4 Chriffiats Growth. 95 watchful!, yet he may difcerne the want óf.growth by this : Fig ft, that hill his lufts rife oftner, and-that with delight ; and are apter to catch fire prefently, although they be fmothered as fats as they catch ; his cafe then is as if there were an heap of ftraw in a roome where fire is, where fparks fly about Rill taking fire up6n every occafion, but he that keeps the (craw, is careful( Rill to put it out. And fecondly, in this cafe they fhall find the ftrength of theft corruptions in privative workings against grace, and diffracting and diflurbing them, deading their hearts in duties : and there- fore when the Apoftle had exhorted fuch to walk in the f]iirit, fo as not tofulfill the lvflt, marke what follows, Yet, (ayes he, the flejhwill dífeover it felfe in lulling againff thejJiirit. Take what careyou will ; fo as a man 'hall not be able to doe What he would, Gal. 5. t 6, 17. and the more ftrong it is, the more it will Phew it felfe ftrong in difturbing ; fo as Chriftians not growneup that are very watchfull over their hearts, doekeepe as it were but ne- gative Sabbaths, and are therein like unto thofe watchers and keepers ofgood rule in great Churches, where there are many fleepers, theyhave fo much to doe to watch thofe boyes that flcepe, and are ¡idle at Church, as theycannot attend the Ser- mon. For thoughby reafon of watchfulneffe corruptionmay be kept from difcovering it felfe in open unrulineffe much, yet it can never by all the watchfulneffe in the,world be brought on to duties, but fomuch as is in the heart will difcover it felfe either in oppofition to them, or an hypocriticail joyning in them although the Papifts may be kept by a waking State from vent- ing that maliceof their hearts in rebellion, yet they cannot be brought to joyne withus in holy duties; no more will corrup- tion, unleífe in hypocrifie, and therefore fo much as is, doch difcover it felfe in them. CHKp.
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