Of SIN in "BELIEVER3. 19 is a pure Dine of felt-lore, to be freed from his trouble ; and not at all to theworkhe is called unto ; and fo is diverted from it. Thus God tells us of Ephraim, when he fpread. his net upon them, and brought them down as thefouls of heaven; and cha- iïifed them, Hof. vii. 12. caught them, intangled them, convinced .them that they could not efcape ; faithhe of them, They return, but notto the met? high: they fet them- (elves to a relinquifhment of fin, but not in that manner by univerfal converfion, as God called for it. Thus are men diuerted fron coating unto God, by the mof gl¢ riots ways that they can fix upon to come to themby. [a.]. This dutybeing a thing good in itfelf, in its proper place, a duty evidencing finceriry, bringing home peace to the confcience, a man finding himfelf really enga- ged in it, his mind and heart fee againit this or that fin,. with purpofl and tefo- lution to have no more to do with it, he is ready to conclude, that his flare and condition is good, and fo todelude his own foul. For, t.) When his confciencebath been made lick with fin, and he'cohld find no refit, when he fhould go to the great ph) =tan of fouls, and get healing in his blood ; the than by this engagement again[t fin, pacifies and quiets his confcience, and fits down without going to Chrift at all. Ah ! how many poor fouls are thus deluded to eter- nity t when Ephraim faw his fickneft, he Pent to king 7meb, Hof. v. 13. which kept him off.frotn God. The whole bundle of the popifh religion is made upof defggnn and contrivances to pacify confcience without Chriít: all defcribed by the apoltle, Rom. x. 4. a.). By this means men fatisfy themfeives that their Bate and condition is good, feting they do that which is a work good in itfelf, and they do not do it to be feen, They know they would have the work done in fincerity, and fo are hardened in a kind of felf-righteoufnefs. [3.] When a man hack thus for a Ceafon been deluded, and haste deceived his own . foul, and finds in a long courfeof life, that indeed his fin is not mortified, or if 114 bath changed one,. he bath gotten another, he begins at length to think, that all con- tending is in vain, he (hall never be able to prevail : He is making a dam againik water that increafeth on him. Hereupon he gives over, as one defpairingofany foc- cefs, and yields up himfelf to the power of fin, and that habit of formality that he hash gotten. - And this is thetrfual iifue withperfons attempting the mortification offin, without' an intereft in Chrif fir( obtained : It deludes them, hardens them, deltroys them, And this is the fubffance of the religion and godlinefsof the choiceft fortnaliffs in the world ; and of all chofe, who in the Roman fynagogue are drawn to mortifica- tien, as they drive Indians to baptifm, or cattle to water. I fay then, that mortifica- tion is the workof believers, and believers only. a. It is the work of faith ; the peculiar work of faith. Now, if there be a work to be done that will be effèftedby one only iefrument it is the greeteft madnefs for any to attempt tho doing of it, that 'lath not that inffrumenc. It is faith that puri- fies the heart, Aar mt. 9. And without it it will not be done. What bath been. fpoken I fuppofe is fufÈicient to make good my firft general rule t be fure to get an intereD. in Chriff ; ifyou intend tomortify anyfin without it, it will never be done. But you will fay a What then would youhave tmregenerate men, that are convin- cedof the evil offin do? Shall they ceafe Driving against fin, live diffolutely, give their lufts their fwing, rind be as bad as the worD of men? This were a way to fee the whole world into confufion, to bring all things into darknefs, to fet open the dud-_ gates of luD, and lay the reins upon the necksof mea to rufh into all finwith delight andgreedinefs, like the horfe intothe battle. a. God forbid ! it is to be looked on as a great iffue of the wifdom, goodnefs, and love of God, that by manifoldways and means he is pleated to reffrain the fons of men, from running forth into that compafs ofexcels and riot, which the depravednefs of their nature wouldcarry them out unto withviolence. By what way foever this is done, it is an ìßùe of the care, kindnefs, and gooduefs of God, without which the whole earth would bean hell of fin and confufion. a. There ida peculiar convincing power in the word, which God is often-times pleatd to put forth to the wounding, amazing, and in forte fort humbling offinners, though they are never converted. And the word is to be preached, tho' it bath this end, yet not with this end. Let then the word =preached, and the fins ofmen re- buked, loft will be restrained, and flame oppofitions will be made againf fin, though that be not the effefiO aimed at. 3. Though
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