If I do a Good Work, 'the Sin, that I ftand guilty of, makes the Comfort I take in it, or in other commendations of it, Infipid and Empty: my Heart tells me there is a Sin in my Confcience, that makes me afhamed to own the Good that is in the Action.

If I fee a fault in another, that my place or Condition requires me to reprove, the fenfe of my own Guilt makes me either backward to Reprove, or Condemn my felf, while I am Reproving another, with fuch thoughts as thefe: I am Reproving a Sin in another, where Ift and as Guilty in the fight of God as the perfon reprehended: if he knew my Sin, how justly might be throw my Reprehenfion into my oun face; and if he know it not, yet the God of Heaven, before whom I ftand, and the Confcience which I bear within me, makes my Reprehenfion of another, a Condemnation of my self. If I go about any Action of my life, though never fo Honeft, Juft, and Lawful, yet my mifgiving thoughts make me either unactive in it, or fill me with pre-apprehenfions of mischief or disappointment in it; how can I expect a bleffing from God, whom I have offended, in any bufinefs I undertake? I carry along with me in all I do, the Curfe that the Lord threatned, Deut. 28. 20. The Lord, fhall fend upon thee Curfing, Vexation, and Rebuke in all that thou fetteft thy hands unto. And verfe 29. Thou shalt not profper in thy ways. And verfe 34. So that thou shalt be mad for the fight of thine eyes which thou shalt fee. And verfe 67. In the Morning thou shalt fay, Would God it were Evening; and at the Evening thou shalt fay, Would God it were Morning, for the fear of thine Heart wherein thou shalt fear, and for the fight of thine Eyes which thou shalt fee.

And certainly all this grows from the Incongruity and Diffonancy that is between fin, and the true right conftitution of the Nature of Man, that is thereby made unufeful for his proper Operations; just as a fore, or a bone out of Joynt difables the proper ferviceableness of a Limb; or, as a noxious humour diforders the Stomach, Liver, or Spleen, in its proper Office; or, as a Disease, or ill dif pofition of the Body makes it unferviceable to its proper Actions; fo do the Sins, and Defilements, and Guilt,

the

the result of it upon the Soul, difable it in its Works and Offices: and this is the evidence of it; Every thing is then in its right Conftitution when it is in that ftate that the Wife God of Nature ordered it; and fo far as it declines from that position or ftate, fo far forth it lofeth its Ufefulness and proper Happiness; and therefore it is confequently evident, that every thing that lofeth its Ufefulness and Happiness, is out of that Conftitution that God Almighty meant for it; and therefore, in as much as apparently all Sin doth introduce Disorder and Irregularity, it is plain that Mankind thereby is in another condition than God at first made him, and intended he fhould be in.

Hence therefore it is apparent, That all Sin is against Nature, and a Violation and Breach even of the Law and Order of Nature; which is nothing elfe but the Station, Course, and Frame, that God with moft Admirable Wif dom and Goodness framed for Man. Man ftands in a double fubordination: 1. A Subordination within himself, viz. Of the Faculties inferior to the Superior; And 2. A Subordination to fomething without himself, viz. To the Will of his Creator, which though it seems extrinfecal, yet in truth it is effential and neceffary.

The Internal Subordination is of the inferior parts and faculties to the fuperior, viz. The Senfual Appetite and Paffions to Reafon and to Judgment. God hath committed the Body of Man, and thofe Faculties that are fubfervient to it, unto the Government of the Light of Judgment and Understanding that he hath put into the Soul and because, as it is moft Juft that the Soul and its Superior Faculties fhould be fubordinate to the Will and Direction of God, fo the Soul ftands in need of that Direction in order to the Government of his little Province committed to him; and therefore, as it happens in Government, when the People break the Subordination to the Intermediate Magiftrates, or the Intermediate Magiftrates break the Subordination to the Supreme, presently there enfues Disorder, and Mischief, and Confufion : fo when the Body, or thofe Faculties that are exercised in

order

order to it, as the natural Lufts and Inclinations of the Body, or thofe that refult much from it; as the Paffions. prevail upon the Judgment or Reafon, either by their Violence, or want of due Vigilance and Severity in the Soul in its Administration; or if the Reafon and Judgment do neglect or cross the Commands of God, or make not ufe of the Divine Directions to affift and guide her in her Administration, this is Sin, and prefently brings Confufion, and Disorder, and Difcompofure in the whole Man, and makes it unferviceable for the Ends to which it was ordained.

1.

Go

Of SELF. DENIAL.

NOD Almighty hath fubftituted the Soul of Man as his Deputy or Vicegerent in that Province which is committed to him, and expects an Account from the Soul at his return, or fooner, how he hath managed that Province or petty Dominion committed to him.

2. The Province, or Territory committed to the management of the Soul, are his Body, and thofe Affections and Inclinations incident to it; and the Place, Condition, Relation, Abilities, and Opportunities put into his hand by Providence and Divine Difpenfation, together with that Body in this World.

3. The end of this Subftitution of the Soul in this Province is, Firft the Improvement of the Revenue of this Principle, viz. The Glory of his Name. Secondly, The improvement of the perfection and advantage of the Soul, the perfecting of the Soul thereby in a Conformity to his Master's will, and fitting of it self and the Body with it for a more noble and divine Condition and Imploy

ment.

4. The Breach of that Tuft committed to the Soul, confifts either in the want of that due Improvement of the

Province

Province committed to the Soul's Vicegerency, according to the Advantages that it hath; (which is the Cafe of the unprofitable Servant, that did not mif-imploy his Talent, but did not improve it to his Mafter's Advantage :) or, which is worse, Mif-government and Mif-imployment of the Province committed to its Charge, to the disadvantage of the Soveraign, and it self.

5. The Mif-government of our Province confifts principally in one of thefe particulars: viz. Either in the Original and Primary Defection of the Soul it self in its Commands and Proceedings, whereby it Studieth, Practifeth, and Commands Originally and Primarily against its Principal; and this is Devilish: or, Secondly, in the want of Exercife in a due Superintendency over its Province, whereby the Subjects, which fhould be under its Rule and Superintendency, are not kept in their due Subjection neither to the Vicegerent nor to the Soveraign; but rebel, and by their Rebellion either wholly caft off their Vicegerent and Soveraign together, or by degrees draw over the Vicegerent or Deputy to their Defection.

6. The great Engines of this Defection are the Corrupt Inclinations of the fenfual Appetite, Lufts and Paffions of the Body, and especially those which are the great Favourites, and moft powerful in respect of their Congruity to the Natural Inclinations and Temper, or rather Diftemper of the Body; or thofe Temptations which the World offers, efpecially fuch as are most incident to the Place, Station, Relation, or Condition wherein we stand in the World. The former come under the name of the Lufts of the Flesh: the latter under the name of the Lufts of the Eye, and Pride of Life.

7. Thofe Lufts and Temptations are the inftruments in the hand of Satan, either by Sollicitation to corrupt, or by Power to oppose the Vicegerency of the Soul under God, and to bring it over by Allurements or Force, to a Defection from him, and in both ways fight against the Soveraignty of God, and confequently his Glory; and against the Perfection of the Soul, and confequently its Happiness.

8. Thofe

8. Thofe Lufts are of greatest Power, that have the great eft dearness to the Body, either in refpect of Age, Complexion, Inclination, Condition, or Station; and therefore of greatest Danger to the Soul, and fight against it with greatest Advantage: In a young Man, or a strong fanguine Complexion, Luxury, Wantonnefs and Uncleannefs are most ordinarily moft prevalent; In an old, or Melancholy Man, Covetoufnefs; In a middle Aged or Cholerick Man, Anger, Ambition, Violence; In a Rich or Powerful Man, Oppreffion, Difdain, Pride; In a Poor Man, Difcontent, Rapine. And there is scarce any Man, but hath fome Beloved Luft or Sin, that he will be content to fell all the reft of his Lufts for the enjoyment of that: Tempt him to a Luft not suitable to his Complexion, Age or Condition, he will eafily reject it; but if it be a Luft fuitable to his Age, Complexion, or Condition, he will hardly, or with difficulty enough refuse it.

9. As every Luft fuitable to our Age, Complexion, or Condition, is of greatest Power, and confequently of greatest Danger; fo every fuch Luft once entertained in Practice, becomes of greater Strength, and confequently of greater Danger than before; and this upon a double Reafon Firft, Because the Soul is made the weaker, and more emafculated by the reception and entertainment of a Luft: then it is like amiffa pudicitia, which is the likelier to make a Prostitute: Senfe of Reputation is a great matter to keep Innocence, but a loft Reputation makes way for a further degree of Guilt. Again, the Soul by admittance and entertainment of Luft, gains a kind of Intimacy and Dearnefs with the Luft, and admits it with lefs difficulty a fecond time, because it is. now become an acquaintance. And laftly, Every Sin causeth a withdrawing of Divine Affiftance from the Soul, and an eftranging of the Soul from it, a kind of fhameful abfenting of the Soul from God; and so as it lofeth its ftrength, it lofeth its confidence of addrefs for it; which every Man's Experience will tell him. Secondly, On the part of Luft, it is made more bold, and Z

confident,