§ 18.
4. Of Loves and Affecti∣ons to earth∣ly Things.
1. Avoiding (and that in their first growth) sensual Loves, or Enamour'dness of any Earthly Person, or Thing. Avoiding the contraction of particular Friendships amongst your usual Associates, extraordinary Familiarities, zealous addiction to Parties: nothing being so opposite to the Loves we are obliged to, (viz. to the love of God toto corde, & totis viribus; and again to a general love, and charity to all God's Creatures for his sake,) as these Monopolies of our Love, and this inordinate concupiscential affection settled on some particular, when it is grown to some excess. Of which love the greater share any one hath, the less have all the rest; and so much as is given to the Creature, that is not secondary and meerly for God, so much is taken from the Creator. Besides that this is the Master-passion, and none grows to such an immense unruly Bulk as it. Whether it be good, or bad, its bands are very strong; strong as death saith the Spouse in the Canticles, death that lets none escape: and it imploys all our faculties that way whither it tends; and so is most pernicious to us, when not rightly placed: No other thing so powerfully in∣ducing us to transgress our necessary duty to God or Man, and so much unmanning us, and robbing us of our liberty.
2. Weaning your self by degrees from all worldly Conso∣lations the readiest way to attain Spiritual; i. e. Conso∣lations greater, longer.