Bates - BT766 B3 1699

Spiritual Perfec`ion. Gofpel, fb they muff live as they Teach. If they are Senfual and Worldly, how can their Prayers afcend with Accep- tance to God, and defcend with a Blef; fing to the People ? There Mould be a fingularity of Holinefs, difinguifhing thofe who are Confecrated to Inftruet and Govern the Church. Their Sins are aggravated from the quality of their Perfons : this is fignified in the Levitical Law, that appointed the Expiatory Sa- crifice for the Sin of the Prief{, fhould be as Coffly as for the Sin of the whole Congregation. So if the tenor of their- Lives be not Correfpondent to their Ser- mons, it will deftroy the force of tha molt inflaming Eloquence, and render the Doarines of the greateft Purity with- out Efficacy. O that all who are engaged in this Holy, and (without their Per- Tonal Holinefs) dreadful Office, would direly Confider the Account they muff giveof their managingof it, to the great r Tim. 5.17. Shepherd'at his Appearance. Heb.13.'7, t;. The Duty of the People is to Obey, to Imitate, to Honour their Faithful Paftors : otherwife, every Sermon they Hear will be an Accufation and Argu- ment againft them in the Day of Judg- ment. 4) G 1. The

RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=