in a way of sin but the gracious soul sayes with Job Job 34.32 If I have done iniquity I will do it no more He laments over sin and leaves it he confesses it and forsakes it and he is as willing to forgo it as he is willing that God should forgive it Seventhly All and if you please I shall give you many things in one godly sorrow is the fruit and effect of Evangelical faith it flows from faith as the stream from the fountain the branch from the root and the effect from the cause Zech. 12.10 They shall look upon him whom they have pierced and shall mourn for him as one mourneth for his only son and shall be in bitterness for him as one that is in bitterness for his first-born Look as all legal sorrow flows from a legal faith as you may see in Ahab's and the Ninevites so all Evangelical sorrow flows from an Evangelical faith They shall look upon him whom they have pierced and mourn All gracious mourning flows from looking from believing nothing breaks the heart of a sinner like a look of faith all tears of godly sorrow drop from the eye of faith godly sorrow rises and falls as faith rises and falls faith and godly sorrow are like the fountain and the floud which rise and fall together The more a man is able by faith to look upon a pierced Christ the more his heart will mourn over all the dishonours that he has done to Christ the more deep and wide the wounds are that faith shews me in the heart and sides of Christ the more my heart will be wounded for sining against Christ Again godly sorrow is not an enemy but a friend to holy joy I have read of a holy man who lying upon his sick bed and being askt which were his joyfullest dayes that ever he had cryed out O give me my mourning dayes give me my mourning dayes again for they were the joyfullest dayes that ever I had The higher the springs of godly sorrow rise the higher the tydes of holy joy rise his graces will flourish most who Evangelically mourns most Grace alwayes thrives best in that garden that heart that is watered most with the tears of godly sorrow He that grieves most for sin will rejoyce most in God and he that rejoyces most in God will grieve most for sin Again the more a man apprehends of the love of God and of the love of Christ and the more a man tastes and is assured of the love of the Father and of the love of the Son the more that person will grieve and mourn that he has offended provoked and grieved such a Father and such a Son Remember this as a man's assurance of peace and reconciliation with God rises so his grief for sin rises the more clear and certain evidences a man has of the love and favour of God to his soul the more that man will grieve and mourn for sinning against such a God There is nothing that thaws and melts the heart that softens and breaks the heart like the warm beams of divine love as you may see in the case of Mary Magdalen Luk. 7. she loved much and she wept much for much was forgiven her a sight of the free grace and love of Christ towards her in an act of forgiveness broke her heart all in pieces A man can't stand under the shinings of divine love with a frozen heart nor yet with dry eyes the more a man sees of the love of Christ and the more a man tastes and enjoys of the love of Christ the more that man will grieve and mourn for all the dishonours that he has done to Christ The more an ingenious child sees and tastes and enjoys of his fathers love the more he grieves and mourns that ever he should offend such a father or provoke such a father who has been so loving and indulgent towards him Injuries done to a friend cut deep and the more near and dear and beloved a man's friend is to him the more a man is afflicted and troubled for any wrongs or injuries that are done to him and just so 't is between God and a gracious soul The free love and favour of God and his unspeakable goodness and mercy manifested in Jesus Christ to poor sinners is the very spring and fountain of all Evangelical sorrow nothing breaks the heart of a poor sinner like the sight of God's free love in a Redeemer A man can't seriously look upon the firstness the freeness the greatness the unchangeableness the everlastingness and the matchlessness of God's free favour and love in Christ with a hard heart or with dry eyes Ezek. 36.31 compared with vers 25 26. O! who is there that has but one spark of ingenuity that can read over that heart-breaking Scripture with dry eyes Isa 43.22 23 24. See Isa 57.17 18 19. But thou hast not called upon me O Jacob but thou hast been weary of me O Israel thou hast not brought me the small cattel of thy burnt offerings neither hast thou honoured me with thy sacrifices I have not caused thee to serve with an offering nor wearied thee with incense thou hast bought me no sweet cane with money neither hast thou filled me with the fat of thy sacrifices but thou hast made me to serve with thy sins thou hast wearied me with thine iniquities Now a man would think after all this horrid abuse put upon God this would certainly follow Therefore I will plague and punish thee therefore my wrath shall smoak against thee therefore my soul shall abhor thee therefore I will shut up my loving kindness in displeasure against thee therefore I will shew no more mercy towards thee therefore I will hide my face for ever from thee therefore I will take vengeance on thee therefore I will rain hell out of heaven upon thee c. O! but read and wonder read and admire read and stand amazed and astonished read and refrain from tears if thou canst ver 25. I even I am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake and will not remember thy sins The Prophets expression in that Zech. 12.10 is very observable They shall look upon him whom they have pierced and they shall mourn for him as one that mourneth for his only son Now 't is observable in a fathers mourning for an only son there is nothing but pure love sincere love hearty love but in a sons mourning for his father there may be and often is a great deal of self-love self-respect because the child may run and read in his father's death his own loss his own ruin his own undoing but in the father's mourning for an only son a man may run and read the integrity purity and ingenuity of the father's love and 't is only such a love as this as sets the soul a mourning and a lamenting over a crucified Christ The thoughts and fears of wrath of hell and of
and a murtherous or adulterous heart is worse than a murtherous or adulterous act c. And therefore true grace makes head against heart-sins against spiritual sins against the most inward secret sins against those very sins that lye not within the reach of reason or the Sword of the Magistrate or the piercing eye of the most knowing or observing man in the World but are only obvious to an omniscient eye But now carnal men as they make little of outward sins so they make nothing of heart-sins of spiritual sins If they are not drunkards nor swearers Matt. 19 16-27 nor extortioners nor whoremasters nor cursers nor cheaters nor oppressors nor lyars nor persecutors if they are good negative Christians then they think themselves very good Saints and in a very fair way for heaven and that no man can say Black is their eye when their hearts are as full of evil thoughts and secret lusts as Ignorance Atheism unbelief pride envy discontent anger formality hypocrisy indifferency lukewarmness deadness and hardness c. as the Sun is full of light or as Hell is full of darkness Restraining grace common grace only makes head against gross enormities against palpable vanities as you may see in the Scribes and Pharises but saving grace makes head against heart-sins against spiritual sins Common grace is all for washing the outside but Saving grace is for washing the inside as well as the outside Common grace is only for washing the feet and the head but Saving grace is for washing both feet head and heart Look as in a dark night we can only see those stars that are of the greatest magnitude Matth. 23. John 13.9 10. so by the star-light of natural Conscience the natural man can only see those sins that are more great and gross Natural convictions can reach no further than natural light but spiritual convictions reach to the most inward secret spiritual and undiscernable sins Certainly that is a sincere heart a heart more worth than gold that smites a man for inward sins as well as for outward sins for sins done in a corner as well as for sins acted upon the house top for spiritual sins as well as for fleshly sins for sins against the Soul as well as for sins against the body for sins committed in a Closet as well as for sins committed on the most publick Stage Certainly that trouble and grief that springs from heart-sins from spiritual sins from secret sins bears a more immediate relation to the holiness of God who only observes them and is offended by them and so is a most sure and infallible evidence of saving Grace and of the work of the spirit in power upon the Soul When open commissions do humble and abase the heart and secret inclinations to sin do even break and burst the heart asunder then the heart is certainly sincere with God A Christian will readily grant that his God is a good God and that Jesus Christ is the chiefest of ten thousand and that the Gospel is a glorious Gospel and that the Promises are precious Promises and that the Ordinances are blessed Ordinances and that the lively communion of Saints is the Sweetest communion in all the world But yet he will say I have such a proud heart such a hard heart such a flight heart such a carnal heart c. and I am so vexed and molested with sinful motions and with sinful imaginations and with sinful inclinations and with Atheistical risings and with private murmurings and with secret unbelievings and that in despite of all my conflictings and strivings and prayings and mournings and sighings and groanings and complainings that I am oftentimes even weary of my life And if this does not speak out Christ within and grace within and the Spirit within such a Soul I know nothing O friends remember this once for all viz. That the main Battle the main warfare of a Christian lyes not in the open field it lyes not in visible skirmishes but his main quarrels and conflicts are most within and his worst and greatest enemies are them of his own house they are them of his own heart A little grace at first conversion may reform an ill life but it must be a great deal of grace that must reform an ill heart A little grace may make a man victorious over outward gross sins but it must be a great deal of grace that must make a man victorious over inward sins secret sins spiritual sins heart-sins yea a through conquest of these sins will hold a man play all his dayes But Sixthly He that abstains from sin he whose heart rises against sin he that sets himself against sin because of the evil nature of sin 2 Cor. 7.1 I have read of the Ermin that she will rather dye than be got into the dirt to defile her beautiful skin And rather than Joseph will defile his beautiful soul by defiling his Masters bed he will to a dirty Dungeon He had rather that the Irons should enter into his Soul Psal 105.18 than that sin should enter into his Conscience He had rather that his chains should eat into his flesh than that sin should pollute his soul Isa 59.1 2. Amos 3.6 Acts 5.39 because of that vileness and filthiness that is in sin he certainly has a principle of Grace a seed of God in him He who refrains from sin and whose heart rises more against sin because of the purity of the Law which forbids sin then because of the severity of the Law which condemns sin is certainly under the power of renewing Grace of saving Grace Psal 119.140 Thy word is very pure therefore thy servant loveth it 't is only pure Grace that can inable a man to love the Word for its purity The Apostle to set forth the formidable evil that is in sin expresses it thus Rom. 7.13 That sin might appear to be sin He could find nothing more evil and odious to express it by than it self Sin is so great an evil that it cannot have a worse Epithet given it Paul can call it no worse than by its own name sinful sin Had the Apostle said that sin might appear to be a snare a Serpent a Viper a Toad a Plague a Devil a Hell c. he had said much but yet not enough to set forth the transcendent evil that is in sin and therefore he calls it sinful sin All other evils are but outward they only reach the name the body the estate the life but sin is an inward evil a spiritual evil an evil that reaches the precious and immortal Soul and therefore is the greatest evil Death puts an end to all other troubles viz. poverty sickness disgrace scorn contempt crosses losses c. but sin is so great an evil that death it self cannot put an end to it Eternity it self shall never put a stop a period to this evil of evils All outward evils can never make a man the subject of Gods
should make it our great business and work to come up to them and to imitate them to the life O friends the examples last cited should be very awakening very perswading very convincing and very encouraging because in them you may see that though abstinence from the appearance of evil be a difficult thing yet 't is a possible thing Shall we love to look upon the Pictures of our friends and shall we not much more love to look upon the holy examples of those eminent Saints that had the lively picture of Grace and the lovely Image of Christ fairly stampt upon their hearts and lives 'T is both our Mercy and our duty to eye the examples and to follow the footsteps of those Christians that have been most eminent in Grace as you may plainly see by comparing of these Scriptures together Prov. 2.20 Heb. 6.12 1 Thes 1.6 Phil. 4.9 2 Tim. 3.10 11 12. Heb. 12.1 Phil. 3.17 1 Cor. 11.1 Titus 2.7 He that would fain write a fair hand had need have his eye often upon his Copy and he that would fain abstain from all appearance of evil he had need often to eye the gracious examples of such who have made Conscience of abstaining from appearing evils as well as from apparent evils But Eighthly and lastly Consider what some refined Heathens and civilized Pagans have done in this very case There are stories of Heathens that would not look upon excellent Beauties lest they should be ensnared Dâ—mocritâ—â— pluckt out his own eyes to avoid the danger of uncleanness Socrates speaketh of two young men that flang away their Belts when being in an Idol-Temple the lustrating water fell upon them detesting saith the Historian the garment spotted by the Flesh Alexander would not see the woman after whom he might have lusted Scipio Africanus warring in Spain took New Carthage by storm Aure victor at which time a beautiful and noble Virgin fled to him for succour to preserve her Chastity he being four and twenty years old and so in the heat of youth hearing of it would not suffer her to come into his sight for fear of a temptation but caused her to be restored in safety to her Father So when Demâ—sthenes the Oratour was asked an excessive sum of money to behold the beautiful Lais he answered He would not buy repentance so dear neither was he so ill a Merchant as to sell eternals for temporals Nor Caesar would not search Pompeyes Cabinet lest he should find new matters of revenge Memorable is the story of the children of Samosâ—ta that would not touch their Ball but burnt it because it had touched the Toe of a wicked Heretical Bishop as they were tossing and playing with it Now shall some refined Heathens shall civilized Pagans abstain from the appearance of evil from occasions and temptations to sin and shall real Christians fall short of them Shall blind nature do more than Grace Shall men fallen in the first Adam do more than those that are raised and enlivened by the second Adam But to prevent all mistakes let me add though many Heathens have abstained from the appearance of some evil yet they have not abstained from the appearance of all evil neither have they abstained from the appearance of any evil out of a hatred of evil nor from any principles of saving light or life or love nor out of any regard to any Royal Law of God nor out of any regard to the honour or glory of God but either out of vain-glory and popular applause the Pole-stars by which they steered all their actions or out of Hypocrisy which set a tincture and Dy upon all their actions what Writer hath more golden Sentences than Seneca against the contempt of Gold yet if Tacitus and others of his contemporaries may be credited none more rich none more covetous than he as if out of design he had perswaded others to cast away their money that he himself might come and gather it up again c. And thus you see that there are very great reasons why every Christian should avoid the very shew suspition or appearance of evil c. But Eleventhly and lastly He that sets himself resolutely mostly habitually against his bosome sins his constitution sins Psal 18.26 his most prevalent sins c. he has certainly a saving work a powerful work of God upon his Soul True Grace will make a man stand stoutly and stedfastly on Gods side and work the heart to take part with him against the most darling sins though they be as right hands or as right eyes True Grace will lay hands upon a mans most beloved lusts and cry out to Heaven Lord Crucify them Crucify them down with them down with them even to the ground Lord do Justice do signal Justice do speedy Justice do exemplary Justice upon this Head-lust this Master-sin Lord hew down root and branch let the very stumps of this Dagon be broken all in pieces Lord curse this wild Fig-Tree that never more Fruit may grow thereon Certainly God and Christ is set up highest in that mans heart who bends most of his thoughts strength and endeavours against his constitution sins against the sins of his Place Calling condition and complexion 'T is very observable that the Jews after they had been in the Babilonish Furnace for Idolatry they ever hated and feared that sin as much as the burnt child dreads the Fire yea they would dye any death rather than admit an Idol Josephus tells us how stoutly they opposed Pilate and Petronius that would have set up Caesars Statue in their Temples offering their throats to the Swords of the Souldiers rather than they would endure that Idol in Gods house O when once the heart of a Christian comes thus to be set against all his Golden and Silver Idols then we may safely say Behold a true Israelite in whom there is no guile He that finds his lusts his bosome his darling lusts begin to fall before him 〈◊〉 6 1â— as Hâ—mâ—â— once begun to fall before Morâ—eoai he may safely and confidently conclude that he is of the seed of the Jews and that the seed of God abideth in him 1 John 3.9 But having discoursed so largely as I have concerning bosome sins darlâ—ng lusts head-corruptions in my other writings I need say no more at this time And thus you see that there are Eleven particulars in regard of sin and a Christians actâ—ngs about it that speaks out a true saving work of Grace to be in the Souls of the Saints But c. Secondly Where the constant ordinary standing and abiding purpose disposition frame and general bent of a mans heart soul spirit desires and endeavours are fixed and set for God for Grace for Holiness in heart and life there is a most sure and infallible work of God past upon that mans soul the constant bent and the setled purpose of a true child of God is for God for Grace for Holiness in heart
Statutes alway even to the end Ver. 33. Teach me O Lord the way of thy Statutes and I shall keep it unto the end Job 17.9 The righteous shall hold on his way and he that hath clean hands shall be stronger and stronger So Isa 40.29 30 31. Job 2.3 Mark the renewed man hath at all times a desire to fear the name of the Lord Neh. 1.11 A will to live honestly at all times Heb. 13.18 And it hath some endeavours and exercise of Spirit to keep always a conscience void of offence towards God and men Acts 24.16 The Israelites in their marches toward the holy Land were many times interrupted by divers enemies but yet they advanced in their course as soon as they could get rid of their enemies So though the believer be many times interrupted in the course of his obedience by many fierce temptations and strange working of corruptions yet after the temptation is over the believer returns to the course of obediencâ— with greater forwardness 2 Cor. 7.1 and with redoubled strength and courage and in the end perfects his course of holiness in the fear of the Lord. Mark the appearing motion and walking of an unregenerate man in a way of righteousness and holiness is but artificial from the engine of hypocrisie and self-interest like the flying of Arâ—hitus his artificial Dove and therefore having no inward principle of life it enâ—â—â—eth not but the motion and walking of a man renewed by grace in wayes of holiness and righteousness is like the natural living motion of birds it continues as long as life continues and as every thing in motion the nearer it comes to the center the more swiftly it moves So the nearer the believer through time to his rest in heaven the more propense he is in all his motions towards God he forge is the things that are behind and reacheth forth unto those things that are before Phil. 3.13 That obedience that springs from faith is a fixed and resolved obedience like Davids worthies it will break through an host of Philistines through an Army of difficulties impediments and discouragements that it may be found doing the will of God To make this a little more clearly and fully out observe with me these few things First No contrary commands of men shall take this man off from his obedience to the commands of God Acts 4.19 Chap. 5.29 c. Secondly No stream of evil examples no current of corrupt times shall bear them down in wayes of obedience Josh 24.15 I and my houshold will serve the Lord though all Israel should serve Idols And Noah was upright with God and walked with God in his generation when the whole world was overspread with violence and all flesh had corrupted their wayes Gen. 6.9 Chap. 7.1 Thirdly No worldly profit or advantage shall bribe this man from his obedience Heb. 11.8 Abraham will obey and follow God though he forsakes all the benefits and contentments of his native Countrey and of his Father's house not knowing where his lot should fall c. Fourthly No carnal disputes or reasonings with flesh and bloud shall disswade him from his obedience Heb. 11.7 Noah might have raised many objections against that strange attempt of building an Ark a work of an hundred and twenty years continuance but Noah waves all disputes and falls upon building of the Ark according to the command of God So Paul as soon as he was converted he was commanded by God to preach to the Gentiles he might have made abundance of objections against that service but instead of objecting he falls closs to his Master's work and never consults with flesh and bloud Gal. 1.15 16 17. Fifthly No floud of natural affection shall hinder them in the way of their obedience When God commanded Abraham to offer up Isaac as a Burnt-Offering he goes about it readily and never acquaints Sarah with it lest she should have hindered him in his obedience and he goes three dayes journey to effect it Gen. 22. compared with Heb. 11.17 18 19. When God commands Abraham will not stick at it though it be to offer up a Son a natural Son and not an adopted son an only Son and not one of many a Son of the Free-woman and not of the Bond-woman a Son of his old age a Son of the Promise a Son in whom all the Nations of the earth should be blessed a Son of his love and delight a Son that made the good old man laugh and be merry Isaac signifies laughter a Son that was grown up to some years witness the Wood of the Burnt offering that he laid upon him Gen. 22.6 7. And this was the commendation of Levi By Urim and Thummim some understand sincerity of life and soundness of doctrine Deut. 33.8 9. And of Levi he said let thy Thummim and thy Urim be with thy holy one Urim and Thummim signify light and perfection according to their best derivation in the Hebrew tongue and they are here put in the plural number lights and perfections to note the plenty as well as the excellency of divine Graces whom thou didst prove at Massah and with whom thou didst strive at the waters of Meribah Who said unto his Father and to his Mother I have not seen him neither did he acknowledg his Brethren nor knew his own children This relates to that Heroical fact of the Levites Exod. 32.26.29 when at the commandment of Moses they slew their Idolatrous Brethren that had Worshipped the Golden Calf not sparing those that were most nearest allyed to them but did execute Gods Judgments upon Parents Brethren and Children as if they had been meer strangers to them the Levites were so impartial in Gods cause as not to acknowledg either Father or Mother Brother or Children against his Command Natural affections are strong but supernatural obedience is stronger Some have well observed that the Married Martyrs who were Parents of many children as Rogers Watts Guest Rawlins c. suffered with most alacrity Sixthly No terrors no threats no reproaches no afflâ—ctions no oppositions no persecutions no bonds no banishments no dangers no deaths shall deter them or affright them from their obedience as will evidently appear by comparing of these Scriptures together Psal 44.16 to 21. Acts 20.23 24. Acts 21.12 13. and chap. 24.14 Dan. 3.14 19. Rev. 12.11 This is most evident in the Histories of the ten Persecutions and in all other Histories both of a former and a later date c. Physicians observe a difference 'twixt the natural and preter-natural heat in mens bodies the preter-natural heat which ariseth from distemper may be more for the present but as it exceeds for measure so it abates for time because the natural heat is a more equal and moderate and durable heat every part hath an equal share and it is not extream and yet it continues Thus it is with Hypocrites and upright persons in the matter of obedience The hypocrite may in a
say I hate every false way but a sincere Christian he hates all sinful wayes but his own first and most 1 Kings 5.18 an upright heart leaves no nest-egg for Satan to sit on but the hypocrite alwayes does Mark in true hatred there are six things observable First True hatred includes an extream detestation every dislike is not hatred but true hatred is an extream loathing Thou shalt cast them away as a menstrous cloth Isa 30.22 thou shalt say unto it Get thee hence Chap. 2.20 In that day a man shall cast his idols of silver and his idols of gold which they made each one for himself to worship to the Moles and to the Bats Their detestation should be so great that they should cast their most costly idols of silver and gold into the most dark nasty dusty corners to testifie the sincerity of their conversion to God they should hate and abhor abandon and abolish their gold and silver idols which they valued above all others Secondly True hatred includes an earnest separation He that hates his sin would fain be separated from his sin 2 Cor. 5.4 For we that are in this tabernacle do groan being burdened A sincere Christian finds no burden to lay so heavy and weighty upon his spirit as sin and therefore he groans to be delivered from it In the Law Deut. 24.3 he that hated his Wife did sue out a bill of divorce from her He that truly hates sin puts in many a bill into the Court of Heaven that he may be for ever divorced from his sin Thirdly True hatred includes an irreconcilable alienation He that hates sin has his heart for ever alienated from sin he who hates sin can never be one with sin Two angry men may be made friends Lawyers often fall out at the Bar but are very well agreed when they meet at the Tavern but if two men hate each other all friendship is everlastingly broken betwixt them A man may be angry with sin and yet made friends with sin again but if once he comes to hate his sin then all friendship with sin is everlastingly broken When Christ and the soul comes to be really one then sin and the soul comes to be everlastingly two c. Fourthly True hatred includes a constant and perpetual conflict the flesh will be still lusting against the spirit and the spirit against the flesh Gal. 5.17 Rom. 7.22 23. Though sin and grace were not born together and though sin and grace shall never die together yet whilst a believer lives in this world they must live together and whilst sin and grace do cohabit together they will still be opposing and conflicting one with another That man that truly hates sin will everlastingly conflict with sin he will die fighting against his sins as one of the Dukes of Venice died fighting against his enemies with his weapons in his hand Well Christians remember this Though to be kept from sin brings most peace and comfort to us yet for us to oppose sin and for God to pardon sin that brings most glory to God 2 Cor. 12.7 8 9. Fifthly True hatred includes a deadly intention and destruction for nothing satisfies hatred but death and ruin Saul hated David 1 Sam. 26.19 20. 1 Sam. 23.23 Est 5.14 and sought his life he hunted him up and down as a Partridge in the mountains he left no stone unturn'd nor no means unattempted whereby he might revenge himself upon David Haman hated Mordecai and nothing would satisfie him but to bring him to a shameful death to see him hang'd on a gallows fifty cubits high which was design'd saith Lyra to put Mordecai to the greater shame for he hanging hâ—gh every one might see him and point to him Now when there was but one night betwixt Mordecai and a shameful death divine providence opportunely strook in and saved hâ—m from Haman's malice and caused the mischief which he had plotted against Mordecai suddenly to fall upon his own pate for he who was highly feasted with the King one day 2 Sam. 13.22 28 29 30 31 32 33. was made a feast for crows the next day Absalom hated Amnon and killed him Julian the Apostate hated the Christians with a deadly hatred he put many thousands of them to death and threatned and vowed that at his return from fighting against the Persians he would put all the Christians in his Empire to the sword but God prevented him by cutting him off in that expedition A Christian that hates sin can't be satisfied but in the death and destruction of it in all his duties the language of his soul is Lord let my sins be destroyed whoever escapes let not my sins escape the hand of thy revenging justice And in all Ordinances the language of his soul is O Lord when shall my sins be subdued and mortified when shall my cursed corruptions be brought to an under yea when shall they all be drowned in the Red-Sea of my Saviours bloud c. Sixthly True hatred includes an impartial aversation true hatred is of the whole kind but of this before To wind up all ask thy heart what is it that thou abhorrest as the superlative evil what is that which thou wouldst have separated as far from thee as heaven is from hell what is that thy heart will never renew league or friendship with any more what is that against which thy soul doth rise and with which as Israel with Amalek thou wilt have war for ever Exod. 17.16 what is that which thou wilt be avenged of and daily dost endeavour the mortifying and crucifying of what is that which thou settest thy heart against in the comprehensive latitude thereof whether great or little open or secret if it be sin if it be thy sins if it be all thy sins then assuredly here is a true hatred of sin and assuredly here is a most distinguishing character of a child of God of a sound conversion and of a saving change It was not wont to be thus with thee nor is this findable in any hypocrite Judg. 14.3 7. or in any unconverted person upon the face of the earth 2 Sam. 13.15 sin was once to thee as Dalilah to Sampson but now it is to thee as Tamar to Amnon Job 20.12 13. once it was a sweet morsel which thou heldst fast and wouldst not let it go Isa 30.22 but now it is the menstruous cloth which thou castest away Hos 14.8 saying Get thee hence Now with Ephraim thou cryest out What have I to do any more with Idols O if it be indeed thus with thee then thou hast cause for ever to be much in blessing and in admiring of the Lord for his distinguishing grace and favour towards thee O Sirs the world is full of baits snares and temptations but whilst the hatred of sin burns in your breasts you may cast up your caps and throw the Gantlet to the