64 ef1 Aefiräint ofExborbitant.Paflion, or, VP.I: For inftrnûi. on Ic[. rf,7. lift. Fox incou- ragcmcnc. Ezek. It.to, rr. Gen. 3. Iaelz,ta,i;: altexed,with a changeof Gods purpofe at all. hor God ever intended it to be under- flood with acondition,if they returned not to him he would go on,if they returned to him, he would not go on. So the purpofe of God remaineth unchangeable, yet the fentence according to the external Exprefl on fecmeth altered to us: So the change is in us, and not in God. Hence let us note fomething( briefly) for our felvcs, and that is this , Pith, how to underfland all thefe Threatnings in Scripture, that feem peremptory and abfo- lute, by this rule. A Judgment is threatned, againfl a Nation, again[} a Perlon, or Family,&. Yea, and it is abfolutely threatned in divers places; becaufe thou hall done fuchand fuch Evils, therefore fuch and fuch things shall cane upon thee. All fuch as theft, are to be undedlood conditionally, though they Item to be ex- preffed abfolutely. And the rule, God himfelf giveth. At what tnflant t rho/i peak concerning aNation, and concerning a Kingdom, toplucb up, and to pull down, and to deffroy ìt. If that Nation againff whom I havepronounced, turn from their Evil, I willrepent ofthe Evil that I thought to doeunto them. Whatfoevcr I threat- ned in my Word, if they turn to me by true Repentance, I will turn all that evil from them,that I have threatned againfl them,and would certainly have brought upon their, if they have not returned. I fay, thus we are to underfland all there: And upon this ground 'xemay build Come further ufes, that I will but touch. Hal, to tare off thole Dilcourágements, that lie upon the hearts of many ; When they find themfelves guilty of a fin againli God, when they fee, that, fin threatned with revere punishment, and judgment in the word of God : Now they conclude their cafe to bedelperate, it is in vainto leek further, toute the means, the Lord will proceed in judgment,and there is no flopping of him. This is an addition to a mans other fins to conclude thus. Mark how the Lord expreffeth himfelf in Ezekiel. 33. Thepeople were much troubled about filch things there, fay they ; Our Transgrefons,and ourfins be :span :u, and wepine away in them, How/hall we then live ? The Prophet had incouraged them notwithfland- ing their great fins to return by true Repentance, and they fhould not perifh ; never. thelefs they are muttering, difeouragedwith fear,breaking their fpirits, withdrawing themfelves fromGod : The Judgments of God are begun upon us, the handof wrath is gone out again(} us, We are pining away inthem,though we are not wafted yet, yet we are likea man in a Confumption, that wafleth bydegrees, How !hall we live? Cer- tainly we (hall die. Saith the Lord, fay not thus among your ;elves, but know if ye cure, ye 11411 live ; As I live, faith the Lord, I havenopleafeire in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turnefrom his way and live : Turnye, turnyefromyour Evil wars, far whywill ye die, ob boufe of Ifrael ? Be ware ofdifcouragemeut therefore, it is Sathans device, that when oncehe bath drawn men fromGod by a path of fin to hold them under Difcouragemenr, that fo he may ever after keep them from turning to God again. It was his device where.. 'ay he would have kept Adam from turning to Gad, after he had committed that great fin ineating of the forbidden Tree ; He thought of nothing but hiding himfelf PromGod,and fo he did hide himfelfamongll the Buf ues of the Garden : I heard thy voyce,and was afraid,and I hid rnr/elf : Mark, here was a fear of Di;couragemene in Adam, that whereas he (hould have come and fell down beforethe Lord, and have begged mercy, and laid as David here, who knoweth whither the Lord will be gracious to me ? He run clean away from God, There is a fear of Reverence that ceepetha man with God, and there is a fear, that draweth a man to God: But this fear of Dilcouragement driveth a man fromGod: And that is the Temptation of Sathan, to keep a man fromGod, when once he bath turned afide from him. There- fore ( that is the fir:} thing ) take heed of. uch inward Difeouragements as maydrive you quite off. Secondly ; Take Incouragement then to leek the face of God in his own means and way. He bath threatned judgments again(} others for the fame fins that ye and your felves guilty of, when they have returned to him, they have found mercy. Return ye to him inTruth, and leekhis face aright, and ye shall find the fame mercy, In the prophetic of Joel, ye :hall fee there, that though God bath threatned judg- ments ;
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