Direct 2. Walk in the fear of God all the day long, and in the sense of his omniscient eye that is ever upon thee. This kept Joseph from this sin, Gen. xxxix. 9. " How can I do this wickedness and sin ** against God .?" Consider, the darkness hideth not from him, but shineth as the light. If thou couldst find a place where the eye of God should not discover thee, it were somewhat : thou darest not to act this wickedness in the presence of a child, and Avilt thou ad- venture to commit it before the face of God ? see that argument, Prov. V. 20, 21. " And why wilt thou, my son, be ravished with a " strange woman, and embrace the bosom of a stranger ? For the *' ways of man are before the eyes of the Lord, and he pondereth *' all his goings."'
Direct. S. Avoid lewd company, and the society of unclean per- sons ; they are hut panders for lust. Evil communication corrupts good manners. The tongues of sinners do cast fire-balls into the hearts of each other, which the corruption within is easily kindled and enflamed by.
Direct. 4. Exercise thyself in thy calling diligently ; it will be an excellent means of preventing this sin. It is a good observation that one hath. That Israel was safer in the brick-kilns in Egvpt, than in the plains of Moab, 2 Sam. xi. 2. " And it came to pass in the even- " tide, that David arose from offhis bed, and walked on the roof of " the kino;''s house ;"*'' and this was the occasion of his fall. See 1 Tim. v.ll, 13.
Direct. 5. Put a restraint upon thine appetite : feed not to excess. Fulness of bread and idleness were the sins of Sodom, that occasion- ed such an exuberancy of lust *. " They are like fed horses, every " one neighing after his neighbour's wife. When I had fed them to " the full, then they committed adultery, and asembled themselves " by troops in the harlots' houses," Jer. v. 7, 8. This is a sad re- quital of the bounty of God, in giving us the enjoyment of the crea- tures, to make them fuel to lust, and instruments of sin.
Direct. 6. Make choice of a meet yoke-fellow, and delight in her you have chosen. This is a lawful remedy : See 1 Cor. vii. 9- God ordained it. Gen. ii. 21. But herein appears the corruption of na- ture, that men delight to tread by-paths, and forsake the way which God hath appointed ; as that divine poet, Mr. Herbert, saith. If God had laid all common, certainly
Man would have been the closer : but since now God hath impal'd us, on the contrary,
Man breaks the fence, and every ground will plow.
• Siiie Cerere et JBaccho friget Venus.
324« MERCIES AND FROMISKS.
O what were man, might he himself misplace ! Sure, to be cross, he would shift feet and face.
Stolen waters are sweeter to them than those waters they might lawfully drink at their own fountain : But withal know, it is not the having, but the delighting in a lawful wife, as God requires you to do, that thou must be a fence against this sin. So Solomon, Prov. V. 19. " Let her be as the loving hind, and pleasant roe ; let her " breasts satisfy thee at all times, and be thou ravished always with " her love.""
Direct. 7. Take heed of running on in a course of sin (especially superstition and idolatry : in which cases, and as a punishment of which evils God often gives up men to these vile affections, Rom. i. 25, 16. " Who changed the truth of God into a lie ; [worshipped] " and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for " ever. Amen. [For this cause] God gave them up to vile affec- " tions," &c. They that defile their souls by idolatrous practices, God suffers, as a just recompence, their bodies also to be defiled with uncleanness, that so their ruin may be hastened. Let the admirers of traditions beware of such a judicial tradition as this is. Woe to him that is thus delivered by the hand of an angry God ! No punish- ment in the world like this, when God punishes sin with sin : when he shall suffer those zoivac, iwoiag, those common notices of conscience to be quenched, and all restraints to be moved oyt of the way of sin, it will not be long e'er that sinner come to his own place.
XN the next place I shall make bold to expostulate a little with your consciences concerning the precious mercies you have received, and the solemn promises you have bound yourselves withal for the ob- taining of those mercies. I fear God hath many bankrupt debtors a- mongyou, that have dealt slipperily and unfaithfully with him ; that have not rendered to the Lord according to the great things he hath done for them, nor according to those good things they have vowed to the mighty God of Jacob. But truly if thou be a despiser of mer- cy, thou shalt be a pattern of wrath. God will remember them in fury who^r^'^^ him in his favours. I will tell you what a grave and eminent minister once told his people (dealing with them about this sin of unthankfulness for mercy) ; and I pray God it may aff'ect you duly. * ' Let us all mourn (saith he) and take on ; we are all behind ' hand with God. The Christian world is become bankrupt, quite ' broke, makes no return to God for his love. He is issuing out ' process to seize upon body, goods, and life, and will be put off no ' longer. Bloody bailiffs are abroad for bad debtors all the world ' over. Christians are broke, and make no return, and God is break-
• Mr. Lockyer on Col. d. p. UJ.
MERCIES AXD PROMISES. S25
' incr all. He cannot have what he would have, what he should
* have, he will take what he can get : for money he will take goods, ' limbs, arms, legs ; he will have his own out of your skin, out of ' your blood, out of your bodies and souls. He is setting the Chris-
* tian world as light and as low as they have set his love. Ah, Lord, ' what a time do we live in ! long-suffering is at an end, mercy will ^ be righted in justice, justice will have all behind, it will be paid
* to the utmost farthing ; it will set abroach your blood, but it will ' have all behind,"" &c.
Do you hear, souls ? Is not this sad news to some of you, who have received vast sums of mercy, and given God your bond for the repayment of him in praise and answerable fruit, and yet forfeited all and lost your credit with God ? O how can you look God in the face, with whom you have dealt so perfidiously ! I am now come in the name of God to demand his due of you ; to call to remembrance the former receipts of mercy which 3^ou mind not, but God doth, and there is a witness in your bosom that doth, and will one day witness to your faces, that you have dealt perfidiously with your God. Your souls have been the graves of mercy, which should have been as so many gardens where they should have lived and flourished. I am come now to open those graves, and view those mercies that your unthankfulness hath killed and buried, to lay them before your eyes, and see whether your ungi'ateful hearts will bleed upon them. Bu- ried mercies are not lost for ever ; they shall as certainly have a day of