When the heart carries a detestation towards a corruption it stands against it as an enemy, then follows fear which is a behaviour suitable to provide and prevent the policies, plottings, and waylayings thereof upon all occasions, look as it is with a City that hath been besieged with a potent and Malicious enemy, if once the siege be raised and the forces of the enemy put to rout and scattered, how will the besieged party by a watchful fear stand upon their guard, stand sentinel night and day, send out their perdues, and dispatch a party in every coast to discover the carriage of the enemy, takes all the passages, maintains a narrow search, no man goes out, no man comes in, but enquires & learns the intent of the enemy, whether he gathers forces, and makes head again, watcheth strictly to […] his approach with the first appearance, its […] fresh in their minds into what great distress they were formerly brought, what cruelty they suffered, and that there was but a hairs breadth between them and death, with what fear and care will they labour to prevent the like bondage again, as the Philistines cried one to another when the ark came into the field, for the safeguarding of their lives and liberties, quit your selves like […], Oh ⟨p. 683⟩ye Philistines, least you become servants to the Hebrews. So it is with the sinner who hath been besieged and held captive, under the tyranny and sovereignty of sin and Satan, when the Lord by the power of ordinances shall cast down the strong holds, stop the act of sin in the strength and stream of it, disannul and make void the authority of any right or claim the sin could challenge in this work of contrition, and so rescues the soul and raises the siege that Satan laid and maintained against its distempers as the deadliest enemy it hath in all the world. No sooner is the soul revolted from under the tyranny of corruption, but the fear of the former misery forceth a man to marvellous circumspection, to maintain a careful watch, as suspicious of a surprisal, least the old distempers should gather head again; if any temptation or occasion be presented, any appearance of any provocation which may lead to the entertainment of any evil be cast in, how doth the heart shrink and shake as though the enemy were now afresh approaching;
When the heart carries a detestation towards a corruption it stands against it as an enemy, then follows fear which is a behavior suitable to provide and prevent the policies, plottings, and waylayings thereof upon al occasions, look as it is with a City that hath been besiedged with a potent and Malicious enemy, if once the siedge be raysed and the forces of the enemy put to rout and scattered, how wil the besiedged party by a watchful fear stand upon their guard, stand centinel night and day, send out their perdues, and dispatch a party in every coast to discover the carriage of the enemy, takes al the passages, maintains a narrow search, no man goes out, no man comes in, but enquires & learns the intent of the enemy, whether he gathers forces, and maks head again, watcheth strictly to 〈…〉 his approach with the first apperance, its 〈…〉 fresh in their minds into what great distress they were formerly brought, what cruelty they suffered, and that there was but a hairs bredth between them and death, with what fear and care wil they labor to prevent the like bondage again, as the Phylistians cryed one to another when the ark came into the field, for the safeguarding of their lives and liberties, quit your selves like 〈…〉, Oh ⟨p. 683⟩ye Phylistins, least you become servants to the Hebrowes. So it is with the sinner who hath been besiedged and held captive, under the tyranny and soveraignty of sin and Satan, when the Lord by the power of ordinances shal cast down the strong holds, stop the act of sin in the strength and stream of it, disanul and make voyd the authority of any right or claym the sin could challenge in this work of contrition, and so rescues the soul and rayses the sieg that Satan layd and maintayned against its distempers as the deadliest enemy it hath in al the world. No sooner is the soul revolted from under the tyranny of corruption, but the fear of the former misery forceth a man to mervailous circumspection, to maintayn a careful watch, as suspicious of a surprisal, least the old distempers should gather head again; if any temptation or occasion be presented, any appearance of any provocation which may lead to the entertainment of any evil be cast in, how doth the heart shrink and shake as though the enemy were now afresh approaching;
