The Soul's Conflict with Itself

CAP. VI.

Other Observations of the same nature.

Moreover we see that a godly man ¹can cast a restraint upon himself, as David here stays himself in falling. There is a principle of grace, that stops the heart, and pulls in the reins again when the affections are loose. A carnal man, when he begins to be cast down, sinks lower and lower, until he sinks into despair, as lead sinks into the bottom of the sea. They sunk, they ²sunk, like lead in the mighty waters. A carnal man sinks as a heavy body to the centre of the earth, and stays not, if it be not stopped: There is nothing in him to stay him in falling, as we see in Ahithophel, and Saul: who (wanting ³a support) found no other stay, but the swords point. And the greater their parts and places are, the more they entangle themselves; and no wonder, for they are to encounter with God and his deputy conscience, who is ⟨p. 64⟩King of Kings and Lord of Lords When Cain was cast out of his father house, his heart and countenance w• always cast down, for, he had nothing in him to lift it upwards. But a godly man, though he may give a little w• to passion, yet (as David) he recover himself. Therefore as we would have any good evidence, that we have a ter spirit in us then our own, great then the flesh or the world, Let us ([…] all troubles we meet with) gather […] our selves, that the stream of our […] affections carry us not away too far.