Vireaiom for young Chrijlians. 57 9· 12 . But alas, it is you your fclve'i that arc the caufes of this, an~ _bring the matte~ of your griev– :ance v•irh you: God h~th commanded you a {Weeter work. It is a life of Lo~e, and J~Y1 and cheer– tu\ progrcfs to crlrnal JOY that he reqmreth of you; and no more fear or gnef than IS necdfary to {(parare you from fin, and teach you to value and ufe the re_mcdy. The Gofp~l prefenteth to you fuch abundant matter of joy and peace, as wou\d make rhdt; the very complexion and cemperatu~e ot yot~r fouls, if you received them as they are propounded. Keligiout fears when they are inordi– nate and hurtful, arc finful and indc<'d againrl Religion; and mull ~e rehfi:td as _orh~ hur(ful r:a_ffions~ Bebecrer acquainttd with Chrift and his promifes, and you will..Ond enough m hun to pac1tie the foul, 3 nd give you conlidence and holy boldnefs in your accefs to God , Hch. ~·. to. Ephef. 3· 12. Heb. 10 , 19 •. The Spirit which he givcth, is not the Spirit of bQnd.tge, but the SpuH ofAdoption, of Love and Confidence, Rom. 8. 15. Hcb. z, l 5· §. 1 "'· 6. Another thing tine mJketh Religion feem grievous, is retaining unmortified fcnfual de- 6. By unmor– fircs. jf you ketp up your lulls, thty wilt {hive againU the G?[~el, and all the works of the Spirit tificd lulls. which {hive againji tbcm, Gll. 5· I7· And every dHIJ w~ill be {o far u11P,Ieaf.mt ~o you as you are carnal becanfe it is againH your carn4l inclination and dc:hre. Away therdorc wuhyour beloved ficknef;, and then both your fJijdand your Phyficion will be lefsgrievous to you. lvlortifie the jltjh, and Rom.s. 7, g, yozt will hfi dijrelijh tiJe thingi cf the Spirit. FQr the camal mind is enmity agai11jl G(d; For it is not jUbjeli Jo /Ji,J Law, nor cJn be. . 9· 14 . 7· Anorhcr caufe of confounding and wearying you, is the mixture. of you~ al1Hal jin1, 1· By o.ctuU dealing untlithfully wlth God, and wou?ding your Confcicnces, by renew~~ gmlt, efpectally of fins fin. againlt knowledge and confideration. It you thus keep d1c b0ne out of )omt, and the wound un· healed, nq marvel if you are loth to work or travaiL But it is your fin and folly that ihould be grievous ro you, and not that which is conuary to .it, and would remove the caufe ot all your trou· blcs. RdOJvedJy forfake your wilful finn\ng, and come borne by RepeittanCe toward! God, and faith towards our Lord Jef«~ Chrijl, ( Ails 20. 2 1.) and then you willlind that when the thorn is out, your p3in will cea{e , 11nd that the caufe of ycur trouble was not in God or Religion, but in yoz,r fin. §. '5· 8. Lafily, To make Religion unpleafant to you, the Tempter would keep tl:ie fub!lance of 8 By ;gno· the Gofpel unknown or unobfcrved to you; He would hide the wonderful Love of God revealed in our ranee 0~ rte Redc.emer, and all the riches of faving grace, and rhe great deliverance and priviledges of believ. G:C;e~.' t e <rs, and the certain hopes of lire eternal : And the Kingdom of God whi_ch confi!ieth in righteoufncfs, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghofi, !lull be reprefent'ed to you as confifiing in errors only, or in trifles; in {hadows andChews, and bodily exercifc which profitteth lictlc, 1 1im. 4• 8. If ever you would know the plcafures of faith and holinefs, you muillabour above all to know God as revealed in· his infinite Love in rhe Mediator, and read the Gofpel as Gods Act of Oblivion, and the Tdlament and Covenant of Chrifi, in which he giveth you life eternal: and in every duty draw near to. God as a recon~iled .Father, che o~je~ of yo~r e~erlafiing Love and Joy. K~tow and ufe Religion as it is without miflakmg or corrupting It, and H will nut appear to you as a gnevous, tedious or con.. founding thing. Direct. '4· BE very diligmt in mortifying the dejim and pleafum of tht fojiJ; and k._eep a conti- Direl/. , 4 , nual watcb upon your {en[es appettte aHd lujh; and cajl not your [elves upon temptati• ons, occafions or opportunities of finnlngJ remembring that your falvation lytth qn your fucce.JI. 9· •· The lufts of the flen,, and the pleafures of the world, are the common enemy of God and fouls, and the damnation of thofe fouls that perifh. And there is no fort more lyable to temptati~ ons of this kind, than thofe that are in the flower of their youth and firength. When all the fenCes arc in their vigour, and ~~~and appe~iteare in_ their firength and fury, how great is thed,anger? and how grear mufi yojlr dJIIgence be If you wlil efcape ? The appetite and lu£1 of the weak and fick, arc wea~ and fick as wdl as they; and therefore they arc no great temptation or danger to them. The dehre and pleafure of the lenfes do abate, as natural firength and vigour dotb abate : To fuch there IS much lefs need of watchfulndS : and where nature hath mortified the fldh, there is forne· wh~t the Jefs for grace to do. There needs not much grace to keep the aged and weak from forni.. c.al~on, unclc~nne(.;;, exceffivc fports and carnal mirth: and gluttony and drunkennefs alfo are fins wh\Ch youth IS. much more lyable to. Efpecially forne bodies that are not only young and firong, but ha~e 10 :heu .temperature and cornplex10n a fpecial inclination to fomc of thefe (as lufi, or fport, or foo.hfh mtrth ~ there. necdeth a great. d.eal of diligence, refolution and watchfulnefs for their pre– fervatton. Lufi IS not l1ke a corrllpt opmu:m that furprizeth us through a defect ofReafon and va– nirheth as foon as truth appcareth; Bm it i~ a brutifh inclination, which though Reafon ~ufi fub– due and govern, yet the perfeCl:eH Reafon will not extirpate; but there it will fiill dwell. A'"nd as it is ~ot~ta~ttly wi'b you, it will be jtirring, when objects are prefented by the fc:nfc or f::mtafie toallure. And H ts l1kc a torrent, or a head-Jlrong Horfe,. that mufi be kept in at firft, and is hardly refiraincd if it once break loure_and get the ht:ad•.If _¥ou a_re bred up in temperance and modeJly, where there arc no great tcmpc~tJons to gluttony'· drmkmg~ fports or wantonnefs, you may think a whi1c ·rhat your uatu~~..) have ltttle or none of thts conf;Uplfcence, and fo may walk withoat a guard; But when · I2 ~u
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