Opened and ApPlied. reafon of it: Oh therefore go in fec ret ·and fay, I complain of my fins; the Ordinances and God char I feek, andhave nor, when my heart fhould be otherwife ; bur oh it is not b~caufe I cannot, bur b~caufe 1 care nor; it is not becaufe of the fl:rengrh of my enemy without, but becaufe of my negleet of watch and dilioence wirhi1. I know it was a fin for P h~traoh eo charge lfrael wirh idknefs~ becaufe be co;nmandcd work without means ; But is the Lords work fo ? look up eo him for flrength, he gives ir them that . have none; pur forth that firen:;rh thou haU, he Will accept thy w1ll, bur Will never allow thee in rhy fiorh, but you !hall to beggery at the b~. Hence men roa/t r.ot wlua the}' ta/i.! in hunting, ( Prov .l2. 27. ) after Ordmances; Qh there's world there ; m:ver !hall you ii:e a Soul careful, bur · he finds every SabbJth fomcrhing. Hence we may learn the reafon why many Chriflians, when the Lord be- ttfc 2 , .gins ro work upon them, have many combats and fore conflitts with various temptations, and one corruption after another, and fcarce any breathin<> rime wherein they are freed from fuch; and then many firong crys,&c. but"afterward they are freed from all, and even thefe a Jfo ; and they find nothing either within or without that$ready troubles them ; b~t they_go on fmoorhly in a courfe ofpiOfeiiion aifo, without very much ado wuh the1r own hearts; thei r Confciences are at pea_ce, tbei: diltempers ~re at peace, and lye not heavy upon th~m ; .and they thmk God ~sat peace with them, and benc7 they are quiet ; the reafon rs b~cau1e they are qUiet, and fall a!1eep, and let -tbetr fin and Satan alcfne, and hence they let them alone: A fluggard faith1 thm is a Lion in th( wa;, ~ti4.i it's a h,dg ! of thorns.; many difficulties God fets before him; now if a man meets with no Lions, no thorns, preffed with no great difficulties iu 1 his courfe, it is certain !1oth hath feifed upon that Soul, and he is carried away captive byit, Prov, 22.13. For Look upon men, why lhould theybe quiet? is it ~aufe fin and Satan are quire vanqui!hed, that th~y have no a,;onies and wreiUings with them? the A~· poltle denies that, Ephef.6. I 2. Indeed while he keeps the Palace .then he is a lie peace, and it is a tign he is enrred again if you have this peace : But elfe Paul himfelf, and all that are in the field, are oppofed, and will have fiery darts; and hence the Apo!lle.exhorts to put off the work.{ of dark!tefs, and p~t on the whcle armor of tight; l'hY not work~ of light? becaufe then a Chrifiian 1vil~ line! many a!faulrs,Rom.13. I 2. Or It Is b~caufe they ~re men of fuch a refined faith, an~ f11ch pure mettal that there needs no knocku~g, nor m.elrin4 , por tempt~ nons? I confefs the Lord doth not fee at all nmes the hke need, but gives htsfervanrs many fweet feafons ; but yet I l'et,I,6,7, S. rhey J:rer,e brgotten to a a ltvely hope, and they did rejo)'Ce greatly in that hope ; yet they had their feafons of ttials, manifold temptations,&c. It may be rbey thought, did the Lord ever love ns, when fuch deferdons, fuch fierce oppofitions .' &c. I know the ~ord may leave ~avid thus, Pfal. )o.6. but then Godwas angry, and he faw It before many days : No, no, there is both reafonior it, and need of it ; and why are you at peace now? it is becaufeof your !1oth, Jer,49.u. c.Jl!•t~b i,- at rcft; and hence fetled on her Lees, that th~y neirher feel nor know their tin, and their fcenr is in them, though none is fmelt or runs OtJt ; hence n;:ver fiirred by any word they hear, nor by any blowunkfs it be very heavy; they are now at peace with Sit:~,Death and Hell, and are at league with them, Ifa.28.xs. And hence as it is, wh~ re there b~ two Kingdoms mer, what's the reafon that there is no hurt that the one do to the other? the reafon is, b~calife there is a' peace; why fo? becaufe War was fo rroubiefom, and refi was good : So it is her~; Why are men never troubled? but only bera11fe they are at peace with their fin; and why fo ? becaufe refi is Pood: Oh they love to fleep; I lhall never overcome it, or I have other worK to follow, fay men, and hence rhey ·, (piricually
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