if we would not have acquaintance with him, then we carry our selves strangely to him; if he call, we will not answer; if he knock, we will not open; we keep our selves close, that we may not change a word with him: so it will be with every one of you that are borne of God, you will have nothing to do with your old pettish lusts, and base humours and haunts of spirits, and whomsoever it be that hath had dalliance with you heretofore, you will avoid the place and presence of them, and say, I know not those distempers, nor the place not occasions of them, I will meddle with ⟨p. 162⟩them no more, I will not own them, I have done it too too much already, if they come I will not yield; and if they follow, I will flee. I have read an old story of a man that was carried away much by a harlot; at last the Lord meets him, and opened his eyes, and humbled his soul, and brought him out of his sinful condition: many a day after the harlot met him again, and the man would not look on her, and she began to seft kindness upon him, and said, I am she, you know we have had much sweet dalliance together: Oh, but saith he, blessed be God, I am not I; that is, I am not the man that I was before: so should we, though we are nothing but sin by nature, and know nothing but corruption, yet if the old sluggishness and stubbornness of heart, and haughtiness that we have too too much received; if they come and say, we are the darlings that have had much sweet fellowship and communion with you, make them answer and say, I am not the man, I will have no more to do with you. Let every heart be here encouraged not to regard the base respects of sin, or of the world, they will say it is not good to be too holy, and too precise; make answer and say, I cannot be too holy, Jesus Christ knew no sin; the heart and life of Jesus Christ is that which we ought to respect and imitate.
if we would not have acquaintance with him, then we carry our selves strangely to him; if he call, we will not answer; if he knocke, we will not open; we keep our selves close, that wee may not change a word with him: so it will bee with every one of you that are borne of God, you will have nothing to doe with your old pettish lusts, and base humours and haunts of spirits, and whomsoever it be that hath had dalliance with you heretofore, you will avoid the place and presence of them, and say, I know not those distempers, nor the place not occasions of them, I will meddle with ⟨p. 162⟩them no more, I will not owne them, I have done it too too much already, if they come I will not yeeld; and if they follow, I will flee. I have read an old story of a man that was carried away much by a harlot; at last the Lord meets him, and opened his eyes, and humbled his soule, and brought him out of his sinfull condition: many a day after the harlot met him againe, and the man would not looke on her, and shee began to seft kindnesse upon him, and said, I am she, you know wee have had much sweet dalliance together: Oh, but saith he, blessed be God, I am not I; that is, I am not the man that I was before: so should we, though wee are nothing but sinne by nature, and know nothing but corruption, yet if the old sluggishnesse and stubbornnes of heart, and haughtinesse that we have too too much received; if they come and say, we are the darlings that have had much sweet fellowship and communion with you, make them answer and say, I am not the man, I will have no more to doe with you. Let every heart be here incouraged not to regard the base respects of sinne, or of the world, they will say it is not good to bee too holy, and too precise; make answer and say, I cannot bee too holy, Jesus Christ knew no sinne; the heart and life of Jesus Christ is that which wee ought to respect and imitate.
