,_fi)elf- oenpal. s E c T. IQ. Of the Denyal of o11r worldly Profits: and firft of Cautions. 3 • wE are conditionally to deny our common ends, which naturally men purfue and feek after, as profit, pleafure, a'nd honour. I fuall being with the firll, { Cautions. viz. Profit, In profecution of which I fuall give the The Cautions are thefe- · Directions. - r. It mull: be granted that word/y profits, fuch as houfes, lands, polfeffions, are a bleffing of God, and ufefull in their kind and places; namely, becaufe they ferve for the refrefl1ing, comforting, fupporting of our frail weok bodies, while we live in this world. And hence it is that God of his infinite bounty and free grace hath undertaken Pfal.34· 9, 10. and promifed to make competent provifion for his children. 0 fear the Lordye his S4tnts, for tbere is no want to them that fear him ; theyoung Lyons do lack and fujfer Pfzl.;7. 3, n. h~enger, but they that feek__the L ordjhall not want anygood thing.-- Truft in the Ldrd, and do good,fo ]halt thOI< dwell in the land, and verily thou Jhait be fed-The mee"-.Jha/1 inherit the earth, andJha/1 delight themfe/ves in the ab1mdance ofpea,·e. --Seek.ye firft. Mauh. 6. ;;, the Kingdom of God, and a/Lthefe things frail be added unto yolt. All thefe argue that earthly cnjoyments arc in themfelves mercies, and the bleffings of God to godly men. z. Notwithftanding this,.yet we mufi deny them as in thefe Cafes.- I. As temptations and fnares; when they arc either baites unto ftn. Thus Simon Magm A(h 8 · 20 " 'offering money for the gifts of the Spirie, the Apoll:Ic doth :ibhorre fo abominable a negotiation. Though on id•/ be made offtlver andgold, yet being an Idol,it mufi be thrown away wi;h deteftation ltks a menftruoHs cloth. Even the brazen ferpent when it If•; 30 . 22 ; became a fnare by the abufe of men, it is no longer preferved as a monument ofmercy, b~t broken in peeces as Nehujhan, apeece cf brajfe. Or when they are themfelves the 2 :Kincs 16. 4 • fruits and wages offtn. Thus Zacheus denyes himfelfin all his unjtill: gain which he had gotten by fycophancy and defraudation; and when Chrill: offered t• come into his hoHfe, he would not fuffer Mammon to fuut the door again£1: him ; R:clhtution .as it is a moll: necelfary, fo it is one of the hardell: parts of Setfdenyall; when a covetous·heart mull: be forced to vomit up all his fweet morfels again ; unjuft gain is like a barbed arrow, it kills if it flay within the body, and pulls the llefu away if it be drawn out. z. As oblations and.facrifices, when Chrill: calls us to dedicate them unto him, then· we mull: deny them. Thus when .Abrah«m was called from his country into a land of fojourning which he knew not ; and when Daniel was called from a Kings court to a den of Lyons; when Mofes was called from the honours of Egyp: to the afflictions of Gods people; when the Difciples were called from their nets and !hips to followChrifti immediaeely they •·onfulted not with Jlefh and blood, but willingly left their own comforts to obey Gods commands. All we are, or have, we have it on this conditionto ufe it, to leave it, to lay it out, to lay it down, tmto the honour ofour Mall:er, fromwhofc bounty we received it. sE G T. II. Of the mitnner of Denying our worldly hoftrs. THe directions of Self-deny~/ in refpetl: of our worldly profits are thefe.··:·-- I. Look we on worldly profits as vanity,nothing; Wilt tbOJJfet thine eyes 11pon th•t IVhieh is not (faith Solomon) for riches certainly mak.f themfe/ves wings, theyjl.y away as an, Eagle. Obferve firll:, that riches are not, they are nothing; Thole things that make men great in the eye of the world, are nothing in the eyes of God. 2. Obferve, the holy Gholl: would not have us fo· much as fet our eyes upon riches, they are not objeCts worth the looking on. 3 • Obferve with what indignation hefpcaks aga,in!hhofe that will fet their eyes upon them, Wilt thouJet thine eyes upon that whi•·h is not? q. d. \Vhat avaine, unreafonable, fonifu, feJlfele!fe ~hingis this? 4· Obferve,that he fayes, their part!Oil
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