The Ple.1 of the Flejh,pleafers. The Plu of §. I 5· I -v. ObjeCt. 1· TYbat bttrt Uit to God, or any OJ!C clje, 1hat I plca[t myJltflJ? I wiU not be– lldh-p:eafm.Jieve that a tbingfo barmlcfi will difpleJjf him. Anfw. Mecr,y as it is Plea{ure, ir hath no hurt in it: But as it is i~tordimtte or immoderate plealure; or as it is O'l.lCrloved., and prettrred before God and your falvation; or as it is greater than your delight in God; or as it wants irs proper end, and· js lovtd meerly for it fdf, and not ufed as a means ro higher things; and as it is made a hindcrance ro the foul, and to fpirirual pleafurr, and the fervice of God ; and as it is the bruitiCh delight of an ungo– verned rebellious appetite, that mallereth reafon, and is not under obedience to God. Though fin can do God no hurr, it can do )'OU hurt, and. it can do him wrong; l think l have tl1ewed you what hurt and.poyfon is in it already: It is the very rebellion of corrupted nature: The turning of all things uphdc down; The taking down God, and Heaven, and Reafon, and dellroying the ufe of all the creatures, and letting up FleftJ·pleaji11g, int1ead of all, and mak'\ng a Bruit your God and Go– vernour. An.d do you ask what barm tbere is in tbis l So will your child do, when he ddirerh any play, or plea!ure: and the fick.. when they defire to pleafe their appetite. But your Fathcr, and PI'Jficion, and R"[on, and not BrutiOl Appetite muft be Judge. Sigmof Sen– fuality. Y. I 6. Object. 2. But I ftcl it is natnral to me, and therefore can be no ji1z. Anfw. I. The inordinate, violent umuly appetite is no orhc.:rwife Natural to you, than as a ltprofre is to a leprous generation : And will you love your .difea[e, becaufe it is natural? It is no otherwife Na;ztral, rhan it is £O be malicious, and revengeful, and to difobey yoUr Governours, and abufe your neighbours ; And yet I think they 'will not judge you innocenr, for rebellion or abufe , becaufc its 11atural to you. z. Though the Appetite be natural, is not Rea[on to Rule it ar 11a1ural to you ? And is not rhc {;tbjclJion of rhe Appetite to Reafon. natural? If it be not, you have lotl the nature of man, and are Metamorphofcd iuto the nature of a Beafi. God gave you a higher nature to govern your ap~ petire and lower nature: And though Reafon cannot tak._e away your Appetitr, it can rule it and keep you fromfulfiUiug it, in any tbing or meafore thats unmeet. 9· 17· Object. 3• B1t1 it appearetb by the cafe ofEve, that tbe Appetite wat tbe fame in innocen– cy: therefore it ir 110 fin. AnjW. You mufi not forget the difference betwetn I· The Appetite it [elf: 2. The violence and unruly dijpofition of the appetite: 3· And the a/lual obeying and pleafing 'of the appetite. The Jirll ( the Appetite it [elf) was in innocency, and is yet 1io fin : But the other two ( rhe violence of it, and the: obeying it) were not in innocency, and are both finful. ~. 18. Object. 4• But why would God give innocent man an Appetite that mufl be crof! by Reafon! and that dej:rcd tbat which ltcafOn mujl: fD1'bid? An[w. Thefenfitive nature is in order of generation bef,·e the b.ational: And Re>foa and Gods Lawt do not make fenfe to be no fe•ifi· You may as well ask, why God would make Beaj!t which muft be reftrained and ruled by men? and therefore have a defire to that which man mufi rellrain them from ? You do but ask, Why God made us men and not Angels? Why he placed our fouls in flejh l He oweth you no account cf his creation : But you may fee its meet that Obedimct Chould have forne tryal by difficultiu and oppofition, before it have irs commcndaribn 3.nd reward: He gave you a Body that was fubject to the fOul; as the Horfe unto the rider ; and you !hould admire his Wifdom, and thank him for the governing·power of Rea– fan ; and nOr murmur at him, becaufe the Horfe will not go as well without the guidance of rhe rider, or becaufe he ma.keth you not able to go as fa!l and well on foot. So much for the Senfu– ali!ls Objections. §. 19· v. The fignt of a Flejh-pleaf<r or Senfualif! are thefe, (which· may be gathered from what is faid already) 1. When a man in dcfirettp plea{e his appetite, referrcth it not ( atl:ually or habi~ tually) to a higher end, viz. the fitting himfelf to the fervice of God; but fticketh only in the de– light. z. When he looks more defiroufly and induftrioufly after tl\e projperity of his Body, than of his Soul. 3· When he will not part with, or forbear his pleafureswhen God forbiddeth them, or when they hurt his foul, or when the neceffities of his foul, do call him more lowdly another way: But he muH havt: his delight whatever it coil him, and is fo fct upon it, that he cannot deny it to him– felf. 4· When the pleafurcs of his Aefh, exceed his delights in God, and his holy Word and Wayes, and the fort:·thoughts of endlefs pleafure; and this noc only in the paflion, but in the eftimation, choict and profccution. When he had ratber be at a Play, or feafi, or Gaming, or getting good bargains: or profits in the world, than to live in the life of faith, and love, .a holy and heavenly converfation. 5· When mm f~t their minds to contrive and fl:udy to make provifion for the pleafitres of rhe flelh; and this is (irjf and [weetejt in their thoughts. • 6. When they had rather talk, or bear, or read of Hdh!y plea(urcs, than of {piritual and heavenly delights. 7· When they love the company of merry fenfuali!l:s, better than the Communion ofSaints, in which they may be exercifed in the praifes of their Maker. 8. When they account that the ~efi calling and condition, and place for them to live in, where they have the plea{Ure of the tleCh, where they have c:afe, and fare well and want-hothing for the body, rather than that where they have far better help and provifion for the foul, though .the fldh be pinched fqr it. 9• When he will be at more colt to pleafe his fle(h, than to pleafe God. 10. \Vhcn h~.: will believe or 1ike no Dod:rine but Libertinifm , and hateth mortification as too llri6t precifenefs. By thefc and fuch other jignt, finfuality may ca!ily be known : Yea, by the main bent qf the life. p. 20. VI. many
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