Useful instructions for a professing people in times of great security and degeneracy

1. If the sin •all upon you in particular, be ready to take the shame of it: if while thou art standing before God, asking him by whom. and for what he is provoked? if he answer, Thou art the man, for these and those things he is provoked and offended; why, now lay thy mo•th in the d•st, reply not against him. While the sin is laid open others, and it toucheth not us, as we conceive, or at least only our natural infirmities, &c. we are well pleased; but when our […] come to be opened, rubbed and chafed, why then we kick, and fling, and rage, and grow mad. Avoid this frame, and bear patiently to be laid open and reproved.

1. If the sin •all upon you in particular, be ready to take the shame of it: if while thou art standing before God, asking him by whom. and for what he is provoked? if he answer, Thou art the man, for these and those things he is provoked and offended; why, now lay thy mo•th in the d•st, reply not against him. While the sin is laid open others, and it toucheth not us, as we conceive, or at least onely our natural infirmities, &c. we are well pleased; but when our 〈…〉 come to be opened, rubbed and chafed, why then we kick, and fling, and rage, and grow mad. Avoid this frame, and bear patiently to be laid open and reproved.

2. If the Command laid upon you be never so cross, be ready and willing to obey it: it may be, that which God expects may be exceeding averse, an Opinion which thou hast been long rooted and riveted in, and dwelt upon with great confidence; a sin which hath brought thee in a great deal of profit, credit, or the like: the thing which God commands may seem to carnal Reason unreasonable, &c. now a proud heart will fling away; but have a care thou bring not such an heart before the great Searcher of hearts: Come, able in some measure sincerely to say, Speak Lord, thy Servant heareth; Command me what thou wilt. I am ready to obey and follow thee.