' ,S)elftJmpaL Chap s.:~ett.·~o. ---------------------- 1)4 -·-----~f G~d-f~;;\i~g'him from petition to petition melting him with brokenndfc when he is confefling fin, filling him with rqoycwg wpen he ts remeHlbrmg mercy, tailing him with an high wing (as it were) of unportuntty, when he ts begging of favour (as it was:an admirable temper in holy Bradford, that he was ~ot content till he found God coming into his fpirit with feveral dtfpenfattons accordmg to the fevcral parts of his "'ltltUsca{~!I m"ynoronl)ItJ.y, ltJ~'e IJ~,·d rf re(l!•l£ in prayer) and now as foon as the duty is done, it may be he goes away, and ilroakcs himfe!f. * Oh what an admzrable prayrr was hen ! furely I jha/1 do wrllthis day, I }hall be able to wrcftlewith alltemprations, this is the very way to mifcarry, thoufands have found it ; fo that when he comes to pray again, it may be he praycs moll: dully'and flatly, the S~irit is grieved and gone, and he can fay little or nothing. etl!a gemt'n:r, b11t tak.· IJ']r:d of ["(f ! ~/tar? 11.!·e tbne an1JuciJ ,_ifing,s wirhin, Oh ~hatan adHlir~ble prayc:r, &:c. 1~~l.,·e heed now ofp1ide, ar,.bition,{tlf– .Je"~~ng. 0 !~ (,bJt'I'\I:!J rht~t mant 11ma 1 be more exceilenr a Sermon r;, the u:ore carral the hrnrt ~~J "Ptcacba tnd} be ; ami th~jh.Jng-?r inv:nrion; priuau Clm)h•ln bath in biJpraterJ. the we_a~rHis grttce may b~ : 11nd th·/~ rxprrffhns which} re m rxctUent to ~;hen mttJ ccme f··om a rrJot wry birrer to God; ev~n a; Tn 11 \1eadow fwll cj graff: and p1: aft4trCjiJWerr,ifyJudtgge to tht! bmome of than, rherr! is norh ng but IIOJfomt' fflftb; fo if}(~ gfl to thefcunrtJinc jram n·benc~· all thefe t xpr.Jfions, ttr./. 'l..rcb:tnetlt expojlula ionf tbM are ujed mprayc~· do jfiJW,JOU may [u Hi a poJ~ned f,unrain·. Ai on rh: a her fid~. an lu11rt con– trire.. 1mdfHUof t.rtlcebtj".Jrt! Gotl, m 'J no' btt[IJ t4dmirable inexpreJ]ims; asrluy Jay, rlu tro:-cndjuU flfmi'les of g()!d, is vrry bi11"Ye7Jfor gra.flc . ., 3· We mull not reil upon the comforts we have in duty, or after duty. It may be •D,norgoa· when we have been at duty,and have had fomc foul-ravifhments, * 0, now we think '"'"f'"" •:•- our nell: is built very high, and our rock is finue, and we fhall go on vigoroufly. ';.;,{;'{'j;~·.J: Chryfoftome hath a faying to this purpofc, .lvfe think.! (faith he) a Sainnvhcrthe come~ jdlion> or ra· from a Sacrament,fhould be able to flye m the face of a devd, and though he~ralk._in mid(/: cf ~if!"""" ftares, yet he jhould be able to encoJm/Cr wtth them all. COI)1forts are very fweet things meerly '"f"J; and indeed llrengthening things; The joy of the Lor·d is our ftrcns,th, faith Nehemiah ~ ~~;,.';;(1 rh; nothing more animates fouls than joy ; one!y here is the danger, if we refl: on thcfe l """d "P'" joyes and comforts, the Spirit of God is a moll: choice and tender thing , it dwcls in. "h_icb ''''!'are none but a clean pure Temple moll cleanly fwept, ifany pride fpring up in our hearts burlr be [ol!d we lofe ours comfort. • :ud ~:~·~'j'l· 4 . \Ve mull: not reil upon graces. This was Peters flult, he was full of conceit and ,,:w. felf-confidencc , he had grace , an~ he relled on it, Lord, though all forfaks thee; ;·et Nebmr I.to. will not I ; yet foon after Pete-r diu forfake and deny hrs Mafl:er, and we do not find Marrh; • 6 · 33· Peterfo confident afterwards: when Chrifl: faid to him, Simon Peter, loveft thou me Job. 1 6 1 ,;:• more then thefe? No comparative words now; no more than Lord, thou/znotveft I L.ve ' thee. Peter was whipped with felf-confidence, and the woful fruits of it and now in a good de_gree it was purged out ofhim . Surely it was a leffon well wor~h the learning though tt cofl: the whrpptng. We mull: not rcfl: on graces, nor on any thing dfeon thi• fide Jefus Chrifl:. 7· Be often putting forth new aC1:ings of faith in Jefus Chrill:. The more we believe the more do we deny Religiousfelfe. Hence it is that Self-denial in fpirimal thin"' i~ not to be found in the Law, .but in the Gofpcl; the Law though it hath its ufe rand we dare not but ma~e ufe of it) yet properly it will not mak~ a man to deny himf~lf, but rather to feek htmfelf m fpmwal thmgs; Obey and /we fatth the Law, but if thor< fdi– left in any one point tho« art loft fvr ever; in this cafe tif there were no other way) who would deny his own righteoufnefs? nay, who would not feek to fave himfelfby his own righteoufneffe? But now fayes the Gofpel, by workes thou canft nor live,but if rho~ wilt throw down all thy own righteonfnefs at thef eet ofChrijl, and believe on him, and re{/ only on him,thou]halt be fa"Jed. 0 this will make a man to deny his own righteoufndfe, and to deny himf elfin fpiritual things. Go we therefore to Chritt, let us maintain be– lieving.apprehenfions of the Lord Jefus Chrill. He alone is the humble fdf-denying perfon that feeks jollification, not by works, but by faith only. 8. Let it be the joy of our fouls to exalt and fet up Chrifl: within our fouls. Though in order to jufl:ification we mull: deny our graces, eye Chrifl: without us ; yet in order to fanCl:ification we mull have a care to fee and feel Chrills Kingdomc within us, to fet up Chrifl: in our hearts, and to difcern him ruling and commanding there , Sam.II 12 , as a King in his Throne. And there is true Se!f-dmyal in this, for wherever Chrifl: t'eig– ncs, there fin goes down. As the people would have all the men put to death which would not have Sau/ to reigne over them; fo cloth a true believing foul mortifie what: foevcr oppofeth Chrifl:s Kingdom, he removcth whatfoevcr may hinder Chrill:sfpl– r itual Dominion,he rnakcs all vail and ftoop for Cl)rill:s exalt~tion within him . Orhcn kt
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