Fenner - Houston-Packer Collection BX5133.A1 F37 1657

"''"'r°' (.ATreatz ofthe ..1 feEions. Secondly i It may fo draw up ones affebtions to God, as tomake one vomit up a Beare finne onesfelfe, and be lorry chat others too fhould Commit it he may Andvomit up a be vext to fee other men drunk, vext to fee them break theSabbath, vext to dearej:n, corn. tee how flack they come to Gods houfe, vext to hear anybody fwear, or muted by, take on, he may bedriven tomake reftitucionhirnfeif. Thus it was fe,than otherr with Micah, hehad ftolne I I. hundred Shekels of flyer from his Mother ;,ould commit well,this man,as it appears, hears his Mother curfe,alid fweare,and takeon: iá, the had loft fo much filver,fome body had ftolne it fromher; when heheard his Mother curie and ban on this fafhion, he wasfo deeply moved tohear it, that he could not abide it : nay, it made him be willing to confeffe hehad ftolne ic'from her; and tomake reftitution ofall,yea to far as hismotherdid think fit. Owhat a blefledconvert was her fon, he was now converted tobe offo honeft aminde. Ble(fed he thou of the Lord myfen, fayes his Mother. He Paidunto his Mother,' The eleven hundredShekels offlyer that were takenfrom thee, about which thou cur'feft, andfpakeft ofalfoin mine eares, behold the filver is withme, I took it : and hisMother Paid, Bleffed be thou ofthe Lordmy fan, Judg, 17. 2. He had ftolne the filverfromhis Mother, and yet when heheard his Mother'tnrfe and fwear, and take on in that wife, it fhould feemhis of e &i- ons did hurtle him. What (hall I hearmy Mother curte in this fort ? and ra- ther their he would let her Rand fwearing and coifing, he would vomit up his fweet gettings. Nay, the thought him foreligious as pafhes,becaufe l did fo. Ble(fed be thouof the Lordmy fox : but the was deceived, tor hewasa wretched Idolater ; the Lord cals him an Idolater, Verfe 5. Beloved, this is a ftrange thing indeed yet thus farmay a carnalift go : he may be zealous againft other mens fins,and grieved to hear others tranfgreffe, and vext to fee othersoffend. WhenDavidwould fin andnumber the people, it vexed the foul of 104E0 fee it. dmy Lordthe King, why wilt thou bea caufe oftrefpafs to Ifrael ? 1 Chron. 21.3. So thoumayeft bevexed coke others offended,and yet notwithftanding no better thanacarnalift _ Thirdly,icmay fo ra:fe up his affecîrons to God,and to befo let againft fin,as 3; robewilling to lofe hopesof getting houfefuls of flyer and gold, to lofe the Andnor dareto; favour of Kings and of Princes, to lofepreferment-and all,then venture ona venture upon A fin. Thiswas Balsams cafe, If Balek would (fiveme his hopfefulloffilverand fin, though he gold, Icannot go beyond the commandement ofGod todo lefe or more, Num.24.t 3, lofe b, it. Hedurft not gobeyond the commandement of God a jot, no not fora'. houfeful ofmoney,which is more then a thoufand can fay, that ivill go yond it and betide it, and againftthe commandment of God for a; land of Barly, yethe though a Reprobate,durft not gobeyond the cofnmande- ment of God to dogoodor bad ofhis ownmind, not for a houfefill of coyn. Knoweft thou not,(ayes King Balakuntohim knoweft thou not ;that I can promotethee tohonour t yea,, heknew it wellenough, and yet for all that Balaarnwouldnot yeild to him. Balaam,'if he wouldhive hearkned to car- nal arguments,he might have found many. The Ifraeliret are a peopleòf another Nation. I ama Moabite,;and they areof another generation and what though theybe betterpeople then they,yet Iam aSubje&to'theKing of Moab, and I muffbe true to my Soveraign,and count them mineenemies, which are theenemies ofmyCountry , and are come tö lickupthe land ? if I doobey my King, I may have money by houfefuls, Imayhave pre- fermentoas much and more then I canwrite. Thus flefh and bloodmight have reafoned; but fee howhisof eaions werebetter reified thin thus; he durft not do it upon any cermes, becatife it was again(} the cömmandement. of God. Thou-thinkeft thy caufe tobehappy, O thou cantt be, willing to pats by the wagesof fin,though thoucotitdft getby a finget thou'dareft not commit it : thou thinkeftcertainly mine afte&ionsare to God and to grace;: I might getthis,and I might get that, ifIwould but go againftmy coafcil enccalittle,butTwill not tormouy,úor favour,uór any thing.Well laidyet;í C 3 better

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