The Vanity of the Creature. love it in its right order,with fubordination to G o nand his promifes; to love it after God, and for God, as the beanie which conveighes the influences of life from him ; as his inf}rument, moved and moderated by him to thofe ends for which it fernes ; to love it as the Cefferne, not as the fountaine oflife ; to make C n R i s T the foundation, and all other things but as accc(fions unto him. Otherwife if we love it either alone, or above C H R I S, however it may by Gods providence keep our breath awhile in our notlrils, and fatten us againfl the lafl day, yet impofble it is that it fhould ever minifler the true and folid corn- Arts of life untous, which confafeth not in the abundance of things which a man poffeffeth, as our Saviour fneakes. Life goes not upward, but downward, the inaferiour de- rives it not on the fuperiour; therefore by placing the Creature in our eflimation above C H R. is T, wee deny unto it any influence of livelihood from him, whom yet in words wee profeffe to bee the fountaine of life. But men will objeé and fay; This is a needleffe caution not to pre - ferre the Creature beforethe Creator, as if any man were fo impious and abfurd. Surely Saint Paul tell us, that men without fzith are impious andabfurd men, who doe in their affe&ions and practiIices as undoubtedly undervalue C ri Ras -r, as the Gaderens that preferred their Swine before him. What elfe did. Efau, when for a melle of pottage hee fold away his birth- right, which was a privi- ledge that led to C H R is T ? What elfe did the people in the Wilderneffe, who defpifedthe holy Land, which was the type of CHRISTS Kingdome, and in their hearts tur- ned back to "Egypt ? What elfe did thole wicked Ifraclites, who polluted the Table of the L o R D, and made his Al- tar contemptible, which was a type of CHRIST? What elfe did Judas and the Jewes, who.fold and bought the Lord ofgiory for the price ofa bead ? What elfe d. e dai- ly thofe men, who make Religion ferve turnes, and god- :lineflê wait upon gaine ? who creepe into honkswith a D z forme la eo funda.. merman norte,* 1 hri fl c-,s cui cx tera proponu1- tar. ug, de ctvit.IIei, IiG. zx. cap.z6. Luke IL.Is. z Thei.3. z. Muíti no;t á Chri fli unikte, fed fuis eom- modis volunt recedcre. Aug. de r apt. lib .4. capao. :4.irk e 5.I 7. ['íà1. Ioá.2g.. AEts 7.39. M 11.7. LeC11,II.I:.. t'ti volunt Deo t fruanttrr ruaJtdo.Astg ('C C1vat. et, lib. iS.cagi.7.
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