'.A S~il9t or i Brt~rt: another ; godly men have tryed both wayes. Alas they have .known;and too mPJch known the way of fin ; and they havetryed the Holy way_ that you diilik~. I ~hin~ therefore that they are competent Wttne1Ies : And tf thetr Wttnefs be worth any thing· the caufe mufi go againfl: the ungodly. For their Li'iles reil yo-~ their · {udgemt~t. Their hatred to ~n, their diligent feeking, · after God, thetr confiant endeavours m~ Holy courfe, their fut'" ""' fering any thing rather then forfake this Holy way, when once th.ey hav.e pnccrely chofen it; .all .t~efe do fully a.cquairtt you wttb rhetr JUdgement.Doyot1 thmk tt ts for Nothing that the holy fervants of the Lord, do flick fo clofe to him, and labour fo conilamly in his work ! furely if they had not found that this way is beyond comparifon the bd1, you might draw them from ir, imo a fi<lte of ungodlinefs again ; at leafi fire and fword and torment might perfwade them ·to forfake it. Something l1c: findeth in it that is good, that will kt .go his .life and all the world for ir. What fay you now ! have yot1 any jufl: exceptions againft the tefl:imony of thefe Experienced men? TheungodfJ cannot be eompetent witnelf~s; for they have rryed but one fide: Th~y 'I1ave l1ad experienceof aproph.me, a fldhly, worldly lif.e: but they -ntver yet tryed aHofJ life. And therefore how fhould they he fit to tell you, what Good is in the way of God, which they never travelled in? Or what Gain is in the Heavenly Treafure, which they ne-ver traded for ? Or what Beauty is in the face of Chrifi and Glory, which they never had an eye of faith to fee? Or what fweetnefs is in the Hidden Manna~ which they never rafl:ed? If you fay that many that have tryed the way of Godline(s, h~?Je turned from it, and are aga;nft it! I oefee€h you weigh my anfwer. · I. It is not One ofahundred that dotb fo,no not in thefe apoftA~ thing timcs,when alHeducers are let loofe.And is one mans judge– ment more regardable then a hundred , yea , many htmdred ? 2, Nay,it is no One at all 1 Thofe that you {ay turn otf, are only fuch as tryed an Opinionative Religiv-u(nefs, and fome of the Out ward duties of Chrillianity, but they never tryed the power of a living rooted faith, rior the pred()minant Love ofGod in r_he foul, nor aLiviN[, Hope of the Heavenly Gbry,nor thefweet– nefs ofa Hea7lmly life . nor the m@rtificationof the .fie/hly intereft, .ancl trHe [elf-den-vat:' Thefe are the vhal p~rts of ~hriftiani~y, J ·· · - · whtch
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=