Chap. 3 .sea. 5· lloo~ung a:1t_~1Jdtt~. Book IV: 391 of a ltrong hatred; and fo whe.n a man hares rhe very garment fpotted with the fle~, here"s a good lign :. I know thiS height is not eafie to atram to, and therefore fome m imitation of Job and David, have bound themfelves wrth. vOW9 and promrfes, as much mioht be to abllain from the appearance of evil, to crufl1 the Cockamce Egg before the Se~pent ~ouldcreepum of it., ro avoid linin its lirfr rife; but alas, how have they bro– ken their vows from ume ro ttme? For all tillS, I dare not fpeak agamft vows, provrded rhat, 1 • They be of things lawful. ;,. That we efleem them not as duttes of abfolure neceffity. And, 3. That we bind nor our felves ~erperually, lerl: our V'OWS 010uld ?e– come burdens unto us . but only for fome fl10rt trme, and fo renew them as occaf10n requires. in this way 'our vows might much help us in our mortification: and if once, through ;he help of vows, or prayer, or loo~ing unto Jefus, or going to the Crofs ot Jefus Chrifl, or by any .other means we feel our felves more able to relift fin, to hat~ fln, in its firfl rife, firl! monons, firlt or.fer, we may affuredly hope that now our morufita– rion grows. 0 my Soul, try now the growth of thy mortification by thefe iign; ; hafl thou overcome grofferfins,. and is now thy chiefdl conflict with fpirirual wickednef!"es? .is thy fianding and walkmg With God more clofe, and even, and confl:ant than fometJmes 1t hath been ? is thy Lu[\s more weak, and thy Grace more fl:rong in ordinary actings ? I fay, in ordinary actings, for the cltimate of thy growth mufl not be taken for a turn or two, but by aconflant courfe: haft thou now mote ability to quench the flame of fin in the very fpark, to da01 Bab)'lon's Brats againlt the ftones, even whiHl: they are little, fo abfbin from (in in its fir A: motion or beginning? why, then is the promife accompliOJed, he.willfnbducour iniquities.: Surely thou art a:gro\Ving Chri11ian; thou hafl: fellow- Micahp 9 • f111p With Cbnllm Ius fuffermgs; thy ground IS f(il!d, fif·m, and ftablc; thy hope bath a rock-foundation, and thou mailt build upon it, that Cbrin's death, and bloud, and futfel"ings arc tbine, evert thine; ~eloved tha, and g~vehimfrlffor thee. s g. C T. V. OfBelieyi"g in Jefm in thdt refpe[f. 5·LEt usbelieve in [efUJ, carrying on the great work of our Salvation for us, during his Sufferings and Death. Every o~e looks upon this a> an ealie dnry ; only the humble Soul, the fcrupnlo'us Confcfence cnes M_r, What! !J it poffible that Chrift jhould ' die, fiiffer, fhedhubloudfor me? Hu Incarnatwn IVM wonderful, hu Life on earehwM .toaftonifhment; buttl>at the Son of Gcd jhould become man, live 11mongff men, and die fuch a death, even the death of the Croft, for jitcll aone M1 am, 1cannot believe it. it i< ,,. Abyfs paft fad•ming ;. the more· I confider it, the mor~ I am ama:z:.ed at it; fupppfe'1had an enemy in my p01ver, manor Devil, one that provo/ze<me eyer)da!; ~nt that huntJ my[ol!l to take tt a'IVay; jhuulct I notfay wdh Saul, If a man find h:<enemy, will he let him go well 5 , 111 24 , 19 · away? It m~y be ~~~ ingcnuOU< fpirit (fuch M Ihvid) would do tlitu much; but would 1 ' ' David, or any lrreathing foul, not only[pare hU tneirlJ, but [pillhimfclfto fave hi< enemy? \Vottldaman become aDev>l, to[ave DcvtlJ? too11ld ll man C17dt<re hdlpailtl to free a/lth~ Devt!J tn htll from their eternalpaim ? and yet whitt wire thi; in comparifon of what Chrift hath dont or Jiiffcrcd for u.J ? le i; >tot fo much for tu to {tiffer for Devils (for we are fcl– low-creawre<) M it ufo•· ChriftGod-man, man-God to Jujfer for vA: ph what an. hard thmg u tt, co•fidering my enmitJ againft Chrift, to believe that Chrift died f1T1' me, that he gave hiw(df to the death, tVen to the death •f the Crofs for '*Y f~rtl! T~emblmgSoul! throw nor away thy felf in a way ofunbelief.It maybe thou wouldft not cltefor an enemy, an irreconclleable enemy; Lut are not the mercies of God above'all tile memes of men I 0 ~elieve! And char I may perfwade effectually, I /hall lay down firlt fome D1rechons; ,and fecondly, fome Encouragements of Faith• . r. For the Dtrecbons of hith in reference to Chrift''s death, obferve thefe Parricu~ Jars. r. Faithmufldirectly gotoChrilt; Mtfirltnrrlle'Promife, and· rhentoChrill: but firU to Chnft, and then to tl)e Ptomife. rhe Pcrfon ever "a.c.-; before .the Prero >auve. · ' o· 0 2, Faith mufl: go to Chrilt M God in the jlej!t; :his was the difference betwixt the New Tefl:ament, and Old Tdlamenr-Bdievers; therr Faith directs only to God, bur our
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