2. The business and cares of this world; for these immoderately followed, and not in obedience to God, are a sore burden, and makes the soul heavy, and allows no time and strength for God and his service, and those happy opportunities of private communion with him, when we are encumbered with much service, we neglect that one thing necessary, Luke 10.42. and therefore Christians must take heed that the lean kind do not devour the fat; that Sarah be not thrown out of doors in stead of Hagar; that Religion be not thrust to the walls, which should be our prime and chief business, while every business hath its time and course. The Scriptures knowing the proneness of our hearts to temporal things, deals with us as we do with a crooked stick, we bend it so much the other way, and therefore sometimes they forbid necessary labour, John 6.28. Labour not for the meat which perisheth, &c. the meaning is, not chiefly; but it bends the stick another way, set not your affections on the things of the earth: A man ⟨image 11⟩must have some kind of affection to hi• work here below; but we had need to be bent the other way. We may gather […] is from this Precept, 'tis better encroach upon the world, then the world should encroach upon Godliness. In short, things are a burden and clog to us, according as our delight and scope is; if the pomp and increase of the world be our end and scope, then Religion will be looked upon as a burden, that will be a weight, and all duties of godliness as a melancholy interruption, as they, Amos 2.8. When will the Sabbath be over? The exercise of godliness will be a troublesome thing, and we shall go about the work of Religion as if we went about it not: But, on the other side, if Heaven and heavenly things be our scope, then the world is a burden, and then we shall use it in the way, but not abusing, as taking up our rest here, 1 Cor. 7.31, 32. Man hath a body and soul, and he doth provide for both but for one in subordination; the soul is the chief, and therefore we must not so look after the interests and concernments of the bodily life as to forget the interests of the soul, or to neglect them. Many will not so grossly idolize present things, so as to renounce things to come; I but they so often follow the things of the world, that they neglect their eternal concernments.
2. The business and cares of this world; for these immoderately followed, and not in obedience to God, are a sore burden, and makes the soul heavy, and allows no time and strength for God and his service, and those happy opportunities of private communion with him, when we are incumbred with much service, we neglect that one thing necessary, Luke 10.42. and therefore Christians must take heed that the lean kind do not devour the fat; that Sarah be not thrown out of doors in stead of Hagar; that Religion be not thrust to the walls, which should be our prime and chief business, while every business hath its time and course. The Scriptures knowing the proneness of our hearts to temporal things, deals with us as we do with a crooked stick, we bend it so much the other way, and therefore sometimes they forbid necessary labour, John 6.28. Labour not for the meat which perisheth, &c. the meaning is, not chiefly; but it bends the stick another way, set not your affections on the things of the earth: A man ⟨image 11⟩must have some kind of affection to hi• work here below; but we had need to be bent the other way. We may gather 〈…〉 is from this Precept, 'tis better incroach upon the world, then the world should incroach upon Godliness. In short, things are a burden and clog to us, according as our delight and scope is; if the pomp and increase of the world be our end and scope, then Religion will be looked upon as a burden, that will be a weight, and all duties of godliness as a melancholy interruption, as they, Amos 2.8. When will the Sabbath be over? The exercise of godliness will be a troublesome thing, and we shall go about the work of Religion as if we went about it not: But, on the other side, if Heaven and heavenly things be our scope, then the world is a burthen, and then we shall use it in the way, but not abusing, as taking up our rest here, 1 Cor. 7.31, 32. Man hath a body and soul, and he doth provide for both but for one in subordination; the soul is the chief, and therefore we must not so look after the interests and concernments of the bodily life as to forget the interests of the soul, or to neglect them. Many will not so grosly idolize present things, so as to renounce things to come; I but they so often follow the things of the world, that they neglect their eternal concernments.
