A30242:596
The Scripture directory for church-officers and people, or, A practical commentary upon the whole…
The Scripture directory for church-officers and people, or, A practical commentary upon the whole third chapter of the first Epistle of St. Paul to the Corinthians to which is annexed The godly and the natural mans choice, upon Psal. 4, vers. 6, 7, 8 / by Anthony Burgess ...The Scripture directory for church-officers and people, or, A practical commentary upon the whole third chapter of the first Epistle of St. Paul to the Corinthians to which is annexed The godly and the natural mans choice, upon Psal. 4, vers. 6, 7, 8 / by Anthony Burgesse ...
London: printed by Abraham Miller for T.U., 1659
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
Secondly, It's lawful to encourage a mans self in working for God, by this, that there is a Reward. There is a lawful self-seeking, viz. of immortality,1 and honour and glory, Rom. 2.7. This is good to be observed, because some tender people have been much troubled, as if they were gone no further then hypocrites, because they find such desires of Heaven and Glory, moving them in their duties. Oh! they think this is to serve God for their own ends! Did not Christ live and die for me, though he got nothing by me, and why should not I for him? Now, two things we say to this.
Secondly, It's lawfull to encourage a mans self in working for God, by this, that there is a Reward. There is a lawfull self-seeking, viz. of immortality,1 and honour and glory, Rom. 2.7. This is good to be observed, because some tender people have been much troubled, as if they were gone no further then hypocrites, because they find such desires of Heaven and Glory, moving them in their duties. Oh! they think this is to serve God for their own ends! Did not Christ live and die for me, though he got nothing by me, and why should not I for him? Now, two things we say to this.
- 1A lawful self-seeking.A lawfull self-seeking.
1. It's true, in every godly man, there is such an ingenuous Principle of grace in him, that he loveth God and Christ for their own sakes. Though there were no Heaven, no Hell, yet such is his spiritual constitution, that he cannot but love God, and hate sin. The reason is, because he is made a new Creature, hath a Divine nature: And that is, a spontaneous, free, and willing principle to what is holy, without any outward motives. As a dutiful Child loveth his Father (though poor,) though he hath no Inheritance to give him. As the Mother loveth her Child, and takes all that care about it, from an inward [Greek or Hebrew], when there is no hope of a reward. Hence the motions of grace are compared to thirsting and hungering. Now, you know,