Imatges de pàgina
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ent defires: But oh take heed now left this prove but as the early dew, none of which is to be feen at noon.

Quest. But what thould I do to preferve thefe impreffi

on's?

Oh

Ianfwer; 1. If thou haft got this heat in a fermon, or any other public ordinances, betake thyfelf to thy closet, and there labour to take the advantage of thy prefent frame, for the more effectual pouring out of thy foul to God. be of God! that now he will not leave thee fhort of faith, which begins in defires, but that he will cherish these be ginnings, and remember his promife, for he hath faid, that he will not quench the fmoaking flax, nor break the bruifed reed, until he bring forth judgment unto victory, Mat. xii. 20. 2. If thou haft got this heat in prayer, or any other private or fecret duty, hold out in that duty be gun, and join therewithal a waiting on God in the ufe of public means: The fpoufe that fought Jefus Chrift by night on her bed, would not reft there, but now that her defire was up, he would up too, and go to the public affemblies: I will rife now, and go about the city, in the freets, and in the broad ways I will feek him whom my foul loveth, Cant. iii. 2. The foul that would perfevere in her defires, will go from duty to duty, from public to private, and from private to public, and never faint: What, faith the foul, Is Chrift whom I breathe after to be found in public? why then to thofe public affemblies let me go. As the hart panteth after the water brooks, fo my foul panteth after thee O God, my foul thirfteth for God," for the living God; Oh when shall I come and appear be fore God!' Pfal. xlii. 1, 2. O God thou art my God, early will I feek thee, my foul thirfteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land where no water is, to fee thy power, and thy glory, as I have feen thee in the fanctuary,' Pfal. lxiii. 1, 2.

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2. Try your defires by the touch-ftone of God's word, that you may not be baffled out of them, as if they were' (purious: But what are thofe figns, or marks, by which I may try, and be affured that my defires are right? I anfwer,

1. Every true defire is ever joined with an hearty wil

lingness,

Lingnefs, and unfeigned refolution to fell all for Christ, to -part with all fo, to bid adieu for ever to thy darling de lights; it is not an ordinary with of a natural appetite, like Balaam's; we have many that defire to be happy, but are unwilling to be holy; they would be glad to be faved, but are loath to be fanctified: Now, if thou defirest truly, thou wilt live accordingly, and willingly part with any fin for Chrift: What? Is not Chrift better than fin, wilt thou fay? Oh that I may fin no more!

2. True defire is ever quickned and enlivened with a continued and confcionable ufe of the means, and it draws from them, by little and little, fpiritual strength and vigour; it is not an idle, ignorant, unexercifed defire; it were very vain and abfurd, to hear a man talk of his defire to live, and yet would neither eat, nor drink, nor fleep, por exercise himself; It is as fruitless and foolish for any one to pretend to a defire of grace and falvation, and yea he would not prize and ply the word, prayer, meditation, conferences, and all the means and ordinances appointed and fanctified by God; defires themfelves will quickly var nish, if they be nat nourished in the ufe of means. Take heed then of living above ordinances, if thou loveft thy foul or would't have any part in Jefus Christ.

True defire is ever conftant, and importunately greedy after fupply and fatisfaction, it is not begot by the tempeft of fome prefent extremity, and then quite vanishing away, when the storm of terror, and temptation is over; this is that the devil looks at, he obferves how many in a fit could be content to leap out of their skin to get heaven, and to keep out of hell, but after this is over, they cannot away with croffing their nature, fighting against lufts, wreftling against Satan, labouring for the righteoufnefs of God, and of Jefus Chrift above all things, and therefore their wishing, and wouldings come to nothing. Come then, and try thy defire by this mark, which utterly confounds Satan, if thy defire takes toot in a truly humbled heart, and never determines nor expires, till thou haft what thou defireft after, if thou crieft, Oh give me Chrift, or I will never be fatisfied! My foul is reflefs, and it fhall be reftlefs, till I have Chrift in my arms and hand of faith; fure

ly this a good fign,

and thou mayeft build upon it, and he will fulfil the desire of them that

at last thou shalt fee, breathe thus after him.

THE

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Of Satan's Affaults upon relying on Christ. HE holy Spirit that leads on the foul by steps begins now to work in the foul a relying on Christ. And this is that act of faith to which juftification is ufually promifed; it is called an affiance, dependance, adherence, reliance, or if there be any word that expreffeth the act of an humbled foul, whereby it cafteth and repofeth itself upon the promise of God in Chrift, for the obtaining remiffion of fins, and everlasting life, that is it which now the Spirit works in the fouls of thofe whom he pur pofeth to fave.

In this act

I would have this well understood and felt; this is that hinge on which the doors of heaven do turn. the poor foul inlightned and affrighted with the fenfe, and fight of its fin, and mifery for fin, and having a fight of Chrift, which breeds in it fome defires after Christ, it throws itself into Chrift's arms, grasping fast about him, and hiding itself in the clefts of this rock, crying and fay. ing, My Lord, and my God, O fave me, or I fink! O hold me fast, or I perish for ever. By this act we are accepted for just before God, for the fake and fufferings of Jefus Chrift.

Now when the devil perceives this, he fees himself gone, and the foul in fafety out of his power, only he will not ceafe to tempt and trouble; and to that purpose, if he can. Do prevail against the effe of a Chriftian, he wrestles against the bene effe; If he cannot keep off the hand of faith, for laying hold on Chrift, yet he will trouble the head and heart of a Chriftian with cloudy vapours and mi'giv ing thoughts. Bat first fometimes he keps off the hand of faith, darkning the foul with a deep melancholly, that it cannot fee and remember the promise; or if it be remembred, yet he fears the foul from off the promife; q. d. What do you meddle with the promise; it does not belong unto you, you have finned fo and fo, and therefore the hreataings and not the promife belong to you.

2. Sometimes

2. Sometimes he breeds in the foul a jealous and fufpicious frame, that it will not believe that it doth believe. And hence we have these cries, Alas! I cannot think that I do really reft, and rely on Chrift; or if fometimes I be in fuch a frame, yet at fome other times I cleave again to a fenfual good, more than to a fpiritual promife, or to an heavenly Chrift. Oh I do not fully and conftantly cling unto the bleeding wounds of Jefus, I am up and down. I reft not continually on the freenefs of his love, and merit of his paffion, and truth of his promile, as upon a rock of eternity; and is this to rely on Jefus Chrift? Oh the depths of Satan!

1. He defigns to keep the foul from believing, but if he cannot keep the edifice of faith from being built in the fonl, yet he will keep it (if poffible) from flanding fore. Simon, Simon, faith Chrift, Satan bath defired to winnow thee like wheat, but I have prayed for thee that thy faith fail not, Luke xxii. 31, 32. The word winnow fignifies to fhake up and down, as with a fan the wheat is used. Look how he dealt with Job, because Satan had no power over his life, he executed his power to the utmost upon the comforts of his life. So he deals with the foul of a Chriftian, if he have no power over the life of faith, then he will execute his power to the utmost, that the foul may never come to have the comfortable sense of faith; and when he brings his rams to batter his comforts, no wonder if the poor mud-wall of Christian shakes up and

down.

SECT. XV.

Of the Soul's Wrestling with Satan as to this Affault. OR their bearing off the blows in time of temptation, let us confider them apart: And,

FOR

1. To that of Satan's endeavouring to funder or fever the foul from the promise, and to keep it off from faith, do you take this courfe:

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1. Do you gather in promifes, that you may have them at hand. I fhall inftance in fuch as thefe, Let him that 'is athirst come, and whofoever will, let him take of the 'water of life freely.- Come unto me all ye that labour, f and are heavy laden, and I will ease you.- -If any man

• thirst, let him come unto me and drink.

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These things

• are written, that ye might believe, and that believing, ye might have life thro' his name.- -Believe on the Lord Jefus Chrift, and thou shalt be fayed,' Rev. xxi. 17. Mat. xi. 28. John vii. 37. John xx. 31. Acts xvi. 31.

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2. Take poffeffion of the promises, and value them as your own. The prophet recording a promife in Hà. liv. Ifa. 17., adds thus, This is the heritage of the fervants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of me, faith the Lord' If you look into God's book, and find any promife of Christ, or of Chrift your righteoufnefs, you fhould make it your own; for it is your heritage: O lay hold on thofe promis es, and fay, This is mine, it is a part of my heritage, and I am to live upon it.

3. If Satan ftave you off, faying, Hands off! the threa tenings, and not the promises belong to you; tell Satan again, that when you went on in a way of fin, he could tell you otherwife; viz. The promife, and not the threa tening belonged to you; but now it is not with you as it was then, now all fin is to you as a burthen, and now eve ry promife is to you as a world of gold, and therefore, Satan, didft thou tell me that the promise did belong to me then? furely now much more. Avoid, Satan, for it is written, Come to me ye that are weary and heavy laden with fin.

4. Remember that the fame Lord. Jefus that invites you, commands you to believe, and rely upon him, and there fore to apply the promises to yourselves, this is the com mandment, that we fhould believe on the name of his Son Je fus Chrift, 1 John iii. 23. Luther was a man that laboured under great temptations, and being once forely temp ted, and the tears trickling down his cheeks,, My friend, faith he, came unto me and faid, O my fon, why doft thou mourn? Doft thou not know that God hath com manded thee to believe? When, fays Luther, heard that word command, it prevailed more with my heart than all that was faid or thought on before; fo fay I now unto thee, Does Satan come with this temptation, and tell thee, The promise belongs not unto thee? Apfwer, Ay, but the Lord

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