a Chrifiians Growth. 99 meanes, when as his grace elfe had not kept him from revenging himfelfecaufelefly upon his family, (for they were in no fault) his grace alone had not done it, for his pailîon was up , and he in a rage , and fully refolved to doe it ,- but God ufed another meanes, and lent Abigail fubmiffively to meet him ; and her lowly fubmiffìon, and elegant oration, won him, and cooled him ; though this David acknowledgeth Gods hand in it, and was glad he was fo kept (as a godly man will, and hath caule, when he is hindred ofhis purpofe in finning, as he (ayes, I rejoyce that Chrift is preached, though out ofenvie ; fo if fin be abftained from, though by any meanes) yet God did rather by his meanes rdtraìne him, then by his feare of God, or the grace in his heart ; butGod kept him by her comming:rSam.z5.3aFor in very deed, fayes David, au the Lord liveth. W1 ichbath kept me backfrom hur- ting thee, except thou haift hafted andmet me, furely there had not beene left a man unto iVabal. So flume moved 7udah ; feare of being deftroyed moved 7acob to reprove the fin of his fonnes, and is all the argument he ufeth, Gen. 34. 30. So that in an evening, when thou cafteit up thy abftinences of that day, think not howmuch thouhaft abstained from fin, or denyed thy felfe, but howmuch out of hatred of it, and the fpirit of mortifica- tion ; how much of that there is in thy abltinence, and accor- dingly meafure thy growth in it. Sixtly, another falle rule is, when men judge oftheir morti- fication, and the meafure of it, by their prefent lifilefnef e ofthe heart to fin which though it be true, that where true mortifi- cation is, there is a liftlelnefs, and a deadneffe ; and fo much mortification, fo much deadneffe, Rom. 6. 2. HoW fhall We that are dead to finne, live any longer therein ? And indeed, to live in it, is to take pleafure in it : But yet this you mutt know, there aremany things which in a godly man may adde to his deadneffe to finne, betides true mortification, and fo make it feme greater then it is in truth : And therefore it may be a falle rule to judge by, if it be not warily confidered and diftinguifhed. Sicknefle breeds a liftlefnefíe ; whenwe are fick, our lufts are Fick together with us ; and as we gather ftrength, they gather up their crums againe, yob 33.19. 20. then his fcule abhors dainty food. Suppofe he be a glutton : Old age brings a liftlefneffe. Ecclef.12. I. When 6.
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