2. (Jt.ue. 3· Q_y .. eu: Arf,r. ~f .i!Duttc~ in (J!5enetal. Chap.'2 SeCt. '2.4. Prayers of .11 Sr<ints upon the golden .Altar, whi.h was before the Tbrom: .Andrhe fmck; of the inc.mje whzch c11me wuh the Prayer; ff the S11mts) afcended ~tp brfore God> out bftl'f._ A ngel; hand. Sed. 2 . The Soul's f2.!teries in thi.r Cafe. 1. JF this be fo, 0 my foul, what is thy cafe? are not moll: of thy Dmies performed with many failings, infirmities, hardneffe of heart, ilraitudfe of fpirit, dill:ra{ling thoughts ?and is there any healmg for fuch a Duty as this ? 0 yes! For firll:, in every Dmy we performe, there are two things; there is the facrifice and there !IS the obed1ence m offenng of the; facrifice, the facrifice may be imperf~Cl:, :ind yet our obedience in offering the facrifice may be perfed with Gofpel– perfeC!iorr. . Secondly, God deals with our Ditties, ,aswith our perfons; though he finds" great'deal of urigodlineffe in them, yet he imputes his righteoufneffc unto them, and fo he ju!1ifies our Duties, which in our eyes are mofl: ungodly. This indeed is a \vonder ; did we ever he1r or rcade ofany feal, that when it was fer upon the wax would change the wax int':' its own metra!? or did we ever hear or reade ofar.y fl:amp: that being fet upon braffe, 1t would change the braffe mto filv.er, or bemg fet upon filver, it woui<J change the filver into gold? O 'butwhen Chrifl: comes unto.a Duty, and fets h1s 0wn Clamp, and his own righteuufneffe upon a Duty, that which was braffe before, (i) full of failings, and much unrighteoufneffe, he changes it into filver, into gold; he only bath th.c Philofophcrs Stone . (a. I may fo fpeak) and all that Chrill: toucheth, it prefently turns into gold; he-turns all our ·1J1tties into g?lden Dmies, and fo prefents ilrerr\ Ullto God the Father. ' · ' 2. But how fhould I know that Chrill: thus takes my Dmies :md hMis them, and mingles them with his own incenfe, and carries them in unto God the Father? Cunfider, didfl thou never finde a fpiritual fire come down (as it were) upon thy heart in Duty, or after Dmy i In the times of the Old Tefbment, if they offered up a facrificc, and a matenal fire came down from heaven,and burnt up the facrifice to afhcs, it was a certain rcftimony that the facrifice was accepted: Now in the times ofthe Gofpel, we rriu!l not expedmaterial fire tocome down upon our Dmies, but hath the Lord at any time caufed an mward and fpmtual fire to fall down upon thyheart, war– ming thy fpirit in D111y? there the Lord fpeaks thus much to thee, That thy facrificc is turned into afhcs, and it is accepted by Jcfus Chrifl. 3. 0 but w.hence comes this fire now in thefe Gofpel-times? It iffues from the blood and interceflions of Chrifl: our Great H igh Prieft; it is the efficacy. uf his blood, and power Qfhis glorious interceflion, that when thou feel eft any good in Duties, doth at that very inltant prevail with God the Father for what thou feelefl: fay then, D~ 1 now in this Ordinane<, or in this Dmy, feel my heart warmed, O( , [avingly aJteffed? 0 I fee, I am bound to belie'lle, that the L~rdJrfm, who fits inglory at the right Hand of God) now, . now he remember; mea poor wonn on rarth ; new 1 feet the fruit of his (ieath and imercejfion in Hea.ven; now_ !fed hisfpirit, power, g_r~ce, can_ifort, prcfmce, fweetneJTe; now I tafte, I dnnk,_, I en;oy, and a11~ abHndftntlyJattjfied wuh his ,·ivers ofpleafures ; .And if thu Prejence ofChri(l be.fofweet, ~'hat is himfelf t_h~n- i 0 my foul, if ever thou dofl: thus rehfh the blood and Sp1r1t of Chnfl: upon thy fpmt m dutte:~, go thy way, and give glory to God. · SECT. 4· No refhng itt D#fio: 1}. 'Nd yet be wary, 0 my foul; It was Lmhers faying, Taks heed not ~nly of thy fns, 1 > but aifo of thy good Dnties; they are apt, (by reafon of our corruptton) to l:irmg men into themfelves, and this is very dangerous. Certainly, a man may not only exclude Chrifl: from his foul by groffe fins, but by fc1t';confidencc: Ye a,.ethe_y which j•.Jfifieyour[elves, fa id Chrilt to the Pharifees. Take a prophanc man, what makes him drink, f1vcar, .cozen, game, whore ? Is there no God to punifh ? Is there-no Hell hot · ' enough
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