Houston-Packer Collection BV4253 .B85 1649 .B85 1649

Thankfulnefs required in eve:), condition. again. Spiritual pride indeed isvery dangerous. It was Mr Fox his fpeech As Iget goodby myfins, fa Iget hurt by my graces: in regard of that Ipiritual pride he was guilty of upon the receipt of them. ByTemptation God ufes to keep men humble. The Hebrewword for Lee;, theLees ofwine; comes from the root, that fignifies to Keep, becaufe the wines are kept by the Lees. Andfo God is pleafed to keep men humble by thefe Temptations, in thefe Lees, and in thefe dregs God keeps mens graces. Temptations do you no hurt til ye yeeld to them. Thegreater the Temptation, and the 'more your fiefh does tremble at it; the greater the Alta:ion, but the leffer the Sin. Temptation is the fouls Rape,: it maydefloevre your foul, offer violence to your foul ; it cannot take away your innocency. Now, is it not a great mercy to be kept innocent, and chaff unto Je- fus Chrift ? Auflin hath a notable fpeech. Ifye praife God under good things,ye arepaid your debt : ifyepraife God under evil,ye have made Godyour debter. The truth is, we can ne- ver pay our debt to God, neither are we able to make God our debtor ' but God is pleafed to call hirnfelf fo : when men praife him under Temptations, and under Perfecuti- ons, and under Defertions ; God is pleafed to call himfelf our Debtor . Surely therefore, it is good for a Chriftian to bleffe God, and to praife God in every thing, in all things to be thankful : in Affliaion, in Perfecution, in Defertion, under Temptation : 7bif is the willofGod our Father, that we fhould be thankful to him in every thing, in every condi- tion. And iffo, then what great caufe have we to be very .7bank- ful to God in thefe times. Had the Lord let in the Enemy up- on you, ye fhould havebeenThankful : Had ye been plun- dered of all your Effates, ye muff have been Thankful : Had ye lien at the mercy of the mercileffe Enemy crying for quarter; yet youmull have been Thankful how much more now. Had ye been emptied of all, ye mull have beenThankful. Oh ! fhall we not be Thankful thenun- to God now, that hath givenus Inch Deliverance, and fuch Viaories as thefe? You

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