4l V. VI. r. exeflions,andCafesofConfcience For hereby we arebrou,.ht to negle& our watch, to lay afide our Armour , and Weapons, and to falli to the deadly (lumber of carnall fecuriry, and what E- nemy is fo weak, that cannot cut the throat of the flrongell when he is a fleep,and difarmed ? Nullum peccarurm tamparvum elf, quod conternptu non fiat magnum, faith St. Angufliae, there is no fun fo fmall, which contempt will not make teat. g. Confider that ifwe do not hate all fin, (mall as well as great, we hate not any \\ ith a Chrifiian batted : For they that hate fin truly, and fpiritually, doe it upon thefe grounds. r. Becaufe it hath the Divels {lamp, and Superfcription on ir, who is Cods, and cur nreateil Enemy, and this his lmaye is upon the fmallell, as well as the greate:l fins. z. Such hate finbecaufe they love, and fear God , and would not do any thing whichmit,,ht eifpleafe him ; and they hate it becaufe its fo odious to God, , fu oppofite to his Law, and contrary to his nature, upon which grounds they hate every fin, final' and great : and thouL,h they doe not equally hate all, yet they are not in love with any. Fifthly, The next Rule for the fubduingof the flefh is, that we mull negleR no in as though we were inno danger of falling into it. For we have the feed of all fin in us, and neednothing to the committing of it, but that God (Mould leave us to our felves,andSatans tentations : Hence we are commanded to work out ourfalvation withfear and trembling;Phil.z. 12. and whenwe thinkwe (land, to take heedoffallive, r Cor. to. 12. Sixthly, The lafl Rule is, that we fet no flint to our mortification , but that we endeavour from one degree toafpire to another, till wecome to perfec`lion : we mull not deale with thefe. Spirituali Enemies as .foa fh with the Aramites , i 2 King. 13.i6. contentingour felves with two or three vitories over them : much lets as the Ifraelites with thole turfed Nations, fuffering them quietly to, dwell with us,on condition that they will contribute fomething to our pleafure, profit, &c. but we muff war with them till we have utterly rooted them out : or at leaf' to deal with them, as 3ofhuah with the Gibeonites , to make them our fla ies. Let usnot deal with them as SaulandAhabwith Agag, andBenhadad, get the vielory,and fo fuller them to live, leaf+ through. Gods judgmentthey kill us becaufe wekilled not them : neither with Saul, let us detiroy the meanefl of our lulls, and keep the fattefl alive which bring moll pleafure,or profitto us : Let usnot be like Herod, that refrained from many fins, but would not part with his Herodias : But our mortification mutt be without flint, or re-saint , extend- ing to all lulls in re/pelf of the obje& , and in refpe& of the time, conti- nuallyeven to the end ofour hues : and thus continuing fattkfull ro the death, we(hall receive the Crown of life, Rev. 2. ro.And laflly in refpe& of the degrees, we mull not content our felves that we havemortified our lulls in force mea- fure , but we mull llrive after perfetlion, not fuffering fin to live in any of our_ members,but mull cl:anfe our felves from allfilthinefs offlefh Spirit,&c.z Co, 7. r. Labouring to beperfea al our heavenly Father is perfeti, Mat. 5.48. For which end we muff ; pray God to fanEfi sof throughout, 1 Thef. 5. 23. and Chri(l our Saviour co-Pi/Rifle and cleanfe us by rh? wkfhrng of water by the Word, (7e. Ephef.5.25. and to our prayers,we mull add our endeavours to en- creafe in the meafurc of mortification, getting daily new vi Tories over all our finfull lulls. True race is rowinggrace,(7e. Quefl. What means may g ffrengthen the Spirit to the obtainingofthe vitiory ? Anfw. Firfl, We mull avoidthe means whereby its weakned. For in this. fpirituall warfare both thefe concur in the fame actions : for the famifhing of.. the Flefb, is the nourifhing of the Spirit, and the weakning of the on ftrenghe Chap.4 z¡
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=