from sin. And both these considerations, even the sovereignty of God, and the punishment of sin, are put together by our Saviour, Matt. x. 28. 'Fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul; but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.'

(3.) The consideration of all the love and kindness of God, against whom every sin is committed, is another thing that the mind ought diligently to attend unto. And this is a prevailing consideration, if rightly and graciously managed in the soul. This Moses presseth on the people, Deut. xxxii. 6. Do you thus requite the Lord, O foolish people and unwise? is not he thy father that bought thee? hath he not made thee, and established thee? Is this a requital for eternal love, and all the fruits of it? for the love and care of a father, of a redeemer, that we have been made partakers of? And it is the same consideration which the apostle manageth to this purpose, 2 Cor. vii. 1. 'Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.' The receiving of the promises ought to be effectual, as to stir us up unto all holiness, so to work and effect an abstinence from all sin. And what promises are these? namely, that God will be a father unto us, and receive us,' chap. vi. 17, 18. which compriseth the whole of all the love of God towards us here, and to eternity. If there be any spiritual ingenuity in the soul, whilst the mind is attentive to this consideration, there can be no prevailing attempt made upon it by the power of sin. Now there are two parts of this consideration.

[1.] That which is general in it, that which is common unto all believers. This is managed unto this purpose, 1 John iii. 1-3. 'Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God! therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. Beloved, now are we the sons of God; and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that when he shall appear, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him, purifieth himself even as he is pure.' Consider, saith he, the love of God, and the privileges that we enjoy by it: 'Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we

should be called the sons of God.' Adoption is an especial fruit of it, and how great a privilege is this? Such love it is, and such are the fruits of it, that the world knoweth nothing of the blessed condition which we obtain and enjoy thereby: 'The world knoweth us not.' Nay, it is such love, and so unspeakably blessed and glorious are the effects of it, that we ourselves are not able to comprehend them. What use then ought we to make of this contemplation of the excellent unspeakable love of God? Why, saith he, Every one that hath this hope purifieth himself.' Every man who being made partaker of this love, and thereupon a hope of the full enjoyment of the fruits of it, of being 'made like to God in glory, purifieth himself, that is, in an abstinence from all and every sin, as in the following words is at large declared.

[2.] It is to be considered as to such peculiar mercies and fruits of love, as every one's soul hath been made partaker of. There is no believer, but besides the love and mercy which he hath in common with all his brethren, he hath also in the lot of his inheritance, some enclosures, some especial mercies wherein he hath a single propriety. He hath some joy which no stranger intermeddleth withal, Prov. xiv. 10. Particular applications of covenant love and mercy to his soul. Now these are all provisions laid in by God, that they may be borne in mind against an hour of temptation, that the consideration of them may preserve the soul from the attempts of sin. Their neglect is a high aggravation of our provocations. 1 Kings xi. 9. it is charged as the great evil of Solomon, that he had sinned against special mercies, especial intimations of love; he sinned after God had appeared to him twice. God required that he should have borne in mind that especial favour, and have made it an argument against sin. But he neglected it, and is burdened with this sore rebuke. And indeed all especial mercies, all especial tokens and pledges of love, are utterly lost and misspent upon us, if they are not improved unto this end. This then is another thing, that it is the duty of the mind greatly to attend unto, and to oppose effectually unto every attempt that is made on the soul by the law of sin.

(4.) The considerations that arise from the blood and mediation of Christ, are of the same importance. So the apostle declares, 2 Cor. v. 14, 15. For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead: and that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again.' There is a constraining efficacy in this consideration; it is great, forcible, effectual, if duly attended unto. But I must not here in particular insist upon these things. Nor,

(5.) Shall I speak of the inhabitation of the Spirit, the greatest privilege that we are made partakers of in this world. The due consideration how he is grieved by sin, how his dwelling-place is defiled thereby, how his comforts are forfeited, lost, despised by it, might also be insisted on. But the instances passed through are sufficient unto our purpose. Now herein lies the duty of the mind, in reference unto particular sins and temptations. It is diligently and carefully to attend unto these things, to dwell constantly upon the consideration of them, to have them in a continual readiness to oppose unto all the lustings, actings, warrings, attempts, and rage of sin.

In reference hereunto doth sin in an especial manner put forth and act its deceit. It labours by all means to draw off the mind from its due attendance unto these things; to deprive the soul of this great preservative and antidote against its poison. It endeavours to cause the soul to satisfy itself with general undigested notions about sin, that it may have nothing in particular to betake itself unto in its own defence, against its attempts and temptations. And the ways whereby it doth this may be also briefly considered.

[1.] It is from the deceit of sin that the mind is spiritually slothful, whereby it becomes negligent unto this duty. The principal discharge of its trust in this matter is expressed by watching, which is the great caution that the Lord Jesus gave unto his disciples in reference unto all their dangers from sin and Satan, Mark xiii. 37. ' I say unto all, Watch. That is, use your utmost diligence and circumspection, that you be not surprised and entangled with temptations. It is called also consideration: 'Consider your ways;' 'consider your latter end;' the want whereof God complains of in his people, Deut. xxxii. 29. Now that

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which is contrary to these indispensable conditions of our preservation, is spiritual slothfulness, as the apostle declares, Heb. vi. 11, 12. And we desire that every one of you do shew the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end that ye be not slothful.' If we shew not diligence, we are slothful, and in danger of coming short to inherit the promises. See 2 Pet. i. 5-11. And besides this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge,' &c. For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus. But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins. Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure for if you do these things you shall never fall: for so an entrance shall be administered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. All this the mind is turned from, if once by the deceit of sin it be made slothful. Now this sloth consists in three things.

prevail with it to pull its, hand out of its bosom, that is, to set about the special duties that it is called unto.

3dly. Weak and ineffectual attempts to recover itself unto its duty. Prov. xxvi. 14. As the door turneth itself upon its hinges, so doth the slothful man upon his bed.' In the turning of a door upon its hinges, there is some motion but no progress. It removes up and down, but is still in the place and posture that it was. So is it with the spiritually slothful man on his bed, or in his security. He makes some motions or faint endeavours towards a discharge of his duty, but goes not on. There where he was one day, there he is the next; yea, there where he was one year, he is the next. His endeavours are faint, cold, and evanid; he gets no ground by them, but is always beginning and never finishing his work.

4thly, Heartlessness upon the apprehensions of difficulties and discouragements. Prov. xxii. 13. The slothful man saith, There is a lion in the way, I shall be slain in the streets.' Every difficulty deters him from duty. He thinks it impossible for him to attain to that accuracy, exactness, and perfection which he is in this matter to press after; and therefore contents himself in his old coldness, negligence, rather than to run the hazard of a universal circumspection. Now if the deceit of sin hath once drawn away the mind into this frame, it lays it open to every temptation and incursion of sin. The spouse in the Canticles seems to have been overtaken with this distemper, chap. v. 1—3. And this puts her on various excuses why she cannot attend unto the call of Christ, and apply herself unto her duty in walking with him.

[2.] It draws away the mind from its watch and duty in reference unto sin by surprisals. It falls in conjunction with some urging temptation, and surpriseth the mind into thoughts quite of another nature, than those which it ought to insist upon in its own defence. So it seems to have been with Peter; his carnal fear closing with the temptation wherein Satan sought to winnow him, filled his mind with so many thoughts about his own imminent danger, that he could not take into consideration the love and warning of Christ; nor the evil whereunto his temptation led him, nor