Annesley - Houston-Packer Collection BX9327 .M6 1664

__. ------__ 104 Nowmay we be fe Spiritual, a to Serm.s, Pfa1.73.z. RN1e 9. aandingout of harms way : do not gaze upon temptations, but pray with David, Lord turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity, Pfal.i fig. 37. If thou perceive(l thy feet are almefi gone, thy Reps had well nigh flipt, it is furely high time for thee if thoucanft to run away ; nor will is be reckoned thy cowardize, but thy valour in the day of thine ac- count, thus to retreat from the enemy. It is a very wife mans counfel concerning the haunts and converfes of the profrne, RYter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the may of 'evil men, avoid it, _pa;? not by ;it, turn from it, and Ks away, P.ov.4.i4,i 5. again con- cerning the orange woman, Remove thy way far from her, and cone not nigh the dear of her hoasfe, chap. 5.8. And again concerning occafi- ons of intemperance, be mot among winegibbers, among(l riotous eaters of flef11, chap.a3.2o. and ver.31. Loop not on the wine when it le red, when it giveth its colour in the cup, when it moveth it felf aright, i.e. when it fparkles and vapours in the glafs, when it laughs in thy face, and invites thy lip,then fhut thy eyes, left fin flea' in upon thee.Do not imitate the filly Lark whichby the pleafing contemplation of the little piece of glafs,that glitters in the Sun, while the Fowler twines it abour, is enticed nearer and nearer, forgetting or overfeeing the net, which ere longoverwhelms ìt.Vouchfafenot to admit the Temprer to a Pari; the Poets fable ulyffes to have flopt his ears at theenchaunting voi- ces of the Syrens. Be thou as the deaf Adder to that great Charmer : thebell entertainment thou canil give him. is ---- Get thee behind me Satan. Bind thy felf beforehand with the feverell of thy refolutions, not to null thy own judgement, when the Temptation begins to get within thee : a man in paffion is not himfelf, Periit judicium cum res tran¡îit in affethee. One diflempered with the morbru arcaratau, the 7aundife, black or yellow, is apt to impute the colour his eye isvitiated with, to every obje6t ; whowould trufl fuch a judge ofcolours ? or the palate of one in a Feaver, tp ditlinguifh of Talles ? It is a good rule under the diforderof temptation mij oo,ci7n^Eîm, never credit thy own appre- henfìor s at fuch a time. If thou take(i thy felf yielding in the leafl, flare back with abhorrence, and chide thy rafhnefs, appealingfrom thyprefent diflra6ted,to thy ancient and wiferfelf; from thy felfafleep and difordered, to thyfelf awakeand lober, at other times. Jonah's judgement was weak and childith ( though a Prophet) when hewas under that temptation of impatient anger, jon.4.9. 1 do well to be , angry, a faucy and bold anfwer to his God 1 he fhould not have trufled his prefent fentiments, for he was not himfelf. As one that befpeaks an

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