Our worldliness and earthly mindedness, which have made us, by affecting transitory trifles, to neglect spiritual and heavenly excellencies, and neglecting Gods service, to serve Satan, in hope of receiving this base wages and rewards of iniquity. Our little profiting by the long enjoying and using of the light of the Gospel, and plentiful means of our salvation, for the enriching of our selves with Gods spiritual and saving graces, knowledge, faith, affiance, love, zeal, patience, or the fruitful exercising of them in the duties of a godly life: which hath come to pass by our irreverent, slothful and sluggish using of the means, nor bringing unto them any faith, zeal, fervency of spirit, or a good conscience. Our want of Christian valour and resolution in the Christian warfare, and our often yielding unto the tentations of Satan, the world, and our own flesh. Finally, our abuse of prosperity and temporary blessings, which being given us of God as present wages in our hands, to make us more cheerful in his service, we have abused as means and occasions to make us more sinful, more forgetful of God, and negligent and cold in his service: more proud, worldly, and unconscionable in all our courses. And when we have called to our remembrance these, and such other sins, whereby we have been hindered in the ways of godliness, and have unfeignedly lamented and bewailed them with bitter grief, and resolved amendment for the time to come; then are we also to renew and strengthen our faith, ⟨p. 454⟩by applying afresh unto us the gracious promises of the Gospel which are made in Christ unto all repentant sinners. The which often renewing of our covenant with God, will be a notable means of strengthening us unto all the duties of a godly life; seeing this covenant of grace is the ground and foundation of them, God having promised therein, that he will take away from us our stony hearts, and give us hearts of flesh; and that he 1will put a new spirit within us, that we may walk in his statutes, and keep his ordinances and do them. That he will give us one heart, and one way, that we 2may fear him for ever; and put his Law in our inward parts, and write it in our hearts, that we shall not depart from him. And as thus on Gods part we are strengthened unto all good duties by his Spirit, which he promiseth and giveth unto us;
Our worldlinesse and earthly mindednesse, which haue made vs, by affecting transitory trifles, to neglect spirituall and heauenly excellencies, and neglecting Gods seruice, to serue Satan, in hope of receiuing this base wages and rewards of iniquity. Our little profiting by the long inioying and vsing of the light of the Gospell, and plentifull meanes of our saluation, for the inriching of our selues with Gods spirituall and sauing graces, knowledge, faith, affiance, loue, zeale, patience, or the fruitfull exercizing of them in the duties of a godly life: which hath come to passe by our irreuerent, slothfull and sluggish vsing of the meanes, nor bringing vnto them any faith, zeale, feruency of spirit, or a good conscience. Our want of Christian valour and resolution in the Christian warfare, and our often yeelding vnto the tentations of Satan, the world, and our own flesh. Finally, our abuse of prosperity and temporary blessings, which being giuen vs of God as present wages in our hands, to make vs more cheerfull in his seruice, we haue abused as meanes and occasions to make vs more sinfull, more forgetfull of God, and negligent and cold in his seruice: more proud, worldly, and vnconscionable in all our courses. And when we haue called to our remembrance these, and such other sinnes, whereby we haue been hindred in the wayes of godlinesse, and haue vnfainedly lamented and bewailed them with bitter griefe, and resolued amendment for the time to come; then are we also to renew and strengthen our faith, ⟨p. 454⟩by applying afresh vnto vs the gracious promises of the Gospell which are made in Christ vnto all repentant sinners. The which often renewing of our couenant with God, will be a notable meanes of strengthening vs vnto all the duties of a godly life; seeing this couenant of grace is the ground and foundation of them, God hauing promised therein, that hee will take away from vs our stony hearts, and giue vs hearts of flesh; and that hee 1will put a new spirit within vs, that we may walke in his statutes, and keepe his ordinances and doe them. That he will giue vs one heart, and one way, that wee 2may feare him for euer; and put his Law in our inward parts, and write it in our hearts, that we shall not depart from him. And as thus on Gods part wee are strengthened vnto all good duties by his Spirit, which hee promiseth and giueth vnto vs;
- 1Ezek. 11. 19, 20. and 36. 26.
- 2Jer. 31. 33. and 32. 40.Ier. 31. 33. and 32. 40.
