and merciful, let him do with me as he will.' This is the principal effect of true conversion, to bring the soul thus to close with God in Christ.

(2.) And in the same covenant, as the converted soul doth close with Christ, so doth it renounce all other competitors. Before he served another master, but now he understandeth it must be so no more. There is no serving God and mammon, the Spirit and the flesh. Christ and satan are as unreconcileable as light and darkness. It is the purpose of Christ to bring men from the captivity of satan, and of sin. He letteth the sinner know, that there is no hopes of joining these together: either the devil or Christ must be forsaken; either sin or mercy must be renounced. The word, and Spirit, and minister say to him, Thou seest, sinner, how the case standeth, God is resolved, he will not change. Never think of any other way; either let sin go, or let heaven go; take which thou wilt, and leave which thou wilt; but never think of keeping both.' Hereupon the sinner lets go his sins, and renounceth the world, the flesh, the devil; and engageth himself that Christ alone shall be his Saviour and his Lord, and God alone his chiefest good. He will take the promised glory for his portion; and this is the other part of the covenant. At this one blow the root of every sin is destroyed. But principally, that which is the centre and sum of all the rest, and that is, self-love, and self-seeking. Every unconverted sinner liveth to himself, and is addicted principally to his carnal interest, and the main work that Christ hath to do upon the soul, is, to take down this carnal self. This is the great enemy that he bendeth his force against. And the subduing of this is his chiefest victory. This is the great idol of every unregenerate man, that must be taken down, or there is no salvation. The very nature of conversion, is, a turning from carnal-self to God by Christ. This therefore is to be inquired after by all that would find this change upon themselves. And I beseech you brethren be very careful in this particular. For as this part of the work is of absolute necessity, so the interest of carnal-self is very strong and deep-rooted, and exceeding much befriended by our nature. So that here is the main difficulty of all your work. O, it is no easy mat

y Acts xxvi. 18. 2 Tim. ii. 24, 25.

ter for a man unfeignedly to deny himself: it is a subtle enemy that will keep much secret life and strength, when it seemeth to be overcome. And though you may think in an affliction, or time of humiliation, that self is brought very low; yet, when prosperity comes again, or when its interest lieth at the stake, and you are called either to costly duties or sufferings, you will then see better what strength your carnal-self yet retaineth. Many a man hath gone far, and done much, and shamefully fallen away at the last, because they were never brought thoroughly to self-denial. It is the remaining interest of carnal-self that leadeth some to fleshly lusts, and some to proud ambitious ways, and some to drown themselves in the cares of this world, and so prove wretched hypocrites at the last. I do therefore as earnestly advise every soul of you to all possible care in this point, as I would do to any thing in the world. Whatever you do, be jealous of this sin. Fight neither against small nor great, but against this enemy, carnal-life; and do not too easily believe that it is overcome. Conquer this and conquer all.

This is the life and soul of all sins. The very use and end of all sin is flesh-pleasing. As he that hath right ends, hath done more than half his work for his salvation, so he that keepeth up his fleshly ends is still a servant of the flesh, whatever he may do that seemeth to be for God. He that hath got the victory of this self, hath broke the heart of every sin. And in this fall of carnal-self, there are three great master sins go down. I. Pride. 2. Covetousness. 3. Voluptuousness. He that before was set upon the exalting of himself, is now set upon the glorifying of God. And he that lived to the world, and was a drudge for earth, is now employed for higher things, and he that must have his sports and pleasures, and fleshly ease, hath now learned to use his body as a servant, and no longer to suffer it to be the ruler of his soul. But of these I have spoken elsewhere, so that I will say no more of them now. Only this, that the destroying of these three sins, pride, covetousness, and voluptuousness, and in them carnal-self, is one half of the work of true conversion. As the other half is the setting up of God, and the turning of the soul by Christ to him, and an unreserved dedication and resignation of ourselves to him.

2. When the sinner is thus engaged in covenant to God, the next thing that he doth, is, actually to forsake that sin which he hath renounced, and make good the covenant that even now he made. For it is not a false dissembling promise, that converted sinners make to God. There is no hold to take of another man's word. Before conversion, all promises come from so low a principle that they quickly vanish, and the heart of such a man is as changeable as the moon: but when they are converted, you shall see that they are men of their word, and did mean as they said, and were in good sadness with God, and that they are indeed fallen out with sin. They do not now think to put off the righteous God with words, and keep that sin which in their covenant they did renounce: no, they know that that would but bring greater wrath upon them, and cause God to deal with them as perjured covenant breakers, besides all the rest of their sins; and therefore the same grace that caused them to promise, causeth them to perform. O what a sudden change doth appear in the lives of such as these, when God hath thoroughly done his work! I know the work on the heart is the greatest work, but that is not seen so much by men, and therefore not so much admired. But the life is seen by others, and therefore it is a wonder in the eyes of the world many times, to see the change of a converted sinner when they see, that he that lived in fleshly pleasures, doth now despise them, and hath no such mind of his former sports and delights! They marvel what aileth the man that he is so changed, when they hear him that was wont to curse and swear, and deride those that feared God, to lament now his wickednesses, to reprove others that do as he was wont to do, and warn them to take heed of going that way. People will marvel what hath befallen the man that hath made this alteration. They do not see what he hath seen, nor know the workings of the Spirit of God upon his soul. They know not how God hath been hammering his hard heart, and melting it, and forming it to this. They were not witnesses of the strivings and conflict in his spirit, which was between Christ and the flesh; and therefore when they see not the cause within, the change without will seem the stranger to them. And indeed it is a kind of miracle to see the effects of the power of Christ, and how suddenly oft

entimes the change is made, that would never have been made by any other means. Take a man that hath only some light convictions, and a half-repentance, and how long is he in making a half-reformation. If he were wont to swear or curse, or frequent alehouses and vain company, he cannot suddenly leave it, but sometimes he restrains it a little, as if he were reformed, and sometimes he falls to it again, because he is not truly changed. But when he is converted indeed, you shall see him ordinarily leave all these sins even on a sudden. He that was wont to swear or curse, you shall never hear him do it again. He will flee from the places that before he delighted in. He is moved by a more effectual principle, and therefore will not stand trifling in the business. Grace makes a man know, that sin, and satan, and the flesh are his deadly enemies, that seek the everlasting damnation of his soul, and therefore it is the less marvel, if he use them as enemies. If friends have weapons in their hands, they will but play with them, but deadly enemies will seek the blood of one another. There is difference between fencing and fighting for life. Though a man that knoweth nothing of their meaning, might think a fencer is fighting in good sadness, seeing he seemeth to make as great a stir as if it were so indeed. Yet the issue will shew you, that it is otherwise, because you see that there is no blood shed, nor men killed. So is it with an hypocrite in his seeming reformation; when he makes the greatest stir against his sin in confessing and prayer, and other means, yet he will not resolvedly cast it away, but he secretly useth it as his friend, while he openly abuseth it as his enemy; and he puts it into his bosom, while he calls it all to naught. He will not be brought unfeignedly to renounce it, and give it a bill of divorce, and cast it out as a man doth his vomit, with resolution never to take it in more. O how sweetly doth he roll it in his thoughts in secret, when he frowneth upon it with the severest countenance ! How easily is he drawn to it again and again, when he takes on him to repent of it and abhor it! But it is clean contrary with a man that is converted. Though the remnants of sin will remain in him while he liveth, yet as to the reign of it, he presently casteth it off, and biddeth defiance to it. He fighteth against it in good earnest, as knowing that either

he or it must die. He casteth it up as a loathsome vomit which he will not take into his stomach again; you shall quickly see by the course of his life, that his heart is changed. Before true conversion comes, what a stir have we with wretched sinners to leave a base lust? To forsake their drunkenness, or covetousness, or uncleanness, to leave their swearing and cursed speaking, and yet we cannot prevail with them; sometimes they will, and then again they will not; sometimes a flash of conviction flieth in their faces, and they are a little affrighted, and then they will presently repent and mend; but when the fit is over, you shall see that it is not a change of his disposition or nature; it was but a little falling out with their sin, which leaveth them faster friends when they are reconciled. But conversion maketh an unreconcileable enmity. Away goes former sinful customs and courses; away goes covetous practices, and wicked speeches, and proud fashions, and courses. As Sarah thrust out Hagar and Ishmael out of her house, and would receive them no more. If you have deadly enemies in your house, you will thrust out them and all that they have. If a man should sit in a dark room among snakes and toads, and think verily that there were no such matter, but he were in his bed-chamber, you might persuade him long enough to come away, and tell him of the danger; but he will not stir, but laugh at you, because he doth not believe you. But if you come into the room with a light, and he see them crawling all about him, and making at him, then you need not another word to bid him be gone; he is quickly up, and leaveth them with abhorrency. We tell unconverted sinners of the hatefulness of sin, and the danger that they are in, and pray them to leave it, but they believe us not, and do but laugh at it; but when the Spirit of God bringeth in the light, and they see all this with their own eyes, that it is even worse than ever we made it, then away goes their sins without any more ado. Like a child that hath a fine yellow crab which he taketh for an apple, he will not part with it, nor let you take it from him; but when he hath set his teeth in it once, and tasted it, he will throw it away without any more ado. If such a foolish child be playing with a nettle, while he taketh it for a common herb, he is bold with it, but when he feels the sting, he