a Chriftians Growth. 81 Pharaoh with plagues, to let their credits or canes goe by refti- tution, or for God and good ufes, &c. it is a Egne of want of purging. The more loofned a man is from the world, and the things ofit, the more prepared that man is for all works of fel.f- der.yall, and the more purged. So when a man parts with all without (ticking or higling, as Abraham is Paid to beleeve Without fiaggering, it is a ligne he hath attained to a good degree : even as that argued a prong faith, Rom. 3. When a man hath anopen and a large heart to God, ( as a liberals man hath an open hand to men) as Abraham had when he was willing to let God have his onely fonne, it was a Egne he was much weaned ; when God can command any thing thou halt at an hours warning,as we fay ; Abraham Rood not long deliberating, Shall I, Shall I, but went ear j in the morning, even the next morning, Godhaving called for his fonne that very night, as it is likely by that in the 22. Gen. 3. For the night was the time when God ufed to re"veale himfelfe by villons , and the next morning he went forth early. Thirdly, the more conflancie there is in our hearts and wayes, the more eaven, liable in well-doing, and the more Tailing. du- rable frame and temper for holine(fe we find our hearts to abide in, the more we are purged ; for in that we finde fuch fudden flowings and re- flowings in our hearts, that when a corruption feemes to be at a low ebbe, and our hearts in a good frame, within an houre or fo, a mighty tide comes in, and we find our hearts overflowne with a fea of filth , fuch fudden alterations from the better to the worfe, doe come from thofe vaft feas of corruptions that are {till within us, that tumble and float up and downe in our hearts : So the A,poltle intimates,Purgej'our hex t.r, ye double minded : That their hearts are of fo unequall a temper, fometimes in hot fits, fometimes in cold, and fo fuddenly altered, this cannot be but frommuch corruption. This double minded - neffe comes fronwant of purging. The cal tians were furely very weak, and foolifh, as he tells them, when they were fo foot e tranfported. He marvails not fo much that they were removed, as thatfofoone, it Tee 7axéms, fo fuddenly, 1.6. and brings it in as an evidence of their weakneffe, that they who would havegi- ven hire their eyes, fhould now fo much be altered and carryed L 3 away 3-
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