Tentptations againft tiJe (omforts of tl1e Godly at 'Death. righteoufnefs, as efieeming it above all the Riches of the world. Object. Thou baf! ll..eft thy fins while thou wemefl on in a profcffion of Reliy,ioJJ. Anfw. I haQ no fin but what tn the habnual ordi– nary temper of my foul, I hated more than I Iove~ it, and had rather ~ave ~cen ~elivered from it, than have kept ir, and n~me bur what I unfeignedly repented of. Ob)eC1:.1hou dld(l not trltly he– litvt the promife~· of God, and the life to come : vr el{t tbou n·ouldft never have dou_bred ttJ thof! haft done nor fou,JJt fuch a Kingdom with fuch weaJt... dtjirtJ. Anfw. Though my fa1th was weak, tt over~ame the ~orld; I fo far believed the prcmife of :mother life, as that I preferred it befort thiJ life, and was refolved rather to forfake all the world, than to part with my hop:s of that promifed bldfcdmfs: And that faith is fincere (how w<Jk foever) that can do this. Object. Bw thou hajl d(lm thy n>()rkJ to be flm of mm, and h.ce;z mmbled n'hen men have not app1·ovcd .thee, nor honoured thee : and n·hut w~u thU but mur hypocrifie? A~:fw. Though I had fame hypocnfie, yet was I not an hypocrite, becaufe ir was not in a reigning and f~'tvalwt degree.: Thou?\~ I to~ much ~egar~c-d che eltc<m or mtn, yet I did more regard the cllecm ot God. Thus tf a Chr;fiTan dTfcern hts evJdences, the fa\[e reafonings of Satan arc robe refuted. . . §. 21. 2. Bur ordinarily it is a readier way to rake the[tcoud courfe, wh1ch 1s, At prtfcnt 1 to Eelicve a1:d R1pent, andJOconfztte S.1tan that faith yozt are 11ot penitent believer!. But then you mull tru- Johni.Tf>,T!, Jy u~deiHand what Belicvi11f!. and Repwtiltf!, is; ot elfc you may think that you do not Believe and Re- H. & 1· 1 • pent when you de. Believing in Chrifi, is Ca Believing that he if the Saviour of the world, and a COlt· Rom. ;~~:~· fent of wiil th.Jt he he your Savi1mr J to jultihe you. b~ his blood~ and ~anClific you by his S?irit: To u,13 1. 4 ,2r. B.rptnt is [to be Jo forry tbat yott have fimud, that if Uwere t~ do agam~ )'OU would not do tt, (as to Pf01!~ 119 I• groji fi1t, and a }late offin) and tbe fmaliejt_ mft.rmit~u, your will. iJ [o far Jet againft, th:zt y~u ?ftre 4 1 S• tobe delivered from tbcm. J Bclirvi1tg to Jufilhcatlon, IS not the Believing that you are already JUfiJtied, and your fins forgiven you : And Repentin_tr, confilleth not in fuch degrees of forrow as fome expect ; but in the change of the mind and rriO, from a life offen[t~ality to a life of holinefi. \Vhen yoU know this, then anfwer the Tempter thus, [ If I jhould Jitffer thee to deprive me of the Cl!mjOrt of all my f ormrr uprigbtncji, yujhaft tbou 1Jot fo deprive me of tbe csmfort of my prc{rnt fincerity, and of my hiJpt!: I am nD.w too weak,. and dijlempered to try all that UpaJ1 tmd go!lt· Pafl aCiiont arenowb,_nown but by remcmhring them : A,11d tbey are{cldume jud7.ed of a1 inderd they then were; but acCording to the temper aud apprthenjil!n ofthe mind ~hen it review(th I I}(!m: And I am now fo ch.mged .'md wral(ned my feif, th..zt I cannot tell rrhether I truf.y remember tht jujl temper a11d tboughu of »ry heart in all that/ pall or not. Nor ~oth it mofi concern me now; to ~ ...now rrhat I IJtJvt bun, but to knorv wh~t I am. Chrift wi_Jl uot jutlgt accordrng to rrhat I :v.u, but accordmg to wbat he findeth me : Nevir d1d ht rrfufe a penttent believing foul, becau[t he repmttd and believed late: I domw unfeig~cdly repent of aU myji1u, and am heartily willi11g to be both p.trdfl1ted, and cleanfed, and fanflifird by Cbrijl, 11nd here I give up my felf to him at my Saviour, and to thH CBVotant I wiU ftaud.: And 1hi1 it lrue Repenting and Belitv· i1rg. J Thus a poor Chriftian ln che rime of ficknefs, may oft·.times mu:::h eatier clear it up to him!elf, that he Rtpmteth ntJw, than that he Rep~·nttdformerly: And it is his furefi way. 9· 2 5· 1empt. 2. And yet fometimes he cometh with the quite contrJry Temptation, and mufi be Tempt. 2• rctllied by the contrary way. When he findeth a Chrillian la perplexed, and weakned, and difi:empered with ficknefs, that his underfianding is dif,bled from any compolcd thoughts, then he asketlt him, [ Now whereH thy Faith .sndh.epmtanct ? If .thou h3jf any, or evtr hadft any, la it now apfear ]. In this cafe a Chrifiian is to take up with the remembrance of his former fincerity, and tell the Tempter, [I am [Hrt th.st once ~ g.Jve up my [elf unfeigmdty to my Lord: 11nd thofe tbat come to him. he will in no wife caft out : And if nO JP I be difablcd from a C9tnpofcd exercifo of gr.Jce, he will not im ... putt my ficl(mfs to mt a1 my fin. J 9· z6. Tempt. 3· Anothe~ ordinary Temptation is, that [Its now too late: God will not 'tow acctpt 'temp!. 3 , repentance: the d.Jy of grace zs pa}f and gone: or at leajf, a death-bed Repentance is not fincerc' J To this · the Ttmptcd foul mutt reply, 1.1hat if faith a;td rrptntance wtrc not acceptrd at any time in tHi life, tbcH Gods promi[e were not true, which faith, that rvhofocvcr believeth in him jhall not pcrijh, hm havuverlajling life~ Joh:' 3.I6. So Luke24·47· Acts 5· 31. & 11. 18. &2o, 21. 2 Tim.2..25. 2 Per. 3· 9· There ts a ttme m rhts hfc, mwhich fome rdillers of the cruth, are given up to their own luHs, to the love of fin, and hatred of holinefs, fo chat they witl not Repent: But there wat never a cime in this life, in which God refufc-d to jufiitie a true repentiJtg jinmr, upon his belief in Chrifi. 2· That if a deatb·bedRepentance d" truly turn the heart from the world to G~d, aud frfJm fin to holimji, [o that tbe pwium perfon, if hejhould recover, would lead I! new and hJly lift, then thlt _Repentance hath as fure a promifc: of pardon and falvation, as if ic had been fooner: And yet drl:1j mull be confeffed to be dangtrout to aU, and caHeth men under very great difficulties, and their lofs is exceeding great, though at Jalt they repent and are forgiven. 9· 27. ~cmpt. 4· Sometime the Tem~ter faith, [ Tb~u art not elellcd t~ falvati"n:· andG/Jdfavuh Tempt. +• none but hu EleCt] and fa pun.leth rhe tgnorant by fettmg them on doubung of thetr EkCbon. To this we muH anfwer, that every foul thar is chofon tofaith, and Repentance, and perfcver/.lnce, is certain.. Jy chofen w falvation : And I know that God hath chofen me ro Faith and ltepentauce, becaufe he hath givw themmt!: And 1 have reafon enough to trutt on him for that upholding grace, which will caurc me tO perfevere. . ~- 28: Tempt. 5· But, faith th~ Tempter, [ Chrij! did not dye for thee: and no one can be faved that Tempt. 5 , Chrijl dtd not dye fer. J To this lt mull be an!wercd : That Chrijl dyed for aU men, fo far at" be a f"ufficicnt ~acr~fice for their.Jim, and to .maJ?....e a promi[t of pardon and faluation to aU that wiU. accept hun and Jm gi{t ; and be mtreateth all that hear the GfJ{pel to acctpt it : And accordingly be wiU fave OOOOl ~
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