258 4gainft fpiritteal wickedneffe. with age, A young firmer will be an old devil. V.A 2. Again , it would be of ufe to the Saints, efpecially thole in whom God by his timely call foreflall'd the devils market ; as fometimes the Spirit of God takes fin in its quarters before it comes into the field, in the finnes ofyouth : now fuch a one finding not thole daring finnes committed by him that others have been left unto may pollibly not be In affe6ted with his own finne or Gods mercy. 0 let fuch a one behold here the wikednefre of his heart in this glaffe of thedevils nature, and he will fee himfelfas a great debtor to the mercy of God as Manaffes, or the worft offinners,as in pardon;ng, fo in prevent- ing the fame curled nature with theirs, before it gave fire on God with thole bloody finnes which they committed. That thou didft not aet fuch outragious linnes, thou art beholden to Gods gracious furprize, and not the goodnefre of thy nature which bath the devils Damp on it for which God might have crufht thee, as we do the brood of Serpents before they fling, knowing what they will do in time. Who will fay that Faux luffered unjuftly,becaufe the Parliament was not blown up? it was enough that the materials for that MalTacre were provided , and he taken there with match and fire about him ready to lay the traine ; and canft thou fay when God fiif took hold on thee, that thou had'ft not thole weapons of rebellion about thee, a nature fully charged with enmity a- gainfl God, which in time would have made its own report of what for ixefent lay like unfired ponder fluent in thy bofome, Chriftian,think ofthis , and be humbled for thy villainous nature, and fay, Bleffed be God that fent his Spirit and grace fo timely to flay thyhand,(as *.Abigail to amid) while thy nature, meditated nothing but warre againft God and his laws. vfe 3, Again. Thirdly, are the devils fo wickedly malicious againff God himfelf ? 0 Sirs, take the right notion of finne,and you will hate it. The reafon why we are fo eafily perfwaded to finne is, becaufe we underfland not the bottorne ofhis defigne in drawing a creature to finne. It is with men in finning as it is with Armies in fighting ; Captains beat their drummes for Voluntiers , and promife all that lift pay and plunder, and this makes them come rrowling in : but few confider what the ground of the Warre is; aoainft whom, or for what. Satan enticeth to &Inez
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