996 CHARACTER OF A SOUND, but when it comes topractice, as his will is less confirmed,andmore corrupted and divided, so little impediments and difficulties are great temptations to him, and stop him more in the way of his obedience. All his duty is much more tedious to him, andall his sufferings are much more burdensome tohim, than to confirmed Christians; and therefore he is more easily tempted into omissions ançl impatience, and walketh not so evenly or comfortablywith God. When the spirit is willing, it yieldeth oft to the, weakness of the flesh, because it is willing in too remiss a degree; Matt. xxvi. 41. Gal. ii. 14. 3. But the seeming Christian,. though notionally and generally ,he may approveof strictness, yet secretly at the heart hathalways this reserve, that he will not serve God at too dear a rate. His worldly felicity he cannot part with, for all the hopes of the life to come ; and yet he will not, he dare not renounce and give up those hopes ; and therefore he maketh himself a religion of the easiest and cheapest parts of Christianity, (among, which, sometimes, the strictest opinionsmay fall out to be one part, so be it theybe separated from the strictest practice,;) and this easy, cheap religion he will needs believe to be true Christianity and godliness, and so will hope to be saved upon these terms: and though he cannot but know that it is the certain character of a hypocrite, to have any thing nearer and dearer to his heart than God, yet he hopeth that it is not so with him, because his convinced judgment can say, that God is best, and the world is vanity, while yet his heart and affections so much contradict his opinion, as almost to say, " There is na God;" for his heart knoweth and, loveth no God as God, that is, above his worldly happiness. He is resolved to do so much in religion as he findeth necessary to delude his conscience, and make himself believe . that lie' is godly, and shall be saved but when he cometh to forsake all, and take up the cross, and practice the costliest parts of duty, then you shall see that mammon was better loved' than' God, and he will go away sorrowful, and hope to be saved upon easier terms, (Luke xviii, 23.) for he was newer resigned absolutely to God. . XV. 1, A confirmed Christian is one that taketh self -denial for theone halfof his religion ;.and therefore bath bestowed onehalf, of his endeavors toattain and exercise it. He knoweth that the fall of man was a turning -to himself. from God ; and that selfishness and want oflove to God are the sum ofall corruption and ungodliness ; and that the love of God and self-denial are the sum of all religion; and that conversion is nothing but the turning of the heartfrom car- nal self to God by Christ: and therefore on this bath his care and labor been so successfully laid out, that he bath trulyand practically found out something which is much better than himself, and to be'
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