------------- --------· Vire8ions agai11jt jinful Vejires and Vijco11tent. Tit. 3. 1Jire8ions againft jinflll 'Dejires a1!d 'Difcontent. R"d Me.~"'- Y·'·I Shall fay but little here of this fubjeCl:,_becaufe I have already treated fa largely of it, in my j"ghs cue.- Book of[eiJ-d~nyal, aud m that of Crucifying the W,.,ld; and here before mChap. 4· Part 6.6• 7 • c~i~j,1'~j,~· againll worldlimfs and Flcjh-plcafing; and here againtl finful Lllve which is the caufc. ~if- . 'tcnt'Milt. And that excellent TraCl: or a Heathen, Pf11taub dt tranqui!litatt a.J~imi. 9• 2. How finful De]immay be known, you may gather from the difcoveries of finful Lovc . As, I. When you Dejire that whichis forbidden you. 2. Or that which will do you no good. upon a mifconceit that it is better or more needful than it is. 3. Or when you defire it too eagel'ly) and mull needs have it, or eJfC you will be impatient and difcontentcd, and cannot quietly be ruled and djfpofcd of by G.od; but arc murmuring at his providence, and your lot. 4· Or when you de– fire it too bajlily, and cannot llay Gods time. 5• Or elfe too greedily as ro the meafitre, being not content with Gods allowance, but mufi needs have mo1e than he thinks fit for you. 6. Or fped .. all when your drfiw are prrvcrfe, preferring lrffrr things before greater; defiring bodily and tra•fi· tory things more than the mercies for your fouls which will be everlafting. 7• When you defire any thing ztltimately apd meerly for the Jleft!, without referring it to God, it is a fin : Even your daily . bread and all your comforts, mull be deilr~d but as Provettder for your Horfe, that he may rhe hereer go his journey, even as Provifion for your bodin, to fit them to the better and more cheerful fervice of your fOuls and God. 8. Much more when your defircs are for wick,!d end!, (as to ferve your lufi or pride or coveroufi1efs or revenge) they are wic:ked ddires. 9• And when they are injurious to others. Direl1. t. 9· 3· Diretl:. 1. Be wcU acqu.:intrd with your own Condition, and confide., wha' h is that you have ~lcPr~n.l nullis moft 1tted of ; and 'hen you wiU find tbat you have {o much grace and mercy to defire f or.your fouls, Jma.gimbus witbout which yoJt are io{f for ever, and tbatyou !Jave aChri(l to defirt, and an endlefi life with God to ~epl~a~ h:tfi defire, that it wiU quench aU)'Our tbirjf after thethings btlow. This if any thing will make you wifer; c~:d~ mu~~u; when you fee you have greater things to mind. A man that is in prefent danger of his life, will not & :ab univult5 be follicitous for piys or fOol~gawds : And the hopes of a Lordfhip or a Kingdom will cure the i~:tgini~us defire of little things: Aman that needeth a Phyficion for the Dropfie or .Confurnption, will fcarce hbc.r e~~ long for Childrens baUJ or top!. And methinks a man that is going to Heaven or HeJJ, fhould ~f~:·c~~pe- have fome:what greater than worldly things to long for. 0 what a vain and doting thing, is a amore poffi~ carnal mind; that hath pardon and grace and Chrifi and Heaven and God to think of, and that derf', nulli with fpeed before it be too lace; and can forger them all, or not regard them, and ta)!.erly long for ~~~ ~;~~~~u fome litrie inconfidefablc trifle ; as if they faid, I mufi needs talle of fuch a dijh befo-re I dye : I afl'ctlum fin~ mufi needs have fuch a hoofc, or a C~ild, or friend before I go to another world: 0 fiudrwhat gulari famineed thy dillrcffld foul hath of a Chn11, and of peace with God,and prepuation for Eternity) and Ji:lr!tarc, nul~ what need thy darkened mind hath of more knowledge, and thy dead and c.arnal heart of more ~u;:!r~d;~;t. lifeand tendernrfs and Love to Go?, and comrnuniou with him : Feel thefe as thou haHcaufc, and the Omnis nlnllJi eage,·mjj of thy carnal Defiru will be gone. famililrltls · aut converf:niopure propter Dei amorem non inita, V:\riis imaginibus inticit & pctturb:tt hominum mentes, cum non c:t Deo, fe<l e~e nrne originf'm ducat. Quifquis in virum fpiritu:tkm & divinum proficn.! cupir, is carnlli viti pcnitus rcnunciu:t, Deo fo!i amore :~dba!rcar,eundemque i11teriori hominc fuo pecu!i:~ritu poflide.:at quo habiro mox omnis .mult!plicit:ls, omne~ imagin{·s, omnis inordinl– tus erg:~ crc:~.turss :~mor to;-tlter ab eo profligabumur; Deus qmpp~ per :tmorem intu~ pcOeno t)rminu~ ab univcrGs ho1no im~ginibus hber:~rur. J?cus'fpiritus efi, cujus im:~ginem nemo ptoprieexprimcre ;~ut ctfigiar~ potdi:. Tb.tulrrii-s flor, pllg. 79 1 So. Dircli. z. 9. 4• Dire&. z, Remember how nzucb your carnal De(ires do aggravate the rrcaftne[s 9/your fpiritual Defiru, and mak$ tbe fin .more odioM and umxcufab/e. Arc you fo eager for a Husband 1 a Wife, aChild, for wealth, for preferment or fuch things, while you are fo cold and indifferent in your Defires after God and grace andglnry l Your dejiru after tbefo arc not fo eanteft I They make you not fo importunate and refilefs : They take not up your thoughtJ both day and night : They fee you not fo much on contrivances and endeavours: You can live as quietly without more grace or affura~Jce of fal vation or communion with r6od, as if you were indiffcrem in the bufinefs : eur you muft needs have that which you dcfire in the world, or there is no quiet with ym1. Do you con– fider what a horrible contempt of God and grace and Heaven is manifefl:cd by this ? Either yoti are Regenerateor unregenerate. If you are Regener'ate, all your inllruC\:ions, and all your experiences of the worth of fpiritual things, and the vanity of things temporal, do make it a heyncus fin in ) 'Oil to be now fo eager for thofe things which you have fo often called v.mity, while you are fo coid towards God) whoit: Goodnefs yo111 have had {0 great experience of. Do yuu know no betrer yet the difference between the creature and the Creator ? Doyou yet no better underfia~d your ne– ceJ!itieJ and intereft, and what it is that you live upon and muft truft to, for your everla(hng bletfed~ nefs and content, If you arc Ullrtgenrratt (as all are that Love any thing better than God) what a madnefs
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