Baxter - BV4253 B39 C78 1658

By the Croft cf Chri1#, 1-21 deceiveyour felves by denying this, that bettereth not your cafe : Neither God, nor any wife mati, that Teeth your worldly lives , and howmuch you fet by worldly things , and how little Good you do with your wealth, and how much the Beth and your po- Iicrity have as devoted unto them, and how little God bath de- voted unto him ; I fay, no wife man that leech this will believe that you are mortified heavenly men. I do here proclaim toyou this day from the Word of the Lord,that thisyour way isyoeer folly, Pfdtts 49 13. Luks r 2. zo. and that you are at prefent in a damnable condition, that you are the enemies of God, whoever of you arefriends to the World, and that if lam love the World, the lave of the Father ú not in you, I john 2. 1 y. and that you mutt in Affection and Refolution forfake all that you have in the world, and look for a Portion in the world to come , or you arenot Chrifians indeed, nor can be Caved, Luke 14.33. It would grieve the heart of a Believingman, to fee how defperately many civil ingenuous Gentlemen and others delude and deftroy tbemfelves infenfibly. You will I hope all cry Chame upona common lotear.. er,drunkard or whoremonger : you will hang a Thief, a Mur- derer, or a Traylor. But you feem not fenfible of the mifery of your own Condition, that are perhaps in a more dangerous cafe then there. I befeech you confider ! Is not that the molt finful and dangerous fiate, where God hath leaft of the heart, and the creature bathmolt ? What know you , if you know not this ? Why it is apparent, that there is lefs Love to theworld in many an one of the farementioned wretches, then in many Civil Gentlemen, that live in good reputation in their Countrey , and little fufpec4 fo much mifchief by themfelves. That is the molt wickedman, that bath in his heartthe ltrongeft Intereft which is oppofite unto God : and all that is not fubordinate is oppofite. Sin hath not fo deep and ftrongan Intereft in fome Muderers , that kill a man in a pafiion, in Tome fwearers that get nothing by it, but (wear in a paflion, or in force thieves, that (teal in necefii- ep, as it hath in many that feem fober and Religious. I fay again, the greater creature lnrerelt, the more finful is the eftate. Alas, Sirs the abftaining from force of thee crimes , and living like Civil Religious men, if the world be not Crucified to you and you to ir, doth but hide your fin and mifery, and binder your thane and repentance butnot prevent your damnation. Nay R the

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