ftronger than fhe. Well, what Judgment now doth God, the righteous Judge, pafs upon the Damfel for this? The Man only that lay with her, faith God, fhall die: But unto the Damfel thou fhalt do nothing; there is in the Damfel no Sin worthy of Death. For as when a Man rifeth against his Neighbour, and flayeth him, even fois this Matter; he found her in the Field, and the betrothed Damfel cried, and there was none to fave her, Deut. 22. 26, 27.

Thou art this Damfel: The Man that forced thee with these blafphemous Thoughts, is the Devil; and he lighteth upon thee in a fit Place, even in the Fields, as thou art wandering after Jefus Chrift; but thou crieft out, and by the Cry, did shew, that thou abhorredst such wicked Lewdnefs. Well, the Judge of all the Earth will do right; he will not lay the Sin at thy Door, but at his that offered the Violence and for thy Comfort, take this into Confideration, That he comes to heal them that were oppreffed with the Devil, Ads. 10. 38.

Objection 4.

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But, faith another, I am fo heartlefs, fo flow, and, as I think, fo indifferent in my Coming, that to fpeak Truth, I know not whether my Kind of coming ought to be called a coming to Chrift.

Anf. You know that I told you at first, that coming to Chrif is a moving of the Heart and Affections towards him.

But, faith the Soul, My Dulness and Indifferency in all holy Duties, demonftrate my Heartleffnefs in coming, and to come, and not with the Heart, fignifies nothing at all.

Anf.

Anf. The moving of the Heart after Chrift, is not to be difcerned (at all Times) by thy fenfible affectionate Performance of Duties, but rather by thofe fecret Groanings and Complaints which thy Soul makes to God againft that Sloth that attends thee in Duties.

Secondly, But grant it be even as thou fay'ft it is, that thou comeft fo flowly, &c. yet, fince Chrift bids them come, that come not at all; furely they may be accepted that come, though attended with thofe Infirmities, which thou at prefent groaneft under. He faith, And him that cometh: He faith not, If they come fenfible, fo faft: But, And him that cometh to me, I will in no wife caft out. He faith alfo in the eighth of Proverbs, As for him that wanteth Understanding, that is, an Heart, for ofentimes the Undestanding is taken for the Heart: Come eat of my Bread, and drink of the Wine that I have mingled.

Thirdly, Thou may't be vehement in thy Spirit in coming to Jefus Chrift, and yet be plagued with fenfible Sloth. So was the Church, when he cried, Draw me, we will run after thee; and Paul, when he faid, When I would do Good, Evil is prefent with me: (Song 14. Rom. 7. Gal. 5. 19.) The Works, Strugglings and Oppontions of the Flesh are more manifeft than are the Works of the Spirit in our Hearts, and fo are fooner felt than they. What then? Let us not be difcouraged at the Sight and Feeling of our own Infirmities, but run the fafter to Jefus Chrift for Salvation,

3

Fourthly, Get thy Heart warmed with the fweet Promife of Chrift's Acceptance of the -coming Sinner, and that will make thee make more Hafte unto him. Difcouraging Thoughts, they are like unto cold Weather; they benumb

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the

the Senfes, make us go ungainly about our Bufinefs; but the sweet and warm Gleads of Promile, are like the comfortable Beams of the Sun, which enliveneth and refresheth. You fee how little the Bee and the Fly do play in the Air in Winter; why the Cold hinders them from doing it; but when the Wind and Sun is warm, who fo bufy as they.

Fifthly, But again, he that comes to Chrift flies for his Life: Now here is no Man that flies for his Life, that thinks he speeds faft enough on his Journey; no, could he, he would willingly take a Mile at a Step. O my Sloth and Heartleffness, fay'ft thou! O that I had Wings like a Dove, for then would I flee away and be at reft! I would haften my Escape from the windy Storm and Tempest, Pfal. 55. 6, 8.

Poor coming Soul, thou art like the Man that would ride full Gallop, whofe Horfe will hardly trot! now the Defire of his Mind is not to be judged of by the flow Pace of the dull Jade he rides on, but by the hitching, and kicking and fpurring, as he fits on his Back. Thy Flesh is like this dull Jade, it will not gallop after Chrift, it will be backward, though thy Soul and Heaven lie at Stake: But be of good Comfort, Chrift judgeth not according to the Fiercenefs of outward Motion, Mark 10. 17. but according to the Sincerity of the Heart and inward Parts, John 1. 6. Mat. 16. 41. 47. Pfal. 51.

Sixthly, Ziba in Appearance came to David much faster than did Mephibofheth; but yet his Heart was not fo upright in him to David as was his. It is true, Mephibofheth had a Check from David; for, faid he, Why wenteft thou not with me Mephibofheth? But when David came to reember that Mephibofheth was lame, (for that

was

was his Plea) Thy Servant is lame, 2 Sam. 19. he was content, and concluded he would have come after him fafter than he did: And Mephibofheth appealed to David, who was in those Days as an Angel of God, to know all Things that are done in the Earth, if he did not believe that the ReaFon of his Backwardnefs lay in his Lamenefs, and not in his Mind. Why, poor coming Sinner, thou canst not come to Chrift with that outward Swiftness of Career, as many others do; but doth the Reafon of thy Backwardness lie in thy Mind and Will, or in the Sluggishness of the Flesh? Canft thou fay fincerely, The Spirit truly is willing, but the Flesh is Weak, Mat. 26. 41. Yea, canft thou appeal to the Lord Jefus, who knoweth perfectly the very inmoft Thought of thy Heart, that this is true? Then take this for thy Comfort; he hath faid, I will affemble her that halteth, I will make her that halteth a Remnant, and I will fave her that halteth, Micah 4. 6, 7. Zeph. 3. 19. What canft thou have more from the sweet Lips of the Son of God? But,

Seventhly, I read of fome that are to follow Chrift in Chains; I fay, to come after him in Chains; Thus faith the Lord, the Labour of Egypt, and the Merchandize of Ethiopia, and the Sabeans, Men of Stature, fhall come over unto thee, and they fhall be thine: They fhall come after thee: In Chains fhall they come over, and they fhall fall down unto thee: They fhall make Supplication unto thee, faying, Surely there is none elfe to fave, Ifa. 45. 14. Surely they that come after Chrift in Chains, come to him in great Difficulty, because their Steps by the Chains are ftraitened.

And what Chain fo heavy, as thofe that dif courage thee? Thy Chain which is made up of Guilt and Filth, is heavy; it is a wretched Bar

abou

about thy Neck, by which thy Strength doi fail, Lam. 1. 14. chap. 3. 17. But come, thoug thou comeft in Chains; it is Glory to Chrift, th a Sinner comes after him in Chains. The chink ing of thy Chains, though troublefome to the are not nor can be Obftruction to thy Salvation it is Chrift's Work and Glory to fave thee from thy Chains, to enlarge thy Steps, and fet thee a Liberty. The blind Man, though called, furely could not come apace to Jefus Chrift, but Chri could ftand ftill, and ftay for him. True, H rideth on the Wings of the Wind; but yet he is long-fufferring, and his Long-fuffering is Salva tion to him that cometh to him, Mat. 19. 49. 2 Pet. 3. 9.

Eighthly, Hadft thou feen thofe that came to the Lord Jefus in the Days of his Flesh, how flowly, how hobbingly they came to him, by Reafon of their Infirmities; and alfo how friendly, and kindly, and graciously he received them, and gave them the Defire of their Hearts, thou wouldeft not, as thou doft, make fuch Objections against thyfelf, in thy coming to Jefus Chrift.

Objection 5.

But, (fays another) I fear I come too late; I doubt I have ftaid too long; I am afraid the Door is fhut.

Anfi Thou canst never come too late to Jefus Chrift, if thou doft come. This is manifeft by two Inftances.

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Firft, By the Man that came to him at the eleventh Hour. This Man was idle all the Day long He had a whole Gospel-day to come in, and he played it all away fave only the laft Hour thereof But at last, at the eleventh Hour he came,

and