' TemptatiollS which hinder Cwverjion, wit!> their rJ<.smedies. PART. II. TI>e Temptatiom whereby the f>e1Jil /;iizderetl> mms Conwrji01z : zvith tiJe proper rJ<.smedies againjl: them. §. 1. THE Mofi Holy and Righteous Governour of the world, hath fo refirained Satan and all our enemies, and fo far given us Fret-will, that no man can be forced to fin againll:: his will : It is not jilt if it be'pot ( pojitivtly1or privadve.ly ) volunt::r)'· All our enc. mics in Hell or Earth cannot make us rnifcrable without our felves; nor keep a finner from true Convnfion , and Salvation, if he do it nor himfelf; no nor compell himtoo· one finful thought, or word, Oi: deed, or orniffion, but by tempting and entifing him to be wiUing: All that arc Gracileji, are "lljitUy Grmltjj. None go to Hell, but rhofe that chojnhc way to Hell, and would not be p<rfwadcd out of it: None mifs of Heaven, but thofe that did let fo light by it, as to prefer the world and fin before it, and refufed the holy way that leadeth to it. And furely man that naturally lovctb himfelf~ would never take fo mad acourfC:, ifhis reafon were not laid alleep, and his under/landing were not wofully deluded : And this is the buGnefs of the Tempter, who doth not ilrag men to tin byviolfnct, but drawamt entice rhem by Temptations: I !hall thcrtfure take ic for the next part of my work, to open thefe 1'emprations, and tell you the Kemediu. Tempt. y. 9· 2· Tempt. I· 'Ibe fi:rft rndttJvour &/ tbe 1emptcr, irin General to k.fep thtfinnerafleep infin : fo that _ bejhaU he a1 a dead fflan, that bath no ufe of any of hj§ frJcultieJ: th"at hatb eytt audfttth not> and ears hut E~hef. z, r. luar-tth not, and a /;cart that underftandethnot, nflr/ttfeth any thing that cunct:rneth hU peac~: The light Col. 1 · J t· that fl;ineth upon a man ajleep, is of no ufe to him : HU" 'work._ lytth tmdune: HU fritndJ, andwealrh~ ~ ~r. ~r~~S· a;td grcatejl concernmentJ are all forgotten ~y him, as if tbcre n:erl1to[ucb thing! orper{un1 in the world: jtlef 11 ;.\. • You m~y faJ' n-hat you rvill agai1t}l him, or do what you wiU againjl him, and he can do 11otbing iJZ /:,Hewn defence. 1hiJ i1 the c;JC ~hat tbe Devil moft laboureth to Jterp the world in ; even in fo dead ajlecy, that their Reafon, and their Wills, their fear, andhope, and.a/J their powers jhaU be of no ufe to them :· 1hat when they hear aPreacher, or read the Scripture or good Book.J, or fee the holy examp1eJ oftlu god– !;•, yea, nhen they fee the Grave, and k,.now ,where they muff fhortly lit, and'know that th~il' fouli muff jfay htre but a little rvhile, )•tt theyjhall hear, and fee., an'd know all this, aJ men ajlup, that mind it not,.. as if it concernednot them at aU; never once foherly Confidering a11dlaying it to lre.zrt. • Dii-ell. 1 • ~· 3· Direli. I· Forthe Remedy again£\: this deadly fin, 1. Take heed of jlerpy opinioitJ, or Dodrines and conccits which tend to the Lethargle of Security : 2· Sic not !\ill, but be up and doing: Stirring tends to fl1ake off drowzincfs. 3· Come into the light ; Live under an awakening Miniltcr and ill wakening company, that will not fleep with you.; nor cafily let you llecp =. Agree with them to deal faithfully with you, and ·promife th<m to take 1t thankfuny. f· And mcduatc oft on wakening con– fiderations. Think whether a fleepy foul befeerrt one in thy dangerous condition. Canll rho~:~ tletp with fuch a load of Gn upon thy foul ? Canfi thou Oerp under the thundering threat– nings of God ? and the Curfe of his Law ? with fo many wounds in thy Confcience, and Ulcers in thy foul ? lf thy body were lick, or in the cafe of Jub , yea, il thou hadfi but arr aking Tooth, it would not let thee fletp: And is not the guilt of Jin, a thing more grievous? If . Thorns, or Toads and Adders were in thy Bed, they would ke-ep the waking? And how much more 1:Tim. 2. 2.5. odious and dat'l"gcrous a thing is fin? lf thy body want but mcar,or drink, or covering, it will break thy fletp: And is it nothing for thy foul to be defiitute of Chrill and Grace? A condemned man wiU be eaflly k<pt awak! : ltnd if thou be unregenerate, thou~rt alreadyco11demnrd, John ;. 18. 3. 5· Thou Oeep<fi in Irons : in the captivity of the Devil : among tile walking judgements ofGod : in a life that is fiil\ expectingan end : in a Boat that is fwifdy carried to eternity: jufl: at the entrance ofano– ther world; and that world will be Hell, if Grace awake thee not: Thou art going to fee the face of God; to fee' the world ofAngels or Dtvils, and to be a companion with one of them for ever: And is this a place or cafe to' jlup in? Is thy Bed fo foft? thy dwelling fo fafe? God llandeth over thee man; and doll thou fltep! Chrill is coming, and death is coming, and judgement coming, and dofr thou fleep ? Didfi thou never read of the foolifh Virgins, that flept out their time, and knockt and cryed in vain when it was too late ? MJtth. 2 5· 5· Thou mil\htell wifelyer tleep on the Pinnacle of a Steeple in a Scorm, than have a foul aUeep in fo dangerous a cafe as thou arl in. The Devil is awake, and is rocking thy Cradle! How butie is he to k(t:p olfMinifiers, or Confcience, or any that would awake thee ? None of thy enemies are ar.eep; and yet wilt thou flec.p, in the d1ickefi of thy foes? Js the battle a jl1eping time, or thy race a fleeping time, when Heaven or Hell mull be theEnd ? While he can keep thee ajlup, the Devil can do almoll what he !ill with thee. He knows that thOLt hafi now no ufe of thy eyes, or undertl:anding, or power to refill him : The Learnedfi Doctor in his fleep is as unl~arned ad-ually·as an Ideot, and will ~difpute no better than an unlearned man: This makes many learned men to be ungodly : they are afleep in fin. The Devil could never have made fuch a drudge of thee, to do his work againii'Chrill and thy foul, if thou hadfi been awake. Thou wouldll ntver have followed his whifile to the Ale-houfe, the Play·houfr:, theGaming-houfe, and to other fins, if thou hadfi been in thy wits and well awake. Read Prov. 7· 23. 24.1 cannot belitve that thou lon;,ejt to bedamncd,or fo harefi thy felf,as to have done as thou halt done,to have a livedGodkfs~ a Gracdefs, a Praycrlds, and yet a merry carelefs life, if thy eyes had been opened, and thou hadfr. known andfrtlingly l(.nown, that this was the way to Hdl. Nmue it fe\f will ha_rdly go to Hdl i:JW:lltt'•
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=