Fenner - Houston-Packer Collection BX5133.A1 F37 1657

I2 Q rreatilé. of the Aeiiionf. feftions ofinea in thefe laft dayes; henames fell-love for the formoft. In the Taft dayesperilous timesfhall come,lvhy?for menfallbe lovers ofthemfelves : then thenames eighteen more,but this he places inthe front on the Catalogue,for Pelf-love is ftrongeft ofall, 2 7701.3 .2. I cite thisText only to thewhow high our affê&ions may be railed to God . namely as high as ever felf-love can clamber. Self-lovewill make aman be veryaffe&ionate,When a manknows hecannot be faved unlefl^e he do thus and thus; O how affe&ionate mayhe be for CO do it,when heknowes, he (hall perifh for ever, ifhe benot religious and godly; ifhe do not bewaile his iniquities' and ftrive againft fm , and la= bour to dogood unto others : howmarvellous full of aftètions may this snake him to be,todo abundanceof things 1 Which may, Firff, it mayfcrue uphis ofettions fo high, that he de loath tocommit fin ; per- Fir`ft,nake a adventure he does oftencommitit, but fain would he leave it, Ohe isun- man be loath to willing todo it,hewifhes affeáionately, OLord, how (hall I leave it ? O that commit fin. I might leave it: yea,he feeks foremeans for to leave it; hedoes'i t I confeffe, but fainwould he not do it: his affe&ionsmaybe wroughtupon thus far,and yet bea Carnallift. Such an one was Dar,us,hehadmade a Decree,and writ it, and figned it, and fealed ir. Well , Daniel would not do according to the tenor of theDecree : and therefore theDecree wasi,he fhould becaft into the Lions Den. TheKing did calf him in indeed,,but lo, howunwilling he was tocommit this fin : He fafted,hewaked, hecould not sleep a winksdeep; he Inritus fed, wifht, O that I might fafely deliver him r O that thy God, O Daniel, would s he tai in deliver thee.,; True,he thought I muff needs nowdo this fin; alasmy Decree, Como', and what may the Lord think of me ? if I fhould not it , all the Country would think me too blame , nay they would rebell againft me outrighr,for breaking the Lawsof theMedesand thePerf:ans. Alas,I molt do it;; but it ap- peares though, how unwilling;he wasforto do it , he couldneithereat , nor fJeep, nor bemerry, nor quiet, till he might hear Daniel was fafe. Many a Kingbut a quarteras great as' he, would have fcorned to have troubled his thoughts about fuch a Puritan as Danielwas efteerned to be : nay , he rifes early in the morning,before the time was expired , lie runs in all poft to the Denof the Lions, and there hecries lamentably, ODaniel,thort f rvantofthe hying God:ODaniel; he fcreecht it out dolefnlly:and when heheard that D4- 'lidwas alive, he rejoyced exceedingly, Dan.6.23. Thefe fubfequent circum- fiances fhewhow unwillinghe was in the ofcommitting of the finne, if he could have helpt it,andPavedhis honour withhisLordsand hisNobles.Thus Men the was unwilling tocommit the fin,yet a wretchedmanfor all that magine theyhave agood Chriftian plea , whenthey can fay this forthem fives; it is true,I do rapout an oath inmycholerI do praycoldly and with manyby-thoughts, but Godknows I am unwilling todo fo, I wouldvéry feign have it otherwife;I am forry I amdrawn foaway. Alas (o thou mayft be, andyet be aCarnalift : thoumayeftpray,andbe unwilling to pray care lefly,thournay(} repentinfoiemanner;and beforty thou repenteft no more; thou mayftbe loathto commit anoffence,and yet be a meer natural man,no jot offaving grace in thee.Was note:fare fenfiblyunwilling to condemn7efur Chrift? Was not Herod unwilling tobehead lohn the Baptift ? it fpoyled all hismirth at his feaft, that he was compelled for to do it, for fo he counted it a coitpulfion,otherwife he wouldnot have done it : was not Sag/ unwilling to tranfgreffe the commandment ofthe Lord? He forced himielf; he hada-. bundance ofgain-fayings in his hearr,abundance of williesin his breaft ; O I wouldnot do it, Iwould to God I were nor put upon fuch importunate cir- cumftances as I am,fain would I not doit; he forced himfelf,there was akind ofpitcht field in his bofom, a battel inhis foul : fain would hedo it, that way h went his lofts; fain would he not do it, that way went his confcience : Sohe forced himfelf, r Sam. .r 3, 13. and yet God did rejeit him. Thus fell-love maywind up amans afféaionsexceedingly, to in loath to commit a fin. Second-

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