498 The NATURE and POWER in the whole courfe of obedience. All neglect of private duties is princi- pled by a wearinefs of God as hecomplaineth, Ifa. xlüi. 22. Thou haft not called upon pie, thou haft been weary of vie. Neglect of invocation pro- ceeds from wearinefs. And where there is wearinefs, there will he with- drawing from that whereofwe are weary. Now God alone being the foun- tain and fpring of fpiritual life, if there be a wearinefs of him, and with- drawingfrom him, to is impoflible but that there will a decay in the life enfue. Indeed what loen are in thefe duties, I mean as to faith and love in them that they are and no more. Here lyes the root of their obedience, i and f this fail, all fruit will quickly fail. You may fometimes fee a tree flourilhing with leaves and fruit goodly and pleafant. After a while the leaves begin to decay, the fruit to wither, the whole to droop. Search, and you fhall find the root, whereby it fhould draw inmoiflure and fatnefs from the earth to fupply the body and branches with tap and juice for growth and fruit, hack received a wound, is foam way perilbed, and doth not perform its duty, fo that though the branches are flourifhing a while with what they had received, their fuftenance being intercepted they muff de- cay. So it is here. Thefe duties of private communion with God; are the means of receiving fupplies of fpiritual ftrength from him; of fap and fatnefs fromChrift the vine and olive. Whilft they do fo, the conver- fation and courfe of obedience flourifheth and is fruitful, all outward du- ties are chearfully and regularly performed. But if there be a wound, a de- fed, a failing in that which fhould fief take in the fpiritual radical moi- fture, that fhould be communicated unto the whole, the reft may for a feafon maintain their ftacion and appearance, but after a while profethon will wither, fruits will'decay, and the wholebe ready to die. Hence our Saviour lets us know, Mat. vs. 6. what a man is in fecret, in theft private duties, that he is in the eyes of God, and no more. And one reafon amongftothers is, becaufe they have a more vigorous offing of unmixed grace, than any other duties whatever. In all or molt particular duties, befides the influence that they may have fromcarnal refpeds, which are many, and the ways of their infinuation fubtil, and imperceptible, there is an allay of gifts, which fometimes even devours the pure gold of grace which fhould be the chief and principal in them. In thefe, there is im- mediate Intercourfe between God, and that which is ofhimfelf in thefoul. If once fin by its deceits and treacheries, prevail to take off the foul from diligent attendance unto communion with God, and conftancy intheft du- ties, it will not fail to effect a declining in the whole of a man's obe- dience. It bath made its entrance, and will affuredly make good its pro- grefs. (6.) Growing in notions of truthwithout anfwerable practice, is another thing that indwelling fin makes ufeof to bring the fouls of believers under a decay. The apoftle tells us, that knowledge puffeth up, r Cor. viii. s. If it be alone, not improved inpractice, it fwells menbeyond a due proportion. Like a man that hath a dropfy, we arenot to expel that he hath ftrength tohis bignefs. Like trees that are continually running up an head, which keeps them from bearing fruit. When once men have attained to this, that they can entertain and receive evangelical truths in a more glorious light, or snore clear difcovery than formerly, or new manifeftations of Truth whirls they knew not before, and pleafe themfelves in fo doing, withoht diligent endeavours to have the power of thofe truths and notions upon theirhearts, and their fouls made conformable unto them, they ge- nerally learn fo to difpofe of all Truths formerly known, which were fome- times
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