Evangelical sacrifices In xix. sermons. I. Thankful commemorations for Gods mercy in our great…Evangelicall sacrifices In xix. sermons. I. Thankfull commemorations for Gods mercy in our great…

And as there will be no obedience, so there will be no holding out in time of peril and ¹temptation. The persuasion that a carnal man hath that is not a sanctified persuasion, it will not hold out in the hour of death, in the time of temptation, in strong temptation, either on the right hand by preferments, and favours, or on the left hand by threatenings, and persecutions; it is but a seeming persuasion, when any thing comes that is stronger than it, it will not hold; when there is afflictions, and persecutions in the Church, we see many excellent learned men hold not out in their profession, Why? they were drawn to the profession of Religion by dependence on such kind of men, or they only followed religion as they saw reason for it, or they have been so bred in it, &c. Now reason may be brought against reason; when men have no other motives then these, when persecution comes that they must loose their preferments or their friends or their life, they fall away altogether: because that persuasion that they seemed to have before, it was no spiritual persuasion wrought from intrinsical grounds of divine truth, that hath a majesty, and a spiritualness in it self, but it was merely wrought out of foreign grounds. Now we see a meaner man that hath his knowledge wrought by the spirit of God; the same spirit seals that knowledge to him with the word of God, that indited the Scripture, and acted the holy men of God, ⟨p. 246⟩that wrote the Scriptures. As his portion is incomparably great, so he is persuaded of his interest in those good things, the same spirit that convinceth him of the truth, and of the certainty of the things, it convinceth him likewise of his part in them, and this supernatural persuasion together with his interest in those good things persuaded of, sets down the soul, so as it will not move: he holds out in persecution, because he hath felt the work of divine truth in his soul; he hath found the spirit of God casting him down, and raising him up to comfort, therefore he holds out in his persuasion in all trials, and never apostatizeth from that estate, and condition.

And as there willbe no obedience, so there will be no holding out in time of perill and ¹temptation. The perswasion that a carnall man hath that is not a sanctified perswasion, it will not hold out in the houre of death, in the time of temptation, in strong temptation, either on the right hand by preferments, and favours, or on the left hand by threatnings, and persecutions; it is but a seeming perswasion, when any thing comes that is stronger than it, it will not hold; when there is afflictions, and persecutions in the Church, we see many excellent learned men hold not out in their profession, Why? they were drawne to the profession of Religion by dependance on such kind of men, or they only followed religion as they saw reason for it, or they have been so bred in it, &c. Now reason may bee brought against reason; when men have no other motives then these, when persecution comes that they must loose their preferments or their friends or their life, they fall away altogether: because that perswasion that they seemed to have before, it was no spirituall perswasion wrought from intrinsecall grounds of divine truth, that hath a majesty, and a spiritualnesse in it selfe, but it was meerely wrought out of forraine grounds. Now we see a meaner man that hath his knowledge wrought by the spirit of God; the same spirit seales that knowledge to him with the word of God, that indited the Scripture, and acted the holy men of God,