330 OF SPIRITUAL MINDEDNESS. to act its deceit by : for no man that willingly liveth in any sins can love God at all; as is evident in that rule, 1 John ii. 15. It is but a false pretence of love to God that any man hath, who liveth in any known sin. Where God is not loved above all, he is not loved at all : and he is not so, where men will not part with one cursed lust for his sake. Let not your light deceive you, nor your gifts, nor your duties, nor your profession; if you live in sin, you love not God. Thirdly. They determine, that at such or such a season or time, after such satisfaction given to their lusts or pleasures, they will utterly give over, so as that iniquity shall not be their ruin. But this is a false notion also, an effectual instrument of the deceitfulness of sin. He that will not now gire over, who will not immediately upon the discovery of the prevalency of any sin, and warning about it, endeavor sincerely and constantly its relinquishment, say what he will, and pretend what he will, he never intends to give over; nor is it probable in an ordinary way that ever _he will do so. When men's decays are from the prevalency of particular sins, by these and the like false notions they harden themselves to ruin. For those who are pining away, under a hectical consumption, a general decay of the vital spirits of religion, they have also false notions whereby they deceive themselves. As, First. That although they have some cause to mis- trust themselves, yet indeed their condition is not so bad as some may apprehend it, or as they are warned it is. And this ariseth from hence, that they have not as yet been overtaken with any enormous sirs which hath filled their consciences with terror and disquiet- ,anent. But this is a false notion also ; for every decay
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