Selected quad for the lemma: evil_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
evil_n	evil_a	heart_n	thought_n	2,080	5	8.0009	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A10024	Sins overthrow: or, A godly and learned treatise of mortification Wherein is excellently handled; first, the generall doctrine of mortification: and then particularly, how to mortifie fornication. Vncleannes. Evill concupiscence. Inordinate affection. and, covetousnes. All being the substance of severall sermons upon Colos. III. V. Mortifie therefore your members, &c. Delivered by that late faithfull preacher, and worthy instrument of Gods glory Iohn Preston, Dr. in Divinity, chaplaine in ordinary to his Majestie, master of Emanuel Colledge in Cambridge, and sometimes preacher of Lincolnes-Inne.	Preston, John, 1587-1628.; Preston, John, 1587-1628. Three godly and learned treatises. Selections. aut	1633 (1633)	STC 20275; ESTC S115103	166,961	286

then he could doe To this I answer that the regenerate man is able to doe more then hee could doe in these two particulars First he is able to performe any duty or any thing God commands according to the proportion of grace that he hath received but if the duty or thing exceed the grace that he hath received then hee is to pray for an extraordinary helpe of the spirit but hee could not doe this before neither is it in the power of an unregenerate man to doe it Secondly he is able to resist any temptation or sinne if it be not greater or above the measure of grace that he hath received if it be a temptation of distrust or impatiencie or presumption if it exceed not the measure of grace that he hath received he is able to put it to flight but if it doe exceed then hee is to pray for an extraordinary helpe of the spirit now the unregenerate man hath no power to resist sinne or temptation in this case But you will say againe that there is no such power in the regenerate man for the Apostle saith Gal. 5. 17. The flesh lusteth against the spirit and the spirit against the flesh and these are contrary one to the other so that you cannot doe the things that you would To this I answer It is true that in the most sanctified man thatis there is corruption and this corruption will fight against the spirt and may sometimes hinder good but it is then when it exceeds the measure of grace hee hath received neither is it alway prevailing in this kinde for when it exceeds not the grace the spirit overcomes it neither doth it alwaies continue it may be in the heart but it cannot reigne in the heart it may bee in the heart as a theefe in a house not to have residence and a dwelling place but for a night and bee gone so this lust in the heart of a regenerate man dwells not there that is it doth not alwayes hinder him from good but for a time and then departs but it is not thus with an unregenerate man sinne takes possession and keepes possession of his heart The third consectary or use stands thus seeing the Apostle saith mortifie that is do not only abstain from the outward actions of sinne but from the thought of the heart for Mortification is a slaying of the evill disposition of the heart aswell as the slaying of the actions of the body Mortification is first inward and then outward Hence we gather this point That it is not sufficient for a man to abstaine from the actions of sinne but he must abstaine from sinne in his heart if hee would prove his Mortification to be true 2 Pet. 2. 14. The Apostle saith that their eyes were fullof adulterie Now lust is not in the eye but in the heart but by this he fhewes that it is the fulnesse of sinne in the heart that fills the eyes therefore looke unto the heart for the actions are but the branches but the root is in the heart that is whatsoever evill action is in the hand it hath its first breeding in the heart if therefore you would remove the effect you must first remove the cause Now the cause if it bring forth an evill effect is the greater evill as the cause of good is greater than the effect it produceth even so the sinne of the heart because it is the cause of evill actions is greater than the evill that it produceth Then think not with you selves that if you abstaine from the outward grosse actions of sinne that sinne is mortified in you but goe first unto the Cause and see whether that evill disposition of the heart be mortified whether there bee wrought in you a new disposition to good and a withering of all inordinate affections But you will say unto mee Our Saviour saith that Every man shall be judged by his workes and the Apostle saith that Every man shall receive according to the workes done in the bodie by which it appeares that a man shall not bee judged by the thoughts of his heart but by his actions To this I answer It is true that men shall bee judged by their workes because actions declare either that good that is in the heart or the evill that is in the heart so that he will judge the heart first as the cause and then the actions as the effects Rom. 8. 27. it is said He that searcheth the heart knoweth the mind of the spirit so it is as true that he knowes the minde of the flesh that is the actions of the unregenerate part Now as the sap is greater in the root than in the branches so the greater sinne is in the heart and therefore it shall receive greater punishment Therefore if the root bee not purged notwithstanding thou abstaine from the outward actions thou hast not as yet mortified sinne because thy heart is impure and seeing God will judge us by our hearts if we have any care of our salvation let us labour to cut off the buds of sinne that spring from the heart The fourth Consectary or Use stands thus seeing the Apostle exhorts the Colossians to mor●ifie their lusts who had set upon this worke already hence we note this point That no man is so holy or sanctified but he had need still to be exhorted to Mortification For howsoever it be true that in the regenerate sinne hath received a deadly wound yet it is not so killed but there is still sap in the root from whence springs many branches and therefore had need of continuall Mortification because the flesh wil still lust against the spirit and although there is such corruption in them yet are they not under the power of it neither doth it beare rule in them let them therefore that have not set upon this worke of Mortification now beginne to mortifie their lust and let all those that have already begunne continue in this worke Thus much for the uses But you will say unto mee How shall wee attaine this worke of Mortification and therefore here will I lay downe some meanes how a man may come to this worke of Mortification The first meanes is to endevour to get a willing heart to have your sinnes mortified that is a holy dislike and a holy loathing of them with a desire of the contrary grace If men did butsee whatan excellent estate regeneration is it would breed in them a holy desire of Mortification therefore our Saviour saith when his Disciples came to him and complained of the weakenesse of their Faith Matth. 17. If yee have Faith as a graine of Mustard-seed yee shall say unto this mountaine Remove and it shall bee removed By setting forth the excellency of Faith he takes paines to worke in them a desire of it even so if a man once can get a desire but to have his sinne mortified

of a fault it is sinne that is the defect of it Man shall bee subject to reason and reason should cause him to submit himselfe unto the will of God The morall law is a rule of action not of habit There is a double law a law of action and a law which we call that law which God did stampe on the very Creature Take an Epistle or a learned writing that is made by art there may be Logicke Rhetoricke and grammer rules brought in to confirme it So in the law there is a stampe a rule and every observation from it is an errour in it If a man did al that is in him usedhis best endevor to subdue his evil concupiscences yetcannot yet it is not sufficient for him every man hath or ought to have strength in him to rule his affections If a master command his servant to goe and doe such athing if the seruant goe and make himselfe drunke and then goeth about it and cannot bring it to passe although hee doe his good will for to do it he is not to be excused because he did loose his abilitie through his owne default So we God at the first did make us able for to subdue our lusts but wee in Adam having lost the ability of our first estates and yet may recover strength againe to subdue our lusts in Christ the second Adam if wee doe it not the fault is in our selves Now we proceed unto the third particular to shew unto you what is the operation and working of this evill concupiscence It is an inordinate inclination which doth cleave unto the faculties of the soule and doth indispose a man to that which is good and caries him on to that which is evill and so long as it abides in the soule it makes him fruitfull to doe evill and barren to doe good so that evill actions the fruites of evill inclinations doe arise from it even as water from the sountaine and sparkes from the fire Concupiscence doth conceive and bring forth sinne There is a different worke of Concupiscence in man that is evill and a regenerate man In an evill man it hath dominion over him so that all his actions and desires are sinnefull In a good and holy man there is concupiscence also but it doth worke in him by way of rebellion he beholdes it as a disease and as an enemie unto him and doth labour to mortifie it he is enlightened by grace to see it as a disease and therefore doth labour to cure it more and more An evill man thinkes it the best way for his happinesse and that his chiefest good doth consist in giving satisfaction to his concupiscences and therefore doth labour to satisfie them and not to cure them True it is Gods children David Peter Solomon other holy men have had concupiscences in them but yet were not domineered over by them So long as a man doth strive against evill concupiscences against the motions and stirrings of them and that his owne conscience can beare him witnesse he doeth resist them in sincerity of heart they shall never beare sway over him Take the best actions of a wicked man the utmost end of them are to himselfe and if the utmost end be bad all hee doth must needes be bad as for example Th' end that a husbandman doeth ayme at in tilling of the ground and sowing of his seed corne is to have a good harvest and if his harvest prove bad then all his labour is lost though the beginnings of a thing be good yet if the utmost end of that thing be naught all is bad So that th' end of all things in morall actions doeth make the thing either good or bad Every wicked man doth seeke himselfe in all his actions hee doth worshippe himselfe in the utmost ende of all his thoughts so that all his actions lusts and desires are evill continually Now I proceed to shew you how it is the Apostle Paul would have you to mortifie here some thing is presented and to shew you plainely what it is it doth consist in these two particulars First the habituall concupiscence and secondly the inordinate lusts and desires that doe arise from it one wee call habituall and the other actuall Now the Apostle would have the habituall concupiscence in nature weakened and secondly he would have the actes of the lust to be suppressed Now that it is the Apostles meaning that he would have them mortified and that which is to be mortified is sin marke that place I did cite before Rom. 6. 12. Let not sinne raigne in your mortall bodies In these wordes are three things observable First there is a sinne secondly a lust to the sin and thirdly obedience to the sin thatis a wil to execute the desire of this lust When the Apostle saith he would have thēmortified he would have the heart to be clensed from the habitual custom of evil concupiscence and secondly he would haue them so subdued as not to obey them That you may know the Apostles meaning and not to lay a straighter charge upon you then the holy Ghost doth aymeat he would have all these three to be mortified the lust the consent to the lust and the act of ill Consider the nature of the things that are to bee mortified If you take the evill inclination and compare it with the strength of the mind in committing of any sin they are all of the same nature they differ but in degree a lesser evill in the thought before consent unto it is of the same nature as a greater as it is in murther Hee that is angry with his brother unadvisedly committeth a degree of murther So he that slandereth his brother by taking away of his good name committeth a degree of murther and is a sinne of the same nature as if hee tooke away the life of his brother So as in taking away the comfort of a mans life it is a degree of murther in as much as that man would take away the life of his brother if hee might So in lust if a man desire to commit adultery with a woman and cannot come to the execution of his will therein to the committing of the actuall sinne yet the adultery of the thoughts and affections are degrees unto this sinne and are of the same nature as if he had committed the sin it selfe The Commandements say Thou shalt not covet thy neighbours wife that is in no degree at all to hurt her or to wrong her If all be of one nature and differ in degree then all are to be mortified The same nature is in one drop of water that is in a whole Sea and the same nature in a sparke as there is in a great fire If there be a right enmity betweene sinne and us wee will abstaine from all Sinne a man doth hate the very colours of his enemie as Toades and Creatures that are poysonfull If a man doe

The privatenesse and secrecie thereof 5. The present delight they finde in it p. 157 Of Evill CONCVPISCENCE DOCT. I. EVill Concupiscence is a sinne to b●e mortified pag. 187 Reasons thereof are 1. It will bring forth actuall sinnes p. 188 2. It defiles a man by hiding sinne in his heart ibid. 3. It marres all good actions ibid 4. It makes Gods Commandements grievous unto us p. 189 The nature of evill Concupiscence what p. 190 The sinfulnesse of evill Concupiscenee ibid. The operation of evill Concupiscence in conceiving bringing forth sinne 191 Evill Concupiscence Habituall Actuall to be mortified p. 193 All sinne is to be abstayned from because God forbids it p. 195 Acts to Mortification are 1. A serious meditation upon mens courses ibid 2. A suppressing and keeping downe of lust p. 196 3. A rectifying of the iudgement p. 197 VSEI To get free from this sinne p. 198 The wrathof God on the creature works terror in the conscience ibid. Three signes of mortifying this sinne 1. A generall reformation in heart and life p. 200 2. A right iudgement of sin and a true loathing thereof p. 201 3. Actuall abstinence from sinne p. 202 QVEST. Whether man after true Mortification may fall into the same sinne againe ibid. ANSW He may fall into the act but not the love of that sin ibid Meanes to the mortification of this sinne are 1. A labour for an assurance of pardon for our sinnes p. 203 2. Abstinence from all occasion of sinne p. 205 3. A delight in grace and holinesse p. 206 4 ●ervent and hearty prayer p. 207 Of inordinate AFFECTION DOCTRINE 1. ALL Immoderate Affections must be mortified p. 211 What Affections are p. 212 The Appetite double Sensuall Rationall p. 213 Three sorts of Affections Naturall Carnall Spirituall p. 214 Affections when inordinate p. 216 Trials of the inordit acy of Affections are 1. To examine them by the rule the Rules are 1. The obiect must be good p. 217 2. The end right 3. The measure right 4. The order and season sitting 2. To examine them by the effects The effects are 1. The disturbance and hi●drance of reason p. 218 2. An indisposition to holy duties p. 219 3. The production of evill actions 4. The drawing us from God p. 230 What it is to mortifie affections inordinate ibid. Keasons why they are to be mortified are 1. They are of greatest efficacie and command in the soule p. 221 2. They make us either good or evill 3. They make way for Satan to take possession of the soule p. 222 4. They are the first movers to evill p. 223 VSE 1. To exhort us to take pains in the mortification of these inordinate affections p. 224 Meanes to mortifie them are 1. Knowledge of the disease p. 225 Two wayes to discerne inordinate lusts 1 By bringing them to the Touch-stone p. 226 2 By considering the stops of them 2. The iudgement of others concerning them p. 227 The causes of inordinate affection are 1. Mis-apprehension p. 227 Remedies against mis-apprehension 1 To get strong reasons out of the Scripture p. 229 2. To get a lively faith p. 230 3. Experience of the naughtinesse of them 4. Example of others 2. Weakenesse and impotency p. 232 Remedy against that is to gather strength 3. Lightnesse of the minde p. 233 Remedy to finde out the right obiect which is God 4. Confusion that riseth in the heart at first rising of them p. 234 Remedy timely prevention p. 235 5. Corruption of nature p. 236 Remedy to get a new nature 7. Oue sinne cause and root of another p. 239 Remedy to pull up the root God the onely agent of Mortification USE 2. To reprove us for sinfull affections Motives to conquer inordinate affections 1. They are the root of all evill p. 240 2. They wound the soule p. 241 3. They breed foolish and hurtfull lusts p. 243 4. They hinder the doing of good actions 5. They bring shame and dishonour p. 244 6. They blinde the reason and judgement p. 245 Of COVETOVSNES Covetousnesse what p. 1. 25 Why it is called Idolatry DOCTR 1. To seeke helpe and comfort from riches or any other creature and not from God alone is vaine and sinfull p. 2 DOCTR 2. That Covetousnesse which is Idolatry is to bee mortified p. 2. 25 Reasons that God onely can be comfort unto us and not the creature are 1. God is All-sufficient p. 5 2. The creature is empty and vaine p. 6 3. We commit the sinne of idolatry in giving that to the creature which is due to God USE 1. To exhort men to abstain frō lusting after worldlythings p. 7 God can give comfort without riches p. 8 The creature without the Creator is as the huske without the kernell p. 9 Considerations to disswade from trusting in the creature 1. The creature of it selfe hath no power to comfort p. 10 2. The creature reaches not to the inward man p. 11 3. A multitude of creatures must goe to the comfort of one man p. 12 4. The comfort of the creature is but dependant felicity p. 12 Whatsoever men leave their children without Gods blessing is nothing worth p. 13 The deceits whereby men are hindred from mortifying this sinne are 1. They thinke them Gods blessings p. 14 Blessings considered without thankefull reference to God cease to be blessings We receive the creatures as blessings 1. When we depend on God for the disposing continuing and want of them 2. When wee thinke the same things may bee without comfort unto us p. 15 3. When we thinke we may have comfort without them p. 16 2. They apprehend present comfort from the abounding of them p. 17 We may not judge of outward things by sense and feeling but by faith and a rectified reason To helpe our judgement therein Consider 1. They are but vanity of vanities p. 18 2. What other men that have bin afflicted think of thē 3. What your selves wiljudge of thē at the day of death 4. What you shall finde them for the time to come Sense of comfort double preceeding from a refreshing of the heart by the Creature an appprehension of Gods fauor in those blessings Ioy in the creature may be a 1. Remisse ioy as if we ioyed not p. 19 2. Loose ioy that may be cast off 3. Dependant ioy eying the fountaine p. 20 3 They reason falsely Riches come not alwayes by labour nor comfort by riches p. 20. For 1. God maketh a disproportion betwixt the man and the blessing p. 21 2. God hinders the effects though the causes eoncurre 3. God denieth successe to the causes p. 22 4 They see these things present and certain other things doubtfull and incertaine Earthly things subiect to change but spirituall things unchangeable Signes to know whether our love to the creature be right or no Consider 1. Whether our affection to the creature drawes our hearts from God p. 24 2. When earthly and spirituall things come in competition which we

and cast it from thee for it is profitable that one of thy members should perish and not that thy whole bodie should be cast into hell fire Therefore I say it were better for thee to leave thy delight than to have thy soule damned in hell for ever by leaving thy sinne thou dost not leave thy delight for then thou hast a new heart new desires and affections to delight in better things so that the forsaking of sinne is but a change of delight and those sinnes which have the greater delight in them shall have the greater torment as doth appeare out of Revel 18. 7. concerning Babylon The more pleasure she had the more should her torments and sorrowes be Thus have I dispatched in briefe this sinne of uncleannesse insisting and inlarging onely some two or three of the Deceits whereby the devill doth beguile the sonnes of men and lead them captive to the commission of this slavish and abominable sinne for motives and helpes against it I referre you to those I produced in the handling of Fornication FINIS HOVV TO MORTIFIE EVILL CONCVPISCENCE COLOS. 3. 5. Mortifie therefore your members which are upon the earth fornication uncleanenesse inordinate affection evill concupiscence c. NOw I should proceede to some application of this point but because there is a third particular which hath much affinity with the two former namely fornication and uncleanenesse I will first speake of that which is here in my Text evill concupiscence By concupiscence men doe understand a degree of this lust of uncleanenesse and it is an evill inclination in the power of the Soule The Doctrine is this evill concupiscence is one of the Sinnes which are likewise to be mortified Wee had neede give a reason for it because men will hardly be perswaded to thinke it a Sinne thus it was with the Heathen they thought there was no Sinne in it The first reason is If Concupiscence doe cleave unto a man that is evill inclinations which the soule by sinne is bent unto then actuall sinne wil follow which is the fruit of this concupiscence It is as a sparke of fire which being let alone will grow greater and greater and like a leven though little at the first yet doth it leven the whole lumpe so that it doth produce the works of the flesh and therefore it is to be mortified The second reason is although a man doe not fall into actuall sinne presently after there is concupiscence in the heart yet being unmortified it hideth the sinne in a man and so defiles him and makes him proane to an evill disposition and also to be abominable before God Therefore mortifie concupiscence before it come to have vigour and strength in thee A man is said to be an evill man when hee is distracted from Good to Evill now evill concupiscence makes a man to be so There are evill inclinations in a good man and yet it is by way of Antithesis it is not his complexion and constitution to have them Now an evill man hath concupiscence and the same is his complexion and constitution so to be Therefore if evill concupiscence be not mortified it makes a man to be bad and in this regard wee ought to cleanse our selves from the pollution of this sinne The third reason is Evill concupiscence being in a man it doth marre all his good actions To mingle water with wine it makes the wine the worse To mingle drosse with silver it makes the silver the more impure So evill concupiscence being in the Soule of a man it doth staine and blemish his good actions when the string of an Instrument is out of tune then the Musick doth jarre A man that hath strong concupiscence in him he will desire to come to the execution of the works of them and so it will haue an influence to the effect and will staine and blemish any good worke hee goes about so that evill concupiscence making a man to be evill it doth blemish and staine all the good actions that man goes about in that hee doth performe them either with vaine-glory or selfe respect The fourth reason why evill concupiscence should be mortified is because that otherwise the commandements of God will be grievous unto us 1. Iohn 5. 3. For this is the love of God that wee keepe his commaundements and his commaundements are not grieuous The commaundements of God are not onely to be kept of us but so to be kept that they may be delightfull unto us Psalm 103. 1. Blesse the Lord O my soule and all that is within me blesse his holy name when concupiscence doth lye in the soule of a man in its full vigour and strength unmortified it doth draw in him a reluctance from good duties as when a man doth will one thing that is good and an evill inclination doth set upon him then the commaundements of God will be grievous unto him even as a man will be unwilling to carrie a burthen long Now I proceede to shew you three things observable in this word concupiscence First what the nature of it is Secondly the sinfulnesse of it Thirdly the operation or workes of it First for the better understanding what it is know that in the soule of man there is a facility Secondly there is an inclination which doth adhere to the facultie and thirdly there are actuall desires which flow from that inclination by way of Similitude the better to conceive First in the mouth there is a pallate secondly the desired humour and thirdly the tast So in thesoule of man First there is the naturall affection secondly there is an inclination which is the tuneablenesse or untuneablenesse of it and thirdly there is the desire or actuall works of it By concupiscence is meant the evill inclination and the fruits of the evill inclination and by it the habituall concupiscence from whence the actuall desires of evill will follow Rom. 6. 12. Let not sinne raigne in your mortall bodies that yee should obey it in the lust thereof First there is a sinne secondly the lust of that sinne and thirdly the obedience that is consent to the sinne There is a concupiscence that is naturall and another that is morall As there is a concupiscence that is bad so is there another that is good and a third that is neither good nor evill There was in Christ a desire to live though it were Gods will he should die yet obeying hee did not sinne On fast dayes we are commanded so to doe yet the desire to tast corporall food on such a day is not sinne Secondly it doeth proceed from sinne and one sinne doth beget another Iames 1. 15. Concupiscence doth bring foorth sinne Rom. 6. 12. Let not sinne raigne in your mortall bodies that is Let not concupiscence but to understand what the sinfulnesse of it is know that sinne in speciall is the transgression of the morall Law any facultie that is capable

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