A second volume of discourses or sermons on several scriptures

First, by prevention, and secondly by suppression of Sin. First, hereby he prevents and excludes those Sins, that wer• we not employed in the exercise of Grace we would commit; when the Soul is constantly employed in holy and spiritual affairs, Sin hath then neither room no• opportunity to put forth it self; it is kept out from the thoughts when they are busied in holy Meditation, it is kep• out from the affections, when they are set upon heavenly Objects, it is kept ou• from the life and conversation, wher• the duties both of the general and particular calling are duly performed in their respective seasons; the Apostle exhorts us in Ephesians 4.27. not to give place to the Devil; truly, when God's exciting Grace, quickens our inherent Grace into continual exercise, when every faculty is filled with holy actings, and every season with holy duties, the Devil can have no place to tempt, nor corruption to stir; it is the best security God can give from the commission of Sin, to quicken to the performance of Duty; when we pray, or meditate, or attend upon public Ordinances, we ought to bless God for his exciting ⟨p. 301⟩Grace, whereby we have not only performed a duty, but also escaped some soul and notorious Sin, that we might have committed had we not been so holily employed; we who are here now present before the Lord this day, had we neglected this present opportunity, who of us knows, what horrid temptations and foul sins, we might have been exposed to in our own Houses, which in the House of God we have avoided. David when he walked idly upon the roof of his House, he lies open to the Snares of the Devil, and sins foully; had he then been at his Harp or Psalms, he might thereby have driven the Evil Spirit from himself, as formerly he did from his Master Saul; running Streams preserve themselves pure and clean, when standing Pools soon grow corrupt and noisome, and venomous creatures breed in them; so is it with the heart, whilst God's exciting and quickening Grace, puts it upon continual act, it is preserved from corruption; but when once it grows sluggish, and doth not freely flow forth into the actings of Grace and performance of Duties, the spawn of all manner of sin breeds there,