Of Prefumptuota Sins. Fourthly Confider this It is very hard to bring prt[umptuozu Sinners to Re~ ltifhardto formation and 1.!-~pentanct; 'The firft Step t~ E~angelica! Sorrow is legal Terror, J~::tu~~~~ which the Spmr of God works by convmcmg the Smner of J udgmem and Sinners t() Wrath to come; but now cell a pre{umptuozu Sinner, wharJudgmemand Wrath JV:pen~ is due ro him char it is impoffiblc for him to efcape the Vengeance of God, zan.:e. rharJuftice willovercake him; read ro him all the Curfescomain'd in rheBook of God, and cell him chat they are all email'd upon his Sin; this moves him not · he knew and confider'd all rhis before.; a pre{ttmptuoui Sinner muft be a kno~ing Sinner ; he knows what _Hell is, as well as as ever any M<~n that hath not felt it· he knows what a prcctous Soul he deH:roys, how Glonous a 1-Ieaven he fo'rfeits, what dreadful Condemnation he eXpofech himfelf to; he knows all rh is, and yer he fins; and rho' this were enough, one would think, to darmt a Devil, yet he breaks through all this Knowledge eo his own Lufis aga in; the Apoftle fpeaks of fuc.h in Romans I. p. 'lvho k1Jow th~ 1~tdgmmt~ o( God, that they that commit [uch thmgs are worth! of death, ret prefi~mpttiOUJlJ contr_nue in the commi.lfion of{uch fins; now what hop-.! ts there of refo.rmmg and reclam:- ing fuch as the(e are, that fin after rhey have caft up thetr Accounts what tt will coft rhem? Cenainly they that dare fin when they [~;!e Hea before them, there is no hope that they will lea,•e finning, rill chey fee He/J flaming round about them, and themfelvcs in the mid it of it. Now then, tho' tbe{e pre(umptuous Sins being in their Nature and Aggravations fo heinous, yet are the beft Chriftians exceeding prone to commit them, When the Sea is tcmpeftuous, did we only Cland fafe upon the Shear, it were enough to behold the woful Shipwracks of others, wirh that Horror and Commiferation that fuch a Spectacle deferves; bur when we are tofs'd in the fame Tempeft, and fee fome fplir againfi &eh, and orhersfwallow'd up of .Qz.#ick.fands, unto which narurallythe.Stream ftrongly carries us alfo; truly then, our Pity and Detefiation of their Dangers, our Horror and Confternation of their Ruin, is not fufficient, without great Care and Diligence, for our own Secu~ rity and Prefervarion : Therefore, 0 Chriftians! look to your felves; the glorify'd Saints in Heaven fee the Dangers they have efcap'd with Praife, and the Dangers others fall into with Pity; bur thou, 0 Chriftian! art not yet' got to Shoar, frill thou Etilcft upon the fame Sea wherein moft do perifh, even the raging Sea of Corruption, which is yet made more raging by the Storms of Temptation; and if thou fceft many that are bound Hea\'en-ward, m~ke Ship· wrack of Faith and a tO()d Confcience; it is not enough for thee to flight their Dangers, or to cenfure and piry rhcir Mifcarriages ; bur fear thou alfo, left the fame Corruptions and Temptations overwhelm and drown thee in the fame Perdition; this is the Apoftle's Caution, I Cor. ro. 12. Let him that thinks he ftands take heed left he faU; and in Rom. I I, 20. Thort Jhmdejf bJ Faith, be not bi.gh-mindeJ, but fiar. And indeed, becaufe of that viol em Inclination that is in All unto Sin, there is no Stare in this Life fo perfect, as to make this ~x~ hortation ufelefs and unfcafonable. David himfelf prays for reftraining Grace: Keep back thJ Servant fi"om pre[umptuous Sins. From which Words l formerly collected, and fhall now profecute this PropofiriOn. That in the beft Chrij!ians thn'e is grec.t Pronenefs to the ?JJOrj! Sins. In the handlinp; of this coo true a Point, I fhall, Firft, By fome Demonfirations, make it evident, That there is a firong Inclination in the befi eo the worH:Sins; and rhen fettrch out chc original Caufe whence it is, that fince in the firft Creation Man's Will was left wholly free, and indeterminate, wichour any ocher Inclination ro..Good or Evil, belides what its free and arbitrary Choice made; )'et in the ne1v Creation, wherehy Souls :trc repair'<l, there fhould be ftilllefr in it that Biafs that ftrongly fways ic unto Evil. Thele cwo Things, God affifting, I fha!l at prefem do. Pa~~~~~:r~emonftratiom of thePoinr, I fhall give you them in rhefe following 1k b,f1 Chri/lians prrn/dtobe pronetotk wor/fSins. Firfi:, The Examples of othtrs may here be a convincing Argttment, If .I fhould From tht. fummon in the moft excellent of God's Saims, a Man mighc wonderrhat Drun. Erampl~r kenntfi, Incejf, lvlrmbcr, and Abjuration ofClr,·ijf, that fuch Brats of S11tan fhould of otherr. ever b7found in Com~any with fuch an :1ngeiical Troop as they are; :md yet Noah IS Drrmk, Lot ts Inceftuous, Dav1d Murders, and Peter Abjuru; rhcfe glorious
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