470. The NATURE and POWER to the matter of it. This is a fair'difeharge of a natural confcience. If the duty be performed, though as to the manner of its performance it come Ihort almoft in all things of the rule, confcience and convi&ion will be fatisfied. As Saul, upon his expedition againft Amalek, cries to Samuel, Come-in, thou bleffed of the Lord, I have done the commandment of the Lord. He fatisfied himfelf, though he had not attended as he ought to the whole will of God in that matter. And thus was it with them, Ifa. lviii. 3. Wherefore have me fatted, fay they, and thou re- gardeft it not ? They had pleafed themfelves in theperformance of their duties, and expe&ed that God alfo Ihould be pleafed with them, But he Thews them at large wherein they had failed, and that fo far as to render what they had done an abomination. And the like charge he expreffeth againft them, chap. xlviii. I, a. This the deceitfulnefs of fin endea- vours to draw the mind unto, namely to take up in the performance of the duty itfelf. Pray thou oughteft, and thou haft prayed, give alms thou oughteft, and thou haft given alms; quit then thy felf in what thou haft done, and go on to do the like. If it prevail herein, the mind is difcharged from farther attendance and watching unto duty, which leaves the foul on the bordersof many evils. For, (3. Hence cuftomarinefs in all duties will quickly enfue, which is the heighth of fins drawing off the mind from duty. For mens minds may be drawn from all duties, in the midft of the molt abundant performance of them. For in and under them, the mind may be fubje& unto an ha- bitual diverfion from its charge andwatch unto the rule. What is done with fuch a frame, is not done to God. Amos v. ag. None of their facrificeswere to God, although they profefl'ed that they were all fo. But they attended not unto his worfhip in faith, and unto his glory, and he defpifed all their duties. See alfo Hof. x. I. And this is the great reafon why, profeffors thrive fo little under the performance of a multi- tude of duties. They attend not unto them in a due manner, their minds being drawn off from their circumfpe& watch, and fo they have little or no communion with God in them, which is the end whereunto they are defigned, and by which alone they become ufeful and profitable unto themfelves. And in this manner are many duties of worship and obe- dience performed by a woful generation of hypocrites, formality, and profane perfons, without either life or light in themfelves, or acceptati- on with God ; their minds being wholly eltranged from a due attend- ance unto what they do, by the power and deceitfulnefs of fin. a. As it is in refile& of duties, fo alfo it is in refpe& of fins. There are fundry things in and about every fin that the mind of a believer, by virtue of its office and duty is obliged to attend diligently unto, for the prefervation of the foul from it. Things they are which God bath ap- pointed and fan&ified; to give effe&ual rebukes and checks to the whole working of the law of fin, and fuch as in the law of grace, under which we are, are exceedingly fuited and fitted unto that purpofe. And thefe the deceit of fin endeavours by all means to draw off the mind from a due confideration of, and attendance unto. Some few of them we (hall a little refle {t upon. (I.) The firft and moll general is the fovereignty of God, the great law giver, by whom it is forbidden. This 7ofeph fixed on in his great temptation, Gen. xxxix. g. How can I do this great wickednefs and fin againft God ? There was in it a great evil, a great ingratitude againft inan, which he pleads alfo and infifts upon, ver. 8, 9. but that which fixed his heart and refolution againft it, was the formality of it, that it was fin againft
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