Annesley - Houston-Packer Collection BX9327 .M6 1664

116 I Sam.iç.z3. H:ó.6.6. Howmay we befe Spiritual, to,&c. Serm.S, force thee to tin. Temptation pars on its tlrength,as the will is. Ceafe but to love the fin, and the temptation is anfwered. indeed, if thou chufel+ tobe aílave, thou (halt .be one. Nothing.but thy own choice can undo thee. Sixthly, Confider what thou doff, if thou f"ulfillen the luf+s of the flefh, thou provoke(+Eby Heavenly Father, rebelleff againft him, and Rebellions is 44 witchcraft, and f tekbornne/3 ao. Idolatry. Thou criecifiefit Ye- 1.114 Chrijr ofe;h, andpu;teft him to open than:e. Is his thy 1ove,ana,thanks to thy Lord, to whom thou arc fo infinitely beholding ? Cann thou find in thy heart toput thy Spear again in his ,fide ? Hach he not fuffe- red yet enough ? Is his bloudy nothing ? Muff he bleed again ? Ah monf+er of ingratitude ! ah perfidious Tray tor as thou art, thus to requite thy Maffei- t Again, thou grieve(i thy Comforter, and is that wifely done ? Who trail comfort thee, if he depart from thee grieved ? Or is it ingenuous,thus unworthily to treat that noble Guef+, to affront Gods facred Spirit to his very face ? and in defpight, and mockery of him to fide with his Enemy, the Flefh ? Is this thy kindnefs to çhy bet+ Friend,thy faithful Counfellour, thy infallible Guide, thy Minifter,and Oracle, thy fwect and only Comforter ? What need I add, that thou breakefl chypeace, wounde(+ thy conCcience, forfeitefi the lofs of Gois countenance, and makett a gap in the divine proce&tion for all evil to rufh in at. 71y. And lafrly, Confider the invaluable benefit of refifting, of not fulfilling the lulls of the flefh in two great in(iances. Firf+,Unutterable joy and pleafure will be filed abroad in thy Soul, as often as thou get tell theday. I know no greater triumph than that of a Chriffian, when he is noro than congseerottr through Chríft that loves bins. O the peace, the joy, and holy glorying in the Lord, and in the power of his might, that a -good man is even ravifîzr, and caught up in- to the third Heavens with, when the Lord covers his head in the day of Battel,and lifts it up above his fpiri ttal enemies.To vanquifh ones felf, is anobler exploit than to fubde. aCity, Prov. 16. 32. Nay, a vafler Conqueí, then if onecould, with that great Macedonian Captain, at- chieve the empty titleof the vanquiíher of the world. z. Every Conqueft will encreafe thy f+rength and dexterity againfi the next afläult: So that when the vanquiíht lutl recruits its forces,rhou wilt be able toourviehy felf,and become more dextrous every time. Nay, the mortifying done earthly me[nber ( like the cuttingoffa limb from the natural body) will make the whole body of fin tremble, all the ref( of thy Lulls will fare the worfe, and by content languifti. So that every vid+ory over any one corruption, weakens that, and all the :eft, and breaks theway for future Conque(ls. How

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