Houston-Packer Collection BV4253 .B85 1649 .B85 1649

272 Satans power to 7ernitt andCkriff's loveto, 3. Experience be but out of the way a little, then your heart will fail, and your faith fail prefently. Take heed thatye never mournfor any evil, no notfor fin itfilf, p as to be untbanIdulfOr, or unmindful offormer merciet. We are very apt to this ; and Satan he comes and tempts, and faies unto a poor foul, Are you fpeaking of former mercies, or bleffings to be thankful for them ? That is a good work for others, but as for you, you havecommitted fuch a fin, and it's your duty now to mourn for your fin committed, look you to that, to be humbled ; apply your Pelf to that work : and fowhen he hath gotten a mans heart fix's upon that work in oppofition to thankfulnefs for former mercies received, the foul lofes the fight ofhis Experience and fo his faith failes in the time oftemptation. Wherefore my Ex- hortation is, that you may avoid this blow, and this ftroke, Never mourn, nonot for fin committed ; but full be thank- ful for grace received, otherwaies your Experience will.go out offight, and then your faith failes ye. Again, Satan does fometimes firike at the faith of Reli- ance, Labour, to weaken the faith of the Saint, Reliance, By fundering or levering their fouls from the prOmife. So 1 long as a man bath the fight of the promife,_and the pro ci . mife isby him ; a graous heart faies, I wil for ever truft in God, and relye upon God in Chrift, for thus and thus bathGod fpoken i and thus and thus faith the promife to me. But now, if promife be gone, then a mans reli- ance fails. Satan therefore, in the time oftemptation, la- bours to take away the promife; fcaring the foul, orcog- ging the foul from the promife; this he does many waies, but fometimeshe fpeaksout thus : What ! do you meddle with the promife ? the promife don't belong to you, the Threateningbelongs to you ; you have finned fo and fo, and the Threatning belongs to you, but the Promife don't belong to you : And ifhe can but get the foul to beleeve this, then his faith &lies- ! but, HoyPouldwe bear offthis blow in time of tempta- tion ? for I confeffethug , by this temptation doe, SatanPike at inj

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