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Achitophel, 2 Sam. xvii. 14. Not that it was good in itself, for it was as wicked counsel as ever was given: for he adviseth Abfalom to do a vile fact, to confirm himself in his rebellion against his father, and to remove the boundaries of good and evil; than which there is not a more defperate undertaking. For a man under pretence of power to controul the rule of right, the measures of heaven, is to divert things from their natures, and to change their natural course; which is as monftrous in morals as in naturals. The mind uncorrupted is a tender thing, and fuffers most by violence, and unnaturaluse. The scripture speaks of hardness of heart, as a most monstrous state, Jer. xiii. 23. Can the ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? These things are naturally impoffible. No more can one that hath abufed himself, and made havock of confcience, by accustoming himself to do evil, learn to do well, without the especial grace and favour of God. The coming in of fin is like the coming in of water: it may be stopped by a little turf at the first; but if it once find a way over, it breaks down all before it. It is much eafier to retain innocence than to recover a man's self. Ifa man will venture to do that which is not fit to be done, no body knows where he will end. The practice of iniquity makes men shameless and impudent; the devil is easily let in, but hardly got out. Let us therefore take heed how we betray ourselves, and give way to iniquity. Let us approve ourselves to our home-God. Confcience is always ready to speak to us; let our ear be always ready to hear what it hath to say, and be very care

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ful never to depart from its counsel, in going against the sense of our own minds and judgment. When once a man hath consented to do that which is base and unworthy, as he hath made havock of his own confcience, so he hath broken his credit, which is a further security, and great preservative against evil.

IV. Before and after contracted evil habits, by frequent use and repeated acts of evil, is not alike, as to the concerns of eternity. Men are more what they are used to, than what they are born to ; for cuftom is a fecond nature. Every man hath himself as be ufeth himself. When men lose all government of themselves, they soon contract hardness and an injudicious mind; an undifcerning mind, or as it is rendred Rom. i. 28. A reprobate mind and confcience. The mind by abuse of itself, or gross self-neglect, may come to be as falt that hath lost its favour: fo the mind loses its power of judging and difcerning, and of reproving and controuling. The apostle speaks of some that had their confciences feared as with a hot iron, I Tim. iv. 2. by reason whereof they lofe all sense and judgment; and then 'tis no wonder that nothing will work upon them, because, as the apostle speaks, Eph. iv. 19. They are paft feeling; which cafe is reprefented by the prophet, Ifa. vi. 9. Make the heart of this people fat, and their ears heavy, that they may not hear. And there is no place in all the fcripture so often referred to as this place; it is referred to by all the evangelifts, and in the acts ofthe apoftles, and in the epistle to the Romans. And when this is the cafe, that men have grosly neglected or abused themselves, and brought themselves by

by wicked practices into the love of fin and viceand diflike of goodness; then it comes topass with them that feeing, they fee not, and do not perceive; and hearing, they hear, and do not understand. And this place is no less than fix times referred to in the new testament, as giving an account of this place of the prophet. We many times wonder to see men act fo Contrary to all advice and counsel, to all foberjudgment, and to plain fcripture, against the true inte refts of their fouls, aud bodily health, to the confuming of their eftates, ruin of their credits, to the undoing of their families; and all this without any manner of profit or advantage; so that a man may say to them as the apostle, Gak iii. 1. Who hath bewitched you? to see men run on so desperately, and to disclaim all rules of government, and to practise without any manner of confideration: not to be li mited by right and justice, against all advice and counsel, against all threatnings too, having neither. the fear of God, or regard to man; one would think they are besotted, and act like mad-men. But this. is the account: they have brought themselves into an unnatural estate; and are not now as God brought them into the world, nor like to continue fo long here as they might have done. But as the wife. man faith, Ecc. vii. 17. Be not overmuch wicked, neither be thou foolish, why shouldest thou die before thy time? for want of self-government the wicked are like to die before their time, and often by their own hands too. How shall these men give an account of themselves, when they had a fairer allowance of tine, and would not use it? How odious are those. that

that lay violent hands upon themselves? the law doth not allow them the common place of burial. Now all intemperance is of the same nature. Though men do not intend it, yet they take a course to shorten their days, and their fin goes before hand unto judgment. A man would think that rational nature should not be so depraved; but that we have woful experience of it. Infomuch that the prophet, Fer. vi. 15. fays of some, were they ashamed when they had committed abomination ? nay, they were not ashamed, neither could they blush. All shame is laid afide, and that which is the governor of man, conftituted by God, reason and understanding is dethroned, and brutish fense set up in its stead, and men give up themselves to passion, malice, envy, fury, and revenge; and are insolent, arrogant, haughty, and unreasonable; whereas God made no fuch, norever brought any such order into the world. These men came into the world upon the fame terms with other men; but they have made themselves such by abuse of themselves. And now they will tell you, they cannot do otherwise; they cannot; why? because they have contracted evil habits, by ill use, custom, and practice; and are not willing to be at the pains to work them off; which through the grace of God, and by a little violence to themselves at the beginning, they might effect.

V. The times of God's gracious visitation in mercy and kindness to men's fouls; these are not like those times wherein God fuffers men to walk after their own ways. And to make this out I propose three things. 1. That God is neither at first nor laft, wanting in neceffaries to any of his creatures, to save them harmless, and to bring them to good.

2. God doth never reject the endeavours of repentance, nor caft off any true penitent.

3. God doth not do always alike; nor can we in reason expect, but that if we trifle and dally with God, and confent to iniquity, and refuse the voice of God and of our own confcience, and put ourselves out of his hand, that he should always attend the leisure of such dalliers. Though neither at first nor last is he wanting in necessaries, nor doth ever reject true repentance; yet he will not waitourleifure. Therefore the times of God's grace, and particular visitation in mercy and kindness to the fouls of men, these are far otherwise than other times are, and most fit for men to return to God in, and to answer his call. This is excellently defcribed, Job. xxxiii. 14. 15. where it is said, God speaketh once, yea twice, yet man perceiveth it not. By dream and by vision in the night, i. e. to turn them from their evil ways. And when God does fo, men may hear and turn to him; for the grace of God is not in vain; but by the assistance which he doth afford men, they are enabled, notwithstanding the impotency of their nature, to do that which God calls them unto, and for which his grace was afforded; if they do make use thereof, to the purpose for which he did afford it: And there is no doubt, but he will give more, as they improve what he first affords; for to him that hath, shall be given, and he shall have abundance, Mat. xiii. 12. Sometimes God doth vifit us by fome cross providence; fometimes he

doth

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