396 Chap. 3 r. An Expofition upon the Book! of J o tt. Verf.9. his march to the execution, was ftopt by the counfel of Abigail, fl dircreete woman,which he accepted as fromGod, faying,Blef- fedbe God, andbleffedbe thou who haft met me tin.' day, andkept me from ¡bedding bleed ; Though 'David did not (bed Nabals blood, yet if he had been ftopt againft his will from (bedding it,meerely by Tome outwardaccident, he had beenguilty, but. Davidaccep- tingof this flop, and bleflìng God for it, the fin was not charged upon him. To be flops in a wayofrevenge, or in a way of un. cleanenes, by an externall providence, whichwe are troubled at, leaves the fin fully upon us. Indeed if we have had a purpofe to doe any evil], and can blefle God,who bath hedged upour way with tbernes (as the Lord fayd he woulddoe Ifraelr, Hof. 2. 6.) andmadea wall that wecannot finedour paths, which lead to the accomplifhtnent of that evill, (in this cafe, I fay) Godwill not lay that evill to our charge. When we are glad that we are crofl?d; and, :fuccefeleffe in fin, when we account ficknes, po- verty, any afriitiorra- mercy, becaufe we fee it bath checkt us in what our corruptions were carrying or hurrying us out to, this f-hewes eyther that it was our temptation rather thenour proper inclination which caryed us to it , or that the inclination is now (throughgrace), changed, and we become other men. Latily , When lob faith, IfIhave laid smite at my neighbour: doere ; He fpeakes (aswas intimated before) of a greater fin,, then barely to have had, hisheart deceaved by a woman, becaufe that might be by Tome fuddaine unexpefted irritation, but this muti needs be from a fetled refolution. Hence obferve. By howmuch any manf:anee; with themore deliberation, byfe much thegreater is hisfin. To Waite to fin, is to fin deliberately, yea towaite to fin, is to fin refolvedly ; That fin isexceeding finfully committed which we fet and prepare our felves to commit. David dekribing a wicked man, faith ('Pfal. 36. 4. ) He fettetb himfelfe ina way that id not good;that k, inan evill way ; he loth not only fall in- to fia, or throughmiltake gee into an evill way (thatmay be the eafeofa good man ) but he takes or chufeth an evill way, and . then fets or fettles himfelfe in it, refolving not to leave it, no nor t§o:be beatenout ofit. Sin may be fayd towaite fora godly man, that
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