Ver. 5. the 8th Chapter of the R OM A N S. 5 be quenched, and providematter of eternal forrowsand confufion of face to your (elves. There will a day come, when God will call you to an account for this, Ecclef. r t. 9. Rejoice, 0 young man in thy youth, and let thine heart cbear thee, and mall¿ in the may ofthine own heart, and in thefght of thine eyes: but know that for a 11 there things God will bring thee to judgment. Mark, O Young Man! We fay, dundum efi aliquid huie etati : Some allowance is to be made to this Age, before they have learned by experimenting plea - fures to contemn them; but the Young Man isadmonifhed ; do what thou pleafeft 5 let thy wanton and wandring eye inflame the lulls of thine heart, fmother thy Confcience by all manne rof fenfual and vain delights, but at length thou wilt learn the folly of this to thy bitter coll. Thefe things that are now fo pleating to the fenfes, will one day gnaw and fling the confcience;when God ( whom thou now forgetteft) (hall, whether thou wilt or no, drag thee forth to Judgmeni, and thou (halt in vain call upon the Rocki and mountains to cover thee. 8. Confider how contrary it is to our Cbriflian hopes, to mind the fiefh, or pleafe the flefb r Pet. 2. r I. Dearly beloved , 1 befeech you as flrangers and pilgrims abflain from flefhly lufds which war againfi the foul You are, or you Should be travelling into ano- ther Country, whereare the Spirits of, Sufi men made perfeít 5. and this body of thine is to become a fpiritual body, will you pleafe it not in a grols, but in a snore cleanly manner ? Nothing is more unfuitable : Shall we that are going to Canaan, hearken af- ter the fefb pots of Egypt? nothing is fo contrary to our profef ion and that breedeth fuch unreadinefs to depart out of the world, as there vain delights; and therefore if you be Strangers and Pilgrims, you fhould not lull after worldly and firmly things; flop here, left you forget and forfeit your great Hopes. 9. Confider What a vile unthankfulnefs and an ahufe it is of that liberty which we have by Cbri ,and all the blengs of Gods Providence, Gal. 5. 13. Te are called to liberty; only ut not as an occalbon to the fiefh. We have a great liberty to ufe worldly com- forts, in order to Gods glory, and as encouragements of Gods fervice, and for the fweet- ning of our Pilgrimage ; but now when you ufe this liberty to pleafe the Flefh, you turn it into a bondage, and offer a great abufe to Jefus Chrill; Purely he never died to promote the power of fin, he never gave us thefe comforts richly to enjoy, to hearten our Enemy ; he was not a man of Sorrows that we might live in Pleafures, he did not fuller in the Flefh, that we might have liberty to iqdulge and pleafe the flefh; he be- flowed not fo large a Supply of outward comforts, to hinder us from thofe better and eternal things, which he purchafed for us, 1 Tim. 6. 57, 18. Or to turn them into oc- eafions of unrighteoufnefs, and means whereby to difbonour his name, and deflroy our fouls. New if we would not do fo, fomething mull be done. r. As to Snful inclinations. 2. As to Sinful motions. 3. As to fistful anions. 1. As to fnfal and flefhly inclinations : Obferve them, Weaken them. i. Objeerve them. Satan doth, and we fhould5 he obferveth which way the Treeleati- eth,and what kind of diet our foul-diftempers crave, and fuiteth his temptations accord ingly, as the Angler fuireth his bait as the fifties will take it, for every month a bait; a Cor. 7. 5. Left Satan tempt you for your incontinency. He hath a bait of preferment for Abfalom, for he is ambitious 5 a bait of Peeafure for Sampfon, for he is voluptuous 5 a bait of Money for Judas, for he is covetous 5 thus will he furnifh them with tempta- tions anfwerably to their inclinations ; a man by temper voluptuous, may defpife Pro- fit, as an earth -worm doth Pleasure, or Honour, Reputation, and great places 5 or at leafs doth not fo much value these things. It is fad that our enemy Should know our temper better than we do our (elves; and where we are weakeft, and how to make his affaults; and therefore objerve your inclinations. Flefh-pleating is the general Term by which it is expressed ; ThreeObje &s there are, about which this fin of Flefb pleafng is exerci- fed, 1 John 2. 16. The lulls of theflefb, the lulls of the eye, and the pride of life. Cre. dit, or Honour, Profit,or Riches, fenfual Pleasure, or carnal Delight : Now fee which of these things do you favour or mind molt : What carnal intereft fuiteth with your hearts, and,groweth there. 2. Weaken and Subdue them. It is your uprightnefs and faithfulneís, Pral. 18.23. I was alfo upright before him,and 1 kept my, felt from mi* iniquities. Let a Christian obferve 8 G 2 the
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