immediately enter, and take po!Lffion of his heart. And Oh, V>' hen it is thus, wh.en the mtenttons of our mtnd ( as our m01n:ng thoughts, &~.) woich we fpcnt upon vanittes, are now dtawn mto ptayer ar.d holy medttattons; then luils wither, then doth corruption!hale off more and more. . . . . 6 Maintoine in our fouls the authonty of Gods trut~; Etther Self , or Chrift wtll rule. in the foul; and therefore fet up truth, and let that be the fpt i~1g of all our a<'tions; he that will .frcc himfc!f from being an hired fcrvant to this or that Matter, he mu.!: hire himfelf. \'1/hcn Davidwent to Achtjh, he was free from Sad;· tf we would not have Saul and fiJfu!-f lf to rule in us, we mufl give up our fdvcs to the comwand of God and his Word. . . . . . . 7 . Labour to thwart that partiu<lttr cormptton to whtch we arc mdmed. ex. gr. Are we given to wrath ? Endeavour we to be humbler and meeker then other men. Are we given to the world? look after that better "nd more cndunng fub!tance 111 heaven; Confiderthat the reproaches of Chrijl are g-reater m-IJ'J then the m afzres of Egypt. Heh. "· 26. Contraries in nature do expell one another; cold is expelled with he1t, darkncif~ with light; thus it is in grace. . . . . 8. Pray that Chritl: would bapttz.e"' wuh the holy Ghoft, and wtth fire, that ltke fire he Mm. 3· 12 • would heat the faculties of our fouls, and inHamc our love unto God ; for as our love roGod is flronger,fo our love to' holy things will be more earnell:,and confequently our · hatred toJinf ul-f.lfwill be more Jhong and pcrfc{l. 0 pray for the Spi!lt,and wait for the Spirit,and labouno be baptiz.ed lVtth rheholy Ghojl more,and more fully.If we be left to our felves, it is impollible for us to deny ftlf,to morttft' f. If ; and therefore we arc to pray to God to give us his holy Spirit. It is he that is ,here(i11crJ fire, andfi•ilm [OP.pe: M•l 3 . 11 , Now as in refining and purifying, ufe what means you wtll, except you ufc fire, you can never refine fiver; fo if a man be left to his own fpirit, he will run into a thouf&nd noyfom· lults ; but when Gods Spirit is cloathed in a manS' heart, then he is kept from fin. 9. Labour after further dif~overies of Chrifl. Bcleeve more, and depend' more· tlpon Chri!t; yea let us trade immediately·with Chritl:, for Chrill: is the only agent in the work of Se!f-dcnyal. Miflake not, I do not fay , thot we "re meer paffives m Self– den;•al ; indeed at that firfl rr•bitual beginning of it at converfion, and at that final perfecting and finifhing ofit, and carrying away all finne at death, I bdeeve we arc meer paff,ves ; but now in our progreifc we are workers together with Chrilt :· and therefore it is faid ,that we purge o~trf d ves, and that we p~trifie e~<r f eivcJ, and that we, by 2 Tim. 2 ir; the Sprrit mortijierhe deeds of riJefl']h, becaufe Chriflll:ill in going on to purge us, purifie 1John. 3 3'· us, and wmortifie our lufls, he doth it by ll:imng up our graces, and ufeth therein acts l\om. 8. 13·. of our faith, and love, and many motives, and confiderations to do it. Let us therefore ufe all means required, but above·all Jet us bring our hearts more and more acg.qainted With ChrifL It is Chrift is that great Ordinance appointed by God to get our lults morttfied ; how many fouls have gone puddrmg on (as I may fo fpeak) in the ufe of other means ? and though in them Chrifl hath communicated fome vertue t_o the~ yet becaufe they did not trade with him, th~y h"d little in comparifon: I he more dt'ftmC1ly a m1n underltands Chrifl, and how to make ufe of him the more ealily he will deGy himfelf, and get his lults purged; Such a one as trades immediately Wlth Chnfl, wtll do more in aday~ then an other in ay~ar. Now this is as God op<ns our Fatth to fee htm, and knowh1m, and to be acquamted'with him ; Hence it was Philip. 3 . ro, P_auiJ dcfire, tha~ I may i{_no1v htm and the power of hiJ rcfurreEfion : That I may ,know h1m asa Prophet mfl:ructing me., as a Priefl fan{lifying me, as a King reigning fpiritually mme ; th_at I may know the pow~r of h,is refurreC1ion in the vivification of my f"ul m the abo!ttwn of my fin, and efpec1allyofmineown iniquity. It was Chrilt, Parr! Pfal. t8. 2 F made ufe of tn thts work. By Chrift the world iJ crucified 1mtome, and I unto tht world. Gal. 6 · r4'. Thus much for 1 he Denya! offtnful-ftf[. SECT. 6. Of the Denyal of ou~ external Relatiuns ; and firft of Cautiom. s:Ecoddly, We nmltdeny· naturalft!f; and this :,_,c mufl deny onely conditionally · an upon fuppofit1on of Gods call, whether it be in regard of our' being, or w<ll~ 1 f;: bemg
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=