibility of Cure being granted our next businesse is to propound what is most probable and instrumental to the same The fat heart I have shewed is called in scripture a stony heart if it were a brazen Heart it might be melted or if it were an Iron heart it might be malleable but the furnace has no power over the stone the Hammer of Gods Iudgement is the fittest instrument to deale with it Now as the Stone in the kidney or the Blader is a disease of great pain and of no small difficulty in the Cure so is it with that disease which Divines call the stone in the Heart or stoninesse of heart Some Analogie or proportion there is in the Cure of both diseases which may serve only to illustrate one another Two ways Physitians have found out for the Curing of the Stone in the blader namely either by cutting and drawing it out of the blader which is a work of pain or els by dissolving it within the blader which is a work of Art Two ways likewise Divines are directed in the Cure of the Stone in the Heart namely to Break it by the terrors of the Law which is a Cure of pain or els to Dissolve it by the mercies of the Gospel whâ—ch is a Cure of great Art and Excellency And though for the most part Plures sunt ques Timor Corrigit They are the greater number that are driven home to God by fear yet meliores sunt quos Amor dirrigit They are of a better Constitâ—tion that are won by Love We read in in Scripture of a Broken Heart and a Burning Heart A Broken Heart when he watered his Couch with his Teares when he roared day and night for the very disquietnesse of his heart upon the sad apprehension of Gods anger and discountenance and a Burâ—ing Heart in the two disciples that went to Emmaus whose hearts are said to burn withâ—n them whilst Iesus expounded unto them the Mysteries of their Salvation Some mens hardnesse is like that of the flint which is easier broken upon a Cushion then an Anvil But most mens hearts are like cracken bels they must be broken all in pieces and new cast by the Belfounder ere ever they will be made to ring in Tune The first potion then I would prescribe for the recovery of an Infatuared Spirit is an Exceeding bitter one and yet it must be taken what it wants in sweetnesse it hath in Salubrity It is compounded of little else but the Terroâ—s of the Law The weight of Gods Justice The separation of the soul from the body by the blow of Death The Separation of both from the presence of God by the Doom of Iudgement and the view of those torments which are Endlesse Easelesse Remedilesse For the disease being Lethargick and paralitick that is a disease that is attended with much drousinesse and stupidity It is necessary the soul be first awakened to its own danger by the smart and
him that coveteth an evil covetousness to his house that he may set his nest on high that he may be delivered from the Power of evil Thou hast consulted shame to thy house by cutting off many people and hast sinned against thy soul For the stone shall cry out of the wall and the Beam out of the Timber shall answer it Wo unto him that buildeth a Town with blood and stablisheth a City by iniquity They that will be rich will as certainly fal into Temptation and a snare and into many foolish and hurtful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition 1 Tim. 6. 9. And they that love to fish in troubled waters or trouble the waters that they may fish for profit seldom think of the malignity of those Curses that are wrapt up in their ill gotten wealth The wealth is winged and will soon take its flight Prov. 23. 5. But the curses are of a longer durance and stay behind That which was a snare to the soul in the acquisition is very likely to prove a curse to the family in the designation It is a snare saith Solomon to the man who devoureth that which is holy and after vows to make enquiry Alas my dear friends what comfort can you take on your death beds in bequeathing things unto friends or posterity that stand before your trembling eys but as so many witnesses and remembrancers of guilt and iniquity with what comfort or Conscience can you dispose of your Estates when you know not what to do with your immortal souls how is it possible you should set your house in order when your better part your mind which should do it is in the greatest disorder and distraction when all that you have grasped by the hand of Power and oppression shall not be able in the least measure to release you of the horror and amasement wherewith your mercenary souls will be surprised Therefore if any accursed gain stick to your fingers my advice is very short but withal safe and I hope not unseasonable Make to your selves friends of the Mammon of unrighteousness that when ye fail ye may be received into everlasting habitations Matth. 16. 9. The last objection I foresee is very general and very desperate and runs parallel with that of Cain and Judas Mine iniquity is greater then can be forgiven 'T is true indeed if you set your selves before the glass of Gods law and look upon your selves with an impartial ey as God looks on you you have reason enough to be highly displesed with your ugliness and deformity Or if you suffer your actions to be scanned and tryed by the Municipal Laws you were born under which are the best security you have for any propriety you cannot but discern your Persons and Estates in justice to lie at the mercy of Confiscation and Censure But yet for you to stand so much in your own light as to turn your backs upon all offers of Grace and Mercy and to prefer your own guilty fears before your Princes favour is to add more weight to the afflictions of your injured Soveraign To conclude him severe because you are pre-resolv'd not to tast of his benignity is an high breach of Charity and Gratitude But to say within your selves Nolumus hunc regnare for no other reason but because you adhere to those who killed his servants murdered his royal Father and seized on his inheritance is cleerly and undoubtedly to rebel not only against his Prerogative the means of your Protection but against the Gospel it self the means of your salvation and insteed of giving God and Cesar their due you do at once dâ—ny King and your Christ together I rather wish and pray that you may learn of Benhadads servants a safer way to peace and reconciliation Behold say those heathens we have heard that the kings of the house of Israel are merciful kings and therefore they resolve to address themselves to the king in a posture of humiliation And so will you I hope if you are not bewitch'd into your own ruine You have a merciful king to deal withal one who is bone of your bone and flesh of your flesh One in whom the heroick spirit of his Grandfather Henry 4th of France the peaceable mind of his Grandfather K. James and the merciful inclinations of his martyr'd father do all concur to make up an incomparable king who when we are tyred and jaded with disputes must at last be trusted or can be no king and is not in a capacity to shew mercy till he hath power to do otherwise For where the word of a King is there is power saith Solomon and without that power mercy is not mercy but servile and slavish compliance So that if there were nothing to be alledged in defence of the Regal power or in demand of the Subjects duty yet judge within your selves whether it is better for you that all the sons of Jerubbaal which are more then 70. raign over you or else that the natural head be restored to the body for the preservation and rest auration of our languishing gasping Church State Whether it be better to return to our former Laws and Government or remainunder a perpetual fluctuation of Arbytrarie Power which rowls from one faction to another the wisest among us cannot imagine where it will settle Whether one form of doctrine and Discipline or a thousand Heresies and Schisms be the better Religion Whether one King or fifty Colonels is like to produce the more safe and quiet Government It is said of some who adhered to Saul who was none of the best kings that they were a band of men whose hearts God had touched but for those that despised him and brought him no presents they are branded with the name of children of Belial And in another place we read of a fierce contestation between the men of Israel and the men of Judah who should express the greatest zeal in bringing the king to his royal Throne oh that it might please the God of Peace and Order to close all our unnatural and bloody differences in such a sweet emulation and agreement that the last contestation among us might be that of outvying one another in the seasonable expressions of duty and allegiance that our Absoloms and Sheba's and Achitophels which are worse then these our sins being supprest we would be as zealous and active in restoring the Throne of Gods Anointed as we have been fatal and unfortunate in the demolishing of it without which I fear the youngest amongst us will never live to see the settlement of Truth and Peace upon any firm and assured foundation And though his Majesties present condition will not enable him to give you fields and vinyards and to make you Captains of thousands and of hundreds yet the villany of these times hath not stript him of all power and capacity to reward for he hath a reward of Pardon for such as shall submit themselves and
the hearts are already prepossed There is mammon a covetous worldly divel and there is Bâ—cchusâ—a swâ—…ish drunken divel and there is Venus a lalciviâ—uâ— uncleâ—n divel there is revenge a raging foming divel These and many more have taken possession of the soul insomuch that there is no room for any Evangelical guest so that would you know the reason why our sermons are duri sermones hard sayings iâ— is from dura corda because your hearts are hard heartâ— Totum durum est quiâ—quid imperatur invitis Every thing is hard and severe to a man that hath no inclination to obey Quot genera preceptorum tot adversariorium So many precepts as we find in the Decalogue so many enemies hath the carnal and licentious liver Such is the power and predominancy of deliberate and resolved wickedness that men had rather deny the Gospel it self thâ—n themselves and their own destâ—uctive lusts Malunt execrari legem quam emendari mentem they had rather the Law it self were abolishâ—… accursed then their own ungodly minds reformed bear a greater hatred to the clear commands of God then to their own vilenesse so that Cui aniâ—…us perversus est nec Moses nec Prophetaeâ—nec unus e mortuis prodest Nor is this all the damage or miscariage That our pâ—eaching is in vain to such men and the good seed lost because the stony ground will not suffer it to take root no the mischief of all mischiefs is the good seed is lost and the stony ground becoms more stony not hearing aâ—d no undâ—rstanâ—ing as in the text but here is hearing turned into hardning not stones chang'd inâ—o bread as was once expected from our Saviour but here is bread changed into stones the bread of life and the food of the soul changed into putrefaction and obdurâ—tenesse of spirit And now if any man shal ask me Sir I pray resolve me what do you think is the reason why my heart is so refractory and impenetrable after the hearing of so many good sermons after so many solemn applications to the means of grace c. Truly Sir my answer must be because you have heard so much to so little purpose Every sermon you have heard every convincement you have checkt repulsed is one blow more upon the Anvil of your heart and the oftner or the longer you have been in the furnace of affliction without refining and reforming the error of your mind the the more you are hardned to your own destruction And that I do not speak this of my self I shall give you authority for it I shall make my instance in those Gentils S Paul speaks of Rom. 1. who certainly were not without the knowledge of God sor it is said v. 21. Because when they knew God they glorified him not as God but held the truth of God in unrighteousness v. 18. therefore God gave them up unto uncleanesâ— v. 24. and even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge so God gave them over to a reprobate mind v. 28. how far their mind was reprobate we learn v. ult Who knowing the judgement of God that they which commit such thâ—ngs are worthy of death not only do the same but have pleasure in them that do them The Scribes Pharisees had so great a prejudice against our Saviours doctrine and such a malicious hatred against his person the growth of his Gospel that they resolved beforehand if any man should confesse him to be the Christ he should Iohn 12. 11. be put out of the Synagogue And this they execute upon a poor man who being born blind was guilty of no other crime but of having the eys of his body and of his mind both opened together by a miracle And so far were they from being converted by his gracious words and miracles that tâ—ey resolve to put Lazarus to death who had been an instance of his power and mercy for no other reason but that because of him many of the Iews went away believed on Iesus I cannot imagine what should be the reason that men are grown so liberal of their excommunications executions both in England Scotland unlesse it be upon some Ieâ—…ish principle because they either will not or cannot see their own blindnesse and seduction Of such as these doubtless our Saviour speaks Ioh 2. 39. for judgement am I come iâ—to this world 〈◊〉 they which see noâ— might see and they which see might be made blind Theâ—e is a strange sâ—irit of slumber fallen upon this age a deep sleâ—p from the Lord I fear hath seized those who brag of nothing more then of strange visions and revelations from God And most justly for when men are resolved afoâ—chand to reâ—el against the light as Iob speaks Iob 24. 13. with the Pharisees and Lawyers to reject the counsel of God against themselves Luk. 7â— 30. It is just with God to seal up their eys that they shall never receive the benefit of another convincement to bow down their backs alway that they shall never look up to heaven more with any comfortable assurance of mercy to make that word of his which is a piercing word dividing asunder between the joynts marrow to be a hardning word making the heart of flesh as hard impeneâ—rable as the Adâ—mant it self So that a twofold design there is in the Gospel of Christ one whereof is proper and natural that is to propound the way of life and salvation the other is unnatural and accidental which is to be the occasâ—on of greater blindnesse condemnation by the wilfulnesse obstinacy of unbelievers Thus ye see what the god of this world cannot effect by the baits and snares of abused prosperity what the tempter cannoâ— bring about by his secret instigations and illusions nor Simon Magus and his prophets by their spells and sorceries is at last completed by the profaniâ—g of an holy ordinance This drives the nail to the head and without a miracle of mercy fastens the obstinate and obdurate hearer to his eternal lost condition And therefore some short counsel and caution in a businesse of so much concernment cannot be thought super fluous or unnecessary I do not know any admonition so of en insisted on by our Saviour as this He that hath ears to hear let him hear But beside this general two cautions we have from him in particular concerning hearing The one Mat. 4 24. Take heed what ye hear The oâ—her Luk. 8. 18. Take heed how ye hear Take heed what for the matter Take heed how for the manner The first concerns my self as well as you and all those of our function For if ye must take heed what ye hear we must also take heed what we preach But this being beside my Text I shall noâ— insiâ—t upon it only I shall say thus much That he that shall sâ—aâ—tâ—r from the Pulpir chaf and tarâ—s and wild gourds insteed of wheat may
in the robbing of a glorious Church in the deliberatâ— breaking of so many sacred Oaths and Engagements in the ruine of so many thousand families in the â—nsnaring so many thousand souls by irreligious engagements to maintain these men in their wickedness but must all this be disguised with pretensions of piety and reformation Can they find no other answer for themselves when they are pressed with arguments drawn from Reason Law Scripture but must they father all their wickedness upon God himself â—y deriving it from the direction of his sacred Spirit Mâ—st the Dove of peace and love be entitled to their â— erciless bloody executions Must the Spâ—rit of meekness and condescertion be made the Patron of their Tyrannie and Ambâ—tâ—on The spirit that worketh sorrow and reluctancy for sin be brought to countenance their justification and perseveranâ—e in sin Oh let it never be told in Gath nor published in the streets of Ascalon Let â—ot the unbelieving Jews nor the sons of Mahoâ—er nor the Savage Indians ever come to hear what a generation of vipers and prodigious monsters hath been hatched and fomented under the sunshine of the Gospel How will our Enemies abroad reproach and Blasphemâ— our Religion when these shall be underâ—…ood to be the fruits of it in its faâ—sly pretended puritie and Reformation Whether that Blasphemy which the scribes that came from Ierusalem were guilty of in attributing the dispossession of unclean spirits which they saw our Saviour did by the finger of God to be done by Beelzebub were specifically that irremisâ—ible Blasphemy against the Holy Ghost I will not determine But this I will say That to Attribute the works of the most high God to Beelzebub and to attribute the works of Beelzebub to the most highGod are Blasphemies of the same Parallel if any thing make the difference it s the Quo animo of the iniquity For men to say when they have nothing else to say in defence of their Enormities that what they do they do by the dictate and direction of Gods holy spirit is so bold and fearful a Blasphemy that I am ready to tremble at the naming of it But whether these pretences derive from malice or obstinacy or a dissembled Iustification of what they know to be Guilt of an high nature I cannot possibly determine I shall from hence admire only the power and prevalency of this charm of Infatuation that will neither suffer men to look upwards towards their God nor inwardly upon themselves nor backwards upon their guilty actions but hurries them on with Corah Dathan and Abiram into a Justification of their Rebellion against Moses and Aaron and God himself so long till they are swallowed up quick of Death Desperaâ—ion And therefore my advise shall be the same that Moses gave the rest of the people that were not of that Conspiracy Depart I pray you from the tents of these wicked men and touch nothing of theirs or touch not with them lest yee be Consumed in their sins And let every man that would preserve the life of his Happinesse in the comfort and cleernesse of his conscience say with good old Jacob O mâ— soul come not thou into their secret mine honor be not thou engaged or do not subscribe their engagement lest thou eate of such things as please them and thy mind and thy Conscience be defiled and ensnared to thine inevitable ruin And this I conceive may not be propounded unseasonably unto such as either have twisted with these men without repenting all this time of the error of their doings or such as are at present their secret friends and Agents or such as may hereafter be tempted into a Compliance either for fear of their present power or which is worse for filthy Lucre sake And for our brethren and friends of the Scottish Natâ—on I could wish they would seriously consider of this one thing That the best way to satify the fears and jealousies which are at present upon them and their councelâ— and the best assurance they can give his Majesty of their sincerity unto him in all respects must be taken from the sight and the Sorrow and the humble owning of those errors wherein they were unfortunatly engaged against his Royal Father I shall not hunger after any of their Confessions whether Publike or private nor will I adventure to Censure their intendments Only I hope I may have leave to entertain some fears that they will not set this King upon his Fathers Throne till themselves have set themselves in the stool of repentance on another score then what hath been lately practised in Scotland The best way I can proâ—ound for them to set a Crown of gold on this Kings head is to have their hearts thoroughly pricked with those thornes they platted in his Fathers Crown if they are really ambitious of the honour of restoring the rights of the Crown and revenging the blood of their martyred Soveraign upon his cruel enemies they need not be ashamed in some measure to begin with themselves But if a professed Recantation be too severe a pennance for men that would be thought they cannot err yet let their hearts â—e but affected with such a close and inward sorrow as that The searcher of all hearts may accept of it and let their resolutions for the time to come be such as that the God of Truth and mercy may blesse and prosper them into on ample ripe harvest of true Christian Honour and that the world may read the disavowing of their former errors if in no other character yet in the sincerity and gallantry of their future actions and atchievements Having shewed the Nature Causes and Symptomes of Spiritual Infatuation and with a faithful and impartial hand searched this wound unto the bottom shall I now with the Priest and the Levite passe by and leave a soul stript and robbed and wounded unto death and take no care no Compassion upon so sad a spectacle What Is there no Balme in Gilead for this deadly wound Is there no oyl of mercy to be applyed to the obstinate and obdurate sinner Doubtlesse so long as there is life there is Hope and so long as theâ—e is Hope the Physitian cannot fairely desert his Patient And because it is safer erring with too much Charity then with too little Because it is an inconsiderate Temerity to confine the boundlesse Ocean of Gods mercy to the narrow mouthed bottles of our own uncertain fallible Conception I shall open a door of Hope as far as the unerring Oracles of God shall authorize me and the first thing I shall pâ—opound to the Inâ—atuated spirit is That there is a possibility of being Cured I know well there is a Iudâ—cial kind of Hardnesse when God withdrawes the sweet influence of his Grace and delivers a man up unto himself without ever looking more after him That there is a sin unto Death â—hat strikes the Church with Dumbnesse that sâ—e cannot pray for it