Selected quad for the lemma: life_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
life_n	adam_n	righteousness_n	sin_n	4,223	5	5.1902	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A91366	The way step by step to sound and saving conversion, with a clear discovery of the two states, viz: nature, & grace: and how to know in which state one is, and the way to come out of the one into the other. Or, The ready and right path-way for the first Adams posterity to get out of their fallen estate accompanied with sin and misery, into the relation and family of the last Adam, which estate is attended with grace and glory, &c. With many weighty questions answered, and cases of conscience resolved, for the clearing and confirming the truths asserted. / By Robert Purnell.	Purnell, Robert, d. 1666.	1659 (1659)	Wing P4241; Thomason E1800_1; ESTC R209703	66,581	144

3. The Devil is said to be his Prince John 12. 31. 4. The Devil is said to be his God 2 Cor. 4 4. And so man thus fallen bears the Image of Satan which doth not consist in any bodily shape as some do foolishly imagine but in a likeliness of all manner of wickedness The understanding by this fall was darkened and filled with vanitie Psal 94. 11. and 2 Cor. 4. 4 The will depraved the affections disordered the memory misimploied the conscience benummed In a word the wretched soul is so desormed with filthiness outraged with passions pined with envie overcharged with gluttonie boiling with revenge transported with rage that the Image of God in Man is transformed into the uglie shape of the Devil Gen. 6. 5. And God saw that the wickedness of man was great and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was onely evil and that continually And this fallen heart not onely evil but desperately wicked Jer. 17. 9. The heart is deceitfull above all things and desperately wicked who can know it O Sirs there are but few that doth know the plague of their own hearts c. So that Man in this fallen estate is become a lump of sinne from the crown of the head to the soale of the foot there is no soundness And so all the posteritie of Adam have sinned and come short of the glorie of God and are now become Satans conquest captives and slaves being under the curse and subject to bondage and miserie Isai 63. 6. So we are all as an unclean thing and all our righteousness as filtby rags and we all do fade as a leaf and our iniquities like the winde have taken us away Mr. Baxter in his Treatise of Conversion p. 71. affirms that even our children by nature considered as finfull and unsanctified are as hatefull in the eies of God as any Toads or Serpents are in ours c. See 1 John 3. 10. Nay further consider a little by what names and titles all men and women thus fallen and so remaining are The names Titles given in Scripture to fallen man known by in the Scriptures of truth Sometimes they are called filtby dreamers defiling the flesh Jud. 8. Raging waves of the Sea foaming out their own shame Jud. 13. Natural bruit beasts made to be taken and destroyed that shall utterly perish in their own corruptions 2 Pet. 2. 12. Wells without water cloudes that are carried with a tempest to whom the mist of darknesse is reserved for ever 2 Pet. 2. 17. A generation of vipers Mat. 3. 7. Ye serpents how can ye escape the damnation of hell Mat. 23. 33. The Scripture calls them Lions for their fiercenesse and Bears for their cruelty Dragons for their hiddiousnesse dogs for their filthinesse and wolves and foxes for their subtilty in a word the Scripture stiles them Scorpions vipers thorns briars thistles brambles stubble dirt chaffe dust drosse smoak scum and a cage of every unclean Bird Rev. 18. 2. And if all this be not enough we are said to be Satans slaves or captives 2 Tim. 2. 26. Man can never be saved unlesse he be regenerated No salvation without regeneration born again and converted and have the image of God renewed which was defaced in our fall in the first Adam Hence it is that Christ tells us Mat. 7. 13. 4. Straight is the gate and narrow is the way that leadeth to life and few there be that find it There being four gates shut and five exceptions made by Christ against their entering in First there are four gates shut Mat. 25. 12. 1. The gate of hope 2. The gate of grace 3. The gate of mercy 4. The gate of comfort Secondly there are five exceptions made by the Lord Jesus Christ against their entring into heaven The first exception is that in John 3. 3. Jesus answered and said unto him verily verily I say unto thee except a man be born again be cannot see the Kingdome of God 2. Exception is that Mat. 18. 3. Verily I say unto you except ye be converted and become as little children ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven 3. Except ye repent ye shall all likewise perish Luke 13. 3. 5. 4. Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood ye have no life in you John 6. 53. 5. Except your righteousnesse shall exceed the righteousnesse of the Scribes and Pharises ye shall in no case enter into the Kingdom of heaven Mat. 5. 20. But most of the world will be apt to say Object we grant all this But what is this to us we have confessed our sinnes we have prayed we have repented of our sinnes and in some good measure reformed our lives Beware of temporary faith partial obedience Answ messionary love pretended zeal legal sorrow and feined humility these may have the forme and yet want the power of godlinesse except thy righteousnesse exceed that of the Pharisees thy sacrifice that of Cain's thy confessing of sins that of Pharaoh's thy weeping that of Sauls thy fasting that of Abab's thy reformation that of Jehu's thy restitution that of Judas thy believing that of Simon Magu● thy fear and trembling that of Felix these were cast-awaies notwithstanding these were seeming good things Hast thou never read of Pharaoh desiring the prayer of Moses Balaam desiring to die the death of the righteous Saul condemning of himself Ahab humbling himself Ninive repenting Felix trembling Herod hearing John Baptist joyfully and did many things Mark 6. 20. All this mayst thou doe and more thou mayst live rejoycingly and die peaceably and yet perish eternally Consider if thou wert cursed in the wombe born a child of wrath what art thou now having lived so long in sin but the child of hell farr more than thou wast before Psal 58. 3. Job 20. 11. Again if for one fin all the curses of the Law doe lie upon thee as Gal. 3. 10. James 2. 10. what is due to thee for all thy sins If single sins deserve death what doe thy double and treble sins deserve Consider thy often backsliding sinnes against knowledge conscience covenants purposes promises protestations c. Do● not all these deserve double and d●eper damation viz. Not knowing of God he will not have mercie upon thee Isa 27. 11. compared with 2 Thess 1. 8. Not repenting thou shalt perish Luke 13. 3. Not believing in him thou shalt be damned John 3. 18. Not loving him thou art cursed 1 Cor. 16. 22. Not being zealous according to knowledge he will spew thee out of his mouth Rev. 3. 16. Not being meek thou art abomination to the Lord Prov. 3. 32. Not being mercifull thou shalt have judgement without mercy Jam. 2. 13. Not being holy thou shalt never see the face of the Lord Not washing thy heart from wickedness thou canst not be saved Jer. 4. 14. Therefore ground this in the bottom of thy heart That without true conversion

5. He calls them his sons and daughters 2 Cor. 6. 18. 6. He calls them the Bride the Lambs wife Rev. 21. 9. 7. He calls them co-heirs with himself Rom. 8. 17. And if all this be too little to express his heart to them then he tells them that the Father loveth them with the same love for the quality of it wherewith he loveth Christ what shall I say more they have the glory of God to be their aime the word to be their rule the spirit to be their guide the angels to be their guard and the blessed promises to be their support and as by vertue of their oneness with the first Adam his sin was made theirs so by vertue of their oneness with the second Adam his righteousness is made theirs nay farther they have by vertue of converting grace union with Christ and so communion with the life and Spirit of Christ with the death and sufferings of Christ with the merits and victories of Christ with the priviledges and immunities as Adoption Son-ship c. The trials of Conversion by which a man may know whether he be converted yea or no. LEt the Reader make a curious narrow impartial diligent search into his own soul and see what humility what self-denial what sin-abhorrancy what love to Christ what delight in his ordinances what zeal for Gods glory what contempt of the world what desiring after the society of the Saints what sympathising in their afflictions and if thou findest any impressions of grace any spiritual work any saving savoury distinguishing operation upon thy soul and heart then the Spirit hath been there with his cure and thou art as certainly born again as thou wast born first but these graces thus planted in the heart at first are full of imperfections there is some darkness with your light some enmity with your love much hardness of heart with your mourning for sin and much worldly sorrow in your purest tears much pride with your humility much murmuring with your patience and therefore great care is to be taken in the laying down these trials or marks of conversion for as we are to put a difference between gifts and grace and internal and external marks and signs so also we are to distinguish between those that are strong in grace and those that are weak in grace that have but little grace and this will be of great use to Christians that are but of a lower forme new converts having but little grace yet they may know that little they have though as yet they have not attained strength of grace yet they may know the truth of grace in themselves although they come short of strong believers yet they shall know they go beyond the most shining hypocrite for the least measure of grace is better than the greatest measure of gifts But we come to the trials of the new birth by which a man may know whether he is born again yea or no. 1. He that is truly converted doth desire the word and means of grace 1 Pet. 2. 2. 2. He is either willing or willing to be made willing to do whatsoever the Lord doth command him though it be never so contrary to flesh and blood Gal. 1. 16. 3. He is brought unto an unseined hatred of the whole body of sin Rom. 7. 24. compared with Philip. 3. 21. 4. His greatest and hottest mournings and strivings is against his inward pollution his close spiritual and secret sins Psal 19. 12. compared with Psal 90. 8. 5. He often mourns for the sins of others and for the want of growth in himself Lam 16. 3. 48. 6. He doth love to be speaking of those great and saving truths which his heart hath taken in in the work of conversion 7. He doth begin to keep a watch over his own heart 8. He makes conscience of keeping every known command 9. He is willing to put himself upon the tryal and to have any Christian search him and sometimes he intreats the Lord to search him Psal 139. 23. Lam. 3. 40. 10. He that is born again or truly converted ha●h his soul renewed in its faculties and vertues c. These are such flowers of Paradise that grows not in Natures garden until the new man was put on and the party renewed in the spirit of his mind until Christ was formed in him for these are pearls that are not to be found in the worlds field wherefore we shall speak something to each of them briefly but before I proceed further let me give the Reader this caution Let not every one think he is not converted unless he finde these and the like characters of a true conversion in him if he finde but something of every thing if it be but in the budding in the breeding in the beginning his state may be good for when he is a well grown Christian these things will more and more clearly appear at the first conversion a man hath as it were but the root of them c. 1. He that is indeed born againe and so converted doth desire the word and means of grace 1 Pet. 2. 2. as new born babes desire the sincere milk of the word that they may grow thereby There the apostle makes it a resemblance of a spiritual man a man spiritually new born will desire after the meanes of grace that he may grow in grace by milk is here meant the word of God which is compared to milk First because of the sweetness of it Psal 19. 10. and Psal 119. 103. Secondly because of the purity of it it is without falshood Psal 19. 18. and 119. 140 and Thirdly because of the nourishing property thereof 2 Tim. 3. 16 17. When the Lord begets one by the immortal seed of his word he teacheth him to rest upon the word of promise which indureth for ever tendred in the Gospel indeed tho whole word of God is sincere milk whereby we grow and the old and new Testament may be called the Brests of consolation but if we grow not it is because we feed not we play with the breast c. 2. He that is indeed born againe he is either willing or at least willing that the Lord should make him willing to observe and do whatsoever the Lord doth command him though it be never so contrary to flesh and blood Acts. 9. 9. Lord what will thou have me to do How willing Paul was to lay down his first commission to take up another So Psal ●10 3 thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power They are willing to hear speak Lord for thy servant heareth they are willing to do Lord what wilt thou have me to do Psal 119. 5. Oh that my waies were directed to keep thy statutes Again David sets down another character of a godly man Psal 1. 2. His delight is in the Law of the Lord and Paul after conversion speaks of himself that his delight was in the Law of God as concerning the

43 44 45. 3. There is a formal Change when men will do that which is commanded but not as it is commanded of these St. Paul speaks 2 Tim. 3. 5. Having a form of godliness but denying the power thereof they will be doing of good and forsaking evil because the eie of the creature and the ear of the creature the applause of the creature the rewards of the creature or the fear of the creature prevails with them notwithstanding this threefold change these people with the former are in an estate of estrangement to God and liable to condemnation for though the lives of some are less sinfull than others yet the hearts are alike these men do but walk in new practices with an old heart Acts 7. 51. Heb. 6. 4. Consider O thou that readest if thou and I had committed in all our lives but one sin and that onely in thought this makes us subject unto and leaves us in danger of eternal damnation thereby James 2. 10. Gal. 3. 10. The Law must have a perfect personal universal perpetual obedience or else we remain under the curse according to the rule of moral righteousuess between God and Man it followeth that the demerit of sin receiveth its nature measure and limits from the will of God according as he hath revealed himself in the Moral Law So that the damned in Hell suffer not more nor less than they deserved yea had God pleased to have inflicted a greater punishment for sin yet had he been still just the object offended being God the person suffering being but a Man the evil of punishment cannot exceed the evil of the offence neither can any thing relieve us but that which is answerable to the evil of sin now there is no righteousness in the world that is proportionable to the evil of sin but the righteousness of Christ onely 1. Our own righteousness is too short is called a monstrous rag a rag and therfore cannot cover us monstrous if it should cover us it were but to cover filth with filth as the Prophet speaks Isa 30. 1. They cover but not with the covering of my Spirit that they might add sin to sin dung to dung 2. Nor will the righteousness of the Law be large enough if a man could keep it it will not acquit us for former disobedience Gal. 3. 21. If the Law could have given life verily righteousness should have been by the Law See Rom. 8. 3 4. 3. It is not the righteousness of all the Angels that can do it because this also is a created righteousness a finite righteousness and no way proportionable to the evil of sin 4. If we should weep as many tears as the Sea holds drops and humble our selves as manie daies as the world hath stood minutes all this were too short to purchase the pardon of one sin if the stung Israelites had made a Medicine of the best Herbs in the Wilderness and a Plaister of all the sovereign Ingredients in the whole World and applied it with Mountains of Praiers Seas of Tears this would not have helped them if withall they did not look upon the Brazen Serpent for all these cannot purchase the pardon of one sin nothing but infinicen●ss can deal with sin it must be infinite Wisdom to finde out a Way it must be infinite Mercy to pardon infinite Power to subdue infinite Merit to purge and cleanse and infinite Grace to destroy sin Look about thee whosoever thou art that readest these Lines this is or was thine estate and condition which is attended with these two Miscries viz. 1. Thou art unable to help thy self out 2. Thou art unwilling First of the first 1. Thou art unable to help thy self out Jer. 13. 23. Can the Ethiopian change his skin and the Leopard his spot then may they do good that are accustomed to do evil There is no power below the power that raised Christ from the dead that can turn the heart of a sinner to the Lord he is as well able to turn a Flint into Flesh as to turn his own heart to the Lord he is as well able to raise the dead and to make a World as to repent for Repentance is a Flower that grows not in Natures Garden as the Birth of Isaac was not by the strength of Nature like Ishmael's of Hagar but by virtue of the Promise after a supernatural manner upon sensibleness of barrenness so seemeth it to be with everie one that is born of the Spirit Johnsaith that Believers were born not of the will of the Flesh nor of the will of Man but of God 2. Thou art as unwilling as unable thou hast wilfully pulled upon thy self just miserie and art apt wilfully to reject free mercie there is a special enmitie in the heart against Conversion and Believing John 5. 43. I am come in my Fathers Name and ye receive me not if another should come in his own name him ye would receive Acts 22. 4. I saith Paul before conversion persecuted this way unto the death Rom. 10. 3. They would not submit to the righteousness of faith Here are proud hearts indeed that it should be matter of submission for a condemned man to take a Pardon a wounded man a Plaister a sick man a Cordial a naked man Cloathing a lost sinner a Saviour ls not this the case of the Men and Women of the World Consider wouldst thou not account him a Fool that will refuse Physick because he is sick a Cordial because he is faint Meat because he is hungrie Money because he is poor Cloathing because he is naked and Freedom because he is Satans Prisoner I could almost say to the Reader as once Nathan said to David Thou art the Man 2 Sam. 12. 7. There are amongst manie others these four things that keep most Men and Women from being converted 1. Most think it to be a needless work or an easie work when as it is a needfull work and a hard work Jer. 13. 23. compared with Matth. 18. 3. 2. Or because he is not able to pay that which God requires 3. Or because he thinketh he shall be able to discharge all himself in time 4. Or else because he doubts of the truth of him that promiseth to help him So much shall serve to speak of the Change 1. Moral 2. Partial 3. Formal It remains now that we come to the fourth to wit the Spiritual change and here I shall fix all that is written before is but an Introduction to this I have been shewing the Maladie let us now come to the Remedie the sum whereof is that God the Father Son and Holie Ghost hath sent forth Jesus Christ God-Man into the World to seek and save sinners and commandeth every one that heareth these glad tidings to believe in him whom he hath sent and promiseth that whosoever believeth in him shall be saved for God when the fulness of time by him appointed was come sent his Son him that is

no farther than to speak to her self she saith to her self if I may but touch his garment I shall b●●whole then Christ spake to her though she would not speak to him to overcome her bashfullness he called her daughter and to overcome her unbelief he bid her be of good comfort he had healed her From how little a spark how greata fire from how little a beginning how great a proceeding she desired but the hemm of his garment and had himself See John 3. 2. Nicodemus he came to Jesus by night who was so weak as being either afraid or ashamed to own Christ in the day he cometh to him by night One would have thought that Christ would have said to him Nicodemus is thy desire after me so saint as that thou fearest to come to me in the day time Or am l so unworthy as not to be owned but out of fight Hast thou either so low an esteem of me or bearest thou so little love to me Goe return as thou camest I will not accept of thee in the dark who wouldest not acknowledg me in the light No no Christ hath not one syllable of this he knew that Nicodemus was but a beginner and therefore entertaines him and ins●ructs him in the new birth John 3. 5. Except a man be born of water and of the spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God c. Consider there is none effect of election before illumination and effectual vocation the el●●t themselves are said before to be children of wrath as well as others Ephes. 2. 3. Some affirme that in this act of Vocation the seeds or root of faith is wrought in the heart which may be true onely under correction I doe verily think it is not exercised but in part the Soul doth exercise but little more than to give credit to what is written which some call the faith of credence giving credit to what is written which others call the Faith of assent this undoubtedly is wrought in the heart either in the work of Illumination or in estectual Vocation now effectual Vocation or special effectual Calling is attended or accompanied with Viz. 1. The Faith of assent 2. Repentance 3. Conversion 4. Regeneration Now most of these words are used in Scripture to expresse the same work upon the soul as Mr Baxster affirmes or rather as the Scripture teacheth us c. 1. That special effectual Calling is attended or accompanied with the Faith of assent or credence See Mat. 8. 2. The Leper did assent to the power of Christ that he was able to clense him saying Lord if thou wilt thou canst make me clean surely Vocation is accompanied with a bare naked assent to every truth revealed by God 2. It is accompanied with Repentance which conteineth two things The first is a hearty sorrow that ever he sinned The second is a turning from that sinne to God or there is a turning from a state of sinne and misery unto God our only remedy this Repentance is wrought by the Ministry both of Law and Gospel the thunders of the Law terrifie and the dews of the Gospel mollifie there is nothing breaks the heart more than mercy nothing melts a man more than the mercies of God which he hath abused the consideration of this opens all the springs in thee the soul is not able to stand stubborn under it 2 Cor. 7. 9 10 11. 3. This special effectual Calling is accompanyed with Conversion which is a work of the Spirit of Christ in a sensible lost undone sinner by the Doctrine of Christ by which he effectually changeth the minde heart and life from the creature to God in Christ the parts of this Conversion are these three First it is a change of the minde Secondly of the heart Thirdly of the life c. In the moment of Conversion God works that blessed work which shall never be undone In a word that is wrought in an instant which shall remain for ever 4. This effectual Calling is accompanied with Regeneration which doth make so great a change that a man is as it were an other man so that this word Regeneration is more comprehensive than Conversion Repentance or Vocation 2 Cor. 5. 17. He that is in Christ is a new creature old things are past away behold all things are become new Mark every man that is in Christ that is thus converted every true Christian then is a new creature not in substance but in quality all things are become new a true converted man he hath new love new desires new sorrow new delight new resolution and a new conversion Vocation Conversion and Regeneration is wrought in an instant God in saying live makes the soul to live as it is in the first so it shall be in the second Resurrection in a moment in the twinkling of an eye whiles God speaks the word the dead shall rise 1 Cor. 15. 52 c. 3. The next step to get out of a state of death into a state of life is to trust or believe in the Lord. I know there be many that doth make this the first step to salvation which I hear them say but not prove sure I am no man can have grace without knowledge for who can hate sinne till he knoweth it and the evil of it and who can love God or believe in him till he know him to be merciful able and faithfull who can do the duty that he understandeth not or go the way to heaven that he is ignorant of so that illumination must needs be the first step but withall it is granted that the Spirit of God either in Illumination or Vocation doth cause the first act of faith in the heart and by that act a habit is effected and therewith the seed of all graces For the habit of faith saith Master Norton seemeth not to be infused alone before the other habits of saving grace The universal frame of saving grace is infused into the soul at once as one general habit so that the infusion of life into the heart or soul hath its being all at once and is uncapable of division into parts and so the habit of faith seemeth not to be infused alone before or after the other saving graces so that I am not speaking of what comes into the soul first but what the soul doth put forth and act first in order to its coming out of a state of nature into a state of grace Two things are here of an absolute necessity to our salvation the one is to believe unfainedly that Christ is the Redeemer of the world and that there is no other way of salvation but by him Acts 4. 12. Iohn 14. 6. Iohn 10. 1 7 8 9. The second is to accept of him as he is offered to us in the Gospel and so faith instates a soul in the possession of heaven whilst the body remains on the earth Now in this third step of trusting in God or believing in him the soul

needless work 1. It cannot be an easie work Jer. 13. 23. Can the Aethiopian change his skin and the Leopard his spots then may they that are accustomed to do evil learn to do well 2. It is not a needless work but one of the most needfullest works without which we perish everlastingly in Hell John 3. 3. 5. Mat. 18. 3. except a man be born again be cannot see the kingdom of God and except ye be converted and become as little children ye shall not enter into the kingdome of Heaven 3. Hindrance is either a total neglect or a careless formal use of those ordinary meanes which God hath appointed for the breeding and perfecting the work of conversion if we will not eat how can we live and grow if we will not drink how can we quench our thirst if we will not wear cloathes how can we be warm if vve vvill not sovve and plant hovv can vve reap shall vve be industrious and neglect no means for the obteining of natural things and altogether remiss in the use of means for the obtaining of spiritual that are far better surely we ought to leave no means unattempted for the accomplishing of what God hath promised seeing we have more commands and promises for the latter than we have for the former 4. Hindrance is mens not confidering the joyes of Heaven and the torments of Hell that so the love of the one might win them or the fear of the other compell them to make use of the means and improve their talent and time for the obtaining of life and salvation and the escaping of Hell and damnation surely we ought to lay aside every weight and the sin that doth so easily beset us and to run with patience the race that is set before us looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith who for the joy that was set before him indured the cross and despised the shame Heb. 12. 1 2 3. 5. Hindrance is false conceits that they are converted already which ariseth from some seeming change in an external conformity to the Gospel which ariseth from the souls sight of fin and sense of punishment which leads him so far as to confess his fins Mat. 27. 4. and vomi● it up 2 Pet. 2. 20. and in some good measure abstain from the external commission of it and so reformeth its conversation ignorance is taken away by illumination pleasure in fin is abated by sorrow for fin boldness in finning is abated by the fear of punishment he may know the very time ●he sermon the book the chapter the verse that were the means of doing this work and therefore thinks it is truly done and that he hath a saving change and yet it may be but common preparation or some common works which many partake of that perish c. 6. Hindrance is too deep a familiarity with bad company Oh what a dangerous thing it is to live amongst such company as will be still hindring but never helping in the way to heaven who can converse with defiled ones and not be defiled Psal 106. 35. the people were mingled amongst the heathen and learned their works Psal 119. 115. evil doers we must depart from if ever we keep the commands of God these are not grace-begetting and soul-converting but gracehindring and soul-condemning companions 7. Hindrance is their ignorance of the principles of Religion their not being Catechised themselves neither catechising their Families so that the foundational truths are for the most part Paradoxes and Riddles to them 8. Hindrance is Delay when men intend to become new men and to live another life and to leave sin and to take another course yet they delay and put off the time till the next year and when that is come to the last moneth of that year and when that is come to the last vveek of that moneth and vvhen that is come to the last day of that vveek and when that is come to the last hour of that day and when that is come to the last minute of that hour and so in the mean while they are hardened through the deceitfulness of sin as Heb. 3. 13. and so goe on from folly to folly until they are ripe for eternal misery Oh! say they we are yet young and have day-light and time enough we are yet in health and there is no such haste and thus many are cut off whilst they are purposing to return and many thousand souls are lost as it is to be feared that once were purposed to have turned to God before they die and all by delaying and continuing in sinning til they have sinned themselves into a reprobate sense and so they must perish everlastingly by delaying to make use of their remedie by not calling upon God whilst he was near and seeking him whilst he might be found See Isa 55. 6. compared with Prov. 1. 24. 28. I might instance in many other hindrances as hardness of heart unbelief love of this present evil world the Differences amongst Professors but I cannot speak particularly to them all lest this Book should svvell too bigg Of the sad condition of all that are not Converted THe longer men or women stay or go on in an unconverted estate the greater is their sin the harder is their cure and the greater will be their punishment c. They make void as much as in them lyeth the great Counsel of God and all the thoughts of his wisdom in contriving such a way to advance his own glory in the salvation of man Yea they make void all the purposes of Gods mercy to them in restoring and renewing them and sending Christ to die for them yea they do as much as in them lyeth make void the death of Christ they make all his sufferings and blood-shed to be to no purpose You deny him that which is his own you deny him your hearts and souls that which he hath made and redeemed you deny him that which none can lay claim to but himself again they are cursed in their going out and coming in in their basket and in their store and in all they put their hands unto they can do nothing truly pleasing to God but are servants and slaves to Satan and led about as his captives at his will and so remain in a continual danger of damnation there being but a breath between them and Hell Of the priviledges and benefits of all that are Converted THe Lord is their portion and they are the Lords portion Deut. 32. 9. what ever losses crosses troubles and trials they may pass through here all shall work for their good at the present and they shall be freed from all troubles in time to come there was joy in Heaven at their conversion Luke 15. 10. 1. Christ calls them his servants John 12. 26. 2. Again he calls them his friends John 15. 15. 3. He calls them his brethren Mar. 3. 34. 4. He calls them his Jewels or treasure Mal. 3. 17.