11 Y'® recious Ointinea: Or grace, make the very rnifcarriages of his people to be glori- ous inlets to more eminent degrees of Grace and holinefs, God bath a great Revenue of gloiy from the very infirmities of the Saints ; and the Saints have a great Revenue of com- fort from their very rnifcarriaaes, by the wife, powerful, over-ruling, and fanaifying hand of God. -God is that powerfil, that skilful Phyfician, that can make an Antidote, and Sovereign remedy of fin, that is the mot} deadly poyfon in all the World. God does and will make the very fins of his 'people to further the Sal tion of his people, accordinz to that golden promile 28. God never !lifters his people to fall .into any fin,. but out of a defign to break the heck and back of that fin they fall into : God flattered David to fall into thofe tvo great' fins of Murder and Adultery, but by thefe very fails he broke the very back of thole fins, for we never read that ever he fell into thofe fins the fecond time. And fo God fuifered Peter to deny him once, but by that fore fall Godbr.,.ke the neck of thatvery fin, for we never.read that everhe denyed Chrift any more at the voice of a Damfel ; yea, 'Os very obfervable, that Peters courage and boldnefs for the truth, received a very high advance by thofe deep wounds that he had formerly given them, when he denyed the Lord that bougi hiriT. After his fore falls, for courage and boldne-fs he carries the Bell from all the Apofiles; as you may fee in ./Els 4. a. It is the nature of ,true Grace to gather firength by every wound. Grace ga- thers firength bycontraries, as Fire dof h when it is compaf- fed about with coldnefs by an Antiperflafis. By all a Ch i- ffians falls his graces grow brighter and ftronger. At the lon6 a run a Chriffian bv all his falls lofes- nothing but his w drofs, his chaW, his forn, his filth. Now he that finds his fins thus over-ruled for the gobd of his foul, -he is certainly' a gracious Soul. 0 Sirs! remember this for ever, viz. That the oftner an Hypocrite, or a Formalift falls, the more ground and firength.his fins get upon him, -and fo will con- tinue to do, till all that. Grace and goodneis which he feemed to have had-, bekpite exringuifhed. - But,
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