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10. Laftly, Hence we may learn what to expect from ticular perfons, and what to look for alfo publickly, in the Church, and in the world. He that knoweth what man is, and what godly men are, but as well as I do, will hardly expect a concordant uniform building to be made of fuch difcordant and uneven materials; or that a fet of frings, which are all, or almost all out of tune, fhould make any harmonious melody; or that a number of Infant's thould conflitute an Army of valiant men; or that a company that can fearce fpell, or read, fhould conflitute a learned Academy? God muft make a change upon individual perfons, if ever he will make a great change in the Church. They must be more wife, and charitable, and peaceable Chriftians, who must make up that happy Church ftate, and fettle that amiable peace, and ferve God in that concordant harmony as all of us defire, vand fore expect.

THE

I CHA P. XI4.

How to use Faith against particular fins? >

..

HE moft that I have to fay of this, is to be gathered from what went before, about San&ification in the general. And becaufe I have been fo much longer than I intended, you must bear with my neceffary brevity in the reft.

Dired. 1. When temptation fetteth actual fin before you, or inward fin keeps up within, look well on God and fin together. Let Faith fee Gods Holiness and Justice, and all that Wifdom, Goodneß and Power, which fin defpifeth. And one fuch believing fight of God, is enough to make you look at fin, as at the Devil himself; as the moft ugly thing.

Direct. 2. Set fin and the Law of God together and then it will appear to be exceeding finful; and to be the crooked fruit of the tempting Serpent. You cannot know fin, but by the Law, Rom. 7. 14, &c.

Dired. 3. Set fin before the Cross of Cbrift: Let Faith fprinkle his blood upon it, and it will die and wither. See it fill as that which killed your Lord'; and that which pierced

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his tide, and hanged him up in fuch contempt; and put the gall and vinegar to his mouth.

Direct 4. Forget not the forrows and fears of your converfion (if you are indeed converted :). Or (if not) at least the forrows and fears which you must feel if ever you be converted. God doth purposely caft us into grief and terrours, for our former fins, that it may make us the more careful to fin no more, left worse befall us : If the pangs of the new birth were tharp and grievous to you, why will you again renew the cause, and drink of thofe bitter waters? Remember what a mad and fad condition you were in while you lived according to the flesh, and how plainly you faw it when your eyes were opened ? And would you be in the fame condition again? Would you be unfanctified, and unjuftified, and unpardoned, and unfaved? Every wilful fin is a turning backward, toward the fate of your former captivity and mifery.

Dire.. When Satan fets the bait before you, let Faith al waies fet Heaven and Hell before you, and take all together, the end with the beginning. And think when you are tempted to lye, to fteal, to deceive, to luft, to pride, to gulofity or drunkennefs, &c. what men are now fuffering for these fame fins ? and what all that are in Hell and in Heaven do think of them? Suppɔfe a man offered you a cup of wine, and a friend telleth you, I saw him put poifon into it, and therefore take heed what you do.] If the offerer were an enemy, you would hardly take it. The world, and the fish, and the devil, are enemies: when they offer you the delights of fin, hear Faith, and it will tell you, there is poifon in it; there is fin, and hell, and Gods difplcafure in it.

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Direc. 6. Let Faith keep you under the continual apprebenfions of the Divine Authority and Rule; that as a child, a fervant, a fcholar, a fubject, doth ftill know that he is not materlefs, but one that must be ruled by the will or Law of his Superiour; fo may you alwaies live with the yoak of Chrift upon your necks,and his bridle in your mouths: Remembring also that you are still in your Mafters eye.

Dire&. 7. Remember still that it is the work of Faith to overcome the world, and the flesh, and to over-rule your fenfe and appetites and to make nothing of all that would stand up, against

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your beavenly intereft, and to crucific it by the Cross of Christ Gal. 6. 14. & 5.24. Rom. 8.1, 9, 10, 13. Set Faith therefore upon its proper work; and when you live by Faith, and walk after the Spirit, you will not live by fight, nor walk after the felh, 2 Cor. 5.7.

Direct. 8. It is also the work of Faith to take off all the masks. of fin, and open its nakedness, and frame, and caft by all shifts, pretences, and excufes. When Satan faith, It is a little one, and: the danger is not great, and it will serve thy pleasure, profit, or preferment Faith fhould fay, Doth not God forbid it? There is no dallying with the fire of God: Be not deceived, man; God will not be mocked! Whatsoever a man soweth, that fhall be alfo reap: If you for to the flesh, of the fish you shall reap corruption, Gal, 6. When Satan faith, Ye shall not die: and when the finner with Adam hideth himself,Faith will call him out to Judgment,and say, What bast thou done? Haft thou eaten of the fruit which God forbade ?

Dirca. 9. Let Faith ftill keep you bufied in your Mafters work. Nothing breedeth and feedeth fin fo much as idleness of mind and life: Sins of omiffion have this double mischief, that they are the firft part of Satans game themselves, and they alfo bring in fins of commiffion. When men are not taken up with good, they are at leisure for temptations to intice them; and they fet open their doors to the tempter, and tell him he may fpeak with then when he will. Wanton thoughts, and covetous thoughts, may dwell there when better thoughts are abfent. But when you are fo wholly taken up with your du ty (fpiritual or corporil) and fo conftantly and industriously bufie in your proper work, fin cannot enter, nor Satan find you at leifure for his fervice.

Direct. 10. Let Faith make Gods service pleasant to you, and lofe not your delight in God and godliness, and then you will not rellish finful pleasures. You will find no need of fuch base delights, when you live on the foretaft of Angelical pleasures. You will not be cafily drawn to fteal a morsel of dung or poifon from the Devils table, while you daily feaft your fouls on Chrift: or to fteal the Onions of Egypt, when you dwell in a Land that floweth with milk and hony. But while you keep your felves in the wilderness, you will be tempted to look back Ggg?

back again to Egypt. The great caufe of mens finning, and yielding to the temptations of forbidden pleasures, is becaufe they are negligent to live upon the pleafures of Believers.

Direct. 11. Take bred of the beginnings, if ever you would efcape the fin. No man becometh ftark nought at the first hep. He that beginneth to take one pleasing unprofitable cup or bit, intendeth not drunkenness and gluttony in the groffeft sense: But he hath fet fire in the thatch, though he did not intend to burn his house; and it will be harder to quench it, than to have forborn at firft. He that beginneth but with lafcivious dalliance, fpeeches or embraces, thinketh not to proceed to filthy fornication: But he might better have fecured his conscience, if he had never medled so far with fin. Few ruinating damning fins, began any otherwife than with fuch small approaches, as feemed to have little harm or danger.

Direct. 12. If ever you will scape fin, keep off from Arong temptations and opportunities. He that will be ftill neer the fire or water, may be burnt or drowned at laft. No man is long fafe in the midst of danger, and at the next ftep to ruine. He that liveth in a Tavern or Ale-houfe, had need to be very averfe to tipling. And he that fitteth at Dives table, had need to be very averse to gulofity: And he that is in the leaft danger of the fire of luft, must keep at a fufficient diftance, not only from the bed, and from immodeft actions, but from fecret company and opportunities of fin, and from a licentious ungoverned eye and imagination. This caufed Chrift to fay, How hard it is for the Rich to be faved? because they have a ftronger fleshly intereft to keep them from Chrift and godliness, which muft be denyed, and because their fin hath plentiful provifion, and the fire of concupifcence wanteth no fewel, and it is a very cafie thing to them ftill to fin, and alwaies a hard thing to avoid it: And mans fluggish nature will hardly long either bold on in that which is hardly done, or forbear that which is ftill bard to forbear. Good must be made sweet and cafe to us, or elle we hall never be conftant in it.

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Direct. 13. If you find any difficulty in forfaking any disgraceful fin, cherish it not by fecrecy, but 1. Plainly confeß it to your befom friend: And 2. If that will not ferve, to others alfo, that you may have the greater engagements to forbear.

I know wisdom muft be used in fuch confellions, and they must be avoided when the hurt will prove greater than the good. But fleshly wifdom must be no councellor, and Ashly intereft muft not prevail. Secrecy is the net of fin, where it is kept warm, and hidden from difgrace: Turn it out of this neft, and it will thd fooner perish. Gods eye and knowledge fhould ferveturn: but when it will not, let man know it allo, and turn one fin against another, and let the love of Reputation help to fubdue the love of Luft. Opening a fin (yea or aftrong temptation to a fin) doth lay an engagement in point of common credit in the world, upon them that were before under. the divine engagements only. It will be a double fhame to fin when once it's known. And as Chrift fpeaketh of a right hand, or eye, so may I of your honour in this cafe, it is better, go to Heaven with the fhame of a penitent confeffion, than to keep your honour till you are in Hell. The lofs of mens good opinion is an cafic price, to prevent the loss of your falvation, Prov. 28.13. He that covereth bus fins fhall not profper; but whofo confiffeth and forsaketh them shall have mercy. So 1 John 1, 9, 10. James 5.15, 16.

Direct. 14. Epecially take heed of beinous fins, called mortal, because inconfiftent with fincerity.

Direct. 15. And take beed of those fins which your felves or others that fear God are in greatest danger of: Of which I will Speak a little more diftin&tly.

CHAP. XIII.

What fins the best should most watchfully avoid ? and wherein the infirmities of the upright differ from mortal fins ?

Queft. W danger of ? and where must shey fet the strong

Hat fins are religious people who fear fin, most in

eft watch?

Anf. 1. They are much in danger of thofe fins, the tem ptations to which are neer, and importunate, and constant, and for which they have the greatest opportunities: They have fenfes and appetites as well as others: And if the bait be great, and

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