Preached Auguii 17. 1662. No affiiaion is intollerable till fin come in it. The yoke God bath made eafie,we make intollerable,8c make God to be our enemy, while he by Affiiiiion would becomeour friend. Now this being found not to be the way ; that which God.coun- fels and adviies, is, 1. Self-examination ; ( Let us fearcb and try our wayes ) Sinand flypocrifie lies dole and deep ; therefore we mutt take pains, dig to the bottom, let up a Tribunal in our own confcience, fiimmon; try, judge our felves over and:over, in Gods prefence: He (lands at our clofet doors, to hear what we will fay, yer..8. 6. before exe cution ; what indiament we will bring inagainftouefelves. We can tell what filch a Drunkard, filch an unclean perfon, bath done ; but no man faith, what have I done ? my pride, my un- thankfulnefs, my unfruitfulriefs, &c. 2. Reformation, and turn again to the Lord: 3 Sin is averlio Pea converlio ad creaturatn, Reformation is a turning again from the creature to God. 3. Frequent and fervent prayer : [ Let us lift up 11 There'S the frequency, lets do nothing elle but pray ; lets be continually lift- ing up our prayers : make your houfes houfes of prayer : ThusDa- vid, thou fought-eft agaimime without a caufe< Did he take counfel a- gainfl Princes to be difloyal? To take uparms ? No. But I gave, my felf untoprayer, Pfal. log. 4. Therefore if you prayed before, now do nothing elle : it notes habitual and conftant prayer. [ Our hearts with our hands ] to crave, and as it were to pull down mer- cy, as if we would wrefile with God, and faynay, Iwill not let thee' go until thou biers me, Gen.32. 26. it notes our fervency : And for encouragement,it is[unto God in the Heavens.]which expreffes his Soveraianty, Omnifciency, Omnipoteney, EverlaPcingnefs, &c. 4. Judging our felves, or confeffion of fin [ Wehave tranfgreffed.]i 5. Aggravating our fins ( andhave rebelled) i. e, we have turned fin into rebellions rebellion hath been the aggravation of our fin : we have finned againfl the cleared light, deareft- love, &c. Neh. 9. Ez. 9.- Dan. 6: 6. Juflifying God ( thou hail not pardoned: ) Aword notoimur., muring,complainingior accufing God of hard dealing : but by way ofjuftifying God:we have tranfgreffed,therefore thou haft not par-. doned. Why fhould'Il thou repent of the evil of punifhment when we have not repentectof the evil offin ? Thou haft punifhedus lets then our iniquities deferve. So in the Text [Da the firfrworkf] Sin is a departure from-God Repentance a coming back again to God. Turn thou :to him, fromr whom. the children of Ifrael have deeply revolted. The foul hath many 4'5"
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