2. IF you are Crucified to the world, be not too eager for it. As God hath promised it you but as an appendix to your felicity, and as an overplus to the great blessings of the Covenant, so must you desire it but as such. And as God hath promised it you but with certain limitations, so far as he shall see it good for you, and agreeable to his greater ends; so you must desire it but with such limitations. I observe many to have so much reason, as to put up their prayers for outward blessings, with those limitations, and will not for shame express themselves in absolute peremptory language; when yet there is apparent cause to fear, that they limit not their desires, as they do their words, nor do they submit so freely to the disposal of God in their hearts, as they seem to do in their expressions: and so they make their words to be modest, while their desires are inordinate; their language to be chaste, while their hearts are committing adultery with the world; their expressions are pious, while their affections are idolatrous: And so their prayers are made monstrous, while the soul of them is so disagreeable to the body. Be ashamed and afraid to desire that which you are ashamed and afraid to ask. You dare not say to God in your prayers, [Lord, I must needs have a fuller estate! I would fain be rich and be somebody in the world; I cannot live contentedly in poverty: food and raiment will not serve turn; unless I fare deliciously, and be clothed neatly, and be set by in the world, and unless I may leave prosperity to my children, when I am dead and gone.] If you dare not say thus, do not dare to desire or think thus. Mr. Robert Bolton, that holy learned Divine, doth use among the heinous damning sins, to reckon this; ▪ A desire to be rich.] And if we hearken to the Scripture, we shall find that it is not without good cause. Prov. 23. 4. the command is, ▪ Labour not to be rich.▪ And Prov. 28. 20. He that ma•gth haste to be rich, shall not be innocent.▪ The Syriac renders the word ▪ […] ▪ and the Arabic ▪ the wicked▪ which we here translate [ •e that •asteth to be rich.] And they must needs be the s•me men, when the Apostle saith, that the love of money is the r•ot of all evil, 1 Tim. 6. 10.
2. IF you are Crucified to the world, be not too eager for it. As God hath promised it you but as an appendix to your felicity, and as an overplus to the great blessings of the Covenant, so must you desire it but as such. And as God hath promised it you but with certain limitations, so far as he shall see it good for you, and agreeable to his greater ends; so you must desire it but with such limitations. I observe many to have so much reason, as to put up their prayers for outward blessings, with those limitations, and will not for shame express themselves in absolute peremptory language; when yet there is apparent cause to fear, that they limit not their desires, as they do their words, nor do they submit so freely to the disposal of God in their hearts, as they seem to do in their expressions: and so they make their words to be modest, while their desires are inordinate; their language to be chast, while their hearts are committing adultery with the world; their expressions are pious, while their affections are idolatrous: And so their prayers are made monstrous, while the soul of them is so disagreable to the body. Be ashamed and afraid to desire that which you are ashamed and afraid to ask. You dare not say to God in your prayers, [Lord, I must needs have a fuller estate! I would fain be rich and be somebody in the world; I cannot live contentedly in poverty: food and rayment will not serve turn; unless I fare deliciously, and be cloathed neatly, and be set by in the world, and unless I may leave prosperity to my children, when I am dead and gone.] If you dare not say thus, do not dare to desire or think thus. Mr. Robert Bolton, that holy learned Divine, doth use among the hainous damning sins, to reckon this; ▪ A desire to be r•ch.] And if we hearken to the Scripture, we shall find that it is not without good cause. Prov. 23. 4. the command is, ▪ Labour not to be rich.▪ And Prov. 28. 20. He that ma•gth haste to be rich, shall not be innocent.▪ The Syriack rende•s the word ▪ 〈…〉 ▪ and the Arabick ▪ the wicked▪ which we here translate [ •e that asteth to be rich.] And they must needs be the sme men, when the Apostle saith, that the love of money is the rot of all evil,
