Durham - BV4615 D87 1732

96 S''ern,2on 4. purpofe anent Yacob. And, if I might inf}ance it (with- out being miflaken by any) in this particular, which loth not feldom come to pats, when two parties äre making choice each of other for marriage, they may not only think, but force may be perfwaded, that they are called to marry fuch an individual perfon, becaufe inclination and affe &ion fetteth them on, when yet there may be no fuch call of God ; and fo it may be in reference to other things. A 4th Cafe is, When Believers think that God's intereft and their own Intereff go jointly together in filch and fuch a thing or pra &ice, tho' their own intereft fway- eth more with them than God's intereft, yet they will be ready to alledge, that they care not fo much what become of their own intereff, but they cannot endure or admit fuch or fuch a prejudice fhould come to God's intereft ; fomething whereof we may fee in Jonah, to whom the Lord faith, Chap. 4. Dof thou well to be angry? I d) well (faith yowl)) to be angry to death ; and he would do no- thing but die : And, even in that evil frame, of spirit he adventureth to pray to God, that he would take away his life ; for all which paffiori and precipitation, he ailed- geth a regard to the great concern of God's glory, as if, by that difpenfation, his truth and fairhfuinefs would be refl.e&ed on, while yet, in the mean time, refpet to his own reputation, that he thought would run a confiderable rifque and hazard,had thereby for the time a prevalent in- fluence on him ; and the great impatiency for the wither- ing of his gourd, fays plainly that his own intereft lay there ; and his being fo very cankered and impatient on fo fmall an occaf on, and where fo inconfiderable an in- teref} of his own was touched, might have downright told him, that he had need to fufpeet his impatiency ifs a greater matter : Thus it was manifèftly with godly Baruch, 5er. 45. where regard to his own intereft had tao great a ffroke on his fainting and fighing, for which he is fharp- ly check'd, Seekeft thou great things for thyfelf ? feek them vot; tho' no doubt he wanted not reípe& to the publick intereff, that was now going to ruin in all appearance. A 5th Cafe is, W hen believers feem to have, or indeed have, greater manifeftations of God than ordinary,where- hy,whilc it may be he is only approving and encouraging' them

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