of sinnti Df IgnDrdneu~ , ' Corn, ·that drive away' the chaff, like the filing ofiron, that keeps off all the ruft. ;. . ~· Godby h~ gracedoth inwardly pte{erve ftomjinne, ~hen Byfrirring up he ftirreth up tho(e tw9 great affeElions in~ right manner, viz. ' :he love of the love ofGod And the [tar of .God, both 'W~ich 'Will ftro.ngl] ~~rdot~gd.he .rejift any lufts of jinne. The love of God and Chrift, where that is fhed abroad in the heart, doth conftrain a man to du– ty, I Cor+ As'fhe fa id to Sampfon, Ho-,., canft thou (t~J, tholi ' '/o?Jeft me, and ]et Wilt not di[cBver rhu thing to me? So doah ; God fay, How canft thou fay, thou loveft.hirn, and yet do fuch thing~ as offend m(? When Chri(l: would put Pettr up– on all his duty, he fliH as.keth him, PeterLoveft thoume? – 'john ll·l6.Lovefl th6u me ?as ifwherefoeverthelove ofGod were, there:wou Id be a·conftant care to do all things pleaGng· to him. And what was it that made Ahrah~tm fo willingly offeruphu rmly [on, in all thofe aggravations of his obedience? it was .only love; Now (faith God) I k.J;ow thou loveft me. Thus while the heart of a man is kept up with hot burning I love ofGod and Chrifl, being e~ceedingly raviihed with all the gracious elfecb of the Gofpel, he can no more clofe with fin, then the fi.rc can freez a man. And as love is thus potent, fo the fear ofGBd in an holy and due manner, is an admirable preferver of the foul from fuch prefumpti~ns: rTfteMidwifes-' fcaruiGod, and that made them not obey Pharaohs cruel corn.. mands, Exod. 1. So Nehemiah carried himfelf iAthat holy and· ~racious manner, not exacting and oppre!ling, as other Go– vernours had done, becaufe hefeo~~redGod, Neh.7. z. ind God· promifcth to put hufear in our he~~rts, that fo we may not depart from him, Jer, 3r. . 6 6. One majt~ and principall manner hy Which God k,.eepeth By keep.ing up foom fin, u hy kteping up faith in m : He keepeth us by keep. ourfaich. ing faith in us: We have ·a full.infi:ance of this concerning Feter, I h4ve praied, faith Chrifi:, that thy faith may net fail, Luk_n.2.32· Why his faith ? becaufc as long asthat was ope· rative and working, fo long fin would b~ fubdued. When' we lofe fairh, we are as,Saul that loft his fpear, all our pow· . er ag1infl: fin,is taken away, the gates are then (et open, the e:nemy may come in when he will: . Tberefo're the Apoftle above.
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