S s c T. IX. OfConverfion, or Turning renlo God. 4 ib hard then, not to cry out, Great is Diana : The Apofile fpeaks of tome , that thought gain was godlinefs, t 7im.6.5. not godlinefs gain, as it is indeed great gain: Thus ambitiousmen,covetous men, thole that are immoderately aftèeted to any thing, they carenot what laws they break, what violation they offer to GodsCommands, fo that they may be rich, and great., and honored in this world, that is all they look at ; fo that a too attentiveeye to worldly profit, is that many times which keeps from turning to God. This is alto eafily anfwered, if a man go into Gods Sanauary, or plowwith his Heifer : For Firff, Ifthere beprofit ¡s :bjflnfMlWays, it is dewWorldly fadin7things ,Which e In ir.i., Will leive theeat laf1, as laid se his thirtypieces did, ina tormenting bell : Our Sa- viour tellsus, That if ama,s j ould get the Whole World, and lofe he eavrfowl, it Will not availhim, Mat.16.2s. whereas that is indeed profit, which is immortal, whichwill continue for ever, which is profit in lift time, and profit in death time which will beprofit when thy body is buried, and rotting in the grave: Thou then that getteft profit,iand this earthly profitcomes upon thee daily, (till remember thy grave willbe a period to is There is a fudden!loan anfing, that will make all this fuffer fhipwrack,ándthou mull fwim naked,as it were,toGods Tribunal, to be judged there. Secondly, Never call finprofitable, for to that are all the cesrfes ofGodthreatned, Zó How then can that be profitable to thee, which makes a man curledat home, and curled abroad, curled inall his flore and abundance ? Oh do not deceive thy fell I it is not wealth,but Gods wrath thetaart treafuringup every day : In- deed, godlinefs is profitable for all things, as the Scripture faith, and bath the promifeof this world, and theworld to come ; but wickednefs is profitable for nothing, but bath the curfesof this world, and the world to come: Do not thenaccount of any increafe byfm, Godbath threatned to blafl it, it will melt away like thedew, it will turntogárvel in thebelly ; all thefe profitable. mor- fels God willmake theevomit up. Hence the Scripture cloth fo commend a little with Gods favor, and obtained in Gods way , then all creatures with iniquity, Pral7. call not thenthat profitable, which is either the moth to eat thee fecretly, or the fire todeftroy thee violently. Thirdly, That os onely profitable, Which is profitable to thegrearrJl goodohs: it'e d= jfand in needof , and todivert the greatetl evil that can befal sao : Now no lins are profitable to that but the cleancontrary ; for the greateft good that we are ca- pable of, is thefavor of God, the light of his countenance : This David cloth fo often pray for in his ftraights, as being the onely Sun to difpel that dark night which was oponhim ; and on the contrary, no evil, no not of mifery, torment, and pain, is like that of Gods anger andfury againff fin. Now take all the pro- fit and advantages thou haftgot in a linful way, what do thefe help, for the ob- tainingof the one, or repellingof the other ? Oh take Cain and ?uda-burning and fcaldingin the guilt of fin, can they buy Gods favor? can they purchale the light of his countenance? Doth not the Scripture make the ruft oftheir mo- J, ney, and the timber in the wall, tocry out, and witnefsagain([ the wickedman ? Thenbeafhamed ever topretend thisany more,that thewicked ways thou lived in, are infomany refpeétshopeful to thee, for that cannot be it deflroyeththe main, and is contrary to the truehappinefs. Fourthly, Thatcannot be calledprofitable, Which as it cannot help to thegóódWe WINOWant; fi, nettherat the time, When We are in the greateff extremity. Riches Will not avail in the dayofWrath. Judas had the bitter experience of this ifthere- fore thou couldit finde any true profitin the way of fin, it might thenbe dif- covered, when at the time of death, or at the time of fearfuland heavy judge- ments, thou art in the greateft extreamity: But (alas!) hew trulymayeffthou takeup that, Ye are miferable comforters all; who Bothnot thencry out of his fns? who clothnot thenbewail the time; ançl his folly; that ever beentertained fuck
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