on the Lord's Prayer. of Lulls tlrat bold Intell igence with the Devil, and efpoufe his Caufe; yea, there is no one Sin, how vile ar.d profligate foever, bU[ .!t r_nay find Partiza~s _in our Bafc and Wicked Hearts, wherein are the Seeds and Prmctples of all Impteues, ad theretore as Things of a like Nature prefemly concorporare, (as we_ fee on~ Dro~ of Wa· rer diffufeth itfelf and runs into another,) fo Temprarums eo Sm meeung wuh a Smful Nature are prefr:ntly entenain'd, and as ic were embodied together; for whilft we purfue what Satan tempt~ us unto wed~ ?ur purfue what qui' own ~arural L~itS and Corruptions enclin'd unto before, wamng only for an Opponunny of bemg called forih into AE!. . And therefore confidering both the Advantages the Devil bath againlt us, and the great Difadvamages under which we lye, he a Spirit, we bur Flefh, he Wife_ and Subtil we Foolifh and Ignorant, he Experienc'd, we l<.aw and UnpraC\iced, he Diligent and Watchful, we Carelefs and Negligent, he laying a Clofe Siege to us without, and we Betraying our fdves within, it muft needs be afCrihed only to the Goodnefs and. Grace of God to delivet us from the Commiffion of that Evil to which we are fo fiercely and cunningly tempted. And thus I have demonftrated the Propojition, that it is only the Almighty Power of God that can preferve us fiornSin; it now remainsto rhew you the Ways and Methods that God takes to do it, and thofe are in theGeneral Three; by Rejiraining Providences) by Common and Rejlraining 6race, and by Santlifying and Renewing Grace. Firft, God delivers us from Evil by his Reflraining Providcnct, putting an HooK into Mens Noftrils, and a Bridle into their Jaws, and by aPowerful Hand reining them in when they are rnoft fiery and furious. And rhns he often doth wirh the worft and vile!! ofMen, whofe Lufts, though they eftuate and boil within, and are like the raging Sea, raging and rouling in their Hearts, yet God fets Bounds to their Proud Waves, and faith to them as he doth to the great Sea, hitherto !hall you proceed, and no farther. It is w this we owe: it that the Wickednefs of Men bath nor yet made the World an Uninhabitable Defort, that Solitudes and Wilderneffes ate not as fecure RetreatS as frequented Cities, and Savage Beafts as fafe Company as Men: To this we owe it that almoft every one is not a Cain to his Brother, an .Amnon to his Sitter, a Judas ro his Mafier, ~nd a Devil to all the World; for where Grace doth r:ot change, Di· vine Provide»ct doth many Times fo chain the Sinner that he cannot bring fonb that Wickednefs he bath conceived; that although he be permitted Sin enough to deltroy himfelf, which his very Will and AfiOElion to Evil is fufficiem to do, yet thrugbo God's withholding Opportunity or Abilities from him his Sins are not permitted to break out to the Ruin and DeftruEtion of others. Though God doth as it were permit them to give up lheir Hearts to the Devil, yet he ties up their Hands; let them im~ gine and intend ::J_s muCh Mifcbief as Hell can infpire them wirh, _yet nOne of all this fhall they execute any otherwife than as :his Holy and Wife Providence permits. Yea, Divin~ Prtroidwce is effoElnal not only in keeping Wicked Men !fom rhe OutwJrd A£\s of Sin, bur even God's cleareR Children and Servams they alfo have a great deal of CorJuption ftirring in their Hearts, and even in them Luft is too fruitful, conceiving tbofe Wickednefi'es which God often by his Prtroidtnce fo fiifles and !lrangles in the verv Birth. May not the beft of us with thankful Acknowledgments of the Divine Goo(/- nefs towards us refl.ea back upon many Difappoimments that we have met with, to which we had given our Confenr, and entertained Purpofes of !inning? May. we not all fay, Had not God denied Opportunities, or caft in Diverfions, or cut ofF the Provifions which we had made for our Lofts, we fhould at fuch orlilch a Time havedif. honoured the Gofpel, kandalized our Profellion, opened the Mouths of wicked and ungodly .Men to blafpheme the Holy and Reverer.d Name ofGod, and comraC\ed ro our own Confci~nces black and horrid Guilt, by the Commiffion of fame infamous Crim~s, of'which we were guilty by confenting to them? God barb hedg'd up the Broad Way with Thorns, that fo he might turn us into the Narrow Way thar leads to Eternal Blifs and Happinefs. . . Now the panicular Methods that Divine Providence makes life of to prevent the S1ns of Men are many and various, and all of them wife and juft. Firft, Sometimes G.~d by his Providence cuts fh_ort their Power, whereby they !hould be enabled to Stn. All that Power that Wicked Men have is either fron; themfdves> or t~eir Aff~~ates, w~om they ~ake ufe ?f to accompli(h their Wicked· nefs; and fomeumes Dzvme Prourdence ftnkes them m both it cuts off tbeir Infhuments for Counfel. And thus Pruvidence over-ruling ilbjaio'm to rejeU the politick Ppp z Coun:
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