Three treatises of the vanity of the creature. The sinfulness of sin. The life…Three treatises of the vanity of the creature. The sinfulnesse of sinne. The life…

Secondly they are Choking Thorns; they stifle and keep down all the gracious seeds of the word yea the very natural sproutings of nobleness, ingenuity, morality in the dispositions of men. Seed requires emptiness in the ground that there may be a free admission of the rain and influences of the heavens to cherish it: And so the Gospel requires nakedness and poverty of mind, a sense of our own utter insufficiency to our selves for happiness, in which sense it is said that the poor receive the Gospel. But now earthly things meeting with corruption in the heart are very apt, First, To Fill it, and secondly, To Swell it, both which are conditions contrary to the preparations of the Gospel.

Secondly they are Choaking Thornes; they stifle and keepe downe all the gratious seeds of the word yea the very naturall sproutings of noblenesse, ingenuity, morality in the dispositions of men. Seed requires emptinesse in the ground that there may be a free admission of the raine and influences of the heavens to cherish it: And so the Gospell requires nakednesse and poverty of minde, a sense of our owne utter insufficiencie to our selves for happinesse, in which sense it is said that the poore receive the Gospel. But now earthly things meeting with corruption in the heart are very apt, First, To Fill it, and secondly, To Swell it, both which are conditions contrary to the preparations of the Gospell.

They Fill the Heart. First, with Business Yokes of oxen,¹ and farms, and wives, and the like contentments take up the studies and delights of men, that they cannot find out any leisure to come to Christ.

They Fill the Heart. First, with Businesse Yokes of oxen,¹ and farmes, and wives, and the like contentinents take up the studies and delights of men, that they cannot finde out any leisure to come to Christ.

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