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I account him a traducer of God, who reprefents him as having an ill defign upon his creatures, or who reprefents him thus, that upon offence received from his creatures, he is implacable and irreconcileable; or who thinks that God doth not give place to repentance. For, Two things I declare concerning repentance; 1. That it doth alter the very temper of the finner. 2. That it is a motive with God, and doth affect him: it doth procure atonement in refpect of God. Repentance alters the state and temper of the perfon, wherefoever it is; fo that we may fay, a penitent upon a moral account is not the fame that he was when he did fin. Now this I argue; if God took fo great offence at those who were fent to search and view the land of Canaan, who brought an ill report of temporal Canaan, Num. xvi. 16. what dif pleasure may we in reafon imagine that God will take at those that do speak hard things of himself ? He took fo much offence at the fpies, that he refolved none of them should ever enter into the promised land; and can we fuppofe that they that mifreprefent God, and bring fo ill a report of him, that God is not highly difpleafed with them? It is remarkable in that short epistle of Jude, it is faid that he will come to judge, and to convince finners of all the hard, without any fubftantive joined with it; fo that we may put in thoughts, words or deeds. To discharge men of all thefe hard words, thoughts and imaginations, which they have concerning God, or his dealings with his creatures, I doubt not but it will manifeftly appear at long run, that whofoever perifheth, his destruction is of himself; to wit, either his own grofs carelefinefs,

or

or his wilfulness, or his voluntary allowance of himfelf, to gratify his lufts or his humours in things which will do him mifchief. This no doubt will appear, whenfoever God calls to account. He will certainly justify himself in the sense of angels and men ; and every one that perifheth will be felf-condemned: it will lie upon their wilfulness, or voluntary allowance that did them mifchief. What better measure, pray, can we expect from God, or can our own hearts wish, than that allowance that God of his own good-will affords? Pfal. ciii. 13. As a father pitieth his children, So the Lord hath compassion on them that fear him. Mal. iii. 17. As a father fpares a fon that ferves him, fo will the Lord fpare thofe that fear him, and think upon his name. And we know and have experience how far this extends, the affection of parents to children, to render to them the best construction; and how patient if things be amifs, and how willing to hear intention and purpose of amendment. God declares to this purpose concerning himself. He makes it visible and apparent, if his own ways to us be not equal. But it hath been the fashion of old for finners, to be mal-content and to complain of God. Ezek xviii. the whole chapter is spent in God's juftifying of himfelf against the murmurings and complainings of men. It was the great miscarriage while the Ifraelites were under the conduct of God, and while he did miraculoufly provide for them, upon all occafions, to murmur against him and here they had got a proverb that cast a reproach upon God: The father hath eaten four grapes, and the childrens teeth are fet on edge. But how amply and abundantly, and in several particu

lars,

lars, doth God answer and difprove this proverbial faying. We have no other reafon to complain of God, than a child hath to complain of his careful parent, that doth interpofe and hinder him from doing himself harm.

Now to finish what I have been fo long upon, wickedness and works of iniquity: we are highly concerned, if we value God's favour and intereft in him, to know what these are, that we may avoid them. I have treated of acts of impiety and profanenefs; these terminate immediately upon God himself: acts of unrighteousness, falfhood, treachery, cruelty; these towards one another, these terminate upon our fellow-creatures: acts of diffoluteness and intemperate living; these terminate in ourselves.

I have treated of sobriety, chastity and temperance, due moderation in ourselves, felf-government in refpect of things of the body. There is a choicer part, man's mind, his foul; and the mifgovernment of that, is more intenfely evil than the other. For fins, the more spiritual they are, the more vile. The fins of the mind, though they have lefs of infamy, because not fo difcernible to by-ftanders; yet they have no lefs of malignity. Therefore I must give you an account of those things that belong to the misgovernment of the mind. 1. The mind's fentiments. The motions of the will. 3. The affections, or the paffions. And in thefe, men may greatly offend and become obnoxious to God. Sobriety is greatly concerned in the government of thefe; irreligion and wickedness, in the neglect.

2.

The mind's

1. For the fentiments of the mind. fenfe may have malignity in it, as well as words and actions. Rom. viii. 7. The carnal mind is enmity against God; the internal fenfe and difpofition, the very fentiment of men that are carnally-minded, men that live in an evil spirit. Men fhew their spirits by their actions,.. A naughty temper appears in outward motions. Evil is first conceived in the mind; out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, &c. Mat. xv. 19. An action that is to the harm of another, it is past by as but a mischance, if it be not defigned and intended : for according to the mind's intention, fo are things eftimated and accounted; what is meant, rather than what is done. It is an apology and excufe, I did not intend it, it was against my mind and will. Wherefore we do obferve, that the mind of a good man is his best part, and the mind of a bad man is his worst part for a good man hath a mind to do more good than he can compafs; and a bad man, he cannot execute fo much evil as he hath a mind to. Wherefore God faith, give me thy heart; and not only cleanse your hands, but purify your hearts, ye finners. Now here I must challenge thefe internal diftempers, as things, of great malignity, as things that are to be accounted wickedness in the highest degree; to wit, haughtinefs of mind, infolence, arrogance; thefe fhew the mifgovernment of the inward man. Alfo malcontent, peevishnefs, frowardñefs, fpitefulness; fo likewife prefumption, over-weening, felf-conceit, comparing ourselves with others, in our fecret thoughts to commend or prefer ourselves; these fhew an internal malignity or naughtinefs of mind, that men are poifoned

poisoned even in their very temper. Whatsoever is contrary to humility becoming a creature, or the modesty befitting a finner, or the sense quam fit nobis curta fupellex; what is not suitable to the fenfe that we all ought to have how poor, naked, blind, and miferable we are. For this is our cafe, and the cafe of the beft of us; the most that any of us know, is the least of what is to be known; and the best that any of us can do, is liable to mistake, or may be charged with fome imperfection. Whereof then are we to boast? How can we value ourselves above others? It is a contradiction in adjecto; as much as to fay, a cold fire, a dark fun; to say a creature that is infolent, or a finner that is felf-conceited and arrogant; a proud and bold finner, nothing is of greater ugliness and deformity. This is that which is the firft; the fentiments of mens minds. Look inwardly, examine yourselves, try your temper, see what is in you; these are the things that are ungovernable, and here reformation ought to begin.

2. The motions of the will; that is the next, wherein we ought to use fobriety and temperance. And we have this word alfo in the apoftle, Eph. ii. 3. the wills of the fish, which is rendred lusts, these are, always exorbitant; whenfoever the will moves without direction of the reason of the mind, that is exorbitant; whenfoever a man's will moves and goes be fore the reafon of his mind; much more, if a man hath a will against the reafon of his mind. Some there are, that must have their wills, right or wrong: give me children, or elfe I die. Stet pro ratione voluntas: this is all the reason I give; my mind, my will,

let

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