VER. 17. 8phefialu,Chap.4. 515 imitates What if they canapply themfelves to all corn pany s yetyou muf not doe to : Thus the Minifters mutt call off,and make a repara- tion of the precious from the vile. This is not to lead families, but to doe the office of a true Paftor'; If thou Poorate the precieui from the Ier17. vile, thou (halt bea Prophet for me (faith the Lord.) And Paul fpake ro this purpofe often, yea with teares, exhorting them to be blameleffe andharmelefe, theSOnS ofGod, without rebake,in the midi' ofa crooked generation, amongwhomyethine as lights in the world. thd.2.15. This doth take away the vaincfeares and pretenfes which inweak- 'Ye 2. ne(f'e we make tojuftifie our courfes, for why fhould men beafraid of being fingulare Ifthis be fingulariry, not to walke as thofe doe that wemuft not make no confcience, then we mutt be fingular : We fhall be traduced be afraid to be by them as proud Puritans, who think none fo good as our (elves. It fingular. is better that theyfpeake ill ofus without caufe,then that God fhould comeagainft us on juft reafon. So we think fometime wee maydoe thus and thus, and fuch and fuch doe ir. Anfw. If they be fuch as follow the exampleofthe holy men of God, thenwe may imitatethem : Walke (faith Paul) as ye haveusfar ,. Ther.3. . an example, as we walke, otherwife we mutt not become conformi- tants to chofe that arewordly minded. Nowhe expre(feth more particularly what was the way of thehea- then, the vanity oftheir minds : that is, fuch vaine courfes as their owne mindsdid fuggeft. Whence learne two things : L. That tofollow our owneunregenerate mind, is walking rather Hea. Doll, thenifh then Chriflian. Ifa man do not order his life, as an obedience To walke af- offaith to thewill of God, but doth the things he is occupied about ter our saint becaufe his owne mindedoth him to them :. For there are but henifh.s He, twowayes : thewayes ofGod, that is , which God bath comman- ded : and our owne wayes, that is, fuch courfes as we our(elves think good of. In thefirst, the children ofGod walke : in the fecond, all the chil- drenof theworld ; the Lord left the Heathen to their owne wayes : Neither is it tart to make that way ofan unregenerate Chriftian after his owne mind, no better then the Heathens ; for the Scripture ma- keth (which is more) hisperfon,while he liveth, no better then a Hea- then ; if thou keepefinot the Law, thy Circumeifion becommethuncircum- Rows::r. cifion ; Ifyou that are profeffed. Chriflians make not confcience of Gods Commandements, leavingyour owne minds, you are no better then Turks or Pagans. Now ifthis fhould be clofe followed, it would bee found lying at Yf. manyofour doores ; For what doewe live after, but our own minds! Men are snore led What makethus avoid this or that e not the confcience ofGods will byheir helikings forbidding ir,but it Randsnot with our liking : What maketh us doe then Gods thisor that! Wehavea mind fo to doe: So wee take ourpleafures, words. evenas our minds lead us, never confidering the Lords allowance, and that prayer doth fanEtifie them to us. So to mire our citate, or prevent evils wefeare, neverlooke at the protnife of God, which doth tye
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