Ito Fatte Signsof Grace. SE cr. III. weep forhimfe1fded ¡n fin ; fo thou maift beaffe@ed about Chrifts death, as it Was a fad paffcon, and neverbe affeded with thofe Scripture-Arguments that are propounded. In this fenfe, Chrift forbad thofe women, weep not for meyedaugh- tees ofPrufiilem, bue weep foryour felves. 3. 3. The bearersoffellionsmay be machmoved, orfurredat the' 'Rini/firsabilities, Ministersabi- becaufeof his parts, eloquence, elocution, affeftionate utterance. Thefe things lilies. may much delight you, and you think this is a fign ofgrace. The Prophet Ezekiel was likea pleafant and fweec tuned inftrument unto his hearers, whereupon God faith, they come in Troops, and late as his people, but yet were not reformed. daftin while a tltitanichee was wonderfully affeftedwith Ambrofe his preaching, becaufe of his eloquence : and certainly Rheeoricall elocution, efpecially that which is about the aráv3as the affeetionsof men may much prevails Iofomuchthat one Countrey made Hercules who was fo famous for firength, the god ofdo. quence, implying therebyhow ftrong that is, to turn and change man ; There- foreexamine your hearts in theground of your aft ftioes ; The learning of the manmay pleafe your intelleftuals ; The powerfull utterance may farisfie your af- feaions, but all this while you are nomore wrc ught upon ina fpirituall way, then' theRoman auditors were, whenthey heardTallies Orations, veritae Chrifliano. rampulchrior eft Helena Grocorum. The truth of Chrdtianity is fairer then the Grxcians Helena: we may lovea choice truth, as a man may be enamoured with a fair face ; finehead notions may produce tome atfeft onate heart-motions : but what fymptomeof grace is in all this. 4. 4. even corrupt lullain men, ¡chae pride, ambition, felt feking, may produce Mens corrupt great affe&ions in holy duties, efpecially inpublike adminiftrations, where others lints. may admire and applaud ; Thus the Pharifees in their publiqúe Expofitionsof the Law; and teachingsin the Synagogue, as silo in their tarsiers, might be much af- fefied from thofe carnali motives provoking of them; many times the more ex- cellent a Sermon is, the morecarnal theheart of a Preacher may be : Thus a pri- vate Chriftian in praiers with others, the Eronger his invention may be, the weaker his gracemay be, and thofe expreflions which fecal excellent to others come from a root very bitter toGod ; Even as in a Meadow full of graffe and pleafant flowers, if you digge to the bottom of them, there is nothing but noy- fome earth; fo if you go to theFountain from whence all thefe exprefiions, ve- hement expoflulations, that are ufed in praier, do flow, you may fee it's a poi. Coned fountain. Ason the other fade, an heart contrite, and full of grace before Godmaynot be foadmirable inexpreffions : As they fay, theground full ofmines ofgold is very barren for graffe. Do notthen go away re;oycing from a duty, be- came of thy affeébons meetly in anholy duty. Let not this comfort thee, that thy foul washeated within, but confiderwhether the ground uponwhich all their are built, be folid and enduring. S, Lastly, Amans afftltions maybe inflamed not only from loch bate and unwor- Sometimes thy confderations, but even from thegosdneffe and excellency of l iritual things ; even from the yet becaufenot radicated, not throughlychanged in the bottomeof the foul, all excellency of tilde affections be infudicient ; and this was the tank of that joy and delight in f;irualt chore we inftancedin, viz. The.fweetneffe and excellency of holy things; They bins. tailed the good Word of God, not the good worldly aims andrefpeds by the Word of God, yet all this is in a vanifhing unfecled way. They are affected with theworld as well as with God, and thereby it is they mifcarry s fo that all affe- rounds of ltions itsholy things, and that becaufe of their excellency, is not prefcntly a cer- rrely on to tain noteof one who thallinherit gloryunleffe deeply rooted, on chefe. $ Y P Y a. Thegroundswhy Chrifiaanr are apt to rely upon theft are, A teeming at- Firft, Becanfe herebyWefeint to have attained the endof all knowledge and abi- tainmeneof lities inreligion. For feeing all fupernaturall revelation of heavenly truths is for rho endo£ all praftife andoperation : if we finde tome love andjoy and atteftion both to the re- knowledge vealer who is God, and the matter revealed, we are prone co chink we are now hereby. , arrived
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