1Jire8ions. ' y{ ~referl!ative againft Scorners at (}Vligion. - f our fins of God, or of the life to come. 1 Refolve dH:refore that as true Converts, you are :~~~~l~y to Livt: ~pon Jefus Chrill:,and to do all tllat you dt> by flU Spirit and flr~ngth; and to rx~eCl all r acceptance with God upon bi1 accoum: when,other men are reputed Phdofophers or W.i{f, for ~~~~e unfarisfad"ory knowledge of thefe tranfitory thi~1gt~ do-you_defire to ~(now nathing b:tt a clu;_ified a>td glorifirdC/Jrij/: fiudy him, and take lum ( obJe~we}y) tor you< Wifdom: When other ,men haveconftdmce in tbeJlrjh, and 111 theujhew ofTVifdom 'Jt 11 zll-worjhzp autl !lttmzl!ty, afie~ the Command– mwtl and DcCrril!es l)f mw, ( Col. 2· 20, 2 r, 22,,23·) and would efiabhfh thur ow'! n.ghteoufiufl,. do you rejoice in Chrifi your Rightcouffle(S: And fet cominual.ly before yo~r ey.es, Ius DoCJripe and Ex– tllnple as your Rule : Look._ ft ill to Jefiu th~ Author and finifh.cr .of yo.te fazth, who. contemne~ all the Glory of the world, an 1 d ~rampled upon its Vanity, and fub)ected h1mfelf to a life of fuffmng, and made /;imfelf of 110 ,·cputatton, but for the ;oy that waJ Je.t J,rfiJ(e b~m, endured t/:Je Crofi, dejpijing the fhame and underwent the comradWion of finner.r againjf btm{eif. Ltvc fo, that you may tr,uly fay as 'p .;u/,' Gal. 2 · 20. I amcrucified rvi.tb Chrijf: NcvertbellfJ I live.: ytt 1101 I, but Cbrijf livet~ inme: and the life which I now live in the fltjh, I live by tbe faith of Jhe So11 of God, who loved me, a.J!!i gave himfolffor nu. 9. 4 .HAving given you thefe DirdlioitJ, I mofi earne!Hy be[eech you to perufe and pradife them, that In)' labour may not rife up as a witnefs againft you, which I intend for•your Cooverlion and Salvation ; Think on ic, Whether this be an VnreafoJtab(t cmr[t, or an unpleafam lift, or a thing :mntctJJ:r:y? and what is Reafonable, nectjfarJ•and pleaj'o~nt, if this benot ~ A11d it y_ meet with any of thofc di(hacted finners tlut would deride you from Chrill and your Everyone is falvation, and fay, thi1 if the way to mal<! men mad, or, thi.r if mort ado than xudJ; I will not fiand nota Thief, here to rnani~"" ..fi their bruitijlmefl and wic}{_ednrfi, having largely done it already, in my Book ca11ed, ~ha~a ~og A Saint or a~mite, and Now or Nevtr, and in the third Part of the SaintJ Rtjf: But only l d,efire thee a:byi'~/rit~or as a full defenfative againfi all the pr3!ings of the Enemies of ~holy Heavenly life, to ta~c good no- th>t hypo- ' tjce but of th,Je three things. crites call (o. 9·5· 1. Mark well the language of the holy Scriptum, and fee whether it fpeak not contrary to thefe men : And bethink thee, whether God or they be wi[er, and whether God or they mufi be thy Judge? • §. 6. 2 · Mark whether thefe men do not change their miJtdJ,and turn their tongt~es when they come to As the Atht=. dye ? Or think whether they will not change their minds, when death hath fcnt them into that world niaJts that where there is none of thefcdeccits? Ancl thi11k whether thou fhouldft be moved with that mans con:iemnwords, that willlhortly change his mind himfelf, and wifh he had never fpoke fuch words ? dd So~rawdto §·7· 3.0bfervcwell whether their awn Profeffiondo not condtmn them:and whether the very thing that tbe~tl;,;;nted they hate the godly for , he not that they are foriou.r in Prallifing that which thefe malign~nts them- ir, and er~felves prof eft as their Religion? And are they not then notorious Hypocrites ~ To profefs.to believe Cted a Brat..en in God, and yet fcorn at thofe that diligently [tek,_ him ( Heb. II· 6. ) To profefs faith in Chrjll and ~a<ue fol b!• hate thofo that obey him : To profefs to believe in the Holy Ghofi as the Sanctifier, and yet hate' and emona .' fcorn his fan6l:ifying work. To profefs to be1ieve the day ofJudgement and everlafiing torment of t•fl~ f•btb, the ungodly, and yet to deride thofe that endeavour to cfcape it: To profefs to believe that Heaven ~i~~ b: ~ P~.; is prepared for the Godly, and yet fcorn at thofe that make it the chief bufinefs of their lives to at- fio•. to the · tain it: To profefs to take the holy Scriptures for Gods Word and Law, and yet to fcorn thofe that I11d,a~s, mull: obey it: To pray after each of the Ten Commandments [Lord have mercy upon 111, a,P encline our ~hoet~~~~ ~~~fl: hearti to ~eep thit Law J and yet to hate all thofe that defire and endeavour to keep them ; What im- the Relit, but pudent hyP,ocrifie is joyned with th.is malignity ' Mark whether the greatcll diligence of the mofi muR rcf>R ;he godly be not jufiified by the formal ~ ,ofeffion of thofe very men that hate and fcorn them> The dif- cuRome _of . fer~nce between.them is, that the Godly f •ofefs Chrijlianity!n good earmft, and when they fay what they ;::nw;~~~~~s believe, they beheve as they fay: But the ungodly cuftomar~ly and for compauy take on them to be Chri- ful by tim; · ftians when they are not, and by their own mouths condemn themfelves, and hate and oppofe the fe· and multi– riour PraWce of that which they fay they do themfelves believe. mde' and mufi oppofe receive r~e darts of the ~nviotu acd malevolent, who, if they f~e any thi~ c.:.~trary to their prophane fa~io'?, tbey cry ~~st, ~e;!,::r; :~eR~::~u;m~~~~:~r~;e~~ c~s• :h!; a:\1g!~n~e~~s among P•p1Rs aud Barbmam, tho Serpents feed do htfs in the fame m:mner aglina E l PART.
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