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comes to call a great finner to an account, and to inquire of him; he is fo far from giving any account or making any apology, that he melts away, finks under confufion, and falls under the charge of the Almighty; so that I would read the words thus, when thou with fecret rebukes, doft charge a perfon for his fecret iniquities, thou makeft his beauty, the things that be values himself by, to confume away like a moth.

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God can immediately by his influence, fortify and encourage a man's mind; or elfe throw him down into difcontent and frowardnefs. For the minds and fpirits of men lie open to God, as much as ought of the creation; and there is the most inward relation between the creator and the creature; and wherein foever a man can keep out all created power (the world, the devil, yea the angels of glory) there he cannot keep out God for God can call to advertency; God can call off all other avocations, and then man muft mind what God will have him confider. When God will, the hearts of men will ferve them, and be more than themselves; and if God withdraws, they come to nothing. And indeed that that is truly and ftrictly man's weal or woe, depends upon that, which paffeth between God and a man's foul; the terms that are between God and a man's felf. How contented are some men in a condition that the world doth defpife? and how much discontent in others, that live in worldly fplendour? Therefore the difference muft arise from the temper of mens minds, and the thoughts that men have of the terms that are between God and themfelves. 'Tis this notion that is in Gods an

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fwer to Mofes praying for his fifter Miriam, Numb. xii. 14. If her father had but spit in her face, should fhe not have been ashamed seven days? How much more, when the discountenancing is from the Father of Spirits? In fpeaking to this point, I fhall confider two things.

Firft, Whereby chiefly God doth thus blast men; how it is brought about, and whereby it comes to pass.

Secondly, In what special cafes, we may fear judgments in this fort: hearing from God in this worst fenfe.

For the first, I fhall give an account in fix parti

culars.

1. These secret rebukes may lie in God's fuffer ing the foundation of nature to fail, and fink; fo that men do not continue in the true use of reafon and understanding where men wholly cease to be themselves, as to the reason of their minds; or elfe what remains of mens reason, is not for themselves, but is turned against them. As in the case of Achitophel and Judas, they were fo difpoffeffed of the true ufe of the reafon of their minds, that they do fuch acts against themselves, as the animal principle keeps all creatures below us from; (for what creature was ever known to be acceffory to its own destruction) and which they would never have done, had they continued in the true use of their understandings. This therefore is one way, that God can challenge the arbitrariness of his creatures; either by fuffering the foundation of nature to fail, so that men may not have the true use of their reason and understanding ;

understanding; or what they have left, they have for their own difadvantage : as you often see perfons of wit and cunning have had no better use of their reafon and understanding, than to reafon against all counfels that are given them for their advantage. This is a dreadful way, and we have reason to thank God, that he doth uphold the foundation of our natures, and continues us in the use of true and folid reafon.

2. This may be brought to pafs, by difaffecting the mind of man toward worldly contentment, and sa, tisfaction; fo that the fubfidia vita, the conveniencies and accommodations of life are not relifhed, but prove fapless, without favour or relish. The palate of the foul is out of tafte; fo as to relish nothing, Ecclef. i. 24. It is best freely to enjoy but through this judgment of God, there is no more taste than in the white of an egg, Job vi. 6. God can throw men out of the poffeffion of those things as to felf-enjoyment in them, whereof they continue the legal owners, in foro hominum. For a man may poflefs feveral things which he may call his own; and yet he himself enjoy no contentment in them, no fatisfaction from them. This Solomon hath obferved in his furvey, in the book of Ecclefiaftes: a man that hath right and titles, and no enjoyment, Eccl. vi. 2. And he refolves, that it is best for a man to take his part of all things he calls his own in the world. And a man is twice his own in those things he calls his own, if he have the power to use and enjoy them. And he tells us that there is one alone, and there is not a fecond, yea, he hath neither child nor brother,

brother, &c. Eccl. iv. 8. and yet he pincheth himfelf, and ftraitneth himself, and never asketh himself the question for whose fake he doth it, and he concludes that it is the bleffing of God upon a man when he can afford himself the free use of all, that he calls his own : And it is the judgment of God upon bafe minds, that though they have, they have no enjoyment; they have no power to use that which they have; neither can gratify themselves, nor do any good with it. They are slaves to their own eftates; they have and they have not. This I reckon God's plague upon a man's mind, that he hath no true enjoyment of that which is his own.

3. This may be done by Gods inhibiting, or fuf pending the virtue of feveral creatures, which otherwife would be very proper to give a man diversion, or ease, or fitting supply. For, nothing is any thing any longer than God will have it. That God that stopped the mouth of the lions that they could not feed u, pon Daniel, Dan. vi. that God, that could forbid the fire from burning the three children, Dan. iii, that God can make every creature a comfort and inftrumental for our good when he pleafeth. The hungry raven at his bidding will be ameffenger to bring wholfome food to a prophet, 1 Kings xvii. 6. As God can refresh the earth by drops from heaven fo he can make the heaven over our head to be brass, and the earth to be iron, Deut. xxviii. 23. fo that they fhall not bring forth. Yea, he can make the rain that falls upon a mans ground, powder and duft, Deut. xxviii. 24. He can, not only give rain, which all the idols of the nations cannot do, fer. xiv. 22. fa

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Job. v. 10. but also water the earth with the river of God, making it foft with showers, Pf. lxix. 9, 10. and give us fruitful feafons, filling our hearts with food, and gladness, Acts xiv. 17. We are to underftand that all things whatsoever, act in the power and virtue of the principle that God planted in them in the first moment of the creation. Now it is in God, that gave them feveral virtues, to inhibit and fufpend them. This is fo great a truth, that I have teftimony for it beyond all exception. It was acknowledged by a spirit, of which we can give no account; the spirit that was conjured up to give Saul an anfwer; faith this spirit (which is fuppofed to be an infernal spirit) wherefore doft thou ask of me, feeing the Lord is departed from thee, and become thine enemy ? if God inhibit, all creatures are at a lofs if God forfake a man, he is undone to eternity, and this is acknowledged from hell, as all suppose; for this fpirit faith it,

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4. God may do this by withdrawing his bleffing from mens endeavours; fo that they become unprofperous, and the happy iffues of providence are intercepted. This we have experience of, that many times things politickly contrived, and carried on with power, fail and mifcarry, and come to nothing, and this is because God is not there. Other times you have things weakly managed, and unlikely inftruments, and yet great fuccefs, and things fall out above expectation: no account to be given of this, but Gods bleffing and affiftance. This is that which the wife man hath observed, that the race is not always to the fwift, nor the battle to the strong, &c.

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