Burgess - Houston-Packer Collection BT715 .B85 1652

350 7hecounterfeit of inherent Grace. S a çT. VIJ, Vfe. of this natural light, God will give him fuQernatura1 light : But God hathmade nofuck promife in theScripture, and the falfnefs of it is declared in this, That wenever readyet of anyHeathen, who upon the good improvement of thoft natural abilities, had grace vouchfafed tohim. I (hall in thenext place come to the Ufeof this point ; And Firft, Have Heathens without the Scripture, without the knowledge of Chrift and hisWord, done many things righteoufly and foberly ? Then what fhame and reproach is it to Chriftians, if any among them be found unjuft, un- godly, and living in all intemperance ? Yet is not the greater number of those thatprofefs the Chriflian Religion , infeéled with fome erroneous and grofs vices or other, which the Gentiles have abhorred ? As Chrift faidof the Cen- turion a (hanger, He hadnotfees fxchfaith in ] fragil ; and truly,we may fay, That there is not tobe feen fuchfaithfulnefs in mens words, Each temperance in their lives, no not among many Chriftians, as havebeen among manyGentiles. Who can pleadfor fuck who deal unjuftty,fpeak falfely, over-reach intheircontrads? whenmen without thetrueknowledgeof a trueGod, have been afraid todo it. You could not amongall theLacedamenians have feen one drunken man,un lets itwas their llaves, their Helota, as they called them ; and now it is hard to finde a lober, temperate man among many Proteftants. Some of the Heathens have been fo Religious about an oath, and fearful about fwearing, that they never wouldufe it upon anyhumane or earthly bufinefs ; yet he is accounteda mannow not of any fpirit or gallantry, that dochnot imbroider his Language with feveral Oathes. Bafi1 the Ancient,objefted toChriflians inhis time, that accuftomed themfelves to(wearing, the example of one Chaim a Pythagorean, who having a great fine laid upon him, topay a great fumof money, the which bemight have efcaped by taking an oath, yet he would not fwear, butrather pay that money : Certainly, if God doch fometimefend his own people tothe very irrational creaturesto learn, to the Oxand Ant, no wonder, if theymay fometimes be taught by chofe who have not fuch means of holinefs as they have. Civility and Moral honefty, thefeare to be found among the Pagans, and fometimes we cannot finde it among Chriftians ; efpecially the Heathenshave 'condemned a manofa falle heart, thatwill fpeakone thing withhis mouth, and intend another thing:saapa-,d-c.I hate himeven tohell, that faith one thingwith hismouth, and thinketh another thing in his heart, faith he in Homer : They loved a candid and fincere fpirit, as he thatwilhed therewas a glafs in his breaft, that all the world might fee what was in his heart : But O the hypocrite, double tongue, double heart that many bapcifed perlons have. Why do not fach leave Chrifis Sheepfold, and go rather into the Dens and Holes of fubtil Foxes? And fo for intemperate, difiolutemen, Whydo not they forfakeChrifis Fold, and go to the Sty ofSwine, wallowing there in all mire and filth? Now confider how many horrid and grievousaccufations the committingof fuch fins is fubjed unto : Firft, There is lets excufe and plea to be made forthee : Haply at the day of Judgement, Heathens will plead, Why ? they did not believe in Chrift; Why ? they did not receivethe Gofpel,that it never founded in their ears, there wasno preaching to them ; or if fo, the matter wasfhpernatural, fachas flefh and blood could not dolewith, there was noproportion between that glorious object and thefaculty : But what canyou fay?who have and do live in fuch fins, which the verychildrenof Pagans would condemn : Can you fay, Lordwe did not know that to fpeakfalfely, do unjulhly, live intemperately, were fins? We had none to tell us, that there were unlawful ways ? No Inch thing can be plead- ed byyou ; O therefore beat laft awakened from this fecurity; remember you are men, and notbeafts ; remember God bath placed a confcience, to be a Judge in you : Olt do not fuch things ! thus all without thee, and all within thee will condemn. Secondly,

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