T!Je MaTignity of oppofin$ _GoJlineJs. , 44_1 --------------~ \Vhcn rhe righteous God hath unchang<:_abl)' determinqd in his ~a.w, thJt rviJ!nUI Holimfl ncne fo1·u Heb r~. r,f.. ~ fie God and rhat Chri/f }hall corm ia jl~ining fire tiJ render veng.:ance to them tbat obey n1t hit Gnjj,el~ :z. Thef. 1 · P, and tha~ all the;• jhall be d.zmncd that obey not tht truth, but h:~ve pltaflrre i'!_ zmrighteo11[rtcjf; when :z. Thtf. ~: :;: God hath refolvcd thar HeU fhall be the wages of11»godlinefi, doll thou not dchre them to d1mn them– Kives, when thou dcfircfi thc'm to be ungfldly. If_rhou believe that there is any Hell at all, chen tell me whar its poffible for any r'nan todo, to murder his foul and damn hir'nfelf, bllt only ro be ungud~· ? If this way do it not, there is no danger of any other. Tell n'le, doH thou think that the Devil de– fervcth robe called A Murderer of fouls~ If not, it fccms thou wilt openly t.1kctbe DrvilJ part; But if he do dcfervc it ,then the rcafon of all the World be judge, whether that man d~:C~.:rve !t not much more~ that will do much more againfi himfelf, than the Devil ever did or can do? The _Devil can but tempt,_ but tbote wouldfi have men do the thing that he temptl rht m ro, and actually t~ lul, and ncglcd a hoJy life? And which isthe worfe > he that 'doth the evil ? or he that only perfwadeth them to it > lf rhc De-vil be called, Cur Ad'vrrfary that lib$ a roari1tg Lyrm goe'tb ab;mt night anil. d;y [rr/(jnz. wh!1.m he 1 P.t $. g~ m.1y dcv ,ttr: what fhould that man be called that dorh far ~ore againjl bim{elf, tha~ all rhe DcVihin Hdl do againfi him? Sure he is a devourer or de(l~O)'Cr of htmfelf. Tell me, r_hou d1frncted ~corner r Is the Devils work thinkcfl thou Good or Bad? If H be Go11d, take thy part of tt, 3tnd boatl of tt when thou feel\ the end: If it be Bad (to deceive fouls and entife them to fin and Hdl,) why wouldfi thou have men do wmfe by themfelves? He thatfimwh doth Wdrfe rhari he that ~empteth'. Tell me, wha~ WJy doth the D.:vil rake to do men hurt, and damn their fouls, but only by drawing them to fin~ · H~ h:Hh no other way in the WOrld to undoc any m:m, but by tempting him to th.at which thot'. tempreil men to • even to fin <~gainfl: God and to neglect a Holy life. So that it's plain thit thou. fcornefl: and oppofefi men bec.lUfe they will not be worfe than Devils ro themfelve~. . §. 19. q. Moreover thou oppofcll men for not forfitkjng God! What is it ro forf1ke God, burro refufe to Love and honour and obey him as God? He hath told us himfelf rhar He that coriwb tO God mu{l btlitve that God il, and tb.1t fJe Uthe Rcrv.trdcr of thtm th;t diligently flclz bim, ~lb. 1 1. 6~ And is it not thUdiligent fcckJng him that thou deridefl: ? It's plain then that thou wollld!l fcorn men away from God, and have them forfake him as thou hall done. 9· 20. 14. Thou fcornefi men for ?tot being Hypocritu: Bt:c.m[e they will be that In good earnefi which thou hypocrirically callell thy fclf, and would!\ be thought : Thou ca\lcll rhy fclf a Chril\ian, and what is it but for being {trioit5 Chrlftiant that thou dcridctl them ? Thou takell on thee to believe in God ; and what is it but for obeying and fcrving God that thou dcrideH them ~ Thou taken on thee to believe the Scripture to be the Word of God? And wh2t is it but for following the holy Scriptures that rhou deridefi them ? Thou faill thou btlicvcfl the Communion of 5Jinrs? and de~ Yidefi them that hold the Communion of Saim1 in practice; Thou faifl thou btlitveH thu Ch"rift jh.;U judge tbe world l and yet fcornetl them that arc ferious i• preparing for hU jurlgemem. ThoU pr.qcjt thar GedJ n:~me may be IJaVowed and hh Kingdom come, and hU will be dont, 01t Earth M it ii in H~auen : And }'Ct thou deridefi them that Hallow hi! n:Jme, and are SubjdlJ of his Kingdom, and endeavour to do his wiU l 0 wretched Hypocrite! And yet that tongue of :him pretendeth that it is tbcir Hy· pocrifie for which thou hatdl and deride!! them, when rhou dofi it becaufe they be not fuch blind. and fenfle[s Hypocrites as thy fclf? Can there be groffer Hypoerir.e in the World, thlh to hare and fcorn the flriout pt'a5ict of thy own profiffion l and the diligent li11ing according td that which thy own tongue profeffdh to believe? It thou fay that it is for dving too mtttb, and being too ftrin , 1an,– fwer thee, If it be"" the wiUof God that they do, though I would IIIJt deride them, I would feck to cha11~e them as well as thou l But if it be the will of God, thm tell me, dofl: thou thh_1k they do more than thofe that aY.e in Heavex do? or do they live more firielly than thofe in Heaven ~ If they do, then oppofe rl1em and fpare nor. If not, why prayell thou that God1 r<iU may be done 011 Earth ar it i-f in Heaven.? §. 21. 15· Thou deride!! men for doing that which they were m,de f;r : aod that which they have [heir Reafon and will and all their faculties for: Take them off this, and they are good for nothing: ABeafi is good to ferve ~an, and the Plants to feed him: But what is Man good for, or what was he made for but to ferve h1s Maker~ And doli: chou fcorn him for that which he came into the \Vorld for? Thou maill as well hare a Knife becaufe it can cut, or a Sythe for Mowing, or a Clock f~r telling the hour of the day, when it was made for nothing elfe. 9· 22•. 16. Thou dcridcll men for being Caved by Chrifi, and for imitating his example , What cameChnll for mto the World but to drOroy the works of the Devil > and to fave hu pt"fle from r Jo!1. t1Jcit finJ ; an_d to redeem I~ from all i~iqrtity and Pttrifie to bimfclf a ptc:diar penplt zedlous of M_lrtS. t. it~ good wgrk.f. And hath Chnll, to the aflomOnnent of men artd Angels, come down into rielli and Tit.:. 11, lived among mc~1, and given them his holy doctrine and t:xample, and fuffered death for chtrr:, and all this but to bnng men to z.talou1 Purity, and danO: thou make a [corn of it after this ~ \Vhat is this but to [corn thy Slviour, and fcorn all the work of RedempEion, and tfead under foot the Son of God, and defpife his blood, his life and precepts? §. 23· 17. Thou fcornellmcn for being renewed and {anaifird by the Hnly Ghojf: \v.h 1 t is the work of the Holy GhoH on M, but to [anf1ijie us ~ And what is it [O fanDifie us ? but to cleanfe US from fin, and caufe us tnti~ely to devott ourJou~t a~d liueJ teGod? Doll thou believe in tb"e Huly Ghoft or not l If thou do, what JS that bu.t to Beluve m h1m :iiiS the fonUifier nf GodJ Elell. And whar didfi thou take Saijctificatio~ to be, but this purity and holioefs of heart and life : And yet dm!l thou deride it? L 11 >
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