Owen - Houston-Packer Collection BT768 .O9 1654

C.XV. The progre%of Luís in bringing forth finne. 36o is ve-, drawn off, or drawne away; and upon thefeconlheis ol'er,eaC5usv -, enticed, or entangled. The Firft ftirring offinne is to draw away, the foule from what it ought to be fixedupon, by its rifing up irregularly to fome delightful! obje&: For a man tobedrawne away by his lure, is to llavehis Luft drawne -out to forne oh je& fuited to it, wherein it delighteth. Now this drawing away, denoteth two things. I. The turningof the foule from the a&wall reditudeof its frame to- wards God. Though the foule cannot alwayes be in a&call Exercife of Grace towards God,yet it ought alwayes to be in an immediatereadineflè to any Spirituali duty, upon the account whereof,when occafion is adtniniftred, it doth asnaturally goe forth to God, as a veffèll full of water floweth forth when vent is givenunto it. HennSewe are commanded topray alwayes,. Our Saviourgiveth a Parable to inftru& his Difciples, that they ought to pray mráv70l6 Luke 18. I. And weare commanded to pray dharH0,,,s, without ceafng or intermit f on, r 2-heff: 5.57. Which the: fame Apoflle in another place call- eth praying iv ,rtarri.róau in every place : namely as occafion isádminiftred. It is not theperpetuall exercife ofthis duty (as the Iewes forceof them havé ridi- culoufly interpreted the firft Pfalme of reading the Lam dayandnight) which would (hut out and cut off all other dutyes, not only ofwens Callings and Employ mentsas to this Life, but all other dutyes ofthe wayes & woríhip of God whatever; But it isonly the readineßfe and promptitude ofthe heart in its conftantsframe to that neceffary duty, that is required; Now he who is i sA- xfitCev& by luft, is drawne offfrom this frame; that is, he is interrupted in it by hisluft,diverting unto force (ïnfull obje&. And as to this particular, there is a great difference betwixt the finningofBdievers, and thofe who arife not beyond that height whichthe power of Conviftion beareth them oftentimes up unto. For 4:51. I. The maine ofa true Believers watching in his whole life, and inthe courfe,ofhis walking with God, is dire&ed againft this of= drawing from that habitual' frame ofhis heart by luft and finne. His great bufnefe is, as the Apoftle telleth us, to take the whole armour ofGod to hies, that finne ifit be poffrble, may make no approach to his foule. Eph.6,13.Itis tokeepe up their fpiritsto a hateofevery evill way and to delight inCodcontinually; and becaufe they cannot attaine in this lifeunto perfe&ion,they cryout of the power of fin leading them captives to the Law thereof. They would have their wills, dead to fìnne,wholly dead, and have trouble that they are not fo, as to the gene- rall frameof oftheir fpirits how oft fo ever they be drawne off. For other perfonsthey have truly no fuch frame at all, Whatever they maybe cut into the likeneflè of, by the fharpneflè of Scriptural) convi&ions that come up- on them; and therefore they watch not, as to thekeeping ofit. Thedeeper you dive into them, the more neere you come to their hearts, the worfe they are:thcirvery inward parts iswickedneffe,l (peak nowofthe ordinary frame of the one and other. This drawing ofby finne in Believers, is by thepower of firing, in oppofition to their Will. Their wills lye againft it to the utmoft: theywould not'(as was (hewed,) be fodrawneoff. But as for the othersas hath been (hewen,`how- ever their minds may be inlightned, and their confciences awakned, and their Affe&ions corre&led and reftrained, their wills are wholly 'dead in finne. Secondly, when a man is or drawne,,away there are ftricken out between the luft and the pleating object, Tome glances of the heart , with thoughtsoffinite. When luft bath gon thus farce, if a violent temptation fall ins

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