4 ATreatife of the Apt-Hons. Affetìtors are the main m.:t ter of 'CdCe Ari¡t, ye may grew thereby, a Pet. 2.2. milk, you know, is the babes food : if it have not its food, it cannot poffible live. But the word is the milk and the food of the foul, and that the Apoftle would have you to fet your affehtions upon. Der fire it, or affedt it, faies he : where note your affeftions are the ftomack of your foul. The Word is your food. All o- ther food is but trafh, and it feeds you accordingly. Q ye poor fouls that feed upon poyfon all the day long, that diet your fouls with nothing but trafh and filth, and froth, how long will you do thus ? O fet your affeEtions on things that are above, thefe are the wholfome food of your fouls, &c. Seventhly, appear how infinitely it hands you in Y Y PP hand to fet your affections aright, becaufe they are the main matter of grace. They are L' An cif d4Eñf, They are the materials ofgrace : as Arifiotle faies of the vertues, they are nothing but the right ruling of the affections, fo may I fay of grace with a little alteration, the main work of grace is the ruling of the affe&ions aright, it takes them offfrom the things here on earrh, and lifts them up to the things that are in Heaven. When grace doth convert a man, it doth not take away the affeftions,but it ruleth them. Thou wert angry before, grace doth not take away thine anger. No, sportet virum bonum eft'e iracundum,faies Cicero.A good man mutt be angry, I fay grace does not take away thine anger, but it ruleth thine anger, and teacheth thee to turn it againft Gnne, and againft the difhonour of God. Thou wert merrily difpofed before, of a cheerful conftitution, grace doth not come to take away thy mirth, but to rule it. Whereas thou wert merry with vanity, and ever laughing at jefts and at fooleries, now grace makes thee merry in Gods fervice, and to rejoyce in the Lord. Thou wert of a fad fpirit before, but perhaps it was for croffes and lot es, and difcontents, and the like: gracecomes not to take away thy forrows,but to rule them,to make thee weep and mourn at thy deadneffe and unthankfulnefs toward the Lard Jefus Chrift. Gratia
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=