378 D1retfions anent of temporal mercies, -and difpofe you to a holy fub'– n1iffion unto the will of God therein : and it will en– gage you, in matters of light, ·to lay yourfelf fairly open to the Divine determination. . · If, i11 this la0: cafe, your own inclination do fway you to any one fide; ye.t be fure to have no regard to it before the Lord, but come unto him, as it were, iil an equipoife, to be cafi to what fide he will. Such are the ' meek he will guide in judgment, the meek he will teach his way, Pfalm xxv. 9~ Unfair dealing with God ·in this cafe, is exceeding finful and dange– rous. They who venture on it; are therein dilfem– blers : and will readily throw off their mafk, if il).e anfwer of God fall not in with the fide that their in– clination is on : they will repel it ~ they will not fee it, but will take their own way notwithfianding, to the provoking of the eyes of his glory; whereof we have a remarkable infiance in the Jews confulting (iod as to what theylhould do,while, in the mean time, they were aforehand refolved what to do, being bent , to go to l!.:'gypt, Jer. xli. 17· Chap. xiii. r.--6, 19, 20. Chap. xliii. 2, 7· Such dealing with God, in the matter of light, fometime·s provokes hiJU to give men their will, with a vengeance. Thus Balaam got an ' anfwer from God, plainly notifying to _him, t11at he would not go with Ba!ak's. me.ffengers, Numb. xxii. 12· Bu~ that anf\ver not fuiting his inclinations, which were towards the wages of unrighteoufnefl, 2 Pet. ii. 15. he went back for another anfwer more agreeable thereto, and in wrath he got it, Ver. 19, 20, 21, 22. 2. Be fervent in your addrdfes, ~ labouring fer– vently in prayers,' Col. iv. 12. On fuch' occafions, the body is affliCted, that the Spirit may become the more earnefi in fupplication ; the ordinary weight of i worldly incumbrances is laid afide, that the foul may the more readily take wing, and mount heavenward . ' T,he effeCtual fervent prayer of a righteous man a· · vaileth much,' J ames v. I 6. 3· Pray
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