4, Sometimes Christ knocks with a thick succession of con- victions, a quick repetition of his calls. Some men have had thousands of convictions in a few years ; for in this case the Lord saith, as it is Exod. iv. 8. " If they will not hearken to the voice '' of the first sign, yet they may believe the voice of the latter '' sign."" And yet sometimes neither the former nor the latter avail any thing. " How oft would I have gathered thy children, *^ and ye would not ?^'' Mat. xxiii. 37. How often ? Intimating the many calls Christ gave Jerusalem to come unto him, yet all in vain. Obstinate sinners, Christ hath been knocking, and calling at some of your consciences, from your very childhood ; thousands of convictions have been tried upon some of you, and yet, to this day, your souls are shut fast against him. The Lord hath waited, from year to year, for your answer, by this signifying how loth he is to part with you ; such a time thou wast upon a sick-bed, nigh unto death; at such a time under such a sermon, and then Christ knocked at thy soul : if all this be in vain, so many convictions as you have stifled, so many faggots you carry with you to hell, to increase your flames, and torments. Yet commonly those quick repetitions, and redoublings of the strokes of convictions end well ; and it is a good sign, when one conviction revives another, and the Lord keeps the soul still waking. But O take heed, and try not his patience too long, lest the next stroke be more dreadful than all the former ; not to open your Hearts, but smite dead your hopes for heaven.
5. Sometimes Christ knocks inter mittingly^ knocking and stop- ping, a call and silence, and that at a considerable time and dis- tance : a conviction this day, and, it may be, not another in many months. There be some aged sinners that have not had more than one or two remarkable rousings of conscience in fifty or sixty years time, and then no more ; do not think that the Lord will make his Spirit always strive with men. Gen. vi. 3. no, there is a tinie when God saith to the word, convict the conscience of that
mail <ft woman Ho more^ not a stroke more by way of conviction, but henceforth be thou for obduration, not to open, but to shut him up, Isa. vi. 10. Reader, bethink thyself, how long was it since thy conscience was roused and awakened ? O saith one, seven or ten years ago I heard such a sermon which tore my conscience to pieces ; I fell under such a providence, which roused and awakened all my fears ; but since that time, all hath been still and quiet ; the Lord give a second awakening, lest you awake with the flames of God's wrath about you. I observe, it is usual, when God works upon any very early, he knocks thus intermittingly : now the con- science is active, and full of trouble, then the vanities of youth ex- tinguish these convictions again ; but tlie Lord follows his design, and at last the conviction settles, and ends in conversion.
6. Christ sometimes knocks with both hands at once^ with the word and with the rod together ; the latter in subserviency to the former ; and if ever the soul be like to open, it will open then, when ordinances and afflictions work together. The word smites the conscience with conviction, and at or about the same time pro- vidence smites the outward man with some affliction^ to make the word work effectually ; or, under some smart affliction, a suitable word is seasonably directed to the conscience : and thus juncta ju-^ vant, the one assisteth the other, and both together produce the desired effect. Thus the Lord wrought upon the Thessalonians^ 1 Thes. i. 6. " And ye became followers of us, and of the Lord^ " having received the word in much affliction." A child dies, an estate is lost, or a sickness seizeth at the time when conscience is prepared by a conviction from the word, or afflictions have prepared it for the word : tlie rod upon the back helps the word to work upon the heart, and if both these working in fellowship will not do the work, there is little hope that any thing will do it.
7. Every knock of Christ disturbs the sinful rest of the soul ; it rouseth guilt in the conscience, and puts the inner man into great distress and trouble. Before Christ comes and knocks at the door of the heart all is still and quiet within; the soul is in a quiet sleep of sinful security, no fears or troubles molest its rest. Luke xi. 21. *' When a strong man armed keepeth his palace, his goods are in " peace ; but when a stronger than he shall come upon him, and " overcome him, he taketh from him all his armour wherein he trust- " ed.'*' The armour which Satan puts into the hands of sinners, to de- fend themselves against the convictive strokes of the word^ are the general mercy of God, the outward duties of religion, partial reforma- tions, &c. But when Christ comes by effectual conviction, he disarms the sinner of all these pleas, and then the soul sees what broken reeds it leaned upon. " When the commandment came, (saith Paul) sin
" revived, and I died,*" Rom. vii. 9. i- e. all my vain hopes expired ; no artifice of Satan can any longer quiet the sinner's conscience ; he apprehends himself in a miserable condition, meditates an escape ; farewell now to sound and quiet sleep : no peace till out of danger.