Spiritual Perfefiion. at the challenge of a Servant denied his Ma!ler, and was almo!l frozen to death witli Fear, ,cil1 the compaffionate Eye of our Saviour warm'd and melted him into tears of Rf~n~~~c~nt Mirtakes, it mull be confider'd, that the ceafing from the atl:s of Sin, does not always proceed from viEI:orious Grace. In th<; abfence of alluring Objects there is a ceaflog from the vicious .aEI:s, but th.e fioful AffeEI:ioos .may be then moll ioterife: as Hunger is more lbarp tn a ume of Famme, when there IS no Food to fausfie tt; and ThirH: in a \V ildcrocfS where there are no Springs or Fruits to rcfreili it, is more burnirig and rormeotiog. Sometimes through Impotence or Age, Men are difabled from doing the Sin they ilill Love. As a Difeafe caufes fuch a di!la!le of pleaflng Meats and Drinks that an intemperate Perfon is forced to abflain from them. Somettmes a Man from h1 is Coollitutioo may be averfe from a particular lull without a Spiritual Change in the Heart. Some arc frighmcd from Sin by the Terrors ofCoofcience, they dare not drink the-pleafant Wines from an abhorrence of the dregs at the bottom1 and others are allured from a Sin by a new Temptation. But Spiritual Mortification conli!ls in this; the Carnal AffeEI:ions are Spiritualiz'd; Senfual Love is faftned upon the Beauty of Ho. Jioefs Covetous Delires change their Objeas, and are ardent after the Treafures of Heaven ~od the cleareR Lulls are kill'd. Now the more eafie, frequent and clear the viCl:ory over Sin is, in proportion Grace is advanc'd in the Soul, and its power is feen. Every Renewed Perfon is a Soldier under the illuminating Condua and Empire of the Spirit; and acquires ne\V !lrengt h by every new ViEI:ory over the Carnal parr. Sometimes the Carnal Appetite fo !lrongly follicites the Will to confent to a propofal, that 'tis wavering; and although the Inclinations does not proceed to th~ act of Sin! and the Conception be Abortive, .the . ViEI:ory is th~n im- ~~~f~~r~~~ ~i::!~~~ ;:~~~t1~~~1 7e~libJ.h:~fn~~~ ~~~e~~h~ni~~~c~t\~~~ ~h~ T0~;~~~. \~ enables a Man freely and readily to refill thofe enticing ObjeEI:s that ravilb the Carnal AffeEI:ions. We have an admirable In!lance of this in 1ofeph, when tempted to Folly by his Millrefs, he prefently and con!lanr.ly rejected her Imp~rrunity, and repeated So]. Jicitations; and as P41•1eafily !book the V1perfrom hiS Hand mto the F1re wuhout hurt, [o he prefervcd his Purity untainted : This argued the dominion Grace had over the fenfoal Appetite. The more frequent our prevalency over Temptations is, argues the ftrength of Sin is broken, and the firmer radication and vigour of the Divine Nature. As the hou[t of Saul gre:v >veaker eVlrJ da1, the hou[t of D•vid grew jlronger. As the old Man decays; the new Mao increafes in ftrength. The more compleat the viEI:ory is over Sin, the more clear indication we have of the power of Grace. The compleatnefs either implies the extent of the victory over the whole body of Sin, all the lulls of the deliringand angry Appetites, when no Sin is in· dulged, though ple~faot and profitable, a!ld though it may Ceem never fo fmall ; for the Command of God iS !lnct and fevere agam!l every Sm, as 1t was aga10!l the Amalekites, all mufl be deflroyed. Indeed, no Sin is truly fubdued, but all are in fame degrees mar. tified. Or the compleatnefs of the viEI:ory implies, not only the ab!laining from th~ outward aEI:, but the mortifying of the inward AffeEI:ions, the fir!l feeds of Sin . [n fhort, the excellent degree of Grace is moll evident in de!lroying the feleEI: and fu. perior Lufl, that leads and animates many other; as the honour and greatnefs of a ViEI:ory is fmm the !lreogth of the Enemy that is vanquifhed. And the power of Grace is difcovered, in fecuring us from being foil'd by fudden unexpeEI:ed Temptations. We read of the Tempter, He came to 011r Saviour, br~tfound nothing' in him, and cor~ld not f41m an; impre/lion on him. 'Tis true, 'tis morally impoffible to attain to this Petfeaion, to be always watchful in this !late of fraill'lelb; then militant Holinefs would be tri· umphant: But it fhould be our earneft endeavour to be fo fortified by holy Refolutioos, and fo vtgilanr, that though we are furrounded by innumerable Enemies. we may not be fur priCed by them. The prefent reward of fubduiog Carnal Lulls, exceeds all Carnal SatisfaCtion. What fweeter refleaion can there be of Confcience, rh~ only true and in· ternal Comforter, than upon Innocence and ViCl:ory? 2. The difcovery of our progrefs in Holinefs, i• made by the habitual frame of the Heart, and the fixed regularity of the Life. There cannot be a true J udgmeot of a Chrillian, either when he is bell drfpofed, or when he is wor!l difpofed. One that has Iefs Grace, may fomctimes in the ufe of the Ordinances feel high and holy AffeEI:ions in an unu[ual manner: An excellent Saint, in time of temptation, may feel the power of Corruption !lrangely great. A llrong Mao in a fainting Pit is weaker than another; a weak Man in a Fever is !lronger than two. But we may judge of the degrees of Grace by the> fpiritual
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