that it should be possible for a man awake, to believe that he must shortly be gone from earth, and enter into an unchangeable endless life, and yet not bend the thoughts of his soul, and the labours of his life, to secure his true and […] Adam hath given sin the […] grace, and madness the priority to wisdom; ⟨image 5⟩and our wisdom, health and safety, must now come after, by the way of recovery and cure. The first born of lapsed man was a malignant persecuting Cain. The first born of believing Abraham, was a persecutor of him that was born after the Spirit, 1 John 3.12. Gal. 4.29. And the first born of this Isaac himself, was a profane Esau, that for one morsel sold his birth-right, Heb. 12.16. And naturally we are all the off-spring of this profaneness, and have not acquaintance enough with God, and with healthful holiness, and with the everlasting heavenly Glory, to make us cordially prefer it before a forbidden cup, or morsel, or a game at foolery, or a filthy lust; or before the wind of a gilded fools acclamation and applause; or the cap and counterfeit subjection of the multitude: But the —fortunae, non tua turba (ut Ov.) & quos sportula fecit amici (ut Juv.) who will serve mens lusts, and be their servants, and humble attendants to damnation, are regarded more than the God, the Saviour, the Sanctifier, to whom these perfidious rebels were once devoted. That you and yours may live that more wise and delightful life, which consisteth ⟨image 6⟩in the daily sight of Heaven, by a Living Faith, which worketh by Love, in constant Obedience, is the principal end of this public appellation: That what is here written for the use of all, may be first and specially useful to you and yours, whom I am so much bound to love and honour; even to your safe and comfortable life and death, and to your future joy and glory; which is the great desire of
that it should be possible for a man awake, to believe that he must shortly be gone from earth, and enter into an unchangeable endless life, and yet not bend the thoughts of his soul, and the labours of his life, to secure his true and 〈…〉 Adam hath given sin the 〈…〉 grace, and madness the priority to wisdom; ⟨image 5⟩and our wisdom, health and safety, must now come after, by the way of recovery and cure. The first born of lapsed man was a malignant persecuting Cain. The first born of believing Abraham, was a persecutor of him that was born after the Spirit, 1 John 3.12. Gal. 4.29. And the first born of this Isaac himself, was a profane Esau, that for one morsel sold his birth-right, Heb. 12.16. And naturally we are all the off-spring of this profaneness, and have not acquaintance enough with God, and with healthful holiness, and with the everlasting heavenly Glory, to make us cordially preferr it before a forbidden cup, or morsel, or a game at foolery, or a filthy lust; or before the wind of a gilded fools acclamation and applause; or the cap and counterfeit subjection of the multitude: But the —fortunae, non tua turba (ut Ov.) & quos sportula fecit amici (ut Juv.) who will serve mens lusts, and be their servants, and humble attendants to damnation, are regarded more than the God, the Saviour, the Sanctifier, to whom these perfidious rebels were once devoted. That you and yours may live that more wise and delightful life, which consisteth ⟨image 6⟩in the daily sight of Heaven, by a Living Faith, which worketh by Love, in constant Obedience, is the principal end of this publick appellation: That what is here written for the use of all, may be first and specially useful to you and yours, whom I am so much bound to love and honour; even to your safe and comfortable life and death, and to your future joy and glory; which is the great desire of
