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Show NoCROSS; NoCRCJWN • . Vot. i t668. cording to the lnjunaions of God; arid the Lord Jefus Chrifl,) as foon' i; ~ they can do any Thing, they look after Pr~de, Vanity, tJn~ that ConvuJ01j .. Chap. xvn. oit tohub is mofl Jelight{lll to the Flejh, fobJCb becomes tbe1r moft delightjMI '&.f!· 4- S. 6 Emerrttimnenr : All wh1ch do but evidendy beget Luftful Co.nceptions, and ~~ 1:; 2 • 1 ' inflame to inordinate Thoughts, ·wanton Difcourfes, Lafcivious Treat• if E.ph. 4: 3o. nor at I aft to Wicked Afiions. To fucb it is udio111 and offenjive to fpeak of jer. 18. tl, Heaven, or another Life: Bid then: rdfefl upon their i!tliruu ,' not Grieve tbt (!• 2o. . Holy Spirit ; confi.der of an ~trr.nal Do'om, prtare for Judgment : And the h. u. 10" beit Return rhar tS ufual, ts Reproacbfal Je t, Propbane Rep41'uu, if not Jirefi Blouu. Their Thought• are otherwi e employed : Their Mornings are too fbon for them to Wafh, to Sm9oth, to Painr, to Patch, to Braid Tit. 2·l·4·~· to Curl, to Gum, to Powder, and otherwife to Attire and Adorn them!' ;~'!: ~· 3, 4· felves ; whilft their Afternoom :ue as commonly befpoke for Vifits, and for 1 TJ:: t :: Plays:; where their ufua:l Entertainment is fame Storiu feubr ftom tb~ Pfal •• 2.2. more approved Romanctq fome Strange .Advtntllrer, fome Paffionare A.; Eccl. •· u. tao11rr, UnR.ind Refufer, Grand Impedimtfttr, Importunate .Addre.ffer, .ll~fie • C"h 6 ' ,.ab/: Difoppointmenu, Wonderful Surprifu, Vnexpefled Enco~tnterr, Co fez Ifa.' ~: ~;, Surprized, lmptifoned Lovers R![c11ed, and ft1eetingt of fuppofed· emf Ch. 14. 29• Ontt: Bloody Duelr, Lantuifhing Voices Ecchoing ftom Solitary Grover. Ch. ~9· 3, 4• Overheard Mo11rn/ul Complaintr, deep-fetcbt Sigbr jenr ftom Wild Deforr/ •· . Intrigues managed with unheard of Subriily : And whilft all Things feem at the greateft Diftance, then are Dtad People Mive, Enemiu FriendS, Dejjair turned to Enjoyment, ond aiJ their lmpoffibilities reconciled: Things that ne• .~ • ver were, are not, nor ever fhaiJ or can be, they all come to pafs. ·-And as if Men and Women were too flow to anfwer the loofe Suggeftions of corrupt: :Nature~ or were too intent on more Divine Speculations and Heavenly Affairs, they have all that's pdffihle for the moft extravagant Wits to in .. vent, not only ~xprefs_Lye~ but utter I_mpoffibilities to v:ry Nature, 00 rurpofe to exctte thetr Mmds to thofe tdle Paffions, and Intoxicate their Giddy Fanci~ wi~h Swetlin~ Nothin~s, but Airy Fiftions t which not only confume then T1me, effemmate thelf Natures, debafe their Reafon and fet them on work to reduce thefe Things to Praftice, and make eaeb Ad• :venture theirs by Imitation J but if difappointcd, as who can otherwife ex .. pefr from fuch meer Phnntafms, the prefe~t Rem~dy is Latitude to the great· eft V1ce. And yet thefe are fame of then moflmnocent Rttreation1 which are th~ very ll5inJ of Sa_ran., to e~fn~re People :· ContriVed moft agreeable to thetr Weaknefs, and m a more mf.:nfible Manne·r tnallering their Aifeili· ons, by Entertainments moft taking to their Senfes. In fuch Occafions 'ds their H~arts breed Vani~y, and their Eyes turn Interpreters to their Thouihts : , _. an~ thetr Look~ do whtfpe~ the Secret Inflamn,ations of their intemperat~ trov. 7· to, Mmdr ~ wandnng fo long abroad, till their Lafcivious AEt:ings bring Night 021• Home, and loa? their Minds andR~putati~ns with Lufi and Infamy. :a John 2· 1~, § .. n .. Here IS the End of all thetr Fa(htons and Recreations, To gratifie ••· tee Lujl •f !h• Eyt, tht Luft of the F!tjh, and tht Pridt of Life, Cloaths that were gwen to C~\•er Shame, now want a Covering for their Shamef11/ 'Ex_cefl; and tl}a~ whtch fhou\d remember Men of loft Innocency, they pnde and glory l.n : But the Hundredth Part of thefe Things cofl Man the LofJ of Paradift, that _now make up the agreeable Recreation, ay, the Ac~ complt~ment of the T1mes. For as 'twas .4,dam's Fault to feek a SarisfaD:i~ on to h1mfe~f, ?ther rhan what God ordained: So it is the Exercife, Plea• ~ure an~ .Perfe€l_ton of the Age, t.o fpend th~ gre.ueft Portion of rheir Tim~ m. ~anttl~, whtch are fo far from the End of their Creation, namely, a E"l.n. '· D1vme Life, that they are Deftruaive of ir. §. JU. Were. the P~elfures of the Age true aod folid, .Adam and Evt bad bee~ mtfera_ble m theu Innocency, wh_o knew them not: Bur as 'twas,once thetr Happtn~fs, not to know them tn any Degree, fo it is theirs, that Eph. 2.1 10 ~· know Chnft mdeed, to be by his' Eternal Power redeel!l:'d and raifed ro the Cor.t. •3· . Love of ~mtnorr~lity: ~hich _is yet a Myftery to thofe who li'fC and have !{.e:6;1~71.~8- Pleafure m t~e1r c11r1om. T~1mr, Ri,b. and changeable .Apparel, ]\/eery of ~it. 2, 111 u Drefs, lnvenllon and llmltttlon of Fajlnonr, Cofl!J Attire, .Min(ing Gates, WanltJIJ VoJ.· ). Vanton Uo!u, Ro11Uf1tcer, Plays, l'reou, -Ball~. Fe(lflr,-o.nd the like Convet: fation in Requeft: For as thefe had never been, ,jf Man had fta.id-M bome with his Creato.{, and , giv~n the emire Ex.eraife of his Mind to rhe Noble Ends of his Cre~tion; .fo aertain it is, that the ufe of thefe Vanities is not 9nly a Sjgn th~t Men and Women ar~ yet Ignorant of their true Reft and PJeafure, but tt greatly cbftrufu and hmders the Retirement of their Mind5 and their ferious Engui~y after. thofe Things that are Eter.oa.L 0,. tha~ there fhould be fo ro.uch Norfe, ~Clutter, Invenrion., Traffick, Curiofit~, J?iHgence, P~ins and ~aft .E.xpqnce pf l'Jme and Eitate, to ,pleafe and g~a~ tdle JPOOf vam :M.ortalit.Y'! And r.h.qt .the 'Sottl, the very Image Qf Divini(y dt f~lf, fuould ha\i:e fo li,ttle of their 1Confiderarion! Wha~. o ,what more pregnant Infbnces an.d evjdent 'ifokens can be given, That 'tis the Body, the SenJ~, the Cafe, a').ifrkHefh and Bone covered with Skin, the Toys, Fop- ~~i~ and ~'·ery V,a,.~t-ti,es ?f t;his Mc:>.rral Life and perifhing \Voi-ld, that f,le:Jf~, t~at Take, ~at Ga,n the~; .011 which they 1dote; and t·hi-nk they 1668. ~ Jam • .-;. s. MU.].l], li, '9· Rom.8.8. Mat. 16.26. 1 Cor.6.1]. job3~· '5· I fa. 40. 6, 1 Pet. l•24• ..ne~e~ have~oo muoltTjm~! Lo~.Qr MQney,. to rbcftow up<m them. §. !V. Th,us are t.b.c:Ur M1nds ~mJ!loy'd~ a11d fo vain are they in their lma~ ~Ice 8.14- !linlt.i\lllS, aod dar.¥: il\ r.h;is UDdeJ;(l:J.ndi~gs, that they not only believe them ·Pto. •·!'~< jo .l~nej:eD\1 'but perf wade tbeg#"e.lve.s. they tlre .l~od Cbrijliam olltbis wbik.;. c~. 1o. 17• il.~d ro ~;e~u).ce t.he.m is work t_ha,l1 Ncufi4·• T.bus are they Stt:UlgetS to t-he ~: ~~-;~. lf1dden Life; and by thele T,lm~• Me rl>ey diver<ed from all feriaus Exami- m. j~. •· ,t]afion ~f tb,emfell'e~ J and ·• lir<l,e by..,Of<·\!II.We, wi<h <a forc'4 Zeal, of ·•·""'' ' ,h~!f •.~llour's tolls, lll <>Jhe< )!.,.·, W.oiXls, ';"l#Wj'.ltave<Joilling ro do ~~'· ;~: '9• WJ..t~, !Stpade[uffi~nt; .beJI!g_oo more tlte.il...Srtlldr, or at i.nft thtirlrt-- 2 Tim. 3•4, tequop1 i'' !heu WpJ!!.s ~v, 1thln 'tm< <};: Y<>u~il.lah's in the Goq,el.. M.r.6. 7• .thai fatd, lie tA0~4/:Go, •nd pid '!fot. lllil alas I Why? {)hJ there are <J. ther GufUS! Wq~ .ilfl' <liey? PbaraHl011d, Ck'l><'tr., C.Jfomlro, Cklia, :. 1'14)1, aM, a Sprpt.£~f.Jarde!l; the fark, Jbe G;.,Unm, the 'f:~Jchorge, in a .W 91d, the World. , 'fhcfe Sray, there Cal,l, tllefe are lmporwnate, and tl),efl; thFY J}ttend, aiJil thefe are lh¢ir molt familiar Alfo<Utes. Thtls dre Jl•eir He;InC' capnr.ft~d from ~~ Dfvjnc lilcercife; nay, from filch extern•l Aff~~rs. as Itl]medt<ltely .conce(n fome·Bene6t totbemfelves, prneedy Neigh-po~ rs; .pleaJ•~& th~IJlfelves With r~e received JJ~"' of thofe Toys and Fo~' ~pe~, Into tpe•r loci<: and ""Y !yhnds' t\ild if in ·all Thin~o they canool: pr~Chf-= them, becaufe they wam rh5-! Means of It, yet as .much a5 may ~ 'lJlFqfl. tq dofe upon them,, be ukcn with tqem, and willin~ly flifrer thell' 1'~9. ~hJsto. be h~rrlod ~(tq rye[IJ. fi ll Which greatly indifpofes JheMinds, *~pd' •Ar,a(\o the ~ou)s pf P.eopl.o from the Divine Life and Principle of ~IT JcJ"'' llut""" lqtp ,J>ecn often f•id, more fpecially tho Mindl o.J tli~;r1fl~ger fort, JO whom the li~~ DiVfr;iftmenu (where their !neW If" I'·<· AAtJ.pqs ~eing prefen.trd .with wh'lt is very full:ahle.to tbetn, 'they become J~:r. 2 • ~· (~ffft/P. to mqr~. Vj\mtY,, than eye, , ~hey thought upon bcffote) .are incom~- Ecc.tJ.to. tai>!Y Ql'arer than ~II , t~at can qe fa•d of Gqft', Ftflr, a Retired l.ife, Emn,il JVywJf, and, Jay, (/'fl}enkabk ,apd Full of GMy.. So vain, fo blind, ahd fo vm. tqfc~f,llle >!~Men and Woi)Jen, 9f Wb~t truly makes a Difciple tlf {;Qpft l 0! 7Qtll thf)'_Wo~l {lt!fldtr JJt1 tbif~ 'JJJings, nnd ·w1tcb"'g4injt, 1111& Rom. 13' 11 ' f'Id ff ,l( thcf~ Vanflftr, OF tl!e Co11tiflg of tbe Lord, le/l be.itzg un/Jrrjhtred, ~:~t- 1 ~. 1• ,(ld!ttJ~n ~p wuh qtbfr utfls, 'J'hey emtr'11QI inti} hn HverlaPi'hg Rtjt. to 14· · ,§ •. V. l:hat whiclr ~ur1h~r manifefts the UH!atif«ipcf' of rhef~ Nutne<out FaJhi,qn~ ~nd Rqcri\lt~Q~Js lSI 'J:~at th.ey are .eithdr the lnt>eQtions of Valrr; l?le, ~!lll Wnnt.op l\ltnd!. to grarihe thein <!wrt Senfua!ities, and dire th" l•k,e Wickqd Cutipljty in «bets, to, imitate tho fame; bt whi!& ~othing bil< !.~!\ ~~d li~lly >re protoo!ed '· 0• lht Contr(\llb<es of Indigent and Imp~>: >ql/fhd Wtts.l wljq ma\ic.n-rhe.llfl<t Way for th'eii Maint<lnan<e, In bo•h wh11;~ ll,efll!:ttS, •'XI Qpop both which Conlidet:ations, th¢y ought to be do-• 1<11'\1. fqr •~e. firll. lioenles ••WoiS l~t~pittn :tnd the '"""' counteurrces ~ '!lrfrcqe~ Way Qi ~libeod, and c6~fequontly 8ivetiS ftdrrr more la\>fful, !U<>t~ !e.r.vKeaQ!~ "WW mtr~ll«e!J;•r Empl<>Y'Dl6Jlts Tlur fi10h .PerfMs are 11<>1~ t~ lnvel\.t~fiift11<11 aaor.of. n11~re Felli • .,. ronoot be dillicul< to' d ... lll~~qe ' F91•l'let•.lt pQ!Ii~tA~at.att..~ IDoeq>U!d bring u:s.F.Illh¢t A.U.rz'SJ. A a a 2 Girdle, |