Religion & morality > Human nature in its four-fold state ... in several practical discourses

518 Signs of ChriJTs State III,
Souls, in coming to Chrift : 1'hey come heartily;
and freely, as drawn with loving Kindnefs, Jen
xxxi. 3. 'X’hy People Jhall be willing in the Day of]
thy Power, Pfal. cx. 3. i. e. free, ready, open heart-.
ed, giving themfelves to thee as Free-will-offerings.
When the Bridegroom has the Bride’s Heart, ’tis a
right Marriage : But fome give their Hand to :
Chrift, who give him not their Heart. They that
are only driven to Chrift by terror, will furely
leave him again, when that Terror is gone. Ter¬
rors may break a Heart of Stone; but the Pieces
into which it is broken, ftill continue to be Stone:
The Terrors cannot foften it into a Heart of Flefh.
Yet Terror may begin the Work which Low crowns.
ttbe firong Wind, the Earthquake, and the Fire
going before; the fill [mail Voice, in which the
Lord is, may come after them. When the blefled
Jefus is Peeking Sinners to match with him, they
are bold and perverfe: They will not fpeak with
him, till he hath wounded them, made them Cap¬
tives, and bound them with the Cords of Death.
When this is done, then it is that he makes Love
to them, and wins their Hearts. The Lord tells
us, Hof ii. 16,— 20. That his chofen Jfrael fhall
be married unto himfelf. But how will the Bride’s
Confent be won ? Why, in the firft Place, he’ll
bring her into the IVildernefs, as he did the People
when he brought them out of Egypt,Vcr. 14. There
fhe will be hardly dealt with, fcorcht with Thirft,
and bitten of Serpents: And then he’ll fpeak com¬
fortably to her, or as the Expreffion is, he’ll fpeak
upon her Heart. The Sinner is firft driven, and
then drawn to Chrift. It is with the Soul as with
Hoati’s Dove; ftie was forced back again to the Ark,
becaufe Ihe eould find nothing elfe to reft upon :
But