Illjtances of extreams and tmjuft Oppojitions. 9. 3 4 • B:1d co~pany is the common ~uine o~ youth ; Their own fcnfualiry is eafily fiirred up by the rempcacions of ~he fenfeal; and rhe1: confc!ences over-born by the exlmples of oth:r mens vo– luptuous lives; It emboldneth them to {m, to fee others fin before them: 2.s Cowards th ... mfeives are drawn on in an Army to run upon the face of death, by feeing others do ir, and <o avoid the reproach of cowardize: And the: noife of rnirrh and ranting language, arc the Drums ar.d Trumpets of rh_e Devils by which their cars arc kept from hearing the cryes of wounded dyi11g men, the lamentati– ons of' rhofe that have found the error of that way. And rhere is in corrupted nature, fo thong an inclination to the profperity and vain-glory of the world, that makes them quickly uke the b~i~, cfpecially when the Devil doth offer ir them by a fit infhumcnr, which {hall not deter them, as Jt would do, if he had offered it them himfelf. It is a pleafant thing to flc!h md blood ra be rich and great, and generally applauded: and a grievous thing to be poor, and dcfpifed, and afilictcd. The nwne[s aHo and unfetlednef~ of youth, who want well furmfhcd undcr!hndmgs and expenence, IS a great advantage to Hcteticks and deceivers, who flill fweep many fuch away, whtreever thc..y come r,, and have but opportuniry. Children are eajily toff up and dunw, a11d carried to aitd frl) with cvay ~:t~~ ~~n ~~wind of dof1rine, hy tbe cunning flight and jitbtilty ~f them. tbat (ye in wait t~ decrive? Ephef. 4· 14. crud 1 tia Deceivers have their Methods ; and Methods arc the common •nfirumcnts of decea ; wh1ch are nor cafi- mult:uum.q; Iy deteCted by the unexperienced. On thecont.rary, ~he bene~r of wift', and.Haid, and fober, and ~f;u~J ~:~~peaceable, meek, humble, boly, heavenly cornpa~IOns, IS excec::dmg gr~at, efpec1ally to youth! Such t~cmiot. ~/ato will lead them in fafe paths, and be fiill prefervmg them, and promotmg the moO: neceffary parts of ii~ Lam. knowledge, and quickning them to holy pratiice, which is the End of aU. _ . . 9· 35· DireCt. 17. In aU your fludies be jealous of both extreams, and diftin.Uly dl{cern whLch are tbe DireCt. 17. extreams; that you nm not into one, wbile you 11-:Joid the other : And be [peuaL'y c.:Jrcful, that you imagim not co-ordin;JteS or Jttbordinates to be oppofites, and throw ,tot aWtlY every trutb, whicb you Cum opinio– c.Jnnot pri'fauly place rightly in tbe frame, and foe it j'.JU in agreeably with tbe rrff: For a further in- r.~s urn ''a– fight iuto tme M~thod ( attaiued but by very few f m:a:y reco1tcile you to th.Jt wbicb mw offendeth you_: r111~c/'fe" <lffli– lf'!'at God bo~th )Oyned together be Jure that you never put a[under: thou,;.h )'et yore Cdnmt fiiui the:r dentes, altc– proper placu. · rum Hni potcfi,ut earum nulla, alterum ccrt: non potefi, ut plus unl vera fit. ciwo d~ Nat. Dtor. pa_£,,5• 9· 36. There is fca.rce any error more common among Students, than fuppofing thofe Truths to be in~oniiHent, which indeed have a necefi3.ry dependance on each other ; and a caHing t~mh away as trror, becau[e they cannot reconcile it to fome other truth: And there is nothing fo much caufeth this, as want of a true Method : He that hath tZIJ Method confiderable, or a{ter much curious labour hath fallen upon a fo~lfe !Vletb:d, or aMethod thlt in any one confiderable poin.t is out of joynt, will deal thus by many certain truths : As an ignorant perfan that i~ to fct all the f.:;attered parts of a C!ock or \\'3tch wgerhcr, it he mifp/;zce oife, will be unable rightly to place all the reft; and then when he finds that they tit not the place which h'e thinks they mull be in, he caficth them away, and thinks they are not the right, and is fearching for, or making fomethiug elfc ro tit that place. Falft: Method rejr:Cb:th many a truth. §. 37· And ( unlefs it be in Loving God, or other aCts ofthe fuperiour faculties, about their ttltimate md and higbcjl obje/1) there is fcarce any rhing in morality but hath its extrt.tm!. And where they are not difcerned, they are feldom well avoided. And ufually narrow fightcd pedons, are fearful only of one cxtream, and ke no danger but on one fide; and rhere(ore arc eaiily carried, by avoiding that, into rhe comr:nr. .- §. 38. I think it not unprofitable to in/lance in fc"cral particular Clutiom, that you imitate not them that puc afundcr what"God hath conjoyned, and eaU not away truth as oft as you are pu-zzled in the right placing or mcthoc.lizing it. 9· 39· Inft. J.1be firjf and focond Caufes are conjoyncd in thc:ir operations, and therefore mufi not InftfJnce h be put afunder. If the way of influx, concourf~, or co~operation be dark and unfearchablc to you, do 11ot.de.ny tb.lt it .u, becau~e you fee ~ot how it it. The honour of the jir{f and fecond Caufe alfo are conJunct, accordmg to their fc:veral mreretls in the effects: Do not therefore im:~gine, that all the J:onour ~fcrib:::d ro the fi~ond caufo is denyed onaken a\Vay from the fidi: For then you underfiand ~ot their .ord.er: o.thenvJfe you would fee, that as the {econd caufetb indepmd.mce on the firjl, and m fubordmatzon to It, and hath no power but what is communicated by ir, fo it hath no honour bur what is received from it: and that it is no lefs hoilour for the fir.ft catt{e to operate mediately by the fecond, _than immediately by it fclf: And that there is no lefs of the Power, Wifdorn or Goodncfs of God m an effec:t produced by mtans and fecond caufcs, than in that which he produceth of himfe.lf only without them : And that it is his Goodnefs to communicate a power of doing good to h1s creat~res? and the honour of werkj.ng and cartjing under him : but h!;. never lo[eth any thrng by comrnumcanng, nor hath the le[s bimfelf by gi-:Jing to his creatures: For if all that honour that is given to the Creature were taken injurioufly (rom God, then God would never have made the: World, nor made a SJ.int; and then the worft creatures would leafl dillionour God: Then he would . not jhine by the Sun, bur by himfetf immediately: apd rhen he would never Gloririe eith<:r Saint or Angel. B1.1t on the contrary, it is God1 honour to work by adapted means : And all their honour is truly hi<. As all the comm~?dation. of a Clock or Watch is given to the ·Work– man. And though God do not all fo rmmedtatcly as to ufc no meant or fecond caufes ; yet is he
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