The Nature, Danger and Cure lJoE/r. 2. StconJJy, Obferve, It is not our own Po1ver, but only Divine Grace that can P ~ {tr'fle us from tbe moif horrid tmd vilefl Sins. Thofe Sinsrhat we nowabhorr rhte very thoughts of, yet were we but left to our felves, and were bur Divine Grace abftrad:ed from us, even thofe Sins we fhould commit with all greedinefs And then from the Per[on who makes this Prayer and Requefi umo God ob: fcrve, ' DoCir. ;. Th'irdl.J, That, Becau{t the ftrongefl Chrijlians are too ?Veak of them/elves to re- · fift t~e greatu1 Sim, t?erefore they oug_ht continurrlly. tq impl?re the aid and nflijfance of Dt'Vine Grace. Davul, though a firong and mrghcy Same, yet durft nuc truft fi.imfelf alone to grapple with a Corruption or a Temptation; and therefor in the fenfe of his own \Veaknefs, he prays the Lord to k~ep l:im; Kap thou thJ Servant. And then, Lafily, from the Reafon, Keep me from pre/itmptuom Sim, lefl thel get dominion over me; or, let tbem not get dominion over me: Obferve, Doflr. 4 Tfiac, The freiptent Commij]ion of prefomptuous and daring Sins, wilt ji 1bjcfl tbr. Soul to the reigning Power and Dominion of Sin. But I /hall not handle each of thefe by themfelves; but give you the Sum and Subnance of them all in or.e, and fo profecute thac: Which is rh is. DoEirine. That, The beft Sewritj the bcfl of God's Children have [tom the Cflm,:if]ion r.nJ from the Dominion of pre[umptttous Sins, is (.nlj their own fervent Pra}trs anJ God's Alm~~htj Grttce. ' In the I rofecution of this Doflrine, I fhall en<1eavour to fhew you, when it is that a Man is guilty of prefumptuous Sins, and wherein the Nature o'f fuc:h Sins confifis. Fi'rfl, Then a Sin is prefumptozn, 1vhen it V committed againff the powtrful Dictates of a Mqn'; own Confcience, and ngainfl the cltar ConviEiiom of the Holy G.hojt. When Confcience is awakened in Convitl.ion, and rings aloud in Men's Ears, the ways thou liveft in are grofly finful, the end of them isHe/JandDenth • thou wadefi through the dearefi Blood of thine own Soul if thou goefi on; fteft thou not how Guilt diiinalty ftares thee in the Face? Seeft thou not how the Mouth of Hell belches out Fire, and Flames, and Brimftone againft thee? Stop therefore, I here, as God's Officer, arrefi thee. If now, when Conftience thus calls, and cries, and threatens, Men will yet venture on, this is moft bold and da.. ~:ing Prefumption: Todifobey the Arreft but of the King'; Officer,is a moft pref~tn:tPtuOus Crime ; how muchmore therefore to difobey the Arreft of Cvn]chnce, ~hich is the chief and(upreme 0./fict r of God,and who commands in the name, yea, in the fiead of God, as it were, in the Soul; and yet truly, who among us J~1 not in fome kind orotherguil.ty of this Prefumption? Why, Sirs, if God fhould now come down in terrible M11jrftJ in the midft of us, and if he lhould ,ask every Man's Ctm{cience here, one by one ; Confcience, wen thou ever refiited? We~tthouever oppofed in executing thine Office t?thisand tO that Soul? Why, where fits the Perfon whofe Con{cience rnufi not anfwer, ro, Urd, I nccu/e him, I tejf,ijie to hi! very face, I have often warned and admonijiJld him, 0 do not 'tlmture r~fttm this or that Aaion; therlJ Sin, there'; Guilt/ye; under it; there'; Wrath and Vengeance tbat 2vilt follow it; Oh pity, Oh fp_are thine own Soul; thiJ Sin wi/l ever- /n/fingly ruine thee if thou committeE it? And what, didft thou commit it notwithfianding all this? Yes, Lerd, ?JJhile 1 ?VaJ laJing before him all the argmnents that the , thoug.bu of Heaven and Htll, of thy GlorJ ;znd hi! o1vn Happineji, could tulnUnifter, yet jo pre{umptuozl! ?VaJ be, ttJ to fall upon me thine Officer; and thefeStabi, thffe Gajl1eJ and Wound; I received while I WaJ admonijl1ing him, and 7Parning kim in thy Name. 0 Sirs, a thoufand times better were it for us thar we never ha4 Confciences; better that our Con[cienceJ were utterly feared, and become . infefltible; better that they were firuck for ever dumb, and fhoufd never open their Mouths more to reprove or to rebuke us; better that we never had had rhe leaft glimmering of Light to diilinguiJb betwixt our Duty, and what is Sin, chan thus. defperacely to out-face and ftifte our convictions, and to offer violence to our Conjcience;, and prefumptuoufiy to rulbintothe commiffionofSinin defpighr of all thefe ; betcer Men had no Confciences at all, or rhat they were given up to a feared and a reprobate Senfe, than to fin thus in defpighr of their ConfcienceJ. What fays our Saviour? Luke T2. 47· That Seroa,t that knew hi; Lord's Will, t~nd ditl i& not, he Jludt be b!JPitn wirh man) jfripet. There
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