The right.ufe'of :Timesjhortneß:. i37 And uus point 1 am now co prove, and ma I mua the compdilanon of pofile, Brethren, for as for othersl have little hope of. I will (as I promifed) make i plain out of the Scripture,That a true believer,thai wouldhave comfort ofit,thathe Prov-d by rsa true believer,mnflbeatifnot,in allthe things ofthia orld. There isooeéminent scripture. place for this purpofe,viz,Ifoh.q.to. faith the Apoftle there, Leveatot the World, lohn..xo. or the thingsof theworld : ifany man lave the world, the love of the Father ù not in him. HenceI argue thus ; He that' mull fo ufe wife ,children, credit, friends, good name, profperity,without loving of them, it is likely he ufeth them as if net : for one is the great wheel that ferteth all the faculties awork : Now the Spirit of God doth dirts-a'y forbid all Chriaians to love the World or the 'things of the World, (as theydo) the Scripture.abfolutely in joÿneth that wè fhould not love their; that is, that cur hearts mutt not be fixed on them. Anotherplace you have likewife in Co/oß. 3. [. Set notyour afellions on things Col. 3. r.' below. Now (as IPaid before) ifanyman do anything that his affections are not upon, that he doch not love, and joy, and delight in, chat he doch not take care for , and the like , certainly that man ufethit asifnot; but fo moth every true Believer ufe the things of the World fo,. as that he much not fee hisaffcétionsupon them. Ocher Scriptures I might giveyou to make good this point , but I am foreewhat afraid to be firaitned. Two or three arguments I will add to make it plain , ;Ph) every true believer marl be at if not, in all thefe things. Firft, Becaufe all thethings in this world (which are contained in the Tex) they By taro.. are all but empty poor things to a Believer. To another manwhomakes them his 'Rear r. God (inhis conceit)they are full ; but to a true Believer there things are well known. The thing; of to be but empty things. I need give youno betterproof to make this evident, then I the workfare that which followeth in theText ; For thefafhien of this worldyaf'ethaway. The i ö 0tk things fafhionofthe world, What is that? That is, a thing that is a thewwithouta fub- ftance. Nay, the Wottd fignifieth fetch a fafhion as ;sin a Comedy, or Stage-play, where all things are but fora while to pleafe the eye; a man it may be acts thepart ofaKing, that is nobecttr then a Begger or aVarlet. So all things in theWorld are no better then fhadowsand empty , like a piece ofa Stage-play : and no marvel if Believers thatknow this ufe of them,as nor. Secondly, Another Argument why Believers muff h all thefe things ufe them as if Real. 2, not, is, becaufe they arenone ofa Believers ; andbeing none of his, it is a meer folly The thingsof for him to fet his heart upon them. How are they none of his, you will fay ?. the world are Pita, For the truth of it , theft thingsbelow, they belong to themen of this life ; none ofaBe.: but the creafureand eftate ofa Believer is laid upin another life, he is btitas a (Iran- !revers. get and pilgrim here below, and therefore they are none ofhis. And then like- wife they arenone of his, becaufe he hath'' refigned them all up to God , in the day when he made thebargain for Chrift. Forwhen we come tobe Chrifis, we muff fell Note all to buy that Pearl ; and in felling all, we fell not only our corruptions and lufs,but wives and children, and pleafttres, and credit, and all: we have them not now to have and to hold, to do what wewill with them:' but now 'that we have Chrift, we recut n all to him , and have. them as Copy- hold, ro be tenants at will to that great Landlord, we have onei.y a little time in them. And if it be fo, that every Believer bath no more to do in this World but thus, that he is meetly at thepleafure of God, and can preperlycall nothing his own, but God andChrift, thencertain- ly, he muff ufe all chele things as ifnot. Conceive it thus. A Traveller goech Simile. a long journey, he cometh at night to his Inn , when he is there, he is wondrous glad of his Table, ofhis Bed, ofhis Fire, ofhis Ail 'at and Drink, and every thing, . and he is. wondrous welcome : but he Both not fo delight in them, as the Hcfl of thehoufe, who is living there, and is right owner, and bath the whole eÍiate : No, J heonly re(Ieth there for a night after his weary journey, but on the morrow, God be with you, then he is gone. S, a worldly man, he may fay here is my efface, hereis my flock, all that I have is laid up here. But a Believer faith , I Sin now Sn my journey, I am here, no 'other, then a pilgrim, my home ;sin Heaven, and white I am paffing through this pilgrimage , if I have a piece of meat in myhunger, T and
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=