Burroughs - Houston-Packer Collection BX7233.B87 G67 1660

307 Confderatìons to quicken cstr'appetites after righteoufnef e. gracious and godly,and ô how much of Chrift, of God, of hea- veniinefs, of favourinefie, of wifdome, of holineffe, have they got within a few years, more then thou haft got for this twenty or thirty years, then hadft not thou need to be hungringand thirfling after more ? Thirdly, By this meanes the more grace thou haft,the more good thou ihalt do to others, 'tis not enough to have grace meetly to carry thee to heaven, but that thou mayeft be uiefull in the place where God herb let thee : weak Chrifttans may make íhift co uphold themielvs here in this world, & to get to Heaven with much adoe, but flrong chriftians are ufefull to o- thers, and do abundance of good to others :. ô that I might have grace then to do good to others. Fourthly, Confider what flrong hungrings and thirflings you have had heretofore after the things of the world ; Lord I re- member that in former times My heart was carnall, and what ftrong delires I had after the world, how did my thoughts run about my liufinefle, in my calling, that fo I might thrive and profper, and have good comings in ; Lord thou knoweft that many times after bafe Gnfull lufts my foul bath been flrong iu the delires of them,and fhall not now my foul be flrong in the delires after thy righteoufneffe. Fifthly, know, It is impoffible for thee to have a heaven up- on earth ; all chriftians may come to have a Heaven upon earth, here in this world, there is fuch a condition wherein our hearts may be fiil'd with joy unfpeakable and glorious in beleeving in the wayes of godlinef e, but now this cannot be by weak grace, there mull be ftrength of grace : whereby the foul of a chriflian maybe in Heaven while they are upon the earth, and converfe with God, his Angels and Saints here in this world, as if they were in Heaven, this may be had and therefore hunger (hí.11, and thirfl after further degrees of righteoufineffe. Sixthly, It's the only way to help thee againfl temptations to grow thong in grace, thou that haft but a little grace, thou art lyable to temptations on every hand,and the Devill is ready to foyle thee, in this and the other thing, but by ftrengtb of grace thou mayeft be able to `reff'c temptations; and its a great mercy

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