the Word did not do them good, becaufe the fowls of Heaven came and pickt or ftole it away out of their hearts, Matth. 13. 4 In James, 1. 23, 24.. It's given as a reafon why men in a fair way to con verfion were not yet converted, because they did bebold themselves as in a Glaß, and went away, and ftruit way forget what manner of ones they were. Whereas he that is come to Regeneration, he looks into the Law of God, and continues therein. In Luke 8. 12. you have meditation hinted to be a means of Faith. The Devil comes and takes the Word out of their bearts, left they should beleeve and be faved. Therefore you have thefe expreffions in Scripture, Think of these things, Confider what I fay. Meditation or thoughtfulness makes things credible that are not: things that are probable, are made thereby certain. As we fee in Melancholly perfons who by often thinking, and poaring, and pawling of what is in their fancy, they come to be as certain as if they had a Divine teftimony that cannot be removed, nor will they beleeve the contrary. And therefore Meditation helps a man to beleeve the truth, becaufe by meditation a man comes to know the whol matter. One thought fuggefts one thing, and another another: That thing which is firft thought of and found out, that breeds a jealoufie in the minds of men, that there is more behind to be known. That which they laft thought of is as a feal to the truth of what was found out at the firft. Meditation hears all that can be faid from any head of rea fon concerning a thing. If you meditate concerning the evill of unbelief, nothing that makes it evill wil be hidden from you or forgotten. By one particular you wil be almoft perfwaded, and when you find another particular of the evil of it, you wil be perfwaded altogether of the evil of it, that it's the fouleft fin. Meditation binds the mind and

and the matter together. As David faith my jins are ever before me, that I cannot but think continually of the villany and wickedneß of my beart in my murther and uncleanneß. The mind and the matter being kept together, the foul comes to be leavened, yea to be transformed and changed into the matter. As he that thinks of an injury and takes notice of every circumftance, at length he is so angry that he knows not how to bear any longer. So if you would meditate on the evil of unbelief, you would be fo perfwaded against it, that you would not be quiet til you be rid of it. What indignation,what wrath, what hatred will the foul fhew against unbelief then? It's my beloved a hard thing for us to meditate. The Scripture speaks of the vanity of our minds naturally in Epb. 4. 17. Vain thoughts lodg within us. Our thoughts they are fo light,that to go to meditate is no better then to go to bind the wind in a mans fift,and to hedge in the air. Befides as beggars take pleasure in wandring up and down from Country to Country and Town to Town and wil not work: So our fouls have a great deal of pleafure in paffing from one object or matter to another, and love not to keep to one. The more we go about meditation,the further oft times we are from it. The fixing of the thoughts is like a kind of prison to the foul, which it labors to break prefently. How abhorred to a natural man are the thoughts of fin and judgment.

As it is hard for aman to meditate, fo it's harder yet to meditate of his own fins, and the greatnefs of them. The pride of our hearts is fuch that we cannot endure to think ill of our felves. We would willingly break that glafs which fhews us our own ugly face,or as the Apoftle James exprefleth it in Chap. 1. 23. 24.when we fee what manner of

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ones

ones we are, we go away and labor to put it out of our minds all we can. But of al things its most hard to keep this in our thoughts, that it's a very great fin not to go to Chrift by faith; Ifay this is the hardest of all. For this (that we ought to go to Chrift not withstanding our fin) is fuch a Doctrine as nature knows not, I fhal as fhew you by and by. It's fo ftrong a Wine and Liquor that it overturnes our understanding: Aguilty foul dares not, and cannot tel how to imagine it. What! A fin for me not to go to Chrift for mercy who have abused mercy, and that fhal while I live abufe it! What! A fin for me not to look up for forgive nefs who have ftopt my ears to al the Counfel and Advice that God hath given for obedience to him! What do we fear, if not Juftice provoked? How can I look that Justice fhould be fatisfied by any but by me who am the offender? Who is it that I have offended but Chrift & God? Can I think therfore that they wil lay afide al their displeasure? Which of us can but think it madnefs for a Beggar to think himfelf to be a King, or any of us to be Angels? So likewife it cannot enter into our thoughts (although never fo wife) to think of going to Chrift. And therefore he Puts fuch thoughts out of his mind, and faith he may not, he dare not, he wil not, believe. But although it | be a very hard thing to meditate on the evil of unbelief, yet it's that which we must do: This Pill must be taken: And the way to do it, is by getting much of the knowledge of the Law of Faith. As I fhewed you before the Reafon why our thoughts hop fo foon from one matter to another, is, because there is not much knowledg of any matter to enter tain our thoughts. But as a Bee flies from one flower to another to get honey,, So because its not much of any thing that we know, therefore we go!

from

from one thing thing to another thing. If fo be we would keep our thoughts, we must put off al others, and Put them off firft, and turn them out of doors, faying what have I to do with thee. Confider the importance of the matter. As an urgent business plucks a man by the elbow whatever he is about, and tels him, remember you have fuch a work to do, all your eftate lies upon it, or your health: So if we thought it the way for us to beleeve, and it were the great Comniandment to go to Chrift, it would make us whatever we are doing or thinking to neglect al things to mind this, leaft we be found guilty of the fin of unbelief. And that fhal fuffice for a third Means, That you let lie upon your heart continually the greatness of the fin of unbelief,

CHAP.IX.

The fourth Means. Regard not what Senfe and Reafon fuggeft. Two things go by the name of Reafon. 1. Innate Principles. 2. Difcourfe and deducing one thing from another. The fifth Means. Labor to beleeve. The fixth Means.. Seek to have the Spirit. Object. I have not the Spirit of praier, and therefore cannot ask the Holy Gboft. Anfw. The feventh Means. Get. love to God.

Fourthly, If you would believe that it's fo great

a fin to live without Chrift, do not then heed. what fenfe and reafon fay. It's faid concerning Abraham in Rom. 4. 19. that be confidered not his own. body: he did not spend fo much as a thought about it that his body was dry, or that Sarabs womb was

barren.

barren. As men when they begin to be convinced of their eftate by nature, and their damnation, they are wont to go to fome flattering Minister or fome other acquaintance, who extenuates their fins and tels them all men are guilty before God, and their fault is no other then al man kinds, and if God condemns for that, he fhal have none to fave: And fo conviction goes off. So it's here. When men fee there is no way to be faved but only by Jefus Chrift through Faith, and that unbeleeving is the refufing of Jefus Chrift, they then fal to ask advice from reafon, and counsel from it: that is, they fal to difcourling and arguing the matter why they thould beleeve rather than any other, and that takes away the fenfe of their fin, and lodgeth them again in deadnefs and doubtings.

There are two things that goe by the name of Reason: The one is Principles, Doctrines or Laws, er Notions which lie in mens minds naturally. And fecondly, Arguments difcovering, or concluding, or inferring of one thing from another, conparing one thing with another. I fay, both of thefe go by the name of Reafon. Reafon ftands for the principles: and Reason ftands for Difcourfing. Now unto neither of thefe you must go if you would know the greatness of the fin of unbelief. Not unto the principles of reafon; for man being in innocency had no knowledg at all of the Meffiah. This way of life, by going from himself unto Jefus Chrift was hid from his own eyes. Faith (the Text faith) comes by hearing in Rom. 10. 17. & hearing by the word of God: that word of God is revealed: It's not therefore any thing in us that can be improved to believing, but believing arifech from fomthing that is revealed ab extra, revealed from without. By reafon therefore cannot come to know the Law of Faith, nor the eyou