trary, they defpife the Riches of his Grace, and Forbearance, and, Long-fuffering, and continue obftinate in their evil Courses, and cease not to put Affronts upon the Holy Spirit of God; a Time will come, when this Holy Spirit will no longer stay with them, but He will return to his Place, and leave them to their own Hardnefs of Heart, and Impeni tency, to treafure up Wrath against the Day of Wrath, and the Revelation of the righteous Judgment of God.

It is true, that every Act of wilful Sin, and efpecially every Habit of fuch Sin, doth highly grieve the Spirit of God. But yet it is not for every fuch Act or Habit, that the Spirit doth ufually for fake Men. He still con tinues to knock at the Door of their Hearts, and to pursue them with his holy, Motions, fo long as there are any Hopes of gaining them to Repentance: But if Men be unperfuadable, and, instead of complying with God's Grace, and reforming their Ways, go on adding Sin to Sin, and growing more audacious and impudent in their Provocations, it is but juft with God to abandon fuch ungrateful Wretches, and totally to leave them to themfelves.

T

But it is to be hoped there are but very few, in comparison, among us, whom God hath thus forfaken. The greatest Part of Men, tho' they are far from being as good as they should, (nay, far from being as good as they must be, if ever they come to Heaven) D 4

yet

yet are not thus forfaken. The Spirit doth ftill ftrive with them; and, tho' he doth not dwell with them, (which he doth in none but holy and fanctify'd Perfons) yet he often affords them his Prefence, and offers them his Affiftance; he often puts good Thoughts into them, and gives them many Opportunities of refcuing themselves from the Slavery they are under: If they will make use of that Aflistance, and comply with thofe Motions, and improve those Opportunities as they may do, there is no Doubt in the World but they will be gained to Virtue and Happiness; God hath not forfaken them, and, confequently, there is Hope of them, 'till they be hardened in their Sins, as we read Pharaoh was.

4

T

If this now be the true Notion of fpiritual Defertion, as, without Doubt, it is, we may from hence learn these four Things, which I seriously recommend to the Confideration of all thofe afflicted Perfons amongst us, that I am now concerned with; and I conclude with them.

First of all, That they, of all others, have the least Reason to imagine that they are forfaken of God; for they, of all others, are fartheft from that State which I have now reprefented as the true State of fpiritual Defertion: Their Hearts are fo far from being obftinately bent to the Purfuit of any evil Course, that they abhor nothing more than the Thoughts of it. They have a most tender Senfe of their Duty, would not for the

World

World willingly do any thing that they know is difpleafing to God; all their Grief and Trouble is, that they do not please him enough, that they do not perform that chearful, uniform Obedience to his holy Laws, that they defire to do. Doth this now look like the Cafe of one that is abandoned of God, and left to himself? The Effects of God's forfakeing Men, are Hardness of Heart, and Impenitence, and running on in a Course of known Wickednefs without any Reluctance or Remorse. No Man that is ever apprehenfive of God's forfaking him, that is ever fearful that he should, or troubled that he hath; no fuch Man, I fay, is really forfaken by him. Those that are the leaft fenfible of fuch a Judgment, are the likelieft to have it inflicted upon them.

Secondly; Thofe Perfons, whofe Cafes we are reprefenting, as they are not at prefent forfaken by God, fo neither are they in danger of it: For, whatever Apprehenfions they may have of themfelves, they do not give God Occafion to forfake them, because they do not forfake him. For, I suppose, tho' they complain of great Dulness and Infenfibility, and can by no means fatisfy themfelves in their religious Endeavours and Performances, yet they have really as rooted an Averfion to every Thing that is evil, and have as hearty a Defire, and as steady Refolutions, and ufe as ferious Care to frame their Life and Converfation according to the Laws

of

4

of God, as ever they had, or did. Now, fo long as they continue in this Frame and Difpo fition of Mind, affuredly God is as much prefent with them by his Grace, and Holy Spirit, (tho' they do not feel it fo much) as ever he was. They partake as much of his Influence and Communications, and do really as much enjoy his Favour, and the Light of his Countenance, in the true Senfe of it, as ever they did And, however cloudy and liftlefs their Minds be; however flat and dry in their Devotions; how little Joy and Com fort foever they find in their Lives; they are certainly as dear to God, (who knoweth their Make, and distinguisheth between the fteady Principles of their Minds, and the uncertain Tempers of their Bodies which affect them; I fay, they have as much the Favour and Acceptance of God) as when they thought themselves in the moft happy Condition: Nay, and they will continue fo to have, as long as they continue their Care and Diligence in ferving him, and obeying his Laws.

But, Thirdly, when once they begin to grow careless in their Lives, when their good Purpofes and Refolutions flag and grow cold, and their Devotions are feldomer, and their Relapfes into Sin more fréquent, and more grievous, then let them have a Care of them felves, for thefe are evil Symptoms of a dangerous Fall approaching: They now be gin to grieve the Holy Spirit, and to provoke him to withdraw himfelf. And, if they do

not,

not, by Repentance, recover themfelves to their former healthful Conftitution of Soul, that Holy Spirit will, by Degrees, withdraw himself. For, in the fame Degree that they forfake their Duty, will the Holy Spirit forfake them; as Sin grows ftronger in them, fo doth the Spirit grow weaker: So that, if they go on in this falling, declining Condition, they will at last lofe the In-dwelling of the Spirit, and be reduced to the State of fenfual, carnal Men. It doth therefore infinitely concern all thofe that are at prefent in a good Condition, to keep up their holy Purpofes and Refolutions as much as they can; at no time to flacken their Diligence in the Service of God, how dryly and unfatisfactorily foever they perform it: If their Hearts be fincere, and they do really make it their Business to live as well as they can, no matter what they think of themselves, no matter what Inequality of Temper, what Ebbs and Flows of Affections, they are fubject to all is ftill right with them: But when they begin to grow negligent and care. lefs in their Endeavours, and to indulge themselves in any vain or finful Course, then begins their Danger,

But then, Fourthly and laftly, to con clude this Point; If it fhould be the Unhap piness of these Perfons, by their own Carelesness, to lose the inhabiting Presence of the Holy Spirit, which was the Principle of Regeneration, and the New Life in them, fo

that