Brightman - BS2823 B85 1644

C A P .3. ,/f evelatiortoftheApocalypfe. i59 of his body. O we therefore mofi bafe and filthy wretches, 'as oft as 1-411:e- we fly away from hearing the word: For wee ca'fl: away Chrift from v Flo_ being our gueft. O we wicked contemners of his grace, as oft as we rioas La- with-draw our felves from partaking the Sacrament withour bre- odicca. thren :Forwe defpife Chritt himfelf,who calleth us to his fupper.But thefe things are added for a fingular comfort of thegodly. For how fhorald it be,that they fhould not beafraid, and bethink themfelves of flying as faff,and as loon as they could from this Church , when they fhould hear,that the conditionof the Minifters was hateful toChria, as whom he was about to fewout of his mouth ere long, if-they re- pented not,unleffe they h.-ad been certified by Chrifts own word , as touching their communicating with him ? Bleffed be thou therefore, (O moft meek lambe of, God) who finding the doors (hut up againft thee,doff not prefently , and fpeedily convey thy felfe away from us, enraged with anger againft us, and doff not deprive us of all means of falvation,as we have deferved; but doff í1i11 leave a liberty to en- joy thee in a goodly, and abundant manner, and that to all thole who doopen unto thee when knockei: by the word, & donot defpife thy moft fweetinvitement by the Sacrament.The errourtherfore ofthofe men is full of evill,yea of blafphemy,who do.in filch manner make a departure from this Church , as if Chrift were quite baniihed from hence,and that there could be no hope of falvation to thole that abide here.Let thefemen confider,that Chrift is here feafting with his mem- bers. Will they be ashamed to fit at meat there,where they fee Chrift is not ashamed to fit ? What,will they be holier andpurer then he ? But why do they not convince, & confute themfelves with their own experience ? They cannot deny , but that they did firft beleeve in Chrift , before that they made this divorcement from us. Whence came this faith ? Did it not come from the preaching of the word in our Church? Can then any man preach except hebe fent ? Rom. o. 13. &c. Whydo they therfore fo perverfly refute that word, becaufe of fome corruption in the outwardcalling,whofe divine power they feele in their hearts; And yet-for all this, this fruit dothno more free ourcorruptions from faultineffe, then a true child of ones body loth excule adultery. And therefore neither mutt we hold our felves con- tented with thefe corruptions, neither muff they feparate them- felves from us for any bleniíhes. Return therefore to the unity of that Church, which hath begotten , and nourifhed vou. If you flee from this Chrift that fuppeth with the Elea in our Con- gregations; anddoth againe for his part entertain them, certainly you

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