Answ. 1 The answer to that is this, None but a carnal heart is sorry for his engagement unto God, neither because of afflictions that are in the ways of God, nor because the bonds of obedience unto God are stronger, nor because the danger of breaking them is greater. Perhaps when thou art engaged to God and his ways, thou meetest with many afflictions that are in those ways, take heed of repenting of thy engagement because of those afflictions. Perhaps thou seest thy self so strongly bound that thy conscience will fly in thy face if thou doest go but a little awry more than before; Oh take heed of recenting from thy engagement notwithstanding that. For one whose heart is gracious, certainly will never repent of his engagement though there be more danger of his sin now than before; why? because he hateth his sin: Now let there be never so much danger to keep me from that which I hate, I will never be sorry for that; as for instance, suppose there be a deep gulf, that if I fall into it, will destroy me, I tremble to come near it, well there is a fence to keep me off from that gulf full of sharp iron pikes, so that if I should but try to get over it,1 they will gore and prick me; shall I be sorry that the sense is so full of sharp things that will gore and prick me if I endeavour to get over, when the fence is but set there to keep me from destroying my self? So a gracious heart will never be sorry that it is engaged in the ways of God, and that if it should break the engagement there would be an aggravation of his sin, for why? this my engagement is but as a fence full of pricks to keep me from that which I would be loth to ⟨p. 423⟩come to, which would destroy me. And those that begin to think their engagement to God and his ways, to be a hard thing and could wish more liberty, these kind of men will certainly deal treacherously with God, yea their hearts are even already departing from God. Take heed of this it is a great degree of Apostasy (remember it my brethren it is an argument of marvellous use) it is I say a great degree of apostasy for any man to begin to be sorry that he is so deeply engaged to God and His ways.2 All that are the Saints of God, when they are engaged, they bless God that ever they were engaged.
Answ. 1 The answer to that is this, None but a carnal heart is sorry for his engagement unto God, neither because of afflictions that are in the waies of God, nor because the bonds of obedience unto God are stronger, nor because the danger of breaking them is greater. Perhaps when thou art engaged to God and his waies, thou meetest with many afflictions that are in those waies, take heed of repenting of thy engagement because of those afflictions. Perhaps thou seest thy self so strongly bound that thy conscience will fly in thy face if thou doest go but a little awry more than before; Oh take heed of recenting from thy engagement notwithstanding that. For one whose heart is gracious, certainly will never repent of his engagement though there be more danger of his sin now than before; why? because he hateth his sin: Now let there be never so much danger to keep me from that which I hate, I will never be sorry for that; as for instance, suppose there be a deep gulf, that if I fall into it, wil destroy me, I tremble to come neer it, well there is a fence to keep me off from that gulf full of shap iron pikes, so that if I should but try to get over it,1 they will gore and prick me; shall I be sorry that the sence is so full of sharp things that will gore and prick me if I endeavor to get over, when the fence is but set there to keep me from destroying my self? So a gracious heart will never be sorry that it is engaged in the waies of God, and that if it should break the engagement there would be an aggravation of his sin, for why? this my engagement is but as a fence full of pricks to keep me from that which I would be loth to ⟨p. 423⟩come to, which would destroy me. And those that begin to think their engagement to God and his waies, to be a hard thing and could wish more liberty, these kind of men will certainly deal treacherously with God, yea their hearts are even already departing from God. Take heed of this it is a great degree of Apostacy (remember it my brethren it is an argument of marvellous use) it is I say a great degree of apostacy for any man to begin to be sorry that he is so deeply engaged to God and His waies.2 All that are the Saints of God, when they are engaged, they bless God that ever they were engaged.
- 1simile
- 2The […] degree of apostasy.The 〈…〉 degree of apostacy.
