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fore he did that ill act, he might have enjoyed himself as happily as fo much money would have made him; but it was too hot for his fingers. We are not fure of taking any comfort, if we leave God

out.

Another instance; Ananias and Sapphira, Acts v. 9. They might have come off for noble benefactors, and received the thanks of the church, had they not dissembled with him who searcheth the hearts, and had he not found them guilty of lying to the Holy Ghost. It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God, Heb. x. 31. of him that can not only kill the body, but the foul, Matt. x. 28. And how doth God kill the foul, which is immortal, but by discountenancing it, and letting it fall down into darkness ?

Here are instances of bad men: but I will in stance in better kind of men, that make fad complaint, when there is any thing in this kind.

The first is of Job, Job iii. 20. Wherefore is there life to the man that is bitter in foul? and Job xiii. 26. Thou writest bitter things against me. Here is a representation from a good man, of the fadness of this condition.

Next, the cafe of David, Pfal. li. 9. Make me to hear of joy and gladness, that the bones which thou haft broken, may rejoice. II. Caft me not away from thy prefence, and take not thy Holy Spirit from me. 12. ReStore unto me the joy of thy salvation; uphold me with thy free Spirit. When David felt this cafe, see how he expresseth it.

Another

Another good man, Pfal. lxxvii. 2. In the day of my trouble I fought the Lord; my fore ran in the night, and ceased not; my soul refused to be comforted. 3. I remembred God, and was troubled.; I complained, and my spirit was overwhelmed. Selah. 7. Will the Lord caft off for ever, and will he be favourable no mare? 8. Is his mercy clean gone for ever, doth his promife fail for evermore? 9. Hath God forgotten to be gracious? bath be in anger shut up his tender mercy? Selah. See the fadness of men in this forIorn and lost state and condition, when God comes to apply himself secretly to mens spirit, and doth. inwardly reprove. The like you have in Pfal. xc. II. Who knoweth the power of thine anger? even ac cording to thy fear, so is thy wrath. You know, fear antedates evil, and multiplies evil; men commonly fear more than there is. The like cafe you have in Ifaiah, lvii. 16. I will not contend for ever, neither will I be. always wroth, for the spirit should fail before me, and the fouls which I have made. This scripture holds forth this notion fully to you, that I have been fo long upon v. 17. For the iniquity of his covetousness was. I wroth, and smote him I hid me, and was wroth ; and he went on frowardly in the way of his heart, v. 18. I have seen his ways and will heal him; I will lead him also, and restore comforts unto bim, and to his mourners. 19. I create the fruit of the lips, peace, peace to him that is near, faith the Lord, and I will heal him. 20. But the wicked are like the troubled fea, when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt. 21. There is no peace, faith my God, to the wicked. So Deut. xxxii. 39. See now that I, e

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ven I am be, and there is no God with me; I kill, and I make alive, I wound and I heal: neither is there amy that can deliver out of my hand. God killeth, and God makes alive, I Sam. ii. 6. by these internal rebukes, by these impreffions that God makes upon the mind in case of offence; in case of consenting to iniquity. These are called God's killing a man's foul: for no man can bear up against God; neither can he live under the reproofs of God. This is a true account, that man cannot be happy in the world though he may call never so much of the world his own; tho' he hath eftate, friends, power, authority, &c. unless God be with him in some measure, he is not fure to have content; so true is this, that when God with rebukes, &c.

But to prevent mistakes, I here suggest two things to you, which being taken into confideration I cannot be misunderstood in any thing that I have faid.

1. This notion doth concern the two oppofite tates; reconciliation with God, and the contrary : if men trifle in religion, or if they continue profane and irreligious. None can be himself longer than God is with him; or at least will fuffer him.

2. Which I must take in (for I must discourage no body) you must give great allowance for the mind's misapprehenfion through mistaken notions, and to persons that are under the power of melancholy. He that is melancholic, believes nothing from any body; he faith nothing right to any body, and he is too severe in his measure of himself and then there are some good people, who are under false apprehenfions, and under the power of mistaken notions; and till they be rid of these, their peace is not well secured.

This is the first inference. The second thing that I infer upon the former discourse, is this; if men would be true to themselves, and not depart from their own mercy; if men would, in a true sense, favour themselves, not do themselves that mifchief that the devil and the world cannot do; let them then keep within compass, let them not betray themselves; let them not give voluntary confent to known evil; let them not become obnoxious to God, but let men have God greatly in regard, and above all things, keep in good terms with him, and endeavour by all means, to approve themselves to him. Undoubtedly a man is altogether insecure, unless there be terms of right understanding between God and him. If a man have not a confcience free from guilt, he is in danger, obnoxious to God, and is not secure againft the malignity of the world. This for certain, the security and folidity of our peace, is fettled upon the reality of the terms that are betweeen God and us. But, if men are obnoxious to God, by having knowingly consented to iniquity; for that is the characteristical form of the degenerate state, that they do voluntarily confent to known iniquity: if men become obnoxious to God, by giving their voluntary consents to that which their judgments tell them is evil; if men contract guilt to their consciences, and repent not, and ask pardon, in and through the blood of Chrift; then they are in fear and danger every moment: for at God's fentence, our fouls live, or die: by his judgment,

ment, they are absolved or condemned. Wherefore it is fundamental to our interest, that God be obferved. It is a very lamentable cafe, that many men have religion to very forry ends and purposes; not for this great end of fettling solid fobriety, not for the laying a foundation of right and equity, not for the determination of good and evil, not for rectifying of confcience, not for directing them in all cafes and particulars of life; but it is taken up for a profeffion in credit; and it hath no regenerating power on men, inwardly to fanctify them, and make them Godlike: in which cafe, as they have not the effect of it, so they have not the comfort of it; for they are never safe, never secure. Whereas, where religion is in fincerity, persons are provided for, as to all cafes, and for all times: and these perfons never think of God but with great complacency and delight; and have great expectations from him, and they converse with great fatisfaction. Our weal and wo depends upon our interest with God. This is the fecond thing I infer from the words.

Thirdly, Upon this confideration how liable we are to God's demand and challenge, through failings and miscarriages in our lives, what cause have we to think ourselves beholden to God, that we have encouragement to go to him, and that we find in ourselves any difpofition God-ward; any confidence in him. For we have reason to think that God may have taken offence, and justly refuse us, and remember against us our former offences, when we make application to him: for as guilty persons are in danger, so are they also full of jealoufies, and fufpicions

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