The more care we ought to have to maintain our trust in God, because (besides the hardness of it) it is a radical and fundamental grace; it is as it were the mother root and great vein whence the exercise of all graces have their beginning and strength. The decay of a plant though it appears first 1from the withering of the twigs and branches, yet it arises chiefly from a decay in the root; So the decay of grace may appear to the view first in our company, carriage, and speeches, &c. but the primitive and original ground of the same, is weakness of faith in the heart; therefore it should be our wisdom ⟨p. 334⟩(especially) to look to the feeding of the root; we must 1. look that our principles and foundation be good, and 2. build strongly upon them, and 3. repair our building every day as continual breaches shall be made upon us; either by corruptions and temptations from within or without; And we shall find that the main breaches of our lives arise either from false principles, or doubts, or mindlessness of those that are true; All sin is a turning of the soul from God to some other seeming good, but this proceeds from a former turning of the soul from God by distrust. As faith is the first return of the soul to God, so the first degree of departing from God is by infidelity, and from thence comes a departure by other sins, by which (as sin is of a winding nature) our unbelief more increaseth, and so the rent and breach betwixt our souls and God is made greater still (which is that Satan would have) till at length by departing further and further from him, we come to have that peremptory sentence of everlasting departure ⟨p. 335⟩pronounced against us; so that our departure from God now is a degree to separation for ever from him. Therefore it is Satan's main care to come between God and the Soul, that so unloosing us from God, we might more easily be drawn to other things; and if he draws us to other things, it 2is but only to unloose our hearts from God the more; for he well knows whilst our souls cleave close to God, there is no prevailing against us by any created policy or power.
The more care we ought to have to maintaine our trust in God, because (besides the hardnesse of it) it is a radicall and fundamentall grace; it is as it were the mother root and great veyne whence the exercise of all graces have their beginning and strength. The decay of a plant though it appeares first 1from the withering of the twigs and branches, yet it arises chiefly from a decay in the roote; So the decay of grace may appeare to the view first in our company, carryage, and speeches, &c. but the primitive and originall ground of the same, is weaknesse of faith in the heart; therefore it should be our wisedome ⟨p. 334⟩(especially) to looke to the feeding of the roote; we must 1. looke that our principles and foundation be good, and 2. build strongly upon them, and 3. repaire our building every day as continuall breaches shall be made upon us; either by corruptions and temptations from within or without; And wee shall finde that the maine breaches of our lives arise either frō false principles, or doubts, or mindlesnesse of those that are true; All sin is a turning of the soul from God to some other seeming good, but this proceeds from a former turning of the soule from God by distrust. As faith is the first returne of the soule to God, so the first degree of departing from God is by infidelity, and from thence comes a departure by other sins, by which (as sinne is of a winding nature) our unbeliefe more increaseth, and so the rent and breach betwixt our soules and God is made greater still (which is that Sathan would have) till at length by departing further and further from him, wee come to have that peremptory sentence of everlasting departure ⟨p. 335⟩pronounced against us; so that our departure from God now is a degree to separation for ever from him. Therefore it is Sathans maine care to come betweene God and the Soule, that so unloosing us from God, wee might more easily be drawne to other things; and if he drawes us to other things, it 2is but onely to unloose our hearts from God the more; for hee well knowes whilest our soules cleave close to God, there is no prevailing against us by any created policy or power.
- 1Defects in life rise from defects in trust.Defects in life rise frō defects in trust.
- 2Sathans study is to unloose our hearts from God.Sathans study is to unloose our hearts frō God.
