the greater sinne now God hath made this sinne to be the punishment of all other sinnes for after a man hath long continued in other sinnes at last God gives him up to this sinne as to a punishment of the former and therefore questionlesse it is a great and an haynous sinne Now since you have seene the haynousnesse of this sinne in the next place I will shew you the manifold deceits of Satan whereby men are provoked to the commission of this filthy sinne First Men doe goe on in the committing of this sinne because they doe hope to repent afterwards For answer of this I say that man who hath a will to sinne doth harden himselfe more and more by sinne and this sinne of Uncleannesse being a great sinne it doth harden the heart the more and doth the more indispose a man towards God A man by common reason would thinke that great sinnes doe make the heart to be more sensible but indeed it doth not so for it takes away the sense Great sinnes are a meanes to harden the heart so that it cannot repent Prov. 2. 19. None that goe unto her returne againe neither doe they take hold of the paths of life which is meant of repentance for God doth not give repentance to this sinne because it is a sinne so evident against the light of Nature as Ezech. 24. 16. Sonne of man behold I take from thee the desire of thine eyes with a stroake yet neither shalt thou mourne nor weepe neither shall thy tcares runne downe that is if man will refuse the time of repentance which God doth offer unto him when he would repent then God doth deny him It is not in him that willeth nor in him that runneth but of God God will have mercie upon whom hee will have mercie Rom. 9. 16. Now to shew what Repentance is Repentance is a change of the heart whereby a man is become a new creature having an inward affection to that which is good and a loathing and detestation of that which is bad To shew that Repentance is the change of the heart see how the Prophet Hosea Chapt. 7. 14. doth reprove the Israelites for their howling on their beds because their Repentance was not from their hearts they did howle much as it were for their sinnes but yet their Repentance was not from the heart and therfore nothing availeable to them True Repentance doth turne the disposition of the heart of a man another way then it went before Another meanes that Satan useth to delude the hearts of men and cause them to be set upon evill is because they doe not see the punishment due for sinne to be presently executed upon sinners For Answer of this In that God doth spare to punish sinne no man hath cause to joy in it God is mercifull and doth heare many times a long while with men not to punish them for sinne to see if they will returne unto him and repent But as long as man doth continue in any sinne without repentance so long doth hee abuse Gods patience every day and howre Rom. 2. 4. Thinkest thou this O man and despisest thou the riches of his goodnesse forbearance and long-suffering not knowing that the goodnesse of God leadeth thee to Repentance Vers. 5. But after the hardnesse and impenitencie of heart treasurest up wrath unto thy selfe against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgement of God Another Deceit that Satan useth to provoke men unto this sinne is to judge of uncleannesse by common opinion that is to weigh this sinne in a false ballance and to looke upon it in a false glasse and not to carry it to the ballance of the Sanctuary of the Lord and therefore many times they esteeme great sinnes to be little sinnes and little sinnes to be none at all when men doe thus mistake sinne they judge of it otherwise than it is As when bad company are together they doeall allow and approve of sinne and so evill words doe corrupt good manners and in their opinions doe make sinne to be no sinne at all not considering that place Titus 2. 14. That Christ gave himselfe for us to redeeme us from all iniquitie and to purifie unto himselfe a peculiar people zealous of good workes When a man hath committed sinne his Conscience is defiled and so can no more judge of sinne aright than one that would discerne of colours in a foule and soyled glasse but when the Conscience is cleare it sees things as they are and so is able to judge of sinne by that rule by which our selves shall be judged at the last day There is a sanctifying Spirit which if wee had we should judge of sinne aright and the rule whereby we are to try sinne is the written Word of God Fourthly Satan useth to provoke men to this sinne when they can commit it in secret then will they bee bold to doeit But consider God sees in secret and he will reward them openly Mat. 6. 4. Give thine almes in secret and thy father that is in secret will reward thee openly Now wee may judge by the rule of contrarieties that if God doe see Almes that are done in private and will reward them openly may not we thinke that he will doe the like of sinne For so hee did by David hee spared not him though he were his owne servant 2 Sam. 12. Thou didst this sinne secretly but I will doe this thing before all Israel and before the Sunne And thus they goe on boldly in this sinne thinking they shall escape well enough if they can doe it secretly and not bee seene of men but they in this despising of God make God to despise them Consider oh man the many wayes God hath to reveale sinne that is committed in secret Eccles. 10. 20. Curse not the King no not in thy thought and curse not the rich no not in thy bed-chamber for a bird of the ayre shall carry the voyce and that which hath wings shall tell the matter Sinne that hath beene committed in secret shall bee discovered by wayes that a man thought unpossible Evill men are as a glasse that is sodered together as soone as the sother is melted the glasse doth fall in peeces So they that are companions in evill may for a time be true the one to the other but yet the Lord will one way or other discover their iniquities so that they shall fall in peeces like a broken potsharde yea perhaps the Sinner himselfe shall confesse his sinne as Iudas did The last Deceit which Satan doth use to provoke men unto this sinne is with the present delight which they have unto it To this I answer as Christ in Mat. 5. 27. Thou shalt not commit adulterie for whosoever looketh upon a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery already with her in his heart If thy right eye offend thee plucke it out
divers sorts of affections so there are divers sorts of distempers as the affection of anger hath its distemper and this is more visible when anger is gone it is daily seen and therefore is of no great difficulty to bee discerned there are other kind of affections which doe continue in a man when his heart is habitually carried to an inordinate lust as to pride vaine-glory love of the world no such affection can be wel discerned whil'st that continues in a man take a man that hath a continued affection it is hard for him to discerne it because it doth with its continuance habitually corrupt the Judgement and blind the reason and yet you are to labour to discerne it And that you may two wayes First bring your affections to the rule and touchstone Secondly That you may better know their aberration from the rule consider whether the affection have any stop an affection is like a river if you let it run without any stop or resistance it runs quietly but if you hinder its course it runnes more violently so it is with your affections if you doe not observe to know the stops and lets of them you shall not observe the violence of them so well So then the first way for a man to come to know his affectiōs is to observe them in any extraordinary accident if any losse come to a man in his estate or if he be crost in his sports or hindred of his purpose let him consider how he doth beare it that is try how you carry yourselves towards it this wil be a good meanes to discover our affections when they come to these stops and lets they are best discerned by us Secondly in this case it is good wee make use of others eyes a man sees not that in himselfe which a stander by doth hee is free from the affection which another is bent unto and therefore another can better judge of it as a man that is sicke of a feaver hee cannot judge aright of tasts because hee hath lost the sense of tasting that which is sweet may seeme bitter unto him but he that is in health can judge of tasts as they are therefore it is good to make use of friends and if we have no friends it is wisedome in this case to make use of an enemy that is to observe what inordinatnesse hath beene in them and what hath happened unto them therby and so to judge of our owne And this is the first thing that I wil cōmend unto you to labor to see your affections and to be convinced of them when this is done in the next place we wil come to see the causes of inordinate affections and seeing we are applying medicines as we shall see the causes of inordinate affections so to each of them we shall adde their remedies The first cause of inordinate affection is mis-apprehension that is when wee doe not apprehend things aright our affections follow our apprehensions as we see in a sensible appetite if a thing bee beautifull we are apt to love it and like of it but if it bee deformed wee are apt to hate it for as things doe represent themselves to the will so we are apt to conceive of them the will turnes a mans actions this way or that way notwithstanding the understanding is the pilot that turnes the will so that our apprehension is the first cause of inordinat affections by this we overvalue things that are evill and undervalue things that are good Rectifie therefore the apprehension and heale the disease labour to have the Judgement informed and you shall see things as they are Affections as I said before are of two sorts one sensuall arising from fancy the other rationall arising from judgement all that we can say for the former affections is this men might doe much to weaken those affections in them if they would take paines by removing the objects that is by with-drawing the fewell and turning the attentions another way if we cannot subdue any sensuall affections in us let us be subdued unto it and be as any dead man In case that we are surprised by such vanities yet let us not hasten to action or execution All that in this case a man can doe is as a pilot whose shippe is in great danger to bee cast away by reason of a great tempest all that he can doe is to looke to the safety of the ship that waters come not into it at any place that it be not overthrowne so these evill affections that are in our rationall appetite are these evill inclinations of the will that are lent either to riches pleasure vaine-glory or the like objects of reason Now to rectifie your mis-apprehension of them first get strong reasons for to doe it reade the Scriptures furnish your selfe with spirituall arguments be acquainted with such places as ye may see therby the sinfulnesse of such affections it is great wisedome in a man first to finde out the thing he is inordinately affected to and never to rest till he find the things that are sinfull in him therefore the applying of reason will make us able to doe it and if we can doe so we shall be able to go through the things of this world rightly You are inordinately affected to wealth Apply reason and Scripture here as thus It is a wisemans part to use earthen vessels as silver and silver vessels as earthen the one will serve for use as well as the other so in the things of the world hee that is strong in reason and wise were they represented to him as they are he would use a great estate without setting his heart upon it more then if it were a mean one in the condition of this life he would would so carry himselfe as if he used them not this the Apostle have us to doe to use the world as though we used it not and then we should think the best things of the world to bee of no moment and that we have no cause to rejoyce in them Wee are to use the world with a weaned affection not be inordinately carried with love therupon in worldly things there is a usefulnesse to be looked at but to seeke to finde baites in them and to set our hearts upon them that will hurt us exceedingly if wee looke for excellency in worldly things and touch them too familiarly they wil burne scorch us but if we use them for our necessity and so use them as if we did not wee shall finde great benefit and comfort by them This is the difference betweene earthly and spirituall things you must have knowledge of these and this knowledge must be affective the more love you have the better it is but in earthly things the lesse love we have the better it is for in earthly things if our love exceed our knowledge they are subject to hurt us What is the reason a man takes to heart the
all these thou shalt bee more than a Conquerour and have a Crowne of glory in the life to come Secondly the world tels thee that if thou wilt not be earthly minded thou shalt lose thy wealth riches thy honour and thy credit nay thy life also but Faith tels thee that if thou beest earthly minded thou shalt lose thy spirituall life and riches and shalt be poore in the graces of the Spirit thou shalt lose honour and credit with God and his children nay thou shalt lose eternall life Thus Faith overcomes our inordinate affections to the world and makes us heavenly minded The second meanes if you would get heavenly mindednesse is this you must labour for Humilitie this is that which the Apostle Iames exhorts us unto Iam. 4. 8. Clense your hands you sinners and purisie your hearts you double minded and then humble your selves cast your selves downe and the Lord wil raise you up Where we may note that before our hearts hands can be clensed we must be cast downe This we may see in the parable of the Sower Luk. 8. 8. two of the sorts of ground were not fit to receive seed because they were not humbled and therfore the Word had not that effect in them as it had in those that were humbled plowed and had the clods broken It is with an humble soule as it is with an hungry and thirsty man tell him of gold and silver hee cares not for it onely give him meat and drinke for that is the thing he most desires and stands most in need of or like a condemned man tel him of lands and possessions hee regards them nothing at all for nothing will satisfie him but a pardon so it is with a Christian that is humbled and cast downe under the sense of the wrarh of God for sinne tell him of any thing in the world in the most learned and excellentest manner that possibly you can yet nothing will satisfie him but the love and favour of God in Christ hee can rellish nothing but heavenly things nothing will quench his thirst but the imputed righteousnesse of Christ. Thus you see that Humilitie is an excellent meanes unto heavenly mindednesse The third meanes if you would get heavenly mindednesse is this thou must labour to get thy judgement rightly informed especially concerning earthly things The reason wherefore men are so besotted with the world is because they doe not conceive of the things in the world so as indeed they are they thinke better of them then they deserve and looke for that from them which they cannot afford them therefore heare what the Preacher saith of them Salomon saith that they are vanitie and vexation of spirit yea he cals all vanity and in another place he compares them to things that are most variable and most uncertaine as to grasse that withereth to a shadow that is suddenly gone this is the esteeme that the Wiseman had of earthly things And thereby we may see that they are not truly good because they are uncertaine things and promise that which they cannot performe unto us for at the best they are but things wherein as through a crevice we have a small glimpse of the true good yet they themselves are not over-good because they are not the cause whereby the chiefe Good is produced neither are wee able to keepe them for at such or such a time they will bee gone so that they are neither true good nor our good and therefore this should weane us and our hearts from them But let us strive to set our affections on things that are durable good and substantiall good which will not deceive us and will promise us nothing but that which it will performe farre beyond our deserts therefore labour for a right informed judgement The fourth meanes if you would get heavenly mindednesse is this Labour to get a sight into the All-sufficiencie of God Remember what the Lord said unto Abraham I am God All-sufficient walke before me and bee upright God is an All-sufficient God for generall good things of this life are at the best but particular good as health is a particular good against sicknesse wealth and riches a particular good against poverty honour and credit a particular good against disgrace but God is a generall good and the fountaine of all goodnesse other things are but created like cisternes that good they have is put in them therefore the Lord complaines of the people Ier. 2. 13. They have forsaken me the fountaine of living waters and have digged to themselves Cisternes that will hold no water that is they have forsaken God the fountaine of all good and have chosen unto themselves the creatures that have no more good than that which comes from God the fountaine As a man that forsakes a fountaine that continually runnes and betakes himselfe to a crack'd Cisterne that hath no water but that which commeth from the fountaine and is also subject to lose his water so when men set their hearts on earthly things they forsake God who is All-sufficient for them and seeke to his Creatures which are insufficient and unable to helpe themselves therefore you ought to thinke of these things to the end you may be heavenly minded The fifth meanes to get heavenly mindednesse is this To Remember from whence thou art fallen Rev. 2. 5. this is for those that have beene heavenly minded and now are earthly minded It is with many Christians as it is with the shadow on the Diall the Sunne passeth and they know not how or as a man going to Sea first hee loseth a sight of the Townes and houses then the sight of the Churches and Steeples and then hee loseth the sight of the mountaines and hils then at last hee seeth nothing but the motion of the Seas so there are many Christians that make a godly shew of profession at first but by degrees they fall away till at length they become nothing they leave the good profession and take up an outward professing of Christianitie and doe all in hypocrisie it is with these men as it is with a man that hath a Consumption in his bodie first he growes weake secondly he loseth his colour thirdly hee loseth his rellish and taste and this is the most dangerous of all so it is in a spirituall Consumption first they are weake and feeble to performe holy duties secondly they lose their colour that is their cheerefulnesse in the performance of holy duties thirdly which is the worst of all they lose their rellish they cannot taste wholsome Doctrine they delightnot in the pure Word and this is dangerous and hard to be recovered A Consumption at first is more easily cured than discerned and at length it is more easily discovered than cured so it is with the spirituall the sicknesse and the weaknesse of the soule may at the first be more easily cured than discerned but when they
cause to make it inord inate as for example to desire to do businesse in a mans calling is good but if this desire prevaile with him at such time as hee should bestow in prayer and holy duties as when he should come to heare the Word then they are inordinate for season must be kept to therefore when an affection comes if not in season answer it as Christ did The houre is not yet come this is the way to iudge of them by the rule The second way of triall is to know them by their effects and they are foure as the rules are 4. The first effect is if any affection hinder reason so as to trouble the action then it is inordinate for affections ought to be servants to reason if they disturb then they are not right as for example feare is set in the soule to give the watch-word to prevent evills if it shall appale a man so as to let his weapons fall thus it troubles reason Joy was put in the soule to oyle the wheeles and to quicken it more If it do more astonish then quicken if immoderate joy cast a man into ectasy when it should put him on action or if it breake out into immodest reuellings and not into praises thy joy is not good griefe is stirred up to ease the soule of paine now if it hinder a man from enduring that he should endure it becomes inordinate The Israelites in Egypt could not hearken to Moses because of the anguish of their hearts and worldly sorrow causeth death that is it causeth distempers and when it thus drieth up the bones it eateth up the vigor of the soule and makes a man out of frame then it is amisse though Christs griefe exceeded anymans upon the Crosse yet he committed all to God without any distempers The second effect is when they indispose vs to any holy duty as we judge of in distempers of the body if there be no appetite to meat or drinke so affections are inordinate when they indispose vs to pray to doe good or to speake good 1 Pet. 3. 7. the Apostle exhorteth husbands to dwell with their wives as men of knowledge that is in such a manner as you may moderate affections with knowledge that your prayers saith the Apostle be not hindred that is if there be any disorder in your affections one towards another it will hinder your prayers By your affection you may judge and as you may judge of your affection by your duties so of your duties you may judge by this rule how you are disposed to holy duties if there be any interruption or indisposition it is a signe there is some distemper in the affections all things are not straight in the inward man The third effect to discouer the immoderatenesse of affections is when they produce euill actions which ordinarily they doe when they exceede the measure and the manner Anger is an affection set in the soule to stirre up man to remoue impediments and thus you may be angry for sinne and other things too now if it be kept in its owne limits anger is a desire to remove impediments and not a desire to revenge that is the inordinatenesse of it to be angry for sinne because it dishonoureth God is good To be angry for other things redounding on our selves is not evill so our anger extend but so farre as to remoue the impediments not to revenge them as for example if a man takes away ones reputation and brings disgrace upon him now to desire to hurt such a man the affection is amisse because the carriage of other men towards vs must not be our rule towards others but we are to make this use of it to be diligent in keeping off the blow off our selves but not to hurt another man this is inordinate Be angry but sinne not you may be angry so as it bring forth no evill actions or evill effects so a man may be angry with the insensible creatures desiring to remove the impediment and put out of the way that which hinders the actions The last effect is when affections draw vs from God then they are inordinate because they should draw vs neere to him But when they make vs to forget God there is their inordinatenesse for example we are commanded Deut. 12. 18. To reioyce in the good things of God but when wee shall rejoyce in an Epicurean manner and forget God it is amisse for wee should so rejoyce that wee should raise up our soules to love and praise and give thanks to him so also for feare and griefe if wee feare any thing more then God and grieve for any thing more then for sinne for crosses and losses more then for displeasing God these make us forget God and so become inordinate Now followes what it is to mortifie them which wee have formerly spoken of at large in a word it is nothing else but a turning of carnall affections into spirituall and naturall affections to a higher and more noble end that is to eate and to drinke not onely for natures benefit but for God to doe him honour that is the right end for to mortifie is to rectifie and to bring things that are out of compasse to rule to see where they are inordinate and so to turne carnall and naturall affections all into spitituall In the next place wee will see some reasons why they are to be mortified for reasons doe wonderfully perswade and necessity of mortifying once apprehended makes men goe about it Let us but consider of what moment it is to have them mortified what ill if we doe not what good if we doe The first reason is because affections are actions of the greatest efficacie and command in the soule they are exceeding powerfull they are the wheeles or sailes which carrie the soule this way or that way in that regard because they are so effectuall and prevalent therefore it concernes us the more to take care that we rectifie them Time was when affections did obey the will and the will the Spirit of God in the time of Innocency but now that subordination is taken away and that union dissolved and now the affections move the heart as the winde the Sea whether it will or no therefore it stands you upon to keepe them under A metled horse is a delight to the rider if hee be kept under the bridle so the affections if they be good the stronger the better but the Divell hath no better factors thē the affections are if they be ill they are the best opportunities for him to doe mischiefe by The second reason why they are to be mortified is because they are those that make us eyther good or evill men It is not the understanding of truth or falshood that makes us good or evil men that is but one opinion and judgement but as the affections are and as the inclination of the will is so is
indeed without Gods over-ruling Power we can doe nothing yet wee must use the meanes as we see in the casting of a dye it is not in us to win as we please but yet the playing of the cast is requisite so the mortifying of the affections it is not in us yet we must use the meanes for to doe it let us not give satisfaction to any lust but hinder it to our powers it is a shame for us to have our hearts affected with any sinnefull lusts were wee more carefull of our soules these inordinate affections would bee more broken and kept downe by us Beleeve it strong affections breed strong afflictions and say thou shouldest have riches and contenment in earthly things and yet have inordinate affections this is no helpe for thee it is but an applying of an outward plaister to an inward sore that will doe it no good The third motive is taken from 1 Timothy 6. 9. the Apostle speaketh there of the desire of riches he saith that it breedeth many foolish and hurtfull lusts in that regard wee should mortifie them because they are foolish lusts and foolish because hurtfull when a man hurts himselfe out of some mistake or by his owne heedlessenesse hee is properly said to be a foole It is properly folly when a man hurts himselfe whil'st he seekes to doe himselfe most good wee seeke to doe our selves good when we give satisfaction to every lust but yet we hurt our selves strange affections invite us to sinne and sinne brings to misery and thus they are hurtfull Shun them therefore seeing God hath appointed them to be mortified let us mortifie them whatsoever God hath appointed to be mortified and we will not doe it is as hurtfull for us as Achans wedge was to Achan which is called a cursed thing And so every unmortified lust is a cursed thing Take we heed of it The fourth motive is this because inordinatenesse of affections hinders us in the doing of the good actions wherein our happinesse doth consist they make the faculties of the soule unfit to doe the things they should doe as Iames 1. 20. the wrath of man worketh not the righteousnesse of God that is it disableth a man to worke that righteousnesse he should doe and what may be said of wrath may be said of any other affection As of malice 1 Pet. 2. 1. wherefore laying aside all malice c that is while these are in you you cannot heare the Word as ye ought So for inordinate desire of gaine Ezek. 31. the reason why the people heard without profit was because their hearts went after their covetousnesse mortifie these lusts and then you shall goe with ease and safety in the way of godlinesse yea we shall be carried to it as a boate is with winde with all facility and expeditenesse The fift motive is because of the shame and dishonour they doe bring men into men are afraid of shame in other things it were to be wished they were so afraid of shame in this Every inordinate affection is a short drunkennesse and it brings the drunkards shame to a man drunkennes discloseth all and so if there be any corruption in the heart inordinate affection drawes it forth Every man is ashamed of indiscreetnesse in his carriage now what is the cause of indiscreetnesse it is the defect of wisedome either the forgetfulnesse or not heeding of the time place or action we are about and what makes this forgetfulnes It is the drunkennes of passion When the Apostle Iames would shew who was a wise man he saith he will shew out a good conversation in his works there will be meekenes and gentlenesse in his carriage and behaviour but if there be any envy or strife in the hart this shews a man to be but a weak creature whereas on the contrary it is an honour in a man to passe by an infirmity That is a signe of a strong man that is able to overcome himselfe The sixth motive is because they blind the reason and Iudgement which should be the guide of all our actions in the course of this life that which is said of bribery that it blinds men and that the affection to the bribe makes the sinne a great deale more The like may bee said of other sins As long as passion rageth thou canst neither judge of thine owne nor of others faults if thou wouldest judge of another mans fault take away the beame that is in thine owne eye And so if thou wouldst judge of thine owne faults these affections must not blind the mind and the reason for so they will hinder us in discerning good and in doing any thing that is good for when the mind is corrupted the will is corrupted and then instead of walking in the wayes of God wee walke in the pathes of sinne therefore in regard of the safetie and security of our lives and actions wee should mortifie these our affections HOW TO MORTIFIE COVETOVSNESSE COLOSS. 3. 5. And Covetousnesse which is Idolatrie COvetousnesse which is Idolatrie that must bee mortified aswell as the other earthly members Now this Covetousnesse is nothing else but an inordinate and sinfull desire either of getting or keeping wealth or money The inordinate lusting after honours that is called Ambition too much affecting of beauty is called lustfulnesse And Lust is an inordinate affection which when it propoundeth riches for its object it is called Covetousnesse which is Idolatrie Now Idolatrie consisteth in one of these three things First in worshipping the true God in a wrong manner apprehending him as a Creature giving that to himthat agreeth not with him Secondly when as we make the Creature a God by conceiving it under the Notion of a God so did they who worshipped Iove Mars and those Heathens that worshipped the creatures as Gods Thirdly when we attribute that unto it which belongeth unto God as to trust in it to delight in it to put all our trust confidence in it when as we think it can performe that unto us which God onely can Now that Covetousnesse is Idolatrie is meant when as we thinke that riches can do that which God only can doe as that they can doe us good or evill If they are Gods saith God Let them doe good or evill God only doth good and evill therfore he is distinguished from Idols because they cannot do it affections follow opinions practise followes affections Hebr. 11. 6. He that will come to God must beleeue in him None will worship God unlesse they beleeve that God can comfort relieve them in all their distresses So when men have an opinion that riches and wealth wil yeeld them comfort be a strong tower of defence to free them frō inconveniences this makes them to trust in them and this thought is Idolatry There are two points of Doctrine that arise from these words The first is this That to seeke
it though they have least cause and reason for it Professours of religion are subject to it many times it growes up with the Corne chokes it therefore use effectuall meanes to roote it out of your hearts First of all pray to GOD not to encline your hearts to covetousnesse it is impossible for man but easie for God to doe it Secondly be humbled for Sinne wee are so covetous and desirous for money because we were never humbled for Sinne so much as we should be and this is the reason why many would rather let Christ goe then their wealth and riches Thirdly use them to better purpose then heretofore yee have done make friends with them and finde some better thing to set your hearts upon Except you have a better Treasure you will not vilifie and depart with these Labour therefore for true Godlinesse with content which is great gaines 1. Timoth. 6. 6. which heales this malady and takes away the false pretences of gathering having and affecting great riches FINIS Doctrine 1. Simile Doct. 2. Mortification what it is Simile Mortification why a turning of the heart Quest. 1. Answer When sinne seemes to be mortified and is not 1 2 Simile 3 4 5 Simile 6 Simile Use. Quest. 2. Answ. How o know when â—â—st is mortified 1 â— 3 Simile Five Motives to Mortification 1 Motive Obiect Azâ—â—rer Simile â—â— Motive 3 Motive Simile 4 Motive How sinne couzens 1 1 Pet. 1. 14. â— Mat. 4. 4 5 Heb. 3. 13. Motive Rom. 6. 19. Motive Rom. 6. 16. Vse 1. Vse 2. 2 Tim. 1. 16. Simile Obiect 1. Answ. 1. 1 The power of a regenerate man 2 Obiect 2. Gal. 5. 17. Answ. 2. Use 3. It is not enough to abstaine from sin in the action but it must be in the heart Obiect Answer Vse 4. No man so holy but needs Mortification Meanes how to come to mortification Meanes to get a willing heart August 2 Meanes to take paines about it Simile Errors of men about mortification 1 Simile 2 Simile Simile The fruitlesâ— paine of the Papists in thâ— point The outward meanes which further Mortification First Moderation in lawfull things Exces in lawfull things is dangerous The second outward meanes vowes and promises Vowes when lawfull How to bâ— estâ—emed of and made 1 2 3 The third outward meanes Avoyding occasion to sin Obiect Answ. The fourth outward meanes Fasting and Prayer 3 Meanes The assistance of the spirit Obiect Answ. How the Spirit may bee won or lost 1 2 How the Spirit is resisted Acts 6. 10. 7. 51. How the Spirit is grieved How the Spirit is quenched 1. 2. 2 Thes. 5. 19. 3 Luk. 11. 13. 4 Meanes To walke in the Spirit Gal. 5 16. Simile 5 Meanes Faith Acts 15. 9. Ephes. 3. 17. Obiect 1. Answ. 1. The order of Faith in the regenerate Obiect 2. Answ. 2. How Christ dwels in the heart Simile Error about mortification confuted 6 Meanes Spirituall Ioy. Simile Pro. 2. 10. 7 Meanes Humility 1 Pet. 5. 5. Humblenesse of minde what it is Ezek. 36. 16 Doctr. 1 What is here meant by members Why called members Reas. 1. 2 Pet. 1. 13. Reason 2. Reason 3. Reason 4. Matth. 5. 29. 2 What is ment by earthly members What it is to be earthly minded 2 3 How a man may come to know spirituall things and yet not be renewed 1 2 3 4 Dan. 4. 34. 5 Mar. 6. 20. 6. The order of the faculties of the soule Quâ—st 1. Answ. 1. How a naturall man may know spirituall things Rom. 8. 5. 1 Cor. 2. 14. What it is to be heavenly minded Ephes. 4. 23. Simile 1 Cor. 2. 9. opened Simile Quest. 2. Answ. 2. Quest. 3. Answ. 3. Simile How the understanding enlightned may doe good to the rest of the faculties 1 2 Simile 3 4 Vse 1. 1 Nothing more hurtfull to man then earthly mindednesse When men are said to lose their excellencie Simile Reas. 1. Simile Sinne onely makes a man lose his excellency Reason 2. 1 Tim. 6. 10. Simile 2 Nothing so hateful to God as earthly-mindednesse Iam. 4. 4. 3 Nothinglesse beseemeth a professor then earthly-mindednesse Simile Heb. 6. 6. Difference betwixt the backsliding of the Saints and the wicked A threefold cause of the backsliding of the godly Cause 1. Cause 2. Cause 3. 1 A caveat to those that stand 2 Those that have fallen Revel 3. 3 Those that have not yet tasted of the sweetnesse of Christ. 1 Yong men 2 Old men Obiections of earthly mindednesse answeted Obiect 1. Difference betweene nature and sense Luk. 15. 23. Iam. 5. 5. Simile 〈◊〉 2. A threefold difference in the matter of sense between the superiour and inferiour faculties 1 2 3 Heb. 11. 14. Obiect 2. Esay 6. 5. Mat. 24. 11. â— The Martyâ— speech 2 A good grouÌ„d required for doing of good Simile 2 Pet. 2. 12. Simile 1 Pet. 4. 4. Obiect 4. Simile Ier. 9. 23. Simile All mens comforts stand in Gods face Simile Psal 62. 23. Vse 2. Why it is hard for a rich man to be sared Motives to mortifie our earthly members 1 Simile One reigning sinne makes a man unrighteous Luk. 9. 23. Obiect Answer Meanes to obtaine the loathing of earthly things 1 Humiliation False grounds of it 1 2 3 Wherein true Humiliation stands 2 The royaltie of spirituall things Heb. 11. 34. A constant and diligent watch ouer the heart Rev. 3. 8 9. Meanes to get heauenly-mindednesse I Faith A twofold snare of the world 2 Humility Iam. 4. 8. Simile 3 A iudgement rightly informed concerning earthly things Eccles. 1. 14. 4 A sight into the All-sufficiency of God Gen. 17. 1. Ier. 2. 13. 5 A remembrance from whence we are fallen Rev. 2. 5. Simile Simile A spirituall consumption compared to a bodily Such are fitly compared to Nebâ—chadnezarsâ—mage â—mage Dan. 2. 32. Motives to heavenly things 1 Heauenly things a better obiect 2 Nosweetnessâ— in earthly things 1 Because they are mutable 2 Because of our condition 1 Whether good 2 Wicked Psal. 55. 19. The nature of earthly mindedness 1 Pet. 3. 20. 1 Sam. 5. 12. 3 No salvâ—tion 〈◊〉 them Mat. 6. 24. God wil have all the soule or none Luk. 9. 23. Christs two markes of a true Christian 4 It is the best part to do so Proved by 1 Authority Luk. 10. 41 42 opened A foure-fold difference betweene earthly and heavenly things Gen. 3. 17. 2 3 4 Luk. 16. 8 c. oâ—ened Phillip 3. 8 9. 2 Reasons 1 2. 3 5 All things are at Gods disposing Psal. 31. 16. Psal. 6. 8. Simile Markes to know whether we have lost our earthlylymindednes Marke 1. 1 1 Tim. 6. 9 10. 2 Pet 2 12. 2 Recreation when lawfull Marke 2. 2 Cor. 4. 5. Rom. 7. 17. Marke 3. 2 Pet. 2. 1. Obiect 1. Eloquence no ornament to the word Answ. 1. The â—superexcellency of the word Obiect 2. Answ. 2. The Word should not be mixt with eloquence 2 Cor. 4. 5. opened 1 Cor. 1. 17. opened
and rationall and affections are placed both in the sensuall as we love feare or desire objects exposed to sense and in the rationall as we love feare or desire the objects which reason apprehendeth Now to draw this generall division into two maine heads Nature hath planted an appetite in the creature to draw to its selfe that which is good and to cast away that which is evill therefore are these affections such as apprehend either good or evill to keepe the one and to expell the other those that apprehend good if they see it and apprehend it they love and desire it and love desires to be united to the thing loved and a desire is a making towards the thing absent when the thing is present we joy in it when it is comming towards us and there be a probability to have it then comes hope in if we bee like to misse of it then comes feare if no probability of attaining then comes in despaire if there be any impediments against reason and right then we are angry at it and this anger is an earnest desire to remove the impediments otherwise if we see reason and justice to the contrary then wee are not properly angry These are the affections that are about good and these are the first kind of affections The 2. sort of affections are those that are about evill as in the former there is love of God so here to turne away from evill is hatred if evill be comming and we be not able to resist it wee feare if we be able to overcome it then are wee bold and confident if we be not able either to overcome or resist the evill we flye from it if it be unavoidably present we grieve at it But to handle them more severally and so to know them as they have reference to good or evill for except wee know them thus it is worth nothing to us There are therefore three sorts of affections naturall carnall and spirituall First naturall these affections arise from nature and tend to naturall objects as for example to desire meate and drinke is naturall but to desire it in excesse is not naturall because the objects of naturall affections are limited by nature namely so much and no more Nature hath certaine measures and extents and limits and those she exceeds not Naturall affections make us but even with beasts Secondly there are carnal affections which are lusts that arise from the corruption of nature and those tend to evill objects or good objects in an evill manner those affections make us worse than the beasts like unto the devill Ioh. 8. 44. You are of your father the divell and his lusts ye will doe that is those that have these lusts are as like the divell as the sonne is like the father those that are bound with these bonds are like him that is they come in a degree to the corruption the Divell hath in a greater degree Thirdly spirituall affections are such as arise from the spirit that is from the renewing part of man and tend to good objects in a holy manner naturall make us no better than beasts carnal than devils spirituall make us better than men like to God having his Image new stampt on us they lift us up above men and make us like to Angels Thus you see the 3. kindes of affections in men We must only answer one question before we go any further the question is this Whether there be no spirituall affections except they proceede from a generall disposition because many men seeme to have good flashes now and then and so seeme to be regenerate I answer no they are not spirituall regenerated affections because these affections in the soule howsoeuer they are good in regard of the Author the holy Ghost that puts them in are not so in regard of the subject man who is yet in corruption and not renewed If a man have never so much skill in Musicke if the instrument bee out of tune the musicke cannot be good so the affections as the spirits suggestions are good but in a carnall man they are as in an instrument out of tune it is true that those flashes make way to Conversion but only when the heart is in tune and in a good frame then are the affections good that is then only effectively good so as to make the heart good and then the fruit wil be good such as God wil accept So much to shew what affections are Now we are to shew when they are inordinate but first know the affectiōs are placed in the soule for the safegard of it that is to give the watch-word that we may repell evill when it is comming those that are about good to open the dores of the soule to let it in and to make out for it if it be wanting as guides that are for the service of the soule to put us on to work and to be more earnest in our actions they bring aptnesse and diligence in doing when they misse these ends then they hinder us in stead of profiting us hurt us in stead of helping us carry us to evill objects in stead of good then they are inordinate either in the manner or the end This premised now that wee may further know them when they are inordinate observe these 2. things First examine them by the rule which is the maine way of triall if they goe besides the rule they are inordinate The first rule is that the objects must be good else the affection is inordinate there must be love of God sorrow for sinne delight in God then it is good but on the contrary to disgrace holinesse to condemne excellency in others to hate that we should cleave to abominate the good wee should imbrace these affections are naught The second rule is the end examine if they take their rise amisse though the object be good yet if the manner be naught they are inordinate now the manner is naught when the end is naught as for example many men desire and seeke for excellency of parts but to what end why for vaine glory not to doe God service This is for a wrong end so zeale is an excellent affection none better but if the end be nought the affection cannot be good Iehu was zealous but hee altogether respected himselfe The third rule is though the object bee right and the end right yet if it exceed the measure the affection is not good Davids love to his children was good and the object good yet hee failed in the measure Moses anger was good yet when he cast the tables out of his hand it was an excesse and defective because exceeding though excellent and commendable in another kind The fourth rule is though the object bee right the end right the measure right yet if the affection be not in order and season that is if it take its wrong place thrust into the roome of another it is a