Serra. 22. Wherein are we endangered by things lawful( ? 531 Lord Chrift doth clear to us, Matti) 6 25, 26. And he warns bis Difcip les in a fpeciall manner againa all fuch cares Li:ke 21. 34. cp xt 77Y Si' 6. That comfort which thou art not dead unto, neither is that dead to thee, thou wilt hardly enjoy with lafety to thy [elf, or thou wilt part withal( but upon fevere terms. If when God by his providence calls for Cab er fuch a comfort, Husband, Wife, Child, yet thou canff not, you will not refign and give np that comfort at Gods call ; but thou growth impatient and fallen, when he doth but attempt to bereave thee of it : God may perhaps let thee have thy 1uí1, as he dealt with the Ijraelites, Pfal. 78.18,3o. but thou fhalc have that comfort without any contort, it may b: with a curfe. When we cannot bear the thoughts of either abfence or lofs et fuch or fuch things, cannot endure the thought of parting : it is like the tearing effá limb from the body, when God takes away fuch a Husband, or Wife, or Child, or Eliate, &c. It argues that t hey were greatly abufed while we had them. If there were an indifferency of fpirit in us, as the Apoille fpeaks, I Cor. 7.29, 30, &c. That they that were married, were as if they were not married, d-c- they would . part upon eater terms by far. When the life is bound up in a com- fort, it is death to parr,Gen.44.22, 3o. as it was with 7acob to his Benjamin. When the creature bath got too great an interefi in thee, that thou canfl by no means bring thy heart to think of leaving it, or its leaving thee, though God Teems to call for ir, the heart begins fe- credy to rife up agaitcfl God, and to murmur and quarrel! at provi, dence, this argueth a very carnal( heart. If the heart did hang loofe from thefe,chtngs, thou mightef} injoy them with more comfort, and part themwith more cafe. 7. If after God hack been weaning us in a more fpeciall manner by his Word and Rod , and taking off our hears from cur worldly comforts, yet thelirong bent of the foul is towards them ; it argues much carnal( love to them that we are not crucified co thofe comforts. When the foul hath its ferret finfull converfe and fellowfhip with a creature-comfort, againfl its own conviction to the contrary; it may be thou hall repented, or at 1eaf1 hall feemed to rep: nr of fuck away and courfe, yet for all this, thy heart continually hargs that way : and as it is Prov. 9. 17. Her Han waters are f meet , and bread tRten. :n ferret is pleafant, whgn a ftolu glance 9f the eye, a ßola kits from
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=