118 'Direfiions for atvell g~·otmded Fait/J, clear.. If it be a caufc untl)'td by you~ it is not !lntryed by all the godly, nor unknown to him that gave you the holy Scriptures.; If it be lit to becaYed in queftio• and diffzmd, take the help of able godly Teachers or friends, and hear what they can fay: Matters of cndlcfs life or death, are not rafhly to be ventl~ed on : But if it be a thing paft diifJUte, in which you have been already convinced· and Gal. 1, 16. r.efolved , reject the Tempter, and tell him, that you owe him not fo much fervice, as to di[pute with him whether you Chould care for your falvation? Elfe there will be no end, till you are betrayed and undone : Innocent Eve is deceived when once it comes to a difpute. Be not like Balaam that tempted God, and would not be fatisfied with his anfwer. · 'limpt• 10 , ~· 4·3· Tempt. 10. Alfo the Tempter overcometh very man)•, by m>lzing them prejitmptuottfly confident of tbrirow;r.flrcugtb : faying, 7'bou art not fo weak., aJ not tobe able to bear a grt.iter temptation than tbU .~ Cmljl- tbou uot ,gaze on beauty, or go among vain and tempting company, andyet cbo{lfe whether thou wilt ..[in: . Tt'~ a child i11decd tbat bath no more governmmt o] thn11/dvu I Cannot thy Table, thy Cup, thy Houje, thy Land1, he plrafi;tg and de/ellable, but thou muft netdJ over~lJtl£ them, .u:d t~trn them to fin f Dirdl. IO· §. 4-4 Direl1. IO· 0 know thy own weaknefs J the treacherous C11emy whkh thou fiill carriefi about thee, who is ready to open the back.door to the Devil : Remember that flefh is dn the Tempters t fide; and how much it can do with theebefore thou art aware. Remember what an unfetlcd wretch t!lOU art ; and how many a good purpofe formerly hath come to nothing ; and how oft thou hafi " lnmed by as fmall a temptation: Remember that without the·Spirit of Chrill, thou canll do no– thing, nor lland againll any a/fault of Satan : And that Chrill giveth his Spitit and help in hi1 own way, and not to tho!e that tempt him to f01fake them, by thrulling them!dves into temptati– ons. Shall ever mortall man prefurne upon his own firength,after the falls ofan Adam, a Noah, a Lot, a David, aSolomon, a Hcztkj61h, aJofiab, a Peter l and after (uch ruines of multitudes of p,rofdl'ors as our eyes have feen? AU tlufi thing1 hapmd unto them for enfampltt, and they are written for our admonitiun on whom the tmh oftheworldarecome. IYbtreforeltt him that tbinkJtl, be flandetb, ta~ heed left be faY, 1 Cor. 10. 11, 12. ~empt. ·II. 9· 45· Tempt. n. ItiJ a great projell of the Devil, and fucceJiful w.itb many, 111 draw them to venture on e'b, fin, by jhrwing them fir]! the dfectual Remedy , the abundant Mercy ofGod, the fufficient fati<fa· Dion made by Chrij1, the full, and free, a>td univcrfal promife; that thtfe are fofficient to cleanfe the foul , of any ji1t; therefore you mcd not fear. ' Dire/J• .f. f §· 46. Direa. 11 • But God is jujl, as well as merciful; and there are veffels •f'wrath, as well as Rom. 9• f yeffel~ of meJCy; Judge how God will u!e his mercy, and who !hall have it, by his own wod : For he knoweth better than you, to whom, and how tar to !hew mercy. Is the 1tmpter himfelffaved, Heb. 1 o,t6. for all God i1 merciful? And the Gofpcl bath far forrr punijhment thail the Law, to the abulers of 27, 28, 19. grace: Chrifi is the moll: dreadful Judge to the wicked, as well as the tenderefiSaviour to his own. l. Then: 1.1o. There is enough in his grace to Cave the penitent; but if you will fin upon prefumption that grace will fave you, you have fma!l reafon to think that you are penitent, or ever will be, without a very merciful change: How many can you name that ever were converted and forgiven, that lived wilful· ly in !in, becaufe the Remedy was fuf!icient? I doubt not but many fuch have been recalled; but this is not the )Vay to hope: It's a terrible thing to fin deliberately and wilfully, becaufe of the greatnefs of mercy, or the [ufficiency of the death ofChrill! No man but the Ptnittm Convtrt is favc:d by Cbrift ; and this is clean contrary to penitence and coHvtrjion. Chrifi doth not as Mountebanks, that wound a man to Chew people how quickly their balfoms 'an cure him ; or make a man drink a Toad, to fi1ew the power of their Antidotes: But he cureth the Diieafes which he findeth (in be– lievers ) but caufeth none. 1tmpt. 12. §·47• Tempt.l2· Alfo the1emptertiYeththefinmr, howcmain, a11d eajie, andfPwl.yartmedy he bath in hi-1 own power: It i& but Repenting, and allfin Upardoned. Dire/J. 12. . y. 48. Dire/J. 12· 1. Is it in thy power? If fo, the greater is thy fin that finneft morewhen thou (houldfi repent : If it be tafit, what an unexcufable wretch art thou that wilt nor do it, but go on. 2· But ltrpentaltce is the gift ofGod, 2Tim, 2· 25, 26. And is he like to give it to them that wil– fully abute him in cxpeaation of it? 3· As eafie as it is, it is but a few that truly repent and are for~ given, in comparifon ot thofe that go on and perifh. 4· The eafiefi Repentance is fa bitter, that irs tar eafier to forbear the fin : Its better not wound your felves, than have the bell: Calve if you were fure of it. 5· The Repentance which is caufed by mecr fears of death and Hell, without the power ofHeavenlyLove to God a11d hrninefs, is but the Repentance of the damned, and never procureth James •· , 9 • pardon of fin : The Devil hath fuch a Reptntance, as well as fuch a faith, which will nor fave him. Tempt. 13 • y. 4~· Tempt. 13· Satan a/fo emboldnab tbe finnrr, by ttYing him how ma>ryhave Repented and jptd well, that finned aJbad or n:orj f than thi1: He ttUr him ofNoah, and Lot, andDavid, and Peter, and the 1kif[ on the Cro{s, andPabll a Perficutor, yea, snd Mandfeh, &c. Dirtf1. 13. 9· 5o. Dirt/J. 13· But confider whether any of thofe did thus fin, becaufe that others had fcapt Jhat finned before them. And think of the mil/ioJu that never·rtpented, and are condemned, as well as of the few that have repented. Is Repentance better thaajin l Why then will you fin l Is fin bet· tcr thanRepentance l Why then do you purpofe to repent 1 Is it not bafe ingratitude, to offend God wilfully, becaufe he l~ath pardoned many offenderS; and is ready to forgive the penitent? And !hould a man ofreafon wilfully make work for his own Repentance; and do that which heknow– eeh he !hall wi!h with grief that he had never done? If fome have been faved that fell into the Sea, or that fell hom the top of Steeples, or that drunk poyfon, or were dangeroufly wounded, will you therefore call your felf iuto the fame cafe, in hope of being favcd ?
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