the whole Armour ofGod. 343 fort is extrinfecal to thy duty,a boon whichGod may give or not, yea,doth give to the weak,and deny to the flrong. The traveller may go as fait, and rid as much ground, when the Sun doth not thine, as when it doth ;' though(indeed he goes not fo merrily on his journey)nay,fomtimes he makes the more haft;thewarm Sun makes him fometime to lie down and loyter, but when dark and cold he puts on with more fpeed. Some graces thrive belt (likes fome flowers) in the shade, fuch as humility, dependance on C'ocl, &c, Thirdly, take heed thou doeft not miftake, and think thy 3, grace decayes, whenmay be it is only thy temptations increafe, and not thy grace decreafe. Ifyou should hear aman fay, be- caufe be cannot to day run fo fait, when a hundred weight is on his back, as he could yellerdaywithout any fuch a burden , that therefore he was grownweaker, you would foon tell himwhere his miftake lies. Temptation lies not in the fame heavineffe al- way upon the Chriftians shoulder; obferve therefore whether Satan is not more then ordinary let loofe to affault thee, whe- ther thy temptations come not with more force and violence thenever; poflibly, though thou doeft not with the fame faci- lity overcome thefe, as thou haft done leffe, yet grace may aft ftronger inconflieiting with the greater, then in overcoming the leffe. The fame fhip,that when lightly ballafted, and favoured with the winde goes mounting, at another time deeply laden, and going againft winde and tide, may move with a flow pace, and yet theyin the ship take more pains to make it fail thus,then they did when it went falter. Secondly, pofitively, how thou mayeft conclude that grace is declining; and that in a threefold refpe6t. Firft, in reference to temptations to fin. Secondly, in reference to the duties ofGods worfhip. Thirdly, the frameof thyheart in worldly employments, Firft, in reference to fin , and that is threefold. Firft, when thou art not fo wakeful to difcover the encroach- 1; ings of fin upon thee as formerly ; at one time we finde David, heart fmote him, when he but rent the skirt of Saul: garment : at another time whenhis eye glanced on TathAsb4, he takes no fuch notice of the snare Satan had him in,and fo is led from one fin to another, which plainly chewed that grace in himwas X x,z heaves
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