The Malig11ity of oppojing Godlinep. ------------------ thou .fcorn men for doing fo much, when they know, and thou cunfdfen that they do too little? could they do all, they did b:tt tbeir d1tt_y, Luk. I'J· ro. . ~· ~ ~· 6. Thoufcornefi men becaufetheyw~ll not Ct.t.up tlum{tlvei, thtir own 'lf'it, and wiU,agJinf\: tbrzr mak._cr. God hat~ command_ed them to ~tve ail dJIJgwce to maize their c!tlling and elcCti01t fiuc: M.~n. 7 . , 3 • 2 Per. J. 1_0. a~d toJirw~ to nzter m at t?e jfr.nt gate ? and day and 11igbt to meditate in his Law l and Pf:tl. 1 :t· to Love !urn wtth all thc1r heart and mJghr ? and to pray continu.1Ly: And thou deridefi men for 1 Thcf. 5·l7· obeying theft! commands? Why, what wouldll thou have us do man ? (hould we tell God that we arc wifcr than bt ? atld that he fhall not have Ms will, but we will have our own? and that we know a better way than he hath appointed us ? and that he is rnillaken, and would deceive us by his Llws? Wouldfi rhou have men rhus to be voluntarily mad, and profcfs themfCives open Rcbtls againtl God? 9· 13. 7· Thou [corncfi men bccaufe they truft him that is 1rutb and Goodnefi it ftlf. We clnnot ima~ine that rr;: can deceive ~ts by his word, or that he makcrh any Law ~or us that is not good, or nqu~teth any duty of us that {hall be t!J our htut, or that we !hall be loftrs by. And therefore we • r-.ll:ignity rt) relolve to obey him as carefully as we can, becaufe we are c_ontident that Goodnefs ir fclf will nor blmJ~b ~~c abufe us, and Truth it fdf wili not deceive us: And is this a matttr to be fcornc:d fvr ? 010uld nor ::h~~ci~ ~:~~~t~ Children trufi their F.1thLr ? m.n afcnbe :~11 the evil ihar ~cfallet'h t~tm, to th:t.t \'ohich !< the ot'lly way to happinefs:. every barl furcds th:u the J:"'t:lther. Roman( h~d, 1 h:y im– rLFeJ [0 theChrdbam: fJtrh l'./11/. IJJ.ICI)di(J ltb 3· ...henRa4.1f,11/I!StheGot/, tnvad('d th(' RDmtl'fJ. PJVor lJOfinuu' Rosmm JnVl dJt . D :– damJIUY :i cunC'tts, fe hzc ideo ptq'cti, qu..,,\ ne~klb. fucrunt rr:'lgnorum f;~.cu Ceorum: i\fagnis (jUt: rei II ub1q; agcre: ;,x~ contin~1 0 de r,JH'ten~i~ f3cr·~ cdeh·:u~_dtf..1nc tr:~tbtur : !-ere it~ rota Ul be blafphemi;r J.d nomen Chrilii 1c;;.nqu:ml !UC"i :alKJua, probm il'lgravamur) CoJudu.. cumur aRomarJS ad\cr:us )(:~<la..,;ufum duo Pag:mt duccsJ & :. ' ~· 14. 8. Thou deridcfl: men for not finning againfl their certain _lznowledge and experience. 1bcy Slith ~h >1~(1. know thlt a Holy life is blfi, though thou d0H not~ They know the Reafonab!enefs of ir: They know ihthoicrh~t the fiveetne[! of it : They know the Neceffityof it. And mull thty renounce their own under– runr aa m flandings ? rnuH they be ignorant becauk thou arf i~norant? and put out their eyes becaule thou art t~~n~~:. b~- blind ? ts it a crime for nH:n to be wifer thaB thou ? and that in them-atters of God and rheir falva– li{l~s tltc fun ? They have tr)1rd what a Holy life is, and fo hafl not thou? They have tryed what a life of Pmc which faith and obedience is : And mu1l1hey renounce their own experience l Mufl they that bave tJftcd 1hcy hope. for 7 ir fay Hmty if bitttl' bccaufe thou that never didfi talle it fail\ fo? Alas, what unreafonable men have ;~e>:~~~~~~;~- we to deal with? Jlr.;ongth and h, ;'!tth by prep:nirg tht'ir ho<lys fvr it : So bdides the hope~ of Heaven, it is no fmall comfo:t and advJnuge here in the way, which (,htllli~ll.'.get by tbeu holy ltvc~. ~ 9· Thou oppofefi and fcornefi men fur Loving themfoh.ii!; yea for Loving their fouls, and t 3 kinj!, care of its health and welfare. :For how. can a man truly L~ve. him[elf and nor Ltr.;e his JVul which Ubimfolfl And how can a man Loveh1s·jjul, and not prefer it betore the low concernments of his fld"h ? and· nor take the greatefi care: of its greatell: evt·rlafiing Happintfs ? C3n a man truly Lo·ve bimflf.A and yet d.mm him[tlf, or lofe the little rime in which he mull ( if ever) work out his falvation? You will not fcorn him that is cartful of your Children, or your very Cattle? yon Love them, and therefore arc careful of them your fdves. And Oull not he that Loverh his foul be careful of ir. To Love our [elves is natural to us as men : And how 01all he Love his Neighbour that Loveth not himfdf > 9 1 6. IO· Thou fcornell men becaufcrhey Love Heaven above earth, and becaufe they are defirous to live for ever with God and all rhe holy Ho!ls of Heaven. For what is it rhar thefe men do fo diligently, but feek to be faved.? what do they but f«k.. ji,(/ tbeKingdJTn of God, and hif Rightc011fncfs ? a-;:d l 01 bour for the meat that periChc:th not, J vh. 6. 27· and lay up their treafure in Heazmr, Mat. 6. 20 , and fct their hearts there, Mat. 6. 21. iJJtd [rei<_ .tbe things tb:Jt are above, and b:JVt their converfation in HiJVC11, Col. 3· 1, 2,_3. P?il. 3· 19, 20. And if ir be fo k ornful .a matter to for~ f{)r Hea<JeJt, fure thou never thinkell at cormng ro Heaven thy ftlf: Unlefs thou thmk to come thuher by fcorning at the Ctekersof lr. . .. . . $$. , 7 • 11 , Thou deriddl men becaufe they are Jtnw,Lmg .to be d.u~zned, and. nmmUmg to d~ t~at which they Jtnow would dam11 them; or to negl<:~ that wuhout ~vh1ch the:e JS no hope of tcJrmg Hell : They believe the threatnings of God, and tnerefore they thmk. no pams too grc:at to efc~pe his w~ath. Tbey think. a Holy Life is both a necdf:uy and an eahe way to prevent everla~tmg torment: Bur if tbou tbin~ otherwife keep thy opinion till Grace or Hell Onll make thee w1fer; and mock not' a man that will not play with liis own damnation, and leap into Hdl as defperactly as thy [elf. ~· r8. r2. Thou derid<fi men becauCe they will not be the voluntary dcfiroyers of. rhemldv.cs: \Vere it not enough for thee to bcuay them unro others~ or to murthcr any o~ thy ne1g~1bours thy felP but thou mull. wifi1 them do it with their own hands l and deride thtm 1f they WJII not! 0 cruel M'>nller! that wouldll wifh a man to lye in the tire of Hell for evermore? and to go thither wilfully of his own accord? which is ten thoufand times worle rhan to wifu him tu cur his own throat. Dofi t\>ou fay, [God forbid! I ddirc no Cuch thing.] Why man, doll thou do thou know– dl not what ~ Doth not he tempt a man to be hanged, that tcmpteth him to kill and Heal ? When
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