Burgess - Houston-Packer Collection BT715 .B85 1652

S s c r. I I I. , Falfe Signs ofGrace. r4 s which rife howerly in thy foul ) a Tranfgrelfïon of the Law. g. Therefore are they foconfidently perfwaded, becaufe they attendonly to th' 3 From negative Commandements, Thou (halt do no murder ; Thou (halt not (teal; Thou (haltnot forfwear thy fell, atrc. And fo fuppofe that the whole duty required by mans dmy1_ God of us, is fwallowed up in thofe negatives. This made the young man no eth in nega- doubt fo bold; from hisyouth up, he had been preferved from fuck foul, groffe rives. fins. Indeed he fpeaks arrogantly when he faith, I have kept theft ; as if he by hisown power hadreflrained that fea of corruption from overflowing the banks; for what evili bath been committed by any man, which he might not alfo have done, hadnot God bounded and limited his wickednelfe ? Well but howfoevcr though he be thus fpotlelfe in his life : yet that is not all God requireth; God hath politice commands, as well as negatives ; and the fame authority which faith, Do not Heal, do not kill, faith alfo, Keepthe Sabbath holy, and. anftfie the. Name of God, Now although this be a very (mall- matter to build a tnans falva- tion upon, yet we may wonder to fee that all the covering many men have for their nakedneffe, is only thefe fig-leaves : That they are no drunkards, no whore- mongers,no thieves ; . A meet negative godlinelfe, what pity is it, that a people infruftedout of Gods Word, living under the means of falvation, ubouldappre- hend no better in mattersof God ? 4. Anothercause of falfeperlwáfion is, that although ahry may monde áfj rm. 4. Front áät tiveprecepts, as !bell re negatives, yet underfland them not in their comprehenfve under la»ding fenfe, and fo think they have attained to what the Law requiretih, when indeed the cornprc they fall exceeding lhort. Asfor example, this command Thou altdo no murder, ugir £ante Y g P of aRìrma- doth not only forbid that fin, but command thecontrary duty:,; andnot only lo, rives. but all the means,occafions, and circumltancesthat tend thereunto; and fo in eve- ry commandment. Nowifa man confider ferioufly howmany occafionsand cir. ct mflances, and caufes thereare of all finnrs; ason thecontrary, howmany oc. ; cations, motives and caufes there are of holy, daties, he will (land amazed to fee himfelf fo much guilty in millions of fines, which he thought could never have been laid to his charge; fo then as the Gofpel batha my(leryof grace, and origi- nail fin a myflery of fin, fo that we are never able togo to the depth and breadth of thefe : So the Law is a myfiery of duties: and as the Logicians fay, The ten predicamentsdo containevery created being that is in theworld ; fodo thefe ten Commandements all the daties required of us; It is therefore of great conic- quence ifever menwould bedriven out of theft golden dreams, and foolilh Para- dites they fancy to themfelves, toftudy, and underfland the coniprehenfive fenfeof everyprecept. S. Another flupitying and benumming principle, is the totali neglesl of that q. From neo. necefraryduty, fe1f.refeeiionandfelf examination; Whereby a man hveth fourty, left offel£-ev' or threefcoreyears, and is a meer ftranger to his own (elf. Hence are thofe duties aminarion. fo frequently pre(fed,ro commune with our omn hearts, to fweep them, as tome- Iran. flare, to dig into them,as others; and this duty is tobe done with much ll&Un:fie and quietnetfeof !pith, and at thofe times when we are Molt free from ddlur- bances, according co that rule, anima(denote, s/ quieftendo fir fpiers. In other Texts, it is calledfearching our hearts, andtrying our reins; which duties imply,s that curhearts are not prefently what they outwardly appear : Gold may be in the furface, and iron or none in the bottom; you know how impoffible Hazael thought that (hould be in his heart, and'ddne by him, which theProphet fo, etold. Man to that he is rational!, can only reßeet upon himfelf, beafis cannot, and it is a great obfiruftion to falvation, that menufe this nomore, no man faith accord. ing to the Prophet, what have Idone ? Therefore deal with your (elves as an ened mywould do. TheHebrew word for anenemy is an Obfervc r, becaufe he watch-. ethand lyeth at the catch to fee what battings and failings there be ; Do thou thus become an enemy tothy felt, and that is to be a friend to thy fell: Say, O Lord I arraign my fell at thybarre, I wouldbewinnowed that my chaff may ap., ._ pear,

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