88 Dirdl. 6. Dirrti.7• . \ Vircfl. 8. Dird1· 9· DireBions for a well grounded FaitiJ. what groans, and hearts grief it hath cofi you? and into what ft:ars it brought you of the wra1h ,>f God : aud hqw long it was before your broken bones were healed; and what it cofi both <;hrifi and you? And this will make the very name and firft approach of fin, to call you into a preveming fear. A Beall thH harh once fallen inro a Gulf or Qll_ick·fand, will hardly be driven into the fame again; A Fifh that was once tiricken and fcap't the h0ok, wi\1 fear and tly from it rhe next time: ABird that harh once cfcap't the Snare or the Tallons ofthe Hawk,is afterwards afraid .of the fight ornoifcof fuch a thing. RCmc:mber whtre ) 'OU feU, and wb.zt it cojt you, al'l.d what you {i:aped which it migb 1 have cofi: you, and you will obey more accurately hereafter. . 9· rg. Direct. 6. Remember that thi! is your day of tryal, and what depmd1 upon Jour accurate obedience: God will not crown untr;,ed Servants. S1tan is purpofely fuffered to tempt )'Ou, to try whether you will be tn1e to God or not. All the hope that his malice bath of undoing you for ever . confifieth in his hope to make you difobedientto God. Methinks thcfe con(iderations {hould ~wake~ you to the mofi watchful and diligent obedien.ce. · If you were told before hand, that a Thief or Cut-purfe had undertaken to rob you, and would ufc all his cunning and indufiry to do it, you would then watch more carefully than at another time. lf you were in a Race to run for your lives, you would not g.o then in your ordinary pace. Doth God tell you before, that he will try your obediw encc by temptation, and as you /land or fall, .you flull fpccd for ever; and will not this keep you watchful and abed ient? §. ;o. Direct. 7· Avoidtbufe tempting and Jeludi1tg objcl11y which are fliU emicingyour hearts from J'3Ur obrdimce ; and avoid that divertiltg crowdaJtd noi[c ofcompany or worldly hHjimji, which drown! tbt voice of Gods commands. If God eaU you· into a life of great temptations, he can bring you fafely through them all : But if you rulh into it wilfully ; you may foon tind yf!ur own difabiliry to rcfift. It is dangerous to be under jlrong and importtmate temptations, lefi the fiream lhould bear us down ; But efpecially to be long under them, !ell we be weary of refilling. They that arc long[olicitrd, do too often ;•itld at laft: It is hard to bealwayes in aclear, and ready, and refolute frame ~ Few men have their will, much lefs their gracu, alwayu at hand, in a readinefs w ufe. And if the Thief come when you arc aropr atleep, you may be robbed before you can awake. The conftant drawing1of temptati~ on, do ofttimcs abate the habit of obedience, and diminifl:l our hatred of fin, and holy refolutions, by flow infcnfible degrees, before we yield to commit the a/1. And the mind that will be kept in fuY fohjetJion, mull not be fo diverted in a crowd of difira6bng company or bufinefs, as to' have_no time to think on the motives of his obedience. This withdrawing of the fewel may put out the lire. ~. 2 r. Direct. 8. If )OH are rmavoid;Jbly caft upo11 flrong 'Temptation, tak.! the Allarm, and put oi afl the armmr f;{ God, aJtd call up your fouh to W.Jtchfulmfi, •nd rf[olution, remrmbring that yo:t are nm amo1tg yot~r emmies, and nnrft refifl a1 for your Jivu. Take every temptation in its naked proper fenfc, as coming from tht: D~vil, and tending to your damnation by enticing your hearts from yolir fubjeClio;t unto God: fuppofe you Jaw the Vevil himfelf in his infiruments offering you the bait of prcfermen•, or honour, or riches, or fle(hly lulls, or fporrs, or of delightful meats, or drinks, to tempt you to ex,.. cef•; and fuppofe you heard him fay to you plainly, [Take this for thy falvation: Sell me for this thy God, and thy foul, and thy everlaHing hopes: Commit this fin, that thou maifi fall under the judge– ment ofGod, and be tormented in Hell with me for ever. Dv this to pleafc thy Aefh, that thou maifi: difpleafe tf1y God, and grieve thy Saviour: I cannot draw thee to Hell, but by drawing thee to fin: And I cannot make thee fin againtl: thy will ~ nor undo thee, but by thy own confent and doing : Therefore I pray thee conferlt and do it thy felf, and !er me have thy company in torments. J This is the naked meaning of every temptation : Suppo[c therefore you faw and heard all this, with what detcfiation then would you reject it ? With what horror would you fly from the moll enticing bait~ Ifa·Robber would entice you out of your way and company, with flatteri11g words, that you might fall into the hands of his; companions, if you knew all his meaning and defign before hand, would you be enticed after him ? Watch therefore, and l{e[olve when you Itnow before hand the Defign of the Devil, and what he imendeth in every temptation. 9· 22· Direct. 9· Be m'!fl fufpicwui, fearful and watchful about 1/w, whicb your flrfh doth mojl defirt, or Ji;tdi the grweft plc>[ure in. Not that you lhould deny your bodies all delight in the mercies . of God: If the b,iJy have ,,,e, the mind will have the lefs: Mercy mufi be differenced from punilh– mcnt ; and mufi be valued, and relin1ed as mercy: Meer Natural pleafing of the fe11fes is in it [elf no moral fT()Od or evil. A IJJly improvement of lawful pleajitre, is a daily duty: !J:ordinate pleafm is a tin: All.'!>is inordinate which tendeth more to corrupt tbe frml, by enticing it to fin, and turning it from God, than to fit an$ difiofe it for God and his fervice, and preferve it from finning. But nill remember, it is not forronr; but Delig,ht thac draweth away the foul from God, and JS the fiejhes inte~ . ,·eft which it fers up againll him. Many have finned in forrow! and di[contents: but none ever ~inned for farrow! and difcontems: Their difcomenu and forroWI are not taken up and loved for them!dves; but are the effects of their love w Come ple:zfiue and coment, which is dtnyed them, or taken from them. Therefore though aU your bodily pleafum are not ji11, yet feeing nothing but the pleafuru of the ficjh and carnal mind is the End of finners, and the Devils great and chiefett bait, and this only caufeth mens·perdition, you have great reafon to bemojt afraid of that which is moll pleafing to your tldh, and to the mind as it is corrupt and carnal: cfcape the deln(lons of fitfhly pleafur~, a_nd·you efcape damnation: You have far more caufe to be afraid ofprofperity, rhan of adverfity; of rzches, rhan of poverty:, of honour, than of obfcurity and contempt; of mens praife.r and applaufo, than?~ their dif ;raifa, fl•ndtrs and reproach; ofprtfermenr and grmneji, than of a low and meaR condmon;. ci. a . dehcmv,
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