...... of4nlyiJ~tVillg 4 NAINI t1 llvt: fome and unclean carcafes before God. Thus we that fear bodily death, when it is theKingof terrourr, ought much {a. thee eo tremble at thisltate of fin ne in our feJves, and to be– waiI our Father, Children, Friends in this fpiritual dead con– dition~ more then for corporal death : So on the coatrary., . The life of grace deferveth only the nameof life, the godly man only livech , for he doch both vivere and vAlere. Now rhc Chnrches difeafe is a deceicfull confumption, -rotten in• t ra ls, with a ruddy face, a feeming life, 'but a real death;.,, flourifhing and fprouting branches and leavcs,yec a dead root. And chat we may take notice what a glorious feeming life of Religion fue ~ad , the expreffion is, She hJUJ a N11me thllt foelived. ' N~tmt] in the Scripture is often put for the perfons them• felves, asverj.; •.antl AEl.r.z) . butthisisa meer Hebuifm the Grecians do not ufe tode fo. But , z. It.doth not meerly fignifie a perfon, but a perfon under fomc glorious fame and great repute, N t~m/,. 1 6· firong men~ men of names, i. e. famous men. Thus Joh 30. 8. chiH1ren, ef bafe men~ are caiJed men of no name : And thus the La– tines ufually, N11/liUJ nominu , and Vive tibi , & nominA. magna fuge: So then tohave aname, doth denote the great fame and glorious repute this Chur'h had for her piety, yet in the bottom of all there was nothing but emptinelfe, they were not perfcd: or filled works, as v. 2. ' That aChurch or particularper/on mllJ h~tve a great e./Item Of,[erv; and repute f or piety and holinej{e, andJet be inward!] dead and dt{litute of aftgrMe. They may bepiB:ures w'ithout~any life, douds witheut water, Sodoms Apples, fair to fee too, but nothing fave athes if ye touch them. We reade of Laodicea, another Church to whom an Epifile is diretled, She 'WMpoor, nakfd andmi[er~~oMe, ~hen foe thot~ght her /elf rich, full t~nd Wttnting nothing, but that it was·her own particular deceit and ov4:rweening of her felf. This Church o( 'Sardi4, not only her felf, but others alfothought her fo, wh~nGod knew the contrary. , . 1fhall treat on tbis not as it belot:tgs to a Church, but as tO· aparticular perfon, -and fo it will bctte.r advantage our fouls, ler.. , /
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