teach us the worth of mercies either temporal or spiritual by the want of them and to bring us to want those mercies which we abuse if the childe play with or throw about his meat he may well think a wise and loving Father will make him feel the want of it and thereby know the worth of it and certainly we have as much reason to fear the fulfilling of those threatnings which the Ministers of the Gospel have for many years sounded in our ears for our abuse of the means of grace and certainly if Gods providence should call the most of us into Spain or some other Popish Country where we should have a famine of hearing the word of the Lord might we not sadly reflect upon our despising yea and loathing the heavenly Manna of Gods Word I speak not of the prophane ungodly wretches who scarce ever had any serious thoughts of Eternity nor ever soberly considered whether they were at all beholden unto God or no that never knew how to value a Bible above a Play-book or the Sacrament above a drunken meeting whose Religion is to scoffe and mock at godliness and godly men and who scarce ever knew any other end in coming to Church but to mock or carp at the Preacher who may with trembling read their doom 2 Chron. 36.16 But I speak of the Professors of Religion how have they either by reason of new fangled opinions sleighted and despised Gospel-Ordinances or else by reason of fulness of spiritual food have loathed and trampled upon the means of grace to whom the Lord seems to speak as to those Ezek 34 18 19. Seemeth it a small thing unto you to have eaten up the good pasture but you must tread down with your feet the residue of your pastures and to have drunk of the deep waters but ye must foul the residue with your feet And as for my flock they eat that which ye have trodden with your feet and they drink that which ye have fouled with your feet or else having enjoyed them and made use of them have been little the better by them have not lived and practised the Sermons they have heard and the prayers they have made Oh let such be sure in the first place to give glory to God when he deprives them of such means by acknowledging his justice in taking away what hath been so much abused or at best so little improved then let them with broken and bleeding hearts reflect upon those full Banquets of spiritual dainties the fragments of which in a time of want they would be glad of 2. Heartily resolve if ever the Lord bring you again to enjoy Gospel-Ordinances you will more value prize and improve them and indeed that alone which can make our repentings and sad reflections upon former miscarriages not to be mockings of God and cousening our selves must be an hearty resolution against what we profess to be sorry for and therefore that our resolution in such a case may be the more fixed it would be good to record it in our Note-books that so it may be a continual Monitor on all occasions minding us of our duty and checking us if afterwards we prove like the Israelites who soon forgat the Lord. Psal 106.13 And the truth is a Christians Note-book is usually a more faithfull register than his heart and 't is easier for the Divel to blot a good resolution out of our mindes than out of our books 3. Labour to know and understand well and often remember wherein consists the life of true and real Religion there be so many things in the world that pretend to be Religion and less deserve that name than the picture of a man deserves the name of a man that 't is an easie mistake to nourish an enemy to Religion instead of Religion unless we be serious and wary and more apt to regard the characters which the Scriptures give of real Religion than hasty to take up the forms and fancies of men instead of Religion I have read of a young French Lady who observing the glorious pomp and splendour of a Popish Procession cryed out How fine a Religion is ours in comparison of the Hugonots a speech suiting her age and quality but indeed if Religion did consist in such things the question I have in hand would fall to the ground for there could then be no exercise of Religion among those who would not admit of such pompous solemnities Let us therefore be often remembring that the Religion of the Gospel consists in righteousnesse Rom. 14.17 peace and joy in the holy Ghost in denying ungodlinesse and worldly lusts and living soberly righteously and godly in this present world Tit. 2.12 13 and so looking for that blessed hope and the glorious appearing of the great God Jam. 1.27 and our Saviour Jesus Christ in visiting the fatherlesse and widowes in their affliction and keeping our selves unspotted from the world He that hath a precious Jewell which he would secure must be able to distinguish it well from a counterfeit stone lest he neglect his Jewell and spend his care and pains upon a glittering glasse foysted into the room of it 4. In all your actions be often fixing your eye upon your great end be often asking your selves what is the work and businesse for which God sent me into the world which lyes in three words 1. Honour God 2. Save your souls 3. Do good to others Be often minding your selves that you have a better Trade to drive than for the corruptible riches of this world even for the pearl of great price the eternall happinesse of your souls Religion is the way to Heaven and he that doth not often eye his journeys end and consider whether the way he takes do lead unto his end is never like to keep long in the right way but now he that often with seriousnesse considers with himself that the God who made him expects to be honoured by him that the securing his souls welfare is his grand concernment and that to save the soul of one sinner is a greater good than to save a Countrey from drowning or a City from burning and therefore on all occasions asks himself how may I mannage such a businesse so as to honour God and promote the good of mine own and other mens souls How may I prosecute such an affair without prejudicing the grand design of my life This man is like to secure Religion in his soul 5. Live up to the professed principles of your Religion and believe it to be a greater glory to God honour to your Religion and security to your own souls to live according to than to argue and dispute for your Religion for most certain it is that self-love worldly interest pride passion c. may urge men to argue eagerly for the Christian or Protestant Religion whereas nothing but love to God and care of our own souls and charity to the souls of others can make a
that hath abused mee for hee describing Religion by it's proper Acts tells us that pure Religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this to visit the Fatherless and the Widdow in their affliction and to keep himself unspotted from the World so that that thing which in an especial refined dialect of the new Christian Language signifies nothing but morality and civility that in the language of the Holy Ghost imports true Religion Mark 12.33 34. when the Scribe told Christ that to love God with all the heart c. And our neighbours as our selves was more than whole burnt offerings and sacrifices it is said when Jesus saw that hee answered discreetly hee said unto him thou art not far from the Kingdome of God They that would have a Religion without moral righteousness talk indiscreetly and are further from the Kingdome of God than a meer moral man If wee neglect this part of Religion wee disparage the Gospel and abuse our profession wee are but pretenders to Christianity Plutarch speaks somewhere to this purpose hee had rather posterity should say there was never such a man as Plutarch than that hee was a vicious or cruel or unjust man I had rather a man should not call himself a Christian that hee should renounce his Title than that by his life and actions hee should represent Christians to the world as oppressors as unjust and treacherous dealers If men will only use Religion for to cover their unrighteousness I had rather they would put off their Cloaks and bee Knaves in querpo that every body may know them than that they should go like High-way-men in vizards and disguises only that they may rob honest men the more securely And to move you to the practice of this Rule I shall only offer to you one Consideration but which hath so much weight in it that it may be instead of many As you deal with others so yee shall bee dealt with With what measure you mere to others it shall be measured to you is a proverbial speech often used by our Saviour and which one time or other you will finde to be very significant God doth many times by his providence order things so that in this life mens unrighteousness returns upon their own heads and their violent dealing upon their own pates There is a divine Nemesiâ— which brings our iniquities upon our selves No man hath any vice or humour alone but it may be matched in the world either in its own kind or in another if a man be cruel and insolent A Bajazet shall meet with a Tamerlane if a man delight to jeer and abuse others no man hath so good a wit but another hath as good a memory hee will remember it to revenge it Hee that makes a trade of deceiving and couzening others hee doth but teach others to couzen him and there are but few Masters in any kinde but are out-done by some of their Schollars But however wee may escape the hands of men how shall wee escape our own consciences either trouble of conscience in this life or the worm of conscience in the next how shall wee escape the hands of the Living God how shall wee escape the damnation of Hell 1 Thes 4.6 Let no man go beyond or defraud his Brother in any matter for God is the avenger of all such Hee will take their cause into his own hands and render to us according to our fraudulent and cruel dealing with others Mat. 18.35 So likewise shall my Heavenly Father do also unto you c. What our Saviour saith Mat. 19.29 That there is no man that denies himself in Houses or Lands c. for Christs sake and the Gospels but shall receive in this life a hundred-fold and in the world to come everlasting life is true also here There is no man that is injurious to his Brother in houses or lands or good name or any other thing but shall probably receive in this world aâ— hundred-fold however without repentance in the world to come everlasting misery In the next world men will finde that they have but impoverished themselves by their ill-gotten wealth and heaped up for themselves treasures of wrath Read those words and tremble at them Jam. 5.1 2 3 4 5. Go to now yee rich men weep and howl for your misery shall come upon you c. Let us then be perswaded as we love God whom we have not seen as we love the Gospel which we read and hear every day would preserve the reputation of it as wee would better the world and the condition of man-kind as wee love our selves and our own peace and happiness to deal justly and equally with all men Till wee come to live by this Rule of Equity wee can never hope to see the world a quiet habitation But if this were practised among us Psal 85.9 10 11 12 13. then Glory would dwell in our Land Mercy and Truth would meet together Righteousness and Peace would kiss each other Truth would spring out of the Earth and Righteousness would look down from Heaven yea the Lord would give that which is good and our Land would yeeld her increase Righteousness would go before him and set us in the way of his steps After what manner must wee give Alms that they may be acceptable and pleasing unto God 1 TIM 6.17 18 19. Charge them that are rich in this world that they bee not high-minded nor trust in uncertain Riches but in the Living God who giveth us richly all things to enjoy That they do good that they be rich in good works ready to distribute willing to communicate Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come that they may lay hold on Eternal Life THe sum of these words is a Direction for Rich men how to make the best use of their Riches The ground or occasion of this Direction is to meet with an Objection which might be made against the discommodities and dangers of Riches noted before in vers 9 10. But they that will bee rich fall into temptation and a snare and into many foolish and hurtful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition V. 10. For the love of mony is the root of all evil which while some coveted after they have erred from the Faith and peirced themselves through with many sorrows From hence some might infer as the Disciples did from the inseparable and inviolable bond of Marriage noted by our Saviour Matth. 19. If say they the case of the man bee so with his wife it is not good to marry So might some say if they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare c. then it is not good to be rich yea such as are rich may say Let us give away or cast away all that wee have rather than retain such Vipers as Riches seem to be To prevent such inconsequent inferences the Apostle giveth this Direction whereby hee sheweth
but the drooping distressed Christian also questioneth all this because of the deceitfulness of the heart Alas the Scripture tells us that the heart of man is desperately wicked and deceitfull above all things o From Jer. 1.9 The Papists cavils the drooping Christian doubts who can know it and if the heart of man cannot bee known how can wee say wee beleeve or love God For this consider these four things 1. Another man cannot know it I cannot certainly and infallibly know whether another man be sincere or what his heart is for it is the prerogative and excellency of God to bee 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 one that knows the hearts of all men Act. 1.24 2. A wicked mans heart is so wicked and there is such a depth of wickedness in his heart that hee cannot come to the bottome of it 3. If a man cannot know all the secret turnings and windings of his heart yet hee may know the general scope and frame of his heart 4. If hee could not do this of himself yet assisted by the spirit of God which all beleevers have received hee might know the frame bent scope inclination of his own heart Thus far the first proposition that a man may know that hee hath sincere faith in Christ and love to God Now wee proceed to the second 2 Proposition which shews the connexion between grace and glory Second Proposition is this that there is an infallible connexion between justifying faith unfeigned love and eternal glory The Apostle tells us of some things that may bee called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Heb. 6.9 things that accompany salvation Having or containing Salvation that are contiguous to salvation that the one toucheth the other this must bee proved for else though I know I do beleeve and love God sincerely to day I can have no infallible assurance of salvation because this may bee lost before to morrow or before I dye Now this I shall indeavour to prove by these three following particulars 1 From the verity of Gods promises 1. The undoubted verity of Gods promises proveth an inseperable connexion between sincere grace and eternal glory Faith is the eye of the soul with it through a promise as through a perspective-glass can the soul have a view of Heaven and glory What greater certainty or security can a man have than the infallible promise of that God who is truth it self who will not deny his Word but the same Love and free Grace that moved him to infuse Grace into thy heart and to make the Promise will move him also to give the thing promised Joh. 3.16 God so loved the world that hee gave his onely begotten Son that whosoever beleeveth on him should not perish but have everlasting life Joh. 5.24 Hee that beleeveth hath everlasting life Hee hath it in the Promise hee hath it in the first-fruits Rom. 8.23 But wee our selves also which have the first-fruits of the Spirit The Jews by offering their first fruits did testifie their thankfulness to God for what they had received and hopes of the full crop in due time Hee hath everlasting life then it must not end Mark 16.16 Hee that beleeveth and is baptized shall bee saved Hee that beleeveth not shall bee damned As certainly as the unbeleever shall be cast into outer darkness so certainly shall the beleever be partaker of the glorious Inheritance of the Saints in Light The Promise is as true as the Threatning Act. 16.30 31. There you see a poor convinced wounded sinner under the load of guilt that had a sight of his lost undone deplorable condition coming to the Apostles and speaking after this manner Yee men of God yee servants of the Lord if there bee any way for mee who have been so great a sinner that have done enough ten thousand times over to damn my own soul if there be any certain way to avoid damnation I beseech you tell mee if there be any means by which I might certainly be saved as you pitty my sinful soul my bleeding heart my wounded conscience tell mee what it is declare it to mee What is the Apostles answer Beleeve on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved The Apostles speak not doubtingly perhaps thou shalt be saved perhaps thou mayest be damned If thou get Faith it may be thou mayest get Heaven Alas what relief peace satisfaction would this have been to his wounded conscience But they speak peremptorily beleeve and thou shalt be saved So that prove thou that thou hast Faith and these Scriptures prove thou shalt have salvation The Connexion therefore will not be questioned if I beleeve I shall be saved this God hath promised but shall not a beleever lose his Faith in Christ and lose his Love to God for the Remonstrants grant that a beleever qua talis as a beleever cannot fall away not come short of glory but qui talis est Hee that is a beleever may fall away totally and finally and so cannot have assurance of salvation because hee hath no assurance that hee shall persevere in his beleeving and state of grace To this I oppose these places of Scripture 1 Thes 5.23 24. And the very God of Peace sanctifie you wholly and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body bee preserved blameless therefore preserved from Apostacy which is exceedingly blame-worthy till when till the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ is this a prayer and not a promise yea it is a prayer indited by the Spirit of God and hath a promise following it if you will read on Faithful is hee that calleth you who also will do it Here the Apostle that had the Spirit prayeth for perseverance and the Apostle that had the Spirit promiseth perseverance Certainty then of perseverance doth not make men careless in the use of means not prayers needless by praying a man obtains the thing promised and the certainty that hee hath by the promise of obtaining puts life into his prayers Phil. 1.6 Being confident of this very thing that hee which hath begun a good work in you 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 denoteth more safety than 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 will perform it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 will finish it will perfect it until the day of Jesus Christ 1 Pet. 1.5 Kept garrisoned by the power of God through Faith unto Salvation Joh. 10.28 30. 1 Cor. 10.13 But will with the Temptation make a way to escape therefore they shall persevere for to enable the beleever to persevere in all tentations is to make a way to escape the destruction and hurt the tentation tendeth to God doth promise this absolutely Jer. 32.38 40. And they shall bee my people and I will bee their God and will make an everlasting Covenant with them that I will not turn away from them to do them good but I will put my fear into their hearts that they shall not depart from mee They shall not forsake God because God will not
applying Christ in the promised grace of pardon and power in reference to it and thou hast heard it and known it in this case though affliction seem to search out iniquity yet it shall not be found but when affliction starts some sin which thou didst wink at or slightly passe over then thou wilt find trouble and sorrow indeed Direct 6 6. Because there is much malignity in this distemper let me here also add in reference to the same Cause and the sixth this Preventive Follow on the work of mortification close there is a combate between flesh and Spirit be sure you take the right side if sin be it which imbitters thy life and gives a sting to every affliction disarme affliction and kill that which will kill thee Es 27.9 the design of the Lord in affliction is mortification now if thou joynest thy hand in the same work God is ever with thee in the same way and not against thee but in case thou connivest at hidest shelterest some known corruption then thou canst hardly apprehend God but as thine Enemy coming against thee As it was with the City of Abell 2 Sam. 20. they were terrified at the approach of Joab and David's Army Oh! saith the woman upon the wall art thou come to destroy the Inheritance of the Lord no saith Joab but there 's a traitour Sheba harboured here c. 'T is he that put the City into fear and danger and made Joab seem their Enemy when his head was delivered all was quiet now when thou insistest on the businesse of mortification thou wilt joy when thou fallest into triâ—ulation as it was with Jael Judg. 4. having done execution upon Sisera come saith she to Baruc c. Welcome my Lords I know whom you persue here he is dead at your feet behold the nayle in his temple O! saith one visited with the stroak of death I have been long getting down this body of death and now God will do all my work at once be not slack in this work and afflictions will be more joyous than grievous 7. Yet again to come to the root of this malignity and in order to Direct 7 the advancing of the work of mortification endeavour after mortified affections to the World these are the suckers that draw away thy strength from God and the fewel and foment and strength of all that corruption that must be mortified Aversion from God with an immoderate clinging and cleaving to the creature is the whole corruption of Nature Affliction is the reducing thee to God and the ungluing disengaging and divorcing thee from a carnal worldly interest therefore minus gaudebis minus dolebis the lesse thou joyest the lesse thou ruest the lesse thou layest a World-interest near thy heart the lesse that affliction which is the parting work will go to thy heart therefore let all creature-comforts and advantages be loose about thee as thy cloathes which thou mayest easily lay aside and not as thy skin which cannot be pulled off without great torture affliction endangers nothing but that which is outward therefore let not thy excessive respect to that which is without thee make thy affliction an inward terrour If thou countest the World of no value thou wilt be able without inward perplexity and fear to passe through all places of danger and plunder as the Travellour when he carries but a small matter which he knows if he looses it will not at all undoe him Besides If thou lovest the World the love of the Father is not in thee and this will be a desperate venomous sting to thy Soul in thy affliction if thou wouldst not have the World thy plague and thy poyson in the enjoying thy wrack and thy terrour in the loosing comply with the Word and Spirit of Grace in the application of a Christ crucified for the crucifying and mortifying of thy affections unto every earthly interest 8. In reference to the eighth cause unacquaintednesse with affliction Direct 8 live in the meditation and expectation of the Crosse be much in the knowledge of the necessity nature and design of afflictions 1. Necessity 1 Pet. 1.6 If need be you must be in heaviness for a time In respect of the terms of the Covenant which lye in this deny your self and take up your Cross c. And in respect of our disposition we cannot be without them to wean us from the World to imbitter the creature to us to conform us to a crucified Saviour and make us partakers of his holiness 2. The nature and design of Afflictions They are fire not to consume our gold but to purge away our dross they are not revenging Judgments but fatherly medicinal Corrections not judicial Poyson but remedial Physick c. Therefore 1 Pet. 4.12 Think not strange be not strangers as the word imports to the fiery greatest tryal and thou wilt not be dismayed when it comes Even Poyson may be habituated and made innocent If a stranger come in unexpected into our house grim and armed with Instruments of mischief we know not whence he is nor what he comes for it will startle and appale us But if we be acquainted with him and his design and expect him we are quiet and composed to entertain him So when Affliction comes we can say This is the Cup my Father gives me who I am sure means me no hurt this is but what I looked for every day c. Enure we therefore our selves to the Cross and make it familiar conversing with it in our meditation and expectation Seest thou one afflicted with the loss of a Wife another of a Husband another of a Child another of Estate another begging bread in Prison or distress c. bear part of his burden in sympathy and pity and readiness to succour him and put thy self in his or her case supposing thou wert so and so it will do thee no hurt what shouldst thou do And so God will make thy burden light Psal 41.1 So thou wilt be prepared to entertain and meet the burden and it shall not fall upon thee and upon thy spirit to crush and sink thee c. Think often and think not amiss have no hard conceits of affliction and it shall not be hard upon thee Take this Course and then as for the malice of Satan in accusing and tormenting and the seeming severity of the Lord in withholding and withdrawing thou shalt not need to trouble thy self for Satan is a restrained and conquered enemy and cannot hurt thee and God is reconciled and will not hurt thee He may try thee by intercepting the sweetness of fruition He will never curse thee by intermitting or breaking the firmness of the Union and if he hide his face for a moment lament after him and he will visit thee with everlasting kindness of his compassion which change not though there may be a change as to what thou feelest Thus much for the Preventives to prepare for double afflictions upon
a nation changed its God q. d. no they are fixed to their Gods and they will not change them So it is in the sin of adultery the heart is stollen from the proper object as it is Hos 4.11 speaking of wine and women it is said they steal away the heart and it is glued to that which it goes a whoring after so that it will not be taken off from it Prov 2.9 When the creature becomes an Idol in the heart then there is idolatry committed and when it is a beloved there is adultery committed the hope and trust and confidence of the soul is gone the love and care the joy and delight of the soul is gone and the soul with every creature that it thus enjoyes powreth out her fornications as the Lord spake of them Ezek 16.5 and as they Isa 23.17 are said to commit fornication with all Kingdoms so a heart which inordinately loveth and doteth on and is glued to creature comforts commits fornication and abomination with them The second Inquiry was How we may judg of our hearts and know when they miscarry and offend in the pursuing use and enjoyment of lawfull things 1. When our desire of and our endeavours after worldly things grow strong and vehement and very eager and impatient as Rachel said Give me children or else I die Gen. 30.1 When we begin to say I must have such an accommodation whatever it cost me I must have such a comfort or I am undone such a pursuit after worldly comforts argues a heart very carnall and he that miscarries so much in seeking after the things of this world will not mend the matter much when he comes to enjoy them when the heart groweth sick after worldly things in the desire of them usually it surfeteth when it gaineth it as Amnon was sick for his sister 2 Sam. 13.1 2. he had a surfet after and as Ahab 1 King 21.4 he was sick with impatient earnest longing for Naboths vineyard When your heart is very impatient till you doe obtain your desires you are never well with that thing which you do so obtain When the affections grow strong and warm that you can indure no opposition or contradiction in the pursuance of your desires but you can bear any trouble or hardship that you may obtain the things desired as we see in Shechem Gen. 34. who could endure circumcision that he might have Dinah and in Jacob who did indure very much that he might have Rachel Gen. 29.18 then there is a match towards then in such a case when it is gained the heart becomes glued to it and commits fornication with it and cannot indure to be touched or thwarted in the fruition of it as Demotrius and the Silver-smiths when they found their Diana began to be touched by Pauls doctrine Acts 19.24 25 c. they made an uproar they would not endure that When ye look on any thing with a greedy and impatient longing lusting eye that if you do obtain it if God doth not otherwise order it will prove a snare to you as the Psalmist speaks Psal 69.22 an Idol an image of jealousie a curse and a crosse 2. When you have raised expectations and hopes of great contentment and satisfaction from your comforts when you promise to your selves greater matters from the creature than it can yeeld then you miscarry when you look on the creature through the multiplying glasse of your affections and lusts and see them as they are so represented bigger and better than they are and from thence you have high valuation of them and raised expectations also of great things from them when we fancie an excellency in the creature that is not we fancy a fullness in an empty thing a satisfaction in an insufficient unsatisfying comfort we fancie a stability in a vain fleeting vanishing thing when we fancie a fountain excâ—llency in a broken cistern as they did Jer. 2.13 then upon this the heart is raised to great expectations of pleasure profit c. then the heart shamefully miscarries and as it is said Rev. 13.3 4. there is a strange beast that turned the eyes of all the world after it they looked with an eye of great expectation from this beast and then they wondred and adored also so that they looked with an eye of admiration and adoration too 3. When the obedience and willing submission of the soul is brought off to any worldly comfort and the soul stoops to its scepter and the faculties like the Centurions servants doe as they are bid such comforts which are slavishly obeyed are sinnefully enjoyed When we are afraid to displease them the fear is at command when we are carefull to please such a lust then the care is under subjection when we are troubled if crossed then our sorrow is at command if rejoyced when that is gratified then the love and delight of the soul are at command And his servants ye are to whom ye obey Rom. 6.16 When the soul is even as the servant that looks to the hand of the Master with an obediential eye Ps 123.2 expecting a command and ready to yeeld obedience such a comfort is a sin and a curse to you Christ calls to us to deny our selves Matth. 16.24 Profits pleasures carnall advantages say rather deny Christs command Who is obeyed Christ saith mortifie your lusts lust saith gratifie us consider who is obeyed If family duties and personall private duties if praying holy meditation secret close communion with God be neglected because multitude of worldly businesse and full and great Trade in the world commands you another way and requires the love and zeal and strength and care of the heart to another attendance then you are under another Sovereign than Christ The obedience of the heart is carried to another Law other Lords rule over you Now the soul that is under the command of the creature as I have shewed that comfort becomes a sin which usurps the throne of the heart 4. When the soul groweth very tender and compassionate towards such a comfort and begins to spare that above other things then that becomes a lust and lust is very tender and delicate and must be tenderly used right eyes are very tender the least touch fetcheth teares when thou canst not endure that either the Word of God or the Rod of God should come too near or so much as touch upon such a carnall contentment such a comfort such a Husband such a Wife or Child thou canst not indure that the Lord should smite thee in any of these but thou cryest out Oh spare this as David concerning his Absalom 2 Sam. 18.4 5. Oh tender the young man pray deal gently with him and as old Jacob with his Benjamin He could more easily spare his other children than him he looked with a very tender compassionate eye on him What ever thou dost enjoy with such a tender bleeding heart and eye it hath ravished thy heart very far and it is