of Prejumptuou:r Sins: thar Jhould break and melt us, prove only to hafden our hearts, and toexafperare and embitter our Spirits againfi God. What can r7form us when ~e of!end under the very fmarr of the Rod ? Hereby t~ere~ore Judge of your .)ms, tf fo . be God be gone out a,gainfi you, ~f he h~rh lat4 his h~nd heavy _upon/ou) and. . yer you regard it not, -butftill perfev~r~ m yourold..Sms, and fii!J ad new In- .quides ro them .. if initead of humtll[y and brokennefs of heart, your hearts :-HC up againft God, and you arc ready eo fay wirb that wicked King, T~i~ Evil is of the Lord, why flmtld I ?JJait upon the Lord a~J; longer.~ - Conclude upon tt; )•9u are t.hofe t/ 1fperate pre[umptuo;u Sinners that fcorn eo fhnnk for whatever God can lay upo.n them. . . ~ , ~. , . ... Sbnhly, and _laftlJ:, J,Vfwnv~ c~n encourage our.{elves 1Vith.hopes of M ercy, though ;;g7:::~ . "Jve live ;,1 Sin Jmpm~ttntly, thu 11 to fin prefumpttiOujiJ. . Yol! thac know yo~r .fotvu with felves_eo , be Sinners, what is it that makes you tO. bear -up WHh fo much peace hDpu ~f and confidence ? Why, do . you not everx moment fear left !fe-U fhould open Mt~o/· its mourb, and fwallow you up, .left .Go? lhould fuddenly fir_tke y~u dead by ~~::.;:~ .. fome remarkable Judgment, left. the. fJev,t fh_ould_fetch you away. ahve.co Tor.:. ptnitmtl; 1 mems? Why do you not fear rhis, fince ~·o~ know, your f:Ives ro be Sm_ne:s? in Sin,zi,. Why truly you ftill hope for Mercy; and H ts only from rhts very prefumptwnfin prtfllm. that 'Men cry Peace, Peace eo themfelveS, when yet God is at enmity-wichPtll9uflJ. them · theY. flatter themieives that it Jball be well \V.ith chem in rhe Jaccer end; cho~gh .God fi.vears he will noc fpare them; but .his Wrarh andJe~loufie lhall fq1oke ~gainft them. 1n Deut. 29. 19, .20. fays Go? there, If any ¥an Jhall enCourage himfelf when he goes oil pref~mptuou~y m the ~ay _of _ht,s own heatt-- Addi~g Drupkmne{s unto Thirjf, I Will not /pare. hsm, fays God ; but my Wr.ath anJ m1 Jealo11 fi~ Jlu1/t j1nol:.e flgainft ~im, and all the .CUrJ_e$. that. are ?vrittm in :his •Book. · jhnll fall upon him. Were but Smners truly apprehenfive of theJr.wretcheH Ellate, how they fiand. iiable every moment to the ftro~e of Divinejuftice, · how that there is nothing chat interpofeth betwixt them and HeU, bur only God:s temporary forbeaxa.nce of th,em, rruly .it. were impofii~le, uxrerly .impoffibte; . tO keep them from running up ¥nd dcwn rh~ Streets like diftrMled Perfon; and Mad-Men, cryjng out 'vith hqn·o_ur ' '[.Soul, 0 .1 4m "lainneJ, L dm. damneJ; bu_t <heir Prefumprion ftupifiesrhem, and they. are lull'd aOeep by .the Devil ; and rh.ough they live. in.Sin, yet they ftill dream of Salvation;. and rhus their. Pr,.. [11mptiu11 ffacters them, till .a_t lengch this Prifulnptionendstberlwherd: their Dflthnation begins, and never before•. _, 1. ,-: :;,• , · • • • • · • . • . . .And rlills I have in. fix Parti~uJars.JheWed you what it is rbat makes a Sin to b~. pre/IJmptuoNJ; which is that. which Davi,drin .the Te»t prays to God to keep hi.m from ; . and I doubc.not but thefe Particulars .have reprefenred to .you. fo o. much Guilt and U glinefs in .prefumptNoai Sins; as th:it }'oil alfo pr_ay with him, Lor4, ~eep . us q/fp from -pre]Ump(ltOfiJ Sins:.. , • , . '< . •. . . . s 1 . ~ • , .~o.w, rh.oQg_h.poffilily it may.f<::em .alrogeiherjlieed!efs.to die fcu/,r redder; 'Azt"· .y~c that your Prayers ~ainfi tke_rn may be mote:imporcunace, 8:ond your Efl- v•tion,.J de.~~ours ~nwearied, I fh~ll in t.he ne?Ct. pl~c.e tiy fome ag~avatin~ q:mlideraci'~ t:;f;:~~~~ · ?nS _mgqun th~fe fcqrler cr~rnfoiJ ji,1, , and ftnve to make them appear as they arc . 'l m thetnfelve:s qp.t of meafure. fiQful .. . , ,~ .:...· . , , _. s._, Confide~ ther~fore in the ftrll'p~ace;. that . t~tcommi~n of prtfomptUou~ Sim Prtf 11111 ,. J,~~ JXW:t/11l.gfz harden· ttnd ftetl 'l t.he H1art, . WJJh . refolutJons to perft'Cjere in them ptu~'Hr Sinr wirl?out rep,c')ft~n_~ehan4:W4Pt . can}J~ more dr.eadfu.l ·than. this is? Refolvednefs to lift hardttt;he,·. is a difppJitioP, ljket1 to ~hat of die Dt:Vil,and, it is a punilhmenc next io that ofh~:;t, 'IZ!ith l:JeU ? : M~n jl1a~ is c.ootirmed io wi.ckednefsl ~s , n~t many ~emoYc;s .off from a ;:~:,.j~'::,· De;v# 1q hts }la tyre, aod from a tlPmned Per{on 111 h1s Scare; there is a fatal .con- in them fcq~en,~ ~efw~xr C\Jar(s.1re(olving.tO; con.cintle;in. fin. co.the end: ahd .God's re.o. ..,irhour fo!y!ng JO pumlb htm With rhofe .tomtents that lh~IIJ1ave no end. God hath two R'P"'• SeajJ, ·chf_. On'e of rhe.,SpJrif of Atioption, whereby hefe<ils .up (3elieve~s tO the Ju 7 q-'~nu. Rer~e"!PfSJJ¥, ahd ~~e oche!,'_ o~ Qkdrm1tion, whereby he feals up the Impenitent eo the .D~<y PeflruEl~on; _Qe)ea_ls thc;m Up _under fJJI, ani:i,fers them afide for Wrathj h_en ct: r~he ~po(l:i~ 10 R11ma~s, ').. s- ... Jp-eaks of iJj haxd and impenitent he:;rr, treafurzngJ'p wr-ath "?to !L {elf .agasnjJ -t/;e d~J of Wf.nP.bt~ ~ow pr.efu·mptuods .Si.os have r. a t\yo fold m~hgn mfluence, thusro ,ha,rden and make-Men refolutein wicked.. •l ~efs; for e1cher rt1ey m:o~:ke rhe.m fecure un$1er fin, or elfe quice . ~Onrrary de. >petal~ for fi~, •(Id BP\Q •h•f~<.fu.opg!y, cqnduce to the hatde.,ing of the Mart. . ~, ' l'irft,
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