Part Il. .~f8:s ·Jed:ed to eat l1is meat for it, ?oh. 4· ·34· :ind his flefhly kinclrcd -wo\\1\d havflaid hands on him as if he had heen hefide himfelf, Mr1rk._. 3· 21. Itfe_ems if you ~ had then ._lived, you _wou~d .hav..e been among the wtcked enemtes of Chnfl: and of hts Difctples, and have faid .[It was never a good world, fince thefe bu– fie fellows made fo ·much a doe with their Religion ! 5. Moreover, -you fpet~k._ againft the inward feeling and cer– tain experienceof alltrueChrifti~nJin· theWorld. They all have tafled and found tbat excellencie in the holy ways and Ordinan– ces of rhe Lord, that they value them above · all the world. With David they efleem them above Gold and Silver, Pjotl. ·1 1~. 72. With Solomon they fay that all the things that we f~tn ·de.fire are not t6 be compared to them, Prov. ·3· I 5. & 8. I I. And -Wtth ]ob they vahae the word of God above ·their necejf.>trJ food, Job.23.11. And with Paul they c,;tmt all thingJ Lofs ~Ha dung irJ comparifon of the excellmt k_nn;J?/edge of ChriJf, Phil. 3; 7, 8. They know that tt is a thoufand times better with them, fin cc God converted them to a holy life then it was before, as well ~rs you know that you are better in your health, then you were in fick– nefs. Try whether you can make men that ever were among thofe where plague and war and famine raigned, to believe that {it was never a good world,ftnce this plagae and war and famine teafed.]Yo\:1 may as foon make wife men believe this, as make ex– perienced godly men, to believe that it is worfe with them for their turning to the Lord.and living,holy,heavenly livcs.You can never by.all your doating and felf·conceited prating, make thofe believe whom God hathfan8i~ed; that th~y were in a 'better cafe brforc,when they were the Daves of Satan, and fervcd fin, & were under the wrath _and curfe of God.Theyfet/chat Wi.tl9in them that will never fuffer them to believe you. The health of their re– covered fouls : their e:..:perience of the Go8dnefs of the ways of God : the comforts they have bad in the pardon of fin and the hopes ofGlory, do make them know that you ·.talke diftrael:edly, when you tell them that they were better hefore, or that the -wor/4 u the worfe for the grace of God. 6. And we cannot believe you, when you fpeak evil of a holy courfe, becaufeyour Words are againft all Religion, ~md common · · rea(m; and much mori, ~e(lruCfive of the Chriftian faith. If 9oc.i be not to be Loved wtth· all our hearts, and ferved wirh our greaceft care, then he is not Go4: or then there is no fuch thing Bb · as
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