478 TI9CNATURE andPowElt [3. God doth this fame work, by making effeaual an argument ab inu tilt, from the atnprofitable/refs of the thing that men are not engaged in. By this were the brethren of Jofeph flayed from flaying him, Gen.xxxvü. 26, .7. What profit is it, fay they, ifweflay our brother, and conceal his blood? We Shah get nothing by it it will bring in no advantage or fatif- fanion untous. And the heads of this way of God's obftruding con- ceived fin, or the fprings of thefe kinds ofarguments, are fo many and various, that it is impoffible to infift particularly upon them. There is nothing prefent, or to come, nothing belonging to this life, or another. nothing defirable or undefinable, nothing good or evil, but at one time or another, an argument may be taken from it for the obftrufting of fn. [4. God accomplifheth this work by arguments taken ab honeflo, from what is good and honefl, what is comely, praife-worthy, and acceptable un- to himfelf. This is the great road wherein he walks with the faints un- der their temptations, or in their conceptions of fin. He recovers effe&u- ally upon their minds a confederationof all thofe fprings, and motives to obedience, which are difcovered and propofed in the gofpel, fome at one time, fome at another. He minds them of his own love, mercy, and kind- nefs; his eternal love, with the fruitsof it, whereof themfelves have been made partakers. He minds them of the blood of his fon, his croft, fuffer- ings, tremendous undertaking in the work of mediation, and the concern- ment of his heart, love, honour, name in their obedience: minds themof the loveof the fpirit, with all his confolations which they have been made partakers of, andprivileges wherewith by him they have been entrufted: minds them of the gofpel, the glory and beauty of it, as revealed unto their fouls. He minds them of the excellency and comelinefs of obe- dience, of their performance of that duty they owe to God, that peace, quietnefs, and ferenity of mind that they have enjoyed therein. On the other fide, heminds them of being a provocation by fin unto the eyes of his glory, fayïng in their hearts, Do not that abominable thing which my foul hateth. Minds them of their wounding the Lord Chrift, and put- ting him to fhame; of their grieving the Holy Spirit, whereby they are fealed to the day of redemption; of their defiling his dwelling place: minds themof the reproach, difhonours, fcandal which they bring on the gofpel, and the profefiion thereof: minds them of the terrours, darknefs, wounds, want of peace, that they may bring upon their own fouls. From thefe and the like confiderations Both God put a flop tothe progrefs of the law of fin in the heart, that it fhall not go on to bring forth the evil which it Bath conceived. I could give inftances in arguments of all thefe feveral kinds recorded in the fcripture ; but it would be too long a work forus, who are now engaged in a defignof another nature : but oneor two examples may be mentioned. Jofeph refills his firft temptation on oneof thefe accounts, Gen. xxxix. 9. How can I do this great wickednefs, and fin againfl God? The evil of finning againft God, his God ; that confidera- tion alone detains him from the leap inclination to his temptation. It is fm againft God, to whom I owe all obedience, theGod of my life, and of all my mercies, I will not do it. The argument wherewith Abigail prevailed on David, 1 Sam. xxv. 31. to withhold him from felf-revenge and murder, was of the fame nature, and he acknowledgeth that it was from the Lord, ver. 32. 1 Ihall add no more ; for all thefcripturemotives which we have to duty, made effeftual by grace, are inftances of this way of God's procedure. Sometimes, I confefs, God fecretlyworks the hearts ofmen by his own finger, without the ufe and meansof fuch arguments, as-thole-inlfìed on, to
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=