Caryl - Houston-Packer Collection BS1415 .C37 v9

Chap. 31. An FxpoJJtion "pan the Root, of j o a. Veri. 3o 619 As natural' men are led captive by the devil' at bis will , fo the bell afinen fayle in letting their renewed will refolutely againfl the devil!. T heApoftle doth more then imply the deficiency of beleevers, both in refifting luftfull motions from within, and fa. mica!! folicitations fromwithout,while he faith(Roni.6.12,13.) Let notfin therefore reigne in your mortali bedyts, thatye fhould obey it in the lint thereof Neither yield yeyourmembers as infirm. menu ofunrighteoulnefje untofin; butyield your (elves unto God ; As if he had fayd, Your corruptions will move,and Satanwill fo- licit you,theywill be calling upon you togive up the members of your bodyes,and the powers ofyour foule as inftruments or wea- pons of unrighteoufneffe, but I exhort you to turnea deafe care to them, andhearken only to the call ofGod who commands you toyield your (elves unto him, as they that arealivefrom the dead, andyour members as infiruments ofrighteoeefneffe unto Cyod; that is, make it appeare that you have received a new fpirituall life, by your yielding toGod, and by your not yielding to the devil' : doe not give up any of your members at his fummons, let not any tuft have your tongue, or hand, or eye, or foote. As Mofes wouldnot yield Pharoab a hoofe to flay behind from the fervice of God , fo let not us yield a hayreofour head to be an inftrument of unrighteoufneffe unto fin, how ftrorgly foever Sa. tan or lull move for it ; And tobe lure they will not be wanting in moving. Let a man (which is the particular cafe ofthe text ) be wronged, or at least thinke he is, prefently be hearer the devil( who is a revengeful' Spirit, or his owne fpirit of revenge calling for hisunderftanding to plot Tome way ofrevenge, for his heart towifh it,for his tongue to threatenit,or for his hand to aft and execute it. In all filch cafes, wee fbould peremptorily deny to yield fo much as a bile finger to filch a fervice. And he that doth fo,is indeed( through grace) aMafter of himfelfe, and a Con. queror over Satan. But we may lement that there are fo fewof thefe Conquerors and Mafters of themfelves, fo few watchful! keepers of there inftruments,ofthefe weaponsofunrighteoufnes; molt quickly and eafily yield them upand let them out, to the fervice eyther of this fpirit ofrevenge, or offome other evil' fpi- rit. Where are the men that can fay (as lab here did) in truth, we have not (offered our mouth to fin.whenwehave'been temp. ted to fpeake finfully, we have not fuffered our eye to fin, when Kk'kkz we

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