bition, or any fin which is a poffelling of the heart inftead of -God, 1 John 2. 15. James 3.2. Though fome remainders of thefe are in him, they prevail not fo far as fudden paffions.

5. There are fome fins which are more cafily in the power of the will, fo that a man that is but truly willing, may forbear them; as a drunkard may pafs by the Tavern or Alehoufe, or forbear to touch the cup; and the fornicator to come neer, or commit the fin, if they be truly willing: But there be other fins which a man can hardly forbear though be be willing, because they are the fins of thofe faculties over. which the will hath not a defpotical power: As a man may be truly willing to have no fluggishness, beaviness, flepinefs at prayer, no forgetfulness, no wandering thoughts, no inordinate appetite or luft at all tirring in him, no fudden paffions of anger, grief or fear; he may be willing to love God perfedly, to fear him and obey him perfectly, but cannot, Thefe latter are the ordinary infirmities of the godly: The former fort are, if at all, his extraordinary falls, Rom. 7. 14. to the end.

6. Lastly, The true Chriftian vifeth by unfeigned Repentance, when his confcience hath but leifure and helps to deliberate, and to bethink him what he hath done. And his Repentance much better refolveth and firengtheneth him againft his fin for the time to come.

To fumm up all; 1. Sin more loved than hated. 2. Sin wilfully lived in, which might be avoided by the fincerely 3. Sin made light of, and

when it is committed. 4. And any ot truly repented of

fin with habitusl Love to God, in predominancy, is mertal, or a fign of spiritual death, and none of the fins of fan&ified Be lievers.

I.

CHAP. XIV.

How to live by Faith in Prosperity.

HE work of Faith in refpect of Profperity, is twofold: 1. To fave us from the danger of it. 2. To help as to a fan&tified improvement of it.

1. And for the firft, that which Faith doth, is especially, 1. To fee deeper and further into the nature of all things in the world, than fenfe can do, 2 Cor. 4. 17,18. 1 Cor. 7. 29, 30, 31. To fee that they were never intended for our Reft or portion, but to be our wilderness provifion in our way. To forefce juft how the world will ufe us, and leave us at the laft, and to: have the very fame thoughts of it now, as we forelee that we fhall have when the end is come, and when we have had all that ever the world will do for us. It is the work of Faith, to cause a man to judge of the world, and all its glory, as we fhall do when death and judgment come, and have taken off the mask of fplendid names, and fhews, and flatteries: that we may use the world as if we ufed it not, and poffels it as if we poffeft it not, because its fafhion doth pals away. It is the work of Faith to crucifie the world to by the Crofs of Chrift, Gal. 6. 14. that we may look on it as us, and us to the world difdainfully as the world looked upon Chrift, when he hanged as forfaken on the Crofs. That when it is dead, it may have no power on us, and when we are dead to it, we may have no inordinate love, or care, or thoughts, or fears, or grick, or labour to lay out upon it. It is the work of Faith eo make all worldly pomp and glory, to be to us but lofs, and dro/s, and dung, in comparifon of Chrift, and the righteoufnefs of Faith, Pbil. 3. 7, 8, 9. And then no man will part with Heaven for dung, nor fet his God below his dung, nor further from his hearts nor will he feel any great power in temptations to ho nour, wealth or pleafure, if really he count them all but dung; nor will he wound his confcience, or betray his peace, or caft away his innocency for them.

2. Faith fheweth the foul thofe fare, and great, and gloriou things, which are infinitely more worthy of our love and

labour.

labour. And this is its higheft and most proper work, Heb.11. It conquereth Earth by opening Heaven; and fhewing it us as fure, and clear, and near. And no man will dote on this deceitful world, till he have turned away, bis eyes from God; and till Heaven be out of his fight and heart. Faith faith, I must fhortly be with Chrift; and what then are thefe dying things to me? I have better things, which God that cannot lye hath promifed me with Chrift, Titus 1.2. Heb. 6.18. Hook every day when I am called in. The Judge flandeth before the door, James 5.9. The Lord in at bend, Paul. 4. 5. And the end of all thefe things is at band, 1 Pet, 4,7. And thall I fet my heart on that which is not?

Therefore when the world doth fmile and flatter, faith fet teth Heaven against all that it can fay or offer. And what is the world when Heaven ftands by? Faith feeth what the bleffed fouls above poffefs, at the fame time while the world is alluring us to forfake it, Luke 16. Heb 11 & 1201,2, &c Faith fetteth the heart upon the things above, as our concernment, our only hope and happiness; It kindleth that Love of God in the foul, and that delight in higher things, which powerfully quencheth worldly love, and mortifieth all our carnal pleafures, Matth. 6. 20.21.Col. 3. 1,2,3,4. Rom. 8.5,6,7.* Phil. 30. 20, 21.

3. Faith fheweth the foul those wants and miferies in it self, which nothing in the world is able to fupply and cure. Nay, fuch as the world is apter to increafe. It is not gold that will quench his thirst, who longs for pardon, grace and glory. A gul y confcience, a finful and condemned foul will never be cured by riches, or high places, by pride, or Al.hly sports and plealures, James 5. 1, 2, 3. This humbling work is nothin

vain.

4. Faith looketh to Chrift, who hath overcome the world, and carefully treadeth in his &:ps, John 16.33. Heb.12.2, 3.4.5. It looketh to his perfon, his birth, his life, his cross, his grave, and his refurrection: to all that firange example of contempt of worldly things which he gave us from his manger, to his fhameful kind of death. And he that studieth the Life of Christ, will either defpife the world, or him He will either vilifie the world in imitation of his Lord, or vilific Chrift for the pleaHhh 3

fures

fures of the world. Faith hath in this warfare, the fureft and most onourable guide,the ablett Captain, and the most powerful example in all the world. Andit hath with Chrift an unerring Rule, which furnifheth him with armour for every ufe. Yea it hath through him a promife of Victory before it be attained fo that in the beginning of the fight, it knows the end, Rom. 16.20. John 16.33 It goeth to Chrift for that Spirit which is our Breng h, Ephef. 6. 10. Col. 2 7. And by that it mortifieth the defires of the fleth: and when the flesh is mortified, the world is conquered for it is loved only as it is the prov.fion of the Al. th.

5. Moreover, Faith doth obferve Gods particular Providence, who diftributeth his talents to every man as he pleafeth; and difpofeth of their eftates and comforts: fo that the Race is not to the swift, nor the Victory to the ftrong, nor Riches to men of understanding, Ecclef. 9.11.

A

Ther.fore it convincerh us, that our lives, and all being in bu band, it is our wifdom to make it our chiefeft care to ufe all fo as is moft pleafing unto him, 2 Cor.5 8.It forefeeth alfothe day of Judgment, and teacheth us to use our profperity and wealth, as we defire to hear of it in the day of our accounts. Faith is a provident and a vigilant grace; and ufeth to ask when we have any thing in may poffeffion, which way I make the best advantage of it for my foul? which way will be moft comfortable to me in my laft review? how fhall I wish that I had used my time, my wealth, my power, when time is at an end, and all the fe tranfitory things are vanished?

6. And Fanb doth so abfolutely devote and subject the foul to God, that it will fuffer us to do nothing (fo far as it prevaileth) but what is for him, and by bis confent. It telleth us that we are not our own, but bi; and that we have nothing but what we have received: and that we must be just in giving God his own: and therefore it firft asketh, which way may I belt ferve and honour God with all that he hath given me? Not only with my fubftance, and the first fruiss of mine increase, but with all, 1 Cor. 10. 31. When Love and devotion hath de1.vered up our felves entirely to God, it keeps nothing back,but delivereth him all things with our felves; even as Chrift with bimself doth give us all things, Rom. 8. 32. And Faith doth fo

much

much fuijed the foul to God, that it maketh us like fervants and children, that use not their Masters or Parents goods at their own pleafure, but ask him fit, how he would have us ufe them, Lord, wbut wouldst thou bave me to do? is one of the firft words of a converted foul, Acts 9: 6. In a word, Faith writeth out that charge upon the heart, 1 John 2.15. Love not the world, nor the things that are in the world (the lust of the flesh, the luft of the eyes, and pride of life.) For if any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. Le cannot ferve God and Mammon.

But on this fubje& Mr. Alleine hath faid fo much in his excellent Book of the Victory of Faith over the world, that I fhall at this time say no more.air

The Directions which I would give you in general, for prefervation from the danger of profperity by Faith, are these that follow.

Direc, 1. Remember Atill that the common cause of mens· damnation is their Love of this world more than God and Heaven; and that the world cannot undo you any other way, but by tempting you to over love it, and to undervalue bigher things And therefore that is the most dangerous condition, which maketh the world feem molt pleafing, and most lovely to us. And can you believe this, and yet be fo eager to be humoured, and to have all things fitted to your pleasure and defires? Mark here what a task Faith hath? and mark what the work of self-denyal is ? ~ The worldling must be pleased; the Believer mutt be faved. The worldling must have his fler and fancy gratified: the Believer muft have Heaven fecured, and God obeyed. Men fell not their fouls for forrow, but for mirth: They forfake not Heaven for poverty, but for riches: they turn not away from God for the love of fufferings and difhonour, but for the love of pleasure, preferments, dignities and eftimation in the world. And is that ffate better and more defirable, for which all that perifh-turn from God, and fell their fouls, and are befooled and undone for ever? Or that which no man ever finned for, nor forfook God for, or was undone for? Read over this question, once and again, and mark what answer your hearts give to it, if

!

you.