Treatir of the Afeilions. be long. O no, God forbid {ayes he, I were unworthy to live, if I fhould do fo ; well, wail faid I, I pray God it may not be fo as I fay : but mark it, and peradventure you thall lee it withyour eyes. Withinone fortnight, this Gen- ticntan that teemed tobe (uch a friend at my firft coming to the Parifh,be- ing met with in a Sermon, and feelinghis fins ( a fin I little imagined hewas guilty of) tobe reproved and condemned in thePulpit, he never would be known CO me morc,but oppofed me as long as I Bayed there : hewasaf- ietted, but his affektionswere not found at the bottome, and thereforehe came to this fhamc : God grant it have humbled him by this time,.. if now Regale morn he bealive. Its a good rule in morality. Affellns mendaciter fe fubjiciunt lts. rat'oni. The afic&ions will feigne a fubmiflion to right realem. It is as true inDivinity ; the affe Lions will feerrte to fubmit unto grace, when they do not. Foras long as the bottome is not found, they cannot be fet truly upon God ; they are nothing but flafhes, like plafhes of waterafter a ihoute, that are dried up quickly. This is the eight meanes to fetouraffe- Ctions onGod,toget up thebottome ofour afhetions, and fet themon rod. Beloved, there are the means wherebyye may fet your affectionson God : It concerns tés now fee howncarely it concernesyou toufe all thefe meanes,and to make con- to ufe all thefe fcience of this duty ; and this will appeare,if yeconfider thefe two things. meanes. Firfr, the afff(l:ons arethe bonds of the foul, that is wicked, whereby it is fail boundunto fin : thou can't never repent nor be favcd, aslong as thine t. alf.:6tions are not turned. Can a prifonergo that is fait bound in the Stocks ? Becaufe the af- Thine earthly and carnalaffcctions fait binde thee in fin if there bonds fetlionsare the be not broken, thou cantt never go to God. When Peter faw a carnal affe- bonds of the Etion in SimonMagtts the Sorcerer, preféntly he tells him, I perceive thou artfoul. in thegallof bitterneffe, and in the bond ofiniquity S. 23, Hedoes not fay onely, in iniquity, butalfo in the bond of iniquity; for his carnal affection was abond, andhe wasfait bound inhis fins. The Prophet preaches hell and damnation againft Lucia men, and filch women ; for alas how can theyget out, when they are bound and corded to their pleafuresand the things of theworld ? Wo unto them that draw iniquity with cords of vanity, and fin as rt were with acart-rope, Ifa, S i 8. Great Carts are drawn by- the cart- ropes ; to all a mans fins are drawn to himby there cords. Chryfoffome ex- pounds thefe words,both of their finsand their woes; they draw both them. Thecords of our affections are the hearts tyers to fin, they do even rye the chryfoft foul unto fin that it cannot get lòofe, Wo is tothem, (ayes the Lord. Be the affe&ionsall like untobonds, and cords,-and cart-ropes, to tye the heart to fin ? what a woful cafe areye in, till your affections are let right ! look what ye tye them unto,that do ye draw after you; if youfatten them on the things of this life,themyedraw after you;if you fattenthem ongracc,and onChrifi and his Word, themyepull after you. Never was Sample's fo fait bound with Delilahs withs, as he was with his affections to Delilah, fayes Gregory, Ah poor flay ithfoul, thouart in the Devils flocks i as long as thine affecti- Greg. onsare not fattened aright, thouart heart-bound, and foul- bound>and con- fcience-bound,thou art fait bound in his cage. Howneerely then concerneth it youall, toget your affections to be fet upon God ? Ye are -even the flaves andbond-flaves ofhell; and thereforeas ever youdefire to flie from theven- geance to come , ufe all there meanes with all confcience, that yemay fet your affectionson God. Secondly,earthlyoffeWons are theforefhallings of the heart; the heart is pre., I; polleft alreadywith the things of this life, and is prejudicate againft the Beca!ffe earth- things that are above, and therefore there is no hope to perfwade you, as lyaffetlions are long as your affectionsare {et upon the things of this life. When our Sa- the ferellalkrs viour Chrift perceivedhow the Pharifees affections hawkt after credit andof the heart. honour from men, being prepoffeft with defire of humane applaufe, he G tels
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