thing whatsoever is within Him or without Him or about Him whatsoever He thinkes upon remembers heares sees turne all to his torment No marvaile then tho the terrour of a wounded conscience bee so intolerable 3. As the exultations of the Soule and spirituall refreshments doe incomparably surpasse both in excellency of Object and sweetnesse of apprehension all pleasures of seâ—se and bodily delights so afflictions of the Soule and spirituall pangs doe infinitely exceede both in bitternesse of sense and intension of sorrow the most exquisite tortures can possibly bee inflicted upon the Body For the Soule is a spirit very subtile quicke active stirring all life motion sense feeling and therefore farre more capable and apprehensive of all kinds of impressions whether passions of pleasure or inflictions of paâ—â—e 4. This extremest of miseries a wounded spirit is tempered with such strong and strange ingredients of extraordinary feares that it makes a man a terrour to himselfe and to all his friends To flee when none pursues at the sound of a shaken leafe To tremble at his owne shadow to bee in great feare where no feare is Besides the insupportable burthen of too many true and causefull terrours it fills His darke and dreadfull Fancy with a world of fained horrours gastly apparitions and imaginary Hells which notwithstanding have reall stings and impresse true tortures upon his trembling and wofull heart It is empoysoned with such restlesse anguish and desperate paine that tho life bee most sweete and Hell most horrible yet it makes a man wilfully to abandon the one and willingly to embrace the other that Hee may bee rid of it's rage Hence it was that Iudas preferred an Halter and Hell before his present horrour That Spira said often what heart quakes not to heare it that Hee envied Cain Saul and Iudas wishing rather any of their roomes in the Dungeon of the damned then to have his poore heart so rent in pieces with such raging terrors fiery desperations upon his Bed of death Whereupon at another time beeing asked Whether Hee feared more fearefull torments after this life Yes said Hee But I desire nothing more then to bee in that place where I shall expect no more Expectation as it seemes of future did infinitely aggravate and enrage His already intolerable torture 5. The Heathens who had no fuller sight of the foulenesse of sinne or more smarting sense of divine vengeance for it then the light of naturall conscience was able to afford and represent unto them yet were woont in fiction to shadow out in some sort and intimate unto us the insufferable extremities of a minde troubled in this kinde by hellish furies following malefactors with burning fire-brands and flames of torture What understanding then is able to conceive or tongue to report in what case that sinfull conscience must needs bee when it is once awakened which besides the notions of naturall light hath also the full Sun of Gods sacred Word and that pure Eye which is ten thousand times brighter then the Sunne and cannot looke upon iniquity to irradiate and enrage it to the height of guiltinesse and depth of horrour Both heart and tongue Man and Angell must let that alone for ever For none can take the true estimate of this immesurable spirituall misery but hee that can comprehend the length and breadth of that infinite unresistable wrath which once implacably enkindled in the bosome of God burnes to the very bottome of Hell and there creates the extremity and endlesnesse of all those un-expressable torments and fiery plagues which afflict the Diuels and damned Soules in that horrible Pit 6. Not onely the desperate cries of Cain Iudas Latomus and many other such miserable men of forlorne hope but also the wofull complaints even of Gods owne deare Children discover the truth of this Point to wit the terrours and intolerablenesse of a wounded Conscience Heare how rufully three ancient Worthies in their times wrastled with the wrath of God in this kinde I reckoned till morning saith Hezekiah that as a Lion so will hee breake all my bones Even as the weake and trembling limbes of some lesser neglected Beast are crusht and torne in pieces by the unresistable Paw of an unconquerable Lion so was His troubled Soule terrified and broken with the anger of the Almighty Hee could not speake for bitternesse of griefe and anguish of heart but chattered like a Crane or a Swallow and mourned like a Dove Thou writest bitter things against mee saith Iob and makest mee to possesse the iniquities of my youth The arrowes of the Almighty are within mee the poyson thereof drinketh up my spirit the terrours of God doe set themselves in aray against mee O that I might have my request And that God would grant mee the thing that I long for Even that it would please God to destroy mee that Hee would let loose his hand and cut mee off Nay yet worse Thou scarest mee with dreames and terrifiest mee through visious So that my Soule chuseth strangling and death rather then my life Tho God in mercy preserves his servants from the monstrous and most abhorred Act of selfe-murder yet in some melancholike moode horrour of minde and bitternesse of spirit they are not quite freed from all impatient wishes that way and sudden suggestions thereunto My bones waxed old saith David through my roaring all the day long Day and night thy hand was heavy upon mee my moysture is turned into the drought of Summer Thine arrowes sticke fast in mee and thy hand presseth mee sore There is no soundnesse in my flesh because of thine anger neither is there any rest in my bones because of my sinne For mine iniquities are gone over my head as an heavy burden they are too heavy for mee I am troubled I am bowed downe greatly I goe mourning all the day long I am feeble and sore broken I have roared by reason of the disqujâ—tnesse of my heart Heare also into what a depth of spirituall distresse three worthy servants of God in these later times were plung'd and pressed downe under the sense of Gods anger for sinne Blessed Mistris Brettergh upon Her last Bed was horribly hemmed in with the sorrowes of death the very griefe of Hell laid hold upon Her Soule a roaring Wildernesse of woe was within Her as She confessed of Her selfe She said her sinnes had made Her a prey to Satan And wished that she had never been borne or that shee had been made any other creature rather then a Woman Shee cryed out many times Woe woe woe c. A weake a wofull a wretched a forsaken woman with teares continually trickling from her eyes Master Peacock that man of God in that His dreadfull visitation and desertion recounting some smaller sinnes burst out into these words And for these saith Hee I feele now an Hell in my conscience Vpon other occasions Hee cryed out
flames of the raging fire over the roaring furie of the most hungry Lions over the varietie and extremitie of exquisitest tortures temptations persecutions all outward miseries euen over cruell mockings It unresistably beares downe or blowes up the strongest Bulwarkes and thickest walles puts to flight the mightiest Armies and conquers the most invincible Kingdomes And when all is done Oh blessed Faith at the very last and deadliest lift she triumphantly sets her foote upon the necke of the Prince of terrors I meane death the last and worst the end and summe of all feared evills And even in the middest of those dying and dreadfull pangs beares a glorious part with Iesus Christ the Conquerour in that sweetest Song of victory O death where is thy sting In a word it can doe all things All things are possible to him that beleeveth Fifthly and lastly and in a word Grace in its owne nature being the most glorious Creature of the Father of liâ—hts and flowing as it were more immediately and sweetly from his blessed face is of such a divine invincible and lightsome temper and hath such an anti-patheticall vigour and ability against all spirituall darkenesse and dampes whether of affliction temptation troublesome confusions of the times the valley of the shadow of death the Grave Hell it selfe that it is ever able either to dispell it or dissolve it or support it selfe strongly and triumphantly even in the midst of it Suppose a soule beautified with Grace to be seated if it were possible in the very center of that hellish Kingdome yet would it by its Heavenly strength and glory in despite of all infernall powers keepe off at some distance all the darkenesse torments and horrour of that damned place Whence it is that it is so often in the holy Scriptures compared to light Now what power and prevalent antipathy our ordinary light doth exercise against his most abhorred Opposite darkenesse you well know and it is elegantly and punctually for my purpose expressed by One in this manner We see and prove saith he by dayly experience how powerfull and dreadfull a thing the darkenesse of the night is For when it falleth it covereth and muffleth up the face of the whole world It obscureth and hideth the hue and the fashion of all creatures It bindeth up all hands and breaketh off all imployments The night commeth saith our Sauiour wherein we cannot worke It arresteth and keepeth captive all living wights men and beasts that they must be still and rest there where it arresteth them yea it maketh them fearefull and faint-hearted full of fancies and much subiect to frights It is of all others such a powerfull and unconquerable Tyrant as no man is able to withstand And yet neverthelesse it is not of that might that it is able to overwhelme or to quench the least light in the World For we see the darken the night is the clearer the Starres shine Yea the least candles light that is lighted withstandeth the whole night and not onely suffereth not the darkenesse to cover or to smoother and oppresse it but it giveth light also even in the middest of the darkenesse and beateth it backe for some space and distance on every side of it so that which way soever it is borne or wheresoever it commeth there must darkenesse depart and give place unto the light all the power and the dreadfulnesse of it cannot helpe or prevaile ought against it And tho the light be so weake that it cannot cast light farre about or drive the darkenesse farre from it as in the sparke of an hot coale yet cannot the darknesse cover or conceale and much lesse quench it but it giveth light to it selfe alone at least so that it may be seene a farre off in the darke and it remaineth unconquered of the darke tho it cannot helpe other things nor give light unto them Yea that which is yet more wonderfull a rotten shining peece of wood which hâ—th the faintest light that can be found yet remaineth invincible of all the power of darkenesse and the more it is compassed about with darkenâ—sse the clearer light it giveth So little is darkenesse able to overcome or kâ—epe downe anâ— light but that it ruleth and vanquisheth and expelleth the darkâ—nâ—ssâ— which else overwhelmeth and â—â—areth and fettereth and putteth all things in feare Now if this naturall light be so powâ—â—full and so able to prevaile against the darkenesse of the night why should not that spirituall Light that Gods Spirit doth kindle and set up in the hearts of Gods Children be able to afford them light in darkenesse and to minister sound ioy and sweete comfort unto them in the very midst of their heaviest and most hideous afflictions Assuredly it must needes be unconquerably able with farre greater power and in an higher proportion For our visible light doth spring but from a finite and materiall Fountaine the Sunne it selfe a creature but the Spirituall light I speake of flowes immediately from the glorious face of the onely true incomprehensible and eternall Light the Sunnes creatour who dwelleth in the light that no man can approach unto and is an everlasting well-spring of all Life and Light which it doth so farre represent and resemble in Divine excellencie and mightinesse that it thence receives by a secret and sacred influence fresh successions still of an infinite triumphant power and prevailing against all spirituall darkenesses for ever Suppose all the men that dwell within the compasse of our Hemisphere should addresse themselues with all their wit and weapons with all their power and policie to keepe backe that universall darkenesse which is woont to seize upon the face of the earth at the setting of the Sunne yet by all this strong and combined opposition they should but beate the ayre But now upon the very first approach of that Princely light but peeping up in the East it would all â—ly away in a moment and vanish into nothing Semblablely if all the understandings upon earth and all the Angels in Heaven should contribute all their abilities and excellencies to illighten with cheerefulnesse and ioy a guilty conscience surprised sometimes with hellish darkenesse and cloudes of horrour upon sight of sinne and sense of divine wrath yet all would not doe they should all the while but wash a Blackamoore as they say but now let but the least glimpse of the light of Grace shine into that sad and heavy Soule and it would farre more easily and irresistably chase away the very darkest midnight of any spirituall misery then the strongest Summers Sunne the â—hinnest Mornings mist. Give me if you will Iudas his heart or Spiraes horrour or a vexed spirit torne and rent in peeces with the raging guilt of both those wofull men and let that supposed rufull Soule weary of its hellish burden and thirsting sincerely for the water of Life but cast it selfe upon the mercy truth and power of
ever the Obiect Now what a miraculous mercy was this that passing by such an un-numbred variety of incomparably inferiour creatures He should make Thee an everlasting Soule like an Angell of God capable of grace and immortality of incorporation into Christ and fruition of Iehova Himselfe blessed for ever Nay and yet further tho thou wast to haue the Being of a reasonable creature yet there was not an houre from the first moment of time unto the worlds end but God might have allotted that to Thee for thy comming into this world And therefore Thy time might have bin within the compasse of all those foure thousand yeares or there abouts from the Creation untill the Comming of Christ in the flesh when as all without the Pale and Partition-wall were without the Oracles and Ordinances of God and all ordinary meanes of salvation Or since the Gospell revealed under the raigne of Anti-Christ And then a thousand to One thou hadst beene choakt and for ever perisht in the damned mists of his Devillish Doctrines What an high honour was this to have thy birth and abode here upon earth appointed from all eternity in the very best and blesseddest time upon the fairest Day of peace and which is infinitely more in the most glorious Light of Grace that ever shone from Heaven upon the Children of men And so of the place Bee it so that Thou must needes bee in this golden Age of the Gospell and gracious Day yet thy lot of living in the world at this time might have lited for any part of the earth might have received Thee where Thou couldest have set but thy two feete amongst Turkes Pagans Infidels a whole world to Christendome Or if thine appearing upon Earth must necessarily bee within the confines of Christendome yet Thou mightest have sprung up in the Popish parts of it or in the scismaticall or persecuted Places of the true Church in it It was a very singular favour That thou shouldest be borne and bred and brought up in this little neglected Nooke of the world yet very illustrious by the presence of Christ in a mighty Ministry where Thou hast or mightest have enioyed in many Parts thereof the glorious Gospell of our blessed God and all saving Truth with much purity and power Now put all these together and tell me in cold bloud and after a sensible and serious ponderation thereupon Doest thou thinke that all this adoe was about Thee all this honour done unto Thee and when all is done Thou art to doe nothing but seeke Thy selfe serve Thine owne turne and live sensually Camest Thou out of Nothing into this world to doe iust nothing but eate and drinke and sleepe to game goe in the fashion and play the good fellow to laugh and be merry to grow rich and leave tokens of thy pleasure in every place c. If any after so much illightning bee so prodigiously mad as to continue in such a conceite I have nothing to say to Him but leave Him as an everlasting Bedlam abandon'd to that folly which wants a name to expresse it Turne then thy course for shame nay as Thou hast any care to be saved and to see the glory of the new Ierusalem as Thou desirest to looke the Lord Iesus in the face with comfort at that great Day as Thou fearest to receive thy portion in Hell-fire with the Devill and His Angells even most intolerable and bitter torments for ever and ever at least in this thy day in this heate and height of Thy spirituall Harvest awake out of thy sensuall sleepe come to thy selfe with the Prodigall strik◠upon thy thigh and for the poore remainder of a few and evill dayes addresse thy selfe with resolution and constancy to pursue the One necessary Thing and to treasure up much heavenly strength and store against thine ending houre Get thee under conscionable Meanes and quickning Ministery and there gather grace as greedily as the most gryping Vsurer graspeth gould contend with an holy ambition as earnestly for the keeping of Gods favour and an humble familiarity with His heavenly Highnesse by keeping faith and a good conscience as the proudest Haman for an high Place and pleased face of an earthly Prince And why not infinitely more This was the end for which thou wast sent into this World This onely is the way to endlesse blisse And this alone will helpe us and hold out in the Euill day 2. That upon the little ynch of time in this life depends the length and breadth of all eternity in the World to come As we behave our selves here we shall fare everlastingly hereafter And therefore how ought we to ply this moment and prize that eternity To decline all entanglement in those inordinate affections to the possessions and pleasures of the Present which hinder a fruitfull improovement of it to the best advantage for the spirituall good of our Soules Let us be mooved with such reasons as these which may be collected from the words of a worthy Writer which run thus with very little variation 1. If we could afford our selues but so much leasure as to consider That he which hath most in the world hath in respect of the world nothing in it and that he which hath the longest time lent him to live in it hath yet no proportion at all therein setting it either by that which is past when we were not or by that time in which we shall abide for ever I say if both to wit our proportion in the world and our time in the world differ not much from that which is nothing it is not out of any excellency of understanding saith Hee but out of depth of folly say I that we so much prize the one which hath in effect no being and so much neglect the other which hath no ending coveting the mortall things of the world as if our Soules were therein immortall and neglecting those things which are immortall as if our selues after the world were but mortall 2. Let adversity seeme what it will to happy men ridiculous who make themselves merry with other mens miseries and to those under the crosse grievous yet this is true That for all that is past to the very instant the portions remaining are equall to either For be it that we have lived many yeeres and according to Salomon in thē all we have reioyced or be it that we have measured the same length of time and therein have ever-more sorrowed yet looking backe from our present being we finde both the one and the other to wit the joy and the woe sayled out of sight and death which doth pursue us and hold us in chace from our infancy hath gathered it Whatsoever of our age is past death holds it So as whosoever he be to whom Prosperitie hath bin a servant and the Time a friend let him but take the accompt of his memory for we haue no other keeper of our pleasures past
prejudice against the power of godlinesse and pestilent perswasions of Pillow-sowers under their elbowes that in so doing they shal bee utterly undone and never have good day afterward But to speake in their owne language fall presently into the hands of the Puritanes into the strict tortures and Hypocriticall miseries of precisenesse into fowrenesse vnsociablenesse dumps of Melancholy and indeede into a state not past a step short of distraction and madnesse And these therefore cast about to get out of trouble of minde and sense of divine terrour with as great impatiency and precipitation as the former onely more plausibly and with seemingly fairer but truly false satisfaction to their owne Soules For the former rush with furious indignation out of these spirituall dejections of Conscience as unmanly feares not fit for worthy spirits and men of Ioviall resolution into greater excesse and variety of worldly delights and sensuall loosenesse and so ordinarily become afterward very notorious and more desperate enemies to the Kingdome of Christ Because the power of the Word hath once stung their carnall hearts with some remorsefull terrour they ever after heartily hate the sound and searching Ministry and managers thereof the Inflicters of their smart for no other reason in the world but that they tell them the truth and thereupon torment them before their time that so if they be not wanting unto themselves they may escape the torments of eternity hereafter And they set themselves against godly Christians with incompatible estrangement and implacable spite onely because they are Professours of Selfe-deniall holy strictnesse inconformity to the world repentance mortification c. the entertainement and exercise whereof they furiously more detest and flie from then the death of their Bodies and damnation of their Soules But these latter passe more plausibly out of trouble of conscience and take a fairer course of the two tho it proove but an imaginary and counterfeite Cure For they labour to close up their spirituall wound with comfort out of the Word and promise peace to their troubled hearts from the promises of life But herein they faile and fearefully deceive themselves in that they conceive the first fits and qualmes as it were of Legall terrour to bee saving repentance a generall speculative apprehension of Christ's Passion to procure a speciall pardon for all their sinnes fruitlesse speculations of Faith to prevent and secure them from the wrath that is come a meere verball profession to be forwardnesse enough except a Man would bee too precise Vpon the first fright and feeling the smart of a confused remorse and horrour for sinne without any further penitent wading into Particulars or thorow-search into their hearts lives consciences and Callings without suffering the worke of the spirit of Bondage to drive them to Christ and a resolution to sell all c. They presently hand over-head apply by the strong delusion of their owne idle groundlesse conceite all the gracious promises and priviledges of Gods Childe to their un-humbled Soules and enforce their understandings by a violent greedy error to think they are justified by such an artificiall heartles Notion which they falsely call Faith and so resting in a counterfeite perswasion that they are true Converts ordinarily turne carnall Professours Who are a kind of people who have no more spirituall life then a dead Faith can infuse into them No more comfort in the communion of Saints then an outward correspondence in Profession speculative Discourses of religion and meetings at the Meanes can yeeld No more interest or right to Heaven then a bold presumptuous confidence built first upon their owne wilfull fancy and seconded with Satans lying suggestion can give them Whose sorrow for sinne at the most is commonly no more then afflicting their Soules for a Day and bowing downe their heads like a Bul-rush without loosing the bands of wickednesse or departing from iniquity Whose conversion is nothing but onely a speculative Passage from a confused apprehension of sinne to a generall application of Christ without any sensible or saving alteration in their waies Whose New-obedience consists onely in a formall conformity to outward exercises of Religion without all true Zeale life heartinesse holinesse or indeed honest dealing with their Brethren But these men are to know that Christs blood never pardoned any mans Soule from sinne whose spirit the power thereof did not purge from guile It never saves any one from Hell whom it doth not first in some good measure season with holinesse and heavenly life In vaine doe they build comfort upon his Passion who doe not conscionably conforme to the practise of his Word And let them further bee informed for a more cleare discovery of their grosse and damnable Selfe-deceit that howsoever a dead Faith according to it's name and nature enters if it hath any entitie at all into the understanding without any remarke-able motion sense and alteration yet that Faith which truly justifies pacifies purifies mortifies sanctifies and saves is evidently discernable by first Many stirring Preparatives Sight and sense of a Mans miserable state by nature of his sinfulnesse and cursednesse Humbling himselfe in the sight of the Lord fearefull apprehensions wrought by the spirit of bondage Illumination conviction Legall terrours c. Secondly Violent affections about the infusing of it which are wont to bee raised in the humbled heart by the Holy Ghost extreme thirst inflamed desires vehement longings un-utter-able groanings of spirit prizing and preferring the Person and Passion of Christ before the Possession of infinite Worlds willingnesse to sell all to part with any thing for Him tho neuer so deare or so much doted upon heretofore with pleasure riches preferments a right hand a right eye liberty life c. Nay if in such a Case if even Hell it selfe should stand betweene Iesus Christ and a poore Soule He would most willingly passe thorow the very flames thereof to embrace His blessed crucified Lord in the armes of a lively Faith Thirdly inseparable consequents and companions first an hearty and everlasting falling-out with all sinne secondly sanctification thorowout in Body Soule Spirit and Calling and in every power part and passage thereof tho not in perfection of degrees as they say yet in truth and effectually thirdly A set and solmne course of New-obedience spent principally in Selfe-sobriety righteousnesse towards our Brethren and holinesse towards God Many unfaithfull men in the Ministry both in their publike teaching and private visitations of the sicke have much to answer-for in this Point who for want of skill in that highest Art of saving soules of familiarity with God and secret workings of his Spirit of experience in their owne change and of the spirit of discerning c. many times concurre with such miserable men to marre all in stife-ling the very first stirrings of Legall remorse by healing the wounds of their conscience with sweet words before they be searcht and sounded to the bottome and by an unseasonable and
with that pretious blood of His c. 6. It is growing from appetite to endeavour from endeavour to action from action to habite from habite to some comfortable perfection and tallnesse in Christ. If it bee quite quencht and extingvished when the spirituall angvish and agony is over or stand at a stay never transcending the nature of a naked wish it is to bee reputed rootelesse heartlesse gracelesse There are Christians that lie as yet as it were strugling in the wombe of the Church who for a time at the least live spiritually onely by grievings and groanes by hearty desires eager longings affectionate stirrings of spirit c. There are also Babes in Christ young men in Christ strong men in Christ old Christians A perpetuall infancy argues a nullity of sound and saving Christianity The Childe that never passeth the stature and state of an Infant will proove a Monster Hee that growes not by the syncere milke of the Word is a true Changeling not truly changed Hee that rests with contentment upon a desire onely of good things never desired them savingly But here lest any tender conscience bee unnecessarily troubled I must confesse It is not so growing as I have said or not so sensibly at certaine times as while the pangs of the New-birth are upon us in times of desertion temptation c. Tho even then it growes in an holy impatiency restlesnesse longing c. Which is well-pleasing unto the Father of mercies in the meane time and which Hee accepts graciously untill Hee give more strength The Point thus cleared is very sweet and soveraigne but so that no carnall Man must come neere it no stranger meddle with it much lesse Swine trample upon it It is a Iewell for the true-hearted Nathanaels wearing alone Nay the Christian himselfe in the time of his Soules health height of feeling and flourishing of His Faith must hold off His hand Onely let Him keepe it fresh and orient in the Cabinet of His memory as a very rich Pearle against the Day of spirituall distresse As pretious and cordiall waters are to bee given onely in swounings faintings and defection of the spirits so this delicious Manna is to bee ministred specially and to bee made use of in the straits and extremities of the Soule At such times and in such Cases as these In 1. The strugglings of the New-birth 2. Spirituall Desertions 3. Strong temptations 4. Extraordinary troubles upon our last Bed 1. For the first When thou art once come so farre as I intimated before To wit that after a thorow conviction of sinne and sound humiliation under Gods mighty hand upon a timely and seasonable revelation of the glorious Mystery of Christ His excellencies invitations His truth tender-heartednesse c. For the desire I speake of is an effect and affection wrought ever immediately by the Gospell alone I say when in this Case thine heart is filled with vehement longings after the Lord of life If thou bee able to say with David My soule thirsteth after thee as a thirstie Land If thou feele in thy selfe an hearty hunger and thirst after the favour of God that Fountaine opened for sinne and for uncleannesse and fellow-ship with Christ Assuredly then the Well of life is already opened unto thee by the hand of thy faithfull Redeemer and in due time thou shalt drink thy fill He that is Alpha and Omega the Beginning and the End the eternall and unchangeable God hath promised it And amid the sorrowes of thy trembling heart and longings of thy thirsty soule thou mayst even challenge it at His hands with an humble sober and zealous confidence As did that Scottish Penitent a little before his Execution Hee freely confessed his fault to the shame as Hee said of Himselfe and to the shame of the Divell but to the glory of God Hee acknowledged it to bee so hainous and horrible that had hee a thousand lives and could he die ten thousand deaths Hee could not make satisfaction Notwithstanding said hee Lord thou hast left mee this comfort in thy Word that thou hast said Come unto mee all ye that are weary and laden and I will refresh you Lord I am weary Lord I am heavily laden with my sinnes which are innumerable I am ready to sinke Lord even to Hell without thou in thy mercy put to thine hand and deliver mee Lord thou hast promised by thine owne word out of thine owne mouth that thou wilt refresh the weary soule And with that Hee thrusts out one of his hands and reaching as high as Hee could with a louder voyce and a strained cryed I challenge thee Lord by that Word and by that Promise which thou hast made that thou performe and make it good unto mee that call for ease and mercy at thine hands c. Proportionably when heavy-heartednesse for sinne hath so dryed up thy bones and the angry countenance of God so parched thine heart that thy poore soule begins to gaspe for grace as the thirsty Land for drops of raine thou mayst tho dust and ashes with an holy humility thus speake unto thy gracious God O mercifull Lord God thou art Alpha and Omega the beginning and the end Thou sayest It is done of things that are yet to come so faithfull and true are thy decrees and promises And thou hast promised by thine owne word out of thine owne mouth that unto Him that is athirst thou wilt give of the Fountaine of the water of life freely O Lord I thirst I faint I langvish I long for one drop of mercy As the Hart panteth for the water brookes so panteth my soule after thee O God and after the yerning bowels of thy woonted compassions Had I now in possession the glory the wealth and the pleasures of the whole World Nay had I ten thousand lives ioyfully would I lay them all downe and part with them to have this poore trembling soule of mine received into the bleeding armes of my blessed Redeemer O Lord and thou onely knowest it my spirit within me is melted into teares of blood my heart is shivered into peeces Out of the very place of Dragons and shaddow of death doe I lift up my thoughts heavy and sad before Thee the remembrance of my former vanities and pollutions is a very vomite to my soule and it is full sorely wounded with the grievous representation thereof The very flames of Hell Lord the fury of thy just wrath the scorchings of mine owne conscience have so wasted and parched mine heart that my thirst is insatiable My bowels are hot within mee my desire after Iesus Christ pardon and grace is greedy as the grave the coles thereof are coles of fire which hath a most vehement flame And Lord in thy blessed Booke thou calls and cries Ho every One that thirsteth come yee to the waters c. In that great day of the Feast Thou stood'st and cryed'st with thine owne mouth saying