Senn. 36. the life of Religion without pablick ordin,tnces ? 595 your fat rand at for my flock they eat that which ye have trodden with your feet ;and they drink that which ye have fouled with lour feet ; or elfe having enjoyed them, and made ufe of them, have been little the better by them ? have not lived and pra&ifed the Ser- mons they have heard, and the prayers they have made ? Oh let such be fure in the firfl place to give glory to God, when he de- prives them of fuch means, by acknowledging his juf}ice in taking away what hatb been fo much abufed, or at belt fo little improved ; then let them with broken and bleeding hearts refle. et upon thole full Banquets of fpirirual dainties, the fragments of which in a time of want they would be glad of. 2. Heartily refolve, if ever the Lord bring you again to enjoy Gofpel- Ordinances, you will more value, prize, and improve them ; and indeed that alone which can make our repentings and fad re- fleaions upon former mifcarriages not to be mockings of God, and coufening our felves, mutt be an hearty refolurion againit what we profefs to be lorry for ; and therefore that our refolurion in fuch a cafe may be the more fixed, is would be good to record it in our Note - books, that fo it may be a continual Monitor on all occa. fions minding us of our duty, and checking us, if afterwards we prove like the Ifraelitee, who foen forlat the Lord. Aud the truth is a Chrifi- t of 1;. ans Note -book is ufually a more faithful' regifter than his heart, and 'cis eafier for the Divel to bloc a good refolurion out of our naiades, than out of our books. 3. Labour to know and underhand well, and often remember, wherein confias the life of true and real Religion; there be fo many things in the world that pretend to be Religion , and lefs deferve that name, than the piccture of a man defervcs the name of a man, that 'cis an eafie miftake, to nourifh an enemy to Religion infead of Religion, unlefs we be ferious and wary, and more apt to regard the charat`fers which the Scriptures give, of real Religion, than hay to take up the forms and fancies of men inaead of Religion. I have read of a young French Lady, who obferving the glorious pomp and fplendour of a Popifh Proceftion, cryed our, How fine a Religion is ours in compa iifon of the Hugcnotr ?a fpeech fuiting her age and quality ; but indeed if Religion did confia in fuch things, the queftion I have in hand would fail to the ground, for there could then be no exercife of Religion among chofe who would not admit of fuch pompous folemnities. Let us therefore be often remembring, that the Religion of the Gofpel confias in Gggg right c.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=