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brother, &c. Eccl. iv. 8. and yet he pincheth him self, and straitneth himself, and never asketh himself the question for whose fake he doth it, and he concludes that it is the blessing of God upon a man when he can afford himself the free use of all, that he calls his own: And it is the judgment of God upon base minds, that though they have, they have no enjoyment; they have no power to use that which they have; neither can gratify themselves, nor do any good with it. They are flaves to their own estates; they have and they have not. This I reckon God's plague upon a man's mind, that he hath no true enjoyment of that which is his own.

3. This may be done by Gods inhibiting, or fufpending the virtue of several creatures, which otherwife would be very proper to give a man diversion, or ease, or fitting fupply. For, nothing is any thing any longer than God will have it. That God that stopped the mouth of the lions that they could not feed us pon Daniel, Dan. vi. that God, that could forbid the fire from burning the three children, Dan. iii, that God can make every creature a comfort and instrumental for our good when he pleaseth. Thehun, gry raven at his bidding will be amessenger to bring wholsome food to a prophet, 1 Kings xvii. 6. As God can refresh the earth by drops from heaven so he can make the heaven over our head to be brass, and the earth to be iron, Deut. xxviii. 23. so that they shall not bring forth. Yea, he can make the rain that falls upon a mans ground, powder and dust, Deut. xxviii. 24. He can, not only give rain, which all

the idols of the nations cannot do, Jer. xiv. 22. fo Fob

Job. v. 10. but also water the earth with the river of God, making it soft with showers, Pf. lxix. 9, 10. and give us fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food, and gladness, Acts xiv. 17. We are to understand that all things whatsoever, act in the power and virtue of the principle that God planted in them in the first moment of the creation. Now it is in God, that gave them several virtues, to inhibit and suspend them. This is so great a truth, that I have teftimony for it beyond all exception. It was ac knowledged by a spirit, of which we can give no account; the spirit that was conjured up to give Saul an anfwer; faith this spirit (which is supposed to be an infernal spirit) wherefore doft thou ask of me, feeing the Lord is departed from thee, and become thine enemy? if God inhibit, all creatures are at a loss : if God forsake a man, he is undone to eternity, and this is acknowledged from hell, as all suppose; for this fpirit faith it.

4. God may do this by withdrawing his bleffing from mens endeavours; so that they become unprofperous, and the happy issues of providence are intercepted. This we have experience of, that many times things politickly contrived, and carried on with power, fail and miscarry, and come to nothing, and this is because God is not there. Other times: you have things weakly managed, and unlikely instruments, and yet great success, and things fall out above expectation: no account to be given of this, i but Gods bleffing and affsistance. This is that which the wife man hath observed, that the race is not always to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, &c.

but

but as himself observes, Eccl. ii. 26. God gives to a man that is good in his fight; wisdom, and knowledge, and joy: but to the finner he giveth travel to gather and to heap up; to gather by hard labour, and much pains taking; but he hath no joy in it; but he referves it to give to the man that is upright in his fight. And this is another way, God's withdrawing his bleffings from mens endeavours: and can any one be profperous, when God's curse is upon him ? It is the bleffing of God makes rich, Prov. x. 22. If there be a crofs providence, a man may endeavour, and to little purpose.

5. God can do this by awakening the guilt of the finner upon his confcience; making that to fting and gall him; and then all the world is nothing. Many sinners sin themselves into stupidity and senseleflness. Others relieve themselves by running into company, and other avocations: but if God do but quicken the guilt of fin upon mens confciences they are thrown out of all poffeffion. Now to do this, there needs no more, but to call men to advertency; no more but to hold men to thoughtfulness; there needs no more from God, but to shut men up, and confine them, that they be not relieved by avocations and other employments. Where there is malignity, and guilt upon the confcience, unremoved by repentance, there God needs no more than to hold a man to converse with himself: and it is a marvel how this man stays in his wits. A great offender being at eafe, hath no better fettlement, and fecurity than this, that he is in a hurry, and hath not yet leisure to bethink himself.

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6. This

6. This may be done when men through their

own fear, fufpicion and jealousy, have certain foretastes of Gods refusal and displeasure. We find by experience, that things are as we imagine. Now whether this be the truth of the cafe, or no, (defertion of God) yet it is all one to me, if I think fo. Thus God may give men up to their own melancholy conceits. There is no security to any mans peace or fatisfaction in this life; or substantial felfenjoyment, but two ways. 1st, That he hath always retained his innocence. The 2d is, that he is restored and recovered to his innocence, by his repentance, and Gods pardon, in, and through the blood of Christ. And if a man hath not one of these two, he is unsecure, and no man knows the condi tion he may be in, the next hour.

In these fix particulars, I have given you an account of these fecret rebukes of God, which the finner cannot bear up under; but when he feels them, if he be not upheld by the hand of God, and that he be brought into reconciliation with God, upon the terms of the covenant of grace, he will melt away, and come to nothing. This for the first. The

Second, Is the cafe wherein there is imminent danger of such judgments as these ; and I will give you fix cafes.

1. The case of havocking confcience, by finning against the light of our own proper judgment; and in this case, a man doth himself inward hurt, he gives himself a wound at the heart: and the wounds of the mind are the torture of a man's foul; and all the world will not fecure that man, that is not in reconci

reconciliation with the reason of his own mind. Tobe sensible of this, that a man hath contradicted his own proper light; in this case a man doth an act of violence upon himself; a man cannot do himfelf greater wrong than by this voluntary confenting to known iniquity. And this I account the true notion of fin, voluntarily to confent to known iniquity, and this is that which separates between us and our God. If a man once voluntarily consent to known fin, he parts with the trueft friend (next to God) that he hath in the world, his confcience of right; that bosom friend, his only adviser and counsellor, which will keep a man company when he hath no company else; that will give him content, and fatisfaction in all conditions, that will give teftimony to him, though he be slandred, calumniated, and though all the mischiefs in the world fall upon him. This friend is never put away, but by that by which God is put away, viz. voluntary consenting to known iniquity, and this puts God away, and puts away this home-friend, confcience of right. If a man have no internal guilt, know no fault within himself, he will be able to bear up against all the world, and he will have fatisfaction in every condition; but if he parts with this, he parts with his best friend, gives God offence, and causes him to withdraw, 2 Cor. i. 12. Our rejoicing is this, the teftimony of our confcience, that in fimplicity and godly fincerity, we have had our conversation in the world. This is the first case of eminent danger of these judgments these rebukes in fecret.

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