Gospel-revelation in three treatises, viz, 1 The nature of God. 2 The excellencies of…

Secondly, Wherefore in the second place, let all those that do seek to get the world in those ways wherein they are like to lose their souls, let them lay this Scripture to heart, and O that God would settle it upon their spirits, that you might when you awake in the night season think of it; when you walk up and down, when you are in your shops, in your business, think but of this Text; I remember I told you in the beginning, of one that counselled one of the Kings of Portugal to think of this Text a quarter of an hour every day, O that you would every time you awake, especially you that have been seeking after much of the world, think seriously of this Scripture, Am not I the man or woman that have hazarded my soul for seeking after somewhat of the world? hast thou never sought to gain any thing of the world in a way of sin, and to this day thy heart not thoroughly humbled for it, nor repented? it may be not to this day made restitution? hath not the eager pursuit after the things of this world taken thy heart up so much, that thou hast not favoured the things of God and eternal life? thou lookest upon the things of the world, as if they were the only realities, but for spiritual things, they are imaginations; have not the things of this world so taken up thy spirit, as made thee to have sleight thoughts of spiritual and heavenly things? hast not thou blest thy self in the enjoyment of these things, though in the mean time God hath not made known to thee the riches of his Kingdom? yet thou hast thought thy self to have enough in the enjoyment of what thou hast; hast not thou often, when thou hast been at the Word, had thy thoughts and spirits about the things of the world, as the things suitable to thee, but the things of the Word thou hast not relished? yea and any thing in the Word that hath come close to that covetous corruption of thine, thy heart hath secretly derided it; there are no men in the world that do more secretly condemn and deride the things of God, spiritual things, than worldly-minded men. In Luk. 16.14. we read that Christ preaching to the Pharisees against their covetousness, and telling them That no man could serve two ⟨p. 361⟩Masters, but either he will hate the one, and love the other, or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other, ye cannot serve God and Mammon, saith Christ:

Secondly, Wherefore in the second place, let all those that do seek to get the world in those waies wherein they are like to lose their souls, let them lay this Scripture to heart, and O that God would settle it upon their spirits, that you might when you awake in the night season think of it; when you walk up and down, when you are in your shops, in your business, think but of this Text; I remember I told you in the beginning, of one that counselled one of the Kings of Portugal to think of this Text a quarter of an hour every day, O that you would every time you awake, especially you that have been seeking after much of the world, think seriously of this Scripture, Am not I the man or woman that have hazarded my soul for seeking after somewhat of the world? hast thou never sought to gain any thing of the world in a way of sin, and to this day thy heart not thorowly humbled for it, nor repented? it may bee not to this day made restitution? hath not the eager pursuit after the things of this world taken thy heart up so much, that thou hast not favoured the things of God and eternal life? thou lookest upon the things of the world, as if they were the onely realities, but for spiritual things, they are imaginations; have not the things of this world so taken up thy spirit, as made thee to have sleight thoughts of spiritual and heavenly things? hast not thou blest thy self in the injoyment of these things, though in the mean time God hath not made known to thee the riches of his Kingdome? yet thou hast thought thy self to have enough in the enjoyment of what thou hast; hast not thou often, when thou hast been at the Word, had thy thoughts and spirits about the things of the world, as the things suitable to thee, but the things of the Word thou hast not relisht? yea and any thing in the Word that hath come close to that covetous corruption of thine, thy heart hath secretly derided it; there are no men in the world that do more secretly condemn and deride the things of God, spiritual things, than worldly-minded men. In