felfe unchangeable and immutable and conftant in well-doing. Forelfe to what end hath bee revealed to us that hee is unchangeable? Is it not for Ourufe? Sure it is, even to teach us, that when we finde our selves fubject to immutabilitie,wee fhould goe to the unchangeable God; and befeech him to establish our hearts: Which no creature is able to doe, feeing every creature is mutable, only fo far unchangeable,as he maketh it to be fo; he only is originally unchangeable,all friends and all other things in the world are no further us changeable than he communicates it to them, (as was fayd before;) and the fame was true of thine owne heart and of thy purposes. Therefore thou muft thinke with thy felfe, and make this ufe of the unchangeableneffe of God, that he onely can make thee unchangeable: and in any bufineffe, wherein thou wanteft direction be fure to goeto God, Tam. 1.5. who is onely wife,and can fhew a man what to doc,when he is in a trait. Soupon the fame ground when thou feeft that thou art unconftant, goc to him that is unchangeable,that can make thee conftant; and defire him to fixe thy quicke-filver, to ballance thy lightneffe, and that he would fettle and fill that vaine and empty heart of thine with fomething that may ftay and establish it. There is no other way;all the meanes that can be used,all the motives that can bee put to a man, all the reafons that can bee brought, are not able to make us conftant, till GoD worke it in us, and for us. Therefore the onely way to give GoD the glory of his

immutabilitie,

immutability, to goe to him in a fense of thine owne unconftancie, and fay, LORD thou haft revealed thy felfe to bee unchangeable, that wee may feeke ftability of thee, and finde it in thee, thou alone art originally and effentially fo; and no creature is any further so than thou doft communicate to it. Therefore doe thou, Lord, make me ftable and conftant in well-doing, Grace it. felfe of it felfe is not immutable, for it is fubject Grace in it felf to ebbing and flowing; and the reafon why wee doe not quite lofe it, is not from the nature of grace, as if it were immutable, but because it comes from, and stickes close to Chrift. Therefore goe to him; hee is the roote that communicates fap and life to thee, because thou abideft ingrafted in him.

But the Lord doth this by meanes: it is not enough to pray, and to feeke to him,to make me unchangeable, (fo much as humane infirmity can reach) but I must ufe the meanes also.

It is true, hee doth it by meanes and if you fay, what are those meanes? I will fhew it you briefly.

You fhall find that there are two caufes of an conftancie, or mutability, or fickleneffe: and if you find out what the caufes are, you will ea fily fee the way to helpe it.

not immutable.

Obješt!

Aufw

Two caufes of inconftancy, and tws means

to procure conftancy.

I

Firft, ftrength of luft: that caufeth men to bee unconftant, James 4.8. Cleanfe your hands, yee finners, and purge your hearts you wavering-minded: Lufts:gerthem what is the reafon 'that the Apostle bids them, 14.4.8. to purge their hearts, that were waverong-minded,

Hha

but

mortified.

Simile.

Pfal. 5.90

Strong lufts

breake off ftrong purpo Есбо

but because that corruption,and thofe unruly affectiōs that are within,caufe us to be unconstant and to waver, even as an arrow though thot with a ftrong hand, which notwithstanding the wind makes to Alie uncostantly: foa man that refolves upon a good courfe,and takes to himselfe good purposes and defires, yet having someluft in him thefe thruft in,and make him unstable; therefore purge your heart's you wavering-minded. As if hee fhould fay,the reafon why you are not ftable, is, because you are not cleanfed from thefe corruptions,which are thecause of this unconftancy.So Pfalm.5.9. There is no faithfulnesse in their mouth, their inward part is very filthineffe.&c. The reafon why there is no conftancy in their fpeech, life, and actions is, because within they are very cor ruption: that is, the fin that is within is the caufe of all the wavering that is in the life of man, which removed, our actions would not be of fuch different colors, there would be no fuch unevenneffe in our lives.Wherefore if this be the caufe, the onely way to helpe it,is,to get this corruption mortified, and to cleanfe our felves from all pollution of flech and fpirit, as much as may be.

Take a man that fayes hee will amend his courfe, that intends to be diligent in his calling, and thinkes never to turne to fuch evill courfes but to serve God with a perfect heart: obferve now what is the reafon that this man breakes his purposes, and falls off againe, it is because there is fome ftrong luft, that comes like a guft of a contrarywinde, and breakes him off from

his courfe. Therefore the firft way is, to cleanse thy heart,if thou wilt be conftant.

2

Vaconftancia

comes from

The fecond caufe of unconftancie, is weakeneffe; if a man were free from that inward corruption, yet weakeneffe would make a man to be weakenesse. unconftant: fo much weakeneffe,fo much unconstancie; and so much ftrength as a man hath, fo much conftancie he hath. For what is the reafon that a man is fo fickle? Because the banks of his refolution are too weake to hold out against temptations,when they affault him; and he gives over, because he is not able to refift them. And this ground I take out of 1 Sam. 15. 29. The firength of Ifrael will not repent; for he is not as man, that he fhould repent. By repenting, is meant a change: now you fee the reafon given, why the Lord is not fubject to change, he is the ftrength of Ifrael. For you fhall alwayes finde in the Scripture, that fuch attributes are given GoD, as fute beft to the nature of the worke he hath in hand : As, here the reafon why the Lord will not repent, is,because he is ftrong.

SAM.15.29;

To make this appeare to you, you must know, Three helpes that three things muft concurre, to make a refo-to ftrengthen lution ftrong.

First, there must be fome reafon that must

move a man.

Secondly, there must be an inclination of the will joyned with that reafon.

Thirdly, it must be often renewed. First, I fay, there must be fome reafon that must move him: but if that were all, he would not refolve at

Hh3

all,

purposes.

3

I

Purposes pro ved on reason.

Inclinations.

Renewing of purposes.

all, therefore hee must have an inclination of the will to it; both thefe, when they concurre,they make the refolution up when the understanding is convinced, and the will inclined, the under ftanding faith, there is reafon for it, and the will faith, it is good, then this makes up the refolution. As first, when a man hath any reafon to move him to any action, and it is a strong reafon, fo that he answers all objections that hee meets with, now the refolution continues firme: bur if his reafon be not fufficient, but he meets with objections that are ftronger, then the first principle being taken away, the refolution growes flaggie and weake..

And fo it is in the other alfo,when a man hath a defire to any thing, if it be fo ftrong, and no other defire is ftronger, than it that can overtop, and over-rule it,then he goes on without any inipediment: but if it be weake, fo that a stronger defire can come, and over-ballance it, then the fecond principle is demolished alfo, and there is an end of this refolution. So that let the reafon on which we fixe it bee ftrong, and let the inclination (which must concurre,) bee fixed and ftrong, and then the refolution will bee accor ding!

But I adde the third, that there must bee a renewing of this: for though the refolution bee well built, yet to make it conftant, it must fill be renewed. For there are some workes, which must have a third and fourth hand to goe over them, or elfe they will faile, and moulder away:

And