Dive down to the bot. tolti or thine aff - fìtona. 6 Treatife of the dffetiions. led them. Beloved, abound then in good duties, this will take off thine affeéions from the world, and fet them on God.This is the feventh means,to fet our affections on Gad, to be abundant in the duties of holineffe. The eighth is this, Labour to dive down to the bottom of thine a ff ebtions : the fweetefi is at bottom as we fay. So the affèftions that are fweetefl to the heart are -at bottom. And therefore dive down to the bottom and get up the bottom of thineaffeftions, and fet them upon God ; thineaffefti- ons are never fet upon God, till them at the bottom are fet upon God. A man may fet the (hallow of his affeftions upon God, when the bottom is fez upon the things of the world. There is many a clofe hypocrite, he thinks his affe- &ions to the world are now dead; but they are not dead the Fox feems often to be dead, to feize the more cunning_ ly on his prey. So the affeftions will feem to be dead to the world, that fo they may be the more cunning to feed upon the things of the world ; they feem to be dead, that is, the fhallow of them feems fo, but the bottom Hill is alive to the world, that is not fet upon God. Beloved, a man may fet the (hallow of his affeftions upon a thing, which the bottom of his affeftions doth hate. See this in Ammon, his affeftions were to Thamar, and he loved her. O he would feem to be Fick for her, I, the fhallow of his affeftions were to her, but anon, out comes the bottom : when the bot- tom of his affeftions once did come out, then he did hate her. He hated her worfe then he loved her, 2 Si. 13.I s. dive down then to the bottom of chine affeftions, and la- bour with all might to getup the bottom, and fet them up- on God. Here's a man, he bath good affeftions to repen- tance and amendment, good affections to be godly and have grace; he reforms much, and he profeffes much ; you would wonder to fee this man a year hence to perfecute the Minifier, and to oppofe Gods people and make a mock of the power of Religion: but this you may fee, if the bottom of his affections be not got up andfet uponGod. Gert
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=