454 The NATURE and POWER to snake your calling and eleaion litre ; for if you do thefe things you (hall never fall ; For fo an entrance (ball be adminifired unto you abun- dantly into the everlafling kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jefua Corsi, ver. 9, 10. All this the mind is turned from, if once by the deceit of fin it be made flothful. Now this floth confifts in three thitigs, 0.1 Inadvertency. It Both not fet itfelf to confider and attend unto its fpecial concernments. The aponle perfuading the Hebrews with all ear- neftnefs to attend diligently, to confider carefully that they may not be hardened by the deceitfulnefs of fin, gives this reafon of their danger, that they were dull ofhearing, chap. v: r s. That is, that theywere floathful, and did not attend unto the things of their duty. A fecret regardlefnefs is apt to creep upon the foui, and it doth not fet itfelf to a diligent mark- ing how things go with it, and what is continually incumbent on it. 2.] An unwilltngnefsto be flirted up unto its duty, Prov: xix. 24: The fo`hfid man kideth bis hand in his Wont, andwill nit fo much as bring it to his mouth again. There is an unwilIingnefs iii floth to take any notice of warnings, calls, excitations, or ftirrings up by the word, fpirit, judgemnts, any thing that God snaketh ufe of, to call the mind unto a due confiderationof the condition of the foul. And this is a perte& evi- dence that the mind is shade flothful by the deceit of fin, when efpecial calls and warnings, whether in a fuitable word, or a prelfing judgment, cannot prevail with it to pull its hand out of its bofome, that is, to fet about the efpecial duties that it is called unto. 3.] Weak and ineffedual attempts to recover itsfelfunto its duty, Prov. xxvi. I 4. As the door turneth it felf upon its hinges, fo doth theflotbful man upon bis bed. In the turning of a door upon its hinges, there is fome motion, but no progrefs. It removes up and down, but it is 1äl1 in the place and ponure that it was. So is it with the fpiritually flothful man on his bed, or in hisfecurity. He makes fome motions or faint endeavours towards a difcharge of his duty, but goes not on. Therewhere he was one day, there he is the next ; yea, there where he was one year, he °:. is the next. His endeavours are faint, cold, and evannid ; he gets no ground by them, but is always beginning and never finilhing his work. 4.] Heartlefnefs upon the apprehenfions of difficulties and difcourage- ments, Prov. xxii. 03. The flotbful manfaith there is a Lyon in the way, I fiall be !lain in the ffreces. Every.difficulty deters him from duty. He thinks it imponible for him to attain to that accuracy, exaftnefs, and per- f cîion which he is in this matter to preis after; and therefore contents himfelf in his old coldnefs, negligence, rather than to run the hazard ofan univerfal circumfpdtion. Now if the deceit of fin hath once drawn away themind into this frame, it lays it open to every temptation and in- curfion of fin. The fpoufe in the Canticlesfeems to have been overtaken with this dinemper, chap. v. r, 2, 3. And this putsher on various ex- cufcs why fhe cannot attend unto the call of Chrift, and applyher felf un- to her duty in walking with him. (2. It draws away the mind from its watch and duty in reference unto fin by furprifals. It falls in conjunâion with fome urging.temptation, and furprifeth the mind into thoughts quite of another nature than thofe which it ought to infift upon in its own defence. So it feems to have been with Peter; his carnal fear doling with the temptation wherein fatan fought to winnow him, filled his mind with fo many thoughts about his own imminent danger, that he could not take into confideration the love and warning of Chrift ; nor the evil whereunto his temptation ,lead him, not any thing that be ought to have infifted on for his prefer- vation.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=