VER,17. Epheflans,Chap.r.. r61 in ourfelves e They fee not things, together with the end they worke unto ; and hence it is, they count fuch things good, as to their fenfes feeme fo for the prefent ; They thinke thole love them, whococker them,and that thole doe not love themwho reprovethem,or hold them in, more then they arewilling : Thus wee thinke it happineffe to have that contenteth us, to befree from that which is grievous to flefh or fpirit. Wee thinke God loves while he fmiles on us, and that he doth not love us, when hedoth frowne on us, and make us drink a worme- wood draught day by day.Againe, children through want ofwifdome, are unwilling to fuller that should doe them good , backward to thatwould doe them good another day,for a matter ofprefent pleafure, will part with things of no fmall profit : Are not the be(t ofus unwil- ling to come under Gods yoake, though there is no other way to finde reft to our foules! are we not moft backeward to renew our faith, repentance , to endeavour further the worke of mortification ! Doe weenot for a little pleafure of finfull !tiffs, part with our peace; yea, the health ofour fpirits too often e Thirdly , children for want of wifedome, forgetthe beatings paft, when now the fmart is over, and fall to the fame faults which have made them fmart heretofore ; and is it not fo withuse How foone is the gricfe offinne cfcaped us for- gotten:.how foone doe we(tumble at the fame(tone, returningto fin in the famekinde wherein we have formerly offendedt Finally,as children and youth, through want ofwifedome, fpeake and doe many things full of folly, fo wee let fall in word and deede, alas howmany things, in which the workeand direction of true wifdome is wanting Let us then labour to finde this want inour felves, and feeour folly, that wee may be made wife. Themore we grow in yeares,the more we feewhat lackeofcivill wifedome we hadin youth; So it (houldbe here, the auncienter we grow in Chriftianitie, the more we íhould difcerne the folly in us, and want ofwifdome, which is from above. Y!. Let us notbe difmaid, whoare confcious of lack this way :things are not begun and perfected atonce ; wifedome mutt get up from one de- gree to another in us. Obferve thirdly,that heprayeth for revelation, aswell as wifedome; that we have need not onely of wifedomewhereby to underftand, but of light manifefting the fpirituall things which are to be underftood ofus : Hee prayeth both for one andother wifedome and revelation : Dea.3. To have inward facultie of feeing, is one thing; to have outward light, by meanewhereofto fee, is another : Lightmuff come to light before wee can fee; the light in the eye, mutt meete with the outward light of the Sunne, or a Candle, or fome other lightfome body, or nothing is perceived : So the light ofwifedome which is inherent in the Soule, muff have fhining to it this light ofrevelation, which doth make manifeff things fpirituall,or, though our fightbe never foguide, we (hall bee environed with darkeneffe : Thefpirit is fitly ergo, compa- red with fire,which bathnotonely heaterefolvingnumbneffe,&making ftarke joynts active ; but it hath light grateful! to the eye ofthe body : P So
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