` 2 2 b The ChYifiians C enter, or &c. Iam. E. vfe z; For Exhorta. non. Helps; 1.0ur good is an God, and not inour (elves. Icr,g.z4. z. Exercife th grace when he looks co God, he hack bghc in the duty ; when he looks to osen, and ocher things, then he turnech afide, and tunneth co by-ways. And therefore double minded man is at/confide ,inall his ways. What is a double minded Ivan ? He is a double- minded man,'whofe mind is let upon more things then one i firft on the world,and then on God : as far as he fees it isprofitable, he will fccvd God, or elfe nor. This man isan unconfant man. You fee it is an ill efface. So much for the first Ufe, for Convi&ion. Secondly therefore ; As many as are guilty of this, labour to getout of ir, not to live to your (elves anymore. Let it be enough,thac you have lived thuslong to yourselves: Thatyou have defrauded Chri(l of his due, that hath purehafed youwith hes blood, and not ferved him in Holinefs and Righroafnefs, fo many daysofyour life. Now for the timeto come, let us ferve him better. And that you may do thus. I will give you two forts of dire&ions, or helps. I can giveyou but the heads of them. Ftr(t, be convinced that ourgood is inGod, and not in our felvcs.; Our life ii in God, and not in our felvcs; our felvcs are in God, and not in our selves ; than as the Beamsof the Sun are in the Sun, more than in themfelves, fo a Chriftian is more in Chrift than in himself. Whatfoever is good and comfortableto him, is id Chrift ; hehath all by vertue of a union withChrift ; he is not at all happyor bief- fed, further than he is in him. If then all our good lie in him, it is great reafon all our a&ions fhould return to him. That he should be the Center where all out lines (hould meet ; the mark whereto all our a&ions (hould aym. Let'not chi #rong man glory in hisflrength, or the wife man in his wifdom, or the richman in,. his riches ; but be thatglorreth, let him glory in this,that he knoweth me, that z am the Lord. J_r.9.z4. What Lord 7 The Lord thatfheweth judgment aad righteoufneji spun the earth. There is a mercy fhewtd to the Creature, but it is I that do ic, faith [lit Lord. If you meet with a merciful man, God is merciful in that man ; if yoti meet with a bountiful Iran, God is bountiful in that Irian ; if you meet with a mail whofe Lips feed many; God in(fruð that man. 1 fay, feeing allthingswe have :hough they have divers Channels and Pipes,and conveyances,whereby Godconvey-. eth goodnefs and mercy to men, yet neverthelefs, it is in God, and fromGodwe re- ceive all. Let us therefore look upon'every Creature as infiruments inGods hand, that can do us neither good nor hurt without him. Whatgood it doth,it doch by the influence of the fupream caufe, working by that Creature ; let us fookupon, and conceive of every Creature. Thus the Saints have done inall times. Jacob when he law Efass ; I havePeen thy face, as theface of God (faith hen) He fawGod in the face of Efate. So inall good men, we (hould fay, God is good in them. this (hould makemeit not to leek themfelves.; not to fiudy men more than God ; not to Rudy gain withmen, . with the lofs of God s to pleafe men, with thedifpleafingof God; but to venture the lofs of all men, that theymay pleafe God, if they cannot keep men and God together. For the affc&ionsof men are inGods hand, and he fa(hioneth,and fram- eth them, according to his own pleaCure, eitherto love, or hatred, as Davidobferved in the cafe of Shimei,God hathbidhim curse. Be convinced, I fay, of this, that if seeget all the men in the world to be our Friends, with the negle& of God, ifwe get all the Treafures and Wealth of the world ; if a man were advanced co theMonar- chy of the Whole earth : Yet thefe things are more in Gods hand than in ours. Wren a man hath wealth,icis not inhis own keeping riches have wings. When a man bath favour, God gives it intohis own keeping ; whatfoever we have, iris fecured to us by Gods prose&ion, and made good to us by hisblelhng. Let chis be our care,and work therefore, how we may live to God ; Howwe mA} enjoy God, in the things we enjoy, andpof efs 6odinall things we poffefs; in th things we have,ftill ro keep God,and thatwill keepour Effaces, and Names,and Com- forts, and Lives, and all. That is the first. Again fecondly ; There are.certain graces to be exercifed, if a manwould not live to himfelf ( for indeed it is the property of a Chriffian, and none elfe to live to God, and not tohimfelf : And he doth it by vertueof Elide graces in his heart, that empties
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