_ 7 he rare Jewel ofCbrijtian Contentment 91 ·on, there is annexed to it rhe burden of trouble, and of danger and of duty, and of account. And thus you fee hovv Chri lt trains up his S:holars in bis School, and though they be \Vealc otherwife, yet by his Spitit he gives rhem vvifdom to underftancl -thefe things aright. The eight J..e!fon is this-, Chrifl teachn them wh.tt d great ~nd _ JreadftJII 1vil it is to be given rvp t9 oves he<~rts defires. The ttnderflanding this Ldfon that it 1S a moft dreJdiul evil,one of.the moft hideous and ' fearful evils that can befall any man upon the face of the Earth, for God to give him up to his hearts defires: when the Soul underftands this once, and together wirit it, (for it goes along together)that fpiritual Judgments are more fearful than any outward judgments in the world, the unded1anding of this will teach any one to be content in Gods ccofilng af them in their defires. Thou art croll in thy defires, now thou art difcontented and vext and fretted at 1t, Is that thy only Mifery that thou art croft in thy dd1res? No no, thou art infinitely millaken, the greatell mi tery uf all is, for God to giv-e thee op to thy hearts lufis and defires, to give thee up t0 thine - own counfels: fo you have it in P[a/. $1. II, 12, But my people woHid not heark_en to my voice, ~nd Ifrae! would no1u of me, (what then? ] So 1gave them up nnto their own heartslufls, 11nd. they rPalked in their own coNn[dt.- Oh [airh Bernflrd, Let me not have fuch a mifery as that i~, for to give me what I would have, to give me my heart:: defires, it is one of the moll hideous judgments in tbe world for a man to be given up,to his bea1U defires. We have not in ~ eed in Scripture any certain evident fign of a Reprobate, we cannot fay (except we knew aman had committed the fin againfi the Holy Gboft) that ·he is a Reprobate, for we know not what God may ~vork upon him; but the neerell of all, and the blackell fign of a Reprobate is this, for God to give up a man to his hearts defires, all the pain of Difeafes, all the calamities that can be thought of in the world, . are no Judgments in cornparifon ofthis, for a man to be given up to his hearts defires ; now when the foul comes to .pnder- (tand tbis, the Soul then cries out, Why am I fo troubled that I have not my _ defires? There is nothing that God €_onveys his wrath more through than a pro(perous Eflace. 0 l. I remem-
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