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THE
POWERS
AND
CONTESTS
OP
FLESYL
AND
SPIRIT.
vantages
in
this respect, throw off
their
daily
watchflnl-
ness,
or
neglect prayer, lest
a
vain
self
confidence betray
them into
foul
iniquities
:
And
let them remember
too,
that
their guilt
will be
the
greater.
Nor
shotild
those
whose
appetites
and passions
are
become
more unruly,
either
by
the original
temperature
of
their
flesh
and blood, or
by
particular
distempers,
in-
dulge
themselves more easily
in
a
sinful'cotnpliance, un-
der
pretence that their
guilt
is
less
;
unless
they
are con-
tent
to dwell for
ever
in fire
and
sorrow, upon this
con-
dition, that
some
of
the
sorrows
of
hell
be
sharper
than
theirs,
and some
part of the
flame be
hotter
and
fiercer:
O
rather
think
that
you
are called
by
the providence of
God
to
a stricter
watch, to more
frequent and fervent
prayer, and
to a more
laborious resistance'
of
the flesh;
and the grace
of Christ
is
sufficient
to
assist
the weakest
warrior, and make
him
an overcomer
even
in
the
hardest
conflict.
But
this
naturally
leads
me
on
to the
next
question.
Question VI. Whether
there
be
not
a
very
unequal
distribution of providence
in these
various constitutions
of
mankind
?
And
how can this
be
reconciled
to
strict
justice,
to make the
difficulties
of
the state
of
trial
so
much
harder
in
one
man
than
it
is
in
another,
by
expos-
ing
him to
much
stronger temptations
?
Answer.
This
difficulty,
which
dwells on the lips
of
profane sinners,
is
easily solved,by
attending
to a
few
of
such
propositions
as
these
:
I. This
must
be laid
down
as
an
eternal
and an un-
moveable
truth, that
the
great God
has
all possible
per-
fections
belonging
to his
nature,
and
his
whole
conduct
in providence
is
ever
regulated
by
those perfections
;
so
that
he can
no,more
be unjust,
than
he
can
be
impotent
or ignorant
;
nor-,
can any
part
of
his
conduct
be
un-
righteous, 'any more
than
it
can
be
weak
or
unskilful.
2.
It
is
evident to the universal observation
of
hea-
thens
as well as
christians,
that
mankind
is
a
fallenand
degenerate rank of
beings, who have
lost their
primitive
innocence and happiness
;
and are
running
on
to
deeper
guilt and
rhisery, with
headlong and thoughtless
haste:
Though it
is
only the
scripture
that
informs
us how
this
carne
to pass, which
philosophers,
by
the light
of
nature,
could never
find
out