Riches of mercy to men in misery, or, Certain excellent treatises concerning the dignity…

As for example, a man that hath not his heart sanctified, he hath his corruptions expressed by fits, this we say is an unevenness of kind, when a man sets himself in holy courses, and presently gives over himself to all his lusts. This is that unevenness spoken of, Jam. 1. such a man is unstable ¹in all his ways; the meaning is, such a man hangs between two objects, that he knows not whether he shall choose this or that: like a man that hath two ways before him, and knows not whether of them he shall go, either this way, or that, but sometimes he is for God, another time he is for his lusts, his mind hangs in such an aequi librio, that he hath nothing to sway him, such an unevenness there is in a natural man. Now this double-mindedness is opposed to singleness of heart, when a man is resolved to choose one in such a manner, that he subjugates and leaves his choice and leaning to the other. So it is when grace is come into the heart, when it heals corruption, it brings a man to such a pass, that he chooseth the ways of God, he chooseth to serve God with all his heart, with uprightness, and he chooseth it in a fixed, resolved manner. And though he may be biassed, and drawn aside, through the weakness and sickness that is left yet behind, yet I say he is pitched upon one object, therefore he is not said to have the inconstancy of kind, he is not instable in his ways: so that though he may be sometimes carried out of his way, yet because he hath set ⟨p. 196⟩himself wholly to serve the Lord, we may say that he hath a single heart: for grace doth not take away all unevenness. The holiest men that have the most grace, yet that grace is subject to ebbing and flowing, it is sometimes in a greater degree, & sometimes in a less. You see a bowl that is cast out of a mans hand; so far as the strength of the man lasts it carries the bowl along to the place which he aims at notwithstanding the bias be (at it were) contrary; so it is here, the bias of corruption that is left within us, is not quite cut off or taken away; but yet the strength of grace with which the soul is first acted, it keeps us along, and carries us in the ways of righteousness notwithstanding that bias that is within us that inclines to the contrary.

As for example, a man that hath not his heart sanctified, he hath his corruptions exprest by fits, this we say is an unevenness of kind, when a man sets himself in holy courses, and presently gives over himself to all his lusts. This is that unevenness spoken of,