rrat..• p. 8. PfaL39· r. Pfal. 141 3· Spiritual Perfeelion. to give us the cleareft and Urongeft Mforancc of his_ Pardon ing Mercy, fhould make us very obfervant and exatl: m performmg the Condmon of it: What our Saviour fa'd the ~an. hcal 'd Miraculoufiy of his Lame~efS, is vertually fig?ified in c\·e ry Pardo~ ~~ rccc tve, Go ~rvay,, fi" no more, lef! a worfo thtn!, hejtJI yot~. Sin ~s extreamly aggravated wh~n p.~ .rfid10ufnefs an~ Ingraruude are ~ix 'd w.ith DifobcdJence. Our Rtfolurion; agamll Sm, are preventmg-Phyfick ; but m brcalung them, the Remedy increafe; the Ddeafe~ and accelera_res Death, more p~mfully and {uddenly. 1 rvi/1 J,e14r what God the Lor~ wtll {peak, h.e rvtll_{peak peau ~o hu people, bM ~et them _not return to foUy. To fin ~~f;~~ :~~ ~:c;l~s ~~~~~~,P~~~ofr~~\~~; but to fin aga101l fpecral Love, gneves the Holy Now. fince our heArts tJYe dueitfitl ab~v~ all things, and fin~e our Refolutions are Beet and fadwg, let us earnefily pray for Dtvme Graco to Eftablrlb them, and entirely de· pend upon it. 'Tis more ea6e eo raife a Fortification in rime of Peace, than to defend it. in time of \Var. In the abfence of a Temptation, we readily purpofc to abllain from Stn; but when they a!fault us, how often are we fu~pri~ld, and vanquifl1'd. Davi~ refolves, 1 will kerp thy S~a~ut(J; but to keep his Refoluuon wviolate, ~e pra} s, 0 for{akt me not utterly. He .Promtfes , lwi!ltake budtomy.wtp, tlu.t lfitJ 1101 w.uh m) tongue. fwil/ ku p .my mouth t« 1vtth a btidle: but he Addre!fes htmfelf to God forafidhnce, Stt • watch rt~r:t:?dt~y :"~::~~reF~~~:; 0\i;~:i~~ng~·~~s~~f~~~~rAof~ :reH~~~rh~f"$,;llia,t\~~rr~ an Arm of Flelb. Nothrng IS more unftable than Water, but when pour'd into a llrong Cictern, 'tis as fure as that that contains it. Thus Divine Grlce prcG:rves our unfiable Heart from flipping. 4· The Religious obfervation of the Lord's Day is an Excellent means for the iocreafe of Holinefs. 'Tis worthy of our fer ious Oblerving, that the Fourth Commandment is enfor.ccd with a Note of Exc i tacio~, Remember tl;ou keip holy tht ~·~~bbath· DaJ, to imprefs the fence of our Duty upon Confc1ence, and to confine our tranfgrcffing Nature, that is fo apt to alienate that time that is Sacred to God, and the Inrcrel! of our Souls, to Car· nal and Profane_Ufes. 'Tis fanCtified and fet apart by the Lord of our Perfons and Time, for the celebraung the moll Excellent Works of ht> l'ower and Goodnefs in Creation and Redemption. He that gave us our Beings, and rais'd us from the Duft, to an Honour little lower than the Angels , thofe Heavenly ~pirits, and has ranfom'd us from our woful Bond~ge; he that dignified u~ with the Impreffio~ of his own Image, and the Affumpuon of ours. The Moraltty of the Command IS perpetual, that one day of feven be Conf<erated and Separated for Divine Wor£hip: but the defignation of the Day to the Jews, was in remembrance of their Deliverance from E..t?JPI , and to Chri· fiians, in remembrance of our Deliverance from the Tyranny of the fpirimal Pharao/;. Satan and his infernal Army, Benefits exceeding thofe of Creation, and refcuing from the Bondage of Egypt. Indeed every Day we lhould Redeem Time from bufincfs and pleafures for the immediate Service of God: but on the Lord 's Day, we muft be entirely Converfanc in Ho!}' Duties, Publick and Privare, and abfl:ain from Common Works un· Jefs of Neceflity and Mercy. The Religious Reil of the Fourth Commandment, is to be obferved by Cbrifiians fo far as 'tis requifite for attendance on the Service of God. 'Tis not only out· Duty, bu t our heavenly Pnvilege, that being tir'd in the duft and toil of the World, we have a freedom) and are call'd to draw near to God, with the promife that he JVi!l draw near to us, that when we pay our Homage, we fhal1 receive infinite Bleffings: for then in the Communion of Saints we prefcm our requefis wi th a filial freedom to God, and we receive his Precepts for the ordering our Lives to pleafe ,him: and by a Temporal Holy Reil, are prepar'd for an Eternal Glorious Reft. The obferving this Command enables us to do the reil: for the Duties of it are Divine and Spiritual , an8 have a powerful influence tn the Souls of Men: for the exerci~ of Grace, by a proper efficacy iocreafes .it, and in their fanCtifying that Day, God fanCl:rfies them, and liberally bellows the Trealures of Grace and Joy, the confequent Blelling of the divine Inflitution. The Profaners of that Holy Time, do vertuall.y renounce their Allegiance to the Crea· tor and Redeemer, thev will not attend upon his Oracles, but defpife the Perfons and Office of the Miniflers of Ch rift, and their Contempt refleCts upon him. They make the Sabbatb thtir dtlight, in another fenfe than the Commandment intends, they make a a ' Play. day. Others who are call'd and counted Chrifl:ians , who are good in every thing, bu t wherein they lbould be bell; they are J ull and Mercifu l, Temperate and Challe, A/fable aod Obliging to Men, but wretchedly negleCJ: the Dunes of Prety to God, and the fanCl:I· fy ing his day. That precious and dear interval to a Saint, from the bufinefs W~~~: ~ ... -
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