H;w to .dje ,Col;/ortab~. ---- ----'-------:-- ---------- · -;;;:;;;;:;;;they may lJ:~ve right to the tree of life, a;zd may enter in by ~~~ gate int6 tbt Citj: for wit_h~Nt are dog,J, &c. Thus mull you rejoyce ~n tbe C~oflofour LordJe[IH Chrijl, not only as he was Ct..UCihec.t on lr for you, bur alfo IH you are crucified /,! '' totbt worl4, and tbe rPorld to .you, Gal. 6. ·.14· He thlt as a Be;ufaUor will give you that Glory wh1ch you could ncycr defcrve of hnn, on terms of comrnu.. tative JuHic~ (for fo no. Creature can deferve any th_ing of .Ged.), w~ll ye.t ~s a. Ri?ht~olis Gover– nour and Judge, deliver 1t you only on the ter~s of lu.s ,r atcrnal govtrnmg·dijlnhJ#Jvt ;u/hce ; and ~~~ (hall receive according to what the~ have done m_ the body ~ ~nd thc:refor~ _you may take comfou m · that Evangelical ~lghteoufnefs, wh1cb confifie~h JO yo~r ful~lh?g the co~dltlons of the newCoven~nr, thoUgh you have no.Legal·Righteoufnefi .( .~h1ch qmfi.Htth m m~octncy, or freedom: from the Curie of r'he Law ) but only in the Merits and Sacnhce of ChnC\:. l.f_.you a.rc accured as bemg Impeniunt, Vn· believers Qt I:iypocriFtJ, Chrifi:s RighteoufndS w!ll not JuO,hc ~o~ .from t.hat accufat!on; but only your Repentance, faitiJ and fincerity ( wrought m y.ou by: the fpmr.of. C?~,n ): But_. tf you can but f1 1ew the evidence of this Ev~nge\ical Rightcoufi1efs, Chnfi then Will. JUflthe. you agamtl all the other accufations of gu·ilt that can be ch;uged on-you. (Of which mQre anon ). Seeing t}:terefore the· fpirit hath given you thefe Evidences, to dilli':rence x_ou from the wretched wodd, and prove your title to ete,rnal life, if y9u over look thtfe, yo1,1-rehfi Y.O\Jr Comforter, and can fee no other ground of Comfort, than every gracelcfs hypocrite may fee. lm1tatc: holy Paul, 2 Cor. I· 12. FOT our rejoyci;tt Urhii tbt ttjlimony of our Confcimce, tbat in fimplicity a11d godly fincer~ty, not in flrjhly rrifdom hHt by the grace of God, ll'e bavt bad ot4r.conver[ationin tl~e world 2 T1rn•. 4· 7_, 8. I have fougbt aguod }ight; I bave finijiJtd my cour[e, ! bave ltt_Pt the f artb ? hcnctforth there H l!ltd up for me a Crown of ri;,hteoufnefr )rpbich the Lord the rtghteotu ]Udgt jh8U g1vt me at ~bat d,~y: and not to me only, b~tt tcJ aU tbemalfo tbat love I;it appearing. To lopk back and fee that m fincenr.y y_ou have gone the: l'P.l)' to beavcn, is a ju(hnd necdfary ground of affurancc, that y~u- fhall atta~n u•. ·-If: yo_u (ay, But I b.z1,e bun a gricvprH }inner? I anfwer, fo was p,1ul that yet reJoyced afcer m th1s ev1dence? Are not thof' tins rcpmtcd of, aqd pa,kmd l If y,ou fay [But I ~annot look;. back.. upon ah~ly life witheom~ ] (ut, it b~tb bew fo blotted and uneven?] I anfwer, Hath 1t not b!m fincere,- though lt was imper[elil Did you not firJI ferk.. theKingdom of God "''Id hit rightcoufncfi ?. Matth. 6. 5~· If you fay [My , n·IJole life bath been ungodly,· tiU now at )aft th.Jt God hatb !Ju,~bled mt] I anlwer, It is not the· , Le 1 1gtb of ti1.m, ·but. the fincerity of your heartr and fervice; that IS -your c~idence_: Jf you carne in .at the laft hottr, if npw you _arc f~i:J:fuUy Jcvoted to God, you ~ay look ·wHh comfort on this c;:hange at lafi though you mull: look With Repentance on y~udinful h'<~es. 9· ~o. Direct. xo. TY,;lli you feeany of this evidorce of Jour inttrefl in _.Cbrijf, t~ppeal to bim IDDi,·tll. xo. acq1tit J'Dte from 'aU·the fiu that can !Je cfoa1·ged onyou: ._For all that believe. in him are jullitied from all things, from which they could not be jujlified by tht Law of Mofcs, <fhert ir no C•Jwlemn;~tion to them that are in Cbrifl Jefus, that W.!Jllt not after the jlejh, but afier the [pirit, Rom. 8. 1. Whuevcrfin apmitcm believer hafh committed,,he is nor chargeable with ir: Chrilt hath untlertakcn to anfwer . for it, and juflifie him from it; and t~erefore look not on it with terrour, but wirh penitentfh~mt, tfa. Sl· to, and believing·tb.Jnkfulmfs, as that wh1ch fhall tend to the honour of the Redeemer and not to the con· 11, u , 81:c. demation ofthe(inner. He bath born our tranfgreffions and we are healed by his firipcs. 9· 1 I· Direct. 11. LooJt... bac~ npon aD the Mercie.r of your livet, and thi~tf(. wiJtnct they c.Jmt and· Dirtll. 11; wbat they jigni{ie: Love tokens are tO draw your heans to him that fcnt them : Thefe are dropt from Heaven, to entice you thitfier ? If God have been fo good to yqu on earth, what will he be in Glory? If he fo blcfrcd you in this Wildernefs, -vhat will h e do in the land of promife? It greatly embo!deneth my foul to go to that.Gpd,.thilthathfo t<ndcrly loved me, and fo gracioully preferved me, and fo much abounded in all fof[s of mercies to me, throughall my life. Surely he UGood that fo dclighteth to do good ! ~nd his pre(ence mull be fwect, when his diltant mercies have been fo fwect t what Love 01alli cn)oy when perfection hath fitted me for his Love, who have tailed of fo much in this llate of fin and imperfection? The fmfe of mmy, will banifh the furs and mif.givings bf the heart. . . §. u. DireCt 12· R.eme1phtr ( if you have attained to a declining age) mhat .s , 0 mpettnt timt Dirtll; u. · ) ou IJave h.1d already in the world. If you are grieved that you art mortal, you might on rhat af;- count have grie'vcd all your dayes: But if it be only that you die fo {oo11; if yolt have JivuJ .ll'tll you have Jived long. \Vhen I think how many years of mercy I have had, fince I was nc:ar to death, and tince many younser than I arc gone, and when I think what abundance of mercy 1 have had in alf that ljri)c, ingenuity forbiddeth me to grudge at the feafon nf my death, and m•keth me ahnoil alhamed to ask for longer life. How loNg would you fiay, before: you would be willing to come to God ?. If he defired our company no morelha1) we· de his, and defired cur happinefi in Heaveq, no more than we ~efirc it our fe1ves, .we fhould linger here as LIJt in Sod<Jm! Mufi we be fnarcht away againll: our wills, and carrycd by force to our Fathers prefence? . ~ 9: I)· Dtrect. •3·, Remember that ~U ~ankJ~.<d i1 mort~l, amJ yrJU ~re to go Hoother w.~y, tb.m- 4 11 tbJt Dir~{i. I3· ever cJme hzto the world, bave gone btfort you ( except Hcnocb and Eliar.) Yea the poor· hruit creaturtJ .mutl die at your pleafitre, to f~tistic your hunger or ddigl)t. Bcafls and birds and tithes, even many t.o make one mcel, muH die f or you: And why then fhould you !hrink at the entrance bf fuch a ,troddc~ path; whi.ch ~ea?eth xou not_tobell a~ it doth the wick.,ed, nor mecrly to corr11ption as it-doth·· the bm1ts; but to live m JOY With Chnfi and h_1s ·Church-triumphant? §. q , Dire&. 14· Reme'}Jber both bow ~ile your b~dj i~, an~ bowg~eat an tntmy it hatb proVed to Direl7. r.f• ) llttr flul : An~ tben you WJ.~ tbt ~ore p,;twttly bear tts dijfoiHtton l It IS not your dwelling houfe, but )'O\I.f tent or Prifon that Go_d IS pulhng down• And yet .even this •ile body, when it is corrupted fh•ll at Oo oo la:tt
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