Dire. IL OfSane7?fication. 47 law, without being well perfuaded of a fufficient power, whereby he may be enabled to be heartily willing, as well as to perform when he is willing, until he hash gone through the whole work of obe- dience acceptably; fuch an one was never yet truly humbled, and brought to know the plague of his own heart ; neither loth he truly believe the doc- trine of original fin, whatever formal profeilion he- makes of it. Secondly, Thofe that think fincere conformity to the law in ordinary cafes to be fo very eafy, Frew that they neither know it nor themfelves. Is it an eafy thing to wreftle, not againft flcfh only, but " againft principalities, powers, fpiritual wicked- " nefs in high places? Eph. vi. 12." Is it an eafy thing not to tuft or covet according to the tenth commandment ? The apoftie Paul found it fo dif- ficult to obey this commandment, that his concupif- cence prevailed the more by occafion of the com- mandment, Rom. vii. 7, 8. Our work is not only to alter vicious cuftoms, but to mortify corrupt natural affections, which bred thofe cuftoms ; and not only to deny the fulfilling of linful lulls, but to be full of holy love and delires: yet even the re- ftraining the execution of corrupt lusts, and crafting them by contrary actions, is, in many cafes, like " the cutting off a right hand, and plucking out a « right eye, Match. v. 29, 30." 1f obedience be fo eafy, how came it to pass that the Heathens gene- rally did thofe things for which their own confcien- ces condemned them as worthy of death ? Rom. i. 32. and that many among us fcek to enter into this " lirait gate, and are not able, Luke xiii. 24." and break fo many vows and purpofes of obedience, and fall back to the practice of their lusts, though, in the mean time, the fears of eternal damnation prefs liard upon their confciences ? As to thofe that find perfecution for religion to be fo rare a thing in late days, they have caffe to be
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