444 The Malignity of oppofing Godlimfs. very thir.g tOr. w~icb he hath promifed to recrive them, and eo be. a Fathtr ~~ tlmtz l How contrary then art thou to God? !"ial. 3· 16, 17, 18. A Book... tf ren:embrance n',Jf written f or tbrm tb,u [t:.Jr(d rbt Lord aml t1Jougbt upMt f.~ name : and tiny .Jhall be mme f_attb the Lord nf l-/~11, in t~J.1t ~ay 1 vhcn J m.J-k$ up my Jcn·eli: and I n,,g [pare them M a m.;m [p.:Jrtth hH on'n [rm that [e.r'Veth him: Aqd danfl rhQU fcorn Gods JcwtiJ, and thofe that are thus prelibus to him? 1 Sam. 2. 3o. For them that h neur me I n:ill IJqnour, and tluy tb.It dcfpi{e mejhall be ligb:ly cjlcemed: And wift thou be one of his ddpikrs op- 'pofing that in other", for which God hirnfclf hath promi{ed to honour them ? ' §· ·P· 17· To hate and fcorn at H!linrfi is ro hate and fcorn at Gods own Image:, and the cJeardl luk. 1917. image of God that is under Heaven; even that which Cbtijt came down from Heaven to give us rhe firji draugbt of; even that '"PY of the holy life of Cbrift, which by the fpirir of God is drawn upon the heart. A11d he that fcornctf: at t!JU im117,e ofGod, cloth fcorn at the Holy-Gb~/f that made it, and CCorn at Cl~rijl who gave us rh~ hrfl p.tttrrn, and fcorn at God hirnklf whole image ir is: Saith ChrJ{1lom. God u Jovcd an~attd in hu {crvaniJ tlf a King iJ bomurl·d er dc[pifld in hi1 imtzf.,f• And he thar daJ~;[corn God, andfcorn'fc[tu Chrijt, and fcorn the Holy-Ghojl, in the lmaJ!.t of God upon his children) merhinks fuoLIId never have the face once 10 (Xped, ro be faved by the God that he doth fcorn. - 9;tid homini _ §. 43· 18. Th~u art the Otame 9f bzm:c~ne ndture; and makell man fo like a Devil, tha~ it is hard immicifiito prove that Dc:vlis can do much worfe: than thou. Can there: be a grc.ater fin) than for a creature !'tmm, Hon'~ to !Corn and deride the: !lvagc and Laws of his Creator? And hate and oppofe or ptdi:cu:e men for ~qu;r{.~t'":;·J, obeying him, and fceki~ m pleafe him and to fave their fouls? YVhat cculdjl thou do worfc 1 f thou ,;;:nmt· e J rr wOuldti Hudy to be as bad as thou canfi ? What a Chame is it to thy H.ndcrjl.mding ro be fo bJi~ti l And to thy heart to be fo tri.ck_cd? It were not half fo great a 01ame 10 fcorn the Sun Ior (hining, or the earth for bearing fruit? For though thcfe are Gods creatures, yet they bear not the Image ot his Hd– l'inefi as his childrcAZ do. \'\7hen ht! will condemn men at laJl it will be upon this account, Manh. 2 5· 40. 4)· Vaily I .{i)' unto _)'ou, it: Mmuch af )OU did it 1tot ( or did it) to one of tbe leoft nf theft (my brethren) ye did it not (or did it ) unto me. 0 wonderful, that the nature ot man can ever come to this, to hate, and oppofe, and kern the lmt17,e and obediwcc of his Maker, and make a .mock of the HoliHtji of God ! Jt is a great quetlion whether the very tempting men 10 !i1ch l~os as thcl~ be not the D..viis greateft fin: And to.commit it is worft rhan to rtmpt thc:e 10 commit ir ( c.euriJ pari– bur): And for a malt that hath a Saviour offeredhim, thus to fcorn his SaviomJ Grace, and mocl( his j"trvams, mull needs be far worfc than !Or the Dtvil to do it who hath no Saviour, no pardon offered, and no hope, but is thut up under cndldS dtfpenrion. As it is wo1fe for a cbiJd to curCe his Father, or fcorn him, than for an rmmy to do ir. Think and tremble, how near this deriding or oppoling the work of the Holy-Gholl, dortJ come to the unpardonable Blafphemy againfl him. §. 44· J9· \¥hat villany may not be expeCted from thee, ·that canfi commit fuch a fin as this? MJy not thy neighbour look for any rnifchit•f that thy carnal interell 0Jalllead thee ro do agaiilfl him? Is it any wrong to thee to think that thou art a 1hitf, a murderer, a whoremonger, a dC'ctivrr, unltfs ir be Pf1l. Ill- 4~ for want of a temptation tocommit them? Or that thou wouldll be a Traywr againft thy King anc~ Country? Or perfidious to thy trudl friend, ifrhou wert tempted to it? \-\'hen rhou fwrnctt men tor obeyi11g _Gad himftlf? Can thar manllick :t any wickedntfS that he is equally tempted to, who dare fcorn hiS l\1Jk[r. the Redcemtr and rhe S.1nfiijier l· And fpit contempt upon Iiolimfi it fdf, the Image of his Judge? for my part if ever I rruft thee or any fuch man a'i thou, with life or liberry, or wirh the worth of a groat, it !hall be thy l~ttcreft and nor thy bo;ujfy and con[cience that Plc ·uult? Plc trufl thee little further than I would truH the Devil himfelf that governs rhee. Re::td well Jut!. 14· 1 ~· &Pfll. I. Pro,·. 9· u; }>rov. 29-8. )fJ. z8. 11-1 9· 45· 20. Lanly confider what thou wilt think of thy fclf for this at dcarh and judgement ? Will it comtort thee when thou art gofng to be judged of God, to think that thou art now going into rhe prefcnce of that God whom thou wall wont ro fcorn ? When thou feell Chrift come wnh rhoufands of his holy Angels to judge the world, will it comfort rhee to think, This is he whofe holy lile, and precepts, and fcrvants I mockt or periecurc::d on earth? Now I mull be judged by him rhat I deridC'd. 0 dreadful cafe' for a framer or perfecutor of Godlinrfs, to go to be judged by that holy God whofe waies he ft:otned and periCcuted? 1f you fay, It was not Chrijl but a malt that you derided, fee Mu. 25· 40, 45· Luk. 19· >7· Act. 9· 4· Saul Saul why perfecurejl thou "" l If thou fcorn a child for that m which he rejfmbJtth, imit~teth or obryetb hi1 Father, thou wilt tind in the day of judgement to thy woe, that it was the Father himfelf that was the utrnoH: and principal obJcCl of thy fcorn. 1ht"n I had rather be the vilefl Toad than fuch a Man : 1ben wilt thou fland ro what thou faidll? W1lt thou then tnairitain thy flanders and rlproach? Wilt thou then condel'nn or [corn the godly, whcri thou fcefi tht·m juflitied at Chrifis right hand, or glorified with him in l;icavC'n ? No! as M..-l. 3· 1 ~· Whe-. God makes up his jewels, 1beJt jhull ye rrtum and difcern behvun the r;gbteoiM and the wicb._rd, between l:im that [trveth God and him that ftrvttb him nflt. Then how gladly would }'OU eat all the words of reproach and fcorn, rhat ever you uttered againft a faint? And wi(h that you had never fpo~ ken them? I tell you it is an unfcernly th1ng for the tame man now to fcorn at godlincfs, who will fo fpeed!ly tremble before: the righteeus God in the remembrance of ir ? . . 9· 46. I have thought ' thele difcoverits of the horridnefs of this lin, to be the bell DJtecrroils againlt it: For as it is a fin that thou gc-tteft nothing by, '(0 it is a fin that thou maiH rafily leave if thou be wi/1i~tg. But for thofe that are yet but in the Way to it, or in danger of it, I 0lJI1 add rh~:fe further DireCtions to keep them from fo ddf>erate a wickednefs. Dirt8. 1 • §• 47· DireCT. I· Avoidtbe company of tfr{e d;jlr.J{icd mm, that do~re revile the {rtv~tnts and ~ll)Jf•[ God. There is that in your ccnrupred natures, which will incline you m imitate the moli hornd bbt– phemies, if ~u often htar them. We have feen it in our d•ys, th:&t in imitation of Others, men haVe been
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