Fenner - Houston-Packer Collection BX5037 .F46 1651

A Treatjfe o f the A eoons: ment, no while for bethinking thy felf of thy waies to pro- vide for thy foul. Difordered perlons are bule- bodies, faies the Text. We hear there be fome among you that walk dif- orderly among you,and are bufe- bodies, 2 Th.3.1 t. If thine affeftions be diforderly,they will be fo bulle, that thou (halt never finde leafure to trafick for Heaven, or the falvation of thy foul. Beloved, this muff needs then be a ftrong perfwa- fionto fetyour affeftions above, becaufe otherwife thine afii dtions are all out of order. Thus far the Apoftle here helps us with motives expreffed in the context. That which the Apofile begins, let the theme of my Text go further in the fame. Many and fweet motives there are that we may be fhrred up to this duty by,to fet our affei%- ons on God. The firft motive is taken from the eafsneffe that our af eïiï- put us in to profecute any thing we afeeî : if our affeftions be let on a thing, they make it eafie to profecute ; if thou affeft the things of the world, thine affeftions make it "eafie to labour and to toyl, eafie to rife early,eafie to fit up late, eafie to travell, and go through any other difficulty : the covetous man thinks his labour to be eafie, fo he may gain and get profit ; the voluptuous man thinks it eafie to hunt and to hawk, and ride himfelf out of breath, fo he may have pleafure and delight. Take thine cafe, fayes the rich man in the Gofpel, take thine cafe, eat, drink, and be mer- ry, Luk42.19. He thought it eafie to pull down, and to build up, eafie to gather in his harvefts and his wealth, eafie to be an Epicure and a drunkard, and voluptuous, why ? becaufe his affe&ions were let hereupon : is it fo that thine affeftions are able to make any bufineffe eafie, O let thine affecions upon God, repentance will be eafie, mortification will be eafie, and felf- denial will be eafie, and to fuffer all the reproaches of Chrift will be eafie, if once thine al- fedions were fetled that way; knowledge is eafie to him that underftandeth, Prov.14 6. The fcorner Peeks it, fayes Solomon, and he cannot finde it ; the worldling leeks 1175 Other tno. eves to fit our afit- &irons on God. Besaufe it is eafie to prcfe rote that we affig.

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