~----------------"'------------ 4'70 Book.lV. Looking tmto :fefus. Cbap.5. Seet." John;..;. ta:ne oderiferous lillies, that cait forth a fweet frnelling favour. they were full of heavenly grace and fwcetndfe; Gr,rce, faith th~ P[Jirniit, WM pct<redin:ohis lips, and thty dnpped Jweet-fme/ling myrrhe; the nature ot th1s her be is to keep from putrifadion,as it isJound it fe!fe, fo it makes other things four_Jd; error is of a putrifying Aature, corrupting, and defiling the foul, but the do_ .drine ofChrifi keeps the foul found; it is the fouls prefervarive, ir keeps t be foul free from ali corruption and defilement. See here the prophetical office ofChrifl: held forth in firnilttudes, his lips were ever dropping, difiilling, publifhing fweet and found truths.·- Read and peru.fe thofe Sermons he hath left on record; yea ruminate, and rnedita.te on them, in order to piety and an holy life; How fweet was the firft Sermon of Cbrifi, repent ,for the Kingde me of heaven u <~t ht?.nd? and how fpiritual W:Js that Sermon ofChriil, exctpt a man be borm ttgnine, he cannot fee the KingdGme ofGod? it may be thou art aDodor, a Mafier off (rae!, thou art a learned Scholar, thou art a man of parts and abi lities in other things; it may be thou · baH read fo ' long in the Bible, thou hall: beard fo many, and fo many Sermons ,&c but ah ! miferable foul, it may be all the work is to do fiill within; Corne fay this Sermon ofChrifr unto thine own foul; Vn!e§e I !J(bome againe, I cr:nnot mter into heaven ; borne ag,tine? 0 Lord what is that? wM everJuch a thing done upor; me ? WM ever I cuft into the • p_angs ofa newbirth? and continued I in thofe pangs umill Chrift Jefm wt',s formed in me ? are old things done away, andare all things n~w becume new? if the old man, the old lujls, the old conver{lltion quite abandoned ·and left ? 11re my principles new ? my Aymu and ends new ? my life and conver{ation new ? Thus might I parapbraze on all the Sermons : but I intend brevity; only confider 0 my foul, as ifthis Sermon, and all the reft had been preached to thee : Reallize Chrill: ftanding by thee, and opening his mouth, and teaching thee, thus and thus; furely there is a fpeaking of Chrift from heaven; See that ye refufe not him (faith the Apoitie) that JPeaketh from heaven. And befldes,he hath his Minifiers he re O·n e<l'rth, a·nd they are dayly preaching over thefe Sermon; ofCkiH, againe, and againe; the:y preach fuch things as were jirfl JPok_:nby the Lord him(elfe, they befeech, and pray thee ~t~r~ · /'10, in Chrifls Jl:r:ad. 0 then, meditate on . t-hefe things, 11nd g;~e 1 ".(i.m-+· 1 ). thy fe!fe wholly to them , that thy profiting may ~tppeare _ro 111/l. , 7· Con-
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