Of BrefomptUIJtwSin.r: 449 S··ed rill rhe Influences of the appr1 oaching and exciting Grace of God awaken ir.... and chafe irs benumm'd Vercue, and then it ftirs and thrufts away all that Dung and Filrh ·of Corruptions under which iday buried, and then it flows forrh into aEiual r:race: Habitual and exciting Grace muft both concur to the producing of aflu:dGrace,as neceirarily is there muft be the Concurrence both of the Heat of the Srm, and 6f life in the Seed, to produce a Flower : Now. by God's exciting, inherent, habitual Grace in the Soul, he keeps Men fn?m fin!ungtwo ways: Firft, By Prevention; and fecondly, By Szeepre!Jton o~ Sm. • Ftr~, Hereby he prevt11t1 aml excltldeJ thofc Sins; th~t, ?vere we not empf,yef t~ the Exercifo of~race, we 'lvould commit. When the Soults conftantly employ d 111 holy and fpmrual Affairs Sin hath then neither Room nor.Oppo&tunity to put forth it fe lf ; it is kep;OUt from the Thoughts, when they are .bufied in holy Meditation ; it is kept our from the Affet1ious, when they areSet upon heavenlJ Objefls; it is kept our from the Life and Converiarion, wlieti<theDuries both of the general and particular Calling are duly perfoJm'? in their refpettiv~ Seafons. The 'Ap~ftl~ exhorts us, in Ep_heftans 4· 27: not to gn1e pl~ce to the. Devd: ~r~ly, when Gods exciting Grace qutckens our mherent Grtrce-tmo connnual Exerctfc, when every Faculty is filled with holy Atti~gs, and. every S~afon wi_rh holy Duties, the Devil' can have no Place to ten\pc, nor Corrupuon to ihr: It 1s the beft Security God can gi,•e from -the Cornmiffion of Sin, to quicken to the Performance of Duty: When we pray, or meditate, or attend upon publick Ordirlances, we ought to blcfS ·God for hise"xcicing Grace., wheieby we have not only performed a Duty, but alfo efcaped·fome foul and·notorious Sin, that we might ha,,e.commictcd, had we not been foholily employ'd; we, who are here JlOW prefent before the Lord this Day, had we neglecl:cd this prefcnt Opportunity, wlro of us knows what horrid Temptations and foul Sins we might have been expofed CO in our 01Vn HoufeJ, \Vhich,in the Houfe orGod we have 'av"Oided? 1Javid, whCn he walked idll)~ upon the·R.o0f. Of his Houfe, hel iesopen to the Snares of the Devil, and fins foully ; had he then been at his Harp or P{alm1, he might thereby have dri \'en the Evil Spir.it,from himfelf, as formerly he did from his Mafi:er Saul: :S.imning Streizms ' preferve themfelves pure and clean, when ftanding Pools fOon.gr:ow, corrupt 2nd noifbm, and venomous Creatures bteed in them ; fo is it with the Heart, whilft God's ex.Cicing and quickning .Grace puts it upon continual Act, it is preferv.ed from Corruption; but when Once ic grows i flugg:Hh, and aoth nor freely flow forth inc.o the ACl:ings .0f Grace, and Performance ofDuties, the ' Spawn of all manner of Sin breeds there, and filthy Lufts crawl to and fFo-"~,init without any difturbance ; and therefore we lhould continually pray, that God would vouchfafe us the quicknjng Influmce of his Spirit, that he wo.UlCl1ilL our Sails with chat Wind that blows \vhcre.. it lHl:eth; Ari{e, O . Nortb~Wivd, mulcomttbo# South Wind, and blow ttpon ourGardeiu, · that the. Spices t'bereof may fl(!JJJ·forth; for if the Spices do not llhe Stench Will. ' -~· -~ ~ . · ' L!}·Secondlf) ' As 'God b1 his. 'tXC.iting Grace binderJ .tbofe Sim that might arifo in tlie -Heart, f() be rd.fo {uppreff(th tho[e Sins that do ·-arife. There <is the greateft Contrarie- ,ty imagin.ahle ·becwjx.c inherent, Sin and jnbermt.Grace; when the one is vigorous r.he orhenlt_Uiguifhcth; wlie:n. die one is -arl:ed, the orl'\e( grows dull and fiug~ fjifit :· Now .both. thefe oppofite Principle• liave, their S~at' and Abodl\' in. the fame: He an~ -.md both o£.thefu1are ·in continuill Ekpe&:ltiont ~f .excicing Influ- ·C"nc~ to qa-Lf :l1co~ fouch ~nro _JA~ .. In~1velbP§ ... ~orruJf~Pn;~h"ll,t·(· is'1tJ(~.ally r~u~ecl.;up .bif femptation, , when lt..frtTSiln the:H:eftra;nahC!.Is r.c.ady •tq break:for.th tn·the lllifot h~bitud4 Grace, . though i" locks on, yi>t is of itfo!Uo feebleo, tthat1it•oan make no..,0jjpd0tiotl till~ kindly Inftuetlcc , from the .Spirit of God ,oalls out iOriie:paniau}ar Gr3.ce that is,tlirectly1eOI¥trary to th:l~ Si!n(;that fiirs, and this :refills and {uh<l.ocs it. This Method Godioufed in keepit,gorhe Apcltlcfrom .finning, Z1Ccf.II2. He was ·ti;ler_C und'ell"a1f&arp am\ pung:ept Temptation; ithat is r~rcfore '"lledta .T.hom ;,. JheFiejb, .. V-17~ s... , ,buffetsi)ttiJLthe A!>Dil~~ p(ays, ~nd God ~nfwqs, My Gr~ce _.u.fu{fict~t fantbee; my G...r;.toe ,uJ"ufficient, .not .thy G~ace ? thlac_.Gracc ·thar 1s~1n thee 1s bv_~·.w.~rk and h~tpJefs; yea, a1Jvex.:r.. Nothmg, 1f I Wtthdraw my Influence from lt1 ; but chatquJckrungGrace that fio\vs from me, tha~ atone isJuHicie:nc ro remor.. e/ihe Tempration, and 'to prevent ;he Sin. Why, now while God's exq_iting-Grace wor~'tl upon chc Apojlle's i»- Mmmm btrent
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