--------------·----------- HoJV to mortifie Ji"fid Low. w ------------------------------------ Q. t6. Direct. 4· StiU remember bow jealouJ God if of )'OHr Love, a;1d bow much be i1 n•ronged whtn Dire{!. ", a 1 v: crt,mtre wcroachetb upon bis right. 1. You are his own by Creation ? and did he give you r Love to lay our on others, and deny it to himfclf ?. z, H.: daily and hourly maimaineth you ; bl! giveth you every breath aud._bit and mercy that you live upan, and wi!l you lovt tbe &reature wirh blr p:m of your love. 3· How dearly hath he bought your Love in your Redemption? 4· He hath adopted you and brought you into the nearcfi relation ro him that you may love him. 5· He h:nh pardoned all your fins and fJ.ved you from Hell (if rou are his own) that you m1y Love. him. 6,He hath promifed you eternal glory with himfel( that you mly Love him. 7 His ex-cellency ben defe'rvct/1 your love. 8. His creatures have nothing but from him, a~d were purpofely _ft'nt to bdpe~k your love for him rather than for thcmfdves. And yet afrcr all this flull they encroach upon h1s pHr? If you fay, It is not God1 p.1rt that you give rhtm, but their owJt; I tell -you, All tint Love which yor 1 give the creature above its due~ ~ou take fror:n God. Bur if i.t be fuch a Love to the treature as cxcecdeth not its worth, and IS Intended ultJm.uely for God, and rnakcth you not Love him the lrfi but the more, it is not it thlt -1 am fpeaking againfi, or pcrfwadine you to mortific. §· 17. Direct. 5· Look,_ on the wo1:/l of the creature, with the bejf, and firrefie wlnt it rviU be when i't withcrttb and wh.1t it wiU appear toyou at the l.J{f. 1 have applyed this againfi worldlinefs btfore Dire{!. 5• Cbap. 4 • 'Patt6. and 1£hall atterwards apply it to the lujl[llllov_c. Bring your _beloved creature w the gtave, and fee it as it will appear at lafi, and much of the fUlly of your Love will VaJlilll. §. 1 g, D_ireel. 6. V11derjf.:Jnd well.the moft that it R'ill do for you, and bow fhort a time )'OU muft . enjfJyit, andjlatter not your fo!ve; ~ttb the hope; of a longer poffeffi(Jit tb.m you. have retzfon to exptlJ. 'D11·efr. 6, If men conlldcred for how Chore a ttmc rhey muft poifcfs what they dare upon, 1t wauld fomewhar cool . their fond affections. .. 9· 19• DireCt. 7· Remem~er tbat to~ much. Love, batb tke pre[ent trouble of too m_ucb care, and the frture trouble uf too mrtcbgru!J, when_youcome to part wub what you love. Noth111g more creareth Direel. 7• care and grief to us, than inordinate Love. You foreknow that you muft part wirh ir: arid will ymt now be !o glued to it that then it may tear your Acfh and heart. Remember you eaufed all that your felvcs. 9· zo. Direct. 8.· Rrmtmber that you provolze God to deprive you of whatyou overlove, or to .fitffer it • , ,,_ to grow nnlove{y to you. Many a mans horfe ~hat he ov~r-loved ha~f) broke his neck : And many a Dzretf. 8. mans child that h~ over-loved hath dyed ql;llckly, or ~1ved to be hts fcourge and forrow: And many a Husband or W1fe that was over-loved, hath been qutckly fnatcht away or proved a thorn, or a · continual grief and mifery. 9· 21· Direct. 9· If tberc b.e no otber means le[t, prudmtly and moderately tmbitter to thy frlf tht creature which thou art fond on : wbich may be done many ways, according to the nature (}/ it. By Dird1. 9• the feldomcr or more abHcmious ufc of it ; or by uting it more to bentftt than ddighr: or b)r rnixin"" .fome mortifying humbling exercifes : or mixing fome {Cif-denying acts, and minding more th~ good of others, &c. . . . . 1 9· 2 2. Daed-. 10. In the pratl~ee of all DJre_lbons of thM nature, there muft abun~ance of differmce he , . mfde bettf'een a carnal vnluptuoJH heart, tb~t U h~rdly_ tak,sn offfrtJm fenfttal Love, and tS mortified, Dire!l. 10~ melancboly, or over-[crup1dous perfim, who U rzmnzngmto the c~ntrary tx~ream, an~ H afraid of every bit they eat, or of all they poJJefi, er wear or u[t, and fomettme of tlmr very cluldren and relatio 111 and ready to ;vcr·rua their mercies, or neglett their duties, {uffieliing th.:Jt aU Htoo much loved. And it is a very hard thing for u~ fo to "Yrite or Preach to one_ parry, bu~ the other wiH miC-apply it to thcmfelvcs, and make an 11l ufc of 1t. All that we can write- or fay ts too little to mortitie the fiejh/y man;affi:Cl:ions: And yet fpeak as cauteloufly as we can, the troubled fOul will turn it into .gall, to the increa[e of his trouble: And what we fpeak to hU peace and {ettlement, though it prove too little and uneffcdual, yet will beeffedual to harden the mifapplying flnfualij! in the finful affeCtions and Jibcrtr which he ufeth: Theref~re it is bcfi in fuch cafes to have fiill a wife <Xp<rienced faithful gmde, to help you m the apph<atiOn m cafes of diffic•lty a11d weight• .,. Tit. f ...
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