Ver.4. and the Power ofSin. 5. Is thinan Argument to keep thee from believing ? The Rea- fon why thou art no more Holy, is becaufe thou hail no more faith. ifthou haft no holinefs, it is becaufe thou haft no faith ; Holinefs is the purifying of the heart by faith ; or our Obe- dience unto the Truth. And the reafon why thou art no more in duty, is becaufe thou art nó more in believing; the reafon why thy duties are weak and impeded., is becaufe thy faith is weak and impeded. Hat} thou no holinefs, believe that thou malt} have ; haft thou but a little, or that which is imp( rcrp_ tible, beOedfaff in believing that thou maift abound in Obe- dience. Do not refolve not to eat thy meat until thou art t}rong, when thou hail no means of being ftrong, but by eating thy bread, which ftrengthens the heart of man. ObjeEi. 4. The powerfull tumul?ating of indwering fin or cor- ruption, is another caufe of the fáme kind of trouble and de- Cpondency. They that are Chriffs have crucified the fie With the lufis thereof. But we find, Cay Come, feveral corruptions working tffec`lually in our hearts, carrying us captive to the Law of fin. They difquiet with their power, as well as with their guilt. Had we been made partakers of the Law of the Spirit of Life, we had ere this been more let free from the Law of fin and death. Had fin been pardoned fully, it would have been fubdued more effeElually. There are three Confiderations which make the adings of indwelling fin to be fo perplexing to the foul. r. Becaufe they are unexpeúed. The foul looks not for them upon the firi great conqueft made of fin, and univerfal en- gagement of the heart unto God. When it fiat (ayes, I have fworn, and amftedfaltly purp'ofed to keep thy righteous judgements; commonly there is peaceat loftfor a feafon from the di(lurbing vigorous ac`,liùgs of fin. There are many Reafons why fo it fhould be. Old things are then palled away, all things are be- come new; and the foul under the power of that univerfal change, is utterly turned away from thofe things that íhould foment, fir up, provoke or cherifh any Intl or temptation. Nowwhen tome of thefe Advantages are pat, and fin begins to (fir and at again, the foul is furprized, and thinks the work that he bathpaffed through was not true and effet;}ual, Z i but 355 ,' ¡
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