6u luk.17. 1. Jr!otiws agai~tjl !£ackjlidillg. againfl the Lord: As if you fhould f1y [I thought once that God had been the bell M•ller, and his ferv•nts the wtfdl and ~apptell men, and Godlmcfs the ~efl and fafefl life, but now 1 have lr)•ed both, and I find by cxpcrtence, that t~e Devtlts a. better maller. and his fervants are the happietl men, and the world ~nd the flelh do ~I VC the trueH contentment to .the mind. J This is rhe' plain blafpheamy of your lives. And bethmk thee how God fhould bear-with this! : 9·37· r8. There is noncthat fa much hardeneth the wicked in his fin, and furthererh the dam– nation o~ fo~ls, as the Back!lidcr: If you would but drive your Sheep or Cattle into a houre, thofe that go m fir!t do draw the rcfi: after them; but thofe that run out again make all the reil afraid and rut~ away: One apofiate that h:uh ~een n_oted for Rtligi~n, and a_fter~ard$ mrncth off aga.ju, doth dJfcouragc ma1ry that would come m : for he doth as H were fay to them by his praefict: [ Keep olf, and meddle not with a Religious life: fori have trycd it and found that a life of world– )mcfs and fltfhlinefs is berter.J And people will think with thcmfclves [Such a man hath "tryed, Religious life, and he hath forfaken it again, and therdore he had fome reafon for ir, and l(.iJ~w what he did.] TYot to the world becau[t of offences; and woe tohim by whom tht ojfeHce jhaO come Mar. 18. 7· H0w dreadfu~ a thing is it think that mens fouls Chould lie in Hell, and you b!! th; eau!(: of ir? It wtregji.Odfor lh.Jt m!fn that amiljlone were ha;tgcd about hHmelt aitdbe were dromud in tht d<p<b of the,$,., Mltth. r8. 6, 7· Luk. '7· 2· • ~· 38. 19. T here is norc tlut are !0 grcat·a terrour to weak Chriflians, as thefe Ba't.kfliders, For they are thinking ho)Y far fuch went.before they t,u •w•y : And thofe tlllt think that true guce may be lofl:, are faying, [Alas how 01all I fi.md when fuch rhu were better and firongcr than 1 hJ.ve faln aWay} ~nd thofe that think true grace cannot _b, loll ~re a~ much~erpltxed and fay [How far m:~y an Hrpocrue go that after fal!eth away' How p10ufly dtd thiS man live ? how forrowtully diJ he re– pent> how b\amelefly did he walk> how fervently and confiantly"did he pray > how favourily did he fpeak ?how chariubly and uf~..fully did he live? Ancf I that comefar fhon of him,as far as 1 can difcun, can have noaffuuAce that I am fincc:re, till I am fure that I go further than ever he did]. woe to th"c: that thus perplexdltheconfCiences of the weak and hinderelt the comforts ofbelievers. . §. 39· 20· Thou art the greatcll grief to the faithful Miniflm of Chrifl : Thou canfi not con– ceive what a wound it giveth to the heart and comforts of a Minifl:c:r, when he hath taken a gr;;lt dc:al of pains for rhy Convcdlon, and after that rcjoyccd when he fJW rhee come to rhc flo10k of . Chrill, and afJu that laboured many a year to build' thee up, and futlcred many a frown from the ungodly, for thy fake; to fee all his labour at !all come to nought, and all his glorying of 1 thee turned to his {hame, and all his hopes of thee difappointcd? I tell thee this is q-~ore doleful to his - heart, than any outward lofs or crofs that could have befaln him : It is not ptrfectfliun th~t is his greatd1 grief, as long as it hindereth not rhe good of fouls ; It is fuch as thou thar are his ford{ perfecutors, that fruftrate his labourS, and rob him of his joyes: And his forro«J !hall one day coil rhec dear. The life and comforts of your _faithful Paflors is much in your hands: 2 Cor.7. 3• 1 Thef. 3. 8. Now we Live ifye ftand faJ in the Lord. 9· 40· 2 I· · Thou art more treacherous to Chrifi than thQu wouldfi be to .a common friend. Wouldfi thou forfake tl>y friend without a caufe? efpecially an old and tryed friend? And efpecially when in fo,faking him, thou doll forfake tby feiP Prov. 27· ro. 1"byownjriend,anJ•by f•<hm friend ' for fa'<! not. Prov. 1 ?· 17. A frimd lovetb at all ti"meJ ; a~:d a brothtr U born f or advtrfity. li thy friend were in dijlrejJ, wou\dli thou forfake him ? And wilt tho~ forfake thy God, that needs thee not, but fupplyeth thy needs? Ruth was mo~e faithful toJVaomi, Ruth 1. 16, 17. that refolved Whi– ther •hou gorjl I ,.;u go ; and where th01t lodgeft I wiU lodge : where thou dyejl'I ,;Qdye - And hach God dcf!!rved worfc of thee ? 9. 4'· 22· Nay thou dealefl worfe with .God, than the Devils ftrvants do with him: Alos they are too conftant to him; Reafa~t will not change them: nor the Commands of God, nor dk offltS of everlafiing life, nor the fears of Hell; nothing will ch•nge them, till the fpirit ofGpd do it. And wilt thou be lefs conllant to thy God > §· 42• 23· Confider alfo that thy end is fo neAr, that thou hadfi but a little while longer to have · held out: And thou mightefi have known that thou cou!dfl keep thy worldly plcafures but a liiCie while. And it is a pitiful thing to fee a man, that harh born rhe forefi brunt of the banle:, and run rill he is almoft at the end vf the race, to lofe all for want of a little rr.orc: And to l!!t: a man fell his God and Soul and Heaven for Jltfhlypleafore, when perhaps he hath not a year or a month, or for ought ht knowc:th a day more to enjoy it. for a man ro be ·weary and give over praya, jul,t when the mercy is at hand! and to be weary and give over a holy life, when his labour and iU.ff.:~·ings are alrnofr at an end ! How fad will this· day be to r~~c, if Death this night be fenr to f<teh away thy foul! Then whafe will all thofe pleafures be, ihat thou foldI\ thy foul for, LMI;, 12. 19, zo, 21. I( thou "-newrft that thou hadfi but · a f("IOnth or year to live, wouldfi thou n_ur have held out that one year? Thou knowerl not that ir flnll be one week. This is like the lad ·flory of a Student in one of our Univcrfiries, who wanting money ;~,r:~d his }'arher "delaying ro f-:nd it him, he: Hayed fo long, till at \all he refolved to flay no longer, but fie.~ I for it rachn rhan be without: And fo went out, and robbed and murdered the firfi man he met; who proved to be /ois t~athers mcffenger, ~hat was bringing him the money that he rob'd and killed him for: which when he perceived by a letter which he found in his pocket, he confCil it through remorfc of. Confcicw;e, and was hang,d: when a few hours patience more might have favcd his-innoceucy and his ljfC. And fo is ir with many a backfliding wretch, that is cut off, if not like Zimri and Cojbi in the acto their ii11, yet quickly alter; and enjoy the pleafurc which they forfook their God for, but a li11le while. 9·43·
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