The MO.$TIFICAT ION [r.] When upon thoughts, perplexing thoughts about fn, inftead of applying himfelf to the deftru&ion of it, a man fearches his heart to fee what evi ,,,,es he can find ofa good condition, notwithf?andiug that fn and loft, fo that it may go well with him. For a man to gather up his experiences ofGod, to rill them to mind, to collo& them, confider, try, improve them, is an excellent thing ; a duty pea &ifedby all the Saints; commended in the Old Teffameut and the New. This was David's work, when he .communed meth his oust heart, and called to remembrance the for- mer loving, kindnefo of the Lord (a). This is the duty that Paul fets us to pra£tifè, 2 Co,. nil. q. And as it is in itfelf excellent, fo it bath beauty added to it by a proper feafon, a time of trial, or temptation, or di ptietnefs of the heart about fin, is a pihture of filver to list off this golden apple, a" Solomon fpeaks ; but now to do it, for this end, to fatisfy confèience, which crys, and calls for another pur_ pelò, is a defperate deviceof an heart in love with fin. When a man's conibience fhall deal with him, when God shall' rebuke him for the fenful diftemper of his hoot, if he, infead of applying himfelf to get that fin pardoned in the blood of Chrift, and mortified by his Spirit, (hall relieve himfelf by any fach other evi- dences as he bathe, or thinks himfelf to have, and ib dif-intangle himfelf from under the yoke, that God was putting on his heckf; his condition is very dange- rous his woundhardly curable. Thus the Jests snider the millings of their. Own confciences, and the convincing preachings of our Saviour, feppocted themfèlves with this, that they were Abraham's children, and on that account accepted with. God, and fò countenanced themfelves in all abominable.Wickednefs, to their ut- ter ruin. [z.] By applying grace and mercy to an tipmortified fin, or one not fim:erely, endeavoured to be mortified, is this deceit carried on. Thus is a fig, of an heart greatly intangled with the love of fin. When a manhath fècret thoughts in his heart,not unlike thofe ofNaaman, about hisworfhipping in the houfeof:tome -use (b);. In all other things I will walk with God, but in this thing, God be mercitiil un_ tome ; his condition is fad. It is true indeed, a refolution to this pur_pofe, ea in- (bilge a man's fell in any fin on the account of mercy, forms to be, and doubt- let's in any courfe, is altogether inconfiftent with chriftiau fincerity, and is a badge of an hypocrite, curd is the turning of the grace ofGod into eoanronnef (e) ; ye- I doubt not, but through the craft of farm, and their own remaining unbelief, file chil- dren of God may themfèlves fometimes be infrared with this deceit of fin; or elfin Paul would never have fo cautioned them againftit, as he doth, Rom. vi. t, z. Thefe and many other ways and wiles, a deceitful heart will fometimes make ufe of; to countenance itfelf in its abominations. Now when a man with his fin is in this condition, that there is a fi'cret liking or the fin prevalent in his heart, and though his will be not wholly fet upon it, yet he hath au imperfe& velleity towards it, he would praltife it, were it not for filch and Soh confìderations, and hereupon: relieves himfelf other ways, than by the mortification and pardon of it in the blood of Chriff ; that man's wounds flick and are corrupt, and he will without fpeedy deliverance beat the door of death. (g.) Frequency of fuccefs in fin's fedu&iou, in obtaining the prevailing confent of the will unto it, is another dangerous fymptom. This is that, I mean, when the &u fpokeu of gets the confent of the will, with fome delight, though it be not aetua ily outwardly perpetrated, yet it bath fuccefs. A man may not be able upon outward confederations, to go alongwith fin, to that which °fames calls the fi ifhi g of it (d), as to the outward alts of fin, when yet the will of finningmay be a&ually obtained, then Lath it, I fay, fuccefs. Now if any lull be able thus far to prevail in the foul of any man, as his condition may poflibly be very bad, and himfelf be unregenerate, fo it cannot poffihly be very good, but dan- gerous; and it is all one upon the matter, whether this be done by the choice of thewill, or by-.inadvertency. For that inadvertency itfelf is in a manner chuleo. When we are inadvertent and negligent, where we are bound to watclifiiheefs and carefalnefs, that inadvertency cloth not take off from the voluntarinefs of what eve- do thereupon ; for although men do not choofe and reiolve to be negligent and inadvertent, yet ifthey choofe the things that will make them fo, they chaole inadvertency itfelf¡ as a thing may be choler, in its caufe. (a) efoI. b aril. 6, i, 8, 9. (a) , Kings o. iß. .(a) Jade iv. (a) Jam. i. 14, ii. When
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