7 be RAre . Jtwtl of c·hriflian'Coritemment. 161 or the Spirit ofbondage; I remember I heard·not long fince .of a Divine that being judicious, and ufed to fit eh kind of thing~, there came a man to him mightily troubled for his fin, and he could'not tell what to do, he was ready to defpair ; the Divine looks upon him , fai'th he, Are yon not in debt ; he confe!t that . he was; and at length the Minifier began ro find it out, that that was his trouble rather than in his fin: and fo was a means to help him that 'Nay, that his Creditors !hould not come upon him, and then the man was pretty quiet, and would not make away himfelf any Larger: For it is, an ufua thing that if any thing befalls a man that cloth crofs him, Oh then its their fm that <!loth trouble them. Sometimes it is thus with Servants, if their Governors crofs them, then they are vext and fret and come to deal with the:n, Oh then they will fay they are forrowfull for their fin: but we mufl: take heed ofdallying with G{)d that is the Seer and Searcher of the fecrets of all hearts, many of you go full en and dumpi!h up and down your families, and then you fay its your fin that lies upon you, when God knows it is otherwife, it's beeau re you cannot have your wills as you !hould have. Fourthly, If thou beefl: troubled for thy tin, then it will be thy great care not to fin in thy trouble, nor by thy trouble to encreafe thy fin, but thou art troubled in fuch a way as the truth is thou dofl: encreafe thy fin in thy trouble, and fince thou faiell thou wert troubled for thy fin, thou hail committed more fin than thou did!t before. . And then la!tly, If it be thy fin that troubles thee, then thou haft the more need to fubmit to Gods band ; And acup t of th( punifhrmnt of thine iniqHity, as it is in Levit. 2 6. 41. Theres no fuch confideration to take away murmuring as to look upon my fin as the caufe ofmy affliC\:ion. · The Third P LE A. · 0 faith anothtr, I fin4 'Ill} ~ff!Witn is (11;h thdt God ~ith· ,Zr~t}'PS himfe!f from mt iJ rnim ajflitlim,thllt i1 tbJt tbllt troubln me And can 11ny Body be qt~itt then? ctin any body be {atiJ(ieJ? with (11ch A condition rYhtn tht Lml fhali 1fitbdrar~ hhnfelf Wlrt
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