partakers of his holinefs. To take fo little notice of his hand therein as under it, or after it, not to watch against the workings and furprizals of fin, it hath unkindness in it; I fmote him, faith God, and he went on frowardly in the way of his own heart. These provocations of his fons and daughters, he cannot bear with. Hath God brought thee into the furnace, so that thou haft melted under his hand, and in pity and compaffion hath given thee enlargement; if thou haft foon forgotten his dealings with thee, is it any wonder, if he mind thee again, by troubles in thy foul?

3dly, Breaking off from under ftrong convictions, and dawnings of love before converfion, are oftentimes remembered upon the conscience afterwards. When the Lord by his Spirit fhall mightily convince the heart of fin, and make withal fome difcoveries of his love, and the excellencies of Chrift unto it, fo that it begins to yield, and be overpowered, being almost perfuaded to be a Chriftian; if then, through the strength of luft, or unbelief, it goes back to the world or felf-righteoufnefs; its folly hath unkindness with it, that fometimes fhall not be paffed by. God can, and often doth, put forth the greatness of his power, for the recovery of such a foul; but yet he will deal with him, about this contempt of his love, and the excellency of his Son, in the dawnings of them revealed unto him.

4thly, Sudden forgetfulness of indearing manifeftations of fpecial love. This God cautions his people againft, as knowing their proneness thereunto, Pfal. Ixxxv. 8. God the Lord will speak peace to his people and his faints; but let them not turn again to folly. Let them take heed of their aptnefs to forget indearing manifestations of special love. When God at any time draws nigh to a foul by his Spirit, in his word, with gracious words of peace and love, giving a fenfe of his kindness upon the heart by the Holy Ghoft, fo that it is filled with joy unfpeakable and glorious thereon; for this foul, upon a temptation, a diversion, or by mere careleffness and neglect, which oftentimes falls out, to fuffer

this fenfe of love to be as it were obliterated, and fo to lofe that influencing efficacy unto obedièr ce which it is accompanied withal, this alfo is full of unkindness. An account hereof we have, Cant. v. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. In the first verse, the Lord Jefus draws nigh with full provifion of gospel mercies for his beloved; I am come unto thee, faith he, O my fifter; I have brought myrrh and fpice, honey and wine with me: Whatever is fpiritually fweet and delightful; mercy, grace, peace, confolation, joy, affurance, they are all here in readiness for thee, ver. 2. The fpoufe in her drowfy indifpofition takes little notice of this gracious vifit; fhe is diverted by other matters, and knows not how to attend fully and wholly to the bleffed communion offered unto her; but excufeth herself as otherwife engaged. But what is the iffue? Chrift withdraws, leaves her in the dark, in the midst of many difconfolations, and long it is before the obtain any recovery.

5thly, Great opportunities for fervice neglected, and great gifts not improved, are oftentimes the occafion of plunging the foul into great depths. Gifts are given to trade withal for God; opportunities are market-days for that trade: To napkin up the one, and to let flip the other, will end in trouble and difconfolation. Difquietents and perplexities of heart, are worms that will certainly breed in the ruft of unexercised gifts. God lofeth a revenue of glory and honour by fuch flothful fouls; and he will make them fenfible of it. I know fome at this day, whom omiffions of opportunities for fervice, are ready to fink into the grave.

6thly, Sins after efpecial warnings, are ufually thus iffued. In all that variety of fpecial warnings which God is pleased to use toward finning faints, I fhall fingle out one only. When a foul is wrestling with fome luft or temptation, God, by his providence, caufeth fome fpecial word, in the preaching of the gofpel, or the administration of fome ordinance thereof, peculiarly fuited to the state and condition of the foul, by the ways of rebuke or perfuafion, to come nigh and enter the inmost

inmoft parts of the heart. The foul cannot but take notice that God is nigh to him, that he is dealing with him; and calling on him to look to him for affiftance. And he feldom gives fuch warnings to his faints, but that he is nigh them in an eminent manner, to give them relief and help, if in answer unto his call, they apply themselves unto him; but if his care and kindness herein be neglected, his following reproofs are ufually more fevere.

7thly, Sins that bring fcandal, feldom fuffer the foul to escape depths. Even in great fins, God in chaftning takes more notice oft-times of the fcandal, than the fin; as 2 Sam. xii. 14. Many profeffors take little notice of their worldlinefs, their pride, their paffion, their lavifh tongues; but the world doth, and the gofpel is disadvantaged by it; and no wonder if themselves find from the band of the Lord, the bitter fruits of them in the iffue.

And many other fuch aggravations of fins there are which heighten provocations in their own nature not of fo dreadful an afpect as fome others, into a guilt plunging à foul into depths. Thofe which have been named, may fuffice in the way of inftance; which is all that we have aimed at, therefore forbear enlargements on the feveral heads of them.

The confideration of fome aggravations of the guilt of these fins, which bring the foul ufually into the condition before laid down, fhall close this difcourfe.

First, The foul is furnished with a principle of grace, which is continually operative and working for its prefervation from fuch fins. The new creature is living and active for its growth, increafe and fecurity, according to the tenor of the covenant of grace, Gal. v. 17. It lufteth against the flesh. It is naturally active for its own prefervation and increase; as new born children · have a natural inclination to the food that will keep them alive, and caufe them to grow, 1 Pet. ii. 2. The foul then cannot fall into thefe entangling fins, but it must

be with an bigh neglect of that very principle which is bestowed upon it for quite contrary ends and purposes. The

labourings,luftings,defires,cryings of it are neglected. Now, it is from God, and of God, and is the renovation of his image in us; that which God owneth and careth for; the wounding of its vitals, the ftifling of its operations, the neglect of its endeavours for the fouls prefervation, do always attend fins of the importance Ipoken

unto.

Secondly, Whereas this new creature, this principle of life and obedience, is not able of itself to preferve the foul from fuch fins as will bring it into depths; there is full provifion for continual fupplies made for it, and all it wants in Jefus Chrift. There are treasures of relief in Chrift, whereunto the foul may at any time repair, and find fuccour against the incurfions of fin. He fays to the foul as David unto Abiathar when he fled from Doeg: Abide with me, fear not; he that feeketh thy life, feeketh my life, but with me thou shalt be in fafety. Sin is my enemy no lefs than thine; it feeketh the life of thy foul, and it feeketh my life; abide with me, for with me thou shalt be in fafety. This the apostle exhorts us unto, Heb. iv. 6. Let us come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need. If ever it be a time of need with a foul, it is fo when it is under the affaults of provoking fins; at fuch a time there is a fuitable and feasonable help in Chrift for fuccour and relief: The new creature begs, with fighs and groans, that the foul would apply itself unto him. To neglect him, with all his provifion of grace, whilft he ftands calling unto us, Open unto me, for my head is filled with dew, and my locks with the drops of the night; to defpife the fighing of the poor prifoner, the new creature, by fin appointed to die, cannot but be an high provocation. May not God complain and fay; See thefe poor creatures; they were once intrufted with a flock of grace in themfelves; this they caft away, and themselves into the utmoft mifery thereby: That they might not utterly pe

rifh a fecond time, their portion and stock is now laid up in another; a fafe treasurer; in him are their lives and comforts fecured. But fee their wretched negligence; they venture all, rather than they will attend to him for fuccour. And what think we is the heart of Chrift, when he fees his children giving way to confcience-wafting fins, without that application unto him, which the life and peace of their own fouls call upon them for. Thefe are not fins of daily infirmity, which cannot be avoided; but their guilt is always attended with a neglect, more or lefs, of the relief provided in Chrift against them. The means of prefervation from them is bleffed, ready, nigh at hand; the concernment of Chrift in our prefervation great, of our fouls unspeakable; to neglect and defpife means, Chrift, fouls, peace and life, muft needs render guilt very guilty. Thirdly, Much to the fame purpose may be spoken about that fignal provision that is made against such fios as thefe in the covenant of grace, as hath been already declared; but I fhall not further carry on this difcourfe.

And this may fuffice, as to the ftate and condition of the foul in this pfalm reprefented. We have feen what the depths are, wherein it is intangled, and by what ways and means any one may come to be caft into them. The next thing that offers itfelf unto our confideration, is the deportment of a gracious foul in that ftate and condition; or what courfe it fteers towards a delivery.

The duty and actings of a believer under diftreffes from a fenfe of fio.----His application unto God. To God alone.Earneftnefs and intention of mind therein.

The words of these two verfes declare alfo the deportment of the foul in the condition that we have defcribed; that is, what it doth, and what course it steers for relief. I have cryed unto thee, O Lord; Lord, bear