Head ll. of the .natural Stock. 215 there i~ a crimiria:l court erected in the man's breaO: '; where he is ·arraigned, accufed, 2nd condemned for bre~king the law of God, convinced of )in and judgment, John xvi. 8. And now he can no longer fleep fecurely in his former courfe of life. ' This is tqe firH: fl:roke the bral)ch gets, in order to cutting off. Secondly , He reupon the man fOrfakes his former profane . co.urfes, h is J.ying, fwearing, Sabbath· breaking, fiealing, and fuch 1ike . pra~ices; though they be dear to him as right eyes, he w}ll rather quit them tban ruin his foul. The fhip is like to fink, and therefore he ~ hroweth his goods over· boar d, th at he him/elf may not peri{h. Ann now he begins to bl efs himfelf in hi~ heart, and look j oyfully on h1s evi– dences for heaven ; t hinking himfelf a better ferv ant to God than many others, Luke xv iii. 1 1 . God , I thank thee,· 1 am not as ot her eyen are. extortioners , unjufi ) adulterers, .&c. But he fo on get~ ano ther £l:roke with the ax of the law, • (he;wingh im, that it is only he that doth what is wntteli in .,{be law; .who can be faved by it ; and that his n~g ative ho· Jinefs is too fcanty a cover from the fl:orrn of God's wrat'h. A.nd,thus, although his fi ns of commiffion only were he';ivy on him before ; his fins of omiJ!ion'now crowd,i nto his thoughts, ,:mend~d with a t~ain of law·curfes and veqge.ance. · And each of the ten commands difcharges thunder . c.Japs of. ,wrath againft him, for his omitting rt:quired duties. Thirdly . :Upon this he. turns to a poGtively holy courfe of-life. 1 He not only is not profane~ but he performs r.e· . ligious duties: he prays, f~_eks the knowledge of the prin· . ciples of religio~, LhiClly obferves the Lord's day, and, )ike Herod, does many things, and hearsfermons gladly. In one wo-rd, there is a great conformity in his outward con– verfation, to the letter of both tables of the law, Ana now thete is a mighty .change .upon the man, that his qeighbours 1 ~annot mifs to take notice of. Hence he is cheerfully admit· t,ed .·by the godly"into their fociety, as a praying perfon, and can confer with them about religious mattet s, yea, and a– boutfoul-exercife, which fome are not acquainted with; and their good opinion of him, confirms ~is gaod opinion of him– felf. This fiep in relrgion is fatal to many, who nev~r get Qt;yond i(. But here the Lord reachetp the ele8:- branch a iarti~e~ fi~oke, Confci~nce flies in the man's 'face, for fome wrong
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