ten Virgins Opened and Applied. foil is aone, and power ot !m removed; and' hence alfo it co!ne; to pafs, that a mans fnaf!er fin may be changed: Thofe fin~ thar_are his matter-fins in his youth, are nor in his old age, rboferhar arear one nme, m one pl~ce,arenor ill another. Now there could never be fuch change of Govemours and Vice-roys, unlefs there were fo'llegreat King, ·rh.1t fees up o~e, and pulls down another,fatir pro imperio; This is therefore rherailining fin, wh1ch bath r•ken poffe!Tion ofevery parr, which h,uh its band in every ad, which pulls down one fin and fees up another under it, which gives Hrengrh to every fin that barb any, which fights it. our rill the LlH: This is I !ay the reigning fin; hence think not that then the reigning fin is down when your Ferfonal fins;lredeftroyed, though it be with amofl fudden aHd fear~ ful detlrucrion' III. That 1vhen the Spirit of God humb.les the foul indeed, he Grikis the head, ;md wounds the !Jearr of this fin ; he cloth nor only cut off fome limbs of ir, nor only binde ir, but {by ft of its life.and power. That as 'ris 1'Vith fome men, they may have ma~y pains, gripes, dife.1fes, yer live and recover again, bur the pangs are not fo ftrong as to feparare foul and body, for then the man rs gone : ' So a c~rnal he.m be may be troubled, and have many gripes of Confcience, and apply the promife, Come to me you that be wea?, and fo he may finde refl, and as he recavers his peace, his fin recover; i!S Hrengrh ; but when the pangs are fo Hrong as to fepame body ami foul, fin of ~arure whic~ h1th lived ther_e_; ~ow the man dies, now the foul falls down 1ndeed. Now thrs effeCtual huml!Iatwn curies rbe foul unto Chrift, and hence .A [Is z6. 18. turned from the power of S~ttan to God, Col. I.q. Hehathdelivmdmfromthe power •fdtrrknefs. And henc<: Gal. 5. 24. TheJ. th~tt be in Chrift have crucified the Jlefh, aovel! auhe ajfeflions and luJls: For if the Lord fhould only humble a man for the fim of a wicked life, 'nd fo;ne wmts in the he,m, the Lord fhould only bruife Satans bed, but never Hril<e hi, head; the Lord fhould flay the Am:tleleJm,but fpare the Agau; 'tis true, the Lord ufually at firH converfion fets one fin upon the foul that bringso w midde many other, and the Lord humbles for them, and here the foul is apt to r~a as many do, but when the Lord comes indeed to work, he curs thus deep as now I fpe.1k. ! Cor. I 5· 'Tis faid, The Lordmuft reigntillallhis enemies are put Hnder hu fm. Look therefore as this fin is the greateft ene:ny ChriG harh, fo if he rei~ns in heaven, he will bet fure above all other fins, ro flrike the head of rhis, and difthrone this; and we fhall find that there may be deep terrors upon the falfe hemed Virgins, but rheyonly alfault rhe foul; Soon Sainrs,but ChriG then Hrikes at thefinandfaveg the foul,J(ai.)7.i6, 17. And rh!sl add, there may be a grelt power ofChritl: pur forth to humble the foul, but mens hems re(J.J'I: this; and even Pharaoh ,was humbled, but its never faving, unlefs it Hrike the very power and throne of fin, and fo this fin ; ·and now rhe foul is humbled in· deed. IV. Th1t no unregenerate man ever had fuch a me.1fure of hu'lliliarion, as ~fcended to, and ended in this, though he may have all that Humiliatio.11 which rs precedent unro this. As, . r. The Lord may arm firG fome few, and then many of the fins of their li,'es upon rhe:11, fo as they may feel the mort imoll~rable burthen of ~hem; nor m1l yto GaHd convinced they are moH grievous finners, bur eo l'hed many rears ; n.1y, to be fore troubled and diitr~lfed, oh the heavy wmh that lies upon lny foul! Tbus S11ul, I Sam. 28. I 5· And hence many make heavy complaints, oh the Lord hears me not! Send for Mofes, faith Pharauh. My .fin. u greAter th~~n 1 canbear,faith Cain. Nay, not only fo, bur they may feel more terrors than many of the Saints, as the damned now ; for the Lord lays this burrhen upon his people; backs in meafure, but the Lord e:npries out the whole f.1ck upon them, and the gr?tllld of this is but the !ling of fin, or the gnawings of particular fins in the Confc1ence, not the burthen of the fin of nature as yet. ' Cc 3 · ~, You
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