1 7f 0/REP ENT AN C E, Sermon r. ~-----------------------------------------------------~ vVhether good or whcrhcrevill, itpertainethto us. For, tousofrhe Gentiles hath Sairit Parsl ~mailed wlmloever well or ill befeU the dilfolved Church of the /ewes: Thefe, all thefe cameimtothemfor example, ~ndare enrolled, to tvarneruthal grow neerer andneerer to the ends of the tvorld. ·< lloth pcrtaine unto us; the Scripture hath both: And,in it, dr1weth out ourdu~ tie to us, in both; in good a!ld evill Reports; as it were, in white w.or,ke, and blacke worke. Arid we to have ule ofboth: Yet, not ofboth reports alike, bptdivcrpy, as our inflruchons uponthem are divcrfe. For we are not fo much Eo regard ri-le bare ll.eport, as the inflruccion ofit. For which caufe, Afaphharh entitled this Pfalme, not A(aph's report, but A[aph's in.ftruclion• . Now, we have here our report : May we lindc, wha..tourin.ftrufliffl is tou~hing h!'Wetmy. Afapliexpreay hathfetirdowneat the V IIt.ver(e before. That this,and other errors ofth,eirs arehere ilpon theFile, Nefantjic11t Pams eomm,That we fhould not be like ourforefathm, acr~/{eandcrookedgmeration. Not like them, in other i~dignities : and among other in this Cumuccideret, &•. Neverco feeke Go n but'whenHeki/lsus. In which foule indigniry,our Age is (certainly) as deepe, as ever was that: And we needAfaph's'inflrttC!ion, no lelfe thanthey. For, as ifthere were no ule of Religion, but onely C~tmoccldertt, fo fpendwe allo~n·wholetime, in thefearch of othcrrhings. Noccaringtqaske, orfeeke, or conferre about the flare ofour foules, even tilleccitk~tt come. And then (peradven. ture) fending for v!faph, and hearing him/peake _a few words a!5out lr, wliich wee would faine have called feeking •f G on. I can fay little to it : I pray G o n, it prove {o: but fure (I feare) it will be found Minm habens, farreflJOrt of it. Which is fo ulually' received, that, take-a ft1rvey, not one ef an hundred ever thinke ofir, before. So fecurely praf.tifed, as if we had lome Stiperfedet« lying by us, not to doe it till then : As if there were no {uch Scripture as this upon record t which turned to their d1f.mtlion, and muft needs lye heavie·J•pon us, when we fhall re· pemb~ti\', CtlmomJeret, &c. Now fure, this courfemuft needs-be prejudicial! ro our foules: and a tuunbo• pe.' rifh in it daily befolc our eyes. Yet wee lit fiill, and fufl'er this cl!ftome to grow and gather head. Neither delivering their foules, or (at leaft)our owne, \iy telling them ferioufly, this 'isnot the time: and, then, tofeeke, is not rhefeeking; Gon will ailow•. That this is a Ne ftant,[uch athing, asihould not be-done in Ifraef. ( That iris upon ~ecord, ~' <.t'&•Ju!, to their difgrace andd'.f/m(lion :.And it cannot be to our Cillfu fort ox l¥\li!l!lendation, .todo~ rhe like. Out of which their dei1ruJ.lion, v!(aph frametl1 an inffmefionforus: and(as it is well £1id,andfitly ro this day)cxcinerc I rid£. orum lixivzumChrijlianorum, ofthe Uwcsafhes maketh alee for ChYifliaiis,to'dean[e us from thi~ foule indigni\Y. rt, "!ide'!tes cadentes, vi~ea_nt necada!!~ that,_~~d_tng their f:tll, we take heed we fall not: that is,(eeke, not as they fought, lctfwe perilh, by like example off eeking too late. Therefore, that wee fet our [elves to feeke, before this Cum come: that is (in a word)feeke Go n,as by repentance and the fruits; fo by undelayed repem:mce, and the timely fruits ofit: and be not likethe Apojlle Iude's /i,.t;~ ea,,.....,,,., our feeking :tll Summer, tvithered and dric, and beginningto lhoor out a little, about Michael· ma!fe fpring: Ofwhich kindeoffhooting, fruit can never come. This is the fumme. 7beDivijiow: Thewords conlill: oftwo parts. Two parts: but, thefe two evill.matched, or (asSaint Paul) uneqr~afly yokedrogerher. For, where our chiefe actions (ofwhich I take it,otrrfcekingof G on is one) {11ould have the chiefeihime; Here, is the fide and bell of ouractions foned, with the !aft and worfr plrt ofour rime : f!.:!,£rebant ~Car,6.•• Eum,wirhCumocdderet. _ _ . And, not onely milfe-forted, but milfe-placed. For, """'. ccctdmt, His Wling. lhndeth before ourfeeking : whereas ourfeeking fhould be firfi,andHis.killinscome ~~~r. !hisw~s~~ver GoP_s !!•nt.!. !heymuftbavea.Nejiallf! ·• of
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