qf Prdf;.mptuota Sins. 447 rhe Soul rake part and fide with rhefe two .: Now in a godly Man thefe two are ar an Agreement, what Confcience prompts, rh.e Jf7i0 commands, and rJ:einfer~ our Faculti es are all ready to execute: SanCbfy1ng Grace, that workstmmediacely and fpecially upon che\Vill, and makes a mighryChangerhere; whereas before Converfion Man's Will is fO urcerly depraved, chat it can like nothing but Sin ·after Grace harh touch'd it, and mightily rurn'd it about, it cannot now anY longer give its full and free Confem to the Commiffion of any Sin; iffuch a one fins he dorh it truly and properly againfl: his Will, a> the Apojlle fpeaks in Rom. 7·'r.f ..U:hat I do, I allo1v not : Now a wicked 1'4an n~ay fi.n again~ Rom.J.I'i· his Confcience, but It tSimpoilible char he ihould ever (i~ agamft h1s IVtll, that JS continually fer upon Sin; and were i t nor that God fometimes raiferh up natural Con{cience in him to oppofe his corrupt Wilt, he would every Momenr rulh into the molt damning Impieries, without any of the 1eaft Regret or Senfe of it: \Vhen the Devil prefenrs a Sin tO the Embraces of the Wilt, and when the Wilt clofeth with it, and all the Faculties of the Soul are ready to commit ir, God fends in Co~fcience among them : What, Con{cience, art thou afleep! feeft thou not how the Devil, and thine own devilifh Hearr, are now plocring and contriving thine eternal Ruin~ Now this rouzerh Con{cience, and makes it ftorm and threaten, and hurl Fire-brands into the Face of Sin, white it lies in the very Emb:aces of the WiU; and rho~ i~ cann~x chanpe.the WiU from lovi ng of it, yet it fnghrs rhe WiU from commmmg of It : Thts 1s the moft ufual Way re- .ftraining Grace rakes for the Prevemion ofSin, by fending in C()11fcience to make ftrong and vigorous Oppofitions againft it : There are none of us here, but through Divine Grace have been kept from many Sins, that we were in great danger, through the Corruptions of our own Hearts, ro have committed: Sin hath been conceived by us, but God harh ftifted and ftrangled it in the Womb : Would you know now whether this hath p roceeded from God's Reflraining, or from God's SanCiifying Grace? Why then make a}udgmenraccordingrorhisRule Where Reftraining'Grace only r e(ifts and hinders Sin,it dorh it by fertingonc Fa~ culty and Affection of tbe Soul againf!: another ,; bur where SanC!ifjing Grace hinders ir, it fers the fame Faculty and Affection of the Soul againft it felf. Reftrainillg Grace fets one Affection againft another ; Confcience againft Wilt.' the Fear of Hell againfi the Love of Sin; Hel!ijh Terrors againfi Sinful Plea{uru 'God's 7hreatnings againft the Devil's Flatteries ; it martials up thefe, and fo enr~rs rhe Combat : Here are Bandyings of one Power of the Soul againfi another . bur now the Will that is entirely on Sin's Pare; and if Confcience prevails and 'pulls away a beloved Luft from the Embraces of the Will, the Sinner parrs wirh it very heavily and unwillingly, following it, as Phaltieldid Michael, weeping rho" he durft nor make refifiance; but now when SanllijjingGraceoppoferhanct'hinders Sin, ir fees the fame Faculty and Affection of the Soul againft it felf, Will againft Will, and Love againft Love, Defire againft Defre ; He wills the Cornmillion of Sin, it is true, but yet at the fame rime he wills the Mortification of it ; He loves to gratifie his Sin, bur yet at the fame time he wills the croffing of it coo; He defires to enjoy chat Pleafure and Comemmeut rhar he fancies he may takl.! in Sin, and yet he de fires at the fame time tO defiroy it : Here is one and the fame Faculty bandying againft it fclf; and the Reafonof this is becaufe a Child of God hath two Principles in every fingle Faculty· there i~ in him a Mixture of F lcJh and Spirit ; a Carnal Part rhat fides wirh Sin and a Spiritual Part rhar always contradicts andoppofethit; and chefe two are fpread over his whole Sou l, and are mingled wirh every Power and Faculty thereof. fo that he can neither do the Evil, nor do the Good, that he would do wirhou~ Contradiction, S~rife, and .R~luctancy: N?~ try_your felves by this, ~hen you are tempted ro Sm, what 1t ts that refifl:s It 1 Is lt your Will, or is it only your Confcience ? Are you only frighted from it? Doth the Fear of Hell overcome the Love of Sin ? Why, all this may be from a meer Reftraint in rhofe who are altogether unacquai!lted w~th rhe .Power of Jimf!if!ing Gr~ce ;. this is the Symptom and Char~Ct:er.ot a gracwu.s Soul, ~hat when_u IS moft mchnablc unto Sin,yer at tl!e fame ume ts m~ft averle fro~11t; when tr ~1oft wifhes th~ Accomplijhme 11 t of Sm; yet_even then tt ftrongly wtfh.es the Subdumg and Mortifj·ing of that Sin . I know thts appears a Riddle and a ·ftrange Paradox ro wicked Mcn,but rhofe,who have any true Senf~. of th~ Work of Gr.ace upon their own H earrs, know i t to be a Truth, and reJoycc 1n the Expenences cha~ they have of i t. Fourth-
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=