through Naturallimpobillties. J 201 Againe, Mardi vertues won't do it. The young man that came toChrift , he was a great moraq : when our Saviour told him he fhould keep the Commandements, that he might obtaine eternal( life , Lord, (fayes he ) all thefe have I kept frommyyouth ; and Chrift look't upon him andloved him, he was a fine Moraq , but notwithflancling he did not follow Chrift, he went away, and was very forrowfull. Bare mor- , rail vertues won't do it , for they are dead things.: You fee how *tis with a mans fhooe , though the Leather be never fo thick, yet by going upon the 'tones and the gravel!, the Lea- ther weares thin, and weares out : But ifa man goes bare- , foot , though the skin of his foot be thinner , the skin does not weareout, but growes thicker : as Indians, they go bare. foot, and their skin of their feet weares thicker,by goingup on the gravell , andupon the flones : What is the Reafon ? The Leather ofa mans (hooe is a dead thing, but the foot is a living thing. And fo Faith is a living thing, and will carry a man over gravel' and clones, and difficulties : but morall vertues, they are but dead things , and though they be never fo thick, theywill grow thin, and weare out, and come to nothing. Bare morrall vertues won't do it. And then againe, gifts, and Parts, and G4elinlargements cannot do it, they leave black aches upon the Soule ; they are a blaze, they make a great blaze : Straw that is burnt, makes a great blaze , but it leaves black aches upon the hearth : 0So, where thefe are, without Paving Faith, they may make a great blaze , but the end of them is black aches upon the Soule. 7udas, ye know, hehad great Gifts, andGofpel-parts ; but that would not doe it, would not carry him through all his Temptations, anddifficulties to Jefus Chrift. Pray do but compareNicodcmus and yudad:Nicodemats was but in his Catechifme of Chriftianity,when pida.s was a preacher ; Ni- codemsts comes to Chrift by night , when Pcliks preaches Chrift openly : but in the end, Nicodemusowner Chrifi,w hen he is dead ; and 7uda,s betrayes himwhen he is living. Nico- 1 dem,had a true,faving-faith; yaida4 had onely gifts ; gofpel gifts, andGofpel-enlargement!, that will not do it neither. C c 2 And Mat19.20
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