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RATHER, you incline to the Way of the careless; but are confined by a little flavish Fear, which he is unacquainted with. He, eafy, happy Man! How expert and forward is he, to every thing which concerns his present Interest! How ready to Pleasures! How at hand for carnal Gratification! Here, he joins in at once, without Solicitation or Intreaty. Any thing of this is the very Joy of his Heart: Vanity, Amusement, Wealth, Company and Mirth, find him an obedient and moft willing Servant, ever prepared to wait upon them with a ready and glad Attendance. But to do good, to pray, to hear, to speak of a serious Subject; O what a Sluggard is he! How dull the Employment! How burdenfom the Tafk! How tedious the Time! Truly he is out of his Element; he likes it not; his Soul loatheth this beavenly Food.

You may fee now yet more evidently, what I mean by the Readiness of the new Creature. It is a walking in Duty, just as the Careless doth in Sin; exactly such a Forwardness in heavenly Things, as he hath in earthly; exprefly, fuch a Backwardness to Sin and Temptation, as he hath to Holinefs and the Means of Grace. It is not barely a faving a Man's felf from grofs Iniquity (which is the Way of the Formalist) but bearing a refolute Course against all Sin;

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not only (with the Formal) a Shew of Welldoing, but an Addrefs, Diligence, and Heartiness to the heavenly Work,

AND yet to compleat the whole of this general Character, there must be,

Fourthly, AN Hunger after Growth in this beavenly Bufinefs. I have intimated what this new Work is, and hope you understand it to be this: A Contention with the Power of Sin in us; that is, with our Lufts or evil Difpofitions, which are in us by corrupt Nature, and have grown ftrong by Custom and Compliance; and a like Contention alfo with every Fruit of this Corruption in our Lives, be it great or little. This Fight with Sin is one Part of the Work. And the other is, the confirming those new Difpofitions or Tempers, which are infufed into us by the Grace of Christ, when by Faith we are united to him; and which fail not to fhew themselves in all holy Converfation, in the outward Carriage. Thefe Difpofitions are, in Scripture-Language, called the new Heart, or Spirit, as being the Oppofites to the natural Frame and Difpofition of our Souls. Now to grow in this Work of mortifying Sin, and confirming the Power of Godliness in the Soul, he who is the new Creature, finds an eager, ceafelefs Defire. This our Lord himself calls Hungering and Thirsting By which he gives us to under

ftand,

ftand, that as much as the Perfon who is hungry or thirsty, longs after and craves the Refreshments of Meat and Drink, even fo doth the true Chriftian defire Freedom from Sin, and the more perfect Renewal of his Heart.

Now if you are the new Creature, you are no Stranger to this holy and spiritual Hunger and Thirst; you are inwardly straitned about your Work, till it be finished. Infomuch that should God give you your Heart's Defire; fhould he bid you, as he did Solomon, Afk what I shall give thee; your Anfwer would be, without the least Delay or Hefitation; "Give me, O God, out of

thy bountiful Goodness, that which I "would choose, before the Honors of a "thoufand Worlds: Give me an Heart free "from Sin, that I may never more offend "thee! deliver me from the Remainders "of Corruption that dwell in me; mortify "all the Pride, Worldlinefs and Luft, which "ftill defile my Soul; bring every Thought "into Subjection; yea deliver me from the "whole Body of Sin: But especially, O my “GOD, kill and deftroy my peculiar Cor"ruption, that malicious Enemy I carry in "my Heart, which cruelly enflaves, and ftill "obftinately befets me; confume, and cause "it to perish utterly. And, heavenly Fa"ther, fince thou haft made me bold to fpeak before thee, I will require at thy

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"Hand.

"Hand fuch a Spirit, as thou wilt delight "in. O fill my Heart with Love towards

thee; with Submiffion, Dutifulness, Zeal "for thy Glory, and every other Disposi"tion, which can render me fit for thy Ser"vice here, and for thy Prefence for-ever." Say now, doth your Heart cry Amen to this Petition? If not, you are no new Creature. And if you are the new Creature, your most fervent, conftant Requeft before the Throne of Grace, is this very Thing; that God, by his Grace, will free you more and more from the Power of Sin, and promote in you the Power of Godliness, fo fitting you continually for his Prefence and everlafting Kingdom. For, you know, God hath bid you afk this, and hath promifed to grant it. Moft exprefly doth He give us Confidence, that our Requests for the renewing Influences of the Spirit fhall affuredly be heard, through whofe Merits we may approach GOD with Boldnefs; Your heavenly Father will give the Holy Spirit to them that afk (s). Do you afk this therefore with an unwearied Importunity, looking that your Suit be granted? You do not indeed hunger and thirst after Righteousness, if you do not thus importunately afk it, or are content and fatisfied when you fee not that you reive Growth in it: Doth then a Defire of

(s) Luke xi. 13.

Growth

Growth in Grace, make you diligently to pray? And doth Prayer keep up, and improve Watchfulness against Sin, and a Defire to please GOD upon your Heart? These are the immediate Fruits of Prayer: And if this Frame of Mind grows upon you, you may be fure that the Power of Godliness is fpringing up under it. Without fuch

Prayer, and feeking fuch Fruits from it, you may not judge, that you have the fpiritual Hunger and Thirft, nor confequently are the new Creature.

BUT, do you feem to yourfelf to be well enough already? Are you fatisfied with your prefent Meafure? Are you in a Way wherein you think, you need not Growth in this new Work? And are you without hearty Defires of Improvement therein? Do Months and Years pafs over you, find and leave you at the fame Stand in Religion, and yet you are well content with yourself? I must be free to affure you, you are quite out of the Way. You never humbly and heartily entred upon the Chriftian Business; or if you did feemingly run a little, you have been hindred; you have this Day no Life in you; like a dead Man, you have loft your Appetite: And whatever you may feem, you are but a formal Profeffor. For fee you not, that a conftant, earnest Defire and Endeavour to carry onward the Work,

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