l;OI Rev. tj. I2· Luk.I·1Z· 74· 75· Heb. 101 16. ;Iil£lf::tt:pal. <;hap 3 - ::'ie~t.4. --------------~---------- 1. Vile may change only in the outward form, and not in truth : For inTance whereas the fat:ne fin of C~vetOJtnrfs doth utter and exprclfeit fclfby Ufury, Symony: Sacrtledge, Bnbery, Gnndmg the faces of the poor, D ctammg_-dl-gott_en goods with out reftitution; we may l?erhaps mfenfibly gltdc out of one gult of griping cruelty itt– to another, or it may be from one of thefe more no:o~tOus, to fome other lefs obfer-– ved, and leis odious in the world, and yet I!ill abide in the chambers of D eath and under the tryanny of this reigning fin. ' 2. We may furceafe, and refrain from the outward groffe acts of fuch hateful vil– lanies, and yet our inwards be /!ill defiled with infatiable, fenl'ua! hankerings after them: For inftance, Whereas the fonl fin of uncleanndfe doth actuate it felfby Forni• cation, Adultery, Self-pollution, immoderate abufe of the Marriage-bed, Specll– lative wantonnclfe,we_ may perhaps_ forbear the external acts of undeannell'c,& yet lie and langmfh 1n the debghtful revolvmgs of them m our mmde, madulteries of thought. · 3 . we may change the kind of our bofom-fin, in rcfpcct of the matter, form ob– jet!, every way ; and yet upon the matter it felf, it is but the exchanoe of onc 1 Toul fiend for another: For inltance, Wantonnell'c may be our fweet fi~ in youth and Wordlinefs in old age; Hypocrifie may reign at one time, Apol!acy at another: Furious zeal for one while, Prophanc irreligioufncll'e for another. -' 4· W'e may for a-time pull our necks out of this ftrong yoke of Sat;m (out of a me· lancholick pang of Oavifh terror, ferious fore-thought of death, lying cverhfiing in Hell) but becaufe it is not the work of the word, humbling us foundly under Gods mighty hand, planting Faith, and infufing mortifying power, anon will this unclean Spirit return, anci rule in us again far more impcrioufly than before-- I know it is riot impoffible, but that a man after his conyerfion, by the fudden furprifal of foine violent temptation, and cunning train of Satan, may be hailed back to commit his fweet fin again ( though it be an heavy cafe, and to be lamented, if it were poffible, with tears of blood) yet he never doth, nor never can return to wallow in it again, or to allow it: Here is the difference, The temporary man, after his formal c'nforced forbearance, engulphs himfelf again with more grecdinell'c into the fenfuality and pleafures of his bofom-fin, he lies in it, and delights in tt, and hardens himfelf more ob!linately in it: but the found convert after a rclapfe, hislreart bleeds afrefh with extraofdlriar}' bittern~ll'e, and he cryes more mightily to God, for the return of his pleafcd countenance, and he.prayes, and fortifies the breach with l!rongcr refol1Jtion, and ·n1ere invin:iblc watrhfulnefs againft future al!'aults; obferve then, if our change be but formal, outwat:d, mtftaken, temporay, we arc utterly decetved, and thcrefore•wc had need to be jealous of our felvcs . _ 2. w~ ma_y be overtaken with this fin,before we be aware,our nature js very a.jJt to take fire, Ol1r corrupt heart is like Tinder or Gunpowder: This fin is called Pm'.uum in delldiJ;bur darling pleaJure, to our ininion delight: it is ever ready at evr:-ry turn ~o al. lure us 1 tempt us, perfwade'us; and the foul by a fccret fenfual inclination is apt, tc;> foll9<Y<t, to feed upon it, with ·mucb affeCl:ion~te fweewefs: It may be weh_ave fometimes given it a deaths wound, ily the power of his might, whois our an in _all and yet as it is faid ofthe firft Beal!, ·thi§ deadly lf'Ofend is >·MdJ tobe healed agaiil ; j(j~ an Hydrawith many heads, and if we be not frill hacking and hewing, it will rr:-vive an~ _recollecHhength, and at tall rage more thap b\fqr~ ; and therefore what ·riecd have .,vc to this holy jcaloufie ? _ 5. Above all, without which all the reil: are nothing, believe we the promifes of Pardon, and of Sanctification : The Promifes of the firft fort I ,fpokc tQ in our Watch– J~tlnefs over this fin, and therefore now I fhall fpeal::. of the latter. The Lorl:l hath promifed to deliver nsfrom all our en(mifs, that we mayfcrve him in rightcottfnefs 'a_nj. h.o– lineffeall the dayes of our life ; The Lord bath promifed to write his Law m o1tr "hearts, and that can never be, except he obliterate all the old writing ; Now then, believe thefe promifcs and preffe the Lord with them, or we fltall never be ;tQle to out-wrdl:le our lulls, what though we find out our fweet fins, confcll'e then), refolve.a.gainft them, be jealous over them? unlell'e we go to God an,d Chrir!: in t)1e P.rom>f~s for firength, we fhalllie down in farrow : Could we of our fc)vcs fubdue our c'orhtptions, God would not take this upon him, to give us new hearts, and ne;v fpirits, to f~n'tifie us, to make us new creatures, .t9 crucifie the ~eih, to weaken the dominioh 'of lin: Alas, l)e knows our weaknel!'e; and he knows all is in his own power; and there– fore if we would mortifie thefc tufts, we mull: gq to him, and bef~ec.hNm to dq if _, '· . __, '!rt.rc -, " VVhen
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