some fall to stealinge or seeking vnto witches wisemen or wisewomen as they call them to haue their griefes remedied and their wantes supplied others not vsing the same yet by one vnlawfull meanes or other winde them selues out of daunger not wayting by faith vpon the Lord vntill by lawfull meanes he procure their deliuerance This corruption also of the naturall man is no lesse euident when he is out of danger and hath ordinary meanes to maintaine him by For when a naturall man hath credit wealthe or freendes to compasse matters by either not at all doth he seek to God by prayer to prosper those meanes whiche he vseth either else if hee pray vnto him it is so coldely as that euery man may perceiue but especially his owne conscience may tell him that his hope ariseth rather from the meanes he hath then from the goodnes of God without whose blessing all helps are nothing yet for all that he findeth no fault with him selfe for want of faith but will protest that he taketh God to be his God and looketh for all things from him beleeuing as assuredly in him as the best of them all It is not greatly to bee merueyled at if the naturall man giue so much vnto the meanes for it cōmeth often times to passe that the Lorde is constrayned in dealinge with his Children to withdrawe something from the number or stength euen of his lawfull and ordinary meanes that the glorie may be wholy his A notable example wherof we haue in the booke of the Iudges where the Lorde caused Gedeon to send away the greatest parte of his men when hee shuld go to battail giuing the reason of his doing in these words The people that are with thee are to many for me to giue the Madianites into their handes lest Israel make their vaunt against me and say My handes haue saued me Thus corrupte is the estate that all men are borne in and in this estate doe all men contynue finding no faulte nor mislyking of the same saue that little flock of Christes that by the benefite of his death are exempted from it whome when it pleaseth God to call vnto the hope of euerlasting life by the meanes of his word he cleareth their wit and vnderstanding to conceiue the goodnes of this God to them warde hee purgeth their wil and affection to take comforte in it And therefore when meanes want they are not as the wicked altogether without hope running after vnlawfull meanes but waite better vppon their God and when they haue the ordinarie meanes whereby God vsually bringeth matters to passe they are careful in crauing the successe of it yea with inwarde persuasion of heart to finde no fruite but by his blessing The man that will truely examine himselfe in this commaundement muste well consider with himselfe what euil and vnlawfull shiftes he hath made throughout this life in his distresse and necessitie or what doubtes and feares of not beeing well and in due time prouided for haue arisen at any such in time his hart how tickle his nature is thervnto Likewise when hee hath had the vsuall meanes of Gods mercies he muste consider well how sparing and how colde he hath been in prayer to God for the successe of them which declareth that his trust was rather in them then in God the giuer of them Thus may he easily perceiue in what a miserable condition he should haue beene had not the mediatour and redeemer Christ Iesus aunswered the matter for him It is therefore required that after this māner he throughly examine his infirmitie and disobedience vntill he be truely humbled and brought to Christe to see the benefite of his death and passion how greate it is and how needful for him when by due examining of himselfe he doeth well vnderstand that he is wholy beholden vnto God for the benefite of his saluation because by the lawe they are accurssed that continue not in all things which are written in the booke of the law to doe them then is he forced to acknowledge that it is good right and reason that his life should be ordered after the pleasure and wil of him that by his death hath brought deliuerance vnto him from euerlasting death and destruction and the hope also of a blessed estate to continue for euer Whervpon he proceedeth not only to the misliking of this corrupt nature of his but also to the suppressing of it that it deale not as it was accustomed neither when it wanteth meanes nor yet whē it enioyeth thē calling earnestly vnto God by praier that he may so increase in faith that he may glorifie him in the obedience of this commaundement His profiting in this obedience how great soeuer is alwayes ioyned with true humilitie because hee wel vnderstandeth by the sight that he hath of him self that he standeth by the mercies of God in Christ alone because also he plainly perceiueth that his obedience is not without frailtie and manifolde infirmities cleauing vnto it as his obedience is not with out humility so his falles infirmities ar not without grief vexatiō of hart whilst he seeth in them the dishonour and obedience of that God of whose free goodnes he holdeth al that he hath or hopeth for A great number persuade thē selues that their faith is perfect inough no want in it at all whē notwithstāding in their necessities distresses they are all ready to doubt distrust of cōfort as if they had neuer heard of the Gospell nor learned any thing of the promises made vnto the faithfull Nay which more is they shall no sooner be in any distresse but they are as farre from hope in God and as redy to helpe them selues by one euill shift or other as those ciuil men which haue no religion in them at all And all this notwithstāing they cannot see nor be brought to acknowledge any want in their faith Let a man bee broughte something behinde hand as we say either by losse that he hath had in his sheepe or cattle or by meanes of euill creditors with whome hee hath hadd dealinges and by and by he wil be ready to imagine that he shall not be able to liue vnlesse he vtter his commodyties at a greater price then before he hath done when notwithstanding hee hath gone as farre before as conscyence coulde in any respect giue him leaue Hee thinketh that his former decay doth priuiledge and make lawfull this kinde of dealing and vnderstand by the way that in all this purpose practise he receiueth not any suspition that there should be any wante of faithe or weakenesse in that behalf when as in very deed then is there true tryall of our faith if in our necessitie wee shall thereby stay vs from euill meanes in hope to haue vs prouided for according to his promise albeit we see not any likelyhood therof so far as our reason can reache For in faith there is hope beyonde hope
to the defence of that holde whiche being taken by the enimies he is assured to receiue continuall shame and dishonour The Lord will be honored by hauing his word obeyed if we doe not conspire to mainteine his honour that way we are guiltie of treason against his glorie when we suffer sathan to batter downe obedience in vs to God and man we are as well accessarie to the betraying of his glorie as those souldiers that are quiet within the castle while their enimies sacke the same without Let vs therfore goe carefully aboute these matters of his honour let our care and sounde dealing be a recorde vnto our hartes that we are not conspired with his enimies There can be no better argument that men do willingly consent with sathan then to see them carelesse of his assaultes then neuer to see them stande vpon their watche especially dealing with the enimie who hath professed that hee will neuer be at truce with them And because the Lord giueth so glorious a title to christianitie as to call it his glorie making so neere a bonde betweene our saluation his honour let vs not sleepe in so earnest matters neither bring a slender and bare affection where there is the assured hope of a double commoditie Nowe let vs pray vnto our heauenly Father that we may more be humbled that wee haue so long liued to so litle honour of his name not only that we may thereby truly acknowledge the mercy of Iesus Christe that hathe put vppe so great dishonour at our handes washing it away no otherwise than with his bloud but also that in the remembraunce of so long time wherein we haue dishonoured him we may bee whetted to bestirre vs this time that we haue to liue bothe to pull downe our affections that would dishonour him in the plaine contempte or carelesse regard of obedience also to bring forth that fruite of newe life that may open the mouthes of many to speake of his praise for it whose workmanship it is The fourth Lecture vpon the eighth verse 8 Remember the Sabbaoth day to keepe it holie 9 Sixe dayes shalt thou labour and doe all thy worke 10 But the seuenth day is the Sabbaoth of the Lord thy God in it thou shalt not doe any worke thou nor thy sonne nor thy daughter thy man seruaunt nor thy maide nor thy beast nor thy straunger that is within thy gates 11 For in sixe dayes the Lord made the heauen and the earthe the sea and al that in them is and rested the seuenth day therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbaoth day and halowed it THe rest from bodily laboures that was commaunded vpon the Sabbaoth day had in it this signification that Christianitie did consist in ceassing from sinne So doe the Prophets who are the true expositors of the law interpret it For thus we do read in the Prophet Esay Blessed is the man that doeth this and the Sonne of man that taketh holde on it he that keepeth the Sabbaoth and polluteth it not and keepeth his hand from dooeing any euill The Prophete doeth declare what it is to keepe the Sabbaoth by these wordes following And keepeth his hand from doeing any euil The euill that by this sabbaoth we are commaunded to rest and ceasse from is not a matter straunge and disagreeing from our disposition but rooted in our nature as nowe we haue it from Adam And therefore the same Prophet that here affirmeth the keeping of the Sabbaoth to consist in ceassing and resting from euill in an other place affirmeth it to be the ceassing from our owne wayes and workes declaring thereby this euill and iniquitie that we are commaunded to ceasse from to be no forrener or straunger but to keepe his house and home in our owne nature In that the Scripture termeth euil to be our own wayes and works according as it is written by the Prophete Isaie If thou consecrate the Sabbaoth as glorious vnto the Lorde and shalt honour him not doing thine owne wayes nor seeking thine owne will c. expounding the Not doing our owne ways nor seeking our owne will to be the consecrating of a glorious Sabbaoth vnto the lord The Sabbaoth then consisteth in keeping vs from doing euil so that necessarily we must conclude this euil to be in our owne wills and wayes This inwarde corruption wherewith bothe our wit and wil is poysoned was very fitly resembled in the outward obseruing of the Sabbaoth For vppon the Sabbaoth day the people were called from all their accustomed workes that they had beene occupied in the sixe dayes before So that a man comparing their doinges that day with those they were exercised in the other sixe dayes must of necessitie say they were cleane altered and chaunged in their doinges from that that vsually before they had beene and so diuerse as if they had not beene the same but other men A resemblance verie fitte and sitting to our spirituall Sabbaoth whiche consisteth in becomming newe men concerning our dooinges from that wee haue beene before wee knewe the Gospell The outward rest from bodily laboures whiche did shadowe out our true rest from sinne whiche is our accustomed way and worke was so strictely obserued among the Iewes that the neglect thereof in the least thinges as gathering sticks vpon the Sabbaoth day was punished with death as we do reade in the 15. of Numbers to declare some signification of greater thinges in it according as the Prophetes haue interpreted it The Sabbaoth then doth verie well point out the corruption that we haue receiued of Adam which ruleth and reigneth in the ways and wils of al them that are not borne againe and chaunged bothe in will and deede by the power of that his grace which only he bestoweth vppon his elect For thus it is written to the Ephesians Among whome speaking of the children of disobedience We also had our conuersation in time past in the lustes of our flesh in fulfilling the will of the fleshe and of the minde and were by nature the children of wrath as wel as others We haue to marke here that speaking of his sinne he describeth it to haue beene done by following the wil of the minde whiche is the reasonable part as well as in following the will of the flesh which is the affection vnreasonable part And lest we shuld ascribe this only to his custome in sinne as if hee had not beene borne with this disease nor by nature inclined therevnto he putteth himselfe and others vnder the wrathe of God by nature saying We are by nature the children of wrath as well as others making it the common case of all men as naturally to be inclined to euill as they are to eate and drinke in their hunger or thirst It is worth the noting that he putteth himselfe in the number for he saith of him selfe to the Philippians that his life was not outwardly to be reproued no not before his calling
kinde of sinne shall haue a godly wife whome the Lord shall preserue from this euill to yeeld vnto the wickednesse of others yet is his faulte neuer a deale the lesse heerein then if he should haue fallen into that extremitie of sinne because his deseruing hath called for that punishment from the Lorde which the Lorde in mercie towardes her hath withholden And in asmuch as the adulterer depriueth a man of the true comforte of his true and naturall seede and posteritie can we imagine otherwise of the Lorde but that hee will drawe one swoorde or other vppon some of his children that shall neuer ceasse to pursue them before it hath driuen them in at the dores of death Iob speaking of this sinne of adulterie sayeth that it is a fire that deuoureth all to destruction So that by this testimonie the house of the whooremonger must be consumed and there is a secret fier flaming there that threateneth to deuoure before it hath done and made a finall end which men might easily se by sundrie experiences in the world if there were no word of God to leade vs therevnto The hope to hide this sinne which bewitcheth the vngodly leadeth them into this fire of God his wrath must of necessitie be vaine because the Lorde him selfe hath taken vpon him to be reuenged of those that shall dare to breake that bond of wedlock which he hath made In the olde testamēt the Lord did by a special law made for the purpose take vpon him not only the knowledge reuealing and punishing of this sinne euen when it should be most secretly done without witnes of any other man yea or certeine knowledge frō the husbād him self but also the defence and clearing of the guiltlesse woman oppressed vexed with the vniust ielousie of her husbād who might presēt his wife whether she were guiltie in deed or onely in his ielous minde was thought to be so before the priest vnto that tryall which God had appointed established for the end After which matter solemnized with all the circumstances therof as it was appointed in the boke of Num. if the woman were defiled in deed then should her belly swel and her thighe rot if she were not defiled then should she not only be free from this punishmēt but also be blessed with fruitfulnesse as appeareth in the same place We see how greatly the lord doth abhorre adulterie taking vpon him to bewray the closest dealing in the wickednesse that can be and also what a care he hath of the vniting of their mindes who are become one by mariage in ordeyning a law to cure ielousie and so taking vppon him also the defence of the innocent partie That law is now ceased but that same God doth yet remaine bearing the same hatred to that sinne that he did before hath the like loue to innocencie that before he hath had So that there is small hope to be had when God is become the searcher him selfe when he who knoweth it is an vtter enimie vnto it and hath professed the reuealing of it yea and that more is the iust and deserued punishing thereof It would greatly feare the theefe if it were noysed that that man would searche him whome he doeth wel remember to haue passed by and behelde him while he was hiding of that whiche before hee had stolne Wee doe not reade through the whole testament the like solemnitie in the searching out of any sinne neither yet that in any other sinne the partie suspected was compelled to subscribe vnto certeine words of execration and calling for euil against himselfe if he had offended saue onely in this tryall of adulterie whiche may both teach vs in what place of sin to set this crime of adulterie and what measure of punishment to looke for after trespasse and transgression made in this parte The punishment whiche in the olde Testament was appointed to be executed againste it by the ciuil Magistrate was death according as it is written in Leuiticus The man that committeth adulterie with another mans wife because hoe hath committed adulterie with his neighbours wife the adulterer and adulteresse shall dye the death In this commaundement is not onely adultery forbidden which is when one of the offenders is ioyned or betrouthed to another in marriage but also fornication when bothe the offenders are single persons We haue learned before that it is vsuall in the commaundements vnder one kinde of euill to forbid all that bee of affinitie with it and like in wickednesse vnto the same Fornication is forbidden in expresse wordes in Deutero There shall be no whoore of the daughters of Israel neither shall there be any whoorekeeper of the sonnes of Israel The punishment of this sinne of fornication whiche was so fearefull among the people of Israel is brought in of the Apostle Paule to bring all men to suche feare of God as may restraine them from it Neither let vs commit fornication sayeth the Apostle as some of them cōmitted fornication and sell in one day twentie three thousand The life of man beeing so precious vnto our mercifull father as it is it can be no small sinne that prouoketh the Lord to procede in iudgemēt euen to the death of twentie three thousand And therefore is this notable punishment notwithout great reason ioyned to fornication which was the cause thereof For commonly this sinne is made as nothing hauing naturall infirmitie set beside it in the vsuall speech of men to hide it withall But the holy Ghoste doeth not so matche it in his speeche he doeth not set it before our eyes in a cloake of natural infirmitie whereby we should the lesse feare it but putteth vppon it the garment that in deede belongeth vnto it euen a cloake bathed with the bloud of xxiii thousand men There is great diuersitie betweene these two cloakes the one is farre vnlike the other in the eyes of the holy Ghoste this sinne is fearefully stayned with much bloud in the sight of fornicatours there is nothing in it whiche is not naturall and kindely so diuerse are their iudgements and so great is their disagreement of their opinions The Apostle Paule reasoneth against fornicatours by the worthines of our bodies whiche are the members of Christ howe great is that abasing and howe miserable to be diuorced from Christ and coupled to an harlot d ee ye not knowe sayeth the Apostle that hee whiche coupleth himselfe with an harlot is one bodie for two saith he shal be one fleshe Moste certeine it is that the bodie of an harlot can be no member of Iesus Christe And the fornicatour by the testimonie of the apostle is become one bodie with her hauing the same coniunction with her in wickednes that the husbande hathe with his lawful wife in holinesse and by the appointment of the Lorde There is great cause therefore why the holy Ghost shoulde so earnestly persuade vs to flie fornication making
the eyes of others What shall we say then to those teachers that say there is no daunger nor feare saue when conception is perfected and the will hath wholy relēted and is with delight set downe in it Can there be any conference about the begetting of suche monsters that shall not haue great blame iustly layde vnto it Can thoughts that are married vnto the Lord euer approch vnto the bed of such desires and not bee conuict of faith and fidelitie broken with the Lord him selfe Can she any longer be accounted chaste that admitteth conference of long continuaunce about the enterteinment of others besides her lawfull husband Yet would the Papistes haue such blamelesse howe often soeuer they haue such vnchaste and vngodly meeting if by cōceiuing and fully consenting they bring not foorth sinne The counsel that is giuen vs by the Prophete Dauid is farre otherwise whervnto no doubt the apostle did allude in the place before alledged out of the epistle to the Ephesians for there we are charged that we should shake at such thinges and not perseuere in them but deale earnestly with our heart against them in our chamber and not suffer such continuance in meeting nor continuall meeting whereby this monstrous byrth and conception might iustly be feared There is then occasion offered to stand vpon our watche and to strengthen our affections against suche coueting desires whensoeuer they arise least this cōcupiscence by long dallying with our affections at length get within them and so ouerthrowe them The infection of sinne is so vniuersally dispersed ouer our nature that there is no part free from it for it hath entred and infected the thoughts thē selues and they are poysoned with it so that there is deadly daunger in following and persuing after the will of our owne thoughts The Apostle Paule when he setteth foorth the fearefull estate that hee was in before his conuersion which all men are in by nature for he putteth him selfe in the ranke with others speaketh no otherwise of it but thus That he followed the will of his owne flesh and of his owne thoughts No other guide had hee but run after the direction of his owne thoughts euen then whē his estate was most dānable We must therfore learne to suspect our thoghts if we wil be aduised by the Apostle and not to imagine with the doctours of Rome that our estate is good so long as the will when it shall haue wrastled at length getteth out not hauing wholy yealded nor flatly falne downe Thoughts therfore rūning this way after any thing of our neighbors in so doing make manifest declaration of their poyson corruptiō which if they shal haue no resistāce do carie vs headlong through the broad way into destruction If by grace they shall be stopped and resisted in that grace God is to be magnified yet we in that our corruption notwithstanding iustly are to be blamed and admonished therby to seeke for more ayde in that part of our thoughtes least if the tentation should lye sore vpon vs sathan shoulde that way get entrance into the heart It seemeth a hard doctrine that thoughts wishes and desires should be condemned that lawes should bee made for them and men charged with the ordering of them and no maruel if it appeare so vnto vs for it appeareth that the apostle Paule wold neuer haue suspected any danger in concupiscence lustes and desires if the lawe had not sayde Thou shalt not lust or desire Nay it appeareth plainely in that place that hee thought maruellous well of him selfe before he came to this commandement He tooke him self before to be liuing and in good liking towards God and godlinesse but as he confesseth after he had looked vpon this cōmandement and beheld him selfe a while in this part of the glasse he sawe him selfe plainly to be no body a dead man sold vnto sinne Howe necessarie then is it to sift our selues to examine vs in this commandemēt throughly that we may be humbled vnder the grace of God as apperteineth For if he so singular a man was not throughly cast down before he had wrastled with the iustice of god in this cōmandemēt how requisite is it that we shuld truly trie vs here least that in supposing that to be in vs which we want we becom carelesse in seeking the mercie of Christ without the which there is no hope In this commaundement therefore aboue all the rest it is required that wee be diligent and true tryers of our selues For those who haue no misliking of them selues for the lusting and coueting after the thinges of their neighbours whiche they doe perceiue to be in their thoughts haue no Christianitie in them to be accounted of Euill beeing misliked in trueth will be misliked wheresoeuer it shall be whether in worde thought or deede Euil being truly resisted wil be resisted euē in thought and therfore certein it is that he who neuer hath strouē with euil in his thoughts hath neuer truly strouen with sinne It was meete that the law should vtter all our euil and hide nothing of our vnrighteousnesse from vs that the manifolde corruption therof might force vs to seke the mediatour and peace-maker Christ that we beeing so many wayes conuicted of corruption in our selues might wholy giue ouer the opinion of our owne workes and meriting and so make much of the mercie offered by Iesus Christe which is so muche the more made of by how much we doe more cleerely see our vtter vndoeing without it If onely the acte of murther adulterie thefte and false wittnesse-bearing or the deliberate and setled consent vnto any of those should alone come in question in the cause and matter of sinne against our neighbour many an euil man would hope to make good shifte but when thoughts and desires vnto any of those are called for and examined it will cause any man to cast downe his courage and to fall a pleading of his pardon As before we were endaungered by the doctrine of Rome to conceiue sinne when they notwithstanding bad vs liue without any feare in that respect of sinne so long as we keepe our consent cleare in the matter So here if we shall hearken to their doctrine we come in daunger neuer to magnifie rightly the mercyes brought vs by Christ Iesus while we see not halfe the neede that we haue of him nor the halfe parte of the miserie that we are in without him For a mā may make good shifts if onely deedes and full consents be asked after and so in his owne iudgement no great benefite is obteyned by him that shall supply that whiche is lacking in his behalfe and therefore he maketh no greate haste to seeke after him But when thoughts desires are sifted he must of necessitie acknowledge him selfe greately befriended if so great want of his shal by an other be found answered We must looke in this glasse of the commandements and into this infinite nature of
lust desire and concupiscence that we may be confounded in our selues vtterly that our deliuerie may be from the gates of death that we may knowe how that our saluation consisteth in his meere grace for we can hardly be brought to begge abrode till all reliefe be spent at home There is no daunger in the feeling and acknowledgeing of our pouertie for the Lord hath promised that if those that be heauie loaden with sin shall come vnto him they shall be refreshed neither was there euer found any that despayred who before had not thought too well of him selfe All the daunger is on the other side least wee not taking those to be no sinnes which are sinnes in deed so thinking better of our selues then there is cause should in iustice be iudged of the Lord because we would not proceede by a right rule to iudge our selues By this that wee haue heard it is plaine that a Christian must walke in feare and care not onely to consent to euil towards his neighbour but also to be stirred and pricked with any bee it neuer so little or small a delight therevnto and that our thoughts are poysoned and therefore the daunger great in the not bridling of thē The thing then commaunded is to bring our desires thoughts and delights vnto the good and benefite of our brethren in matters wherein they are to be benefited that we bring not only hands to do wel to our neighbours but also heartes thoughts desires lusting longing and delighting therein according as the apostle testifieth of him selfe that he was delighted with the law of God according to the inner man whervnto accordeth the holie Ghost in the Prouerbs in these wordes It is ioy to the iust to doe iudgement Many haue bene brought to do outward things in them selues good which neuer had any ioyfull desire in them to glorifie God with them but the holie ghost worketh in his not onely a chaunge of workes but also an alteration of thoughtes desires and delights that their desires may be holden within that whiche is good Wherin it behoueth a Christian to be carefull euen thus to transforme his delights not taking it sufficient if hee shall haue brought them at any time from that which was euill vntill he haue ioyned them to that which is good Let our care be increased this way to haue suche desire and delight vnto that whiche is good as may reteine our thoughts and kepe them diligently occupied in suche seruices Be it far from vs to think that the grace of GOD onely reacheth vnto the deede and ful consent letting desires and thoughts take their libertie in their corruption We muste confesse as the trueth is that his grace not onely bridleth thoughts frō rushing into that which is euil but also giueth them a sweete taste in that which is good and holdeth them greatly therevnto There is no man will denie but that we ought to delight in that which is good and surely if the delight be once taken in doing good vnto our neighbour it will gather the thoughtes together and assemble them to that ioy delight If when the delight is wicked the thoughtes are spent therevppon surely if the desire bee chaunged the thoughts also wil resorte greately thither Let vs therefore seeke after the grace of GOD not onely to season our deeds but also our thoughts delights therewith that our studie and thoughts may be occupied in that which is acceptable to him For if some deeds shal at starts be done of vs but the heart neuerthelesse vnchaunged in desires delights it shall not profit vs The vnderstanding that Christians haue of their estate how it fareth betwene God and them is better taken and hath surer profe and more certeyne testimonie from their desires and inwarde affections vnto the lawe of GOD then from their outwarde doeing of things commaunded by the lawe Euil things may be left vndone for feare of punishment for desire of commendation or auoyding of euill speech or for that wee are not tempted with them when notwithstanding the heart shall not in any respect mislike of them Good things also may bee done for praise of man for hope of merites with God when yet the affection shall nothing bee moued that way And this is nothing before God to auoyde euill from thy hand but to embrace it neuerthelesse in thy heart or to doe good with thy hand without any desire of the heart So that bothe in euill deedes left vndone and also in good deedes done we may be deceiued But if the inwarde affection of the heart stand desireously affected after that which GOD hath commaunded vs to doe vnto men and hatefully affected towardes that which God hath forbidden this chaunge cannot be wrought there but by the spirite of GOD alone As for the praise or dispraise of the people it reacheth nothing so farr Let vs then embrace this desire vnto the dueties commaunded vs not giueing any rest vnto the Lorde in our prayers before we shall obteine this inwarde testimonie whiche is aboue all exception to be taken against it and without the which outwarde doeinges are of no account before the Lord who looketh into the affections of man and embraceth a cherefull and delightfull giuer Heere are those men confuted that would driue affections out of the fleashe and kil nature attempting such things as vtterly tend to destroy it as if the nature of man shuld by regeneration becōe altered into the nature of Angels wheras regeneration killeth not nature but restoreth and repayreth it destroyeth not the affections but transfourmeth them from that euill which naturally they are inclined vnto into that which is good commaunded of GOD. The angrie man may not thinke his conuersion and regeneration to be good if hee shall bende him selfe neuer to be moued with any thing at all but if that heate which sometimes hee felte vnto euill be now as feruent vnto that whiche is good then is his conuersion approued before god The couetous man is not then conuerted when he shall haue driuen all desire thirst after worldly commodities out of his minde vnlesse that desire be repaired in him to bestowe and vse those commodities as GOD hath commaunded Neither is that man gone straight way out of the worlde that hath betaken him selfe to a wildernes and cloyster to haue no dealings in the world but he that in dealings of the world hath kept him selfe vnspotted of the world vsing the things therof as if hee vsed them not hee may truely say he hath left the worlde In all these dueties towarde our neighbours we may neuer forget this which hath partely bene touched before that if it were possible for vs to perfourme all dueties vnto men and yet not doe them in obedience vnto God according vnto the rules which before we haue learned it were vtterly to be abhorred For what auaileth it to deale wel with men and in the meane