Page:Saints' duty in evil times (1).pdf/7

 which the Holy Ghost, by the mouth of John, forbids, Second Epistle of John, 10 verse) Quit the putting the sword in God’s enemies’ hands, and come: ye who have given bonds to the adversary, break your ‘covenant with hell and death,’ and come; break your sworn allegiance to the devil, and come, and swear a new allegiance to Jesus Christ, and ye shall never rue it: ye who compear before their courts, and pay them fines, whereby, both ye acknowledge them robbers of God, and call your duty your sin, quit these courses and come ye, who go to the curates, leave these perjured blind guides and come; ye who go to the indulged, leave these traitors to God. Ye, who go to the backslidden silent ministers, leave these betrayers of the cause, and deserters of the cross of Christ, and come; leave all these and follow him, he is a true guide, and will be so unto you, ye who any ways seek or take the enemies’ protection, leave that and come; come to him, and ye shall find chambers indeed, both for safety and delight. All ye that are strangers to him come, ye that are in nature come, and ye that know him come. We must preach that word come, unto you, so long as ye are here, until ye be transplanted put of this spiritual warfare, into celestial triumph. O Sirs, come, come, ask what ye will, and he will give it; O come, come.

Now, it were requisite here to shew you, who it is that comes unto Christ, who it is that comes not; but it will come as fitly in the second thing which we have noticed in the words, and so we proceed unto it.

The second thing, ye know, was this, the persons invited, or the determination of the invitation ‘my people.’ These are they whom he invites to their chambers; his people, they who subscribe to the terms of his covenant, which is, ‘I will be your God, and ye shall be my people;’ they who make