Four useful discourses viz. ... /Four usefull discourses viz. ... /

And then the Fourth way of mystery of the Godlies learning how to abound, it is this; He learns how to abound, by getting all that he hath to be sanctified by the Word and Prayer. It was one way of knowing how to want, by having our afflictions sanctified to us; and so it is the way to know how to abound. Now this is a way that carnal hearts have little skill in, they think they know how to abound by their natural wisdom; I but the way that a gracious heart hath for abounding, is this; God hath prospered me in my way and course in any kind; now let me go to God and exercise Faith in his Word, and seek unto him in prayer, that I may have a sanctified use of all these things then that God hath granted to me. In 1 Tim. 4. 4, 5. Every Creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with ⟨p. 58⟩thanksgiving; for it is sanctified by the Word of God and Prayer. A little to open this Scripture, That the Creature is sanctified by prayer, that I suppose is easy for you to understand; that is, when I have any good in any Creature, then I am to seek to God by prayer for a sanctified use of it unto me. But how is it sanctified by the Word? Now that that the Apostle doth intend here in sanctifying by the Word, is this, that he would show to us, That a godly man hath another kind of interest in the Creature than another man hath; saith he, All things are good, but how shall they be good to me? How shall I know that they are good to me? That must be by the Word (saith he) I cannot know that they are good to me, that I have a sanctified use of them, that is, that all the comforts I have, I do enjoy them in order to eternal life; for then a thing is sanctified, when it is consecrated (as it were) and made holy: that is, when it is made useful to the highest and last end. As a place is sanctified, when it is separated from other things for God; so when the blessing of God is upon my estate, to make it to be to his glory and my last good, then it is sanctified. Now how comes this? This is by the Word of God; for we by our fall have lost all our interest in the creature unto our outward comfort. Now God indeed out of his bounty doth give to some men abundance here in this world, I he gives them those things that are in themselves good; I but how shall they come to be good to him;

And then the Fourth way of mystery of the Godlies learning how to abound, it is this; He learns how to abound, by getting all that he hath to be sanctified by the Word and Prayer. It was one way of knowing how to want, by having our afflictions sanctified to us; and so it is the way to know how to abound. Now this is a way that carnal hearts have little skill in, they think they know how to abound by their natural wisdom; I but the way that a gracious heart hath for abounding, is this; God hath prospered me in my way and course in any kind; now let me go to God and exercise Faith in his Word, and seek unto him in prayer, that I may have a sanctified use of all these things then that God hath granted to me. In