to god in Worfhip, ration, becaufe the forbearance will never help to further pre- paration, but will make the foul more unfit for duty. It is an excellent Speech that I read, that Luther hath concerning him- fell,' have learned this by experience, that the oftner I do omit duty, the oftner do I make mySelf the more unfit for,duty, and cause I have to abhor my Pelf. Ic is not the deterring that makes thee more fit. 2. Therefore confider that this is but a temptation l and that is the fecond thing that I would propound to thofe chit (hall o- mit a duty becaute they are not prepared,That this is but a temp cation tokeep thee from it, to tell thee that thou art not prepa- red ; and if thou (halt forbear it becaufe thou art not prepared, in this thing thou doeft gratifie the Devil, and the Devil bath what he wouldhave and fo wouldbe encouraged to tempt thee another time,becade he huh now what he would have, in can- ting thee to forbeare the duty ; Fait, he laboreth to unfit thee for it, and then he tempts thee to forbear it becaufe thou arc unfit,this is the fubtiltyof the Devil. Fromw hence is is that thou art unfit, but from the temptation of the Devil ? And I find, Luther again,that was a man that had as much converfe with God as any in hisdaies, and a man that bad 'as much to draw his heart away, as many temptations, and as many bufineffes as any, for indeed the great caneof Chrift in all the Chriftian world in a great meafure-under God lay upon his fhoulders, and yet faith he,Ifany one thinktbatprayer muff be deferred till thefoul be pu- rifieclfrom impure cogitations, he cloth no other than help the 'Devil,who ispowerful enough; he thinks to be wife in defer- ring theduty becaufe he is not fit, and hebathmany ill thoughts and troubles in his fpirit, he doth nothing elfe (faith Luther ) but gratify the Devil that is ftrong enough without this Oh let us takeheedof gratifying the Devil in his temptations, therefore remember it is a temptation for `thee to omit a duty meetly be- caufe thou art not prepared for theduty. 3. In the Third place, That which I would anfwer to this Queftinn is this, If any one perform a duty Of, ,Worflup in that fincerity anti ftrength that he is able to.do it, though he be not prepared as he ought, yet it is better to do it than to neglect it It is true, fome do perform a duty in a Meer fornial way, and G 2 to 59
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