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to do these Evils, that he fays are pardoned? Who puts away the Evils of these Doings, the Guilt whereof, he thinks God hath put away? Could ye find in your Hearts to intertain thofe Evils fo familiarly, to pour out your Souls unto them, if that Peace of God were indeed spoken unto you? Would not the Reflex of his Love prove more constraining on your Hearts? Were it poffible, that if ye did indeed confider, that your Lufts coft Chrift a dear Price to fhed his Blood, that your Pleasures made his Soul heavy to Death, and that he hath laid down his Life to ransom you from Hell; were it poffible, I fay, that ye would live still in these Lufts, and choose these Pleasures of Sin, which were fo bitter to our Lord Jefus? I beseech you be not deceived, if ye love the Puddle ftill, that ye cannot live out of it, do not say that ye are washed. Ye may have wafhen yourselves with Sope and Nitre, but the Blood of Chrift hath not cleanfed: For, if that Blood fprinkled your Confcience once, to give you an Answer to all Challenges, it could not but fend forth Streams to purify the Heart, and fo the whole Man. The Blood and Water might be joined, the juftifying Saviour, and the fanctifying Spirit; for both thefe are in this Gofpel Wathing, 1 Cor. vi. 1 John v..6. This is he that came by Water and Blood, even Jefus Chrift, not by Water only, but by Water and Blood. Not by Water only, but by Blood alfo, and I fay, not by Blood only, but by Water alfo. The very Purpose of Forgiveness, is not to lay a Foundation for more Sin, but that Men may fin no more, but break of their Sins. It is indeed impoffible for a Man to amend his Ways, till he be pardoned, for his Sin ftands betwixt him

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and God; God is a confuming Fire, the Guilt of it hinders all meeting of the Sout with God, at least, all Influence from him: But when an open Door is made in Chrift, that Men may come and treat with God, notwithstanding of Rebellions, and have the Curfe relaxed: O how may he go about his Duty comfortably. Am I escaped from Hell, why should I any more walk in the Way to it? And now he hath the Spirit given for the asking. There are fome Ceffations from Sin, that are not real Forfakings of it, and Ceafings from it: You know Men will abftain from eating for a Season, that they may be made ripe for it another Time: Some do not ceafe from Sin, but delays it only; they put it not away, but put it off only for another Time, till a fitter Occafion and Opportunity. And this is fo far from ceafing from it, that it is rather a deliberate Choice of it, and Election of Conveniency for it: There may be fome pure and fimple Ceafings from Sin, mere Abftinence, or rather mere Absence of Sin for a Seafon, that is not ceafing from doing Evil. The Chriftian's Cealing hath much Action in it: It is fuch a ceafing from doing Evil, that it is a putting away of Evil; it hath the Soul and Spirit joined in that Ceffation. Sin requires Violence to put it out where it hath haunted, it is an intruding Gueft, and an ufurping Guest: It comes in firft as a Supplicant and Beggar, prays for a little Lodging for a Night, and promifes to be gone; the Temptation fpeaks but for a little Time, even the prefent Time, for a little one, it feeks but little at firft, leaft it be denied; but if once it be received into the Soul, it prefently becomes Mafter, and can com mand its own Time, and its Abode: Then ye will not fo easily put it out,

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as ye could hold it out, for it is now joined with that wicked, defperate Party within you, the Heart, and these united Fores are too ftrong for you. According as a Luft is one with a Man's Heart, or hath nearer Connection with his Heart and Soul, it is the worse to put away: For, will ye drive a Man from himself, it is the cutting off a right Hand, or plucking out of a right Eye. To make a Man cease from fuch Evils, it requires that a stronger Power be within him, than is in the World. Men may ceafe for a Time, for Want of Occafions or Temptations to fin; when there is no active Principle in them, reftraining or keeping their Soul from fuch Sins as appears after, when no fooner Occafion is offered, but they run as the Horse to his Courfe, or the Stone falleth downward, they conceive Fire as eafily as dry Stubble: That is not Chriftian ceafing, which is that which the Soul argues itself to, from Grounds of the Gofpel. Should I who am dead to Sin, live any longer therein? This is a Principle of Ceffation, and this is true Liberty, when the Soul can abstain from ⚫ prefent Temptations, upon fuch Grounds and Perfwafions of the Gospel; then it is really above itself, and above the World, then hath it that true Victory. Many Men ceafe only from Sin, because Sin ceases from them, they have not left it, but it hath left them. The old Man thinks himself a changed Man, because he wallows not in the Lufts of the Eleh, as in his Youth.. But alas, no Thanks to him for that, he hath not ceafed from his Lufts: But Temptations to him, or Power and Ability in him to follow them hath ceafed, there is no Change in his Spirit within, for he can talk of his former Sins with Pleafure,

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more fuitable to his Age. he continues in other Evils as bad, but In a Word, his Body, and Occafions offering as behe is fo inwardly, that if he were in fore, he would be just the fame. Some, again, ceafe from fome Evils, from fome Principles, but alas, they are no Chriftian Principles. What reftrams the MulIs it any Thing but Affectation of a good titude of Civilians from grofs Scandals ? Name and Report in the World? Is it it not because poffibly they have no not Fear of Reproach or Cenfure? Is particular Inclination to fuch Evils? And yet there are many other Evils of the Heat as Evil, tho' more fubtile, that they please themselves in, as Pride, Covetoufnefs, Malice, Envy, Ambition, &c. What thall all your Abftinence be accounted of, when it is not Love to Jefus Chrift, or Hatred of Sin that principles it? It is not the outward Abftinence that wil commend you: Such it is, as the Principles of it are. And thefe only are the true Chriftian Principles of Morti fication, Love of Jefus Chrift, which contrains Men to live no more to themfelves, but to be new Creatures, 1 Cor. v. 14, 15. and Hatred of Sin in its Nature as Sin: A Christian should have a mortal Hatred at it, as his mortal Enemy. It is not Chriftianity to abstain from fome fleshly Lus, if ye confider them not as your Soul's Enemies, 1 Pet. ii. 11. vil, Pfal. xcvii. 10. These are chained Ye that love the Lord, bate Etogether. David's Hatred was a Soul Hatred, an Abhorency, Pfal. cxix. 163. I bate and abbor lying; it is like the natural Antipathies, that are among Creafon of it, but the Nature of it alfo. tures: The Soul hates not only the Perftantiate; but Christian Hatred is a Hat Men often hate Sin, only as it is circum

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red of the Nature, like the deadly Feuds, which are Enmities against the Kind and Name. I will put Enmity between tby Seed, &c. It is a perfect Hatred, Pfal. cxxxix. 22. And fo it cannot endure any Sin, because all is contrary to God's Holiness, and offenfive to his Spirit. I would think it easier to forfake all Evil, and ceafe from doing any Evil, I mean prefumptuously, with a willing Mind and Endeavour, than indeed to forfake one; for as long as ye entertain fo many Lufts like it, they fhall make Way for it. It were easier to keep the whole Commandments in an evangelical Senfe, than indeed to keep any one, for all of them help another, and fubfift they cannot one without another, fo that ye take a foolish Course, who go about particular Reformations. Ye fcandalous Sinners profefs that ye will amend the particular Fault ye are guilty of, and in the mean Time, ye take no heed to your Souls and Lives; therefore it fhall be either in vain, or not acceptable: How pleafant a Life would Chriftians have, if they would indeed be perfwaded to. be altogether Chriftians; the halfing of it neither pleaseth God nor delights you; it keeps you but in continual Torment between God and Baal: Your own Lufts

ufurp over you, and that of Christ in you challenges the Supremacy; fo ye are as Men under two Mafters, each striving for the Place, and were it not better to be under one fettled Government? If there be any Tenderness of God in your Hearts, or Light in your Consciences, they cannot but testify against your Lusts, thefe ftrange Lords; your Lufts again, they drive you on against your Confcience; thus ye are divided and tormented betwixt two, your own Confcience and Affections. You have thus the Pain of Religion, and know not the true Pleasure of it: You are marred in the Pleasures of Sin, Conscience and the Love of God is a Worin to eat that Gourd, it is Gall and Vinegar mixed in with them. Were it not more Wisdom, to be either one Thing or another. If ye will have the Pleasures of Sin for a Season, take them wholly, and renounce God, and fee if your Heart can endure that. If your Heart cannot condefcend to that, I pray you renounce them wholly, and ye fhall find more exquifite and fure Pleasures in Godliness, at his Right-hand. O what a noble Entertainment hath the Soul in God; the Peace and Joy of the Holy Ghoft is a Kingdom indeed.

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Ifa. xxvi. 3. Thou shalt keep him in perfed Peace, whofe Mind is ftayed on thee, because he trufteth in thee.

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LL Men love to have Privileges above others. Every one is upon the Defign and Search after fome Wellbeing, fince Adam loft that which was true Happiness: We all agree upon the general Notion of it, but prefently Men divide in the following of Particulars. Here all Men united in feeking after fome Good, fomething to fatisfy their Souls, and fatiate their Defires. Nay, but they scatter prefently in the Profecution of it, because, according to every Man's Fancy and corrupt Humour, they attribute that Good unto diverfe Things; and when they meet with Difappointment, they change their Opinion of that, but are made no wifer, for they turn from one to another of that fame Kind, in which their Imagination hath fuppofed Bleffedness to be; and therefore, they will return to that which they first loathed and rejected. Is there then no fuch Thing in, the World as Bleffednefs? Is it not to be found among Men? Are all Men's unfatiable Defires in vain? Is a Creature made up and compofed of Defires, to keep it in continual Torment and Vexation of Spirit? No certainly, it is, and it is found by fome; all the World Arive about it, but the Man only who

trufts and believes in God, he it is who carries it away from them, who hath this Privilege beyond the World. And why do fo many mifs it? Because they do not fee nor fufpect that it is Bleffednefs indeed which he enjoys: But on the contrary, their corrupted Imaginations reprefent Godlinefs, and a godly Man's Self-indigency and Dependence on God, as the greatest Mifery and Shame. The godly Man hides not his Bleffednefs from the World; no, he proclaims it when he hath found it; he would that all enjoyed it with him. And if there were no more to declare, that it doth not confift in worldly Things, this might fuffice; they are not communicable to many, without the Prejudice and Lofs of every one. But none will believe his Report of his own Estate.

If ye would confider, here is that which Men toil for, compass Sea and Land for, here it is, near thee in thy Mouth: It is not in Heaven, that thou fhould fay, How shall I afcend to it? It is not in Hell below, that thou shouldeft fay, Who fball defcend? Is it not in the Ends of the Earth; no, it is near thee, in thy Mouth: It is not be yond the Sea, but it is near in thy

Mouth,

Trouble to gain our Peace, he behoved to undergo Mifery, to purchase our Blef fednefs, and fo it is his own, and whofo receives him, receives it also.

The News of fuch a Peace might be feasonable in the Time of War and Trouble, if we apprehended our Need It is not a Peace from War of it. and Trouble, but a Peace in War and Trouble. My Peace I leave you, in the World ye fhall bave Trouble, Jobn xiv. 27. and xvi. at the End. What a bleffed Meffage is it, that there isa Peace, and a perfect Peace attainable in the Midst of Wars, Confufions and Ca

Mouth, even the Word of Faith, which Chrift preached, Rom. x. 6, 7, 8. And what fays that Word? Believe with tby Heart, and thou shalt be faved; truft in God, and depend on him, and ye ball bave Peace, and that perfect Peace; and this Peace fhall be kept by God hin.felf. Blessed then is the Man that trufts in the Lord, Pfal. xl. 4. Ye make a long Journey in vain, ye fpend your Labour and Money in vain, all the Pains might be faved, it is not where ye feek it; ye travel about many Creatures, ye go to many Doors, and enquire for Happiness and Peace, but ye go too far off, ye need not fearch folamities of the Times, publick and permany Coafts, it is nearer Hand, in this Word of the Gofpel, the joyful Sound; it is this that proclaims Peace. Peace is a comprehenfive Word, especially in Scripture. It was the Jews Salutation, Peace be to you, meaning Happiness and all good Things: It is Chrift's SaluGrace is Hotation, Grace and Peace. linefs, Peace is Happiness, and these are either one, or infeparably conjoined as This was the Angel's Song, Glory to God, Peace on Earth, Luke ii. 14. Bleffedness was reftored, or brought near to be restored, to miferable Man by Jefus Chrift, and upon the Apprehenfion of this, Angels fing. It was this Chrift came into the World with, and when he went away, he left this Legacy to his Children, My Peace I leave you, John We loft Happinefs, and all Men are on a vain Pursuit of it fince, but it is found, and found by one of our Kin; our Lord Jefus, our elder Brother, he hath found it, or made it, and brought it near us in the Gospel, for the receiving; and whofo receives him by Faith, and trusting in him, receives that PriviHe endured much lege, that Peace.

one.

xiv. 27.

fonal, a perfect Peace, a complete Peace,
even complete without the Acceffion of
outward and worldly Peace, that needs
it not; nay, appears most perfect and in-
tire in itself, when it is ftriped naked of
them all. Behold what a Privilege the
Gofpel offers unto you; ye need not be
made miferable, but if you please. This
is more than all the World can afford
you, there is no Man can promife to
himself Immunity from publick Dangers,
or perfonal, from many Griefs and Dif
appointments: But the Gospel bids you
reckon up all your Troubles and Miseries
that ye can meet with in the World;
and yet in fuch a Cafe, if ye hearken to
Wisdom, there is a Peace that will make
you forget that Trouble; Her Ways
are Ways of Pleasantness, and all
her Paths are Peace, Pro. iii. 17. I
will undertake to make thee bleffed, fays
Wifdem, the Father's Wisdom. When
all the World hath given thee over for
miferable, when thou haft spent thy Sub-
ftance on the Phyficians, and in vain,
come to me, I can heal that defperate
Difeafe by a Word. I create Peace,
when natural Caufes have given it over,
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