Tl1e Malignity of oppofing 61odlinefs. §. •4· rll. Thou dtridd\ men for imitating thofe ancient Saints, whofe names thou feemetl thy felf to llonour, and in honour of whom thou keepcll Holy-days. Thou taketl un thee to honour the names of Ptter, and Paul, a11d Sttphtn, and John, of Augujlin, Hitrom, Chryfoj!om and other fuch faints of God : And yet wilt thou make a fcorn of thofe that tlrive to imitate them? Search and fee ; if any of thefe men did (after their conver!ion ) live in luxury, carding, dicing, prophanenefs, and if any of them was againfi a Holy life, againtl much Praying, Hearing, Reading the Scriptures, medi– tating, exact obedience to God ; then let not the lhame be thine, but mine? He that is moll unlik._t them, let him have the fcorn. ~· 25. 19· Thou deridell men for Repenting of their form<r fin~, and for accepting that mercy whiCh Chnll hath purchafed, and God hath offered them, and fcnt hiS mdfcngers, to imreat them 10 accept ? Can they Repent of their former ungodlinefs, and not turn from it and amend ? If thou knewell what they k,now, thou would!\ repent thy felf, and not deride men for repenting : If thou knewefi the gift ol God, thou wouldll beg it and gladly accept of it thy fclf, and not deride thern that accept it. 9· 26. zo. Thou fcornell men for ~rtping that Covenant, which thou alfo made!\ with God in thy Baptifm thy felf. At the f•me time rbou fpeakell againfi the Anabapti]IJ, th>t will not have their childre11 bapti[<J, and deride!\ thofe that ~tp tbtir Coven.mr, which in baptifm they made : What a monller of contradictions is an ~tHgodly Hypocrite I Didfi thou not in Baptifm renounce the flelli, rhe world a11d the Devil, and give up thy {elf in Covenant to God the t'ather, Son and Holy·Ghofi? And doll thou not yet know what thou didll ? But fcorn them that perform it >What is it to be gi– ven up to God in Baptifm, but to take him for thy God, thy Saviour and Sanllijier, whom thou mull Love, and foe"-, and obty in HoJinefs, with all thy Heart, and Soul, and Might? He is a Covenants breaker indeed, that hates the keeping of it. I have hitherto bceu !hewing thee ,.bat it i1 tbalthou oppo[ejl anddtridef!: I !hall now tell thee further what thou dojt, in !hewing thee the Aggravationr of thy tin, and its importance. ~· 27. 2· .Confider in all this, what an open enemy thou art to God, and an opw Sauldier for the D,vil; Wbat canll thoo do mm "'!."injl God and do chy worll, than make a fcorn of all his work and ftiv.ants? He feareth not thy power or rage, thou canfi nor hrm him. How many rnilliORs offuch worms as thou~ can he tread to Hell, or dcfiroy in a moment? It is in hit jerv~Zntl and {ervice that he is honoured or oppCI[ed here, and that mortals ilicw their Lovt or h.ttrtd to him. And how canll thou dovife, if thou would!\ do thy worfi, to ferve the Devil more notorioufly, than by oppofihg and de– riding the fervice of God ? If fiKh be not Satans Servants he hath none. 9· 2 S. 3. Confider what a terrible badge of ,Ufr~y, thou carridl about thee ? thou beareft the mark ofSatan, Death and Hell in thy forehead as it were. Ifthere wtre any doubt whether a Swearer, or drunkard, or Fornicator may bt in a flare of Grace, yet it is pajf all Jriubt, t~at aScorner of Godlintft is not : It were Orange indeed for tht~t man to be Holy that deridcth Holinds : There is fcarce any fort of men in the world, that are more undoubtedly in aftate ofdamnation than thou art. It is dark to us what God will do with lntide1s, and Heathfns rhat never had the means offalvatiOh: But What he will do with all the unbelieving and ungodly that bave had the means, we know pall doubt: .much more what he will do with thofe, that are not only void of Holinefs, but deride it. I deny not but yet if thou be converted thou maill be favcd : And 0 that God would ,<:ive tbt rtpmt•nce to the ack._noiv· :,. ledgi11g of thttrtttb, that tho• mightej! e[cape out of the Devils [naw, who leads thee captive at his will. 2 1im. 2· 2 5· 26. It is written of Bafil, that by his prayers he caufed tht Devil to give back a writing, by which a wretched man had fold his foul to him, that he might enjoy his Maficrs daughter ; and .that the man repented and was delivered : If thou maifi be fo recovered it will be a happy d•y for thee. . . But till then it is as fure as the Scripture is.lure, that thou art a miferab!e creature, and ari undone f)rtilu' Ar.fta .. man if thou die in that condition that d10u an in. 0 with what fear fhouldfi thou rife and lie down, if :~:.~~: EJ.;lf~r- thou hadil thy w~~,about thee, Jell thou £houldfi die bC!fore thOu art convetted? ;::fw~r~e~on pclft= p2ca!Um a.tque lrmgzl·um ~b:irtere.reg~um, nlfi no~en per&ret innoccntum. Qui .t2men Dei judjcio pofi ~on mu,!~ to~ dies turpofilmamortcpta:'r'entm,fcatw vcrnl!bushptravlt. Jl'i{!Ot Vt~c. p. 36g. 1· 2 9 • 4 . To [corn •t Holimfr is a dejiao1ce of grace, as if thou didfl rrnounce Gods mercy: Thou do!\ thy wbrfi to drive away all bopt, and make thy cafe uncurable and dcfperate. for if ever thou be faved, it mufl be by this grace, and Holy life which thou deride~: And is fcomiHf, gr-ace th.e way tb get it> And is it likely that the Holy-Gholl, will come and dwell m the n>lfl tkat {corneth hJS (an– Glifying works? 9· 30. 5· To {corn at G•dlinefr, is a daring of God to give over his patience, and p:e[tntly to exe· cute his veuJ!.ea 11 ct on thee ? Canit thou wonder if he fhould make thee a monutneht of h1s Julhce, and fet thee up for all others to take warning by! Who is titter fer this, than the fcornful oppofns "!f his gr2ce and fervice ? Haficn not vengeance, man ; it will come time enough. \r\'ill a worm ddie the God of Heave11 > 9· 3 •· 6. How little dofi thou u11derjland of all that thou oppo!Cfi? Didfi thou ever try aholy life? Jf thou hadfi, thou wouldfl: not fp~ak againfi it: If thou hadH nor, art thou not afJJamed,. t~ fpeak tvil of that which thou doH not underHand? It is athing that nbne can duouglf know, W1tH.out ex~ perience: Try it a while, and then fpeak thy mind. . §. 32• 7• DidH thou ever confider how many judgements are aga_mfl: thee,_ and wh?m thnu ~oO: contral,~a and [corn? I • If thou [corn at [erkn1 GtJdiimfs, at Preach.ing) hea~mg, readmg~ Praymg, Meditating.
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