The deceitfulnefe e f rnan,r heart. example whereof the Church of Epheftas yeeldeth; whore little abatement of the fervour of her firft love, made way to the removalïof her golden Can - dleftick, and fo to the bringing in of that fearefull and harefull darknes wherin her former fo glorious and fhining a light was wholly extingui(hed. Our wildome therefore in finding out againft our owne hearts, and the Divell , with whom they confpire, muff be like to that of Afofes in ftanding out againft Pharaoh,not to yeeld fo much as a hoof; Ifwe doe, our cafe in the end will be the fame with them,that yeeld all at once, and at the fluff dafh wholly fall a- way. It matters not greatly to Sathan, in the fpiri- tuall fhipwrack, whether the (hip bee fuddenly cart away by forne violent tempeft, or be drowned by degrees, the water getting in by little and little at Come little hole.Lingringconfunaptions bring death as well as the violent burring fevers. Hee that is Prov.18 y, earelef fe in his bufnel e, faith Solomon , is brother to the wafter, and will Purely come to poverty in the end.This is true alfo fpiritually: If once we begin to flack of our care and watchfulneffe, and beginne to grow cold and carelefle, and to carry our felves remiffely in Religion, we fhal quickly come into the Came cafe with them that ware and havock all con - fcience at once. Since therefore this is the Divels craft, and our own hearts together, not to fet upon our whole treafure and ftore at once, but here a Cnac ch,and there a fnatch,till by little and little;they have exhaufted us,like Nabuchadnezzer in the ( poile Dan.12. of the Temple,firft taking away one part of the fur- co hpared aiture,than another: It (}ands us in hand to hold Ier..s.i. :y. Q-2 fai} 227 Revel 2..45.
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