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Show 'JOO No.XVlll. 1./""'Y"-..J 'An 'A 'P 'P E N 'D I}( to VoL. I. . . but that w1Jic11 croffet1J rll lnven-felf. of its own making and Jnventdf' · eth from another Root. 0 be 1;0; 1 that is of another Nature{ 3~. {¥~rYd that pleafe the Luft, which not ~on formed .t? the Fajhio~s 0 b t ~s renew'd in your Minds; and being fo grieveth the Spmt of God ; ut e y ·rbout uitbin, you will be as a new P~ohlC~:jft-. a;e quickly difcovered, they can- They that hav~ beert truly wtt Jew~ faid of the Difciples, rbefe ille.n not be hid. So tt was of _old; th:h and Carriage bewray'd them ; theu bavr: been with Jeftn; thetr SE~e f ther Men. they were ntlt currant oudides were not like the out f e~ ~ Time Nor' can they that have been with tbeFajhiO!IsandCufloms 0 . 1 f!h·o 5 'and Cuftoms of this Wotldi with Jefus, conform to. the vamrt a of 1 t~is World, but give Diligence to wherefore be not rou, m ~ny fo d' Eleltion fure: Fot many are called a.nd make your Holy Htgh Callmfc an. the are jloth[ul Servanu, they htde few are chofen; and the. Rea 0~ J/\ bay of their Vifitation, and work their Talent in a l;lapkt~, neg e td Trembli : And then the Night over· not out their Salvatt9n wah Fear an k dfe Works of Repentance; and taketh them, in whtch they ~an never w~~ d from their Eyes tor ever. the Things that belo'!g tolt!Jc!rjPhea~d b~Jot toitb any ofy ou! No, no, I hope But the Lord forbtd, ~ ~at 11 ou A d I am aifured, that as you keep yea, I believe better Thm~. of you. ~ that with which you have been your Hearts chaftly to thfu ~f\t 3k~p~~~ ~ternal Salvation. Fer they are vifite4 of the Lor~, you L ~ h ~ Into the Light the Enemy cann~t co'?e; faved, that walk 1~ the tg t · E hath no Part or Place tn Htm; for .the f:.ight is Chnft Je~us,Jnld ~l~ce nb~~ranfgreffion, and he. is now a he ts dnven out from t e 0 Y d down the Earth, feekmg whom Fugitive from Heaven; but he goeth bu~~~ carry away with bis Baits and be may devour, whom he can cau Snares. h 1 h b"tants of the Earth that is, the earthly Wherefore, Wo tol t e dn r· I i the Earthly Nnt;re ' for all fuch !hall Inhabitants, fuoh as ove an tve n h m and ·keep up his King· bed a .Pr:le~ biB~~ hteh~:l!:a~v~e~~~~ra~~e:b~ee in' Chriit J~f~s, tbftRLigkbt, om m • f h. R ach they are in the Munmon o oc s, Life and Trutb, are out o tS e. ; fafe Ark of the Moft Hit.b GoJ. under the hPayilion ?f t:~;~:;p~"a~~etry till the Time fhall come, that However, e ts permme F b w' bound and caft into the Lake, he is not only _trod~en und~r. bo~e u~~d ohe is the greatefi l!.Ttemy to thofe tbarburnet~ ~~~~ Fke nnd n ~J"//!.0 wherefore he watcheth to furprize them, t~at ~urn _t ~:rtak~c t~e':Xoat una~ares, and triumph over their Failings. And io:~h;tR~afon Chrill:Jefus preached the Wareb earnc!lly, and with Repe· tit~n ~o;;sg~c~!f:;as, there be feveral Things (or, the Enem{· in fever:t 'A 0 nces) will attend you in this holy March, you are m.a mg tot e FJi,C::! Lmd of Refl; of which I would caution Y?u,_ that you may, none f make Shipwrack of any of thofe HolyBegrnnmgs, yo~ haveexbpe- 0· you, b h Li ht and Spirit of the Lotd: Beware of vmn Tboug ~r, foern~~~y Jp~r!rs a~d extinguifh the uu: Senfe. Thefe. vain Thought:M~r:.~ from the Enemy's Prefentations of objeCts t? the Mmd, and the ~~ lookin upon them, till they have made theu Impr~ffi_ons upon t~e Mmd, d · «uenced the Mind ihto a Love of them. Thts JS a falfe Ltberty, a an tn us ea a deftru8ive Liberty, to tht: Holy Senfe that God hath be· d~~~~oin ~Jy. 'For as this is not received but hindere~ ~y fuch Th~ugh~s, fo it is not improved but defiroyed by them. The Dtvme Senfe m t d Soul is begouen by the Lord: 'Tis his Life and Spirit, his h~ly Brear~ an Power that uickneth the Soul, and maketh it fenfi~le .of ns own tate, and d God'sqWill; and that raifeth fervent Defites m n !o b~ Etemall~ Bleffed. This is that which Satan raget~ at; he fea~eth hts Kmgdom,crh. findeth that he is come that will caft h1m out of ht_s foffeffi~ns. ~e h~r eth out JVby art thou come to torment me befort my Tzme ? He IS the at ff of Vain' Thoughts, he begetteth them in the Mind, on purpofe to draw,~. Vot.. 1. the Mind frOm that Senfe, and to Exercife it in VarietY of Conceptions, in 3 Self-liberty of Thinking and Imagining concerning Perfons ~n.d Things, Here he oflC:reth his Baits, and layeth his Snares; and never failcth to catch and defile the unwatchful Soul. Now if you !hould fay, Whdl are ibefe Vain Thougb11? I tell you, my Friends: All thoft: Thoughts and Conceptions, that either bring not Real Profit w the Soul, or that Gri~ve, Hurt, or Opprefs that Holy 5enfc, which is begotten of God in the Soul. And th3t by which Thoughts are to hi examined, is the Light of CHRIST JEsus: For as Tbat which may be lmow1f of God is manifeft in Men, /or God batbfhown it unto" them, as faith the A· poftle Paulto the Romans; So aD Tbings that are 1·eproved, arc made manifofl hy l11e Light; [or wharfoever mall.etb mani{efl, is Lzght, fahft he to the Epbe~ fiatts. By this Light of Chrift Jefus examin'e your own Thoughts; fee whence they rife, from whence they come, and what they tend to. 0 Friends, here is a Myftery ; and· the Evil One worketh here in a Myitery! For where he cannot prevail to draw out the Mind from its fenfible Habitation to em· brace his Repreremations of old Lufts and Pleafures, that are wicked in themfelves, he will prefent you with lawful Objefis, your outward Enjoy~ menu, Bujin~.fJ and CaUin£, and fteal in upon your Minds in tile Croud of thefe Lawful Things, and tlfere lay his Snares, hid and covered, a'nd at un~ aw:ues catch you. My Dear Friends, Blefred are they th'a"t fee Jefus their Captain, going he·, fore them, and Counfelling and Leading them in all their outward and law~ ful Concerns, that they offend.not. For, My Friends, this R:now, you may nnlawfully think of Lawful Things, either in Thinking on them unftafon· ably, mark that, wherl your Souls fhould be who11y retired, and exercifed in the Lord's Light to feel His Prefence, in which is Heavenly Life: Or in. thinking on Lawful Things cdrelejly, not with Regard to your Guide: He that hath bought you throughout with his own precious Hlood, that he tnight have the Government of your Bodit$, Souls and Spiriii; that is, of !Our bodily Concerns, as well as of \he Things Relating to your Souls and" Spirits. This prevents much Harm 3nd Mifchief in Bufinefs and Families, and preferveth the Divine Senfe~at'God hath begotten, and the Creature· in it : So that its Fellowiliip an Peace with the Lord runneth as a River, it is not ftopt or hindred by the efigns of the Enemy. Or lafily, in think~ ing on Lawful Things exceffively, too much, more than is needful, without Limits, thereby gratifying the flefhly Mind, which is Enmity with God, and that Senfe which he begerteth in the Soul. 0 the Mountains that are raifed, by fuch vain Thoughts, betwixt God and the Soul! How doth the Soul come under an Eclipfe, lofe Sight, and at laft all Senfe of the Living God, like Men drowned in great Waters ? And thus many have loft their Condition, and grown unfenfible: and then quefiioned all former Experi· ences, if they were not meer lmaginat,ions; till at !aft they arrived at .A.tbeifin, denying and deriding God and his Work, and ihofe that kept their Integrity : For whom is referved the BlacknefS'of DarKnefs for ever; urilefs they timely and truly Repent. But when this fubtle Enemy of Man"s Salvation feeth that he cannot -ma·ke you bow to the Glory of this World, that aU his Snares that he lay~ l:th in che Things that are feen, which are Temporal! ar'e difcovered ind broken; and that your Eyes are directed to thofe Things that are Eternal, then will he turn Jlccu.fer. He will aggravate your Sins, and plead the Impoffib\Hry of their Rcmiffion: He will feem to a8: the Advbctlfe for the Jufiice of God, tllat he might ca(t you into Defpondency, that you maY doubt of Deliverance and Salvation. Many a:re the Thoughts, with which he perplexeth the Sons and Daughters of Men: But this know. that he was a Liar from the Beginnin_g. For the Lord doth not vifit the Souls of any to deflroy them, bur tojave them. For this End hath he rent his Son a Light into the World; and they that bring their Deeds to it, are not of the Devil, who hateth the Light. Nei"ther darb the Lor'd caufe People to Hunger and Tbir./fafter him, aod notfilhhem with his good Things. D d Be !6t No.XVIII; ~ |