Faith, Repentance and Prayer (Alexander Peden)

[Seeking_Thy_Kingdom]

Now, O ye people of God in Scotland, there are some of you looking me in the face to-day. I appeal to your consciences, whether this be true or not ? Well, what fruit is this that is called for ? Why, it is faith and repentance, love to God, and obedience to his revealed will, which many of you, yea the most part of you, are as great strangers to, as if ye had never heard the everlasting gospel preached unto you. Now, people of God, what are you doing when such dreadful wrath is at hand in Scotland this day ? He is not worth his room in Scotland this day, that prays not the half of his time, to see if he can prevent the dreadful wrath, that is at the door, coming on our poor mother land. O Sirs, ye must pray plowing, harrowing, shearing, and at all your other labour. Yea, when ye are eating and drinking, going out, and coming in, and at all your other employments. For there was never more need of them than now. O that noble life we must have of communion with God. O Sirs, it is he that makes heaven pleasant ; it is communion with God that makes heaven. Will ye long to be there, O people of God ?

Alexander Peden, sermon on Matthew 21:38.
A Collection of lectures and sermons, preached upon several subjects, mostly in the time of the late persecution

 

[Seeking_Thy_Kingdom]

A few choice excerpts from the same sermon:

A 4. Sort, that we must lay bye as dead folk are your graceless and profane folk, both old and young, ye abuse your time that should serve God in: Ye meet together, housefulls of you dancing and leaping through one another, young men and young women of you, with your graceless wanton mirth, and your lusts burning strong within you ; and ye think that ye have liberty to do this : Ye will be angry if we call you adulterers or fornicators : But God will account you such ; and if ye get not repentance, ye are as really serving the devil in your lusting, in these sinful courses. O Sirs, is this a time for such a work, when God is threatening to lay poor Scotland waste and desolate ? Ye should rather be mourning and crying to God for shelter in such a dreadful storm, and sad days he is about to bring on these apostate, backsliding, covenant-breaking lands. [...]

But for you the poor broken hearted followers of Christ to whom he hath given grace to follow him in the storm, I tell you grace is young glory : At your first conversion our Lord gives you the one end of the line ; but he keeps the other end in glory with himself: But, Sirs, he will have you all there at length. [...]

A christian that hath been a standing christian these forty years in an hour's time of a fiery trial, may be laid on his back, and made to deny. Christ : And this may make us all tremble, and be humbled before the Lord. God save you from a sudden surprising temptation of which there are many in our day in Scotland. But to the poor broken-hearted believer that resolves in his name and by his strength, to stand through the storm, I have news to tell you, Christ is as much bound to hold you up, so to speak, as ye are bound to suffer for hirn, when ye are called to it. [...]

But yet poor broken-hearted believers, as I said unto you before, it is not such a measure of holiness as that of Enoch, of Abraham, of Moses, of David, or any of these worthies that he seeks from you. It is holiness in design, and to close with the device of salvation in the gospel. And now take heed that you double your diligence, and fail not of the grace of God in this hour of darkness, that is come, and is further to come up on Scotland !