Sixthly, Some (for I do not say all have found it) have found, that though God did spare them in the first ⟨p. 82⟩coming home, as to legal terrors and sorrows, from the guilt of fin, yet for sorrows and troubles arising from sin another way, they have met with their hearts full, yea, full indeed, so full, that might they have been their own choosers, they would rather have chosen a year lying under that legal bondage, which hath made them so often call into question the soundness of their Conversion, then to lye so many years under those pressing loads, which have made them weary of their lives. Whence let me give this advice to Christians; Is thy heart light, too vain, frothy? beg of God to make it serious, and study how to walk awfully and humbly before him; but do not you, as some have been apt, almost to quarrel with God, for want of legal sorrows and fears, if you have them not one way, you may have enough another way: God may let out some lust upon thee, it may be that lust in which thou tookest delight before, and with which thy heart was most defiled; which lust, though God keeps thee so that it shall not prevail or get mastery over thee, yet it may follow thee so impetuously and incessantly with the motions in all thou goest about, and hence cause such horrid vexations and afflictions to thy spirit, that thou wilt cry out a hundred times with Job, chap. 7.15. My soul chooseth strangling, and death, rather then life: How pleasing have the thoughts of the halter been under these loads? but take heed and dread these temptations, as patiently as thou canst, choose rather to submit to the sovereign and righteous pleasure of God, under these sad and soul-vexing buffetings, rather then to give the least ear to those devilish temptations of self-destruction. But still, which is the advise I give, labouring for a plain heart with God, do not you teach God what dose of legal workings and sorrows he shall give you. It is with Souls that are sick of sin, as it is with those who are bodily sick; most of these, when they send to the Physician, send him word, they can take no Physic, that is, no Vomit, no purging Physic (they mean) but desire him to send them some comfortable things, or nothing; this is the frame of most of our Country ⟨p. 83⟩people, when as they have ten times more need of Vomits and Purges, then of Cordials.
Sixthly, Some (for I do not say all have found it) have found, that though God did spare them in the first ⟨p. 82⟩coming home, as to legal terrors and sorrows, from the guilt of fin, yet for sorrows and troubles arising from sin another way, they have met with their hearts full, yea, full indeed, so full, that might they have been their own chusers, they would rather have chosen a year lying under that legal bondage, which hath made them so often call into question the soundness of their Conversion, then to lye so many years under those pressing loads, which have made them weary of their lives. Whence let me give this advice to Christians; Is thy heart light, too vain, frothy? beg of God to make it serious, and study how to walk awfully and humbly before him; but do not you, as some have been apt, almost to quarrel with God, for want of legal sorrows and fears, if you have them not one way, you may have enough another way: God may let out some lust upon thee, it may be that lust in which thou tookest delight before, and with which thy heart was most defiled; which lust, though God keeps thee so that it shall not prevail or get mastery over thee, yet it may follow thee so impetuously and incessantly with the motions in all thou goest about, and hence cause such horrid vexations and afflictions to thy spirit, that thou wilt cry out a hundred times with Job, chap. 7.15. My soul chuseth strangling, and death, rather then life: How pleasing have the thoughts of the halter been under these loads? but take heed and dread these temptations, as patiently as thou canst, chuse rather to submit to the soveraign and righteous pleasure of God, under these sad and soul-vexing buffetings, rather then to give the least ear to those devillish temptations of self-destruction. But still, which is the advise I give, labouring for a plain heart with God, do not you teach God what dose of legal workings and sorrows he shall give you. It is with Souls that are sick of sin, as it is with those who are bodily sick; most of these, when they send to the Physitian, send him word, they can take no Physick, that is, no Vomit, no purging Physick (they mean) but desire him to send them some comfortable things, or nothing; this is the frame of most of our Country ⟨p. 83⟩people, when as they have ten times more need of Vomits and Purges, then of Cordials.
