Carnal Liberty to be denied : What. I fame air that they breath in as before.Thegreat trouble is that they havenot their wills:for when their own wills do as much confine them, it is then no trouble. I can confine my felf to one room, toone chair, the far greateft part of the year for my ftudies : and why fhould I not bear as well to be fo con- fined by another, if my own will could bnt comply with it ? Never grudge at reftraint or imprifonment then, but find out fome imployment in it, whereby you may be ferviceable to God, or at leaft ferve him by your fufferings, and then re- joyce in it, andbring your minds to your condition, and fo youmay fet your felves at liberty in fpite of the greateft Ty- rant in the world. Imprifonment is but a penal reftraint : and if it be not Involuntary, its fcarcely penal : it is therefore in your power whether you will be Prifoners or not, becaufe it is in your power whether it thanbe invoingtaryor not. Be but willing ofyour confinement and you are at liberty ; and though you arenot out of the place, you are out of the pri- fon. The fame room that is a prifon to the reft, is none to the keeper that guards them, becaufe apprehending it to be for his commodity, he is willing of it, and their prifon is his home. And if youdo but apprehend how you are called from temptations, and have anopportunity of honouring God, or at leaf} of being more humbled and mortified, and fo bring your mind to confent to your habitation, its become your home andplace of freedom : however he is unworthy of the liberty of the Saints, that cannot deny the liberty of his habitation or bodily abode for the attaining of it. And for the things that men make fuch a ftir about in the world, under the name of their civil liberties, fome of them areno liberties, but fancies or miferies, and the reft of them are no further to be valued then they are fubfervient to the Kingdom of Chrift and the good of fouls. Conceited people call it their liberty to begoverned rather by four hundred then by one , or by Popularity then by other forms of Govern- ment, and a great air they make about this, as if their felicity did confift in it : Whenas the true liberty ofa Commonwealth confifteth in the fulleit conformity of their Laws and their execution to the will of God : in beingfree from all Laws or A a z Paffi-
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