A Treatife o f the Affecctions: 183 the hand of a fool, feeing he hath no heart to it ? no heart nor affe fhon to make ufe of it ? Wherefore ? fayes he, to what end ? wherefore is a price put into a fools hand, that fees not the worth of it ? better he had been fent to hell quick and never heard Sermon : better he had been damn- ed many years fine and never had the means., What, will ye be drunkards in fpite of preaching ? and adulterers, and fornicators, in fpite of Gods threats ? mockers and defpi- fers of them that are good, lovers of pleafures more then lo- vers of God, in fpight of the Lord Jefus ? '0 this does wo- fully provoke God, that ye fhould have no more heart nor affe 'ion to thefe things then ye have, Set your affeftions then upon God, if ever ye will be wife to efcape the ven- geance to come ; your affections are your heart, be not fo rebellious as to deny your heart unto God. The filth motive is taken from the.foftnes of the affecli- ons ; the affeftions are the foftnes of the heart,Af feElue fuvt feemineus animee parts, fayes the Philofopher, they are the feminine and foftly brood of the heart. Thy heart is a foft heart where thine affeftions dofland; if thine affeftions be fet upon the things of this life, thy heart is a loft heart thereuntd, thy heart is fenfible of every profit, fenfible of every vain pleafure.: the things of this life can eafily fink down into thy heart, if thine affeftions be to them. O let thine affeftions then be let upon God : what wilt thou have a foft heart to the world, the things of the world may ea- fily work on it ? and wilt thou have a hard heart to God, that he may not work on it ? Hardeeeffe of heart is an argu- ment that a man is damnably and defperately impudent, and will neither obey God not his Miniflers. So God tels Ezechiel the houle of Ifrael will not hearken to thee, fayes he, for they will not hearken unto me; for all the houle of Ifrael are impudent and _ard- hearted, Ezek 3.7. When their hearts were once hardned, they were fo impudent, that they would not hearken and obey the Miniflers of God, not God himfelf. This is a lamentable condition then thou 6. Affections are the Iottntffe of the heir. Phi Judd. de fault. gib,& Cain
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