Take heed of listening to the voice of 1such carnal friends as would call you off from this blessed violence. Fire when in Snow, will soon lose its heat, and by degrees go out. Among bad company you will soon lose your heat for Religion. The company of the wicked will sooner cool you, than your company will heat them. Vinegar will sooner sour the Wine, than the Wine will sweeten the Vinegar. How often do carnal friends the same to our souls, as infected persons do to our bodies, convey the Plague? The wicked are still dissuading us from this violence; they will say, it is preciseness and singularity. As Christ's friends laid hold on him when he was going to preach, ⟨p. 180⟩Mark 3. 21. They went out to lay hold on him; for they said, he is beside himself. Such as are unacquainted with the spirituality and sweetness of Religion, judge all zeal frenzy; and therefore will lay hold upon us to hinder us in this sacred violence. When we are earnest suitors to Piety, our carnal friends will raise some ill report of it, and so endeavour to break the match. Galeaci•s, Marquess of Vico, being resolved for Heaven, what a block in his way did he find his carnal Relations! and what a do •ad he to break through that impediment! Take heed of a sore in your bosom. This is one of the Devil's great subtleties, to hinder us from Religion by our nearest Relations, and so to shoot us with our own rib. He tempted Adam by his wife*, Gen. 3. 6. Who would have suspected the Devil there? He handed over a temptation to Job by his wife, Job. 2•9. Dost thou still retain thine integrity? What notwithstanding all these disasters that have befallen thee, dost thou still pray, and serve God? Throw off his livery, Curse God and die. Thus would the Devil have cooled Job's ⟨p. 181⟩violence for Heaven; but the shield of his faith quenched this fiery dart. Spira's friends stood in his way to Heaven, for, advising with them about Luther's Doctrine, they persuaded him to recant; and so openly abjuring his former faith, he felt an Hell in his conscience: Take heed of such tempters; resolve to hold on your violence for Heaven, though your carnal friends dissuade you. 'Tis better to go to Heaven with their ha•red, than to Hell with their love. It was a saying of St. Hierom, If my Pa•ents should persuade me to deny Christ; if my Mother should show me her breasts that gave me suck*;
Take heed of listning to the voice of 1such carnal friends as would call you off from this blessed violence. Fire when in Snow, will soon lose its heat, and by degrees go out. Among bad company you will soon lose your heat for Religion. The company of the wicked will sooner cool you, than your company will heat them. Vinegar will sooner sowre the Wine, than the Wine will sweeten the Vinegar. How often do carnal friends the same to our souls, as infected persons do to our bodies, convey the Plague? The wicked are still disswading us from this violence; they will say, it is preciseness and singularity. As Christ's friends laid hold on him when he was going to preach, ⟨p. 180⟩Mark 3. 21. They went out to lay hold on him; for they said, he is beside himself. Such as are unacquainted with the spirituality and sweetness of Religion, judge all zeal phrensie; and therefore will lay hold upon us to hinder us in this sacred violence. When we are earnest suitors to Piety, our carnal friends will raise some ill report of it, and so endeavour to break the match. Galeaci•s, Marquess of Vico, being resolved for Heaven, what a block in his way did he find his carnal Relations! and what a do •ad he to break through that impediment! Take heed of a soare in your bosom. This is one of the Devil's great subtilties, to hinder us from Religion by our nearest Relations, and so to shoot us with our own rib. He tempted Adam by his wife*, Gen. 3. 6. Who would have suspected the Devil there? He handed over a temptation to Job by his wife, Job. 2•9. Dost thou still retain thine integrity? What notwithstanding all these disasters that have befallen thee, dost thou still pray, and serve God? Throw osf his livery, Curse God and die. Thus would the Devil have cooled Job's ⟨p. 181⟩violence for Heaven; but the shield of his faith quenched this siery dart. Spira's friends stood in his way to Heaven, for, advising with them about Luther's Doctrine, they perswaded him to recant; and so openly abjuring his former faith, he felt an Hell in his conscience: Take heed of such tempters; resolve to hold on your violence for Heaven, though your carnal friends disswade you. 'Tis better to go to Heaven with their hared, than to Hell with their love. It was a saying of St. Hierom, If my Paents should peswade me to deny Christ; if my Mother should shew me her breasts that gave me suck
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- *[…] petit cor.〈…〉 petit cor.
- *Si mater mihi uber• ostendat. &c.
