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and the most pleasing sin, as well as against those that are less so; he will combat with all, though he do not conquer one as he would. He knows that every sin strikes àt God's holiness, as well as his own happiness; at God's glory, as well as his soul's comfort and

peace.

He knows that every sin is hateful to God,

and that all sinners are traitors to the crown and dignity of the Lord Jesus. He looks upon one sin, and sees that threw down a Noah, the most righteous man in the world; and he looks upon another, and sees that that cast down an Abraham, the greatest believer in the world; and he looks upon another sin, and sees that that threw down a David, the best king in the world; and he looks upon another sin, and sees that that cast down a Paul, the greatest apostle in the world. He sees one sin throw down a Sampson, the strongest man in the world; another cast down a Solomon, the wisest man in the world; and another a Moses, the meekest man in the world; and another sin cast down a Job, the most patient man in the world: and this raises a holy indignation against all, so that nothing can satisfy and content his soul, but the destruction of all those lusts and vermine that vex and rack his righteous soul; it will not suffice a gracious soul to see justice done upon one sin, but he cries out for justice upon all; he would not have some crucified, and others spared, but cries out, Lord, crucify them ALL,

crucify them ALL! Now the conflict that is in wicked men, is partial; they frown upon one sin, and smile upon another; they strike at some sins, and cherish others; they thrust some out of doors, but keep others close in their bosoms, as you may see in Jehu, Herod, Judas, Simon Magus, and Demas.

Wick

ed men strike at gross sins, such as are not only against the law of God, but against the laws of nature and nations, but make nothing of secret sins; as vain thoughts, idle words, sinful motions, petty oaths, &c. They fight against those sins that fight against their honour, profits, pleasures, &c. but make truce with those that are as right hands, and right eyes to them, &c. John iii. 20.

3. The conflict that is in a saint against sin, is maintained by several arguments; by arguments drawn from the love and honour of God,* the sweetness of communion with God, and from the spiritual and heavenly blessings and privileges that are conferred upon them by God; and of arguments drawn from the blood of Christ, the glory of Christ, the eye of Christ, the love and intercession of Christ: and of arguments drawn from the earnest of the Spirit,

*Though to be kept from sin brings comfort to us, yet for us to oppose sin from spiritual and heavenly arguments, and God to pardon sin, that brings most glory to God,

the seal and witness of the Spirit, the comforts of the Spirit. But the conflict that is in wicked men is from low, carnal, and legal arguments, drawn from the eye, ear, or hand of the creature; or drawn from shame, hell, the curses of the Law,* &c.

4. The conflict that is in the saints, is a more blessed, successful, and prevailing conflict. A saint by his conflict with sin, gains ground upon it. They that are Christ's, saith the apostle, have crucified the flesh with the affections and Justs.' Christ puts to his hand, and helps them to lead captivity captive, and sets his feet upon the necks of those lusts that have formerly trampled upon their souls and their comforts. As the house of Saul grew weaker and weaker, and the house of David stronger and stronger, so the Lord by the discoveries of his love, and the influences of his Spirit, causeth grace, the nobler part of a saint, to grow stronger and stronger, like David, and corruption, like the

It was an excellent saying of Eusebius Emesenus, "Our fathers overcame the torrents of the flames, let us overcome the fiery darts of vices." Consider that the pleasure and sweetness that follows victory over sin, is a thousand times beyond that seeming sweetness that is in sin.

These two, grace and sin, are like two buckets of a well, when one is up the other is down. They are like the two laurels at Rome, when one flourishes the other withers. The more grace thrives in the soul, the more sin

dies in it.

and

house of Saul, to grow weaker. But sin in a wicked man gets ground,* and grows stronger stronger; notwithstanding all his conflicts, his heart is more encouraged, emboldened, and hardened in a way of sin, as you may see in the Israelites, Pharaoh, Jehu, and Judas, who doubtless had many strange conflicts, tumults, and mutinies in their souls, when God spake such terrible things against them, and did such justice upon them.

But remember this by way of caution, though Christ have given sin its death-wound, (by his power, Spirit, death, and resurrection,) yet it will die but a lingering death: as a man that is mortally wounded, dies slowly, so doth sin in the heart of a saint. The death of Christ on the cross was a lingering death, so is the death of sin in the soul; it receives a blow to-day, and gets a wound to-morrow, and labours long under disability before its dissolution, &c.

The best men's souls in this life hang between the flesh and the spirit, as it were like Maho

From naught they grow to be very naught, and from very naught to be stark naught. Lactantius saith of Lu cian," He spared neither God nor man." Mortification is a continued act, it is a daily dying to sin. "I die daily." A crucified man will strive and struggle, yet in the eyes of the law, and in the account of all that see him, he is dead. It is just so with sin.

†The Romans lost many a battle, and yet in the issue were conquerors in all their wars; it is just so with the saints.

met's tomb at Mecca, between two load-stones; like Erasmus, as the Papists paint him, between heaven and hell; like the tribe of Manasseh, half on this side Jordan, in the land of the Amorites, and half on the other side, in the Holy Land: yet in the issue they shall overcome the flesh, and trample upon the necks of their spiritual enemies.

CHAPTER VI.

The sixth Device that Satan hath to keep souls in a sad, doubting, and questioning condition, is,

BY suggesting to the soul, that his estate is not good, because he cannot joy and rejoice in Christ, as he once could, because he hath lost that comfort and joy that was once in his spirit. Saith Satan, thou knowest the time was, when thy heart was much carried out in joying and rejoicing in Christ: thou dost not forget the time when thy heart was full of joy and comfort, but now, how art thou fallen in thy joys and consolations? Therefore thy estate is not good now, and thou dost but deceive thyself, to think that ever it was, for surely if it had, thy joy and comfort would have continued. And hereupon the soul is apt to fall in with Satan, and say, it

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