Spiritual Peace and Comfort. 223 as great means to help me aganft this fin,as moll men living have had ; firft in may years troubleofmind, and then in near e venty years langui{hing and bodily pains. hying been almoff twenty times at the graves mouth, and living near it continually ; and laftly, and above all, 7 have had as full a fight of it in 'others, even in the generality of Profeffors, and in the doleful fiate Of the Chuwh and State, and hay- nous deteflable abominations of this age, which one wòuld think fhould have fully cured it. And yet di. hear but either an applauding word from any of fame, on one fide ; or a difparaging word on the other fide, I am fain to watch my heart as narrow- ly as I would do the thatch ofmy houle whenfire is put to ir, and prefently to throw on it the water of Deteflation , Refolution, and Recourfe to God And though the ads through Cods great mercy be taws reftrained,yet the conflancy of thefe inclina- tions allures me, that there is ffill a ftrong and deep root. T beseech you therefore, if you would ever have fetled Peace andComfort, be watchful againit this fin ofPride, and be fare to keep it down, and get it mortified at the veryheart, 2. Thenext fin that I would haveyou be fpecial ly jealous of, is coveteoufnefs, or love of the profits or riches of the world. This is not the tin of the rich only, but alto of the poor ; and more hainous is it in them to love the world inordinately that have fo little of it, then in rich men that have more to tempt them though dangerous in both. Nor doth it lie only in coveting that which is anothers, or in feeking to get by unlawful means; but allo in over-valuing and over- loving.the wealth atticworld,thaugh law- fully
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=