Book II F1tfh, but 1cannot ftir, nor move, tlbr meditate: 1am not fu<Jicicnt otf my felfto th k hnw. then fhould 1 follow thcfe rules? you fing to a deaf man, you pre!i:ribc to a :::a~ dead •n fins and rr<fp>ffcs. . ~ an(wcr, inded I fi1ppofe no lcts:and yet ifi fp:ak not to a man fpiritual,l do to one rattoml; and as a meer rat1onal man, thou madllix thy thouglm on this or that ob' a: ekCl:ively, which is a poflure of Soul, wherein~ the. Lord may appear, and affecrjt'hy Heart. Come then, and pcrufe thefe direCl:ioFI<, and reafon thus, Why fh•uld I not ckJ thus ~!I_am dtrcllcd i Heart, >~hat hall thou to [ay, wp:;_ tbou fbouldjt not foUow this coun{cl that "gwen thee? Agam, 1t ;nay be th< Lord will come m, wh1kll thou art iudeavet>'ring af– ter hun: I WJIJ not lay, that Goclts boand ex cou.~rzto to~tve grace to thy indeavours: In all the Word of God we find not one promile to any mecrly natur~l, or mora[ .et of Mt Ford's ours ; Yet (.os one obferves) God /nth feldome been obferved, if c'lff'r, to fail any in'their Spirit of Ban- e>pe11attons •f gract from him, doing in the way ofme.ns, what they by thepower of natNre dagc. can, andwb.: the Spirit of God m~vCJ fhem unto. Hearken then to tliefe rules, and obey: What 1f thy mJcavOurS have no lmtTiedtate 111fluencc upon grace, yet arc J neceffary way that God. h>th commonded every one to walk in, and they ore as a means wherein God will d1fpence his groce to whom he pleafeth; fo that whofoever cloth wilfully ·ueglefr the ufe of fuch means, he cannot promifc to himfelf any converlion; yea, he mJy cer. r-linly conclude, God will not convert him. In all thedireCl:ions which may be hereaftet to the umegcnerate, 1wi01 this m~y liill be wuernbend. See my firfl things, Shepherd's Sound Belie.. ver. ~' j -~ CHAP. III. SE CT. I. Of the next ajfattltJ that Satan makp agai1?ft Its. I F in the firfl affault Satan be foiled,and theSoulberefolved to go on,thc Holy Spirit ufually comes in and works on the Soul thefe feveral flep;. AI ,, A light offin. 2 • A fenfc of milery. j. Sorrow for !in. 4• Seekint; for comfort. 5 _Afljlht of Chrifl, 6· Ddire after Chrift. 7· Relying on Chritt. 8. O.bedience toChnlf. And accordingly Satan counter- wcrks, and in eve1yof thefe lleps atfaults the Soli! either lefs or more, to keep it liill in his hold: Oh, he is loath to kave, and rherefore at every fttp he meets the Soul, aud wrellks with it. 1!hall (as the Lord 1nables) firn obferv'e his affaults, and then inform the Soul of it's fcveral duties, in repellmg of Satan re. fptfrivcly. SEC f. II. Of SataHS a§aults upm fight of fin· NO fooner hath the Holy Gholl epened the eye of theSou( to G:e it's Gn, but pre– fently Satan comes on with his fiery darts: Sometimes he makes linlittk, is it not s little "'"? and fvmctunes he makes tin great, Oh, the greJtnefs, and oh tbe numeroufnefr of thyfi s! • . . . . 1 • Sometimes he makes lm latle, and herem heprevl!ls WJth many Souls: they are ]oath to hear thc'worfl <1f thcmfelvc;, and therefore Satan helps them with Fig-leaves to cover their nakednds. Whot' is it not SJtans language that we hear in men? Sure– ly, nur jiJtt are not fo gre.:zt, w_e ~rt nut fo bad, we b.w'e fome r.ood, .~Je b.Jve fmze'hofe! if God be mercijitl, Tthat matters <t if we be fi,•ful? Thus do men lhfleand ~eGrr the hrll breathings of the Spirit of God. I hclicve (faith one )tbat aU tbe powers of He!i wthi.~e tog"ber to blind mens eyes, and d;rksn mens mmdr in this~rfl work,_ nf Chrift; PrtnCJpns cbfla: It it tbe pnlicyof Satan to flop Chr!fl m hts Cltt>'>nce,"' hu firjl jltG!;s 11po11 tbe Soul. No wonder then it he puts the wrong eud of the profpeC:ttve !!,lafs to the eye, that fl!l appears very little, if any thing atall. 1 • Sometimes he makes fin great; he drawsa charge at Jer!\th,hc takesupa!lthe blo 0 dy aggravations .he,can think. of; as partly lll rdped: of the nJturc and qllll 1ty of the fins themfelvcs:and partly in refpcfr of the c~rcumfhoccs, as bemg commttted agamil knowledge, at fuch a time, in fuch a place ,and by fnch a. perfor,, as that God is thereby mo11 aiO!Onoured, his Brethren moll olfeBded, 0N. It IS not to tell how the DcvJI can llrctch out fin Hpon the Tcntcrs of his temptations: yea, of a fmall drop with the b!a!·
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