These things proving ineffectual, God takes hold of his axe again, sends death to a wife, to a child, to his cattle.  I will blast him, cross him, disappoint him, cast him down; and will set myself against him in all that he putteth his hand unto.  At this the poor barren professor cries out again, Lord, I have sinned; spare me once more, I beseech thee.  O take not away the desire of mine eyes; spare my children, bless me in my labors, and I will mend and be better.  No, saith God, you lied to me last time, I will trust you in this no longer; and withal he tumbleth the wife, the child, the estate, into a grave.

At this the poor creature is afflicted and distressed, rends his clothes, and begins to call the breaking of his promise and vows to mind; he mourns and prays, and like Ahab, a while walks softly at the remembrance of the justness of the hand of God upon him.  And now he renews his promises:  Lord, try me this one time more, take off thy hand and see; they go far that never turn.  Well, God spareth him again, sets down his axe again:  “Many times he did deliver them, but they provoked him with their counsels, and were brought low for their iniquities.”  Now they seem to be thankful again, and are as if they resolved to be godly indeed.  Now they read, they pray, they go to meetings, and seem to be serious for a while; but at last they forget.  Their lusts prick them, suitable temptations present themselves; wherefore, they return to their own crooked ways again.

Yet again, the Lord will not leave this barren professor, Luke 13:  6-9, but will take up his axe again, and will put him under a more heart-searching ministry, a ministry that shall search him and turn him over and over—­a ministry that shall meet with him, as Elijah met with Ahab, in all his acts of wickedness:  and now the axe is laid to the roots of the tree.  Besides, this ministry doth not only search the heart, but presenteth the sinner with the golden rays of the glorious gospel:  now is Christ Jesus set forth evidently, now is grace displayed sweetly; now, now are the promises broken, like boxes of ointment, to the perfuming of the whole room.  But alas, there is yet no fruit on this fig-tree.  While his heart is searched, he wrangles; while the glorious grace of the gospel is unveiled, this professor wags and is wanton, gathers up some scraps thereof, tastes the good word of God and the power of the world to come, drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon him, but bringeth not forth fruit meet for him whose gospel it is; takes no heed to walk in the law of the Lord God of Israel with all his heart, but counteth that the glory of the gospel consisteth in talk and show, and that our obedience thereto is a matter of speculation—­that good works lie in good words, and if men can finely talk, they may think they bravely please God.  He thinks the kingdom of God consisteth only in word, not in power; and thus proves ineffectual this fourth means also.