Dirover;es ofmar that oppofe righteoufne e. 547 in all things wherein you oppofe others (I mean in Religion) ,or joyne with therm that doe oppofe; goe upon Sure ground, exanunethings throughly,be able to give an account of it, be able to fay, Well, I do oppofe this, for I have this ground, and this reafon for it ; I have examined it, and I find it to be a- gainft the mind ofGod and therefore I do oppofe it. Secondly, When the more loofe any man growes in his life, the more oppofite he is againil fuch a way,and if at any time he be better and more refrain d, then he cornes to have better thoughts of fuch a way Surely this is very fufpitious that what he doth oppofe, its righteoufnefle that he loth oppofe,as now, that you may plainly know what I meane : Somtiriaes men are a great deale better then at other times. Some men though they have very prophane principles, and are very wicked men, yet at force times they are more firie &, perhaps they have force fiirrings of confcience, and have forne reflraint upon their fpi- rits, and have force common gifts that keepe them in ; But now at other times, this refiraint that is upon their fpirits will not hold, but their corruptions do grow too firong for this refiraint and they break the cords and go againR their con`fciences ;now then let me examine their hearts in this, how are your hearts affe6led to fuch a caufe or perfon when you are in your bell con - dition, it may be you begin to have good thoughts then of fuch men, and of fuch caufes, that at fuch a time when your lulls are moll hot and Wong and, violent you are hottefl and violenreft again!: here's a very fufpitious thing, "it's righToufnef a that you doe oppofe, for certainly things argue thus ; if it were any thing but righteoufnefie,:then its evil! that you do oppofe ; And then the better you are the more you would oppofe it : I fay if the thing that you oppofe be evil! and not good, then the better you ate at any time,the more you would oppofe it, but in as much as the worfe you are at any time, the more you do op- pofe it, that's a fign its rather good you doe oppofe thenevill, for furely if a man the worfe he growes, the more he doth op- pofe a thing, then we may gather an argument that the thing is rather good then evil! that he doth oppofe. Nay confider in pour mind thus,it may be when ao you in your health and
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