Gospel-love, heart-purity, and the flourishing of the righteous being the last sermon of the…

First, The pressures and weights that are upon the Righteous from the world, do wean them from the world, takes them off from the world. Why now the love of the world, and cleaving to the world, and desires going after the world, are a mighty impediment to our growth in grace, to our flourishing in the world. You see what's said in Matth. 13. the ⟨p. 101⟩cares of the world, the pleasures of the world, the deceitfulness of riches, choke the Word, and make it become altogether unfruitful. And truly the love of the world, and pursuit of worldly things, do exceedingly hinder grace in the fourth Ground, in those that are truly godly, it is a great hindrance to them till they get their hearts mortified to the world, and weaned from the world. Now certainly the pressures that we meet withal in the world, are an exceeding great means to take us off from the pleasures of the world, and the profits of the world. We are mortified to the world: as Paul saith of the Cross of Christ, Gal. 6. 14. God forbid that I should glory in any thing save in the Cross of Christ. What's the Cross of Christ? Why, the sufferings which I have for Christ, the weights which are laid upon me for Christs sake. What was the effect of this? Why, whereby I am crucified unto the world, and the world unto ⟨p. 102⟩me. Now when the soul is delivered from this world, this evil world, it must needs flourish up to the other world.

Secondly, By the afflictions and troubles we meet with in this world, we get much light, and grow into a clearer knowledge of those things which makes for our increases Heaven-ward. It hath been anciently said, That affliction gives understanding; and the School of the Cross, is the School of light. Light comes in while we are in the School of the Cross. And indeed there is a fourfold light doth come in to us while we are under the Cross, and under sufferings. A light,