And now I advise all that love their souls, to take heed of this aspiring act of selfishness. If you will needs seek your selves, and be your own Exalters, you must trust to your selves, and be your own defenders: And then you will find that the lowest condition in the hand of God, is more safe and comfortable than the highest in your own hand. If God should lift you up to the top of the highest mountains, you may expect either a calm, or his protection in the storm, and to be as safe as those below: but if you lift up your selves, and Satan carry you to the pinnacle of the Temple, take heed lest you thence cast down your selves by his temptations that did lift you up. Dignities and Honours, are not indeed the things that they seem to be to carnal eyes that see not the inside, but judge by the outward glittering show. There is most holy Duty and work ⟨p. 289⟩to be done, where is the greatest dignity. And certainly the life of greatest work & labour is not the life of greatest ease, or carnal pleasure: especially when it is the work of God that you must do: a work which all the world is against, and which Satan and all his power will resist: and which must meet with enmity and abundance of enmity, when ever you set about it: Though you are Commanders, yet you are Soldiers; and you that are Leaders have the hottest standing, and must expect the sharpest conflicts. Do you think of your Dignities and Offices as places of mere superiority and honour and accommodation to your carnal selves? then are you Carnal men, and enter upon you know not what, and make your selves Traitors and Enemies to God, whom he is engaged to bring down and be avenged on at last: you debase the sacred coin which bears the stamp and name of God. Magistracy is holy, and the Image of God, and you basely turn it into the Image of the flesh; and blot out Gods name from it, and stamp upon it the name of self, and traitorously make it your own, which was eminently his. Believe it, whoever you are, if you seek for places of Rule and Dignity with carnal selfish expectations, you must either use them accordingly when you have them, which is the readiest way to damnation in the world, or else you must find your expectations crossed, and miffs of all your carnal Ends; and find that the greatest toil and burden, which you expected should have been your chief content.
And now I advise all that love their souls, to take heed of this aspiring act of selfishness. If you will needs seek your selves, and be your own Exalters, you must trust to your selves, and be your own defenders: And then you will find that the lowest condition in the hand of God, is more safe and comfortable than the highest in your own hand. If God should lift you up to the top of the highest mountains, you may expect either a calm, or his protection in the storm, and to be as safe as those below: but if you lift up your selves, and Satan carry you to the pinacle of the Temple, take heed lest you thence cast down your selves by his temptations that did lift you up. Dignities and Honours, are not indeed the things that they seem to be to carnal eyes that see not the inside, but judge by the outward glittering shew. There is most holy Duty and work ⟨p. 289⟩to be done, where is the greatest dignity. And certainly the life of greatest work & labour is not the life of greatest ease, or carnal pleasure: especially when it is the work of God that you must do: a work which all the world is against, and which Satan and all his power will resist: and which must meet with enmity and abundance of enmity, when ever you set about it: Though you are Commanders, yet you are Souldiers; and you that are Leaders have the hottest standing, and must expect the sharpest conflicts. Do you think of your Dignities and Offices as places of meer superiority and honour and accommodation to your carnal selves? then are you Carnal men, and enter upon you know not what, and make your selves Traitors and Enemies to God, whom he is engaged to bring down and be avenged on at last: you debase the sacred coin which bears the stamp and name of God. Magistracy is holy, and the Image of God, and you basely turn it into the Image of the flesh; and blot out Gods name from it, and stamp upon it the name of self, and traiterously make it your own, which was eminently his. Believe it, whoever you are, if you seek for places of Rule and Dignity with carnal selfish expectations, you must either use them accordingly when you have them, which is the readiest way to damnation in the world, or else you must find your expectations crost, and mifs of all your carnal Ends; and find that the greatest toil and burden, which you expected should have been your chief content.
