e leditations, careful! ouer our hearts, wee muff tä11 hauean eye to them, that ourcorruption be in no wife hurtEull to that good grace whichGod bath gmen vs. Thus whether wee purpofe to leaue flnne,orwee ¡cane is indeede, yetwe maybe deceiued by ourhearts,ifthey bee not right in doingof them. Therefore aboue all things wee "mutt takeheedevntoourhearts : otherwifewemay doemany goodlyandglorious things inthefight ofmen,yet our hearts willone day aecufe vsfor them,ourconference wilcheckand control! vs, and God,which isgreater then our confciences,willutterly condemnevs. Nowcontrariwife, when our heart is vprigl?t withGod,when it is found andGncere, then will the Lord fauourably ac- cept ofour doings,and through his tonne be will count them righteous. Thus ifwec with apure heart doleaue finne,though the dregsthereofremaine withvs : ifwith a good heart toGodward we labour aftergoodnes,though weecannot doe the good which wee would, thisvprightnes of ourheartsdoch pleafe Godgreatly,andhe will furelypardon the other imperfèbtions through Chrilt. Trueitis,thatnoman can fayhisheart is pure, ifbee coin- pare itwith the rule ofGods word, or with the iufticeofGod : andtherefore who fofeeth not great corruptions in his heart,he feethnothing. Yetthe childrenof Godmay fay, that their hearts are pure-by Chritt,which byfaith purified' them,and bath wrought thedeath ofGnne in them,though Tomecorruption remainein theirhearts. Thisdoctrine bath twoefpeciall vies: firftto humblevs : fecondly to comfort vs. We haue good taufe to behumbled,feeing that itteacheth vs,thatthe very caufeofall our fins Çaufe ofadlpa is in our own felues,& cannot be laid vpon any ocher. It is our own corruption which tau enour(etaes. fethvs to finne,whileft it giueth place to the tüggettionsofSathan, to thepolicies ofper- uerfemen,and to the temptationsof our owneflefh.Iftbis corruptionwere not invs, no temptation thould preuaile again!(vs : ifthis corruption were not rooted inout hearts, we fhould ouercome euill throughgoodnes. Chriftwas freefrom all finnes, and voydof allcorruption,therefore Sathan by temptations could notprenaileagainfthim :no,Sathan couldnot preuaileagainft our firitfather, vntil hishart through vnbeleefewas corrupted: but wethrough our corruption doeyeeldvetoour temptations,and thereforewe are the taufe ofour ownfinnes.That faying therefore is altogethervnfauourie,wliichtheeuesand others haueoften in their mouthes,whé they fay,woe be to fuck a man or to filcha wom â, that Baer I knew tlie:forif Ibad neuer fallen into their companie,I had neuer cone tothis. flay andwofull ftate.For albeit euill companiemight be agreat occafion of their fall,and though filchmen andwomen did finnegreatlyin tempting theirs tofinne, yet their owne corruption caufed theirsto beouercome byevil! companie,and therefore thecaufe of their Gnnerefteth'pon themtelues. Secondly, this dofrine doth greatlycomfort vs, teeing it giuethalfuranceof vi&orieagainft all temptations ; if we berenued inour inward nsan ; ifour heartbepurified byfaith, andifwe labouragainft them by flyingvntoChri ft. And thisfhall teemecomfortable indeede,if wee confider that euery manhat) tomecorruption either moreor lelfein his beart,accprding tothe meafureofhis regeneration. And againe, ifwee confiderthat the dmeil asa deadly enemie,goeth about toouerthrow him,and to fubuert his faithbymeanesofthat corruption. Thefethings ifwethinkeof,it will be very saeianismade comfortable toknow,thatwefhallperfeuer andcontinue,not able finally tobeouercome aahyesiism to ofany temptation : it willbe very comfortable to know, that the diuell for allhis furie, is eurethetor- likeveto thatfouldierwinds launced the impoftumeof hisenemie,and preferuedhis life, rupoionsofthe when bee pnrpofed nothingelkbut to haue llainehim. lofe h was regenerate, andwhen saintr. the temptationsof his miftris came into hiscare, bee did fight againft them, fled veto Chrift,and had a goodWilkof his temptations. Daaid contrariwife,though part rege- nerate,and truly renued,yet when the liketemptation was offered,he yeeldedand waso- uercome,becaufe he lookednot vetohis heart,ditlrulted nothis owne weakenes, letnot the Lordfor the time before Isis eyes, fled notvetoaria, nor fought not couragioullie himfelfe againftit : therefore inwhat nieaforewe beregenerate, inwhat meafure weveto ourregenerationdoe adde the feareof God,for thepurgingofourhearts,and a dittruitof our weakenestodriuevsvistoChrift ; in that meafurethallwewithftandalltemptations: F r " Jepure andas we fails inall thefe,or inCome one of thefe; fodoweyeeld unto temptations, andfo heart;tandeth arewe buffeted bySultan. Ifwebepure inheart and nandftedfaft,the diueli,the world, j °o t n,tempts. wicked
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