Recommended from Phil. 2. I 2, I 3· 629 terrible upon chefe holy Men, whofc Hearts were found towards God; how fret~ ling and gall ing will it be upon the ul.cerated '?'nfciences of Sinners 1 1\o Man bath his prefent €ontentmcnt and Delight in lus .own ~owcr, no more t han he bath his own Confciencc in his own Pov.er, wh1ch Will fpcak, yea, and fpeak terrible Things too, when the Sinner bath done all he can to fritlc it; nay, let every Sinner fpcak, H ow is it with you after the madnefs and rage of your Sin is over? Are you not then haunted with dircful Thoughts of Horror and Amaze .. mem, t hat are as i~ were gnawing and devouring your Hearts? And are thefe they who are content to buy '\13fe and Qui etnefs at fo dear a rate, as the lofs of their preciou$ and immortal Souls, and to he eternally tormented hereafter, befides their prefent Pai n and Anguifh afte'r the committ ing of Sin now, wh ich if they feel noc always yet frequently t hey do? But if God Jhould give them up to fuch hardnefs of Heart as to become altogether infcnfi ble and ftupid while they continue in this World, yet what will this avail_them? Will t hey not I?ur· chafe their Eafe and Pleafure very dearly, to lofe their Souls for ever hereatter, and to fulfer the Pains of Hell eternally ? The Devil hath put a ho;rid Cheat upon thefe Men ; for they ~o not change- th e ir~rO\Jbles and Sorr~ ws,_ but only t he time of them, and for a little fanfied fenfual Eafe and Pleafure tn thts World, which it may be they may enjoy and it may be not; for poffibly God may be fo -provoked by them,_ that_ he may fuddenly cut them o_lf i~1 their Sins ; .but if not, it is but for a very httle ume that the Pleafures of theu· Sms and Lufts wiillaft, and then an Eternity of Pain and Torment !hall be their Portion. Sinners, be not therefore deceived; futfer not the Devil toabu fe you, and to impofe his Drudgery upon you, under the pretence of E.afe and Quietnefs: If the refore it be only pre~ fent Contentment and SatisfaB: ion th.at you feek, if you th ink that you fhall periflt, but yet you would peri01 the eafieft way; that is not, believe it, that is not by g iving up of your [elves to a way and courfe of Sin, but in a way of Duty and la· borious Working; in that only can you find prefent Contentment, and in that poffibly yuu may find eternal Happi nefs. But may fomt fay, The Works~~ G'od_ w~uld be more pl_elljirtg to m, _if we could but wcwk Object. them. But Jirft we IMve no worlang Prtnetple, we arc m a ftare of Nature .and with· out Grace, fo that we cannot roork. And, Secondly, We cannot impt~mr thu Grace in our {elves. To this 1 Anfwer, Though you neither have Grace, nor can work Grace Anfw ·in your felves, yet you can do much, yea, very much in order to ~S::llvation · by the meer Strength of Nau1rc, and the Liberty of your own Will : This is a Conlidcration that needs to be frequently prened upon the Confciences of wicked Men, they often hear unto what a ftate of Weaknefs Sin hath reduced them, and that without Grace they can do nothing that is pleafing unto God, or advantagious to themfelves; and by thi"s they are put out of conceit of fetting t¥b.Jt Sinupon the Work of G?d, and leave the Salvation of their Souls at all adventures. d:r:o:irds Confider therefore, Smners, how much you may do towards your own Salvation rfcir own from yam· own Nature and Free-will. And here, Salvarion . (I.) Firft, ThevdeftSinner, even by thero/'!erof Nature andiJUown Free-will, may 7bt)·""'J artam to tl•e highcft _degree And pitch of preparatton that Uu{ually nwought m the .fieart an- au.u~ ro tccedentLy o1· before true Grace. Such are legal ConviCtion and Contrition, a fad fight rbeb,ght/! of Sin, and a deep farrow for it, together with ftrong Refolmions and Purpofes drgru~t againft it, w ith ftrong Defires after Grace and Holinefs, and the li ke : And the ~;~~~/~: Reafon of this is becau fe all thefeThings are fhort of Grace; and whatever is fhort the nwt of true Grace falls within the compafs of Nature and Free..will, which'i s common before unto all Men; which though it be indeed wounded and maimed, yet may make fuift Grau:, to go fo as fa r this comes to. True Grace now is only the Cr eation of the Power o f God, and not the ProduB:ion of Nature or Free-will: Wherefore after all lhis preparation is wrought, a Sinner can no more work Grace in himfelf than he could before, yet is he now nearer to Grace, and in a greater probability of it than be was before; and there is none but may go thus far , if they will but improve that Power and Ability that they have. · (2.) Secondly, 'There is no Duty in Re.JigiorJ but the PtnVtr of ll/ature mrry.c4rry "'Af:m out to the rxtemal Pe~jormance thereof, and th11t 1virh Af~ tb;"rp~.,::~ ':r~~~f~~: ;~; frBwn .md f.nlargement alfo. Ahab hrtmbles himfclf. Hrrod heard ,.my a l\.•t,m nut to, ]ohiJ Baprift r,lad\y. And fo Sinners can, Pray, Hear, Read, Medicate
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