Ver. 8. the 8th Chapter of the R. OMAN S. 71 to beg pardon while they goon in their fins ;fo the facrifice of the wicked is an abomina- tion to the Lord, Prov. 15. 8. Namely, as they red in external performances, and think by their prayers or Come other good duties to put by the great duties, of Faith, Repentance, and new Obedience; fo there prayers and good things are abominable; but in frnners re- turning to God,and ufing the means, and expre( &ng their delires of Grace, tho but with a natural fervency,and with fome common help of the Spirit,tho the action doth not de- ferve acceptance with God, and the Perlon is not in fuch an eftate that God hath made an exprefs promife to him that he will accept him, yet he hath to do with a good God, who doth not refufe the cry of his creatures in their extremities, and'tis a thoufand to one, but he will fpeed; the carnal man is to ad there abilities, and common Grace he hath,that Gòd may give more. 2 ZI S E is to Exhort us, r. To come out of the carnal eflate into the fpiritual life; for whiltt you are in the ,fleth, you cannot pleafe God. Now what is more unhappy than to do much to no good purpofe ? To be acquainted with the toil of duties, and not to be accepted in them. Men are apt to rat in Tome fuperficial good actions, and fo neg.- led the Grace of God in Chrift ; we cannot fufficiently beat men from this falte Righte- oufnefs wherewith they hope to pleafe God ; certainly while you are ruled by the world, the fleth, and the Devil, you are unfit to obey God, therefore you mutt renounce the fleth, the world and the Devil, and give up your felves to God the Father, Son, and Holy- Gho.11, as Creator, Redeemer and Sanctifier: All after - duties depend on the feti- oufnefs of the firft, 2 Cor. 8. q. They fire gave ehemfelves to the Lord, then unto us, by the will of God. And Rom. 6. 13. Neither yield ye your members as infiruments of un- righteoufnef unto fn, but yieldyour felves unto God, as thofe that are alive from the dead, and your members as infiruments of righteóufnefs unto God. The more heartily you give up your felves to obey God, and look for his favour upon the account of Chrifts Riph teoufnefs, and wait for the healing Grace of his Spirit, in the ufe of fit means, the more eafily, readily, and comfortably will the fpiritual life be carried on ; and the more hearty and ferious you are in this, the more peace you will have, and fuch graces will be heaped upon you, as will be the evident tokens of Gods Approbation and Acceptance. Till you renounce Gods enemies, and confect to beche Lords, you are in the (late of rebels; re- bels in heart, tho Subjects in (hew; and what you perform, is by conflraint, and not bya milling mind. God hath right to our duties, before we content, and therefore 'tis a fin in carnal men to omit them, but our content and felf- obligation is neceffary to our vo- luntary Obedience and Acceptation with God : Betides, when this refignation, willing- nets and content, is deep rooted,it becometh as a nature to us, and carrieth the force and authority of a principle in our hearts and puts the foul upon fuch fincere Obedience, as God will take kindly at our hands; it habituateth the mind to an obediential frame, and then the particular ads will not be very difficult. 2. To exhort us to pleafe God. This mutt be managed, n. Negatively : Not to pleafe the fleth ; flethpleafing is the fortrefs of fin, for all fin tendeth to flellt pleating; now Chriftiansare to crucifie the flefh, not to gratifie the flefh ; our Lord Jefus Chrift pleated not himfelf, Rom.' q. 3. He fought not to gratifie that life he had affumed ; not that we thould deny the body all delight in the mercies of God, then the foul would foon be clogged, which perfedeth its operations by the bo- dy; we are to abftain from flefhly !up which war againfithe foul, but not to abttain from worldly comforts which would produce the fame effect, hindering our cheerful fervice of God; common merciesmutt be received as mercies, elk there would be no room for humiliation and thanksgiving : Not of humiliation, when God corredeth us for fin by depriving us of thofe mercies, and fo there would be no diftindion between mercy and punifhment ; nor for thank fulnefs, for we cannot be thankful for what we do not e(teem and relith in fome fubordinate degree. It is a mercy, or is it not? If it be a mercy, we -may'ufe it with thanksgiving ; if not, then you cannot biefs God for it;but in the ufe of theft things we muff take heed that the foul be not drawn away from God, and the interefl of the )7e /h be not let up againft him: It becometh a Chriffian much more to mortifie the deeds of the body, than to fulfil his luffs ; and he mutt be cautious that he do not-difpleafe-Guet by pleaftng the fleth; that Satan who is ever laying his baits to catch unwary fouls, do not draw him to fuch an ufe of bodily pleafures, as are im moderate and finful. 2. Not to pleafe men, who have power or many advantages over us : That we pleafe not them to the wrong of God ; the Apottle faith,.Gal. I. re. If Iyet pleafd men, ¡were nett
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