62o True Liberty, the Vol. II. when nature hath once long ftood bent one way, it is hard to reftore it to its for- mer condition ; and nothing but a great Refolunon, taken upupon a full convftion of the necefhty of the thing, will carry us through. 3. For the encouragement ofthis Refolution, confider what AffianceGod bath promifed us. Indeedwhen weconfider the difficulty of the thing, and the weak- nefs and unfledfaftnefsof our own minds , how apt we are to give over when we meet with great oppofition and refftance, wemight juftly be difcouraged in our at- tempts, if we had nothingbut our own ftrength to truft to : but God hath promi- fed toRand by us, and fecond us in the confli& ; and if he be for us, what can Rand againft us ? There is nothing too hard for a Clout Refolution back'd by the Grace ofGod. h: That we may not be difcouragedby an Apprehenfion oftoo much difficulty in the thing, confider that the main difficulty is at firft. So foon aswe have refo- lutely begun , the work is half done ; if we can but fuftain the firft brunt , the enemywill give ground apace; every day we (hall get more ftrength, and the ha. bits of fin will be weakened. In all cafes there is difficulty in breaking offa habit, and doing contrary to what we have been ufed and accuftomed to do : but after we have pra&ifed the contrary a while, it will everyday grow more eafie and pleafant for cuftomwill make any thing fo. 5. Confider that the longer we continue inthis Rate, the harder we fhall find itto refcue our felves from it ; for fin will every day get more ftrength , and we (hall have lefs; for vice is fo far from being mortified by age, that byevery days conti- nuance in it, weincreafe the power of it , and fo muchftrength as any one adds to his difeafe, he takes from himfelf. And this is a double weakningof us, whenwe do not only lofe our ftrength , but the enemy gets it, and will employ it againft us, Therefore let us prefently fet about this work, to day, whileit is called to day, le, we be hardned through the deceitfulnefs offin. The longer we continue in fin, the farther God withdraws his grace fromus; and not only fo, but the Devil gets a greater dominion over us, and a firmer poffeffion ofus, tillby degrees we do infen- fibly Elide into that Rate, in which, without a miraculous Grace of God, we are like for ever to continue. Can the Ethiopian change his fein, or the Leopard his fpots ? Then mayye dlfo do good, that are accuftomed to do evil. It is next to a natural impoffibility for a man to refcue himfelf out of this fiate. 6. And laflly, Be not difcouraged, tho'ye do not meet with that fuccefs at firft, which ye expelledand hoped for; Cho' after feveral attempts to recover your liberty, ye be foil'd and cafi back. It fometimes fo happens that fome are by a mightyRefo- lution, and very extraordinary andoverpowering degree ofGod's grace, reclaimed from a wicked life at once : but in the ordinary methods of God's grace, evil ha- bits are mafter'd and fubdued by degrees; and tho' we be refolved upon a better courfe, and enter'd upon it, yet the inclinations toour former courfe will frequent- ly return upon us, and may fometimes too prevail. And we are not to think this ftrange : 'Cis nothing but what is natural, and may reafonably be expelled. It is no jute ground of difcouragement to us, ifafter we have engaged in a good courfe, we be fometimes pull'd back again, and thehabits which we are breaking off from, gather ftrength, and make head again; as an enemy after he is routed, andhath begun to flie, doesfrequently rally, and make as if he would renew the fight again, and may perhaps prevail in a little fkirmith : but for all this we are neverthelefs in a fair way to vi&ory, if we will purfue our firft advantage, and profecute it vigo- rotifly. Nay, this fhould be fo far from difcouraging us, that it fhould make us refume new courage, that we may not lofe what we have got. I the rather mention this, becaufe many mifcarry upon this account, and many good refolutions and attempts to vindicate our liberty from the bondage ofcorru- ption , are given over and come to nothing., becaufe men make falfe accounts of things, and expe& to conquer and get a complete vi&ory at firft : and indeedthey are taught by thofe who are not well fkill'd in this fpiritual warfare, that this work is done in an inftant, and the habits of grace and virtue are infufed into men at once; and ifmen give back, all they had done is loft, and that they are in a worfe condition, than if they had never begun: whereas ufually it is quite otherwife, and
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=