Ver. t 3. the 8th Chapter to the R. Q M A N S. 115 him to the Judgment, and he (hall have norhing.to plead for his brutifh folly. 6. What vile unthanh fulnefi it is, and a great abufe of that liberty which we have by Chrif7, Gal, 5.13. Te are called to liberty, only ufe it not as an occafon to the fefh. We have a great liberty to ufe our worldly comforts with a refpeft to Gods Glory, and as encouragements of Gods Service, and for the fweetning of our Pilgrimage ; but 'cis ftrangely perverted, when we ufe thefe things to pleafe the fleth ; you turn it into a bon- dage, and offer a great abufe to Jefus Chria ; furely he never dyed to promote the pow- er of fin, nor gave us thefe comforts to defeat the ends of his death : Was he a man of forrows, that we might live in pleafure ? Did he fuller in the flefh to purchafc us liber- ty to pleafe the fleth? Or die for fin, to give fin the matlery ? Did the Lord vouchfafe thefe comforts, that we might di(honour his name, or undo our own fouls? 2. Means. To come out of this eftate and courfe of fin, I (hall give you a few Di- rections. I. To thofe that never pretended to the fpiritual and heavenly life, and are as yet to be drawn out of the common apoffacy and defetlionof mankind, to God. All that I (ball fay to them, is to obferve Checks of Confeience, and Motions of the Spirit, andwhat help is given to weaken the fle(h. I. Check) of confcience, however occafioned, either by a lapfe into Tome fin, which is wont to ( courge the foul with fome remorfe, Matt. 29.4. Paying, that I have finned in betraying innocent blood. Confcience working after the fad, or by the convi&ion of the word, Ads 24.25. And as be reafoned of righteoufnefs, and temperance, and judgment to come, Felix trembled. Do not fmother thefe checks; that breedeth Atheifm and hardnee of heart. Suppofe one diffolutely bent, yet upon tome loathfome concomitants which follow his riot and intemperance, he beginneth to be troubled ; Gods Providence is to be obferved as well as his own fin. This is a kind of foftning his heart ; if it revert to his old frame, the man is the worfe. No Iron fo hard as that which hath been often heated. Water, after it hath been heated by the fire , eongealeth the fooner after it is taken off. If he doth not take notice of Gods warnings, his foul is more unapt to be wrought to repentance; yea, God in jullice may deprive him of thole common helps, HoC 4. 17. Let him alone ; or give him up to his own hearts counfels. 'Tis dangerous not to make sale of thofe intervals of Reafon and lober thoughts which arife in our minds. 2. The motionsOf the Holy Spirit, when he cometh to recover you from the fle(b to God; and you are troubled not only with remorfe for adual and heinous fins, but about your eternal eflate; and are haunted with thoughts of the Other world, and urged to refolve upon the heavenly life. Surely when the waters are flirted, we thould put in for a cure, John 5. when he draweth, we ( hould run, Cant. r. 4. when he knocketh, we thould open, Rev. 3. zo. and not obftrud the work of godlinefs, but ferioufly imploy our thoughts about it, Ads 16. 14. Whofe heart the Lord opened, that the attended unto the things that were fpoken by Paul. We should not rebel againfi the motions of the fpirit, left we grieve our fandifìer, and he forfake us, becaufe we forfook him firft, and fo our hearts be hardned in a carnal courfe. Briefly, God doth all in our firtl converlron ; yet thefe three things lye upon us frrfito obferve the touches of Gods punìfhing andchafti- fng hand reclaiming us from our wanderings, Pfal. 119. 59. Before I was afflitled I went affray. Secondly, To refietl upon the motions of his fpirit to draw us out of this efiate,that we may not refill the Holy Ghoft, Aas 5. 31. Thirdly, To examine everyday what ad- vantage the fpirit bath gotten againfi the flefb ; how the interetfs óf it is weakned, its lulls checked, its ads retrained, Gal. 5. 16. Every one that doth ferioufly mind the bufinefs of his falvation, cannot but fee thefe things of great advantage to his fpiritual efface ; and there is no great difficulty in them to the ferions foul that hath a mind to be faxed. 2. To thole that feem to be recovered, and to have a care of the fpiritual life, that they may not revert to this bondage, and that the work may be more thoroughly wrought in them. I. Loek to the mind, take heed there be not fleth there, for the flethly mind is a great enemy to godlinefs,Ro.8,7.The carnal mind is enmity to God ; and 'cis a low poor mind, blinded with the love of prefent things, Jam. 3. 15. The wifdom that defeendeth not from above, is earthly, fenfua , devillifb : it hindereth us from difcerning-the reallity of our hopes, and from having a true fence of our duty impreffed upon our hearts, 1 Cor. 2. 14.
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