66o A· form of Rxhortation to t/Je Sick. noll' tak$ on you in afear, to be that whichyou are not, or to do that which you would not hold 1 if fhou!d recover. And to mak.! aU {ure wi.U you now finct:rely enter inID o1 Covenant with Chrijl ~'; you but thefameCovenant rr:hicb you made in Bapti[m and tbe ~acrament of the LQTd.r [upper; a~d :::zz would IJ.Jve faved you, if you had fincerely made and kept IC. Let me therefore htlp you buth · derfiand it, and to do it~ by tiJtfi qurjlionJ, which I imreat you ta an[wer finctrely a/one that ; 1 :;: "~: the pre[<nce ofG,d, , , g g ~ell. I· DoyoutrulyBelievethatyou areaRationalcreatUre, dijfer'mg [r9m bruitJ, being mad · Love and J!r~e yo11r Mak,.er, and bve an immortal foul, _whicb muft live in Heaven or HeU for everl ~;~ that there J1 mdud a Heaven of Joyu, and a HcUrf punijhmrnts whefl thU life Mended; Qoell. 2· Do yoH believe that in Heaven, tbe foulJ of the Juflifiedat death, and the Body alfl t h RefomGiion,jhaU be joined "'ith tht Ange!J, andjhaU dwell with Chri/1, and fee the Glor) ef G" d t d bt perfeGitd in Holine{i, and Ji.Ued. with the fin[< ef tbt Love of God, and with the greateft J~;"~:t our n<~ture cun recovc 1 and jha/1/zue 111 the moft dclzghtful Love and Praife of God for ever? Q!!efi. 3· Seeing y~u are Cl'rtain that all the pleafurcs of thH life arc jhort, and wiD e1 1 d in death d leaite the fteP, '1[fJhich de[trrd them, in corruption, do yozt not firmly believe that the J oys of Heave~ an infinitely bect~r and mort to be dtfired and fought, tha11 aY the plea[ures and profits of thif life? ;r; that it. it moji r~P{o1rab/e that wejhould Love God above all Creatures, even with aY our bea~t and {o:l and ml.J!,bt l · Quell. 4· Setingthw that the Love of God ii both our Duty and oltf' H1ppine!S, i< it not reafon that we jhould br k.!ft from tbe Love of a1ry thing in the world, which 'would fteal a~ay our bearJJ from~ God, and hmder JH from Loving him and defiring and feeking him l and that we fhou/U mortifie the love nf worldly richer, honours anJ dtlight.1, fo f"'r ar they are againft the Love ofGod l ~eft. 5· Seeing God is the aq{olrtte Lord and Ruler oj the world, i1 it no! rc.ifon th:tt we obey him wbatfoevcr he commandctb M, thuugh we did not fee the Reaf~..m why he doth comm:tnd it ; And ytt ;; it not plainly Reajimablc tiJ.ct he command HI to Love and honoHr and worjhip him, and to Love one anothtr, and to deal J ujlly rritb all, and do M we would be do11c by) and to be careful of our fouls, and temperate for our bodies ; and Httt to mgltli or dijhonour our ma~tr, nor to negltli <?:tr own falvatim nor abtt[e our bodies by beaftly filthimji or excefi ; nor to wro1Jg our neighbour~, nor dmy to do the,;, any good that is i11 ottr power. This is -the fitm of all God1 laws : and thi1 is We nature of Holinefs and {)bedience. And do you not from your heart believe, lh:Jt all this is very reafonable am/good i : (~di. 6. Wben.the ji11[ul world WtJS f.zbt from Happincfi, into mifery, by turning away from God and r Hohnefi t~ fenfuality; and God{cnt hi1 Son to be their Redeemer and Saviour, to be a Sacrifice for fin and a 1cacher and Paturn of a Holy and Obedient life, and to ma~t a new Covenant with them i~ · which ~he ~iveth tJx_m, the. pardon of all jin, and everl,;/1ing bappinejs, if tiJty will hut give 11 p them· {tlvu td hzm aJ tlmr Savtour, and San&ifier, and by true Repentance turn to GBd; doyou not verily Believe that miferable finnm jhouldgt,dly and tbaitkfully accept 'f fuch an ofer l and abund>ntly Love that God ~tnd S:zvioz~r that bsth fo tenderly loved them, and {o freely Redeemed the,., from the flames ()f HcU. and fo freely offered them everl.iffing life? And do you not Believe that he, who after aU thi 1 , jh.JU JliJ!.ht aU tbis mercy; and rcfufe to be renewed b~ fontiJfying grace, and jhaU. neglc{l hi! God and foul and thiJ {alvation.J a1fd,1rather choofe to kpp hu finJ, dotb not dt{erve to be utterf:y forfalz.en aud u be prmijhed more tiJait if a Saviour and Salvation bad mver beeJt offered. to IJim? , ~ea. 7• H,;tb not this been your own cafe l H-.zve you not lived a fldhly worldly life; neglefting God and y our falvacion? and minding more thefe lower thing1l and have you not refufld the word and fpirit of Chrift which rvonld have broughtyou to Repe~tance and a holy life? and confequeittly re.. j rlledChrifl at aSaviour and the Holy Ghofl a1 a fanchfitr, a11d aU the mercy which ht offered you ot: tlu{c termJ l . Qloef\. S. If thit bath been your e>fe, are you now unfeignedly. grieved for it l Not only beeaufe it hatb brought you fo near to Hell; bt<t alfo becaufe it hath difple.jed God, and deprived you of that Holy and comf(JrtiJble life which you might a!lthi.r while bave lived; and endangered aY y :utr bopu of Heaven l Do you [o far Repent, as tb:zt your very Heait and Love is cht~ugcd: JO that nowyou had rather have a Holy life 011 earth, and the fight and enjoyment of God in the Heavenly Joyes for ever, tha11 to have aY tbe pleaftm and profptrity of thiJ world! Do you hate your {mt, and loatb your {<If for them, and trUly ddlre to he made Holy l Are ) 'OU firmly Refolved, th11t if God do recover you to health, you will live a new and Holy life l that JOU wiU forfak,e your f/.ejhly worldly life, and aY your wilful fin! l and wiU. {ct y our Jtlf to learn the wiU of God, and eaU upon ~im, and live in the holy Communion ofSaints, and mak,! it your chief care te pleafe God and tobe faved l Q_getl. 9· Are you fl.'iUing to theft end! to Give up your [elf abfolutely now to God tbc F~ztber, Son and Holy GhDji, aJ y :Jur Reconciled Father, your Saviour and your Santlifter,to be {tmlJified and Jufti~ fied, anti faved from your finJ aml from the wrath of God, 111td live to God in L ove andHJ!inefi 1 And are you wiNing t9 bind your fl/f to thi1, by cntring inlo thi1 Covenant with God, renouncing the Flcjh, the World and the De<Jill Either yom Heart is willing, and fincere in this Rcfolution andCovenanr, or i~ is not. If it be not, there i1 1t0 hope that y~u~ jinjhauldbe pardomd andyour {sul befoved upm any other or eafier terms! And for aU. that God it merciful :md Chrift di~d for finnerJ, it wat ~ever . his intent to fave one impe11itent unfanaified foul! But if y >ur Heart unfc1gnedly confent to thu, I Mattn,tS·~~: have the cgmmif]iBH of Cbrijt himfilf to reU you, that God will be your Reconciled God and Father, 2 Cor. 6. J6, and Chrifi will be your Saviour, and theHoly Spirit will heyour SJ.ndifier and Comforter, and your 17, 1S. fins are pardoned, and your foul ll1all be faved, and you llu.ll dwell in Heaven with God for ever. God did <Onfcnt before you <on!ented, He jhewed hit Oo,ifent in pur<haling and making and c/fer– ing
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