98 SERMONS upon Serm. XV. in Word, frequently in their daily Pra&ice, becaufe an offence to God feemeth as no- thing, they have no love to God , Pfal. e7. 10. Te that love the Lord, hate evil, it is a loathfom thing to them ; to a gracious heart it is argument enough against fin , That it is the tranfgreon of the Lam, 1 Joh. 3.4. and he inferreth it out of Love to God, ver. r. Behold, what manner of love the Father bath bellowed on ue, &c. They have fuch a deep apprehenfion of Gods Love to them in Chrift , that it breedeth an awe upon them , or a fear to offend , Ezra 9. 13, 14. After all that k come upon us for our evil deeds , and for our great trefpafi , feeing that thou our God haft punifhed us left than our iniquities de- ferve, and hall given no filch deliverance at this. Shall we again break thy commandments? Joshua 24. 31. Ifrael ferved the Lord all the days of7ofhtra, and all the days of the Elders that outlived Joshua, and which had known all the works of the Lord , which he had done for Ifrael. What ! offend God who is fo bleffed a Being , who created us out of no- thing , of whole Mercy we have talked every moment , who preferveth and delivereth us continually, from whole Goodnefs we expel all our Bleffednefs. Is our deliverance by Christ of left value than all our temporal deliverances ? Will not Love draw the fame Inferences and Conclusions from it ? Caution doth not arise out of a fear of anger, but a lothntfs to offend. 2. The Time when this Duty is to be praftifed ; always , it is never out of feafon, Confcience mutt Will fit Porter at the door, and examinewhat goes in and out. If men negleft their watch but for a little while, how loon doth fin get an advantage against them ? Lot that was chalk in Sodom, miscarried in the Mountains, where there was none but his own Family. David, whole heart was fo tender , that it fmote him for cutting off the lap of Sails garment, falleth into fo deep a sleep afterwards, that his Confcience was filent, when he had defiled ic.with Blood and Luft. The tears and forrows of ma- ny years may perhaps not repair the mifchief, which one hour may bring unto you. You have need to watch after the fenfe of your Duty bath been revived upon you , Satan loveth to snatch the prey from underChrifs own arm, He mired into Judas after the fop , ph. 13. 27. After folemn Duties, how Coon do people mifcarry ? Affoon as the Law was given with terrible Thundrings, the people do prefently miscarry by worfhip- ping the golden Calf, Exod. 32. And the Priefts in the very day of their Confecra- tion, in the beginning and firft day of their Miniftration offered ftrange fire to the Lord, Lev. to. After fume efcape from fin we need to watch , that we be not intangled therein again , 2 Pet. 2.20. If after they have efeaped the pollution of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour 7efus Chrift, they are again intangled therein and over- come, the latter end is worfe with them than the beginning. As under the Law, a Sore ri- fing as a boil , when it was healed, might afterward break out again, and turn to a Le- profie, Lev. 13. 18, 19, 20. So fins, after we feem to be healed of them , may return, and make us worfe than before. As Chrift faith to the man cured ,, yob. 5. 14. Behold, thou art made whole , fin no more, lei a worfe thing come unto thee. In Profperity we need to watch , it is hard to carry a full Cup without fpilling, and to live at cafe, and yet to keep up a due and lively fenfe of our Duty. And in our Adverfity, when the courfe of Temptation is altered, we are strangely furprized ; every Condition bringeth its own fnares with it, Ephraim is a cake not turned, Hof. 7. 8. Thofe who are molt ad- vanced in a flate of Grace, they need [till to watch, Mark 13. 37. What I fay unto you, I fay unto all, Watch. We are never pall this care; this is the great difference between Christian and Christian, one is more watchful than another. 3. Againft what we mutt watch. 1. Generally against the three grand Enemies of our Salvation,the Devil,the World, and the Flesh. First? , Against Satan ; for he hath laid his Ambushes and Enterprifes against us continually , and by his fpiritual Nature hath advantages of being near us , when we are little aware of him : 1 Pet. 5. 8. Be fober , be vigilant ; for your adverfary the Devil, as a roaring lion walketh about , feeking whom he may devour. Satan is ever watching, therefore you should watch , you give him the greaten advantage by your folly and negligence; now the Apoflle faith, he would not give him any advantage, 2 Cor. 2. I I. Left Satan fbould get an advantage of us , for we are not ignorant of his devices. He is unwearied in his motions, lays his designs deep, takes all advantages and occafions to deftroy us. If the Devil were either dead, or afleep, or had loft his malice and power, then we need not ftand fo much upon our guard. Secondly, Againh the World ; for we are bidden to deny worldly lefts, Tit. 2.12. not only ungodlinefs mutt be watched and prevented, but our inclination to worldly things. See
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