"
7. But after this, perhaps the soul grows cold again; it also
forgets the grace received, and waxes carnal; begins again to hanker
after the world; loseth the life and savor of heavenly things;
grieves the Spirit of God; wofully backslides; casteth off closet
duties quite, or else retains only the formality of them; is a
reproach to religion, and grieves the heart of them that are awake
and tender of God's name.
But what will God now do? Will he take this advantage to destroy the
sinner? No. Will he let him alone in his apostasy? No. Will he leave
him to recover himself by the strength of his now languishing grace?
No. What then? Why, he will seek this man out till he finds him, and
bring him home to himself again: "For thus saith the Lord God,
Behold I, even I, will both search my sheep, and seek them out, as a
shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day that he is among the sheep
that are scattered; so will I seek out my sheep, and will deliver
them out of all places where they have been scattered. I will seek
that which was lost, and bring again that which was driven away; I
will bind up that which was broken, and will strengthen that which
was sick." Ezek. 34:11-16.
Of God's ordinary way of fetching the backslider home I will not now
discourse; namely, whether he always breaketh his bones for his
sins, as he broke David's, or whether he will all the days of his
life for this leave him under guilt and darkness; or whether he will
kill him now, that he may not be condemned in the day of judgment,
as he dealt with them at Corinth.
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