: Chap.3. SC'et 6. Limlar lllttl) Wrbt15. Bookll. willine choice, and fcrious deliberation, fh1lt murder thy felf, that thou mayft be freed from {~me miferiecs, loifcs, or difgraces which thou wilt not out·live, prqfefs to thee in the w ord of ChriH, thy Soul i; in danger of he!I fire ; and therefore thou hadft need to pray, L?rd, lrad menot int? _tcmptatio;z, !ntt deliver me.from evil. . . . . lly this time we maydloern the difftreoce _be~wll<t the Holy Spmt, anatheev1l fpirits workin~'~'' both bring into, and keep Iouis under bondage, onely the bondage ot the Holy Spirit is mitigated by the c<>"JuncboQ ofhope, aHd works towards a de– liverance, but the bondabe ofS1tao excludes all hope, or pollibility in the fouls appre• heEfion of eve'r being removed. Agam, the bondage or tears of the holy Spirit are ddlin;lte for converlion, they are not penal only, bot medicinal alfo; they are a fort of Gods Rods, by which he brings men within the bonds of theCovenant, and makes them to enquire what they !hail do robe !1ved ; but the bondage, fears, and horrors, which Satan fets home on louls, are meerly for ~dhuction, theyare not medtcinal, but only penal. . Yea, but my fpirit ofbond•gc i• helliG1 and dtf!'erate; fometimes I am apt toblafOb. pheme the macy ot God 'a• not able to p1rdon me, and out of defparate horror of fpirit ro chu!C tlranglinb, or any thin&, thlt I might be bur our of my prefent ter• rors, and know the worH of my condition: and " there, or can there be any thing of Gods Sp;rit in fuch a di!rnal bondage.s mine i>? This is Mr. Ford' objection, and 1. have known it the real objection of many a ioul ; bu.t he anfwers,-No d01<bt t.i.fi· fear :.z [x,gejlionJ and i~tjc/!iunJ pruceed from - Aufw. the Prince ofDark,nrfi cmanative, they are mi.,r.-d i" hell, /or they be"rbit image •nd {uper· • Fml, of<be fc· iptian,bUI rhe Spirit I{God bJth an h.md in wem diver! tidiCJ dilpolirive,by way of difpo[al ~pmt of llon– tmdmanagwzwt;and tb:lt the poarFml may clea ·1y fie, in tbat ht hatb n1t ztPterly !eft him age.. to himfelf, bt<t b_,h ['>'cferved him ""''Y and mJny a time from executing th.ft h•rrid temptations, andgrJtifyi~tg, S.Jt:m by]Clf·d~tfutfriou Come then; and bear up poor fou], think with thy felt, if che Spirit of u od would havegiven thee over to SJtan, why not fooner? and if he have prebved thee hitherto, why may he not IQnger? whiles thou Jivcfl under meansof grace, there is ~ope , l'le that is above ground, is i)1 fight of heaven: See, and acknowledge the gracious conduct ofthe holy Spirit hitherto, asd do not by too long adventuring to parle with l>atan, drive tlae Ho!y Ghoft 'ti:om _ ~'' . thee. SECT, VI. Of Satam a!Jau/tsupon farrow for jin.i THenext work of the ?ririt is [arrow for fiit, !' is Guds promifc, I wiU taks ar:~tj , the ftony hem out oj ypur fiefh, .a:zd I .,,Q p;zveY"' an heart offle(h, that is to fay, Ez<k. 36, ~6. : a loft heart, a plyabk heart, the Spmt of God works on the alfcdiom and m lt them into g?dly, forrow for fin, which is alJ one with an heart offiefh he;e promited~ Now hemn Satan counter-works, and etther keeps the heart as long as he can from mourning for ~in, or if that wilJ not be, then he labours mi~ht and main to ke ' the confctence contmually upon the rack : And I illllJ fpeak to both thefe ep r. Satan is excecdmgly induftrious to keep the heart re[oht rely flubborn and hard.well he knowes, that }f once a poor foul bruifed with theburden ot fin, into tears ofgod! farrow, and pemrem fofrnefs, !hall but fly mto the bcfome of Chrift Jefus ble·d· y upon the Crofs, it will deprive him of all right and intercfl unto th1t foul for ~ ~ng and therefore he labours to keep it as long as he can from mour~ing for fin; yea, ;u:h afiirrcr he IS agamfi true farrow, that indeed moft know not whlt it means; or if the hem"b:gu~ to be wrought upon by the Word , he raifes all pollible oppoGtion a– gamfl Hs y_~tldmg: And oh~the loathnefs offouls to kavc SJtan; fcrvicc I Oh the with. flafldmg o!thc Word, M1mlhy, mottofls ofthe fpirir, and all other means to lead fouls out ot_ hell Into the glorwus hbcr_ry of the Sons of God ! but above all, Oh the hard– ncfs ot mens hearts! Oh the d!iliculty ofMiniftcrs duty, to prick a ftony h~jlrt to the qmck, to make a rock to weep and tremble ! c11her mull God b.rc hiwivn arm aud put , to h1s own Hn.ng:ll, power, and efficacy, or it will never be done. · ' . z, An~ il indeed, Gods merciful vio\eace!hall conquer foul;, and they begin to melt kindly under fin, then Satan Jabonrs on the other fide, that fi 1 ch may be [wallowed .,
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