stretched out my hand, and no man regarded; but ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my reproof; I also will laugh at your calamity, I will mock when your fear cometh." Which scripture, although it doth not shut mercy's door upon any, who at the hour of death do sincerely judge themselves, and flee to Christ as this penitent thief did; yet it is certain, it implieth that very few who neglect the offer until then, are honoured with repentance as he was; and so their cry, as not being sincere, and of the right stamp, shall not be heard.

SECT. 2. The work of the law by which the Lord prepares his way into men's souls; which is either more violent and sudden, or more calm and gradual.

The fourth and most ordinary way by which many are brought into Christ is by a clear and discernible work of the law and humiliation which we ordinarily call the spirit of bondage, as was hinted before. We do not mean that every one whose conscience is weakened with sin and fear of wrath doth really close with Christ, the contrary doth appear in Cain, Saul, Judas, &c. But there is a conviction of sin, an awakening of conscience and work of humiliation, which, as we shall circumstantiate it, doth rarely miscarry or fail of a gracious issue, but ordinarily doth resolve into the spirit of adoption, and a gracious work of God's spirit. And because the Lord dealeth with many sinners this way, and we find that many are much puzzled about the giving judgment of this law-work, we shall speak of it particularly.

This work is either more violent and suddenly dispatched, or it is more gentle and protracted through a greater length of time, so as the steps of it are very discernible. It is more violent in some, as in the jailer, Paul and some other converts in the book of the Acts of the Apostles, on whom Christ did break in at an instant, and fell on them as with fire and sword, and led them captive terribly. And because some great legal shakings are deceitful, and turn to nothing, if not worse, we shall point at some things remarkable in these converts spoken of before, which did prove the work of the law on them to have had a gracious issue and result.

1st. Some word of truth or dispension putteth the person to a dreadful stand, with a great stir in the soul; "some are pricked in heart," Acts ii. 37. "some fall on trembling," Acts xvi. 29. And this is such a stir, that the person is brought to his wit's end: "What wilt thou have me to do?" saith Paul, Acts ix. 6. "what must I do to be saved?" saith the jailer, Acts xvi. 30.

2dly. The person is content to have salvation and God's friendship on any terms, as the ques tion does import, "What shall I do?" As if he had said, What would I not do? What would I not forego? What would I not undergo?

3dły. The person accepteth the condition offered by Christ and his servants, as is clear in the forecited scriptures.

4thly. The person presently becometh of one interest with the saints, joining himself with that persecuted society, putting respect on those

whom he had formerly persecuted, joining and continuing with them in the profession of Christ on all hazards. Those with whom the Lord hath so dealt have much to say for a gracious work of God's spirit in them; and it is like, many of them can date their work from such a particular time and word, or dispensation, and can give some account of what passed between God and them, and of a sensible change following in them from that time forward; as Paul giv eth a good account of the work and way of God with him afterwards, Acts xxii.

Again, the Lord sometimes carrieth on this work more calmly, softly, and gently, protracting it so, as the several steps of men's exercise under it are very discernible. It would draw a great length to enlarge every step of it; we shall touch the most observable things in it.

1st. The Lord layeth siege to men, who, it may be, have often refused to yield to him, ofi fering himself in the ordinances; and by some word preached, read, or borne in on the mind, or by some providence leading in unto the word, he doth assault the house kept peaceably by the strong man, the devil; and thus Christ, who is the stronger man, cometh upon him, Luke xi.. 22. and, by the spirit of truth, doth fasten the word on the man, in which God's curse is denounced against such and such sins, whereof the man knoweth himself guilty. The spirit con-} vinceth the man, and bindeth it upon him, that he is the same person against whom the word of God doth speak, because he is guilty of such sins; and from some sins the man is led on to see more, until ordinarily he come to see the sins

of his youth, sins of omission, &c. ; yea, he is lead on until he see himself guilty almost of the breach of the whole law; he seeth" innumerable evils compassing him," as David speaketh in a fit of exercise, Psal. xl. 12. A man sometimes will see ugly sights of sin in this case, and is sharp-sighted to reckon a greatness to every sin almost. Thus "the spirit cometh and con-vinceth of sin," John xvi. 8.

2dly. The Lord shaketh a special strong hold in the garrison, a refuge of lies, to which the man betaketh himself when his sins are thus discovered to him. The poor man pretendeth to faith in Christ, whereby he thinks his burden is taken off him, as the Pharisees said, John viii. 41. "We have one father, even God;" they pretend to a special relation to God as a common Lord. The Spirit of God beats the man from this by the truth of the scriptures, proving that he hath no true faith, and so no interest in Christ, nor any true saving grace; shewing clear differences between true grace and the counterfeit fancies which the man hath in him; and between him and the truly godly, as Christ laboureth to do to those in John viii, 42. 44. "If God were your father, ye would love me. ye are of the devil, for ye do the lusts of such a father." So "fear surpriseth the hypocrite in heart, Isaiah xxxiii. 14.; especially when the Lord discovereth to him conditions, in many of these promises wherein he trusted most, not easily attainable he now seeth grace and faith another thing than once he judged them to be. We may in some respect apply that word here, "The spirit convinceth him of sin, because he

hath not believed on the Son:" he is particularly convinced of unbelief, John xvi. 9. he seeth now a huge distance between himself and the godly, who he thought before outstripped him only in some unnecessary, proud, hateful preciseness: he now seeth himself deluded, and in the broad way with the perishing multitude; and so, in this sight of his misery, coucheth down under his own burden, which, before this time, he thought Christ did bear for him: he now beginneth to be frightened at the promises, because of that and such other words, "What hast thou to do to take my covenant in thy mouth," &c. Psal. l. 16.

3dly. The man becometh careful about his salvation, and beginneth to take it to heart, as the one thing necessary; he is brought to this with the jailer, Acts xvi. 30. "What shall I do to be saved? His salvation becometh the leading thing with him. It was least in his thoughts before, but now it prevaileth, and other things are much disregarded by him. Since his soul is ready to perish, "what shall it profit him to gain the world, if he lose his soul??? Matth. xvi. 26. Some here are much puzzled with the thoughts of an irrevocable decree to their prejudice, and with the fears of uncertain death, which may attack them before they get matters brought to a point; and some are vexed with apprehensions that they are guilty of the sin against the Holy Ghost, which is unpardonable, and so are driven a dangerous length, Satan still casting up to them many sad examples of people who have dolefully put an end to their own exercise but they are in the hand of one who "knoweth how to succour them that are tempted," Heb. ii. 18.