Baxter - HP BV4647 .S4 B39 1660

Self.willtobe denied. 93 good,that bath not the leaft inclination toevil, nor poffibility of filch a thing. Be ruled by it, and you are molt certain to have the moll juft,and holy, and faithful, and merciful ruler in the world. To prefer felf-will before the Will of God, is as the 'Jews, to prefera murderer Barghbas, before the Lordof life. 4. Moreover, Our own 'wilt are guided by a dark under- ftanding : and therefore readyon every occafion to turn afide. Though the will commandeth, yet the underftanding guideth it : And therefore as the dark underftanding is commonly at a lofs,, or quite millaken, judging evil to be good, and good to be evil : fo the will mutt needs be an unhappy governor, that fol_ loweth thediredion of fo ignorant a Counfellor : But if you will deny your Oar; wilt, and be ruled by the Will of God, you need not fear mifleading, !icing his wifdom is infallible and in- finite. Chafenot a blind guide then, when youmay have the conduct of wifdom it felf; when God is content to be your Go- vernor, prefer not fuch foolifh finners asyourfelvei before hint. S. Moreover, Your je/f will bath almoft undone youalrea- dy : It bath been the caufe ofall your fin and mifery : Never anyhurt befell you, or any man on Earth, but from /diva. And yet will you follow it 'till, and take no warning, as if it had not doneenough againit you ? But on the contrary, you were never hurt in all your lives by following thewill of God : molds it be fuch a hurt as the fearchingor cleaning of a fore, without which it cannot be healed ; or fuch a hurt as the taking of Phyfick, without which you can have no cure. Tell me if you can, when ever the Will of God did wrong you ? whendid you fpeed the worfe for the followingofhis counfel ? Look back upon your lives, and tell me whether all your frnart and lofs have come fromyour following Gods Will, or your own ; and which you thinklana have more caufe to repent of. 6. There is none followethfelf-will to the end, but is ever- laflingly undone by it : It leadeth diretily to the difpleafing of Gods Will, and fo toHell : But on the contrary, there is none that fincerely and finally follow the Will of God, that ever do mifcarry : He is the fafell Conductor : He never led a foul to hell. All that follow him, live with him : For whither fhould be lead them but to h_ inafelf ? And where God is, there is life and N 3 glory.

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