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Show Vo;r... i. 315\1 668 thlt .A..nguijh and Troublt which are the Confequences !>f S111, thar fo they ~ might be at Eafe and Se;11r1ty whtle in the Wodd, let then. own Confct( hapXVll ences declare. JLda111•s Temprauon is reprefenred by the Frutt of a Tree. Jlcm.1. s. thereby mumating the great lnft.uence, externpf Ob;eflsi ~s 1hc~ex~kd tn Gen. 3· 6. BC'J.uty carry wHh them upon our Senfes. So th:Jt un e s t 1e m ecp :tJ:nk 13, 11• upon 1 ~5 confbnt watch, fo prevalent are Vijible T/)llrgs, bhar ~a~d H IS for 34. 3 ~, 36,37 one 10 efcape t>etng enfnHed 1n them, :md ,he (ball need co eon Y omeumes 'd 10 caft fa Thick a Va1L of Darkncfl over the Mmd_, that not only f~{h~ft ~uh PleafUrc counnue in irs Fett~rs to Luft and Vanny, bur proudly c~nfure fuch as refufe co wear them, ihongly plead1ng for the_m, as f~r~ v1ceable and convcnien~. That firange PJffion do .penfhmg Obje8:s r;ufc in ~hofc Mmds, where Way is made, and Entertamment giveo to them. Bu~ Chriit Jelus is mamfefted m us, and hath gtvm unto 1~ a Tft .and Un· 1 John S• 20, derflandmg of bull rh11t u {rut, and to All, _fuch a ProportlOI~ o _hiS Good Spuir, as 1s fufficienr, would ~hey obey 1£1 to re~eem theu ~hnds from that Captivny they have been 1n, to L11ft and Vanny, and ·mtlrely ranf?m th~OJ from the Dommiou of all ~bk 0/J;,Elt, and whatfocver.may gn.ufie 1 Ther. S· 23· ~[geet;R:{e:::a:!/;;~befr11fAi~d:,b~tf::ed ;:d :l:;/'';ff:at!:,' ;;~r b~ their whole He.trts Je.t on Thingt that are Jibovt, where .Motb nor Rufl t~n Reverp(/_{t or enlfr to ht1rm or deflroy. §. Xll Bot ·~is a manife!l Sign, of what Mould and Jllo.!e thofePerfons are who pra8:ice and plead for iiJ.Ch ~lYPlltm]homt[lll Rags, as Ple11j11ret. It's' to be hoped tb~t they never ~new, , or to be fear'd they h~ve for~ot the Humh!c, P!t1in, Meek, Jfoly, Sed-~eRyln.g aiJd .Exunplary -!J[t! wht~h the Ga\. ~· 22, Etun11/ Spirit fan8:ifies ;~II Obedtent He;wrs mto; yea, 1t s mdubnable, 21 , 24,'.1~· that ei~her fuch alw.11ys have been Ignorant, or elfe that they haye loit Sigh[ Eph. ~ · B,9,. of that Good Lapd, that heavenly Counuy and bl.effed Inheucaru:~, they 1"- 11• '~' 16 once had fame glimmering prof pea; of. 0 that they would bur wtthdraw a while, fit down, weigh and confide_r with themfelves, where they. aTe, and whofe Work and Will they are domg I '!~at they wpu_ld once behev_e, the Devil h:nh not a Stratage~ m?re perntCi?UI to t~u Immortal Souls, than this of ex.erciflng their Mmds m the Fooh~ ~a!luons and Wanto_n R~ creations of the Times! Great and Grofs lmpu:ues beget a Detefi:auon 111 th~ Opinion Qf fo}ler Education and Reputation;. and rher~fo~e ~nee tht Devil righ.dy f~es fuch Things llne no S. uccefs wah many, 1t ts h1s next, apd fatalefl: Mgn, to find f9me other Eorena~nments, that carry lefs of Infeaion in their Looks, though more of Security, becaufe lefs of Scandal and mor~ of Ple,1f4re in their Enjoyment~ on Purpofe to bufie and arr_cft People from a diligent Search and Enquiry aft~r f!'ofe Matters whoch E.ph.,6.J'Mt nj:lcetf:u!ly ~oncern thelf Ettf!td! Pe,~c~ r That be.~n_g 1gnorant. of the flea .. 14, l~ 1 t 5, vt:nly Ltfe. they may nQt be wduced to .Prefs after 1t; but bcmg only forIJ, ti . mally Religious, accprding tQ th.e Tra~uhms and Precepts of oth~s, pr~- ' h 6 ceed to tJ'teir common Pl~fqre$, and find np Check therefrom (theu Reh~ uf 2 ] . 1 ' 1 ' gion and Converfatiqn fQr the molt Part agteeing well together) whereby an Ch,,.,,2,13· IP1provement l.n rhe Knowl'd'e Qf God, a going on from G!ace to SJrace, a growing to. tbe M~afur~ of the Stat~te of Jefus Chrlfl homf~lf, IS not known: Bqt as it was in the Begi,nning'at Seven, _fo it is :n Seventy; ~y, not fo Innoct;nt, unleij b:f Re~fon of the Old Saytngt Old Men are twtco Children. Oh! th~ Jl!yjfrry of Godlinifs, the HratJe6/y Lifr, tho Tr.r Chriflian, arc ~no~he' Thing I ~herefore we ~elude thlt. as !he Defign of the DevH (whe(e be qnnot J{lyolve aud draw lnto Grofr Sm) Is. to ~ufie, delight an4 allure rhe M-ind~ of Men and Women ,by more fe.wntng tnno· c~nt Entcnajn~ucnts, on Purpofe that he may more.eafily fecure r!'tem from ]ohn.q.'J. Rom.t, 11, Tit.::t.u,u 1J,,l4- mindin~ c~eir Dut.Y and Progrefs, and OhedJ~nce ~o tbe only Tfue God, which 1s Erfrnal Life; ~nd Thereby tak~ up thetr Minds from Heave!ily and Eternal Things : So thofe who would be deliver~ from _dte!e .Snare~, fhould mind the Holy, JN}J, Gr11V( and Se/f·dt1tJ111§ Ttgc!JuJt.J of God r Grace and Spirit in thePlff/vu, that they may r~ea and_ fo.r ever abandon the like V4niry and ET(il i :tnd1 by a reformed Cooverfauon, con'dcWotr~d. VoL. I. No CROSS, No CR.OWll!. 369 World of it's Intemperance: So will the True Difciplelhip be obtained. r668 for orherwife many enormous «;onfequences, and pernicious Effeas will fol~ ~ low. 'Tis to encourage fuch impious Perfons to continue and proceed in ChapXVI1 the like Trades of feeding the People's Lufts, and therehy fuch makethem-felves Pdrtakers of their Plogutt : Who by continual freth Defires to the like Curiofirie_s, a~d that !Vay r.{ Spending Ti'!le and Eftgtt, induce them to fpend more Time 10 fiudymg how to AbuJe T1mt; left, through their pinch ... ing and fmall Allowance, thofe Prodigals fbould call their Father's Haufe to mind; for w~atfoever any think, more plea{ ant &irs, Alluring Obje01 G_rateful Enttrtam'!lents, Cunning Emi.f!aricr, .Acceptable Sermom, Injinua! nng L_e[/uru, Tallmg Oralot?, the Crafty Devtl has not ever had, by which to enucc and enf~are the Mmdr of People, and totally to divert them from Heavenly Rcfl.eEbons, a~d Oivine Meditations, than the Auire, Sports, Ploys ond Pnj/tmrz of tbu God!efs .dge, tbe Seboa! and Sbapof Sot on, hither· to fo Reafonably condemned. CHAP XVIII. §.!. B u.T lhould thefe Things be as Indi.f!trtnt, ., they are proved per~ ntc1oufly unlawful (for I never heard any advance their Plea beyond the Bounds of meer Indif{erency) yet fo great is their Abufe, fo uni .. verfal the fa~ Effects thereof, like to an lnfeftion, that they therefore ought to be. reJefted of all, efpecially thofe, whofe Sobriety bath preferv'd them ?n thts Side of that Excefs, or whofe Judgments (though themfelves be Guolty) fugge!l the Folly of fuch Intemperance. For what is an indif· ferent '!hlog, but that which may be done, or left undone? Granting, I fay, thlS were the Cafe, yet doth both Reafon and Religion te:lch that when they are ufcd wi.th fuch an Excefa of Appetite, as to leave' them would be a Crofs to thetr Defires, they have exceeded the Bounds of meet lnd!ffere.ncy, and are thereby rendered no l~fs than neceffary. \Vhich being :a· Vtolauon of the very Nature of the Th1ngs themfelves, a perfeEt. Abufe ent~rs ; and co~fe9uently they are no longer to be confsdercrd in the Rank of Th1ngs fimply mdt:fferent, but Unlawful. §. Il. Now that the whole Exchange ofThings .againft which I have fo ";"rne!lly contended, are generall:pbufed by the Excefs of a! moll all Ages, Sexes and Qualmes of People, wtll be confefi'ed by many, who yet decline ~ot ro conform themfelves to them; and to whom, as I have underftood. It only feems Lawful, becaufe (fay they) Tbe .dbufe of atbers, jhould be nu hgumrm why we /hould not ufe them. But to fuch I anfwer That they h:t~e quite forgot, or "':'ill. not remember, they have acknowl~ged rheft: cb. xvm: ~ Thmgs to be but of an mdtlferent Nature : If fo and (Vanity never urg'd rno~e) I fay, there can be nothing more clear, tha~ fince they acknowledge then grEtat Abufe, that they are wholly to be fod3ken : For fince they may as well be let alone, as done at any Time, furely tbey fbould then of Duty be let ~lone, when the Ufe of them is an abetting the General Ex- 1'1\1· i• r7; Bbb cefs, |
