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are loth to lose their fouls, yet loth alfo to lose their idols. Hence they must do fomething for each of them.-In this case there is this

REMEDY:-Mortify your lufts, that you may trample on them, and follow the light: Col. iii. 5. "Mortify, therefore, your members which are upon the earth," &c. Prune off these fuckers, that ye may have a thriving foul. Deny their cravings, that ye may weaken and starve them. And that

ye may be enabled to do this, let your confcience. and your heart both together take up their reft in Chrift by faith. Know, O finner! there is enough in Chrift for the boundless defires of thy heart, as well as for the cravings of thy conscience: Cant. v. 16. "His mouth is moft fweet; yea, he is altogether lovely." Col. ii. 9. 10. For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power.' -Here fome may

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(1.) How can that be? for, alas! there are many defires in my wretched heart, that are of fuch a carnal fort, that there can be nothing in Christ for them. Anfw. Our Lord fatisfies the defires of poor finners, by enlarging fuch of them as are holy, fulfilling these, and extinguishing others of them that are unholy: Pfal. lxxxi. 10. "I am the Lord thy God, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt: Open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it." Though thou canst not have in Chrift the unworthy thing thy false heart defireth, thou shalt have in him what is a thousand times more defirable; and then the defire of that thing will die away. None complains of the want of candles while the fun fhines into the room, for that more than supplies the want of them all; and none will cry, "Who will fhew us any good?"

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when the Lord" lifts up upon them the light of his countenance." A child may be fond of his rattle, and will not part with it; but put a more pleafing thing in his hand, and he will immediately let it go Matth. xiii. 44. " The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hid in a field, the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and felleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field."-Another may inquire,

(2.) What way fhall I take to get Christ to fill my heart? The anfwer, in a word, is, BELIEVE. What fhall we believe?

[1] Believe that there is a complete fulness in Chrift, fufficient to fatisfy the boundless defires of your hearts: Col. ii. 19. " Holding the head, from which all the body, by joints and bands, having nourishment ministered, and knit together, increaseth with the increafe of God," He is infinite in perfections; and whatever is defirable in all the creation, is eminently in him as the fountain of all.

[2.] Believe that he, with all his fulness, is offered to you, in the way of exchange with all your lufts and idols. Sincerely consent to the exchange. There is a fuil Chrift before you; and the luft of the eyes, the luft of the flesh, and the pride of life, are with you. Give up with thefe as exprefsly and folemnly as ye can, and take Christ in their room; believing there fhall be no miffing of them, and looking for the heart-fatisfaction in him ye used to seek in them. And believe it is a bargain unalterable for eternity: Matth. xiii. 45.46. Pfal. lxxiii. 25. " Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I defire befides thee.-God is the ftrength of my heart, and my portion for ever."

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[3] When your lufts come back, offering to entertain you as formerly, believe ye have in Chrift what is a thoufand times better: Pfal. lxxxiv. x. "For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand." Say in your fouls, as the olive, Jud. ix. . Shall I come down from bread, and lie down to eat hufks? Shall I leave the milk and honey, and fill my mouth with gravel-ftones? If the luft of Vanity fay, There is gaiety and finery, the eyes of beholders are fixed on thee. Let the foul fay, But I have in Christ a never-fading beauty, glorious robes of unspotted righteousness, Christ's love and his Father's, &c. that is folid and substantial, not to be exchanged for the airy nothings of the world's vanity. If the lufst of Covetoufness fay, There is a good prize to be had by a very little ftretch, let the foul fay, But I have riches in Chrift, and that without any sting, durable riches and righteousness.

[3.] Another courfe of this walking is, men's touching but very lightly on religion in its turn, but digging deep in their lufts in their turn: Pfal. lxxviii. 18." And they tempted God in their heart, by afking meat for their lufts." Ver. 36. "Nevertheless, they did flatter him with their mouth, and they lied unto him with their tongues." They are as it were in jeft in the former, but in deep earneft in the latter; they fwim like feathers in the waters of the fanctuary, but fink as lead in the mighty waters of their corrupt affections.

In this cafe, I propofe this remedy :-Labour to be experimental Chriftians: Pfal. xxxiv. 8, "O tafte and fee that the Lord is good." A tafte of the tranfcendent goodness of God, the hidden excellency of religion, would hold you faft to the right fide: John, iv. 10. "Jefus answered, and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and VOL. II.

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who it is that faith to thee, Give me to drink, thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water." O then prefs eagerly into the inner court of religion; there are beauties there that will arrest your heart. Labour that you may have your hearts in every duty; break through the fhell, till ye come to the kernel. Once make religion your business, it will foon fill your hands, as well as your hearts.-I fhall only mention,

4. Another cause of this walking. They would fain be at heaven, but have no heart for the rugged way to it: Mark, x. 21. "Then Jefus beholding him, loved him, and faid unto him, One thing thou lackeft; go thy way, fell whatsoever thou haft, and give to the poor, and thou fhalt have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow me. And he was fad at that saying, and went away grieved; for he had great poffeffions." The fluggard loves the gold, but will not dig for it.

In this cafe the remedy is, to put on a refolution, a peremptory refolution for God, to cleave to him at any rate, and to pass through the wilderness to the heavenly Canaan, coft what it will: Numb. xiv. 24. "But my fervant Caleb, because he had another fpirit with him, and hath followed me fully, him will I bring into the land whereinto he went; and his feed fhall poffefs it." There ye may be, there ye must be, else you are ruined. And there are two things, as to which I would caution

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(1.) Have you not got that victory over your idols you were expecting? Do not give over, but refolutely continue the ftruggle, looking to the Lord for strength to accomplish that in which you have engaged Rom. xvi. 20. "And the God of peace fhall bruise Satan under your feet fhortly." Have you come to Chrift's door, though you apprehend

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you have got nothing yet? Be peremptorily refolved you will not go back to the door of your lufts, but hang on at his, though you should die at it, and you shall find, as in Cant. iii. 4. "It was but little that I paffed from them, but I found him whom my foul loveth."

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(2.) Have you got your feet on the necks of your idols? Pray, do not think the war is over, or that the Egyptian purfuers, who have been fometimes heavy on you, that you will fee them no more; No, no; the broken forces of corruption will rally again, and the newly-baffled idols will lift up their heads; therefore be on your watch, and prepare to renew the battle.

IV. I AM now to make fome improvement, which for the prefent fhall only be in an use of exhortation.

Beware of wavering, and study to be stable Chriftians.--To enforce this, confider,

1. That ftability is the ground of fruitfulness : Pfal. i. 3. "And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his feafon; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doth fhall profper. The ungodly are not fo, but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away." A tree, after being lifted, and planted fometimes here, fometimes there, cannot be fruitful: The rolling-ftone gathers no fog.' Unstable as water, can never prevail. Doubts, fears, and drynefs in the foul's cafe, is a neceffary confequence of unfettlednefs.--Confider,

2. That stability is the beginning of comfortable experiences in religion. We cannot think to thrive in a trade, till we fettle to it. A fool is always beginning, leaves off, begins again, and fo on; he never brings any thing to perfection.-Confider, 3. That

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