3o8 crhe . Dcmger of Profperity. ~--------------~----~~: _______________ Our Sa.viour fays, lf t!Je Ligh~ that is in us be Darl:nefs, how great is that Darknefl? How dtforderly and rumous will .the courfc be ? if tbe Salt bath loft its jtnJiour, wbereroitb jhall it /Je fatted? If the Confcience, dm lhould be as Salt to pteferve the Soul from tainnng Plcafurc, be corru~ted, whcrewtth can it be refiored ? l· Flcfllly Lufls fmod1er and fupptcfs the DiCtates and Tcllimouy of the enlighrncd Con_fciencc, that_ they arc not influential upon the Life. The DiCtate~ of ConfCicnce arc 111 a direCt Ltne,_ infiruCting ~nd advifm~ Men in their Duty : tl~c Tcil:imony is by rcAcCtion upon theu Errors from the Divme Rule, and condcmmng them for rheir Guilt. . ' · T he DiCtates of the inlighrned Confcicnce arc fupptefl. 'Tis the Obfervation of • • }xcw,rHv *the Philofophcr, concerningfcnfualPcrfons, rhat 'r.hcy havcRcafon in the Faculty and ~£,:':.:.;;;~~ Habit;-b;r~-not _in the Ufc and Exercife. The praChcal Undcdl:an~li1~g declares our Du- :J. Arifl . l. 7, ty, that tts abfolurely neceffary to obey God; and Men aifcnt to It 111 the general: bur &r. c. 3· ~~;~::p~~~~i~~~i~~~ed!~\~~ ~\~~J~~~rt~t,p~~~i~~ ~~~~:~~~c~!~:a~l~~ :~~~c~n~~=t~~~~u~~ ¥~~ clinations. Whiltl: the Mind, feduc'd by the~enies, is intent upon the pl~afing Objed, ir does not aCtually and fl:rongly confider the Dtvinc Command ; and Confctcncc is brought under the controul of the impetuous Paflions. The Light of Rcafon, as well as of Divine R~vclation, difcovers, _that .the btcffed Beginning, and the happy End of Man, is to be ltkc God, an~ to enJOY Ius Love; but when there is a compctitiOJ_l between his 1-'aH'ut, and the tlungs of the \Vorld, the carnal Heart fuppreffcs the Dtdates of the Mind, and makes a blindfold choice of things prefenr and feniib!c, as if Man were all Earth, and there were no fpark. of Heaven within him. The Heathens a_rc charged by Sr. Paul, --lbat t~Jey witb-beld tbe Truth in Unriy}iteoufnefs. The Notton of God as the Supream Lawgnrcr, and to be obeyed_ according to his Law imprcfl: upon Conkience, was a natural Truth, and fhould have retgn'd in their HeartS and Lives ; but they_ would not fuffer it to exert its Power in ord~ring their ACtions. T here is a natural Mtracle feenin Egypt every Year; when the .Rrver Ni.lus ovcrfl~ws the ~Jlains: M~ny living Creatures arc half form'd, and part remains flimy Eanh, Without L1fe or Monon. Alterd pars 'Vi'Vit, rudis eft pars altera tellus. Such Monflers were the ungodly and unrigl;tcous Heathens; half Men in their Underfiandings, and half Mud in their filthy AffeCtions. And there arc i:mumerable fuch Monfi:ers in the Chriflian JVorld. · o. The Teflimony of Confcience is fupprefl and negleCted by the profperous Sinner. If Confcicnce be in fomc degree Righteous, and faithful in its Office, and repro-ues him, ant!Jets bis S;ns in order hefore /Jis Eyes; he will not regard its earndl: Warnings. He is as unwilling to hear that fincere Witncfs in his Bofi:>m, as Ahab Wa$ the inflexible Prophet Micaiab ; of whom he fa id, I hate him, for he doth not propbejieGood ofme, but E~il. Profperity affords many diverfions, whereby the finncr ihifts off converfing with Confcicncc, and remains i.ngaged in his fmful Stare. I harkned, and heard, faith the Prophet .Yeremy, but they Jpake not aright; no Man repeuted of his Wickednefs, fqying, What bt1'1!e I ~lone ~ What foul ignominious Ads, how defiling and debafmg my Soul, how offenfive to rhe llm'c Eyes of God, who is fo glorious in Majeil:y, and dre<1dful in Power? -~~~~~~:s ~~h~et~~n 5~~ ~~~~~~~t~;~e ~~:~ S~'I~c~~~e~ ~~~~pe~:1dd~~~l~ at:~e!~~~~~ i~:1t:~l~ lion ; E'Vety one turn' d to bis courfe, as the Horfe rufhes into the Battle. As the Horfe when inAam'd, by the Noife and other Accidents of War, ~urioutly ru~es to his o~vn Dcfl:rudion : thus ~inners when they encounter alluring ObjeCts that d1verr the Mmd from fcrious Conftderation, either they d.o .not difcern, or will not obfcrve the Dangers before rhem, and with as little conftderation, and as much fiercenefs as the J?eafl:s venture upon their own Deil:ruction. Converfion is the Product of the mofr feriolls and fad Thoughts, from which a profperous Sinner is mofl: averle. 2. The external means for convening finners, arc ufually ineffeCtual upon them whillt they enjoy Ptofperity. 1. The Gofpel is the PoJVer of God to Salvation to them that heliroe; and the preaching of it is bydivinelnfl:iturion the ordinary means ofConverfion. God could by the immc· diate illumination of the Mind, and inAucnee upon theWill and AffeCtions, convert fin ~ ners from the Errors of their Ways; bur his Wifdom and condefcending Goodnefs makes ufe of the Miniflry of Men to convey the Word of Truth and Life to the World. This way is very congruous, both to the compounded N arure of Man, by the Sen~~~~~
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=