An Expojition upon the nifs, Gen. 3~· rr. Noting to us, that the honefi Care of our Aff.:~irs is an Excel. lent Prefervattve to keep us from this Sin of Wantonnefs and Undeannefs. But abov• an. • _Fourthly, Be earnell ar.~ frequent in Prayer; and if thou fometimesjoine!l FaUing With thy Prayers t~ey wtll be ibot up to Heaven with a cleaner Strength : For rhi• Sm o~ Undeannefs 1~ one ?ftbofe Devils tbattot.r not out bur by Fafling and Prayer. God IS a G?dofPumy; rntblntly begof him that he would fend down his pure and chafte Spuit mro thy Heart, to cleanfe tby Thoughts and thy Afieaions from all unclean Defircs.. Beg that the Holy Ghofi would but once touch thy Heart with the Dear Senfe of hiS Ete~nal_Lo~e; that he would diffufe fuch a CdefiiJI Flame through thy Soul as may rav1fb n wuh an Heavenly ZeaLand Ardour, and make it fcorn ro ftoop to tbe ignoble Love of poor inferiour ObjeEls: Reprcfent ro him that thy Body is his Temple, and thy Heart his Altar in it; and delire of him that no firange unhallowed Fire may flame on his Altar. . Whilft thou diligently and confciencioufly mak'fi ufe of rhefe Means thou may'!l comfortably cxpca to be kept pure and immaculate, innocent in thy Soul acd dean in thy Body; and as thou bafi kept thy felf undefiled here, fo hereaJtcr' rbou !halt be found worthy to walk witb the IAmb in White. · 0 :The Eighth Cotnn1andmenr. ~bott fbalt not ~teal. THE foregoing Commandment (as you have beard) requires Cbaftity in our Pcafons; this which 1 have now read onto you tequires Honefty and Upright~ nefS in our Dealings. A Vertue immediately Founded upon that fir11 Prattical Principle of all Humane Converfe which our Saviour lays down, A1at. 7· 12. Wbatfoevcr ye r»IJu!d tbat .Menjhou/4 do unto you, do ye evtnjo to rbem: And recommends ir ro vs as the brief Sum and Epitome of.all the Scriptures; For this is tbe Law and the Pr"opbets. A Principle that carriesfuch innate Light and clear Evidenct in idClt~ that the vety Heathens do frequently inculcate it in their Writings as the primary Ditlate of that Morality which they taught. This is a Maxim which we all afiC:nt unro; not by any elaborate In!trufiions> or dint of Arguments, or any long Train ofCon ftquen· ccs; but it ftrongly mafters our Underfiandings br its Native Evidence, and finings up in us an unpremeditated Refolve ofReafon. Both God and Nature have kt up this Standard in our Confdences: And ufually there needs no orher Judge of our Aflions towards others, than by comparing them with what in the like Cafes we would think juft and fit to be done towards our fel\•es. It may be we are all Partial to our felves in our prefent Concerns: And wbi!fi we look only that Way; we may pof. fibly feek all Adva_ntages to promote them, rbou~h to. another's Dmiment. But both Reafon and Re!igton teach us to put our felves m thetr fiead, and then to manage all our TranfaEUons with them as we our felves would judge juft and reafonable were their Condition ours. And therefore when thou dealeft with another thou ibould!t firft he both Parties to thy felf. As for lnllance, a Servant ibould fer down and con· fider with himfelfwhat RefpeE1 he would require were he in the fame Circumfian· ces wirbhis Mafler and bad Setvanrs under him: Childrenfhould confider what Du· ty and Obedience rirey would expea were they ParentS of Children: SubjeEls what Honour and Submilfion they might reafonably demand were they Magifirares; and fo in any other Relation. And wben t.hey have thus ferioufly pondered it in their own Thoughts, let them then perform the.tame_Duties to others i.n.their rea~ ~onclitioa which they judged w b::long to them 10 th~lr perfonated Cond1!1on. For 1t 1s a never·. failing Rule for the DircElionofour PraE\ICe, rhar what thou JUdgefl due to thy fdf, wen thou in another Man's Condmon, 1s ctrramly as due w b1m 10 h1s own; acd if thou aElcfl not ~ccordir.gly thou beuayeft a grear deal of Selfilhr.efS and finful Partiality. This is a Rul~ applicable ro (1111\ftait>; aod there is fcarce ar.y one OccurrencC'
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