garrifon, where the evil one works in the children of difobedience. For flight thoughts of natural corruption, and of our Saviour's redemption, ufe to go together. But let me grieve for the caufe of all griefs; and fee enough, to take down the plumes of my pride; when, the Lord knows, there is no health, no good in me. And let me come unto Christ Jefus, as beggared and undone; from the corruption of my first birth, concluding the neceffity of my fecond: and in fuch a woful condition, the more longing to fee the joy of his falvation, and then, however ftill I am pestered with remaining corruption, yet unto me, found in Chrift Jefus, there fhall be no condemnation; but as Pharoah was drowned in the Red Sea, fo fhall this troubler of Ifrael be overwhelmed and loft, in the blood of my Redeemer. And I fhall be no lefs complete in Chrift, than I was ruinous in Adam; yea, though undone without him, yet believing in him, fhall not perifh, but have everlasting life.

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"HOU knoweft, O LORD, that I am not only come out of the loins of finners, but "have trode in the fteps of my finful progeni"tors, perfifting in the guilt and keeping up the "rebellion of my firft parents. So that thou "mighteft jufily impute their evil to me, because "of my participation in the fame corruption, "which I ftill carry in me, and which has all overfpread me, and thews its fad effects, even in every part and faculty of me. O how am I degrad"ed from the dignity, wherein I was created? how "low has fin laid me! O may I lay myself as low, "in the humbling of my foul for my fins. fins. And

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"what

"what I have loft in Adam, O God of all grace, "repair to me, I befeech thee, in thy dear Son, my "bleffed Lord Redeemer. Amen."

Tth

MEDITATION LXII.

Of reigning fin.

O have fin dwelling in them, even as long as they dwell here in the flefh, is the fad portion · even of all God's children, during their prefent abode in this world. And who can fay, without adding to his fin, That he is free from it? but to have fin reign over them, and make slaves of them; to keep them at its beck, and under its power; these are the spots of fuch children as belong to another father, the devil's captives and vaffals, whom he has at command, to go and come, do this or that, at his pleasure. Worldly and fleshly lufts are the edicts of fin's empire, by which the ufurper tyrannizes over the children of difobedience, and carries it, even as a king, without check or controul; and not only, to keep them in bondage, but (as willing fubjects) to chufe and love the flavery, and yield up themselves, for fin to rule over them, and be a law to them, and bind them in the fetters which they do not reluctate against, but even fo would have it. Whereas the godly man, though preft with ftrong temptations, and overpowered fometimes with finful corruptions, yet has ftill a principle in him, that will never fuffer him to turn on fin's fide, nor to take its part. But whenever he is fold under it, or captivated by it, yet will he not fell himself to work it, nor like fo to have it. No,

his

his deliberate judgment will never vote for it, nor confent to it. But wicked men do follow it with all the defire of their fouls, and a full propenfity of their wills, even as the river runs fluently down its own channel. They are impetuoufly fet upon it, and fubmit their members to drudge for it, and their projects and ftudies are bufied, to fulfil the lufts of it. Yea, never do they count themselves easier in their life, than when fo employed in the fervice of fin. It is their element, and all their pa radife, there to roll and wallow. So that inftead of refifting the evil motions (as Chrift's faithful foldiers and fervants) they embrace them with both . hands; and the tempter can no fafter throw his baits before them, but they are as ready to catch up and swallow them. Let fin bear fway, and domineer never fo much, they have neither feeling of it, nor remorse for it; but, where it rules inoft, it is perceived leaft: they are insensible of the thraldom, and fearless of the danger: the gates being thrown open, and the walls battered down, the town then lies expofed for the enemies to make what havock they lift. They are as much in fervitude under the devil, even as any poor wretches under the Turks and Moors. And O how much worse, to lie at the mercy of hell's jailor, and to have fuch a damned creature for their lord and mafter? whofe commands are numerous, without any end; and rigorous, against all reafon, to grind in his mill, and carry his burdens, and toil in his service; yet get nothing by it but confounded faces and broken bones, and fhameful difappointments, and terrified confciences, and the most bitter after-chewings, to provoke God, and lose heaven, and make themfelves hell's pri foners, obliged to the damnation everlasting. All this notwithstanding, they labour, and moil on; and when the Son of GOD would fet them free, they have no mind to it; but rather make head VOL. I.

Pp

and

and refiftance against him, that would bind the ftrong man and caft him out; and where they might have liberty and recovery, will not accept the offered deliverance and falvation. Because the devil humours them, and fawns upon them; and will not play the roaring lion with them, where he thinks himself fure of them.

O my foul, fee here, how idle is the finner's evafion, who thinks to bring himself off at the very worst, by hiding in the crowd, and crying, All are finners, and fo am I. As if there were no diftinction to be made between finners and finners; between the obftinate, hardened, enflaved, and resolved finners; and the penitent, returning, believing, and tender-hearted finners; when, God knows, the difference is as vafl and wide, even as between heaven and hell. And fome finners fhall hear, Come ye bleffed; and other finners fhall hear, Depart ye curfed. The one fort fhall be pardoned, and live in eternal glory; the other fort fhall be condemned, and perifh everlaftingly. And that, because they went on in their trefpaffes carelessly and wickedly, without repentance; and chofe rather to be the fervants of fin, than the Lord's freemen.

And here, my foul, who but the great Saviour, can be a mighty Deliverer? only he that has all power in heaven and earth, and is able to fubdue all things to himself, can caft fin out of the throne, and bruife Satan under our feet. But yet (in my fphere) I must move and act, under my Lord. And I have my province to attend, and my work to do; to keep off the encroachments of fin, to fupprefs vicious inclination, and mortify the deeds of the body. For if here I fleep, the enemies tares will grow up, to top the corn. And if I get not ground of fin, fin will be getting ground of me. As long as I willingly fuffer it to prevail, and do nothing that I could, to hinder its advance; I fhall not then

fee

fee the face of God, with any peace; I fhall not carry on the affairs of my foul, with any good fuccefs. But my inadvertence, and neglect to keep my heart, and make opposition, will lay me open, for an easy prey to the enemy. And O how fhall I ftand; if I do not what is in my power, to cut off the occafions of falling? and get out of the way of fuch temptations, as I find myself unable to deal with; and fortify my refolutions against the folicitations, by which I have been deluded, and betrayed into guilt, and shame, and dread, and fad remorse ? yet muft I not fo depend upon any of my own atchievements, as to presume I can do all of myself for my own defence, but go forth in the ftrength of my Lord, and make my moan to him, and believe the fufficiency to fecure me that is in him, and expect my relief from him, and negotiate with him, and cry to him, and call upon him, who is greater than he that is in the world, and mightier than the moft powerful corruptions in myfelf, that I may thus prevail, and obtain of him, who is almighty, to break the force which is too hard for me. That albeit I ftill carry about me the body of this death, yet fin may not reign in my mortal body, nor any iniquity have dominion over me; but that fo free I may be made from fin as to become the fervant of righteousness, the Lord's free man; and fuch a fervant of his, as fhall also be his dear child, pleasing to my God through Jefus Chrift.

LORD! how often have my fins been too hard for me? how great a part have they yet in me? and how predominant ftill are they "over me? great are the enemies of my foul, and too ftrong for me to deal with; but thor, O66 great