535 / 808
VER.
17.
8phefialu,Chap.4.
515
imitates
What
if
they
can
apply themfelves to
all
corn pany
s
yet
you
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
Poor
ate 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
and
harmelefe,
the
SOnS
of
God, without
rebake,in
the
midi'
of
a
crooked
generation,
among
whom
ye
thine
as
lights in
the world.
thd.2.15.
This doth
take away
the
vaincfeares
and pretenfes
which
in
weak-
'Ye
2.
ne(f'e
we make
to
juftifie
our courfes, for why
fhould men
be
afraid
of
being fingulare
If
this 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 they
fpeake ill
of
us
without
caufe,then
that God
fhould
come
againft
us
on juft reafon. So we think fometime wee may
doe
thus
and
thus,
and fuch and fuch doe ir.
Anfw.
If
they be
fuch
as
follow the example
of
the holy
men
of
God, then
we may imitatethem
:
Walke
(faith Paul)
as
ye
have
us
far
,.
Ther.3.
.
an example, as
we
walke,
otherwife we mutt
not become
conformi-
tants to
chofe
that
are
wordly minded.
Now
he
expre(feth more particularly
what
was the way
of
the
hea-
then,
the
vanity
of
their
minds
:
that
is,
fuch
vaine
courfes
as
their
owne minds
did fuggeft.
Whence
learne
two
things
:
L.
That
to
follow our
owne
unregenerate
mind,
is
walking
rather Hea.
Doll,
thenifh
then
Chriflian.
If
a
man
do not order
his
life,
as
an obedience
To
walke
af-
of
faith
to the
will
of
God,
but doth the things he
is occupied
about
ter our
saint
becaufe
his owne minde
doth
him
to them
:.
For there
are
but
henifh.s
He,
two
wayes
:
the
wayes
of
God,
that
is
,
which God bath
comman-
ded
:
and
our owne wayes,
that
is,
fuch courfes
as
we
our
(elves
think
good
of.
In the
first,
the children
of
God
walke
:
in
the fecond,
all
the chil-
dren
of
theworld
;
the Lord
left
the Heathen to their
owne wayes
:
Neither
is
it
tart
to
make
that way
of
an
unregenerate
Chriftian after
his
owne mind,
no better then the Heathens ; for
the
Scripture ma-
keth (which
is
more)
his
perfon,while he liveth,
no
better
then
a
Hea-
then
;
if
thou keepefinot the
Law,
thy Circumeifion becommethuncircum- Rows:
:r.
cifion ;
If
you
that
are
profeffed.
Chriflians
make
not confcience
of
Gods Commandements,
leaving
your owne minds, you
are no
better
then Turks or Pagans.
Now if
this fhould be
clofe followed, it would
bee
found lying at
Yf.
many
of
our
doores
;
For
what doe
we live after,
but our own minds!
Men are
snore
led
What
maketh
us
avoid this or that
e
not the
confcience
of
Gods
will
by
heir
helikings
forbidding
ir,but it
Rands
not with our
liking
:
What
maketh
us
doe
then Gods
this
or
that!
We
have
a
mind fo
to doe: So wee
take
our
pleafures,
words.
even
as
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