'fhe Danger of Pro(perity. fpcrity inclines fenflial Petfons ro this wrcrehed neglect of God. The World, with all its def1rablc things has the Domm10n and full Poifelfion of the Undedlandmgs, Memories and Hearts of Men, _and ferious Thoughts, with warm Affections towards God arc banifh'd from d1em. · 'Tis the CharaCter of a wicked Pcrfon, but moil: proper to him in ~ his Profperiry, God is not in all his. thouf}ts. Of this Ir~piecy ~here are iC\7C~alD~grees: Ptai.Io. + the higheft is explicit Arheifin, a dtsbelief of God and lus ~rovtdcnec, of lus Bemg and ~r~""7,ije·:;~~~\~n~~~:~i:d~ ~~e!,fi~~~~,b~i~l~e~~~~;~~~;e:,~'Jc~~~J~~c~~~;f,~~h';',~~~ of 'this World. Of this we have aftonifhing Inl\anees in the Scripture. Nebuchadnezz.ar tranfported in a vain-glorious Auih of Joy, at the vi.ew of his magnificent \Vor.f~s, breaks forth in thofc lofty infolcnt ExprciTions; Is not tbts great Bale! that I have luilt, for the Houfe of my Kingdom, by tbe migbt of my PoJVer, ancl tbe honour of my Majd/y ? as if he had been raifcd by his own Power, and dtd nor owe lns Grca~ne~s to the King 1 • of Heaven. Thus 'tis eharg' d againft the Prince of iyrus, 11y Heart 1s lifted up becaPft E"k oS; •· of tby Ricbes; ·and thou baj/ faid, I am a God,, and.fit in tbe Seat of God; and tboufettdf tbine Heart as the Heart of God. He prefum d that hts Throne for Glory and Stab!try was like the Divine Kingdom, that cannot _be fhakcn, and forgot that he was a frail Man in a mutable World. Plentiful Ptofpenty is fo ftrong a Temptation to Atheifm, that a wife and holy Saint earnefily deprecated it as a pernicious Snare : Give me not Prov. p. 9, Ricbes, .Id/ I be full and deny. tbee, andfay, Who is tbe Lord? The catna! Heart, in tbe full frutrion of rhe World, ·IS apt to afcnbc all ro the courfc of Nature, or ro humane Contrivance and Endeavours, without any fcrious acknowledgm~nt of the Divine Liberality and Beneficence. Prodigious Ingratitude,. and equal Folly! As if one fl10uld imagine that a Fountain of Water had not tts ongmal from the Sea, but from the Marble Stones, through which it immediately and ~ifib~y fprings. Or as if it were reqnitite the Hand of the Giver fl1ould be as vifible as lus Gtfts. Now altho' few arrive to this heighth of Impiety in actual Thoughts and open Words; yet profpcrous Sinners are always guilty of an interpretative and virrpa_1 Denial of God , they have nor a folemn grateful remembrance of their Be~cfador and Ius Benefits, and a due ienfe of their dependance upon him. It was the wile and holy Counlel of Mofes to '!:o:J,.r;:~:;"z,!:·!~J:f:f'!ft. o~;,~"'1~~v~~:,!)~~:.f1o~g~~ ~z;'r:~}ndTlt~o~~u:i:,":;;. o••,. 6. "' cnforc'd, intimates a finful 'Difpolirion in the car~ial Heart~ in Proiperity ro l~eg!ect God. There may be a notional remembrance of him 111 the Mmd, a naked a!Cnpnon of all good things to his Providence, a comp~emental Vifit in exterior Worfhip; yet ""ithour an inward cordial Scnfe of our dear Obligations for his mofl: free favour~ . The Apo.., file charges tiJe Ricb -~n tbis World, not to trufl in uncertain RiciJ~S, but iu tbe living God. So foolifhly arc Men prone to depend for protection, reputation,.. and provifion of all ~~~ t~h~~~~~:~~rfC"~~~~~;t :~~~d~~~rn'~~r:llu~~~~~~~~~~~~d~~~~f~~~ God their Rock, ( 2.) Supream Love to God is an indifpenlible Duty ·from Men upon the aeeotint of ~:~~~~~~~,~;~o~11~ :~~Z~~~~~~~ s:~~n:~;:e~~d wTtX":/!';~ ';;;:t~~~,.1s'";;; j!J?nf;;;;; Commantlment, a.nd c_onfCq~;cntly ~ coldhefs .~nd mdtff'erency to God, mi~ch more a ftrong ave~fion from hun,_ IS a.Sm of the mofl: hcmous nature: now Profpenty has a fpeciai ma!tgnity to difincltne the Heart from Goo. The fupream Love of God includes an Act of the Underftanding,. a tranfeendent efteem of his Favour; TiJy lrruing·kindnefs is bet-, fer than Lif~; Jt infptres the Soul. \~Ith ard~nt ~efrr~s afrer lum ;_ My Soul follows bard after thee; 1t produces the mofi: Joyful fattsfaCbon 111 Commumon with him. The Thoughts of God are unfpeakably precious andfweet; the Ordinances, the blcifed Means of eonveymg his Grace, ate highly valued; arid Sin that difpleail:s and feparates froni God, is hated as the greateft EviL Now the, So'ul mull: be refined to a heavenly temper; to fome degrees of Ange!tcal Puttty, before ttS capable of Ltght to fee his fpititual Excellencies,. and Love to enjoy them. And if the Soul does not make the Boay Heavenly and Spttttual, the Body will make the Soul Eatthly and Flelhly. Froin hence it is that the affluence of thmgs pleafing to the Senfes, faftens the carnal Heart to the World as us Happinefs and Heaven; it darkens the Mind, and vitiates the Affcc1ions, that that the Soul can neither tajle nor fee how good the Lord is. 'Tis the univerfal Character of Men m the carnal State; they are lrruers of Pleafure, more than 107!ers of God. And a re~er degree of Love IS_ comparative Hatred. A Sm of afionifl1ing guilt, ~trd notlefs oc)tous to God, an~ dammng in its Nature, rho' little obferved apd refen'ted by carnal Men: For the lugheft Difltonour of God ts complicated with Difobedlen'ee in it. A, Sm that deferves and inflicts the foreft Punifl1mcnt; for God a!oJte, whofe goo~~~~t~:
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