CONFIRMED CHRISTIAN. 525 their business and profit as if it were their own ; servants complain- ing oftheir masters for over-laboring them or using them too hard- ly. Landlords say that their tenants cheat them.; and tenants say that their landlords oppress and grind them. But if you were Christians indeed, the most common and sad complaints,would be against yourselves. '1 am not so good a ruler, sopeaceable a sub- ject, so good a landlord, so good a tenant, so good a master, sogood a servant, as I ought to be. Your ruler's sin, your subject's sin, your landlord's sin, your tenant's sin, your master's sin, your ser- vant's sin, shall not be charged uponyou in judgment, nor condemn you, but your own sin. How much more, therefore, should you complain ofyour own, than of theirs ! 3. As Tor the seeming Christian, I have told you already, that selfishness is his nature and predominantconstitution ; and, accord- ing to self-interest, he judgeth of almost:all things ; ofthe faults and duties of8thers and himself. And therefore no man seemeth hon- est or innocent tohim, whodispleaseth him, and is against his world- ly interest. Cross him about mine and thine, and he»will beknave the honestest man alive, and call his ancient friend his enemy. But ofhis dealings with them, he is not so scrupulous, nor socen- sorious of himself. XXXV..1. A Christian indeed is much taken up in the govern- ment of his thoughts, and. bath them. so much ordinarily in obedi- ence, that God and his service, and' the matters of his salvation, have'that precedency in them, and his eye. is fixed on his end and duty; and his thoughts refuse not to serve him for any work of God to which he calleth them. He suffereth them not to be the inlets, or agents for pride, or lust, br envy, or voluptuousness, or to . contrive iniquity ; but if any suchsparks from hell are cast into his thoughts,"he presently laboreth to extinguish them. If they in- trude, he letteth them not lodge or dwell there. And, though he cannot keep out all disorder or vanity, or inordinate delights, yet it is his endeavor, and he leaveth not his heart in any thing to itself. 2. The weak Christian also maketh conscience of his thoughts, and alloweth them not to be the inlets or servants of any reigning sin. But, alas ! how imperfectly doth he 'govern them ! what a deal of vanity and confusion is in them ! how carelessly loth be watch them ! how remissly doth he rebuke them, excite them and com- mand them ! how oft are they defiled with impurity and unchari- tableness ! and how little doth he repent of this, or endeavor to reform It And little serviceable arehis thoughts, to any high and heavenly work, in comparison ofthe confirmed Christian. 3. And the seeming Christian is .very little employed about his thoughts, but leaveth them to be the servants of his pride, and
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