Oftbe SENDING Sermon 4 , thde were: (and whofecafeis betterthanthefe ~)But, if thefe,fom~ that ,afe, it may befaid to them truly, It i&expedient I begme. And whatcar~1~~11 that bee~ Even that cafe, that maketh themother many times withdraw her c, 1 l fro111' her young child, whom (yet) fhe loveth full tender!y, when the child gro\~ ~· . foohlhly fond of her: whicbgrewtobethcircafejufl:. Chriflsflejh, andH.isjiJ~1 prefena, that, and none but that. So !lrangely fond they_ grew of _that,asthey caul~ Ioh.u ..,. not endure Hee fhould goe out ofthcrr fight: Nothmg,buthrscarnallprefen would quiet them. Wee know, whofaid : If thotihadjl beene here Lord .. asif eh, fcnt, He had not beene, as able to doeit, by His Spirit, as prefcm byHisbodie.'And !'i'tth.~7· 'i; 1t tAbernacle they wouldneedsbNildHim, to keepe Him on earth fl:ill; andevetand anon theywere frill dreaming ofanedrthty kingdome,and of the chiefe Seates there as if theirconfummationlhould have beenein the f!cflJ. Thefe phanlies (indeed tm;s) they fell into, about the fldh: they hadnred have it taken from them, Tl;eSpirit was gone quite : they had more need, to have Him(ent. This was, at no hand ro be cherifl1ed in them: they were not to be held as children fiill, but togrow to ,;<m e!late, to perfeCt ageand fl:rength; and fo confe<juemly to be weined from rhecot· porall prefence of His flefl1; nor to hang all by fenfe, to which (it is tootrue)thcy were too much addicted. The corperallthereforeto be removed, that the fpiritRAO might take place: rhevijible, that theinvijible: and they, not in light or fen[e as hi. therco; bur, in fpirit and truth, henceforth to cleave unto Him. To fay (withthe >Cor. 5. 1 6, Apoflle) Ifwehaveknowne CH!\ Is T afterthejlejh,yetnowhenciforthweknowHim fcno more. This was for them: And welhould have beeneno better, asnowweare· the Jlelh will but hinder the jpirit• even the bc!l, ' F .·fl .. This, for His bodily pretence. But, the Fathmgoeyetfurrher· andinqu;r~· :•• Z~~:;,;;;.•· whether this al(o ?e not true, in Hisfpiriruall prefc~c7 =. and refolve, thar,eveninre~ gard of that, 1t IS no leffe true. To fome vobtJ, 1t 1S expedient, that even after that manner alfo, CH a I s T goe from·them. And who are they1 ' · A•gro,.tn I. Onevobis, when mengrowfaintinfeeking, andcareleffeinkeepingHim(a5 faint. inCant.3.) liein hed, and {eeke Him. Gone He was; and, meet, He!houldfo bee,to Ca~r.p. teach them to rifeand feelee; towauhand keepe Him better. 'A'""""'"" z Another Vobis, when men grow highconceitedandoverweeningofth~mc J.::£" 30 _7 •. felves, and thdr owne firength; and fay (withDavid) nonmovebor, as ifthey had Matth. • •· B · CHa I sT pinnedtothem; and (withPmr) Etjiomnes non ego. It is more than rime, CH a I s T begonefromfuch; to reach them to fee and know rhemfelves better. Bur, if C H a I • T leave us, if He withdraw His fpirituallpre.fence, wefall into finne; and that cannot beeexpedient for any, Good, that I have beene in trouUe;for, ,Pill.ll~· 67' heforelw~Utrcuhled, I went wrong: but, not good for any, to fall into finne. Yes in– deed : Audeo dicere (faith Saint Augu{line) I dare avow it, Expedit ft•pcrbo, 11tincidat in peecatum (there are the very termes) it is expedimtthey fall into fomenororious finne (as David, as Peterdid) that their faces may bdilledwithjhame, andthcy,by ~C:or. u.r. that confufion, learne to walke with morehumilitie. Theme.lfengerof Satan, that was fent.the Apojlle,to buffet him, was of this nature, and to no other end fenr,bur to prevent'thismaladie. In aword: CH R 1sT muf.l:withdraw(noremedie)rhatwe _Ef'f S7-l s. may grow humble, and being humble, ·the Ho L Y G H os T may come -'forHe · commeth to none, ,_nsennone,givethgr4ee to none, but thehumble. So wcfee, chrifl ~ ~~ ~ r may be,and is, eyen according to His jpiriltlallprefence, withdrawne from ,omeper· foos, and for their good. Chrif!m abit, ut Paraclett« 'Veniat: and rhat manywayes Pfal.ac8.6; meet it is, it fo lhould be. Thismakes us fay, GocLord,set ttp thy ftlfe abovethe befl.. vens, Andthy glory, over lilt the earth. III ; IfHee goenot,the Holy Ghojl willnotcome: But,if CH n ISY goe; 1 will of Mitta·., Heecome ~ !hall we not be left to the wide world, without both~ will the Co~n~r· E•m. ter come l He will: for, CH n I s T will not faile but .fendHim. If He take H1s 0" j.:.•ll' tb<m - dy from our eyes, He will fend Hisspiritinto our hearts. ~m, {ent Heihall be; hei~
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