required, we cannot repent, we cannot turn our felves, why should we be charged to perform impellibs litics. Anfu. To be exact and (pecial in profecuting this point, would take more pains and time than ei ther my conveniencie or the defign of this Treatife will allow however seeing some are very injurious both to God and themfelves by fuch unadviled kind afarguings, loffer thefe few Confiderations for the clearing of fuch. 1. Confid. I grant indeed it is a fad truth, that we labour under a lamentable impotencie with respect to fpiritual actions, fo that we cannot repent, we cannot convert our felves, but alas whom have we to blame for cur cannot ? none but our own wofull will not for God gave us a fufficient power & faculty both to will & to do everie commanded dutie in a compleat compliance with the revealed divine will, but our unhappie primitive Parents through the hangab enefs of their will) abandoned their own abilitie of willing or doing good for ever, upon which there followed a curfed impotencie.unavoid ably bereditarie to his mifer able race, who go fhaters with him in the unhappiness of his apoftacie, as they would have done in the felicicie of his perfeverance be bad continued innocent; the Holy Covenant of God being conceived and agreed upon in fuch Terms and Conditions: Now God having iffued at command of doing good and in his goodness given power to obey the command, our d·lapidation of this power, or wilfull degeneracie into a contrare mpotencie, neither nullifi Gods right of requir It P, nor our obligation of giving obedience to the moral command of doing good & keeping from evil pers petually. So that our now impotency to every good work will be no apologie or plea for impunitie, fee ing we have contracted it our felves. The whieb may illuftrate from the fuppofition of a Debitor giv ing Bond to his Creditor for a certain Sum; the Cre ditor looking upon the Debitor as folvendo, teft contented, expecting that on the term of payment he will be fatisfied, but affoon as the Debitor playe bankrupt, and becomes utterly unable to pay hi debt, this inability does not cancell his Bond, no makes void the Creditors right of a legal parfait for payment to the atmoff farthing, tho he finds himfel wrong cloffed, inflead of a poss ssional jus in re, find ing nothing but a paper jus adrem, 3 Confid Tho' thou cannot accomplish a wer of repentance in thy own vertae, yet if thou do not make serious effays (with dependance on God help to do as far as thou canft, thou art mer blamable for thy will not, chan excufableforthy can not, fpecially taking along with thee the foregoin confideration. The which I clear thus, If a Fathe hould fay to his Son, take up this bag of money carry it home, if the farlie Son upon view of it on fhould fay, I cannor; but fays his Father try it Sirra if he refute to try, furely his difobedience is to b conftructed rather the product of a will not, than a cannot. 3. Confid. I fufpect your can hot is too much Acill.not, for I fear thou doft not so much as real can: doft thou not willingly and actually more, in and about other things, than about this chief affair, where there is an identity or lamenefs of the materiakty of the or operation in the one as well as in the other, the which materiality of the alt is in thy power equally as to both, You can go into your clofet and examine your count books, can you not retire to examine your life and converfation? your tongues can fold nimbly enough to curle and fwear, & can they not move to mutter one word of prayer before God? you can go to a Comedie, boule or Tavern, and fpend precious time in bebolding vas nities, in hearing idle difcourfes, or in tipling and drinking; and cannet thefe fame limbs carry you to the boule of God, cannot thefe fame eyes look into the Bible, cannot thefe farne ears have patience to hear a feasonable & ufefull Sermon and fo drink the fincere milk of the word: if a Friend or Relation dyes, you can fhed tears and be grieved, & can you not command one tear for all your Gins in a piece of bodily hazard, you can readily and lightly cry out God fave us, God help us, and can you not ferioufly fay the fame words in behalf of your fouls? this is very Arange! So that while you do not what you can, you are ever chargable with, you will not, John 5. 40; Jer. 5, alon 4.Confid. When Minifters in preaching have ebar ged you to repent &c. and confcience has urged the fame thing, have ye not fometimes argued after this fhifting manner, O there is time enough coming, when we fall fick ar grow old, then we will repent, and turn to God, which iolinuats a vain fancy that yecan repent when ye will, O but this bewrays found deceitratnefs of heart, that is ready to bear you in hand, one time you can repent, and another time you cannot repent; as may beft fuit your pres fent humors, & an fwer the delution of your heart, From all which it is too apparent, that there is more of will not nor canenos in your prețended complaint, 3. Condit. Ye moft take heavens Oath of Alledges ance, folemnlie engaging never again to lift up arms against the King of Heaven, as in times pał to your fhame and forrow you have done, relalve in the grace and help of the Lord, that ye will no further mike provision for the fefb to fulfill the lus thereof, which war again your fouls, and alfo against your God; you mut ticklike fwear Obeyfance to Gods Holy Lavs, and vow for the future to behave as becomes Loyal Chriftian- ubj&s; to be thore the import of this condition is Perfonal coven inting, whereby in counsel and choice, ye avouch the Lord to be your Gol, and avouch your felves to be his Subje&i and Servants, Ifa 44. 5. In order to the right ma. nagment of this work of Perfonal covenanting, fee our Treatife on this Subje&, fecond Edition 1701. 4.Condit, Ye muftb live that our Lord Jefus both can and will pardon all your iniquities there is no of ther way of Jutification before GOD but only through the Merits and Mediation of the Son of God, Mark 16 16. H: that believeth shall be sav'd but be that believ;th not shall be damned Jah, 3.16 Rəm, 3. 22. 24. Ifind no v it is time to qualifie & tence hat I have been faving with fome Cautions, Caution. I am afraid at the very heart least fome ve been hearing this fweet Duine may break break their necks upon it, either by healing their føres too foon and too flightly, fpeaking peace to themselves when the Lord hath not tpoken peace, or by prelamptuous encouraging themfelves to do evil; as alas too many felf-deceivers are ready thus to argue, blessed be God, I am not guilty of fo grofs impieties, as Lot, David, or Manach, therefore I traft in God I may come to heaven,when fuch grea ter finners than I are admitted there; but let me tell thee, O man, there be not a few frying in the lake this day, who have not committed by half fo manie grofs fins as thou, though it may be thou haft not tranfgreffed by half fo wickedlie, as Lot, David, or Manab; but thou doft not wifely to compare thy felt with the Saints only in their ill things, and fe to fwel with a conceit of thy felf because thou art not chargable with fuch immoralities, as even fome good men have been stained with, but thou shouldft allo conûder their repentance, their reformation & bol nefs, if thou matches them in thele excellencies; let me boldlie tell thee, O finner, forelie thou batt no part of their holiness, who wikullie takes part with them in their wickedness, yea and thereby thou but bardens thy felf from their repentance, without which thou fhals never share of their happiness, O how ready are our ill hearts rather to draw the patern of their impieties to imitation, than to follow the example of their vertues or fan&timonie, 2. Caut, Beware all ye healsbearted finners, that ye fnarch not at thefe precious Proffers & Promifes, which belong not to you,but are the Childrens bread prepared for the nourishment & the confolatio |