Selected quad for the lemma: heart_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
heart_n	ear_n	eye_n	fat_a	2,377	5	10.2276	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A29531	Tears for Jerusalem, or, The compassionate lamentation of a tender hearted saviour over a rebellious and obdurate people a subject entered upon on the late day of solemn humiliation, December 6, 1655, afterwards prosecuted, and now published as useful at all times, but very seasonable for the present / by John Brinsley.	Brinsley, John, 1600-1665.	1656 (1656)	Wing B4731A; ESTC R210555	79,536	150

hearts Thus the Lord is said to have done Pharaohs Exod. 4.21 And the like is said of Sihon King of Heshbon that refused to let Israel passe by him Deuteronom 2.30 The Lord thy God hardned his spirit and made his heart obstinate that he might deliver him into thy hand This hee did not onely by with-holding his grace from them but by delivering them up unto the perversnesse of their own spirits and to Satan to bee acted by him unto their ruine and destruction And after the like manner may God bee said to have hardned the hearts of this people the people of the Jewes not onely by with-holding his Spirit from them but also giving them up unto their own hearts lusts as rhe Psalmist hath it Psal 81.11 12. My people would not hearken unto my voice and Israel would none of mee So I gave them up to their own hearts lusts or as the margin readeth it to the hardnesse of their hearts and they walked in their own counsels and to the power of Satan to bee acted by him to bee blinded and hardned by him Yea even giving Commission to his Word to have such an accidental effect upon them even as the Sun hath upon the Clay to harden it So much wee may learn from that Text of the Prophet Isaiah cited by our Saviour Isaiah 6. ver 9 10. Where the Lord giving him his Commission to go unto that people hee bids him or rather foretelleth him what hee should do that hee should make their heart fat Make thou the heart of this people fat and make their ears heavie and shut their eies c. Now how shoula hee do this Why onely by preaching the Word to them But what then had the Word any such proper operation of it self Not so neither had the Prophet any such intention in the preaching of it but through their obstinate tempers it become so to them an occasion of their further blinding and hardening God in his just judgment suffering and ordering that his Word should have such a direfull effect upon them as that they should grow worse and worse by it untill they should attain to that height of impenitencie as should bee irrecoverable This it is The Word will have it work one way or other beeing as the Apostle saith the favour of life or of death 2 Corinth 2.16 Where it doth not open and clear the eye it will close and blinde it Where it doth not soften the heart it will harden it And in this way and by this means doth God in his most righteous Judgment hide from the eyes of men the things which belong to their peace which they have refused to see To these I might adde his sending of False Teachers Sending false teachers among them such as those the Prophet Jeremie speaketh of who cried unto the people Peace Peace where there was no peace Jeremiah 6.14 So lulling them asleep in carnall securitie that they shall not see what belongs to their peace in truth As also his sending of strong delusions Strong delusions that men should believe a lie because they have not received a love of the truth as the Apostle hath it 2 Thes 2.11 Sending a Spirit of Errour a lying spirit to them such as that was which seduced Ahab to his destruction 2 King 2.22 These and many other wayes God hath to carry on this his most just and righteous design But herein I shall follow him no further That which hath been spoken may be sufficient for doctrinal Confirmation and Illustration What now remaines is Application Where in the first place let me design you to make a stand a little Applic. Application to the Nation in general and look upon this Nation wherein we live as our Saviour did here upon this City Jerusalem and see whether there be any just cause to do what he did to weep over it mourn over it upon any such account Touching which let me first declare for my self that not having my Saviours eyes a prophetical eyeas he had I dare not pronounce the like sentence upon this that he doth upon that viz. that the things which belong unto Englands peace are now hid from her eyes No as my prayers have been and shall be so my hopes yet are to the contrary that God will yet be merciful to this Nation and I want not some grounds to bottom these hopes upon But yet let me shew you what two just causes of fear may be apprehended Her sad prognosticks paralelled with Jerusalems that God hath a sad controversie with it In the declaring whereof I shall as far as I may parallel it with this City of Jerusalem which I shall do altogether upon a Religious account not medling at all with the Civil of these sad prognosticks I might reckon up diverse But. I shall content my self to single out some of those which are most obvious 1 Not seeing what belonged to peace in his day Among which let the first and principal be our not seeing the thing which betmged to our peace in our day Where I shall not do what happily with too much evidence of truth I might descend to those particular times and seasons wherein mercy hath been held forth and offered unto this Nation in a more signal and remarkable manner Surely such Criticall daies England hath had and some of them within our mememorie seasons and opportunities which had they been laid hold of and improved as they might how happy might she have been I shall content my self with generalities Onely taking notice of that long day of grace and mercy which this Nation hath had during which the light of the Gospel hath shone forth to it and that in so clear and glorious a manner as I suppose without flatterie I may speak it it hath not done to any other nation under heaven Now have we in this our day known the things which belonged to our peace Hath Christ and his Gospell found that intertainment among the generality which he expected and it deserved The Generalitie I say True it is some there have been and at this day are who have sincerely imbraced both And so there were in Jerusalem some that cryed Hosanna to the Some of David Hosanna in the highest Matth. 21.9 15. But how is it with the greatest part do not they yet love darknesse rather then light setting light by the light of the Gospel and the Ministery thereof even Gadarene like preferring their swine before Jesus Christ A charge wherein I wish there were not too much truth Such sleight and slender entertainment hath the Gospell with the faithful messengers thereof found among the greatest part of this Nation A sad prognostick Specially if it be considered to what a height this disaffection is at this day improved Disaffection to the persons and Calling of Ministers a sad prognostick and risen even to the disclaiming and crying down of the Ministery it self So is it with some and not

future and it was so for the future For the present they did not see it for the future they should not see it Q. But how came it thus to be hid A. Hereof a double ground or Reason may be assigned 1. Their owne willfullnesse 2. The groūd thereof double God's righteous judgment Through the former it was that they did not see and through the latter it was they should not see what belonged to their peace Upon these two I shall insist severally 1. This was hid from their eies 1. Their own wilfulness through their own wilfulnesse They would not see what belonged to their peace their temporal and eternal happinesse Notwithstanding that it had been clearly revealed and held forth unto them yet they shut their eies against the Light This is that which our Saviour chargeth upon this people the people of the Jews in that known place Joh. 3.19 Light is come into the world but men loved darknesse rather then light So was it with the generalitie of that Nation Christ who was the light of the world he was come into the world and in particular come unto them declaring and making known to them what belonged to their peace But they loved darknesse the darknesse of sin and ignorance preferring it before the heavenly light of Divine Truth which shone forth unto them Such was their obstinacie that they even closed their eies and would not see So our Saviour himself sets it forth Mat. 13.14 where citing the prophecie of the Prophet Isaiah he sheweth how it was verified in that people of the Jews in his time In them saith he is fulfilled the prophesie of the prophet Isaias which saith Behold hearing yee shall hear and shall not understand and seeing yee shall see and shall not perceive though they daily heard the Word saw the Works of Christ with their bodily ears eies yet they did not believe him or in him How so The reason followeth in the next verse For this peoples heart is waxed gross and their ears are dull of hearing and their eies they have closed lest they should at any time see with their eies and hear with their ears and understand with their hearts c. Such was the wilful obstinacie of that people that they even stopped their ears against the Word of Christ and closed their eies against his Works they would not see what belonged to their peace and in this way it came to be hid from their eies And this our Saviour here taketh up as a just matter of Lamentation to him and Exprobration to them bewailing them for it and upbraiding them with it And so it is Obs Wilful ignorance asad and sinfull thing Wilful ignorance is a matter of just Lamentation and Exprobration to a people So our Saviour here taketh notice of it in Jerusalem But now these things are hid from thine eye Hoc non dicitur ad levandam Hierosolymae culpam saith Calvin upon it our Saviour doth not speake this any wayes to excuse or ex●enuate Jerusalem's fault but to aggravate and highten it Such is wilfull and affected ignorance True indeed as for simple ignorance where men are ignorant through the want of the meanes of knowledge that excuseth a tantô in part The servant which not knowing his Masters will did commit things worthy of stripes shall be beaten with few stripes saith our Saviour in the Parable Luke 12.48 In as much as he should have known it and might have known it had he enquired after it which he ought to have done therefore his ignorance doth not wholly excuse him yet being an extenuation of his fault it is so also of his punishment Simple ignorance of the minde and wil of God as concerning what we do or beleive is no just plea for any no just excuse in as much as they are by duty bound to know it might know more of it then they do were they not wanting in the inquiry after it But wilful affected ignorance when men refuse to know close their eyes against the light stop their eares against instruction shutting it out of their souls this is an high aggravation of the sin and punishment of those that are guilty of it R. And well may it so be looked upon in as much as it is not a meer neglect R. Being a contempt against God but carrieth a contempt with it Now we know wi●h what an eye Contempts are looked upon in the Courts of men upon earth When men refus● to take notice of their Orders and decrees this is highly taken as being an affr●nt to the Court and the offendors are severe●y pro●eeded against And so is it in the Court of heaven when men shall refuse to take notice of the minde and will of God clearly intimated unto them this being a contempt an affront to heaven God cannot but take it highly at the hands of those that are guilty of it and make them know that he doth so So much we have fully expressed in tho●e words of Wisdome Prov 1.24 Because I have called and ye have refused c. ye have set at nought all my counsell and would none of my rep●oof I will laugh at your calamity c. And again vers 29 For that they hated knowledge c. Therefore shall they eat the fruit of their own ways c. Of such dangerous and desparate consequence is it to shut out any beam of divine light out of the soul To close the eyes against Gospel-light a-high contempt to stop the ear against any word of God Specially when men shall close their eyes against Gospel-light stop their ears against the word of life the word of grace and salvation This was Jerusalems case here She did not she would not know the things belonging to her eternal peace notwithstanding he who was the Pr●nce and Lord of peace the great Peace-maker the Son of God himself came to preach peace unto them to shew them what it was that was of so great concernment to them yet they would not hearken to him And by reason hereof these things were now hid from their eyes And upon this account the Lord Jesus as a tender hearted Saviour here so passionatly weepeth over them And surely of all things that can happen unto man upon earth there is no one thing more deplorable then this when men are thus wilfully blinde obstinately ignorant And to make some Application of this Branch Is not this the case of too many among our selves at this day Applica Too many among our selves guilty hereof Alass how many such poor ignorant souls are every where to be found Men and women willingly and wilfully ignorant of what concerneth their eternall peace They cannot say it is for want of light that the are blind that they do not see No the light of the Gospel hath for a long time shone forth unto them They have been born and brought up in Gospel-times and places where they have

who knoweth what his thoughts may yet be towards this sinful and most unworthy Nation Onely turn we unto him with all our hearts and soules And then as the Prophet Joel goeth on Joel 2.14 Who knoweth if he will return and leave a blessing behind him And thus have I done with the first branch of the Application Application in particular as is directed to the Nation in general Come we in the next place to bring it nearer home applying it to every of our selves in particular And this I shall do in the first place by way of Terrour to some Is it so Vse 1. Terrour to obstinate and obdurate sinners that daies of grace have their dates what terrour may this strike into the hearts of all obstinate and obdurate sinners of which kind I wish there were none before me this day Despisers of Grace such as have had their Day their day of grace and mercy wherein God hath shewen unto them the things belonging to their peace but they have not known them they would not know them they have done what the Jewes did stopped their eares closed their eies hardned their hearts refusing to hearken to the counsel which Wisedome gave them to hearken to Jesus Christ speaking to them in and by his Ministers not regarding the counsel which the word held forth to them sleighting those offers of grace and mercie tendred to them in the Gospell upon their receiving of Christ but still going on in their wonted Rebellions Now to all such be it spoken how do you know but that the date of your day may be out the time of grace and mercy may be past and the dreadful doom passed upon you in heaven which our Saviour here denounceth against Jerusalem upon earth that Now the things belonging to your peace are hid from your eyes so as you shall never see what you have refused to see Certainly so it hath been with some others And why not so with you for ought that you or others know How ever a just and righteous thing it is with God God that it should be so that seeing you have closed your eyes and would not see that he should seal them so as you should not see And if so how deplorable how miserable is your condition So we loook upon a poor blind man whose bodily eyes are put out past hope of ever recovering his sight again What is it then to have the eye of the soul blinded So as it shall never see never se what belongeth to its peace hapines but is shut up under an everlasting darkness Miserable and deplorable is the condition of every such a soul in as much as it is now desperate helplesse hopelesse So is it with a person upon whom this doom is once passed Now he may call and cry for mercy with Esau seeking blessing with tears but all in vain Neither his own nor yet the prayers of any other shall be available on his behalf Though Noah Job and Daniel the chiefest favourites of heaven should undertake to intercede for such a one yet shall they not be able to procure a revocation and reversement of that sentence which is past upon him Such was Sauls case upon whom Samuel denounceth that irrevocable sentence from the Lord 1 Sam. 15.26 Thou hast rejected the word of the Lord and the Lord hath rejected thee A sentence not to be reversed So he tels him v. 29 Also the strength of Israel will not lye nor repent for he is not as man that he should repent No though Saul himself sought God by confessing and bewailing of his sinne as he doth v. 24. begging pardon for it desiring Samuel to go along with him that he might worship God as it followeth v 25. which accordingly he did v. 31 Yet would not all this avail No nor yet though Samuel was an intercessour for him praying and mourning for him as we find him v. last So irreversible was that sentence which the Lord had passed upon Saul that what ever he did or Samuel could do all could not change the purpose of God concerning him Rejected he was for his Rebellion and rejected he should be O fear and tremble you obstinate and rebellious sinners who stand guilty of the same sin that is charged upon him of rejecting the word of the Lord not hearkning to his voice not yeilding obedience to his Commands but doing what is good in your own eies fear ye and tremble I say least the Lord should have passed or should passe the like sentence upon you which if once done I and others may do for you what Samuel there did for Saul mourn for you but cannot help you Obj. But what is Gods decree so absolute Whether Gods decrees be so absolute as not to be reversed and peremptory concerning any particular person here upon earth that what ever mean shall be used by themselves or others for them shall not be able to reverse it It was not so with that barren Figtree in the Gospel upon which the owner had passed his doom that it should be cut down giving order to the dresser of his vineyard that he should execute what he had decreed Cut it down why cumbreth it the ground Yet notwithstanding at that his servants request it was reprived and spared one year longer Luk. 13.7 8 9. A. True thus God is pleased to deal sometimes with some to exercise great long sufferance and forbearance towards them Gods dealing not a like with all Yea sometimes reverting the sentence which is past upon them Thence it is that he is said sometimes to Repent Sometimes he is said to Repent of what he hath done or intended to do So he did concerning the Ninevites which Jonah supecting taketh up as his excuse for his not going to the City according to Gods direction to denounce that sentence against them but rather fleeing to Tarshish Jon. 4.2 Therefore saith he I fled before unto Tarshish for I knew that thou art a gracious God slow to anger and of great kindnesse and repentest thee of the evill the evil intended and threatned which accordingly he did reversing that sentence which was passed upon them And the like he did to Israel at Moses's intercession the Lord repented of the evil which he thought to do unto his people Exod 32.14 But it will not hence follow But not alwaies that because God dealeth thus with some therefore he will do so to all However that Figtree was spared for a year yet the other Fig-tree which we read of was not spared an hour So the Storie tels you Matth. 21.19 Jesus passing by the way and espying a figtree on which he found no fruit however as St. Mark notes it Mark 11.13 the time of Figs was not yet yet he presently blasteth it passing that doom upon it let no fruit grow on thee hence forward for ever which sentence wag accordingly executed and that forthwith So it followeth And presently

now at an end Now are these things hid from thine eyes And questionlesse so may it be with some particular persons whom God in his just judgment hath given up to final impenitence so delivering them up unto Satan and themselves as that from thenceforth they never shall know the things belonging to their peace The doubtful supposal of a despairing sinner answered and satisfied Obj. But what then may some say may not this be our case And if so then it is in vain for us to strive to seek for what is not to be found to knock at that door which is shut uppon us as it shall not be opened A. In answer to this I shall deal as tenderly as I may so as I may not discourage or dishearten any soul that intertaines but a thought of returning and coming in unto God that begins so much as to cast a glance heaven-ward Wherein I shall do no other then what the Lord Jesus himself doth of whom it was prophecied that he should not quench the smoaking flax Matth. 12.20 Such was and is the gracious lenity and clemency of the Lord Jesus in his dealing with poor sinners in whom there are as yet onely some weak desires after grace some slender beginnings of conversion and faith And so shall I deal with all such Gods revealed will the onely Rule to walk by 1. Willing them in the first place to take notice what is their Rule to walk by Not the secret but the revealed will of God Secret things belong unto the Lord but those things which are revealed to us and to our children for ever Deut. 29.29 This is that which we are to look at and take notice of And therefore let not any upon this account disquiet and trouble their own soules with such anxious disquisitions as neither they nor any other for them whether man or Angel is able to resolve But apply themselves to the use of means This will men do as concerning their temporall estates They ne-over stand prying into Gods decree to enquire what portion in his secret purpose he hath layed out for them but they set about the work of their calling applying themselves to the use of means And so do you touching your spirituall and eternall estates Stand not to enquire how God hath diposed of you in his secret purpose but go about the work of your general calling apply your selves to the use of such means as God hath appointed to bring you home to himself by so waiting upon his good will and pleasure This is that which the Lord requires you to do And therefore in obedience to his command do it with that Poor impotent person John 5. lying at the pool untill the Angell shall come down and stir the waters attending upon Ordinances untill God by his spirit concurring with them shall please to work effectually by them inclining your hearts to look towards himself giving you a sight and sense of your own sinfulnesse and miserie making you to see and feel the need you have of Jesus Christ and heginning to draw your hearts towards him Which when you find let this be a comfortable evidence unto you that your day is not yet past Onely be not you now wanting to this grace of God The motions of the Spirit to be intertained in giving intertainment to these motions of the spirit in opening of the doore of your hearts that so the Lord Jesus who is now knocking at them may enter in Which in the feare of God be ye now perswaded to do Not knowing but that this may be the last knock this the last sermon that ever we shall heare or the last mention of the spirit that ever you shall feele Now therefore even now before you goe from this place strike up the Covenant betwixt Jesus Christ and your soules accepting and receiving him in all those Gospell Relations not onely as a Saviour casting your soules upon him so as to rest upon the alsufficiencie of his merit for the pardon of sin and eternall salvation but also as a Lord a Husband a Head giving your selves up undo him to be guided and governed by him by his word and Spirit so receiving him into your hearts as that he may dwell in you and rule over you and that for ever This being done now know you for your comfort that you are through grace and mercie exempted out of this black list Where Christ is received the day of grace is not past out of the number of those from whose eies the things belonging to their peace are hid God having thus revealed his Sonne Christ not onely to you but in you as the Apostle saith of himself Gal. 1.16 not oneiy revealed him to your eares but to your hearts as by his word so by his spirit inclining your hearts to close with him to receive him upon these Gospel tearms now he hath made you to know the things which belong unto your peace Which whilest he hath hid from others he hath revealed to you For which differencing mercie to close up all in a word blesse you God Vse Blesse God for his differencing mercy giving unto him the glorie of this his free grace which hath put such a difference betwixt you and others This doth our Saviour in the behalfe of his Disciples in the Text forecited Math. 11.25 I thanke thei O father Lord of heaven and earth because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent and hast revealed them unto babes The great miseries of his Kingdome God had revealed them unto the poore and simpler sort of people the poore received the Gospell whilest in the meane time they were hid from the Scribes and Pharises men worldly wise and learned And this our Saviour there acknowledgeth to be his work an art of his meere good will and pleasure Even so father for so it seemed good in thy sight v. 26. And the like doe you for your selves Seeing God hath now revealed unto you those things which he hath hid from others many others who upon a Naturall or Civill account are far your betters being preferred before you as in place and estate so in understanding and worldly wisedome Give ye unto him the glorie of this mercie acknowledging it to be an art of his free grace a singular favour vouchsafed unto you For which let your soules for ever bless him praising and magnifying him who hath thus now made you Children of light whereas others the greatest part of the world still sit in darknesse in the shaddow of death some of them having their eies already closed up so as they neither do nor ever shall see the things belonging unto their peace being already doomed and adjudged to everlasting darknesse You are now called into that marvellous light as Saint Peter calleth the grace of the Gospell 1 Pet. 2.11 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not undeservedly so stiled in as much as therein are revealed those 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the wonderfull things of God As the Apostles auditors of them at the day of Penticost that they heard them speake the wonderfull workes of God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 magnifica the magnificent great and admirable things of God Such are the ministers of the Gospell wherein those wonderfull acts and Counsels of God touching the salvation of his Elect by Christ are revealed and held forth A misterie which the Angels themselves do earnestly desire to looke into as Saint Peter telleth us 1 Pet. 11.2 Being much taken there with when they sawe it more clearly revealed under the Gospel then it had been under the Lawe they even stooped bowed down as it were for so the word there used properly signifieth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as desirous to prie and looke narrowly into it Now these are the things which God hath revealed unto you And for this do you praise and magnifie his name for ever Taking this as a pledge and assurance of what hereafter you shall see Faith an assurance of Vision Your eyes being thus opened to see Christ by faith here you shall see him hereafter when you shall have a full sight of him see him as he is see him in his glory Which when you shall do then shall ye be made like unto him as St. John assureth you 1 Joh. 3.2 like him in glorie When Christ who is our life shall appear then shall ye also appear with him in glory Col. 3.4 Which beautifull vision the Lord of his free grace and mercie in Jesus Christ vouchsafe to everie soul of us Amen FINIS

in his wrath that they should never enter into his rest v. 11. Now take you heede that it be not so with you that you doe not thus provoke God by hardning your hearts not receiving his word not imbracing his Gospel Which if you shall doe know that this will be a greater Provocation then that of theirs was So much you may learne from the Apostle Heb. 12.25 Where upon this ground he exhorteth his Hebrewes to give eare to the Gospel See saith he that ye refuse not him that speaketh viz. Christ speaketh to you his word For if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth the Jsraelites who hearkened not unto Moses much more shall not we escape if we turn from him that speaketh from heaven viz from Jesus Christ who came from heaven and now speakes in and by his Gospel Ministeries And upon the same ground let me perswade you Take you heede how any of you turne away from Jesus Christ thus speaking unto you turn away your eares turn away your hearts so as not to receive not to imbrace the doctrine of the Gospel held forth unto you This if you shall do how know you but that God may justly retaliate and requite this contempt of yours by turning away his face from you for ever hiding from your eyes the things which belong unto your peace Offers of grace to be presently accepted Which that he may not do Know you these things And that Now in this your day Now whilest it is called to day as the Apostle there hath it Heb. 3.13 imbracing the present time Not putting off this work till the Morrow It is the Wisemans Councel Prov. 27.1 Boast not thy self of to morrow for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth And St. James speaking to men who lay out their businesse what they will do such a day and such a year not considering what crosse providence may happen Go too now saith he Ye that say to day and to morrow we will go into such a City and continue there a year and buy and sell and get gain whereas ye know not what shall be to morrow Nemo lam Divos habuit faventes Crastinimut possit sibi polliceri Senec. Such is the uncertainty of mans life that no man can assure unto himself the succeeding day And therefore now whilest it is called to day now harden not your hearts Novv that God is pleased to knock at the doores of your hearts to call upon you in and by the Ministerie of his word do not send him away as Foelix did Paul with a complement that you will hear him again another time What know you whether ever he will vouchsafe to speak unto you again so much as to your eares Probably here are some present before the Lord at this time who shall never hear him speak unto them again after this manner not speaking to their eares in the Ministery of his word But if he do hovv knovv you whether ever he vvill knock at the dores of your hearts by his spirit again And therefore nevv hear and hearken and set open those everlasting dores the dores of your hearts that the King of glorie the Lord Jesus may enter in and take a full possession of them henceforth to rule and reign in you and that for ever Obj. But what need such haste Some called at the eleventh hour May not old age be soon enough Do we not read of some who came into the vineyard at the eleventh hour the last hour of the day and yet received their pennie as well those that came in at the sixth or third or first houre Matthew 20.6 A. True there were so But who were they Such as had not been called before Such as had not been call●d before That is their excuse when they were questioned by the Lord of the vineyard why they stood all the day idle They say unto him because no man hath hired us v. 7. And so it may be with those who either have wanted the means of salvation or else have had no such workings upon their hearts at to awaken them and convince them Possibly God may have mercie upon them as he had upon that penitent thief upon the Crosse calling them home at the last houre of the day in their old age But let not others promise to themselves the like indulgence Those who were brought into the vineyard at the eleventh hour were none of those that had been called at the first third or sixt houre but such as had not been hired before What ever may happen to others who have not enjoyed the means of grace or have not been acquainted with the Motions of the Spirit of God It is not for you who have injoyed the former an have been acquainted with the latter and yet withstand both to promise the like unto your selves No you that have rejected the call of God again and again in your Childhood Youth Manhood you have no ground to hope that God should come unto you and bring you home to himself in your old age but you may rather fear that if he do not cut you off before he should then hide from your eyes those things which formerly you have refused to know Obj. But is there not still hope so long as there is life The day of grace and life how said to be of equal extent how not And is not the day of life and the day of grace of an equal latitude and extent Doth not the Apostle say Now is the Accepted time now is the day of salvation meaning the time of this life 2 Cor. 6.2 doth not the one last as long as the other A. Yes in some sense they may be said so to do And these two may be looked on as of an equal extent 1. Because the one is the utmost limit of the other The day of grace is bounded by the day of life not extending beyond it When the one is ended the other is ended also 2. As to others they are so to judg of it Not being of Gods counsel not acquainted with his secret decrees they are to hope well of others so long as they live Not shutting the door of mercie against any while they are here So long as private Christians both may and ought to pray for them so the Ministers of Christ are to hold forth the tenders of grace and mercie to them upon Gospell tearmes 3. And 3ly as to themselves so long as they live they stand obliged to accept of these offers which still refusing to do their sin is therby aggravated and heightned through that continued contempt 4. But yet in the 4th place If we speak of Gods secret decree and purpose questionlesse the day of grace may determine unto a man before the day of his life So it did there to Jerusalem She still liveth and flourisheth for a time Her day of prosperity was yet continued but her day of grace was