Serm. 15 when Inward and outward troubles meet ? 357 and my hope it perifhed from the Lord : alike fad is that (Ezek 37, 1 ri) Swoon of Ifrael's Faith when they were in the Captivity. You'I ask what the reafon and caufe of this íhould be. ? tó I. It arifeth from their ignorance, efpecially in the fundamental Rolf. Point_s of Religion, as touching our. difeafe , and the remedy, and way of cure, the tenour of the Covenant of Grace,according to which God exaetly proceeds in all his dealings with us ; and we fhould ever carry it towards God. If a man be taken with a fit of facknefs ; knows not what he ails, nor what to take, nor how to apply that which is pro. fcribed,nor how to order himfelf ; is unfatisfied touching the way,skill and faithfulneffe of his Phi Titian, by his ignorance he is put to a fad plague, and at his wits ends, ready to fink and welter ; thus 'cis in our Spiritual condition : David, Pfal m 73. 12,16. is dangeroufly tolled in his Spirit upon waves of temptations, and much flaggared about his condition, his feet were alma gone, he almofl wrackt, and cafe away. See the reafon ver[.22. of Pf al. 7 3. So foolifh wa,s I and ignorant : ig- norance is darknefs,'twill either and fears or make them. 2. This arifeth from the ilt and imprudent carnal management of a Real. 2. more profperous ílate ; 'cis rare to receive much of this World , and Luke 15.12, not as the Prodigal to go afar off; 'cis hard to keep clofe to God in 13. profperity when we have much of this World to live upon, and content our felves with ; to live upon God ,and make him our content and flay, as if we had no other life nor livelyhood but in him ; we are very apt in fuch a cafe to cant raft a carnal frame, let go our hold of Ged,difcuftome our felves to the exercife of Pai.h, abate and efzrange our afftlions from Cod ; See how it was with Devid,Pfal.3o.7. I,jaid 1, , n1d never be moved, thou haft made my mountain fo flrong, I fo- laced my fdf in thrfe outward accommodations, as if.I needed no other fupport ílrength or content, and_there were no fear of a change; no care now to make God my conflant joy and flay, and reckon upon God only for my portion, and that I mull follow him with a Crofs, and be conformed to my Saviour in being crucified to the World,what comes of this,v.7.Thou bideft tF :y face,and 1 was troubled, viz. becaufe he had too much irdulgk.d a lite of fenfe. Children that are held up by their Nurfes hand,and mind not to feel their feet and ground;when the Nurfe lets them go, they fall as if they had no feet or ground to Rand upon. Or thus : we are like Children, which playing in the golden Sun Thine, and following their fport,flray fo, far from their Fa- thers houfe, that night coming upon them ere they are aware, they are as it were loll, and full of fears, not knowing bow to recover home ; Z z z the
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