Babington - Houston-Packer Collection BV4655 .B23 1615

Queftions and Aníwers to.Command. Lord,and in the next Chapter, There it no condemnation to them that are in Chrill refits, Rom.7.as. which wal e not afterthe flefh ;but afterthefp:rit. For the lame efthefpirit oflife which isin Cbsp.8.t. ChriffJ efue bath freed mefrom the law offsnne and ofdearh. So that we fee it isChrilt,in whom,and by whom, and for whom we are not charged with the condemnation due ' to concupifcence and corruption ingrafted and growing in vs. Quell. But it then allelefire andaffefdion and all courting vnlawfull bythiscom- mandement? Anfw.No indeede,for God bath created affeelions and deflect in men,as mirth,ioy, hunger, thirft, &c. And they would haue beene in man though bee had neuer fallen, they fhould haue loued their children , their parents , andlreinds euen ftanding and abiding in innocency,and therefore thefe things are not curl!. Nay, the want of them maketh a monflrous abfurdity in nature,and therefore not to be maintained. The in. flruments ofaffeCtions,and dclight,and dolor, created by the Lord, proouc them al.. lowcd,the law of Godcommaodeth them,and reprooueth their want , Ghrifl our fa- uiour vntouched by finne !hewed them in great mcafure, they are fpurs, andprickes veto vertue in vs,and therefore allowed.Befides numbers of other rcafons that might be alleadged. e)uefl, what el fedoeyouobferuein the commandement? Anfw. I doe tritely weigh the particulars that God reliraineth our couetting it,and I fee them to be luchas molt commonly, and moll without checke, men fulfer them- felues to be carried away withal!. As the houle of my neighbour that is his inheri- tance, lands, andpofftffons,whichwefo greedily often beholde and marke,wifhing and willing them faire otherwife thauaChriflian hart flrould. We can flatter our Idle with our offering of money for them, not rcmembring that fo did Achab for N.t- 'baths vineyard,and ret grieuoully offended.Our neighbours wife or any other wiues husband, God know es the finfull thoughts they caufe within vs. For coueting the childe againft parents liking, and, inciting away the feruant of another againfi their good,they be things wherein fewe of our hearts haue any feeling. And for their cat - cell,with fuck finfull eies we looke vpon them , that we euer thinke our neighbours bullocke bath a fayrer yowrc, thanour own hath,asthe Poet fpeaketh: and therfore, Wifely in the naming of thefe particulars hash the Lord taught vs wherein commonly our thoughts offende,andwhat moll carefully we are to take heede of. Alto I further confider themarueilous care and flriEtregard, that euery Chrilliantnan and woman ought to haue of their fenfes, feeing all euill thoughts are forbidden. For it is the eye and the care, that fendeth in finne in flore into our harts , and neuer fhallwe haue the one reformed vnleffe there be a fiable couenant made with the other. The heart will conceiue wickedly ifthe eyes freely behold vanities. But checke the one and yeflay the other marueiloufly. And no more quench you the fire by withdrawing the wood, than aflùredly you flay the courfe of wicked conceits,whenyou watch and ward well ouer your fenfes. uefl. But Iprayyou what fhallwethlnkrofdreames ,whicb ferny tobefrnfull,andwe cameo: amend them ? Anfw. We muff confider the caufes of them , and thereby, as well as we can, growe to force right conceit of our offending by them, and in them, The caufes are tither inward or outward, and of inward, either the triode it felfe or the body. For often Both the minde,the body fleeping,and the fenfes refiing,remcmber thofe things which it waking conceiued, and either defied orfeared. Alto the diuers comple- xion and temperature of the body occafoneth diuers kindes ofdreames, whereby the Ihhiftion will guelfe the nature of the body,and caufes ofdifeafe in the ficke. Chafe- rick men will d reame of fires and downefals. Melancholìcke men of monftruous and horriblethinges. The phlegmatike ofwaters and dul matters : And the fangnine of pleafant and comfortable euents. The outward caufes are an diuers,as the influence of the heaue ns , the circumflance ofelements, neceffty andwant ,. fomehapning chance and fueh like. Thus doe hungry men dame ofinea t, drunken men of moiflure, lob.r;.r.

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