Fenner - Houston-Packer Collection BX5133.A1 F37 1657

fredtife ofthe ffJeElioti.% hemarried untoChrift , thou art the worlds fpoufeand thedevils fpoufe, when thine affections be inordinate. Uncleanneiteand inordinate affitttio:i, the Apoftle puts them together Mortify yourmembers which are on the earth, fnvr ication,uncleanneffe, inordinate affechon,Col.3. 5. So that thy foul is afilthy autd unclean foul, that haft thofe inordinate affections uninortified in thee, thy foil' is a fit fpoufe for the unclean ipirir, and not for Chriftand therefore it deeply concerns you to have your affections fer right, becaufe thereby on- ly areye marriageable toChrift. Secondly, Nereby onely does thefoulfit up favorites in her heart: thofe are the _ hearts favorites whom the heart moft affects. Now if Chrift be not thy d thbherpie hearts favorite,what awoful conditionartthou in?It bath been theundoing jetfav°nrirer of many a Prince, the havingof ill favorites ; and that foul inuit needs be for in tee bea r. ever undone,that hath ill favorites in her heart.As loon asJoferhwas in favor with the the Keeperof the prifon, Iofeph prefently hadall at command , no- thingwas done,but tofeph was the doer of it, Gen.39.2 t, He was no fooner ¡n favour,but he wasDominusplc torum,as We fay; heruled all then. Look what thy heart does affect,that is in favour with thyheart; that is Dominus fac to- tun:. if thypleafures and thy vanitiesbeonce infavour with thy hearr,Chrift can have nocommand ofthy heart, nofurther than thy lufts will give leave; thoit canft not reform any thing that is amiflè, no further than thy lulls will give leave : wouldit thou repent,or ftand for Gods glory?thoucanft not un- lefle thy lofts do give leave : wouldit thou be reproved , or well couúfclled thou canft not unleffe thy lulus will give leave, as long as thy lofts are in fa- your with thy heart, they governall, theycommand all , thy mind goes as they tend, thythoughts come as they call, thy courfes are as they will. I will give thispeoplefavour in the fight of the Egyptians , and they fhall f oyle the Egyp- tians, Exod.3. 21,22. When theywere once in favour with them,they might t fpoyle them,and rob them,and borrow any Jewels of them , andnever pay themagain; they might do any thing,wheri theywere in favour with them. 0 themtferyòf the foul, when the world,or pleafure,or fin,or the like are in favour with it, they fpoyle it,and rob it , and bereave it of all the Jewels it hath;Chrift cando nothing to any purpofe with that foul,that favours other thingsbetides Chrift. Now ifthine affections be not feu right , thy favour is notright fet : this is the reafouwhy thou art wedded to the world,and wed- ded to thy lufts,that thine affections cannot be untoChrift. When Hadad hadgreat favour withPharaeh,. Pharaoh even married his own wives fitter unto Hadad, i Ki»g.t t.I9. He made himhisbrother, he brought him into the neareft relation he could , when his favour was feu towards him. So if thoufavour&the things of this life,thouweddeft thy foul to them. What an infinite indignity is this unto Chrift, that fuch bate and fordid things íhould be in favour, and Chrift not be thy foules favourite ? Thirdly , hereby the foule is convertible and reconeileabie to God. Be a mannever tocroffe and crooked, never fo cruelly and implacably bent to Hereby tbe tranf reffe et as long as therebe of e&ions in him tobewrought, his heart f°ut is c°nverri- maybe tvorme. ThoughaKings wrath be as the roaring of aLion, though b leaó etrod. he be never fo fallen out with a man, yet as long as there be affe&i- ons in the King, patience,wifdom, and humbling ones felf,and the like,thefe things may perfwadehim : by long forbearing isa Princeperfwaded, Prov. 15.15. Withoutamanhave any affections inkim, he is,not capableof per- fwafion, ¡c rà 4,a. J' pcus j.IAraßaM.,Tts, &c. fayes .Ariftotle. The affections Rbet, e, r. are theywhereby a man is mutable. For though it be aweakueife to bemu- table, yet when a man is evill..and wicked, it's ableffed weaknefe that he ismutable from himfelf. Now if a man begrievoully Let upon mifchiefe, though he be an enemyofall grace and ofgoodncífe, yet as long as there be any affections left inhim, he is not an implacable enemy: no, his of-" D z fectiong'

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