104 Inordinate Appetite to be denied. cation : and many live ingluttony, and never fee it nor repent Of it ; and many are drowned covetous defires and praetice% and fome give up themfelves to fanfual pafiimes ; and all be- caufe they do not make this covenant with their fenfes, nor have ever yet-learned to Deny themfelvei ; but becaufe it pleafeth them, they think it is not difpleafing to God ; and chat its no fin, but a part of their Chriflian liberty : yea many of them think that by this doctrine of felt. denyal, we would deny them 'theufe of the mercies of God, and confequently hinder them from thankfulnefs for them. And thus they make a Religion of Pleafing the flefh,- which is the deadlyenemie to Godand Reli- gion. They imagine a L'berty pr rchlfed them to P!cafe it, and fulfill its defires ; and they meafure out mercies as they pleafe it, and they would return God a flEfhly thanks for thefe mer- cies, and offer him a facrifice as the Heathens did to .Ceres and Bacchus ; when as the Gofpel knoweth no mercy, but either eternal'mcrcy, or that which is a means to it : nor will it call that a mercy which hath not a tendency to God : nor did Chrift purchafe us any liberty, but what is from fin or puniAment,and is for his Service : He did not fader in the fiefb to procure us liberty unprofitably to indulge and pleafe the flefh, and to firengthenour enemie, andby ufe to give it the maftery, when this mafiery is the damnationof moll ofthe world. If Chrifti- ans had learnt more to deny their fenfes, they wouldwalk more blamelefly and inoffenfively in the world : if they would keep at a diftance from the bait, and when they cannot do fo, yet shut up thefe doors that it may be at a diflance from their minds, how fafely would theywalk that now are Humbling at every creature that is given for their relief! The objects of fenfe are thefe lower things, fo contrary to theobjetsof faith, that themore we love the oneof them, the lefs we fhall regard the other : and therefore thefe are always working againfl each other. And as the objeds of faith are then molt fweet and powerful with us, when faith is let molt fully upon them ; fo the objeds of fenfe are then molt powerful to draw us from God, when the doors of fenfe are fet wide open, and the ap- petite let loofe upon them. z. And you may further obferve that almoit all the troffefl ties
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