in the sense there 's grief for torment and fear to touch a serpent or a toad delight in meats that are pleasant and hatred of them that are noysome But the Lord doth not call for these sensitive passions to be seated upon him and on heaven they are seated aright as they stand so a moderation be kept they have no need to change objects The affections of the heart these are the affections the Lord doth call for the out-goings of the heart as the sense is afraid of a Lyon so is a godly heart afraid to sin against God as the sense is joyful to have ease after trouble so a godly heart is joyful with a good conscience in Christ as the sense loves that which doth feed it so a godly heart loves God that doth nourish it and therefore Austin and Galen and Scotus and why say I them the Scriptures say the affections are motions in the heart Mine Eye affecteth my heart saith the poor Church Lam. 3. 51. that is when she beheld the lamentable distresses of the daughters of Sion this stirred up the affection of pity in her heart Thirdly As the affections are the motions of the heart so they are the forcible motions of the heart every little motion in the heart is not an affection but only the forcible motions of the heart a man is then said to set his affections upon God when his heart goes with force unto God for as God appoints every creature his task and to seek out its own good so he gives it a force for to do it the stone its nature is to fall downwards and God gives it a weightinesse that it may fall downwards with force the stomack its nature is to take food when it is empty and God gives it a hunger that it may take it with force every creature hath not only its motion to move it to its own good but it goes to it with force so God hath given affections to the heart as weight to the stone and hunger to the stomack so God I say hath given affections to the heart that it may seek out its good with a force so that then does a man set his affections upon God when he sets all his forces to God-ward When David had given 847 millions 382 thousand 500 pound in silver and gold of his own charges to the building of Gods house for so the learned may gather out of two Chapters in the Chronicles you may well think he employed all his forces thereto but what saies the Text I have set mine affection to the house of God 1 Chron. 29. 3. Thus ye see when â—ht sets his affections to Gods house he put to his forces the affections are the forcible motions of the heart when a childe of God praies with affection he prayeth with force when he stands for God with affection he stands for him with force Fourthly As the affections are the motions and the forcible motions of the will so they are the sensible motions too For the will stirs up the inferiour faculties of the Soul and they stirre up the humours and parts of the body to make the greater resistance to that which it disaffects or the greater embracement of that which it affects This is one reason why the affections are called passions for they make the soul to suffer and the body to suffer The affection of Joy makes the spleen for to suffer and anger makes the gall for to suffer and fear makes the heart for to suffer yea the affections make humours bloud spirits members even bones and all the body for to suffer Hence it is when a man sets his affections upon God his fear the fear of God makes him tremble his Love the love of God makes him to weep for his sins the shame of it that he should dishonour his God makes him to blush before Christ Grief for his sins many times dries up his moisture and Zeal for his glory consumeth his flesh so was it with the Psalmist when he was full of affections towards God and saw how men did disobey his Commandments see what sensible motions were in him Mine eyes gush out with rivers of waters because men keep not thy Law Psalm 119. 139. Ezra was so affectionate for God that knowing how the people transgressed it made the colour to come in his face and to blush before heaven Ezr. 9. 6. as Demetrius blusht for his father Philips offences the Orator that pleaded King Philips defence did not doe him so much service as the blushing of Demetrius his sonne This was the effect of his affection to his Father it shewed it self in his blushing for the offences of his Father Thus the affections are the sensible motions of the Will Fifthly and lastly They are such sensible motions as are according to the apprehension of good or evil For when there is but small apprehension of good or evil the affections are weak and may hardly work on the body at all but when there is a great apprehension of either not only the soul is deeply affected but also the body is mightily compatible Nay if the apprehension be deep indeed the affections break out into raptures as dancings and leapings of the heart which are the raptures of joy ravishments and enamorings which are the raptures of love meltings and bleedings and breakings of spirit which are the raptures of grief astonishments amazements which are the raptures of fear confusion and the like which are the raptures of shame the affections burst forth into such raptures as these when the apprehension is deep Olofernes his eyes were ravisht with the slippers of Judith because he was deeply in love with her Iacob shooken almost dead at the sight of his sons bloudy coat because he was deeply affected thereat The Roman Senate were affrighted with the sight of the Carthaginian green figges that Cato did shew them such raptures have the Saints very often in their prayers to God being helpt with sighs and groans that cannot be uttered Rom. 8. 26. because they have a deep apprehension of the corruption that is in them Thus ye see what the affections be they are forcible and sensible motions of the will to a thing or from a thing according as it is apprehended to be evil or to be good In the next place let me shew that a carnal man cannot set these his affections upon God or upon Grace which may appear by Reasons First Affectus sunt alae animae as the Proverb goes The Affections are the wings of the soul If the birds wings be lime-twig'd and glued to the ground she cannot fly up now a carnal man his affections are glued and lime-twig'd to the things of the world or the things of this life and therefore it is impossible he should flie up unto God I reade in the life of good Anselm walking in the fields he saw a shepherds boy that had taken a bird and tyed a
stone to her legge and as the bird would be offering to mount the stone pulled her down she had such a weight on her leg she could not fly up this good father fell a weeping to consider that so it was with men carnal men though perhaps they think to flie up to God by many good purposes they are still born down with their sinnes their affections are clog'd security deadnesse of heart self-self-love and love of the things here below like milstones made fast to their heels their affections cannot mount up to God Hast thou more affection to a game then a Sermon more affection to sit drinking in Ale-houses then to be reproved for thy sins more affection to a good booty then a good duty alas how canst thou set thine affections upon God thine affections are earthly affections and therefore they cannot be placed upon God Rom 1. 26. there reade of vile affections God gave up the Heathen to base and vile affections so these are base and vile and carnal affections that thou art given unto thine affections are malice and envy and revenge which cannot be set upon God they are worldly fears and worldly sorrows and worldly joys and worldly pleasures and worldly delights these are thine affections these can never be placed upon God They are vile affections too base and dishonourable to God Thine affections are lime-twig'd by Satan they cannot sore up unto God This is the first reason why a carnal man cannot set his affections upon God because his affections which are the wings of his soul are glued to the earth Secondly Affectus sunt inclinationes animae The affections are the inclinations of the Soul as a man is affected so he is inclined and therefore the affections in Scripture are called the bent of the soul My people are bent to backsliding from me Hos 11. 7. that is their affections to me are unstable unconstant and fickle How stands such a one bent as we say that is how stands he affected A man is bent to that which his affections are on now then is it possible that a carnal man should set his affections on God when his heart does not stand bent unto God the muck-worm his heart stands bent to the world the voluptuous his heart stands bent to his pleasures the proud man his heart stands bent to get credit and be well thought on the natural man stands bent to be carnal and earthy and how can such men set their affections on God when their hearts stand that way bent are thy affections bent that way that thy bent goes that way do thine affections go Thou art merry and jocond and joyful to day tell me what is it for is it because God is glorified by thee No No thy mirth and thy joy stand otherwise bent Thou hast been angry and revengeful what was it for was it because God is dishonoured and thy lusts have been violent Alas no thy anger and thy wrath stand otherwise bent thine affections are the bent and inclinations of thy heart and therefore if thou be inclined to things that are earthy thou canst not place thine affections upon God nothing can go against its own bent and inclination unlesse by the omnipotent power of the Spirit of Christ David knew this well enough that his affections could never be to God and his righteousnesse if his heart did not that way stand bent and therefore he praies God Incline not my heart to any evil thing Psal 141. 4. Let not mine affections be on any evil thing for then I should be that way inclined This is the second reason why a carnal men cannot set his affections upon God because the affections of the heart are the bent of the heart Thirdly Affectus sunt passiones animae saies Damascen The affections are the passions of the Soul When the heart is affected with a thing it lets in that thing and it suffers a change by that thing when a man is affected with anger at a wrong or an injury we say he is in a passion that is he lets in the wrong and there does his heart bite upon the wrong and chafe at it thus he is passionate When a man is affected with love to a pleasure he lets in the pleasure and suffers it to prevail on the heart now then a carnal man cannot set his affections upon God nor his Grace because he cannot let it in to prevail over his Soul he will not suffer it to enter can he be in a good passion for God can he be angry and cholerick to see how Gods Spirit is grieved can he be grieved at the lusts of his heart which he joyes in can he be zealous for Gods truth and for the beauty of holinesse Alas alas no He cannot let in these things into his heart nor Christ nor grace nor holinesse nor humility nor self-denyal nor any saving grace that is Christs can get entrance into his heart and therefore he cannot set his affections upon God When the Apostle had exhorted the Hebrews and now was concluding that he could exhort them no further he concludes on this manner And I beseech you brethren suffer the word of exhort ation Heb. 13. 22. He labours to work on their affections that they would let in his exhortations into their hearts he does not say Suffer me to exhort you for he had exhorted them already and had taken their leave but suffer it to enter into your hearts now if you be carnal thou wilt never suffer Gods counsels to enter you will never suffer the word of reproof neither will ye suffer a resignation Suppose we should pull down all the unnessary Ale-houses in the Parish would ye suffer it Suppose we should root out all your game-houses and the like would ye suffer it Suppose we should make every man pay his 12. pence a day for every time he is absent from Church and have all disorders punisht in the Town would ye suffer it Suppose we should come to your houses and exhort you and reprove you and tell you of your sins and labour to reform you and your families alas would ye suffer it No your passions will rise ye would be so farre from affecting these things as that your affections would be against them nay ye would be in passion against me carnal hearts cannot set their affections upon God why because the affections are passions as I have proved already and the soul doth suffer its affections The affections do alter the heart but a carnal heart will not be altered by the word nor by Christ nor suffer his graces to enter Fourthly Put the case a man set himself wrong Affectus sunt perturbationes animae The affections are the perturbations of the Soul if once they go wrong and the reins be laid on their necks they are like wilde horses to the soul to carry her whether she would not they are the disturbers of judgement and violent tyrants over the
the contrary as wicked Ioabs affections were so bowed to God-wards and for the good of his Church that he was willing to die in his defence Be of good courage saies he let us play the men for our people and the cities of our God and the Lord doe what seemeth him good 2 Sam. 10. 12. See how he rowzes up his valour and his generous affections to fight for his God his affections were somewhat bowed unto God and yet he was a wicked man The fourth is The affections may be wrought on so far that the heart may be stolen away with them this you may finde in the story of Absolom who with his beauty and the propernesse of his person and the flattery of his lips and his courteous complement with the people of the land he did so winne their affections that the Text saies He stole the hearts of the men of Israel 2 Sam. 15. 6. So grace is so beautiful and the Word of God hath such kinde promises and kinde speeches with it not complemental as Absalâ—ms but real and truly amiable that it may steal the affections of a carnal man as the Israelites stole from the Aegyptians and they knew not how so grace may steal thine affections and take them with its beauty and yet thou be a wicked man for all that As Paul with his preaching did so steal away the affections and the hearts of the Galathians that for a need they would have pluckt out their eyes and given them to Paul they were so strongly affected with him and the Gospel he taught them Gal. 4 15. Neverthelesse Saint Paul sayes they were foolish and carnal The fifth is The affections may be wrought on so farre that the heart may be hot and inflamed by them That this is another degree of the affections you may gather from the avenger of bloud when any had unwittingly and unwillingly killed his brother the Lord commands him to fly quickly to a City of refuge lest the avenger of bloud should kill him in fury and anger The words go thus lest the avenger of bloud pursue the slayer while his heart is hot Deu. 16 6. While his heart is hot that is while he is in the heat of his passion while his anger and the affections of revenge are hot the affections may be raised so high that they may set the heart in a heat upon a thing which it affects So a carnal man may have his affections heated and inflamed towards God and towards grace Saul had a great zeal to Gods Church 2 Sam. 21. 2. Iehu was zealous for God Come with me saies he and see my zeal for the Lord 2 Kin 10. 16. Zeal is the heat of all the affections and therefore Iehu was heated in all his affections for God his affections were hot to root out Idolaters his affections were hot to cut off Gods enemies and to reform abundance of sinful abuses in the Kingdom he was zealous his affections were heated towards God and yet Iehu was no better then a carnal man for all that Thus farre may a carnal mans affections be wrought on for grace and this is no argument that he hath set his affections upon God as shall afterwards appear Therefore there be four further degrees which are only to be found in the godly The sixth then is The affections may be wrought on so far that the heart is quite overturned from that it was before I say the affections may be wrought on so far that the heart may be turned upside down by them So it was with the godly they were even overwhelmed in affections for God with the fear of the Lord and their hearts turned upside down with grief for their sinnes Behold O Lord for I am in distresse my bowels are troubled my heart is turned within me for I have grievously rebelled Lam. 1. 20. Her soul was even battered with affections of repentance and humiliation her soul was distressed with terrours her bowels were troubled and contracted with fears and her heart was turned upside down with sorrows and all for her sins for I have grievously rebelled saies she No wicked man under Heaven had his affections ever so wrought on that was not converted upon it As Iob saies of his birth He was curdled like Cheese so here in the second birth her heart was curdled like Cheese c. My heart is turned in me saies she This is a higher working on the affections then any carnal man hath The seventh is The affections may be wrought on so far that the heart be engaged for God As a womans affections towards a man may be so deep as that she engageth her heart unto that man and resolves to have none other husband but him So when the affections are so deep in love with grace and with Christ that the heart is once engaged for Christ to be a widow for ever unlesse he will be pleased to count her his Spouse the world shall never have her heart more the flesh shall never have her heart more nor devil nor lust nor any other sin shall ever have her heart more she is so farre in love and affection with Christ as her heart is engaged for Christ this is a godly soul Who is this that engageth his heart to approach unto me saith the Lord Jer. 30. 21. If pleasure come saying set thine affections on me no saies the heart mine affections are engaged already if her old lusts and her old lovers and her old acquaintance come saying set your affections on us no saies the heart I am engaged for another even for Christ and his graces this is a deep working on the affections indeed when they are engaged for Christ The eighth is The affections may be wrought on so far that the heart may be glued to a thing by them Iamblychus the heathen hath a pretty phrase to this purpose a wicked man he cals him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 bound in and nayled in his affections he is even nayled and glued to the things of the world his heart does even stick to them like pitch and Tarr to the Ship So it is with a godly soul his heart sticks fast unto Christ and the commandments of Christ I have stuck unto thy Testimonies saies David to Christ Psa 119. 31. How came his heart to stick to Christs testimonies His holy affections were the glue his affections clave to Gods Law The ninth is The affections may be wrought on so far that the heart may be quite given up to the thing which it affects Solomon had such affections to wisedom that he gave his heart to seek it Eccl. 1. 13. As we use to say he hath my heart what can he have more all mine affections are set on him if he have my heart and all So a godly heart is so deeply affected with Christ and his righteousnesse as that Christ hath his very heart and all He gives up all
carnal mans affections be so wrought on as ye have heard that they are not rightly wrought on First Because they are not kindely wrought on They are chafed and heated very much but they are not kindely wrought on The affections must be kindely wrought on otherwise they are not wrought on aright they may be violently and passionately wrought on there may be a great deal of pudder wrought in the affections but never are they rightly wrought on unlesse they be wrought upon kindely Be kindely affectioned one to another with brotherly love saies St Paul Rom. 12. 10. The Galatians that would have pluckt out their eyes for Saint Paul they were strongly affected with Saint Paul but they were not kindely affected If they had been kindely affected with him or his Doctrine they would not have hearkned to false Apostles as they did A carnal man natural reason and knowledge out of the Word may work on his affections his conscience and self-self-love whereby he is loth to be damned and glad to be saved when he dies these may work on his affections and cause him to weep for his sins and give over many corruptions and to be strongly affected but alas he is not kindely affected It 's only the love of God shed abroad in the heart that kindely affects one But it 's self-self-love and not love of the Lord Jesus that affects him he is not kindely affected Secondly A carnal mans affections are not judiciously wrought on They are wrought on in a fit at it but they are not wrought on with judgement they have not the true beginning of working which is sound judgement S. Hierom saies of the affections of Christ respectu Christi semper sequuntur rationem Christs affections had alwaies the right beginning which was true reason and judgement And therefore S. Matthew notes especially the beginning of his sorrow He began to be sorrowful and very heavy Mat. 26. 37. He had a right beginning of it The natural beginning of the affections is this when the judgement is first poysed and the heart is first fired this is the natural beginning of the affections So that the heart must first be wrought on and the spirit moved before the affections can be judiciously wronght on And therefore saies S. Iohn Christ troubled himself He groaned in spirit and he troubled himself Joh. 11. 33. He was exceedingly affected with sorrow for Lazarus his death and his kinsfolks sorrows and distrusts they were in and he troubled himself we translate it he was troubled but in the original it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he troubled himself his own judgement and his spirit and his heart stirred up his affections to be troubled His affections were wrought on judiciously A carnal mans affections though they be much wrought on yet they are not wrought on judiciously Now he is in the minde to be strict and to be godly now he weeps and takes on can ye wonder his conscience now jerks him and is quick but when a few tears and a few labours and endeavours that way have contented his conscience as his conscience is apt to be satisfied the man is of another judgement then quickly He is of the judgement then tush what need I be so strict and precise Thus he is affected not upon sound judgement Affected he is and strongly affected too for the while but he is not affected judiciously Thirdly A carnal mans affections are not wrought upon regularly His affections may be are wrought upon by Gods justice and judgements because God is a consuming fire against sin because God is severe against the works of iniquity because he hath made heaven-gate to be straight These are the grounds of his work His affections are wrought upon this way therefore he weeps and therefore he praies and therefore he reforms and therefore he is affected But this is not regular affection he is affected with fear but it is not the fear of Gods goodnesse not Gods mercy and goodnesse were there no other attribute in God he might look long enough before he would fear his mercy that 's a ground of presumption to him but he fears Gods judgements and his justice he doth not tremble and quake to consider that God is a merciful God and a good God whom he hath sinned against The true Israel of God They fear the Lord and his goodnesse Hos 3. 5. their affections are regular they are affected with fear of Gods goodnesse But a carnall man is not affected with the fear of Gods goodnesse He is affected with the fear of Gods justice his affections are wrought on irregularly Fourthly A carnal mans affections are not wrought upon universally Some affections are wrought on and others are not No he hath a contradiction of affections He hath some good affections to God and to grace and he hath some affections that are contradictory to these Some sinnes he grieves under some he is glad under some commandments he delights to be doing and some he delights to be breaking I do not mean part flesh and part spirit for so the best godly souls under Heaven have a contradiction of affections they have some affections of the spirit and some affections of the flesh contradicting and opposing one another I do not mean this But a carnal man hath such a contradiction of affections as that his carnal affections give the other the lye He is affected with sorrow for his sinnes but he is not troubled for his usury He is affected with desires to leave his sins but not to leave his sinful dependances As Esau he was affected with weeping for his missing of grace and the blessing but not for his pleasures and sensual delight Is not this a contradiction of affections He found no place of repentance though he sought it carefully with tears Heb. 12. 17. He was affected with weeping after repentance but he could finde no place to bestow it in There was not elbow-room enough for repentance in his heart He made some room in some part of his heart for repentance but not in all He found place for it in some of his affections but not in all He is affected but he is not affected universally He hath a contradiction of affections in his soul so that a carnal mans affections though they be wrought on they are not wrought upon universally It is true a carnal mans affections may be exceedingly wrought on then I pray examine your selves Two persons I would have to examine themselves First Them that think their affections are set upon God For as for them that are absolutely carnal whose affections are buried in the things of the World and have no affection at all unto grace or unto holinesse speak not to them their own consciences condemn them to be rotten and are as good as a thousand examiners I doe not speak to them If they will not hear their own conscienceâ—s much lesse will they hear me I speak
whether Brutus were not a block or a brute because he had no affection at all to his own children whom he could see murthered before him with dry eyes The Lord himself counts that man a very block that hath no affection in his heart Have ye no regard all ye that passe by behold and see if there were any sorrow like my sorrow Lam. 1. 12. q. d. What are ye such blocks and stupid stocks that ye can shew no affections at my sorrow And therefore it 's reckoned among the symptomes of a heart that is desperately hardned not to be affected with any thing to hear the Word and not to be affected therewith to pray unto God and not to be affected with Gods presence to be in affliction and not to be affected with remorse I say this is a symptome of a hard heart And therefore it is a blessing of God that a man hath affections within him Secondly because as Plutarch the very Heathen observes were it not for our affections our nature would be lazy and idle 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Like a Pilot at sea without winde alas the ship would goe slowly were there no windes stirring to drive it So the affections saies he are to the soul as the winde to the sails of the ship as the ship could not sail apace without windes so the soul would go slowly about any thing if the affections did not carry it When Davids affections were hampered about with worldly fears fears of his enemies and griefs at his persecutions which he suffered he went slowly on in obedience but as soon as his sails were up then he ran like a ship in the sea with a great winde I will run the way of thy Commandments when thou shalt inlarge my heart Psa 119. 32. As soon as God would help him to spread the sails of his heart and enlarge his affections then he would run like a Fleet pinnace in the Seas I will then run the way of thy Commandments saies he this is an infinite mercy of God who seeing how dull we are unto good how slack to good duties how slow to holy performances vouchsafes us these windes and these sails for to carry us 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saies the same Philosopher The affections are like wheels and like Chariots unto reason If a mans reason be never so good he knows he is bound to repent and be godly and obey yet if he have no affections thereto he goes like a chariot without wheels he goes without force he cannot go at all but if he have affections thereto the affections are like wheels and like horses to carry him amain Draw me saies the Christian soul unto Christ draw me and I will run after thee Can. 1. 4. She praies that Christ would draw her by the affections of love for she speaks of love the virgins love thee saies she ver 3. Draw me with thy love too and then I shall run after thee like the Chariots of Aminadab that is drawn by quick Horses she would run as with wheels unto Christ if her affections did once carry her As Cicero saies of the affections of anger it is cos fortitudinis it is the whetstone to valour so I may say of all the affections they are all whetstones to good if a man have any grace Hast thou love It is a whetstone to obedience hast thou grief It is a whetstone to repentance hast thou anger it is a whetstone to zeal c. What is the reason men come so slowly on unto good the reason is this because their affections stand another way Men repent but slowly and amend their lives but slowly encrease in grace but slowly why this is the cause their affections are to the world they run on in their pleasures and their vanities they run on in their earthly employments and businesses why their affections are thereto O beloved it is an infinite mercy of God that we have affections given us of God for these may quicken our dulnesse unto grace Thirdly Because the affections are good channels for grace to run downin Be there never so full a fountain of good water yet if it have not a channel to run all along in the fountain may be ever a bubling but it choaketh it self for want of a channel So though God should put never so much grace into thy heart yet if it should have no channel to run down in it would smother it self Now God hath given thee affections like channels for grace to run down in Art thou covetous and full of desires what a fine channel is that for grace to run down in it is the easier for thee to covet the best things art thou of a cholerick and angry constitution what a fine channel is that for zeal to Gods glory to run down in it is the easier for thee to be zealous in Gods worship art thou melancholy and of a sad disposition what a fine channel is that for repentance to run down in it is the easier for thee to despise the vain pleasures of the world and to sorrow for sin art thou merry and of a cheerful nature what a fine channel is this for delight in the Lord to runne down in it is the easier for thee to joy in the holy Ghost art thou fearful and of a timorous spirit what a fine channel is that for fear of Gods judgements and truth to runne down in it is the easier for thee to tremble before God and fear to offend him Solomon was full of the affections of love it is true he let lust after women and uncleannesse a while run down in that channel but when grace and repentance recovered his soul what an excellent channel was it for love unto Christ to run down in Never was there such a lovesong to Christ as the Canticles since the creation of the world to this day and therefore it is called Canticum Canticorum The Song of Songs Cant. 1. 1. Certainly Ieremy was a man of a sad constitution but see what an advantage this bent of affection was to him it was a channel for spiritual sadnesse to run down in Oh that my head were waters and mine eyes a fountain of tears to weep day and night for the slain of the daughter of my people Jer. 9. 1. The woman in the Gospel which was a sinner a whore in plain terms one bewitched with the affections of love to her lovers as soon as ever any grace did look into her heart see how these affections of love did advantage her She loved our Saviour more affectionately then Saint Peter himself She loved much saies the Text Luk. 7. 47. Before no question but she was full of her whorish and strumpet-like tears now the channel was turned she washt Christs feet with her tears and wipt them with the hair of her head and she loved much saies the Text. It is such an admirable advantage to be full of affections that the
Lacedemonian Schoolmaster thought that if he had a young scholar full of affections full of shamefastness and full of fear and full of cheerfullnesse 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. He thought it was easie for him to make him ashamed of all filthinesse and delighted in goodnesse and fearful to do evil I am not of his minde but this I am though he hath an exceeding good advantage to do it If a man have spent his affections upon sin and eaten out the heart of his affections upon vanity or if a man have no affections at all as some have but few a man shall as soon work on a beast as such a man Nay if grace should come in into such a man alas he shall never be able to come to much good if best come to the best he shall have infinite adoe to doe any duty without wofull dulnesse and senselessenesse it is an admirable blessing that God gives unto men to give them affections and therefore the Stoicks are infinitely too blame to cry out of the affections as if they were evil in themselves To speak truly and rightly of the Stoicks I do not think the Stoicks were ever so sottish as to mean so but their intent as Austin saies of them was to pare off the affections that are evil and to rule the affections that are natural and therefore it was that they declaim'd so bitterly against the affections You see now by this Text I have chosen that the affections are great gifts of the Lord for how could the Apostle command us to set our affections upon God if the affections were evil in themselves Nay it follows from hence that it is a great blessing of God that we have any affections at all that we may set them upon God The V. Sermon Colos 3. 2. Set your affections on things that are above c. THe Christians of the Primitive Church had learnt this lesson very well to set their affections on Gods Kingdom they were often thinking of it often speaking of it in the companies they came in they would be discoursing of it insomuch that the foolish Heathen hearing them talking so often of a Kingdom took them for affecters of Kingdoms and accused them of aspiring to be Kings 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saies Iustin Martyr Ye hear saies he that we expect for a Kingdom Ye imagine we look after humane Kingdoms No No saies he we mean the Kingdom with God and with Christ in Heaven above Their affectious were much there Ye have heard beloved the necessity of this duty that we must set our affections upon God and his Kingdom and grace Ye have heard the reasons why we must do so for the use of the point ye have heard a confutation of the Stoicks that teach a vacuity of affections and say the affections are all evil in themselves They cannot be evil in themselves because we must set them upon God were they evil in themselves it were unlawful to set them upon God But it is not only not unlawful but also it is very necessary to set our affections upon God O this is a hard duty to our corrupt flesh and so ye shall finde it to set your affections on God There be many lets that hinder us from so doing First Because it is a very hard thing to turn an antipathy or a sympathy our hearts are so deeply affected with the things of the world as that they have a sympathy with them and an antipathy against a removal therefrom When the affections are deep set with or against they prove to be sympathies and antipathies which are infinitely hard to be changed The Philosophers call them occultae qualitates hidden qualities no reason can be given of them No man can give a reason why the load-stone should be so deeply affected with iron as to draw it unto it It hath a sympathy with it the wilde Bull hath a sympathy with a figge-tree nothing can tame him but it the Elm hath a sympathy with the Vine the Vine hath a sympathy with the Olive No man can give a reason why it should be so So beloved our deep affections are the sympathies of our hearts and therefore seeing they are set to the things of the world they are hardly removed No reason scarce any reason can sever them Demas when he set his love upon the world the text saies he forsook Paul and he embraced this present word Demas hath forsaken me and embraced this present world 2 Tim. 4. 10. We translate it he loved this present world but the word signifies and so other translations render it he embraced this present world that is the affections of his heart had a sympathy with it as the Ivie with the Elm he embraced it S. Paul could not hold him no reason could withhold him he had a sympathy with it Now when the heart hath a sympathy with the things of the world it must needs have an antipathy at grace the proud man hath an antipathy at the parting with that which he prides in the revengeful man hath an antipathy at the putting up of an injury The stubborn man hath an antipathy at a sound reproof he cannot endure to be sharply rebuk't for his sinnes As some men suffer a homely similitude I say have an antipathy with Cheese they will goe out of the room where it is As the mullet hath an antipathy with the Pike the Coleworts have an antipathy with the Vine they will die rather then grow together So men are vext to be curbed of their lusts The affections are the sympathies and the antipathies of the heart and therefore it 's very hard to remove them it will cost thee a mighty deal of labour to pull off thine affections from all the things in the world and to set them upon God Secondly it is a hard thing to work on the heart when the heart is bewitcht The affections are the bewitchings of the heart when the heart hath once set its affections on the things of the World it is even quite bewitched therewith Foolish people talk much of bewitchings Brethren let me tell you here 's a bewitching ye little consider Your affections bewitch you O foolish Galatians who hath bewitched you that ye should not obey the truth Gal. 3. 1. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saies S. Chrysostome this is the bewitching of the devil the false Apostles had wrought upon the Galatians affections and drawn them from the truth and now when their affections were set on it the Apostle saies they were bewitcht The affections when once they are up about a thing that is earthly or carnal they are like a company of devils in hell to bewitch one there be abundance of bewitchings in nature The bird Galgalus if she see a man that is sick of the Jaundies the man recovers and she is so bewitched therewith that she dieth If a Toad be seen by the Wesil to gape
You must have this same new heart otherwise ye cannot set your affections on God For there is a heart that will set its affections on God and there is a heart that will not The Lord wishes his people to have the former kinde of heart the heart that will set its affections on God O that there were such a heart in them that they would fear me and keep my Commandments alwaies Deut. 5. 29. There is such a heart beloved O that we had it I say there is such a heart that will fear God and set all its affections on God and such a heart ye must get or else it is in vain to command you this duty all the Sermons ye see are in vain that ye have heard to this day all the exhortations and admonitions ye have had since ye were ye see plainly they are in vain to many of you as your affections were earthly twenty years ago so they are still as they were carnal and worldly heretofore so they are still your hearts are the same hearts your hearts are stark naught and therefore your affections cannot sore up unto God Ye can have no quick affections in praier no melting affections at the word The Sabbath comes but your affections are not on it a Sacrament comes but what poor affections you have to it your consciences may witnesse Ye sit in your shops or ye follow your callings or ye go about your earthly employments and your affections are below 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saies Maximus the Sparrows foot is bound with a cord she cannot fly up unto God Your hearts are not spiritual and this is the cause your affections are so carnal Peradventure ye lop off now and then some part of your carnal affections as Tarquinius lopt off the heads of his poppies but ye do not cut up the roots It may be ye go about to heave up your affections in good duties sometimes as the key lifts up the spring in the lock but the key is no sooner turned but down goes the spring so down go your affections presently again And therefore I premise this as a first ground ye can never set your affections on God till ye have gotten new hearts The second ground is this Ye can never set your affections upon God unlesse you feed upon Christ by faith If ever the soul feed upon Christ by faith it cannot but set its affections upon God I remember an invention of Queen Artemesia who when her husband Mausolus was dead not knowing how to keep him fresh in her affections as long as she lived she caused her husband Mausolus his body to be turned into ashes and mingled them in her drink so she buried her husband in her bowels and this way she took to keep her affections fresh unto him This indeed was unnatural in her to eat and drink her own husband but faith teacheth us to feed upon the Lord Iesus Christ this will take off our affections from the world we shall never hunger after the world more nor thirst after the things of this life more if ever we feed upon him I am the bread of life saies Christ he that cometh to me shall never hunger and he that beleeveth on me shall never thirst Joh. 6. 35. If ever we beleeve the sweetnesse of the promises of Christ the pleasantnesse of the commandments of Christ the preciousnesse of the graces of Christ and the love of Christ and the benefit of Christ our affections will be to him Nothing can take off thy affections from the world but faith in Christ He that beleeveth in Christ cannot set his affections upon the world Can a man set his affections upon the world when he verily beleeves it to be drosse and dung in comparison of Christ Can he set his affections upon earthly pleasure that beleeves it is madnesse It is certain men never beleeved in Christ since they were born that set their affections upon the things of the world they have not one dram of Christ Christ is altogether lovely Cant. 5. 16. He is all love one that commands the affections Thou beleevest in the world and not in Christ if thou set thine affections upon any other but Christ Thou beleevest thou canst have pleasure and delight in something beside Christ profits and gains in something beside Christ ease and content and comfort in something beside Christ if thou set thine affections upon any thing beside Christ Alas thou canst never set thine affections upon Christ as long as thou beleevest not only in Christ If thine earthly affections transport thee to be earthly fly under the wing of Christ as Chickens under the wing of the Hen lest the Kite devour them These are the two Grounds that I give you First ye must have new hearts and secondly ye must be beleevers in Christ or else ye cannot set your affections upon God The foundation being layd let me now help you with some means to set your affections on God I could help you to abundance of means but I desire to help you to such means as are easier to use then to set your affections on God For if they be not easier then this duty they cannot properly be said to be helps to this duty The first then is this Often pray to God that he would gather up our affections from the things of the world and unite them unto him Our hearts are divided and scattered up and down among the things of the world Carnal friends have some of your affections our gains and our livings and our maintenance have other-some our pleasures and delights and fleshly refreshments have other-some our earthly businesses and cares and employments our credit and the like these have abundance of our affections Thus our hearts and affections are scattered up and down among the things of the world if ever we would have them set upon God we must be frequent in praier that God would unite together our scattered hearts to set our affections upon God This was the practice of David O Lord saies he unite my heart to fear thy name Psa 86. 11. His heart was scattered up and down in a thousand peeces Some peeces of his affections run after one thing some after another And therefore he praies God to unite his heart together to fear his Name If God would once gather up his heart from all its vain haunts and unite it together then he could set his affections his fear and his love and his delight and the rest upon Gods Name Iejunio passiones corporis oratione pestes sanandae sunt mentis saies Hierom as the affections of the body are to be healed by fasting so the affections of the soul are to be healed by praier as long as they are carnal they are the plague and pestilence of the soul and praier must heal them As Father Latimer said to good Ridley pray pray O pray pray so may I say Pray pray I beseech you
evil affection was his devil and therefore the whole legion of affections are a legion of devils Do ye not see how ye are tost up and down all the day long tanquam pila diaboli as the devils tennis-bals as Odo speaks from worldly delights unto wordly desires from desires unto fears from fears unto melancholies from melancholies to angers and vexations from them again unto carnal comforts these are all like a legion of devils that hurry thee up and down till thou art hurried to hell c. If thine affections be carnal they are a legion of devils to drive thee It is a merry devil that makes thee so greedy of pleasure and of mirth a surly devil that makes thee so cholerick and touchy a giddy devil that makes thee so fearful and timorous an unclean devil that makes thee so desirous of drinking and company-keeping Anger and wrath is a devil Let not the soul go down upon thy wrath neither give place to the devil Eph. 4. 26 27. That is do not give way to thy wrath when thou givest way to thy earthly desires thou givest way to the devil When thou givest way to thine earthly delights and thy sorrow and thy melancholy thou givest way to the devil Look how many earthly affections thou hast that thou givest the way to so many devils are in thee Dost thou think thou art a childe of God when thy conscience tels thee that such and such earthly affections have way in thy heart alas thou hast a devil Be sober for your adversary the devil 1 Pet. 5. 8. mark every giddy affection is a devil our adversary the devil comes with it Yea so many earthly affections so many devils and wilt thou set thine affections upon things that are earthly if thou dost thou hast a legion of devils within This is the first head the multitude and the multiplicity of the affections the affections are many The second head is taken from the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or the checkerwise order of the affections As the affections are many so look where they are set there they are platted and woven and hampered together God that first created man upright and good he gave him affections so to twist and hamper his heart upon good that it might be the harder to loosen it He gave him the affection of love to embrace good If the good were wanting he gave him the affection of desire to hunger after it If the good were possible to get he gave him the affection of hope to expect it if the good were once gotten he gave him the affection of joy to delight in it If there were any danger to lose it he gave him the affection of fear to be afraid of it If the good were once lost indeed he gave him the affection of grief and of sorrow to lament it If he should meet with any thing that would hinder him in the prosecution of good he gave him the affection of hatred to oppose it c. Thus God embroydered the affections and wove them together that still mans heart might be knit by the affections to good and to God And wilt thou now set thine affections on the things of this life thou little thinkest how thou twistest and hamperest thy soul about these things thine affections will make thee live and die a carnal wretch Had not Erasistratus cured Antiochus of his carnal affection it had cost him his life for he was sick of it unto death Galen sayes he met with many sick patients if he had not cured their affections he had never recovered them The affections hamper the soul unto death So if thou set thine affections on the things here on earth they will so hamper thy heart that unlesse thine affections be cured thy soul is desperately incurable they entangle thy soul thou canst not get free And therefore S. Peter cals falling into earthly affections he cals it entangling If after they have escaped the pollutions of the flesh they are again entangled 2 Pet. 2. 20. That is if after they have once gotten out they fall in again because they cannot fall in again but their lusts and affections will not entangle them again Be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage Gal. 5. 1. Paul knew if the Galatians were addicted to the Ceremonies of the Law they would affect them more then the Commandments of Christ And therefore he gives them advice no further to use them because their hearts would be intangled if they did No man that warreth intangleth himself with the affairs of this life 2 Tim. 2. 4. A souldier had not need to have a new married wife or a new-born childe or a new-purchased ground a new-planted vineyard a new suit at Law in the Chancery Alas then his affections would be a gadding when he should be fighting O my wife at home and O my childe at home and I would I might taste of my vineyard at home and O that I could follow my cause in the Court this were to intangle him in war he could not fight valiantly Thus the affections do intangle a man So if thine affections be earthy they will entangle thee thou canst not be free for the seeking of heaven or of Christ thine affections are so complicated and hampered thou canst be in no place in no estate nor condition but some affections or other will entangle thee Thou lovest thy land and thy living and thy things in the world O how are thine affections intangled what case soever thou art in thine affections lie checker-wise and will have thee If thou beest rich the affections of pleasure or delight or security there they will have thee If thou beest poor the affections of desire and discontent this thou desirest and that thou wouldest fain have there thy wishings and wouldings and carkings will have thee If thou beest crossed or troubled or afflicted the affections of grief and of sorrow and of melancholy these there will have thee If thou beest injured abused or provoked which fals out very often the affections of anger and revenge these then will have thee If thou beest in danger of sicknesse or distresse or losse of this or that the affections of fear and the like they lie in ambush to catch thee If thou comest to the Word and there thou art told thou art a damned man as long as thou livest as thou dost the affections of vain hopings and trustings they lie in scout for to take thee thus thou art intangled when thine affections are earthy in what case soever thou art in they intangle thee Sometimes thou art merry and jocond for a pang anon thou art melancholy and sad for a fit Sometimes thou art angry with a servant or a childe or a wife or a neighbour anon thou art pleased Sometime a danger comes and fears thee anon it is gone and thou art secure Sometimes one affection sometimes another Sometimes a hating and sometimes a loving sometimes
Nimrod was a mighty hunter Gen. 10 9. that is he was zealous at his hunting Woe unto them that are mighty to drink wine Isa 5. 22. that is that are greedy and zealous in the pursuit of their appetite in that kinde David danced before the Lord with all his might 2 Sam. 6. 14. that is he did it zealously Zeal is when the heart raiseth up its affections with all its might on a thing And therefore lukewarmnesse is called negligence in the Scripture Cursed is he that doth the work of the Lord negligently As he that fights negligently shews not all his might in his fighting so he that goes about any duty of the Lords service negligently his heart does not shew all his might in it It puts not forth all the might of its affections upon it Lukewarmnesse then is the negligence of the affection and cursed is the man that does the work of the Lord negligently sayes the Text. But zeal is the might of the affection Fourthly As zeal is with all the might so it is the putting forth of all the affections When the heart affects a thing and puts forth all its affections upon it reserving no part of its affections for any thing else this we call zeal Herod affected the preaching of Iohn but he did not affect it zealously he did not put forth all his affection upon it he reserved a main part of his affection for his pleasure And therefore he was not zealous in hearing Hence it is that the Scripture cals lukewarmnesse deceit fulnesse as Divines do observe Cursed is the deceiver Mal. 1. 14. that is cursed is the lukewarm person that offers God lesse then he hath offers somewhat and reserves back somewhat that puts not forth all his affection upon God and his Service Zeal is the putting forth of all the affection As when the heart affects God and affects nothing in competition with him this is to be zealously affected towards God When the Jews had crucified Christ and persecuted Paul and forbidden him to preach the Text sayes the wrath of God was come upon them to the utmost 1 Thes 2. 16. That is the zeal of Gods fury and anger and vengeance was on them He kept nothing back he was not angry a little nor wroth a little but he put forth the affection of his wrath to the utmost upon them So when the heart puts forth the utmost of its love upon God and the utmost of its delights upon his Word and the utmost of its fear on his Name and the utmost of its affection on his Commandments then it is zealous But if he keeps back ought to bestow it elsewhere it 's a deceiver and a lukewarm heart Fifthly As zeal is the putting forth of all the affection so it is upon a thing which the heart does absolutely affect A man may affect a thing when he does not affect it absolutely He affects such or such a thing but he affects it not absolutely He affects it perhaps with a degree of affection as far as twelvepence will go he places may be a groats worth of affection upon a quire of paper If he be askt five pounds of silver for a quire of paper he does not affect it at that rate and therefore he does not affect it absolutely But if a man have a true zeal of affection to a thing he affecteth that thing with absolute affection let it cost what it can he affects it let it cost him all charges and all pains and all difficulties yea though it cost him his life he will have it then he does absolutely affect it So that then is a man zealous for God and for grace when his affections stand absolutely that way May be he will be glad so he may get it at an easie rate but if he cannot alas he must have it he concludes upon that though it cost him sighs groans every daies strivings every daies labour praying meditating repenting parting with all his lusts although never so dear O his soul does affect it on that manner he must and he will have it rather then life This man is zealously affected towards grace and towards God because he affects it absolutely Thus Iob was zealous in affecting Gods Word he esteemed it above his necessary food Iob. 23. 12. He does not say above his daily food for so he might do and not be zealously affected therewith but he affected Gods Word above his necessary food above all food absolutely without which his life could not confist without which a man dies such food as this comes nearest of all outward things to be absolutely affected A man affects it above lands and above livings above his silver and his gold above all his pleasures and his gaming 's a man will part with them all rather then part with his necessary food Yet Iob affected Gods Word above it And therefore he affected it zealously This is the last thing in zeal It is upon that which does absolutely affect Albeit now it may partly appear by the very definition of zeal that it is due only to God a man must not be zealous about any thing nor zealously affected with any thing but only with God and his worship Neverthelesse we may yet further prove it First Because Zeal is the religious part of the affections of the soul Now the religious part of them are due only to God I profited in the Jews Religion being zealous of the traditions of my Fathers sayes Paul Gal. 1. 14. he makes zeal the character of his Religion Seest thou a man zealous then after profits and most earnest to get means and maintenance and the things of this life that man makes gain his Religion Seest thou a man zealous after any thing that 's his Religion Zeal is the religious part of the affections and therefore it 's due only unto God Secondly As zeal is the religious part of our affections so also it is the most of every affection and therefore only due unto God Zeal is the most of every act that a man does That which the minde mindes most and studies most that it mindes zealously that which the memory remembers most which the heart wils most it wils zealously That which a man fears most and loves most and desires most that it does zealously Now if zeal be the most of every act of the soul it must needs be idolatry to place it any where else but in the service of God Dost thou meditate most and think most of the world thy thoughts are idolatrous Dost thou talk most and confer most of the things of the world thy words are idolatrous Dost thou cark most and care most dost thou love most and rejoyce most in any thing of this life thine affections are idolatrous Dost thou sorrow most for crosses and losses and disgraces and the like more then thou grievest for thy sins thy grief is idolatry That 's the hearts Idol which it
insomuch that they groaned under it and cryed out unto God Pharaoh played the Tyger-like Tyrant over them and made them weary of their lives so do the affections tyrannize over a man that is carnall and earthly they do so besot him and befool him that he knows not how to come out of his sins they do so harden him and obdurate him that no preaching nor counsell can convert him they do so occupie and task him and busie him that he can finde no while to save his own soul or bethink himself of escaping of hell and damnation he is in hell before ever he thinks on it seriously they plague him like Tantalus sayes he and leave his soul in the lurch after all his vain hopes he can never be free for God The Apostle speaking of the lust and affections of the world how they allure men into vanity he sayes they promise men liberty but they are the servants and slaves of corruption 2 Pet. 2. 19. A man would wonder how one should be in bondage with a pot or a pipe with a bowl or a game with a carnall friend or an use he hath gotten but so it is that nor Minister nor Sermon nor warnings from God nor any thing can free him still he is enthralled Now consider are our affections such tyrants when they be set upon the things of this life O let us set them upon God If they can captivate us to God and bring us into a golden bondage with grace and with goodnesse we are happy Seest thou how the wicked are tyed to their sins and their lusts so if thine affections were set upon God thou wouldest be tyed unto God O it 's an admirable tye this to be tyed unto God This is it that the wisest man in the earth adviseth us to My son sayes he keep thy fathers commandments binde them continually upon thy heart and tye them about thy neck Pro. 6. 21. Thine affections are these stay-bands and these typers if thine affections be set upon the Word they will tye it to thy soul if they be set upon grace and love to Gods Ordinances his Sabbaths and his waies they will tye them to thy heart if thou wilt not set thine affections upon God thou art a very slave a very slave unto Satan and to sinne thou art not only in a wofull condition as thou art but they tye thee fast to it and if God may not be so much beholden to thee for thine affections to him-ward he will intrap thee and take thee by them as a Bare is taken by a Collar and hale thee to judgement Thou hast little affection or none at all to the Word may be thou comest not to be reproved and amended by the Word but thou comest to have some knowledge and some pretty sentence to talk on or some fine story or passage to speak on As I live saith the Lord I will answer thee according to thy thoughts may be thou comest that thou mayst scrape up some hopes to have mercy and heaven at the last may be thou comest to snatch up some sentence or other that may secure up thy conscience if there be ever a passage of mercy that thou wouldest fain have As I live saith the Lord I will answer thee according to thy thoughts and thine own vain heart that which thou camest for in the Word as I live saith the Lord thou shalt have it Thou dost not come to learn how to be holy and be stricter then thou art but though thou beest no stricter then thou art already yet to have some hopes to be saved for all that FINIS Doctr. What the â—ffections â—re 1. The affeâ—â—ions are â—otions 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 L. 6 de vero cultu cap. 17. By faith Noah warned of God moved with fear c. Hâ—b 11. 7. 2. The affections are motions of the Will Stoici vocant 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Simolicius in Epictetum 3. They are forcible motions of the heart 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 est impetus ut Salmâ—sius vertit Motio animi quâ— ad aliquid fertur sive sponte sive aliunde incitata 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 voâ—atur Stoicis 4. They are the sensible motions of the heart 5. They are such motions as are according to the apprehension of good or evil Iudith 16. 9. Gen. 37. Reasons The Affections are the wings of the soul Affections not subdued 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Simplicius in Epictetum Aâ—sâ—lâ—us They are the Inclinations of the Soul 3. They are the passions of the Soul Elias was â—uâ—ject to like passiâ—ns as we are Jam 9. 17 That is subjeâ—â— to like afâ—ctions with us 4. They are the perturbations of the soul 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1. The heart is enticed and allured by them 3. The heart is somewhat bowed by them 4. The heart is stolen away with them 4. The heart is enflamed by them 6. The heart is overturned from what it was before Job 10. 10 7. The heart is engaged for God 8. The heart is glued to a thing by them De vita Pythag. The heart is quite given up to that which it affects The affection may be thus raised 1. By the sparks of right reason that regulate the affections Lib. 2. Eth. cap 6. 2. By knowledge out of the word that raiseth up the affection 3. By knowledge and conscience quickned Eâ—estro 4. By a deep apprehension of the horrour of their estate Mal. 2 13. 5. By self-self-love Which may First make a man be loth to commit sinne In vitus feci as â—e said in the Comedy And vomit up a dear sin committed by himself and be sorry that others should commit it 3. And not dare to venture upon a sin though he lose by it 4. And to be forward in Religion run to persecution 5. And to be ravished with the joys of the Spirit Reasons 4. 1. The carnal mans affections are not kindely wrought on 2. They are not judiciously wrought on 3. They are not regularly wrought on 4. They are not wrought on universally 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saies the Text. We must therefore examine our selves especially those That think their affections are set on God 1. He that truly affects grace affects nothing so much as grace Vers 23. 2. He must needs have expressions of grace Proverb 3. He is troubled with any interruption Aristot 4. He hath his conversation in heaven whence grace descends Hereby only are we marriageable to Christ l. de sacrif Abel Cain 2. Hereby only doth the soul set favourites in the heart 3. Hereby the soul is converâ—ible and reconcileable to God Râ—et c. 1. 4. The affections are the hands of the soul Mat. 22 1â— 5. The affections are the handles of our hearts Epist 6. Affections are the souls stomack L. 3. ad Nico. c. 3. 7. Affectioâ—s are the main mâ—tter of â—race Arist 8. Affections are arguments what we be It is a Christians duty to set his affections upon God 1
thou must never do good to others ibid. Nor encourage the Ministers of God ibid. Nor can you be excellent ibid. Zeal makes us like Angels ibid. Zeal as fire against coldnesse and lukewarmnesse ibid. Seven motives to set your affections on God 175 A TREATISE OF THE AFFECTIONS The I. Sermon COLOS. 3. 2. Set your affections on things that are above and not on things which are on the earth THe subject of the Text and this Treatise is the affections shewing the right use and ordering of them which is a thing of continual and great concernment for they will never be idle but still running out and bringing into the soul either healing or hurtful objects and so authours either of our woe or welfare and certain signs either of our happinesse that we are risen with Christ or misery that we are still dead And concerning these the Apostle First Implies a disease and distemper that they are disjoyned from God and that desperately Secondly Applies a medicine a way to cure them to bring them back and place them upon their first and right object God and things above The first he intimates to us in three things First By calling them inordinate affections and such as can never be set right without they be mortifyed Mortifie your earthly members Fornication Vncleannesse Inordinate affection c. ver 5. He terms them inordinate and masterlesse affections and he commands us to mortifie them Secondly By shewing they are buried in the things of the world and never can be raised up again but only by the power of the resurrection of Christ If ye be risen with Christ seek those things that are above ver 1. Ye can never be able to make your affections seek upwards unlesse ye be risen with Christ Thirdly By supposing they are naturally as Solomon saies of a fools wrath as heavy as a stone the affections are so naturally as heavy as a stone which fals down to the earth and cannot ascend except it be heaved up Set your affections on things above and not on things on the earth They naturally sagge downwards on things that are earthly but let them not doe so no heave them up and set them upon things that are heavenly If you be risen with Christ These words are to be construed with all the exhortations Saint Paul doth here give If ye be risen with Christ seek those things that are above If ye be risen with Christ set your affections on things that are above If ye be risen with Christ mortifie your earthly members and your inordinate affections c. If ye be not risen with Christ it is but a folly for me to bid you do this ye cannot mortifie your affections nor raise up your affections to God ye cannot possibly do this except ye be risen with Christ The point then is this which I will handle by way of coherence A natural man cannot set his affections upon God or upon things above For our more intelligible proceeding in this Doctrine as likewise in the whole treatise of the affections which I desire to goe through let me tell you First What the affections be The affections are the forcible and sensible motions of the heart or the will to a thing or from a thing according as it is apprehended to be good or to be evill There be four things to be considered herein First The affections are motions They are the motions of the heart The motions of sinne saies Saint Paul Rom. 7. 5. that is the affections of sin for so it is in the original so that then are a mans affections set upon God when the heart hath its out-goings to God and therefore the Scriptures call the affections the feet of the soul for as the body goes with its feet to that which it loves so the soul goes out with its affections to that which it loves I thought upon my waies and turned my feet unto thy testimonies Psal 119. 59. that is I turned mine affections to thy Testimonies Look to thy feet when thou comest into the house of the Lord. I have refrained my foot from every evil way Psal 119. 101. Their feet are swift to shed bloud Rom. 3. 15. The Soul hath no other way to come at that which it loves but only by its affections can the muck-worm bring his bags and his coffers to his Soul can the voluptuous man bring his dogges and his hounds and his bowls to his Soul No though his Soul loves such vanities as these it cannot move to them but only by its affections Currui similes sunt equis pernicibus affectus saies Lactantius The affections are the Souls horses that draw her as it were in a Coach to the thing that she affects a man is moved by his affections By Anger he moves out to revenge by Desire he moves out to obtain by Love he moves out to enjoy by Pity he moves out to relieve the affections are the motions of the Soul When the unbeleeving Jews had an affection of envy at Saint Paul the Text saies They were moved with Envy Act. 17. 5. so the Soul of the godly is moved with affection to God This is the first thing the affections are motions Secondly As the affections are motions so they are the motions of the will I know Aristotle and most of our Divines too doe place the affections in the sensitive part of the Soul and not in the will because they are to be seen in the beasts But this cannot be so for a mans affections do most stirre at a shame or disgrace which could not be if the affections were in the unreasonable sensitive part the unreasonable sensitive part of a man is not sensible of credit or esteem call the desires of the appetite greedy and gluttonish the appetite is senselesse of any disgrace and therefore the affections must needs be in the heart the Scripture places the affections in the heart or the will Being affectionately desirous of you we were willing 1 Thes 2 8. Saint Paul couples his affections and his will together in one and his affection that he had to the Thessalonians he seats in his will How could the Apostle command us to set our affections on God and the things that are above if the affections were in the sensitive and unreasonable part can a man make his material stomack to hunger after God or the thirst of his sentitive appetite to thirst after Christ alas the sentitive part is not capable of a command or precept No if the affections were only in the sensitive and material part of the soul then how could they be in the Angels the good Angels have affections all the essential parts of the affections and so have the bad The good Angels Which things the Angels desire to look into 1 Pe. 1. 12. The evil Angels or Devils The Devils beleeve and tremble Jam. 2. 19. I confesse there be certain animal and analogical affections that are
affections may be so quickned as to go sadly all along as thou goest so that all that knew thee before may wonder good Lord what ails yonder man how is he changed he was a Ruffian a Royster and who but he the other day what 's the matter with him he goes so sadly up and down and so pensively along But why do I speak against thee when there be few that are a quarter so well affected as thou but alas I tell thee thou mayst go thus far and be thus deeply affected and yet be a Carnalist Fourthly a deep apprehension and sense of the horror of thine estate this may winde up thine affections many steps higher thou mayst be afraid to be damned and afraid of the judgements of God and this may fetch tears from thine eyes sighs and groans from thy heart This may even melt thy affections into weepings and abundance of weepings for the sinnes thou hast done and yet be a Carnalist The Prophet brings in the carnal Iews so doing This have you done again covering the Altar of God with tears with weeping and crying out insomuch that he regardeth not the offering any more Mark they offered their prayers unto God and cryed and cryed out-right yea they powred out many tears they covered Gods Altar with tears and yet saies he God regarded not their praiers and their offerings for all that should we see a man come to Gods house and hear him at the hearing of the Word or calling upon God make an out-cry of his sins yea weep and weep abundantly cover his Pew with his tears we would wonder at the repentance and the good affections of that man yet so far thou mayst go such good affections thou mayst have as to cover thy Table with tears yea and Gods Altar with thy weepings and yet be a Carnalist 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Good men saies Homer are weeping men Nay I say a man may be a lesse weeping man and yet be a good man O how mightily may a mans affections be wrought on and yet be a stranger from grace Fifthly self- Self-love look how high self-love may winde up thine affections for thy sinnes so high may thine affections be wound up self-Self-love may make thee wondrous affectionate No natural affection can possibly be raised uphigher then self-self-love may S. Paul being to reckon up all the sinne-ful affections of men in these last daies he names self-self-love for the foremost In the last daies perillous times shall come why for men shall be lovers of themselves then he names eighteen more but this he places in the front of the Catalogue for self-love is strongest of all 2 Tim. 3. 2. I cite this text only to shew how our affections may be raised to God namely as high as ever self-self-love can clamber Self-love will make a man be very affectionate When a man knows he cannot be saved unlesse he doe thus and thus O how affectionate may he be for to do it when he knows he shall perish for ever if he be not religious and godly if he do not bewail his iniquities and strive against sin and labour to do good unto others how marvellous full of affections may this make him to be to doe abundance of things First It may scrue up his affections so high that he may be loth to commit sinne peradventure he does often commit it but fain would he leave it O he is unwilling to do it he wishes affectionately O Lord how shall I leave it O that I might leave it yea he seeks some means for to leave it he does it I confesse but fain would he not doe it his affections may be wrought upon thus far and yet be a Carnalist Such an one was Darius he had made a Decree and writ it and signed it and sealed it Well Daniel would not doe according to the tenor of the Decree and therefore the Decree was he should be cast into the Lyons Den. The King did cast him in indeed but lo how unwilling he was to commit this sinne He fasted he waked he could not sleep a winks sleep He wisht O that I might safely deliver him O that thy God O Daniel would deliver thee True he thought I must needs now do this sin alas my Decree and what may the Lords think of me If I should not doe it all the Countrey would think me too blame nay they would rebel against me out right for breaking the Laws of the Medes and the Persians Alas I must do it but it appears though how unwilling he was for to do it he could neither eat nor sleep nor be merry nor quiet till he might hear Daniel was safe Many a King but a quarter as great as he would have scorned to have troubled his thoughts about such a Puritane as Daniel was esteemed to be nay he rises early in the morning before the time was expired he runs in all post to the denne of Lyons and there he cries lamentably O Daniel thou servant of the living God O Daniel he screecht it out dolefully and when he heard that Daniel was alive he rejoyced exceedingly Dan. 6. 23. These subsequent circumstances shew how unwilling he was in the punishment of committing the sin if he could have helpt it and saved his honour with his Lords and his Nobles Thus he was unwilling to commit the sin yet a wretched man for all that Men imagine they have a good Christian plea when they can say this for themselves it 's true I doe rap out an oath in my choler I doe pray coldly and with many by-thoughts but God knows I am unwilling to doe so I would very fain have it otherwise I am sorry I am drawn so away Alas so thou mayst be and yet be a Carnalist thou mayst pray and be unwilling to pray carelesly thou mayst repent in some manner and be sorry thou repentest no more thou mayst be loth to commit an offence and yet be a meer natural man no jot of saying grace in thee Was not Pilate sensibly unwilling to condemn Iesus Christ Was not Herod unwilling to behead Iohn the Baptist it spoiled all his mirth at his feast that he was compelled for to do it for so he counted it a compulsion otherwise he would not have done it was not Saul unwilling to transgresse the commandment of the Lord He forced himself he had abundance of gain-sayings in his heart abundance of wishes in his breast O I would not doe it I would to God I were not put upon such importunate circumstances as I am fain would I not do it he forced him self there was a kinde of pitcht field in his bosome a battel in his soul fain would he doe it that way went his lusts fain would he not do it that way went his conscience So he forced himself 1 Sam. 13. 13. and yet God did reject him Thus felf-love may winde up a mans affections exceedingly to be loth to commit a
to them that think tâ—eir affections are set upon God Secondly Them that though their affections be set upon Christ yet they think they are not affectâ—d aright for many Christian souls are rightly affected and doe not think so Examine your selves whethe◠〈◊〉 be râ—htly affected or no. First He that is truly affected with grace and with Christ and his Word He affects nothing so much as he doth grace A carnal man may be greatly affected with grace bâ—t there is something he affects more He affects his vanities â—ore and his profits more and his pleasures more Herod it is â—rue he affected John Baptist he knew he was a just man and â—e feared him he affected his preaching for he heard him â—â—ladly he affected the practise of his doctrine for he did many â—â—ings he was affected greatly with these good things but there was some things he was affected with more The daugâ—ter of Herodias affected him more She pleased Herod saies â—e Text Mar. 6. 22. he was not only affected with her dancing but affected to content She pleased Herod Iohn Baptist did not please him he had not content in his Ministry Nay her dancing affected him so much that he was willing to part with half of his Kingdom to gratifie her Whatsoever theu shal t ask of me saies he I will give it thee to the one half of my Kingdom This was more affection then ever he shewed to Iohn's Doctrine He never said to Iohn or his Doctrine I 'le part with a quarter of my Kingdom nay he would not part with his whore noâ— his lusts for that Nay he would rather see Iohn dead aâ— well as he affected him then misse of his pleasures or not gratifie his Lords I 'le give thee saies he to his damosel I l'e give thee one half of my Kingdom Give me then saies she Iohn Baptists head in a Charger The foolish King had noâ— wit enough to say Iohn is dearer then all my Kingdom No he affected his teaching well but his pastime better Examine thy soul by this mark thou art affected with gâ—ace but is there nothing thou art affected with more thou art glad to hear a Sermon but may we not see thee gâ—adder at thy sports thou art glad to part with an hour a Gods worship but art thou not gladder to part with two at thy profits a childe of God is affected with grace most let credit flie let profit flie let carnal relations flie let life let living let all that he hath flie rather then leâ— a good duty of grace flie away he is most affected witâ— grace there is nothing he affects more or so much Secondly He that is affected with grace and godlinesse aright mâ—st needs have expressions of grace he cannot but shew it â—e can as easily carry fire in his bosome and hide it as coâ—â—eal grace Can a man be deeply affected with sorrows aâ—d not shew it in his face can a man be deeply affected with passions of anger and of wrath and not shew it in his â—ountenance hands feet lips nostrils eyes forehead â— yea and all a mans gesture and carriage will shew whaâ— affections are in him Affectio taciturna nulla est affectio Every passion hath its proper dialect Concealed affection is no affection at all or but small and as good as nothing So if thou beest affected with grace 't will shew it self in thy speeches in thine actions in thy waies 't will shew it self in thy calling 't will shew it self in thy company 't will shew it self at the table 't will shew it self in the market thou canst not be affected with grace but thou wilt be an open professour of grace Can a man take fire in his bosome and his clothes not be burnt Prov. 6. 27. If fire be in thy bosome all that come near thee will feel the very smell of it in thy clothes The affections 〈◊〉 a fire The fire kindled saies David Psal 〈◊〉 that is 〈◊〉 affections did kindle he strove for to hide them but he could not can you not be religious but you must shew it saies the mocker of all goodnesse No it is a sign thou hast no affection to holinesse because thou wilt not 〈◊〉 Thou canst hear God dishonoured with Oaths and noâ— shew thine affection against them thou canst come in company and suffer unprofitable language and not shew thine affections to holy discourse a sign thou hast no affections that way thou mayst say thou art affected with grace but â—ow doth it appear It appears not 〈◊〉 thy praiers little or no affecâ—â—on in them it appears 〈◊〉 the Sabbath little or 〈◊〉 to the sanctifying of it Like the stupid fool in the Comedy who being willing to be thought to be angry he knew not how to shew it but only by saying Irascor I am angry saies he one would think if he were angry he needed not to say he was angry the affection of anger would have expressed it self but he had no other reasons to be thought to be angry but only his saying I am angry So thou hast no other expressions of affection at the word or at grace but only thou sayest I am affected therewith Concealed affection is no affection De non apparentibus de non existentibus eadem est ratio it s a good rule in Law There is the same reason for things which appear not that is for things which exist not Certainly here it is most true I may be confident to say if thine affections appear not thine affections are not Thirdly He that is affected with grace or with holinesse if he be never so little interrupted he is troubled it 's like the stopping of a water-course the water swels and is troubled exceedingly that it cannot passe like the Woman in the Gospel whose affections were to Christ to anoint his head when his Disciples had cast in a rub in her way that it had been better bestowed on the poor why trouble ye the woman saies Christ Mat. 26. 10. Christ knew it troubled her affections to be hindred from their course he that is truly affected with Christ or his Spirit if he light not on Christ the sooner he is even sick of love I charge ye O ye daughters of Ierusalem if ye finde my beloved that ye tell him I am sick of love Cant. 5. 8. her poor soul was even sick at heart for her Love because she could not come at him examine thy self in this point I am sure thou hast been long enough without Christ thou art 20. or 30. years old and all this while thou hast been without Christ thou saist thou art affected with a Christ O thou wouldest fain have Christ thou wouldest fain have him live in thee ever answer me now art thou sick of love for a Christ Hope deferred makes the heart sick Pro. 13. 12. Thou saist thou art affected with hopes after grace thou hopest for grace and for strength
against sin and thy hope is deferred thy hope comes not yet thou art not able to withstand thy corruptions not able to subdue such a lust no if thou beest affected at all with any hope thy hope is deferred as yet but hath it made thy heart sick wert thou ever sick at heart for this grace if it have not made thy heart sick it is a sign thou wert never rightly affected with hope for if thou wert it would make thy heart sick to be so long without it as thou hast been May be thine affections are so strong set on the world that thou hast been world-sick and crosse-sick and trouble-sick and anger-sick and revenge-sick and coveteousness-sick as Ahab was sick because he knew not how to get Naboths vineyard 1 King 21. 4. May be thou art crost and sick of vexation may be thou art incensed and sick of revenge or impatiency but art thou sick after grace Aristotle cals the affections Aegritudines animi they are the sicknesses of the soul if the soul be affected indeed she is sick if she speed not Fourthly He that is truly affected with grace hath his conversation in heaven whence all grace does descend Animus est non ubi animat sed ubi amat the soul is not where it animates not where it sojourns but where it affects and therefore thou livest in heaven if thou beest truly affected with heavenly things he that is truly affected with grace is most affected with the fountain of grace which is God God is the fountain of all grace and if thou beest affected with it thou art chiefly affected with God Alas thou mayst have a good memory a good wit and good parts and be affected with them and rejoyce that thou hast them But all the question is this art thou affected with God the fountain of grace a wicked man may be affected with grace in the bucket and yet have no love to grace in the fountain it affects him well enough to have some but he does not so like it to have much Omne nimium vertitur in nigrum monachum thinks he It 's the property of the godly to be affected with God Rejoyce in the Lord O ye righeeous Psal 33. 1. Be ye affected with God himself saies the Psalmist One he is affected with pleasures another he is affected with honour and respect another he is affected with profit another he may be affected with grace too but it is the godly man only that is affected with God himself Examine your affections are ye affected with God himself are ye affected with his glory It does infinitely stand us in hand to have our affections set right which I will prove by these 8. arguments First Hereby only are we marriageable to Christ When a man goes a woing for a wife all his care is to get her affections he will never marry her if he be wise if he may not have her affection 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saies Philo The affections are the womanhood of the soul he will never marry her if she be nor a woman for him much lesse will he marry her if she be not a woman at all he will not have a man for his wife she shall be a woman certainly if he ever mean for to marry her she is not marriageable but only for her affection what a miserable soul then is thy soul if thy affections be not right thou art not marriageable to Christ This is the rule of all wives and of all Spouses thy desire shall be to thy husband Gen. 3. 16. Thine affections shall be to him or thou caust not be his wife He is a monster in nature that will have a wife whose affection is set on another What dost thou take Christ for a monster that thy soul should be married to him when thine affection is forestalled If thine affections be to the world and to the strumpet-like things of the world Christ cannot abide thee Knowest thou not that the love of the world is enmity with God Out thou filthy strumpet-like soul betrothest thou thine affections to the world and yet hopest to be married to Christ thou art not marriageable to him if gains and pleasures and vanities and such like base paramours be welcomed to thy heart thou canst not be married unto Christ thou art the worlds Spouse and the devils Spouse when thine affections be inordinate Uncleannesse and inordinate affection the Apostle puts them together Mortifie your members which are on the earth fornication uncleannesse inordinate affection Col. 3. 5. So that thy soul is a filthy and an unclean soul that hast these inordinate affections unmortified in thee thy soul is a fit Spouse for the unclean spirit and not for Christ and therefore it deeply concerns you to have your affections set right because thereby only are ye marriageable to Christ Secondly Hereby only doth the soul set up favourites in her heart those are the hearts favourites whom the heart most affects Now if Christ be not thy hearts favourite what a woful condition art thou in It hath been the undoing of many a Prince the having of ill favourites and that soul must needs be for ever undone that hath ill favorites in her heart As soon as Joseph was in favour with the Keeper of the prison Ioseph presently had all at command nothing was done but Ioseph was the doer of it Gen. 39. 21. He was no sooner in favour but he was Dominus fac totum as we say he ruled all then Look what thy heart does affect that is in favour with thy heart that is dominus fac totum If thy pleasures and thy vanities be once in favour with thy heart Christ can have no command of thy heart no further then thy lusts will give leave thou canst not reform any thing that is amiss no further then thy lusts will give leave wouldst thou repent or stand for Gods glory thou canst not unless thy lusts do give leave wouldst thou be reproved or well counselled thou canst not unless thy lusts will give leave as long as thy lusts are in favour with thy heart they govern all they command all thy minde goes as they tend thy thoughts come as they call thy courses are as they will I will give this people favour in the sight of the Egyptians and they shall spoil the Egyptians Exo. 3. 21 22. When they were once in favour with them they might spoil them and rob them and borrow Jewels of them and never pay them again they might do any thing when they were in favour with them O the misery of the soul when the world or pleasure or sinne or the like are in favour with it they spoil it and rob it and bereave it of all the jewels it hath Christ can doe nothing to any purpose with that soul that favours other things besides Christ Now if thine affections be not set right thy favour is not right set this is the reason
ever hold them O could we take hold of them it were well they are fair handles for us to take hold by O if we could but truly affect your hearts with the truth then we might have some hope to convert you As Epictetus saies of wrongs and of injuries and all things in the world every thing hath 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Every thing hath two handles O saies he if a man could take hold of every wrong at the right handle then he would bear it patiently so I may say of your haarts Your hearts have two handles I pray God the Word may take hold at the right handle of your hearts The true affections of the heart if ever the Word take hold of them it hath taken hold of the right handle Is it not then a lamentable thing that mens affections are misplaced alas they are the hold of the heart and the heart can never be taken unlesse they be set right Sirthly It may appear how infinitely it stands you in hand to set your affections aright because they are the souls stomack that which the soul doth affect that reedeth and filleth the soul as meat doth the stomack Is it not necessary to be careful what meat we doe eat if we eat trash it will kill us if we feed upon poyson it will poyson and infect us Now that is the food of thy soul which thy soul does affect and thine affection is thy souls stomack to hunger after it thine affections are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saies Aspasius they are the appetite of the soul Such then as your affections are such is your food Should you see a man feed upon dirt and upon Bricks and upon carrion certainly you would say unlesse he be broken therefrom it will kill him No remedy but it will kill him without doubt And wilt thou feed thy soul with vanities and with trash and with poyson Every thing is trash besides Christ every thing is poyson besides Christ and his graces if thou feedest upon any thing besides Christ and his spirit thou feedest upon trash and upon poyson Now if thou set thine affections here below thou feedest upon trash Thou murderest thy soul with such food its rank poyson and yet thou feedest upon it That which thou affectest that 's thy souls food As new born babes desire the sincere milk of the Word that ye may grow thereby 1 Pet. 2. 2. milk you know is the babes food if it have not its food it cannot possible live But the word is the milk and the food of the soul and that the Apostle would have you to set your affections upon Desire it or affect it saies he where note your affections are the stomack of your soul The Word is your food All other food is but trash and it feeds you accordingly O ye poor souls that feed upon poyson all the day long that diet your souls with nothing but trash and filth and froth how long will you do thus O set your affections on things that are above these are the wholsome food of your souls c. Seventhly it may appear how infinitely it stands you in hand to set your affections aright because they are the main matter of grace They are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 They are the materials of grace as Aristotle saies of the vertues they are nothing but the right ruling of the affections so may I say of grace with a little alteration the main work of grace is the ruling of the affections aright it takes them off from the things here on earth and lifts them up to the things that are in Heaven When grace dâ—th convert a man it doth not take away the affections but it ruleth them Thou wert angry before grace doth not take away thine anger No oportet virum bonum esse iracundum saies Cicero A good man must be angry I say grace does not take away thine anger but it ruleth thine anger and teacheth thee to turn it against sinne and against the dishonour of God Thou wert merrily disposed before of a cheerful constitution grace doth not come to take away thy mirth but to rule it Whereas thou wert merry with vanity and ever laughing at jests and at fooleries now grace makes thee merry in Gods service and to rejoyce in the Lord. Thou wert of a sad spirit before but perhaps it was for crosses and losses and discontents and the like grace comes not to take away thy sorrows but to rule them to make thee weep and mourn at thy deadnesse and unthankfulness toward the Lord Jesus Christ Gratia non tollit sed attollit naturam Grace does not take away nature but it taketh it up The affections are natural grace turns them into spiritual this I say brethren that ye may see how that grace runs along in the affections as water in the pipe The affections are the matter of grace As the soul is in the body the body is the matter and the soul is in it and so makes up a living creature A man had need look to his body for it is the due matter of his soul so it is with the affections thou hast need to be careful of them for they are the matter of grace and therefore the Apostle cals the affections the members yeeld your members servants unto righteousnesse Rom. 6. 19. that is as expositors expound it yeeld your affections thereto For they are your souls members and the materials of grace is not fear the matter of the fear of the Lord and love the matter of the love of the Lord and sorrow the matter of repentance from sin now if the affections be the materials of grace what a desperate condition are ye in that set your affections upon the things here below you throw down all the matter of grace How can ye have any grace when ye cast away in the kennel all the matter for grace Grace requires the affections for its matter and thou hast no matter for this grace Thou hurlest away all thine affections upon thy pleasures and thy profits and thy vanities thou art so far from all grace as that thou hast no matter for grace Eighthly It may appear how infinitely it stands you in hand to set your affections aright because they are arguments what ye be According as your affections are so are your souls if I could see what your affections run on I could see what ye all be whether Saints or wicked whether of God or the Devil The affections are the arguments that a man is a man When the people of Lystra took Paul and Barnabas for gods and would have sacrificed to them Sirs saies Paul Why do ye thus whereas we are men of like passions with you Act. 14. 15. that is affections we have fear and joy and grief and love and the like passions with you Now if the bare having of affections be the arguments that a man is a man then surely the goodnesse or
vainesse of these affections are the arguments that a man is a Christian man or an ungodly man I beseech you consider what a woful distressed condition ye are in if your affections be vain and earthly ye carry a brand in your hearts that ye are not of God that ye are yet the slaves of Satan and the servants of unrighteousness and your end is no better then eternal death and destruction Affectus virum indicat Your affections shew you what men and women ye be c. The IV. Sermon Colos 3. 2. Set your affections on things that are above c. HItherto it sufficeth to have spoken of the coherence of the words wherein ye â—ave heard First What these affections be Secondly That a wicked man cannot set his affectious on God Thirdly How far forth a wicked man may have good affections and how they differ from the godlies Fourthly How they may examine themselves and finde that their affections are not set right Fifthly Eight several arguments to convince them what a woful condition they are in till their affections are set upon God Now for the words they contain a special duty that a Christian is bound to namely to set his affections upon God The Apostle presses it strongly First Because it is an infallible mark of our being or not being in Christ If ye be risen with Christ c. set your affections on things above As if he should say Ye say ye are risen with Christ come then and demonstrate it now that ye are risen with Christ If ye be risen with Christ this will infallibly follow Ye will set your affections above it cannot be otherwise If your affections be not set above doubtlesse you are not risen with Christ Those that are Christs saies St Paul have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts Galat. 5. 24. He takes it for granted that if they be Christs they have crucified the flesh and the affections to the World-ward and set them upon God Secondly He presseth it as a matter of reasonable equity the competition stands but between two Either things in heaven or things on earth One of them ye must set your affections upon ye cannot set your affections upon both if ye set your affections any where ye must needs set them upon one of these two Mark the competition Set your affections on things that are above not on the things on the Earth now there is a necessity of reason that election should be made of the best that we should set our affections on the better of the twain to wit the things that are in Heaven which are infinitely better then the things here on Earth Set your affections on things that are above and not on the things on Earth So that hence ye may see the necessity of this duty We must set our affections above or which is all one upon God The strength of this necessity will the better appear if we consider these four things First That God is the principal object of our affections as the eye is made to be set upon colours and the ear is made to be set upon sounds and the smell is made to be set upon odours so the affections are made to be principally set upon God The affections are so naturally due unto God that if it be not God the souls affections are set on it makes it a God or an Idol And therefore the Apostle bids us mortifie our inordinate affections evil concupiscence and coveteousness which is Idolatry Col. 3. 5. when our affections are set upon gains and upon profits and the things of this life the Apostle cals this coveteousnesse and this coveteousnesse he saies it is Idolatry because the soul makes Gold a god and silver a god and profit a god by setting its affections thereupon As the eye doth either see colours or else it sees a thing under the likenesse of a colour colour is the principal object of the sight and therefore if it be not a colour which it sees as the eye may see light as the light of the fire the light of the Sun but it sees it under the likenesse of rednesse or whitenesse or some other colour It appears by a colour or else it cannot see it So beloved it is either God our affections are on or we idolize it as a God Indeed we may affect other things as mediums and in reference to God but look where we set our affections that is our God Only fear the Lord and serve him with all your heart 1 Sam. 12. 24. We must set our affection of fear only upon God The affections are the souls attendants Doth not a servant wait only upon his own Master whom he gives his attendance unto him he maketh his Master and whom should the soul wait on but only upon God the affections are the souls attendances upon whomsoever she bestows them she waits upon it as true God My soul saies David my soul wait thou only upon God Psa 62. 5. Give thine attendance to none but to him Thine affections of love and of joy and of hope and desire these must wait upon God for to worship him Thine affections of fear and of care these must wait upon God to provide what ever may please him Thine affections of hatred and of grief and sorrow and the like these must wait as a guard to keep off what ever may offend him thine affections are principally for God this is the first ground the affections were made for God Secondly As the affections were principally made for this purpose to be set upon God so nothing but God hath that which the affections look for It is God which the affections look for and where can the affections finde it but only in God there is none good but one that is God Mat. 19. 17. The young man would have thought he sought for good in a right place when he sought for it in Christ But as Chrysostome observes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 when he lookt upon Christ as a meer man Christ tels him he was mistaken in calling him good there is none good but one that is God Christ himself as near as he was unto good as he came nearer to it then any creature in heaven or in earth yet if he had been a creature and men had set their affections on him as their good being a creature they had set their affections amisse why callest thou me good saies he so much more doth every creature answer Thou thinkest riches honors and pleasures are good Why call ye me good may they all say there 's none good but one that is God Will a man seek for the Sun in a pale of water Indeed if the Sunne shine on the water there may you see it But if the Sun do not look on it you may look over all the waters in the world and never finde the Sunne in them all So will you set your affections on
the things of the world it is good your affections look for can ye finde any good in these things alas alas thou mayst have all the things of this world yet if God do not shew thee his face and his grace in the same stultus ad cribrum thou runnest to them as a fool to a sive The sive seems to hold a great deal of water but by pulling the sive from the water the fool lost all the water So riches and wealth and pleasures as long as thou hast them in grace and in God they are like sives in the water full of water as long as they are in So these are full of good as long as they are in God and in grace But if thou dost not set thine affections upon God thine affections are befooled and therefore thou must set thine affections upon God because nothing but God hath that which thine affections look for It is Good which the affections look for and thine affections can finde it no where but in God Thirdly As nothing but God hath that which the affections look for nothing is good but he so nothing is my good but only he for if it be good and not my good this discontents mine affections mine affections look at my good I know compassion and mercy and love may look at the good of another but then they consider some kinde of propriety in that other either as my brother or friend or my neighbour still the affections have an eye unto my good thine affections to thy good Now nothing in the world can so truly be said thy good as thy God Other goods are called this worlds goods 1 Joh. 3. 17. They are the goods of this World rather then thy goods But God is thy goodnesse Thou art my goodnesse O Lord saies the Psalmist Psal 144. 2. Thou canst not say of thy pleasures this is my goodnesse nor of wealth this is my goodnesse nor of any thing in the world this is my goodnesse the good that is in it is the goodnesse of the thing not thy goodnesse if I should say this is thy goodnesse it 's all one as if I should say thou hast no goodnesse for that is none of thine but only by possession it is not thy goodnesse And therefore how canst thou set thine affections upon it First It is only the good of thy body it is not thy good Anima hominis est homo saies Plato The soul is the man rather then the body If the things of this life be the goods of the body then how canst thou set thine affections upon them Thine affections are the affections of thy soul Meat is good let thy body hunger after it and thou sinnest not drink is good let thy body thirst after it thou errest not but wilt thou set thine affections upon it when it is not thy good but only the good of thy body it is not thy good means and maintenance is the good of thy body house and lands and livings these are the good of thy body let the desires of thy body be to them this is well yet but if the desires of thy soul be thereto if thou set thine affections upon them thou art a beast because they are not thy good As Theophylact well observes upon the rich man in the Gospel Soul thou hast much goods laid up for many years Luk. 12. 19. take thine ease eat drink and be merry see the basenesse of this fools affections saies Theophylact to eat to drink and to be merry these were the goods of his unreasonable part to rejoyce in Gods Law to rejoyce in holy thoughts and meditations these are the goods of the soul of the reasonable soul of a man Now the fool he had none of these goods laid up and yet he saies Soul thou hast much good laid up for many years whereas that very night he died and was damned for ever the things of this life then are not thy good and therefore thou must not set thine affections upon them Secondly It is not thy good because it is not as long as thou art Thou must live for ever in heaven or in hel Now all the goods of this life last but this life and when thou diest thou must leave them to others and therefore they are not thy goods Were they thy goods thou mightest carry them away with thee when thou diest but this cannot be Canst thou carry thy barns and thy houses to heaven or to hell with thee canst thou carry thy dogs and thy hounds and thy pleasures and thy preferments to another world with thee No no and why then dost thou set thine affections upon them when they are not thy goods for to carry with thee where ever thou goest if thou wouldest set thine affections upon grace and upon God thou shouldest set thine affections upon thy goods these are thy goods as long as thou livest and these are thy goods when thou dyest and these thou mayst carry with thee whithersoever thou goest Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not saies Solomon for riches certainly make themselves wings they fly away as an Eagle Pro. 23. 5. wilt thou set thine affections upon that which is not Wealth is not and pleasure is not and all the things of this world are not they make themselves wings now may be they are a bird in the hand but by and by they are gone there 's a wing of prodigality a wing of change and of mishaps and of casualties wings of losses and other occurrences and though thou couldest clip all these wings with thy wisedom yet the wing of death and mortality will carry them all away in a moment and then whose shall they be thy pleasures then whose shall they be thy gains and thy comings in whose shall they be sure it is they shall be none of thine and therefore set thine affections elsewhere thou must set them upon God 3. They are not thy good because they will not take thy part Will any man set his affections on him that will not take his part how can I affect him that will not affect me if he will leave me in the lurch I can never affect him as my friend Alas all the things of this life will leave thee in the lurch thou mayst perish and be damned for all them They will never deliver thee from the hand of hell when thom comest before the tribunal of Christ dost thou think it will profit thee to say Lord I have hunted and hawked and gamed and sported and I have been merry will it benefit thee to say Lord I have builded and purchased and encreased my livings and my rents I have a good house and a good farm and good friends Will this advantage thee No miserable comforters are they all canst thou say Lord I have built up thy Church and thy worship I have purchased zeal and holinesse and purenesse and glory to thy name I have been persecuted and
the Wesil is so bewitched that she gives up her self to be devoured but of all the bewitchings in the world the bewitching of the affections are the most dangerous Eucilides was in so deep an affection to his own beauty that he was bewitcht with it were not Sampsons affections bewitched with Delilah were not Herods affections bewitcht with Herodias were not Judas his affections bewitcht with the gain of thirty pence that for it he should deny his own Master S. Paul tels the Galatians their affections were bewitcht S. Hierom thinks verily the devil was in them The Drunkard is bewitcht with his cups the Adulterer with his whore the angry man with his choler the vain man with his vanities the carnal man with his flesh that they will damn their own souls rather then be new creatures Beloved are not ye bewitched in your sins when all the preaching and teaching and warning ye have had cannot yet turn you from your sins unto God to set your affections above this is a grievous let that sends millions to hell their affections bewitch them Ye need no Devils to tempt you to sinne if your affections be once set on it they will bewitch you as bad as any devil can bewitch you Nay the devil cannot bewitch you to sin but only by your affections If ever thou save thy soul thou shalt finde it a great task to unbewitch thine affections to set them upon grace Thirdly Another let is that as the affections are the bewitchings of the heart so they are the estimations of the heart If the thing be not good enough to be affected which the affections are set on they esteem it worthy to be affected Quisquis amat ranam ranam putat esse Dianam Many of you know the old Proverb If a man should set his affections on a frog there 's little goodnesse in a Frog why it should be affected but if a man should set his affections on a Frog he would esteem it as comely as another would Diana The affections if they be set upon vanity they do utterly besot one Look upon the Drunkard he thinks it 's a fine life to be potting and piping in the Ale-house which a man in his wits knows to be base and brutish and hellish Look upon the vain Gentleman he thinks it a fine life to be hunting and gamballing and bragging and flanting and challenging and to be sird and to be worshipt at every word Which a wise man knows to be foppish and foolish and devillish The affections blinde the judgement and befool the understanding and make a man to defend himself in a course which in very deed will leade him to hell When the children of Israel had set their affections on their lusts Moses thus speaks to them Do ye thus requite the Lord ye foolish people and unwise Is not he thy Father c. Deut. 32 6. Natural affection would leade a childe to be obedient to his father and seeing their affections were crosse set the Lord cals them a foolish people Their sinful affections did besot them and befool them Samosatenus was so besotted with the love of a certain woman that he forsook his faith and religion for her I reade of a pretty parable to this purpose When Vlysses had left his men with Circe the witch she changed them all into diverse sorts of beasts Dogs Swine Lyons Tygers Vlysses complained she had done him great wrong for changing his men into beasts on that fashion wrong saies she I have not done thee nor them any wrong Doe but ask them now whether they doe not like the condition they are in So Vlysses demanded first of the Hogge whether he would be a man again or not He answered no by no means For now he could fill his belly and lie down on the dunghil and sleep And so he demanded of the rest and they all save only the Elephant they all replyed they had rather be beasts as now they were This parable is made to shew how the carnal affections besot one to esteem the pleasures of sin the gains and profits and beggerly things of the World and prefer them before holinesse and righteousnesse and purenesse and strictnesse of living One his affections besot him in a love-lock or long hair that he cannot be perswaded to shave it off another his affections besot him in a Tobacco-pipe another in a filthy gotten custome another in some other base haunt of the heart all the preaching under Heaven cannot disswade them therefore they do so esteem them and prize them and think they are so pleasing a noble minded Christian would wonder how it is possible they can so Fourthly Another let is that as the affections are the estimations of the heart so they are the most natural temperaments of the heart Spiritual and heavenly affections are the good temper of the heart and carnal or earthly affections are the evil temper of the heart and therefore it 's hard to change ones affections because the heart it self must be taken a peeces as it were if one would alter his affections An earthly heart is not a right soyl for the spiritual plants to grow in Gardners have daily experience what a coil they have to keep an herb from dying in their gardens when the garden is not a right soyl for it they are fain for to dig it and dresse it and water it and tend it yet scarce will it grow there when it is not a right soyl for it Men must get themselves new hearts and new mindes if ever they would have their affections renewed Fashion not your selves to the world saies the Apostle but be ye transformed by the renewing of your minde Rom. 12. 2. Unlesse your minde be renewed ye can never spy a pleasing fashion of the world but O your affections will be to it When David had misplaced his affections on Bathsheba another mans wife and his affections had been mad upon adultery and on murther what does he doe He goes to God in praier for a new heart he could never have new affections else Create in me a clean heart O God and renew a right spirit within me Psa 51. 10. He could not get new affections till he had gotten a new heart This is a miserable impediment that lets multitudes of men and women from setting their affections upon God because their hearts are not a right for such affections as these May be they trim their affections as the very heathens have done with morality as a Barbor trims and shaves a mans head but the hair grows again because the head is the hairs soyl So the carnal affections will grow again spiritual and heavenly affections will not grow there for the heart is not a right soyl and this is a shrewdlet and you must labour continually to remove it And therefore before I help you with means how to set your affections on God let me give you these two grounds First
pray unto God evermore again I say pray I have not time to pray so often I do pray in the morning and evening but my businesses are so many c. This may be thou objectest Not time enough sayst thou Finde out some odde times besides morning and evening steal into some corner or other belabour thy heart before God O sayst thou I finde it a hard thing to stir up mine affections I am a very Stoick 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I have no affection I cannot compel mine affections to God Canst thou not but thou canst compel thy heart for to pray thou canst tug and pull at thy heart in thy praiers and this will fetch up thine affections Praier is not only a mouth to beg Physick but also it is Physick it self whereby Christ cures the affections of the heart The poor beggar the more he is driven to beg the more affectionate he is in describing his miseries you shall see some beggars to set forth their misery and cry so lamentably as it would burst a mans heart with pity and compassion ones bowels would even yearn but to hear them I doe not mean your lazie canting beggars but distressed Lazars indeed So beloved pray if ever thou be used to it it will scrue up thy heart and raise up thine affections exceedingly I doe not mean that lazie-hearted and canting kinde of praying of most wretches that hath no more affection in it then there is savour in the white of an Egge But set thy self to prayer indeed and by it Christ will quicken thine affections Alas thy heart is divided and scattered up and down among the things of the world and therefore strive with God that he would gather up all the peeces into one thou must have all thine affections and all the peeces of thy heart gathered up into one if thou wouldst set them upon God I will give them one heart that they may fear me for ever saies God Ier. 32. 39 your heart and the affections of your heart are divided and scattered up and down into a thousand peeces one upon one thing another upon another and God hath promised that he will gather up your hearts into one and give you this same one heart that ye may fear him and set all your affections upon him will ye misse such a gracious promise as this for want of asking it and begging it and praying for it this is the reason why men have such earthly affections as they have because they are not frequent in praier to God to be helped Prayer is an excellent help to winde up your affections to God This is the first Often prayer to God The second is this Light up a candle in thy heart that it may see what to set thine affections on in God Get knowledge of God Ignoti nulla cupido unknown unaffected thine affections are unruly and thou canst not rule them to Godward yea but thou canst get knowledge Knowledge will help thee exceedingly The affections we see plainly that come nearest to reason are soonest of all ruled And the affections that are remotest from reason are more hard to be ruled A man commonly will sooner rule his affections aright then a woman or a childe because a man hath more reason The Philosophers shew this by the example of a Horse or a Bul. A Horse is sooner tamed then a Fish because a Horse is more capable of knowledge and of reason as natural reason and knowledge can naturally rule the affections so spiritual reason and knowledge can spiritually rule the affections And therefore if thou wouldest rule thine affections aright to set them on God labour to know God every one that loveth God knoweth God 1 Joh. 47. He must must needs know God that loveth God for how can he set his affections of love upon God if he doe not know God knowing therefore the terrour of the Lord we perswade men 2 Cor. 5. 11. S. Paul perswades the affections of the people why because he knew the terrour of the Lord and he was able to make them to know it too and therefore hereby he endeavoured to perswade their affections to fear God and to serve him They that know thy Name will put their trust in thee for thou never forsakest them that seek thee Psal 9. 10. David speaks peremptorily they that know thy Name they will place their hope and their trust and their confidence and all their affections on thee They will so certainly if they know thee if once they know what a good God thou art how true of thy promise how gracious to thy children how sure a friend thou art never forsaking them that seek thee He concludes it positively they that know God will set their affections on God Can a coverous man know a rich purchase and not have an affection to it can a beggar know his alms is a hundred pounds and have no affection to take it as long as the woman of Samaria did not know Christ she stood pratling and wrangling and jeering at Christ she had no affection neither to him nor the water of life that he could give her she had more minde of her well and her water-pot though she were in Christs company yet because she did not know she never askt him a drop of grace nor would she give so much as a draught of her water to Christ But what answer did he make to her If thouknewest saies he who it is that saith to thee give me to drink thou wouldest have asked of him and he would have given thee living water Joh. 4. 10. If thou hadst known who I am thine affections would have been eagerer then they be Beloved ye hear the word and have no affection to tremble at it Ye hear Gods Commandments and have no affection to do them ye live in your sins many of you poor damned souls to this day and ye have no affection to be humbled Alas alas ye are blinde and ye know not But if ye had known what a damnable case ye are in what a word it is ye reject whose Commandments they are which ye break whose bloud it is ye contemn if ye had known God and the truth that is of God ye would have been otherwise affected then ye are Occultae musices nullus respectus saies Suetonius Be the musick never so pleasing yet if it be not known none is affected therewith You 'l say ye do know God what doe and have no more affections to obey the Commandments of God ye lie in fiat terms saies S. Iohn He that saith I know him and keeps not his Commandments is a lyar and there is no truth in him 1 Joh. 2. 4. I confesse thou mayst know many things about God and never have thine affections set upon God to obey him but this knowledge is in a reprobate there 's no truth in this knowledge The truth is not in him saies the Text. Knowledge may be in him but the truth
are offended in Christ their affections are quite against these things They are unwilling to be alwaies a talking of Sermons and of Heaven to be alwaies a wracking their thoughts about their sins and about repentance and faith to be hated of all men to goe through tribulations and persecutions for the Gospels sake to part with their customes and their own natural inclinations and their lusts their affections are against these conditions O it 's wondrous hard to wooe the affections of the heart unto Christ And dost thou think that Christ will marry thee till thine affections come down to his conditions will a man marry a woman whom he sees is contrary-hearted unto him Mulier inquieta tempestas in domo A crosse wife is a tempest and a storm in a house Come then continual to the preaching of the word if ever thou desire to have thine affections wrought on Gods Ministers are Christs paranymphs they preach for this purpose to wooe thine affections to Christ If there be any one Sermon that thou refusest to be at when thou mayst thy conscience tels thee thou mayst be at it and wilt not if there be any one Sermon I say that thou wilt not be at thou rejectest Christs paranymphs Like a crosse mayd that when her suiter comes to her he shall have no speech with her She will not be spoken with O what a provoking is this unto Christ if thou wilt not be spoken with take heed least the Lord Jesus abhorre for to own thee Nay if she be so strange forsooth let her keep her affections for who 's will I scorn to wooe her any more How long hath Christ wooed your affections beloved and yet he 's pleased to wooe you Bring hither your affections that here they may be wrought Frequent the Lords house for here be Christs paranymphs if ever your affections can be gotten here they may be won some time or other Many other means may be used to help you in this task namely to set your affections on God But these may suffice for the present Set your affections on things that are above and not on things that are on the earth The VI. Sermon Colos 3. 2. Set your affections on things that are above c. THe fifth means to set our affections on God is to be sober and temperate in all things For if we be not our affections cannot stedfastly settle upon God And this is the reason why the Apostle joyns sobriety with praier Prayer is a duty that requires most freedom of affections for God and if it be not backt with sobriety will soon be affectionless and deadish Be ye sober and watch unto prayer 1 Pet. 4. 7. Titus must exhort young men to be sober minded Tit. 2. 6. Young mens affections ye know are more unruly then others and therefore they had need of sobriety otherwise their affections will be grievously exorbitant If thou take any recreation take it very soberly one little game at bowls one hours play at a shovel-board or at Chesse or the like if thou dost not take heed it is strange how it will dull thine affections to good duties if thou follow thy businesse in the world follow it soberly be not over-eager upon it lest it blunt thine affections to Godward If thou eat and if thou drink if thou sleep or if thou talk whatever thou dost be sure to do it soberly Beware of the least excesse lest thine affections be suddenly tickled therewith If thou let thine affections ramble upon too much in this kinde they will quickly be mad Either to make thee drunken with the cares of this life Luk. 21. 34. Or to be quite drunken with pride Isa 28. 1. Drunken with pleasure drunken with fury and so forth All drunkennesse is not drunkennesse with drink saith S. Hierom. Amore odio mens inebriatur saith he A mans soul may be drunken with a passion drunken with love and drunken with hatred and drunken with any other affection Thus civil men and sober men as we call them though they will never be drunk with wine or with beer yet they are drunkards in this sense they are drunk with affections to other things in this life A man may be drunken with sorrow saies the Prophet Thou shalt be filled with drunkennesse and with sorrow Ezek. 23. 33. That is thou shalt be filled with sorrow till thou art drunk with it again So a man may be drunken with fear drink and be drunken spue and fall and rise no more because of the sword which I will send among you Jer. 25. 27. That is ye shall be drunken and reel too and fro with fear A man may be drunken with delights and with pleasures and drunken with security they are drunken but not with wine for the Lord hath powred out upon them the spirit of a deep sleep Isa 29. 9 10. That is ye are so secure and so fast asleep in your lusts as if ye were dead drunk with security Thus all the affections may be drunk with the things of this life And therefore if ever we would have our affections to be right let us be sober in all the things of the world Ye desire food and rayment there bound thine affections with sobriety and be content Ye love the world for the use that ye have of it there limit your affections with sobriety and use it as if ye used it not Buy as if ye bought not go to the Markets and your Fairs as if ye went not Sow and reap and gather in as if ye did it not And ye will needs be merry and harmlesly jest now and then O be marvellously sparing and sober Eating must be and drinking must be and sleeping must be and providing for your selves and your family must be if ever ye love your own souls and salvation be sparing and sober in these things lest supersfluity of affections step in in a moment the devil is alwaies a catching for his opportunities to deceive you he is ever as a roaring Lion seeking by all means to devour you Be sober then and vigilant for your adversary the devil walketh about seeking whom he may devour 1 Pet. 5. 8. When a man is to fight with a stout enemy will he go and make himself drunk that his enemy may set upon him drunk Ye had need to be sober if it be to fight with the devil if ever ye be never so little overtaken never so little giddy then is the devil most busie Temperance and sobriety hath a very good name in the Greek tongue the Spirit of God cals it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is the keeper of the minde safe or the keeper of a man in his wits Do so otherwise thou shalt never be able to set thine affections on God This is an admirable means to keep our affections in tune to be sober in all things to be sober-thoughted and sober-hearted and sober-minded and sober-mouthed and sober-meated
and must we set them on God this may teach us one lesson by the way we that are Gods Ministers must take notice from hence how to qualifie our preaching namely to stir up the affections of mens hearts Every man sayes Rodolphus Agricola that hath any learning at all is able to teach but concutere affectibus audientem to shake mens affections and turn mens hearts he is an extraordinary man that can doe this after this manner was the preaching of our Saviour he did so move the affections of his hearers that the Text sayes they were astonished at his doctrine Mat. 7. 28. Why so the Exangelist makes answer in the next verse for he taught them as one having authority and not as the Scribes that is non ita frigidus ut Pharisaei he was not such a frigid and cold Teacher as the Pharisees and Scribes were the people sate like immoveable stocks in their seats when the Scribes were a teaching they were not moved a jot but our Saviour was a powerful Teacher he taught them as one having authority and not as the Scribes his Sermons were moving and forceable Iohn the Baptist wrought strongly on the affections of his Auditors they could not possibly hold but cryed outrâ—ght as they heard him The people askt him What shall we do the Publicans cryed out Master what shall we do the Souldiers also whose affections are as hard to be moved as any yet they cried out too and what shall we do Luk. 3. 14. This use is plainly grounded on my Text. Gods Ministers ye know are Gods Instruments to bring men to faith and repentance and reconcile them to God and therefore if this be your duty to set your affections on God we must labour to work on your affections to provoke you to doe it The reasons of it are these First Because the Word is full of affections full of affections of love to wooe a man to God full of affections of pity to yern upon men in their misery full of affections of terrour to terrifie the wicked and therefore that Minister that preaches not affectionately preaches but one half of the Word he preaches but the dead corps of the Truth as I may call it he does not preach the life and the soul of the truth The affections of a speech are the soul of a speech both make up the whole of the Word Is not my Word like unto fire and like a hammer that breaketh the rocks in peeces Ier. 23. 29. If the Word be a fire he that delivers it coldly delivers the Word otherwise then it is Would you not say that a man were ridiculous who when his neighbours house is on fire should go and coldly advise the Parish in this manner O my dear neighbours you should do well to look to your houses lest fire fall upon them as now of late I understood it hath done I pray let me perswade you to provide water otherwise all your goods and mine too will be consumed to ashes it is true that this man sayes but would not men deem him a fool the truth is the truth of affection and he leaves out the affection of the truth Nature hath taught us another course in such a case He would run crying into the street fire fire help help for the Lords sake water water in all haste alas alas we are undone quickly speedily run for ladders pull down this rafter here cut down that beam there untile the house what mean you stir hands arms legs hie thee for water run thee for iron crooks crows hooks buckets haste haste we are all undone Here now is the affection of the truth the like must a Minister do who knowing his people wallow in sin in the state of hell and damnation as many as go on in their courses he ought not with filed phrases and mellow-mouthed words nor with cold exhortations admonish his hearers but he must put in the affection of the Word in his Sermons he must cry fire fire the fire of hell is among you the fire is kindled sin is entred into the soul O the water of tears tears repentance repentance help your selves for Gods sake the devil stands ready to devour you death watches unawares to strike you hell-mouth gapeth to swallow you look about you stirre your selves and consider or ye perish in a moment Leave off your ryots down with your pleasures away with your vanities put on Christ quickly work out your salvation with fear and trembling See ye not men die daily before you on a sudden falling to hell haste haste flatter not your souls time is uncertain the danger is too certain the punishment eternal damnation is intolerable Thus must a Minister preach this truth It is a truth full of affection the affection must be delivered as well as the body of the truth All the imaginations of the thoughts of mans heart are only evil c. Gen 6. 5. As this is a truth so there is a great deal of affection in this truth the affection of loathing Do we think when the Lord said it he said it coldly and nakedly all the imaginations c. No he said it with a great deal of affection of loathing c. O Jerusalem Jerusalem c. O that thou hadst known c. As this is a truth so there is a great deal of affection in this truth affection of pity There is a great deal of affection in every threatning a great deal of affection in every command a great deal of affection in every promise in every truth Christ does not bid us preach the letters and syllables and propositions of his Word but his Word Now my Word is like fire sayes God fire is the stirringest element of all elements and therefore if there be any feeling at all in you the Word is able to stir you even as if ye had a fire in your bowels Beloved either we that are Gods Ministers are unskilful to handle the Word or else ye are senselesse and stupid if ye do not sit upon hot coals for to hear it it will make the drunkards heart ake to hear what this Word sayes to him it will make the worldlings heart ake and the secure Christians heart ake The Word is fire Did not our hearts burn within us while he opened to us the Scriptures Luk. 24. 32. The Word did so inflame their affections that their hearts burned to hear it Does not the godly heart burn to hear the sweetnesse of Gods promises and burn when the Scriptures are opened to direct thee And so on the other side does not the Usurers heart burn when the Scriptures are opened that rip up his sins Does not the carnal professors heart burn now and then as he sits when the Scriptures are opened to shew him his rottennesse there be such scorching texts in the Word texts of death texts of judgement texts of hell and damnation they may well make a wicked heart
preaching will not work on mens affections their affections are bewitcht O foolish Galatians who hath bewitcht you that ye should not obey the truth before whose eyes Iesus Christ hath been evidently set forth crucified among you Gal. 3. 1. Paul among them had preached Christ to the life so evidently and so plainly had he preached Christ crucified as if they had seen him crucified before their eyes Certainly thought he these peoples affections are bewitched that are no better wrought on When Galba would perswade the Spaniards against Nero for his cruelty he set out so visibly his cruelty that they might even see it with their eyes Lycurgus so expressed the difference of good education and of bad that the people might even see it with their eyes Not as though preachers should do as they did or as some that I have read of have done who brought a dead skull into the pulpit that the people might see death even with their eyes We have no such warrant in Scripture but they must do it with the lively teaching of the truth And therefore the Apostle sayes that true preaching is in the demonstration of the spirit 1 Cor. 2. 4. When the truth is demonstrated with evidence Secondly By being full of affections himself Affection in the speaker is likely to beget affection in the hearer It cannot be otherwise saies Cicero Cicero being an excellent spokesman whenever he pleaded before the people of Rome to beget any affections in them he would be sure to put on those affections himself If he would move them to grief he would be full of affection of grief When to pity he would be full of affections of pity when to anger his countenance would be ful of anger The highest point of moving the affections in another is to be endued with those affections thy self sayes Quintilian It is an old maxime in Oratory and in all moving of the affections of others Pectus est quod facit disertos It is a mans own breast that makes him to be affectionate and eloquent If a mans own breast be piteous and full of compassion and bowels that man is an eâ—oquent perswader to pity If a mans own breast be loving and kinde and full of affections that man is an eloquent speaker to move love Si vis me flere dolendum primum ipse tibi If thou wouldest have me weep weep thy self first What mean you to weep and break my heart sayes the Apostle Act. 21. 13. it burst his very heart to see others stand weeping about him There be many clamorous Preachers sayes Calvin who declaim against the sins of the people and thunder against the iniquities of their Parish and make as though they had a great deal of zeal that never move a jot the affections of the people are not stirred up a whit because the people see plainly through all their actings and vehement enforcements that such Ministers are not affected themselves but only exercise their sides and their throat as if they would act it on a stage But O sayes he labour to mourn for their sins in thine heart before thou labour to move them Be thou more affected thy self then thou undertakest to affect them S. Paul did so move the affections of Dionysius and Damaris and others at Athens that the Text sayes they clave to S Paul Certain men clave to him and beleeved Act. 17. 34. He preached so movingly that their affections did even cleave to him as he preached How came it about that he stirred up affections in them look into the 16. verse and there you shall see he was greatly affected himself His spirit was stirred in him sayes S. Luke when he saw the city wholly given to idolatry He could not have stirred up affections in them if he had not been filled with affections himself O beloved our hearts are grievously straightned and our souls are wofully stopt that we are not more affected our selves at your miseries then we be would it not fetch tears from our eyes and groans from our bowels to see how desperately ye are hardned but that we are too little affected our selves you know the damned abuses in your Parish the cursed sins that reign in your houses and the stupid security ye are in yet nothing can move you Your consciences cannot be ignorant ye are carnal and are not yet Saints nor born again many of you your consciences can tell you ye are Saints or else ye are hell-hounds and if ye die as ye are ye have no evidence for heaven but ye may be damned ere long for all that ye know Ye can hear this every time ye to Church and yet no reformation no shew of humiliation no shew of grace nor repentance nor any thing 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 what weeping Simonides can weep sufficiently for these things Paul knowing some abuses among the Corinthians that many of them were like to be damned for ever out of much affliction and anguish of heart sayes he I wrote unto you with many tears 2 Cor. 3. 4. penè quot syllabas tot lacrymas as Haymo speaks that is he shed as many tears as he wrote syllables he could hardly write for wetting the paper with tears which he wrote on O that we who are Gods Ministers could be so affected the Lord lay it not to our charge that we are not but O that our heads were water and our eyes were a fonntain of tears that we might weep day and night for these things Ye think your souls are safe alas we know they are desperate We know that your drunkennesse will damn you and your swearing and lying and company-keeping will undoe you We know your pride and your hardnesse of heart are symptomes and infallible marks of such as are yet no better then reprobates Ye hope your crying God mercies will help you we know they cannot Ye hope that Gods mercies will relieve we know they will not unlesse ye be new creatures Ye trust God will not be so strict as we say we know he will Ye imagine ye are not led by the devil though ye sin thus and thus we know ye be and the devil the God of this world rules in your mindes and your consciences Neither are ye able unless ye be Atheists and devils incarnate to deny God to be God and his Scripture to be Scripture ye are not able to deny it O that we would sigh and sob and groan in our pulpits O that we could even wet our cushions with tears and yearn over your souls as we preach I beseech you consider will you never beleeve nor be affected till ye feel it Lord when thy hand is lifted up they will not see but they shall see and be ashamed and the fire shall devour them Isa 26. 11 I protest unto you I could finde in my heart to fall down on my knees to every one of you all were it profitable to beseech you to consider
wrath the covetous person to scrape himself maintenance it's endlesse to recount what innumerable devices men have to compasse what their heart does affect Phalaris deviseth new torments Nero deviseth new cruelties Sardanapalus propounds a reward by a cryer to him that could devise out new pleasure the wicked Lawyer and troublesome Parishioner deviseth new quillets and put-cases to fetch over his poor neighbour the proud minion deviseth new paintings of the face new washings of the body new curlings of the hair new deckings of their neck new-fangled attires and the like the covetous deceiver deviseth new cousenages new conny-catchings pollings rackings gullings c. The Usurer new usuries new covenants and reaches It were long to rehearse what devices are in men to fulfill their unruly affections These wretches are abhorred of the Lord. Solomon sayes there be six yea seven things which the Lord hates and abhors Pro. 6. 16. And in the next verse save one he sayes that a heart that deviseth wicked imaginations is one of them The Lord numbers these men among the damned crew of the Heathen inventers of evil things Rom. 1. 30. Wo unto them that devise iniquity sayes the Prophet Mic. 2. 1. Now see thy wofull condition whoever thou art whose affections are carnal thy devices are all carnal thou dost not devise how thou mayst best serve Almighty God how thou mayst best overcome sinne how thou mayst best glorifie Christ Which of us does set his head a work every day how he may best pray and best repent and best hear and best do every good duty alas there is little such devising among us because our affections stand not this way If our affections were set upon God we would be studying and contriving how to purge all our families how to propagate the glory of God in the Parish how to exhort and reprove and provoke one another to godlinesse A liberall man deviseth liberall things Isa 32. 8. he devises how he may releeve Gods poor Saints how he may set the poor on work how he may help forward the Gospel with his purse if he can finde how An humble man deviseth humble things a peaceable man deviseth peaceable things a holy man deviseth holy things if our affections were set right we would all lay our heads together how the Parish may best be reformed how our scandalous houses may best be removed how the Word that we hear from Sabbath to Sabbath may best be put in practise among us thus it would be if our affections were set upon God but because our affections are not set so hence it comes to passe our devices are carnal The IX Sermon â—ol 3. 2. Set your affections on things that are above c. THere remains the fourth head which is the extremity of the affections and that is zeal Zeal is due only to God and the things of his worship and therefore hence we may see how infinitely they sin that set their affections on things here on earth because they rob God of his due zeal which is the extremity of the affections is due only to God and the things of his worship Phinehas was zealous for his God Num. 25. 13. he gave the zeal of his affections to no other but God Now what is zeal Zeal is a high strain of all the affections whereby the heart puts forth all its affections with might upon that which it absolutely affects five things therefore there are which concurre to the making up of zeal First A high measure of the affections Every measure of the affections is not zeal a man may affect a thing coldly and lukewarmly that is not zeal As a covetous man may have lukewarm good affections to the word But this is not zeal I say zeal is a high measure of the affections Zeal is a metaphoricall word in the Original it 's taken from the seething of water over the fire Every measure of heat in the water is not seething No seething hot is a high measure of heating The Apostle confesses how the false Apostles affected the Galatians They zealously affect you sayes he Gal. 4. 17. he confesses they did affect the Galatians and he confesses they did highly affect them in a very high measure if it had been as well as it was high they zealously affect you that is they highly affect you Clavasius a Casuist for the Pope having run through all the Alphabet of questions in the end of his Book concludeth with zeal Zeal sayes he is a high measure of heat of affection such an one sayes he as I have shewn unto Christ in writing this Book It 's a most devillish saying for his Book is little else then a hellish rhapsody of blasphemies to Christ and magnifyings of his holy father the Pope But therein he sayes right that zeal is a high measure of the affection Secondly As zeal is a high measure of the affections so it is of all the affections I do not say any one of the affections alone or of sundry together But it is a high measure of all the affections Bonaventura and other of the School make it only of love Ludovicus Vives makes it to be compounded of two affections indignation and pity Others to be mixed of anger and love this is not so for zeal is a high strain of all the affections And therefore the Apostle sets it as a generall height of the affections in generall It 's good sayes he to be zealously affected in a good thing Gal. 4. 18. he does not only say it 's good to be zealous in love or zealously angry but generally it 's good to be zealously affected in a good thing Sorrow for sin is good and therefore it 's good to be zealously affected with it Desire of grace is good and therefore it 's good to be zealously affected with it So that then we may be said to be zealous for God when our love to him is earnest our desire of him is earnest our joy in him is earnest our indignation against whatever may dishonour him or dislike him is earnest when we think nothing too good nothing too dear nothing too much to bestow upon him A man may love God in a lukewarm measure hate sin in a lukewarm measure grieve for his corruptions desire faith and repentance delight in good duties pity the miseries of others fear to transgresse Gods Commandment a man may have all these affections thus in a lukewarm measure as this is displeasing to God so it is not zeal Zeal is a high measure the highest strain of all the affections Thirdly As zeal is the highest measure of all the affections so it is with all the might of the soul For when a man does zealously affect any thing his affection is mighty upon it Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with â—ll thy soul and with all thy might Deut. 6. 5. that is thou shalt love him zealously
doth affect most How often is God in Scripture called the most High the most High Act. 7. 48. if he be the most high then the most high of every act and of every affection must be for him The very Heathen call God Deus optimus maximus God the most good and the most great so likewise he is the most terrible and the most holy and the most just and therefore the most of our affections must needs be due unto him Zeal is the most of every one of the affections and that only is sutable to God The affections must be sutable to the thing we affect but nothing of all the affections is sutable to God besides zeal for zeal is the most of every one of them Thirdly As zeal is the most of every affection so it is the peculiar pitch of every affection There cannot be two mosts The superlative degree cannot be two Doctissimus properly is a term peculiar to one body the most learned man in the world is a peculiar word peculiar to one There may be ten learned a thousand learned there may be many learned but most learned is a peculiar title So zeal being the most of the affections it must needs be peculiar to some one thing which cannot be any other but God Christ gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity and purchase to himself a peculiar people zealous of good works Tit. 2. 14. Those people that are zealous of good works ye see they are people peculiar to Christ They can be no other people but Christs people that are zealous of good works No people under heaven are truly zealous of good works but only his people This is peculiar to Christ to have such people because zeal is peculiarly due unto him Thou canst not possibly be one of Gods people if thou beest not zealous for God A zealous beleever and a zealous repenter and a zealous professor zealous in praying and zealous in hearing the Word Zealous people are peculiar people to Christ Under love and under joy and under hope and under fear are not peculiarly due unto God For I may love my health too and I may delight in the blessings of this life and I may fear a temporary evil I may lend mine under affections to some things else besides God but my zeal being the most of my affections must be given to God zeal is peculiar to him Thou art a worldling then thou art none of Gods if thou beest not zealous for him Thou art of thy father the devil thou art none of Gods unlesse thou be zealous to him Zeal is his peculiar Fourthly As zeal is the peculiar pitch of every affection so it is the most spending part of the affections A man must spend himself upon nothing but God nothing else will quit charges Now zeal is the spendingest strain of every affection It most spendeth the spirits it most busieth the body you may gather what a spending thing zeal is by the passage in the Psalmist David sayes thus My zeal hath consumed me because my enemies have forgotten thy words Psa 119. 139. David was so zealous for God that he did even spend himself to see how his enemies dishonoured his God A childe of God is like a faithful servant to his Master he is willing to spend himself in his service So he is content to spend himself in his employments for God Paul when God employed him for the souls of the Corinthians he sayes thus I will gladly spend and be spent for you why what was the reason I abundantly love you sayes he 2 Cor. 12. 15. that is he was zealous in his love to their souls God had employed him for the good of their souls and he was so zealous in this employment that he could even spend himself and be spent for them And indeed zeal it self is a very spending thing Thou art the devils Martyr that spendest thy self upon the things of this life thou art so wedded thereto that thou spendest thy parts and thy wits hereabouts thou spendest thy thoughts and thy time hereupon thou spendest thy self and thy spirits this way The voluptuous man spends himself as much at his sports as a Minister spends himself in a Pulpit as a godly man spends himself in good duties As for Gods Service thy prayers are so cold and so negligent that thou spendest thy self not at all in them Thy repentance is so overly it spends thee never a jot to go thorow it thou art so eager after thy pleasures they spend thee so earnest after the world that spends thee because thou art zealous about such things But it is otherwise with thee in the Service of God This is another strong reason why zeal is due properly to God because a man must spend himself upon nothing so much as upon pleasing of God and doing his will and seeking his glory It is true he may spend himself in his calling But the greatest part of the spending lieth in this that he may walk with God in his calling He spendeth himself in be labouring his heart to work in obedience to follow his businesses with faith to go about his earthly employments as before God to glorifie God in all his waies A man may ground himself upon nothing so much as upon God Zeal to God makes him a kinde of Martyr for Christ Fifthly As zeal is the spending part of all the affections so likewise zeal is the impatient part of all the affections It is true we may desire a good report among men but our affections must not be impatient if we cannot have it without bating an inch of a good conscience our desire must be patient without it We may grieve for a losse or a trouble but our affection must not be impatient if we see Gods providence hath sent it our grief must be patient under it We may affect these outward blessings of God but our affections must be patient of a privation but our affections must be zealous to God because zealous affections are impatient of the contrary We must so hate sinne against God as to be impatient to endure it so fear to offend him as to be impatient of any boldnesse that way So love the glory of God as to be impatient of any dishonour to his Name so zealous to reprove sinne in a neighbour as not to suffer sinne in him Thou shalt rebuke thy neighbour and not suffer sinne on him Lev. 19. 7. that is thou shalt be zealous in rebuking A high look and a proud heart I will not suffer Psa 101. 5. that is I will be zealous against it I have not suffered my mouth to sin Iob. 13. 30. that is I have been zealous in the ruling of my tongue Zeal is the impatient part of all the affections look what thine affections do zealously affect they will not suffer the contrary And therefore the zeal of thine affections must be unto God Indeed
if thine affections be lukewarm to God thou mayst wish that God might be glorified but if he be not thou canst endure it Thou mayst pray to God for grace to heal thee of thy deadnesse but though he do not thou canst bear it But if thine affections were so farre hereto as to be zealous they would be impatient thou couldest never endure it Zeal is the impatient degree of the affections whereby when the soul does affect a thing it is impatient without it And therefore zeal is due only to God Thus ye discern the evidence of this truth that the zeal of our affection is due properly to God The X. Sermon Colos 3. 2. Set your affections on things that are above c. THE Uses of this are these First Hence we may learn that God demandeth the zeal of our affections If the zeal of our affections be due unto God I beseech you take notice that God demandeth his due Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his Name and so God demandeth his due in our affections If I be a Father where is my honour if a Master where is my fear Mal. 1. 6. he does not only call for some honour and some love and some fear but he cals for his part where is my part sayes he Where is my fear Gods part of thy fear as I have shewed is the zeal of thy fear Gods part of thy love and thy joy and thy hope and the rest is the zeal of the same This now God demands of thy soul Where is my fear may be thou lovest him a little and his Commandments a little may be thou fearest him a little to offend him and disobey him thou fearest a little this is not Gods part the zeal of thine affection is Gods part and he cals for his part Where is my fear Secondly Hence we may learn that we must upon pain of Gods infinite displeasure give him the zeal of our affections whensoever we pray to pray to him zealously bleeding for our sinnes and melting under our wants and yearning for his graces Whensoever we praise him to praise him thus zealously rejoycing in his mercies and admiring his goodnesse Whensoever we enter his Courts to enter with zeal reverencing his footstool trembling at his Word in all our waies seeking how we may be most zealous of his glory for if God demand the zeal of our affections there is no keeping back Ananias was smitten dead for keeping back a little piece of money when God did demand it Cursed is he that keeps back a blow when God doth call for it God demandeth our zeal and wo is us if we keep back Thirdly Hence we may gather that we are in the state of damnation if we do not give God the zeal of our affections if God require it upon pain of damnation and we are bid to give it him upon pain of his everlasting displeasure then certainly we must needs be in a state of damnation if we do not give it Now this is proved by four Arguments First That man is in the state of damnation that never repents I need not prove that ye know it well enough he is sure to perish that never repents Though thou hast taken up all the outward duties of religion thou never repentest unlesse thou be zealous if thou be zealous then thou hast drawn out of Christ wine-seller as Bernard observes on the Canticles Introduxit me rex in cellam vinariam the King hath brought me into his wine-seller he expounds it of the souls drawing of zeal from Christ but if thou beest not zealous in repentance thou never repentest Be zealous and repent Rev. 3. 19. First he sayes be zealous and then he sayes repent First thou must resolve to be zealous or else thou dost not repent If a man have wronged a neighbour though never so mean he must be sorry for it or else he doth not repent of it if a man have wronged a Noble-man he must be more sorry for as the wrong is the greater the greater the party wronged is so the greater is the sorrow that is required to repentance If a man have wronged the King it must be greater sorrow yet till the sorrow be somewhat answerable to the greatness of the King who is wronged But if a man have wronged a God this must be the greatest sorrow of all sorrows otherwise thou dost not repent Repentance is the rending or breaking of the heart so sayes the Prophet Ioel it is not a lukewarm or a little grief that will break the heart Repentance is the humbling of the soul sayes David it is not a little bowing and a little bending will humble it before God Repentance is the mortifying or the killing of sin as Paul cals it alas sinne is like the heart of Oke that will be a hundred years a dying so sin will be long a dying it is not a little pricking and a little compunction will kill it Repentance is called repentance unto life in the Scripture it is not a little chafing and a little rubbing and a little Aqua-vitae will fetch a man from death untâ— life No no beloved thou never repentest unlesse thou be zealous And therefore the Apostle makes zeal a part of repentance 2 Cor. 7. 11. No zeal no repentance no repentance no salvation 2. That man is in the state of damnation that is not a beleever in Christ If a man be not in Christ by a lively faith he cannot be saved The Prophet prophesying of Christ saith thus Vnto us a childe is born and he shall be called wonderful the Prince of peace and the zeal of the Lord of hosts shall perform this Isa 9 6 7. Never is Christ conceived in any man under heaven but the zeal of the Lord of Hosts doth perform it Doth he enlighten the minde or purge the heart or cleanse the conscience zeal does perform it Can I be so in love with Christ as to deny my self for him and not be zealous to him Can I count all my parts and all my gifts and all that I have as Paul did to be drosse â—nd dung for the worth I finde in Christ and not be zealous of him Can I hunger after him and pant for him and be sick of love till I have him and not be zealous towards him Thus we must doe otherwise we are not in Christ And therefore Moses confounds faith and zeal as if they were all one and both in one Phinehas was zealous for Gods sake Numb 25. 11. That is he was zealous and faithful both for so the Psalmist expounds it that was counted to him for righteousnesse sayes he that was speaking of his zeal in executing of judgement that was counted to him for righteousnesse Now ye know nothing can be counted to a man for righteousnesse but only faith and therefore by zeal there is meant faith This is an undeniable argument If a man have faith he is
zealous otherwise he hath no faith If he have no faith he cannot be saved 3. That man is in the state of damnation that loves not God He that loves not the Lord Jesus Christ let him be Anathema Maranatha that is let him be accursed and accursed for it is the greatest curse in the world it is the curse of the Gospel Let him be accursed and double accursed that loves not Christ Now a man never loves God if he be not zealous qui non zelat non amat He that is not zealous in love does not love love is termed zeal in the Scripture Iehu indeed the truth was he had no love to God he thought he had though and therefore when he would tell Iehonadab he had love to God he tels it in these words Come and see my zeal I have to the Lord of Hosts 2 King 10 16. That is see the love that I bear to the Lord of Hosts Zelus debet esse non modò in affectu verumetiam in intellectu is a saying zeal must be in the minde and zeal must be in the affections both are required to this zeal that I speak of If thou beest not zealous it is most certain thou hast not a jot of true love Zeal is more seen in that affection then any if there be any and therefore if there be no zeal in thee to God and his wayes there is no love thou art yet under wrath 4. That man is in the state of damation that was never taught of God Christ promises that all that are his shall be taught of God taught of God to be holy as he is holy taught of God to love one another taught of God to walk in all newnesse of life Every man look what he is taught in therein he is zealous Paul before he was converted he was taught in the ceremonies and his Fathers and therefore therein was he zealous I was traditions of taught sayes he according to the perfect manner of the Law of the Fathers and was zealous Act. 22. 3. Alas poor soul had he been better taught he had been better zealous I doe not speak of the outward teaching of the ear only but also of the inward teaching of the heart his very heart such was the policy of Satan his very heart was taught in those things and therefore he was zealous of them The covetous mans heart is taught to be earthly therefore he is zealous for the world The proud mans heart is taught to be proud therefore he is zealous for his credit and esteem The voluptuous mans heart is taught to be vain therefore he is zealous of his pleasures Alas such were never taught of God The devil teaches them and their lusts teach them and the examples of others teach them Alas if thou beest not taught of God how to walk in newnesse of life thou canst not be saved it is better to be unborn then untaught and this as you see cannot be without zeal unto God 5. That man is in the state of damnation that cannot yet be pitied If thou beest zealous for the things of this life and not zealous for heaven zealous for thy pleasure and not for Gods glory thou art not to be pitied and thou wilt have pleasures take them and thou wilt to hell goe who will pity thee Deformitas sceleris aufert misericordiam It is true it would pity a mans heart to see a poor soul weeping and howling for his sinnes and yet go to hell It would pity a man to see a blinde Papist whipping himself praying on his Beads giving all his goods to the poor confessing his sins to his Confessor fasting and afflicting his body zealous in his blinde superstition and all to save his poor soul and yet go to hell it would pity a mans heart I say to see such a man goe to hell as how can he otherwise yet it would pity a man because he is zealous for God in the blindenesse of his zeal As it pitied the Apostle to see his brethren go to hell that were blindely zealous for God Brethren my hearts desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved for I bear them record they have a zeal of God but not according to knowledge Rom. 10. 1 2. It pitied him that such as were blindely zealous for God should perish But whom will it pity to see thee go to hell thou hast no zeal at all that way No no thou art zealous after the things of this life and after thy lusts as God told Ierusalem Who shall have pity upon thee O Ierusalem Thou hast forsaken me sayes he Ier. 15 5. Who will pity our drunkards and our whoremongers who will pity you that are zealous in your sins and abominations ye are not so much as the objects of pity Is it so that the zeal of our affections is due only to God Is it so that God does demand it and that we are bound upon pain of death and damnation to give it to God Is it so that we never repented we never beleeved never were in Christ never loved God never were taught of God never can be pitied unlesse we give the zeal of our affections unto God Then O then let us consider the lamentable condition we are in as long as the zeal of our affection runs otherwise I beseech you consider these eight things which may convince you what a woful condition ye are in First Zeal is the fire of the soul Look what thou art most zealous upon that sets thy soul in a fire Every man and woman in the world is set on fire of hell or of heaven Now if heaven have not set thee on fire hell hath set thee on fire thou art set on fire of one of these two As it is the blessedest thing that can be to be set on fire of heaven to be zealous for the glory of God and the saving ones soul zealous for the getting of grace and zealous in the duties of religion so on the contrary it is the cursedst thing that can possibly be to be set on fire of hell Thou which art a swearer a lyar a filthy speaker whose mouth talketh of vanity thy tongue is set on fire of hell the tongue is set on fire of hâ—ll sayes the Apostle Iam. 3. 6. Thou which art a voluptuous man that lovest thy pleasures and delightest in vanity more then in better things thy heart is set on fire of hell thou which yeeldest to the temptations of Satan the devil tempts thee to go proudly in thine apparrel and thou yeeldest the devil tempts thee to smother thy conscience and thou consentest The devil tempts thee to put off thy better obedience till another time and the temptation takes hold there is never a temptation of Satan but it is a fiery dart the fiery darts of the devil Eph. 6. 16. Well does the Apostle call them fiery darts of the devil sayes Saint Chrysostome
lesse notable to others it is to be feared ye are not zealous for God The second sign of zeal towards God is to be impatient of sinne Zeal as aforesaid is the impatient part of the affections if a man do affect a thing but a little he can be patient without it but if he affect it very deep and with zeal O his affections are set on it and he is impatient if he speed not So that if thou beest zealous against sin thou art impatient of sin thou canst not suffer it Zeal is impatient of whatever is contrary to it That this is the nature of zeal you may see by the poor blinde zeal that was in Paul before his conversion he was zealous to God as he thought and thinking that the Church of Christ were contrary to all men enemies to God and man therefore now in the blindenesse of his zeal he persecutes that way unto death Concerning zeal I persecuted the Church Phil. 3. 6. It was a woful kinde of zeal to persecute the Church but yet there you may gather the nature of zeal it cannot abide that which is contrary and therefore if thou beest zealous against sin thou canst not abide sinne better journey riding studies prayers exhortations any course thou wilt use rather then abide it thou canst never abide any thing that is displeasing to God but resist it to the utmost and this resisting will be First Universal If thou beest zealous there is no sinne thou canst possibly abide Nothing is cold but the fire does resist it so nothing is sin but zeal does resist it to the utmost I esteem all thy precepts concerning all things to be right I hate every false way Psa 119. 128. This is zeal indeed there is never a false way that a man can abide that is zealous To be zealous against one sinne and lukewarm against another this is not zeal Secondly General in all manner of persons First In a friend as well as in an enemy If thou beest zealous thou wilt finde fault with thy friends when they sin as well as observe a fault when thine enemy offendeth Men are apt to observe when their enemy sinneth O how unconscionable is he thus he hath done and so he hath done but if thou beest zealous when thy friend does transgresse thou wilt not abide it Fire will not only labour to consume the water that comes to put it out but also the wood that comes to maintain it So it is with zeal Do not I hate them that hate thee sayes David to God Psal 139 21. He could not abide to count them his friends that were not friends unto God though otherwise they were very friends unto him and may be saved his life and were patrons and benefactors unto him he could not wink at their sins because they were his friends though thy friend be a swearer or a carnal wretch yet if he be thy friend and thou dependest upon him thou canst see it and not see it but if thou beest zealous all his sins thou wilt count discourtesies to thee Secondly In ones childe as well as a servant you shall have many they are angry at every sin a servant commits but if their children do sin they connive it was no such great fault alas he did it unwittingly and what would ye have a childe do say they they can excuse it in their children and lessen it but if thou beest zealous thou canst not abide sinne in thy son any more then a servant thou wilt correct him and curb him and threaten him and counsell him and never endure he should sin if thou canst possibly help it What my son and be wicked what doe I love God and shall I suffer my loins to dishonour him Son know thou the God of thy father otherwise I count thee a bastard and no son This brake old Elies neck because he suffered his sons to be wicked when he by godly severity might have remedied it A zealous man when his son hath committed things worthy of death will not spare him Zech. 13. 3. Thirdly In ones own wife or husband or father or mother as well as in a neighbour zeal cannot abide it husband thou dost not love me as long as thou livest thus wife thy heart is not with me as long as thou dost thus how canst thou love me when thou dost not love God nor thine own soul this is the meaning of our Saviour If any come to me and hate not father and mother and wife and children and brethren and sisters yea and his own life he cannot be my Disciple Luk. 14. 26. A zealous man cannot abide to yield to sin for the best of them all Fourthly In a rich man as well as in a poor man if thou beest zealous thou canst not abide sin neither in the rich nor in the poor if poor men offend and if beggars be idle and ungodly then thou wilt complain Oh the poor are so wicked they break down our hedges who would releeve them they will not be orderly they lie drinking in Ale-houses and spend it away on the pot therefore who would releeve them But if the rich be keepers of company and vain in their pleasures thou art not so zealous against their sins alas this is no zeal but let a wicked man be as great as King Ahab Micaiah will deal roundly with him Nehemiah will not spare Lords nor Nobles when they sin Neh. 13. 17. For a Magistrate to punish poor Malefactors and not the Gentry when they do transgresse is this zeal no it is cursed partiality Fifthly In ones self rather then in any body else true zeal is more zealous against sinne in ones self then in all the world besides otherwise sayes our Saviour it is hypocrisie and not zeal Thou hypocrite first cast out the beam out of thine own eye and thou shalt see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brothers eye Mat. 5. 7. Zeal I say is like unto fire it is hot it self first before it heat others may be the fire meets with many other things that it is not able to heat it as the bottom of a kettle of water the fire cannot heat it neverthelesse the fire will be sure to be hot of it self So it is with thee if thou beest zealous against sinne thou wilt be like unto fire rather suffer cold to be in any other then suffer it to be in it self so thou wilt rather suffer sin in any body else then suffer it in thy self thou wilt not suffer sin any where else by thy good will but above all things thou wilt not suffer it in thy self This is the second sign of zeal towards God it is impatient of sin The third sign of zeal towards God is it cannot be quiet till it be assured of Gods favour and of Christ Thou art never earnest for God if thou canst possibly be quiet without assurance of Christ
and of Heaven the reason is plain I need not expresse it I know many a childe of God is not assured hereof but there is never a childe of God under heaven but he is restlesse till he be Alas he is never zealous for God if he be quiet without assurance of Gods love in Christ Jesus Can I zealously love him whose love to me I am not assured of for all that I know he will cut my throat he will turn the sorest enemy I have I cannot zealously love him No more canst thou zealously love God as long as thou art quiet without the assurance of his love For all that thou knowest God does not love thee God he may damn thee and cast thee to hell for ever and turn the sorest enemy in the world to thy soul for all that thou knowest and therefore thou canst not zealously love him if then thou be a zealous lover of God either thou art assured of his love or thou canst never be quiet without it give diligence sayes the Apostle to make your calling and election sure for if ye do these things ye shall never fall 2 Pet. 1. 10. ye shall never fall if ye make it sure but if ye can be quiet without the assurance of election and Gods love ye may fall and for all that I know break your necks for ever and perish for evermore Go to then examine your selves what does your conscience tell you ye are not sure of Gods favour nor your election to life ye hope well ye say but ye are not assured of it neither does it break your sleep a jot nor hinder your sports and your pleasures and your mirth it is certain ye were never zealous for God What a wofull thing is this hast thou but one soul and art thou no more careful of it art thou to live either for ever in heaven or hell when thou diest in all torture and torment world without end and art thou no more diligent to make sure before hand perhaps thou mayst be saved yea but perhaps thou mayst be damned And hast thou no more love to thy soul then to be quiet with uncertainties O how many be there among us that have no assurance from God what he means to doe with them whether to save them or to destroy and to damn them how many go blundring on in an uncertain opinion and conjecturall hope of Gods favour and have no certainty at all of the same how many that are haunted with fears and terrours and doubts this way and never labour to be sure how many that have had pretty assurances a good while ago and now they have lost them and yet they sit idlely and go dreaming on in the duties of religion as if they could shift well enough though they never recover again this is no zeal if thou beest zealous thou canst never endure to be under uncertainties never to be quiet till thou hast gotten the assurance of Gods love The fourth sign of zeal towards God is gladnesse to further and to be furthered in the waies of God If thou beest zealous thou art glad to be reproved and told of thy sinnes glad that the Minister should meet with thy corruptions and rip them up in the Pulpit as a Patient is glad that the Physitian should hit right on his disease When Peter had met with those three thousand in the Acts and told them plainly they were murderers of Christ as ye may reade in the Chapter the Text sayes they gladly received the Word Act. 2. 41. Peter laid a greater sin to their charge then we have unto yours We have told you that some of you are adulterers and some of you drunkards c. which is bad enough and ye are offended hereat but Peter told them they were murderers of Christ and they gladly received the Word they were not angry with Peter but with themselves and were glad to be told of it a sign they were zealous A zealous man is glad to further and to be furthered in all goodnesse he is glad to meet with the godly that so he may be quickned by conference glad to hear news of a Sermon that so he may go to it and be edifyed glad of every opportunity both of doing and receiving good glad to go to a Sacrament which is Christs feast so were the good Israelites glad at the Sacrament of the Passeover they kept that feast with great gladnesse 2 Chr. 30. 21. Glad that there was one glad that they were at it they were very glad sayes the Text If thou beest zealous thou wilt be glad of a Communion and glad to be at it When thou hast been at a Sermon thou wilt be glad that ever thou wert at it O the Word does thee such good that thou goest home with all gladnesse of heart yea though the Word did never so much contradict thy corruptions As the good people in Nehemiah when they had been reproved and rebuked in the Congregation and told of their sins and made to cry out unto God they went home and ate their meat with all joy glad that they understood the words that were told them Neh. 8. 12. Thus thou wouldest to if thou wert zealous towards God but if thou goest about the duties of Gods worship as sorry peeces of businesse if thou dost not delight in prayer and in hearing the Word if thou canst sit wearisomely and when will the Minister have done a man may see it in thy countenance thou art not joyfull to hear this is a sign thou hast not one scruple of zeal towards God The poor impotent man in the Acts when Paul was a preaching he lookt so merrily and so greedily upon him as if he would fain have it faster then Paul could deliver he was a faithfull hearer The same heard Paul speak and Paul stedfastly beheld him and perceived he had faith to be healed Act. 149. He perceived he had faith how did he perceive it he perceived it by his countenance he could give a shrewd guesse by his looks while Paul was preaching he looked so cheerfully and so greedily upon him as if he drunk in every point that he said The man without doubt was zealous to hear The fifth sign of zeal towards God is rejoycing to see the forwardnesse of others I rejoyced greatly sayes Iohn to the elect Lady I rejoyced greatly that I found of thy children walking in the truth 2 Io. 4. Nay if you be zealous though it may seem a disparagement to thee that others should be as gracious and famous as thy self yet thou wilt joy in it it seemed to be a disparagement to Moses that Eldad and Medad of low rank in the Church that such as they should prophesie in the Camp Before Moses was counted the only Prophet of the Lord but now Eldad and Medad prophesie as well as he this I say might have seemed a disparagement to him yet he was so farre from repining thereat as
look to that pillar Thus it is with thee Thou shalt have little else besides prayer thou must get it out of thy fingers ends Now we that are Gods Ministers study all the week long to quicken you here when ye come to Gods House while ye are thinking of other matters but if God should once take away us from you all the work lies upon your backs and ye have little else besides Prayer and Gods Word for to help you O therefore be not slothfull in this businesse get a sure hold in Christ that ye may be able to hold in the evil day No matter though the world do deride you for if ye have true zeal sayes Chrysostome ye will fear praise or disprase no more then if you were all alone in the world and no man besides you If no perswasions can prevail with thee to the trading for this zeal that I speak of hear what the Lord Jesus doth peremptorily threaten It shall come to passe that I will spue thee out of my mouth The XIII Sermon Col. 3. 2. Set your affections on things that are above c. HItherto I have shewn how the affections must be set upon God and especially the zeal of them I have shewn the wofull estate of that soul that doth not set its affections this way together with sundry uses of the point Now let me perswade you with motives to this duty namely to set your affections on God The Apostle in this place useth five strong perswasions hereto as the words may also be construed First by a strong obtestation as a mother perswades her childe as ever thou art my childe do this for me If ye then be risen with Christ seek those things that are above If ye be risen with Christ set your affection on things above 〈◊〉 as ever ye be risen with Christ do it as he beseeches the Philipians If there be therefore any consolation in Christ if any comfort of love if any fellowship of the Spirit if any bowels and mercies fulfill ye my joy Phil. 2. 1 2. q. d. as ever ye acknowledge any comfort in Christ as ever ye beleeve any communion of the holy Ghost any mercies and bowels in God fulfill this exhortation this is a strong perswasion indeed for if this cannot prevail with you ye deny all the comforts of Christ ye deny all communion of the Spirit ye deny all the mercies of God and therefore it is strong as a mother counts it a strong entreaty to her childe as ever thou art my childe as ever thou takest me to be thy mother obey me in this for if her childe will not yeeld he must needs deny the womb that bare him and the paps that gave him suck Wilt thou deny the Lord Jesus wilt thou deny his resurrection and all interest in it if thou wilt not deny it set thine affections on God as ever thou art risen with Christ be sure for to do it Wilt thou set thine affections upon the things of this world when Christ entreats thee as ever thou art his to set thine affections on him Secondly The Apostle here perswades by a strong argumentation for ye are dead sayes he vers 3. Set your affections on things above not on things on the earth for ye are dead ye are dead to the things of this life will ye set your affections to those things ye are dead to ye are dead to the things of this life if ye be Christs and therefore set not your affections on them mortui non mordent as we say dead men bite not one another with slanders and reproaches did ye ever see a dead man go up and down drinking and bowzing whoring and gaming and carking and caring I 'le assoon beleeve that a dead man can do this as a true Christian I confesse that corruption may carry a good Christian into sin but he is dead to these courses he cannot set his affections hereon he is dead and will ye set your affections on the things of this world now ye are dead Bring a childe of God to your drinkings and your whiffings his affections are dead he hath no heart to them bring him to your sportings and your vain merriments and your fooleries you shall see him so dead to them that ye shall have no delight in his company S. Paul makes this an argument ab absurdo How shall we that are dead to sinne live any longer therein Rom. 6. 2. How is this possible I shall as soon beleeve it as that a dead man should walk along your streets in a winding-sheet What know you not this sayes he what a Christian and yet his affections on such courses as these this is impossible how shall ye So that this is another strong perswasion because ye are dead therefore set not your affections below Thirdly The Apostle here perswades by a strong reason Christ is your life ver 4. Life is sweet it is true and a mans affections are strong to his life vestes ac omnia vendes thou wilt part with cloaths and part with moneys and part with lands and part with all for thy life thine affections are strong set to life Now Christ is thy life or else thou art but a damned wretch if thou beest a true Christian Christ is thy life and wilt not thou set thine affections on thy life his Commandments are thy life his Word is thy life his ordinances are thy life his promises his favours his bloud are thy life and wilt thou not set thine affections on thy life If thou beest a true Christian thou wilt pray for life and repent for life and sanctifie the Sabbath for life and put up an injury and be obedient to God for life all thine affections conspire together for life thou lovest thy life and thou desirest thy life and thou rejoycest in thy life and thou fearest that which is hurtfull to life and hatest that which is contrary to life all thine affections will be to thy life and therefore set thine affections on Christ for he is thy life Fourthly The Apostle here perswades by a strong deduction When Christ shall appear then ye also shall appear with him in glory ver 4. this is an excellent motive to set thine affections on God because he will bring thee to glory every man affects glory Now all the glory of this world is a blaze as our Proverb is a good Proverb it is it is but a blaze and not worthy thine affections none but base hearts will affect this thou art the childe of wrath and damnation from the cradle to the coffin thou art going to hell and confusion if thou beest not a new creature in Christ and wilt thou affect to be a Gentleman affect to be a Knight or a Lord wilt thou affect to get credit and honour and repute among men to be praised by mens mouths this is even as if a thief should affect credit as he is going to
admittit sayes Quintilian the school admits all sorts of scholars So I may say of you the School of Christ admits all sorts of sinners among you There is never a wretch among you all but if now ye will be content to go to Christs school ye shall be admitted to learn The Lord give you hearts so to do O then set your affections on God the affections are the softnesse of the heart and this is the way for to soften them The XIIII Sermon Col. 3. 2. Set your affections on things that are above c. A Beginning hath been made to perswade you with motives that ye would set your affections on God Five motives have been noted that our Apostle handles in this Chapter and six motives that the theme it self does afford you Give me now leave to go on in the same point and to help you with more For if this point be not copious with motives no point can be copious All perswasion is by moving the affections whatever the theme be now when the affections themselves be the theme the matter of necessity must be copious and abundant other motives remain to set your affections above The first is taken from the everlastingnesse of the affections Our affections are everlasting in our soul especially some of them and those that are not when the soul is in hell the very want of them are a little hell to the soul for there shall be no joy no delight no hope no comfort no love and as the Stomack when it wanteth its meat it devoureth it self so these affections when the matter is wanting they shall eat up and devour up the soul There 's no matter in hell to joy at no matter in hell to delight in no comfortable matter to hope for no amiable thing for to love and this shall vex the soul with weeping and gnashing of teeth neverthelesse many of the affections whether a man go to heaven or to hell are everlasting affections joy and delight and love and all the liking affections shall be everlasting in heaven fear and horrour and hatred and grief and despair and shame shall be everlasting in hell there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth sayes the Text he does not say there shall be love or joy c. Now are the affections everlasting in the soul know this nothing but God can hold the soul tack as we say everlastingly It 's true we may affect meat for a while and raiment for a while and maintenance for a while and houses and wives and husbands and recreations for a while till we die but when death comes death takes off these objects for ever If thine affections were mainly set upon these things when these are all gone alas where art thou then thou art at a losse for ever and ever As Zophar sayes of the wicked though he had the world at will while he was living yet sayes he he shall perish for ever like his own dung they which have seen him shall say where is he Job 20. 7. Before he was at his pleasures and his profits and his businesses in the world there he was where his affections did run but now when his pleasures are all gone his house and his lands and his markets are all gone alas where is he He is now at a losse Zophar knew well enough where he is when he dies he is in hell to be damned and tomented for ever but he expresses it thus to shew that now he is at a losse Set thine affections then upon grace and upon the fear of the Lord for though thou diest this cannot die with thee It was a good answer of Stilpon when he lost his countrey and his children and his wife and his house and Demetrius said to him How now Stilpon where art thou now art thou not at a losse now 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 at a losse sayes he No no I have vertue still and righteousnesse still so if thou shouldest lose means and maintenance friends stays hopes health and all thou couldest not be at a losse were thine affections set upon Christ thou wouldest have thy faith still thy comfort still thy peace of conscience still assurance of heaven still Thine affections are everlasting and therefore set thine affections upon such things as are everlasting otherwise thou shalt be at a losse one day for ever and ever The second motive is taken from the infinitenesse of the affections the affections are infinite and therefore nothing in this whole world is able to satisfie them He that loveth silver shall never be satisfied with silver nor he that loveth abundance with encrease Eccles 5. 10 give him tens he would be glad with twenties give him them he could afford to have hundreds give him them he could desire thousands when he hath thousands he is never the nearer nothing satisfies him Give Alexander a world he desires another Take me a silly man give him a Curateship he desires a Vicaridge give him that he desires a Parsonage give him that he desires two Benefices give him that he desires a Prebendary an Archdeaconry and then a Bishoprick and if he were Pope of Rome he were not satisfied Take a voluptuous man give him pleasure to day he desires more to morrow from Cards to the Tables from them to Bowls from them to huntings and hawkings and so on he is never satisfied till he dies 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sayes Eustratius the affections are infinite even as the fire all the forrests and all the woods and all the fewell under heaven can never satisfie the fire give it faggots it could burn logs give it logs it could burn whole trees give it trees it could burn whole houses give it them it could burn the inhabitants Nay Solo compares the affections to the fire of hell aud the mouth of the grave that can never be satisfied Hell and destruction are never full so the eyes of man are never satisfied Pro 27. 20. The eye is never satisfied with seeing the ear is never satisfied with hearing still it desires further what news Pro. 30. 15. he compares them to the Horseleech give give sayes the Horseleech it 's ever sucking more and more and more it 's ever desiring the affections are infinite there 's nothing in this world can ever satisfie them did ever any meals meat so satisfie the stomack that it should never hunger more did ever suit of apparrell so satisfie the back that it should never wish to be cloathed more did ever Rent so sarisfie the Landlord that he should never desire another day to receive more The affections are infinite nothing in the world can ever satisfie them What good reason then is there to set thine affections upon God God is infinite and he can satisfie them He filleth the hungry with good things Luk. 1. 53. If the affections hunger after God he will fill them
Reason Because it is an infallible argument of our being or not being in Christ 1 Reason Because it is a matter of reasonable equity Yea of necessity 1. Because God is the principal object of our affections 2. Nothing but God hath that which the affections look for Because nothing is good but God Chrysoft 3. Because nothing is my good but only God 1. The good of the creature not thy good because but the good of the body 2. Because not so long as thou art 3. Because they will not take thy part Iuv. Sat. 13. 4. Nothing can rest the soul but only God 1. Because nothing but God is all good 2. Nothing but God is the ultimate good 3. Nothing is it self without God Vse It is a blessing of God that we have affections Apud Cic Tuscul 4. The affections are not in themselvs sinful 1. Because Adam and Eve had affections in innocency 2. Because Christ took our affections upon him 3. Because God doth command the use of the affections 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 vol. Arâ—â—â— Eth. l. 2. c. 6. Reasons why affections are necessary 1. Because without affections we should be like stocks 2. Because without affections we should be lazie and idle l de virtute morum in fine Plutarch ubi supra 3. Because affections are the channels of grace Iust Mar. Apol. 8. pro Christ ad Antâ—â— The first impediment that hinders the setting the affections on God because it is an hard thing to turn an antipathy or sympathy 2. The 2. impediment Because affections are the bewitchings of the heart Plutarch sympos l. 5 c. 7. Heliodor lib. 3. Hist 2. Del-Rio Disq mag lib. 2. c 3. 3. The 3. impediment Because affections are the estimations of the heart Chrys hom 7. in Iob. 4. The affections are the most natural temperaments of the heart 1. Ground We cannot set our affections on God unlesse we have a new heart Estsimill tudo Angeli Poliâ—iaâ—â— de irâ sed paulo secus applisat 2. Ground Nor unlesse we feed on Christ Means to set our affections on God 1. Pray to God to gether up your affections from the things of the world Hierom in Marcum 2. Light up 2 Candle in thy heart Suetonius 3. Occasion thine affections this way Oâ—casiones faciunt latrones Horat. 4. Let thine affections be often wooed to God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 5. To be sober and temperate in all things A man may be drunk with any passion Hier. Com. in Ezek. cap. 34. 6. To clip the wings of our affections by abstaining from much of our lawful liberty Vid banc regulam apud Greg l. 5. moral hom 3. super Evang. Pet. Mart. Chrysost in 1 Cor. 6. 1. 7. To be abundant in the exercise of godliness 8. Dive down to the bottom of thine affections Means to get up the bottom of the affections 1. Be humbled after thy turning unto God 2. Keep no close lust unmortified Vid. v. 21 22. 3. Consider God will shame thee one day if the bottom be not sound Regula moralis It concerns us to use all these means 1. Because the affections are the bonds of the soul Chrysost 2. Because earthly affections are the fore-stallers of the heart Ministers must labour to stir up the affections of their hearers L. 1. de invent c. 1. Keck Ecc. Rhet. l. 1. c. 3. Reasons 1. Because the Word is full of affections 3. The word looks to be obeyed with affections 3. Men are very dull in affections to embrace the Word A Minister must not stir up affections by the enticing words of mans wisdome 1. A Minister must stirre up affections by preaching to the life A saying of K. Iames 2. By being full of affections himself Summa movendorum affectuum in eo est ut prius ipse sis molus Quin Hor. de art Poet Com. in 1 Cor. 2. 4 Cal. Multâ— sunt clamosi reprehensores qui in vitia deciamitando vel potius fulminando mirum zeli arâ—orem prae se ferunt interea ipsi securi ut videantur per lusum latera guttera â—xercere vesle at Christiani â—astorus est flere secum priusquam alios ad fletum provocet plus apud se retinere doioris quam aliis faciat Dabis voci tuae vo cem virtutis si quod suades prius ipse tibi persuasisse cognoscaris Bern. Simonides apud Arist Epiced Haymo Jer. 9. 1. 3. A Minister may stirre up the affections of others by being godly himself L. 1. Rhet. cap. 2. Quis tulerit Graâ—chos c. Iuvenal L. 1. Sent. Spiritual Tetrast 4. Tit. 2. 7. Gregory 4. A Minister may stirre up affections by his voice Plutarch in Demost 5. By a decent action It is a great sin to set our affections on the earth Four Arguments to convince this truth 1. If a man sets his affections on the earth he sets all his affections on it Gal. 3. 1. 2. Affections hâ—mper and intangle the soul He was in love with his Noverca L. de ludo parvae sphaerae 3. The affections are in a high degree in regard 〈◊〉 the acts of the soul 1. As the affections are so are the thoughts 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Macâ—r hom 6. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Macar hom 16. Thinking is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Pla. Sophist 2. If thy affections be carnal so are thy lusts They are like stirpiâ— fibrae as Chrysostom compares them like the strings at the roots of the Tree Apud Damascen â— par c. 7. Gregory 3. If thine affections be carnal so are thy purposes Car. in Pro. 15. 22. 4. If thy affections be carnal so are thy devices Qui praeter usâ—â—ata mala alia excogitant â—asil Theodoret alij in loc The extremity of the affections is zeal and it is due only to God Zelus quid 5. Things in zeal 1. A high measure of affections 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Clavasius saith it 's fervor Divinae charitatis 2. Zeal a high measure of all the affections In prol sâ—n dub 3. 3. With all the might of the soul 4. The putting forth of all the affections 5. Upon a thing that the heart doth absolutely affect Zeal is due only to God 1. Because it is the religious part of the affections 2. Because zeal is the most of every affection 3. Zeal is the peculiar pitch of every affection 4. Zeal is the most spending part of the affections 5. Zeal is the impatient part of the affections Vse 1. God demands the zeal of our affections 2. We are bound to give God 〈◊〉 affections Jer 48. 10. 3. On pain of damnation 1. In Cant. Serm. 49. August Saâ—it unus quisque quod didiclt Proverb 1. Zeal is the firâ—â— of the soul Chrysost 2. Zeal is the running of the soul Tiberius Nero. 3. Zeal is the predominant element in the soul 4. Zeal is the self-cruelty of the soul 5. Zeal is the brand of the soul Ambros Act. 1. 23. 6. Zeal is the transporting of the soul out of it self 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 â—ayes Aristotle servants have no leisure 7. Zeal is the strength of the soul 8. Zeal is the confidence of the soul Sperant omnes quae cupiunt nimis sayes Lucian Rev. 21. 8. Signs whether the zeal of thine â—ffections be set on God 1. Sign If thine affections be notable to God-ward 2. If thou beest impatient of sinne 1. Zeal cannot abide any sinne 2. In any person 1. In friend 2. In childe 3. In wife or husband 4. In a rich man 5. In ones self 3. It cannot be quiet without assurance of Gods favour 4. Glaadness to further and be furthered in the waies of God 5. Rejoycing to see the â—orwardnesse of others Camment in Iob. 6. Zeal to Gods Church and people The 7 sign shewing most zeal when the Lord threatneth to be going away Ferrum quando calet cudere quisque valet Means to make us zealous 1. Frequent Meditation Hier. Ep. ad Deme triadem 2. A constant practise of godliness Philos Seneca Psal 119. Ver. 154. Ver. 156. Ver. 149. Ver. 159. Ver. 88. Ver. 107. 4. Shunning the occasions of sin Gen. 14 23 Nemo diu tuâ—us periculo proximus Terent. 5. Means to eschew the beginnings of sinne VigilanduÌ„ est maximè tentationis initio Greg. Exhortation to be zealous 1. Else you can never be revenged on your worst enemies Iuvenal Sat. 13. 2. Zeal enables us to doe good unto others Theodoret in locum 3. Peoples zeal encourageth Ministers Mic. 7. 1. Ambros Chrysost 4. Zeal makes a man excell Proverb 5. Zeal makes men like Angels Gregor Ambros 6. We have greatneed of zeal In the context are these motives to set our affections on God 1. Because else we deny our interest in Christs resurrection 2. Because we are dead to the things of this world 3. Because Christ is our life Vt vitam redimas Horat. 4. Because Christ will bring us to glory 5. If our affâ—ctions be not let on Christ they are out of order Other motives to set our affections on God 1. Because it is easie to prosecute that we affect L. 4. c. 12. de doctr Christ 1. A man is not ashamed of what he affects Agesilaus Philopaem 3. What the â—ffections be upon they will hanker after that Seneca de tranq 4. Our affections spur uâ—on to what we affect Melan. in Ethic. Lud Viv. l 3 de animâ 5. 6. Affections are the softnesse of the heâ—rt Phi. Iud. l. de sacrif Ab. Cain Quint. Other motives to move the affections 1. From the everlastingnesse of the affections Stilpon Plat. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sen in Epist 2. From the infinâ—tâ—nesse of the affections Ca. 7. l. 10 Ethn. ad Nicon Horat. Boeth Luk. 2. 28. 3. From the cloyedness of the affections Hor. Ep. 14 In omnibus rebuâ— magis offendâ—â—nimium quam parum Cic. 4. From the preciousnesse of the affections 5. From the instability of the affections 6. From the jealousie of the affections 7. From the tyranny 〈…〉 affection◠〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Vid. Ezek. 14. 3 4 5. c.