Burgess - Houston-Packer Collection BT715 .B85 1652

sgg óf'EffeEttsal S a c them ; as theChurchTaid Cant i.ï Btcau/e of thefavor of .thy apntrnenti; there- fore do the virgins love thee If.therefore ye woul f confider; both how great that infinite maieftyis, who doth call you ; andwhat that bait is he cloth,.in- vite you to, even great and admirable priviledges, this wouldexcite in you filch vehement and impatient delires after them, that allthe lofts and "pleafuresof fin, would beaccounted as drofs and noifom vomit r Oh then think more and more, and confider of this calling. Shall the Devil and lufts call , and thou runneft after them, though into hellsmouth ? but God calleth, and thou-re- fufeff him : Come unto me all ye that pafs by, faith the whorifhwoman ; and' in theTame manner, every kinde of fin, and how many venture into herfnaresI But come unto me, faith Chriff, allye that labor, andjots /hallpule rill untoyear fouls,Jvlataa. in this men are refraftory. 1. In the Second place, The call of God conßfls in thole things thatare lefi prin. cipa!, and fuch, as without the former, woulddo no good; but when toyn- edwith ir, is very fubfervient and inftrumental. And here wemay fpeak of three toigues calling aloud to us, two without us, and one within us; whichI call external, though within us, becaufeof it felt it Bothnot internally change the Thewhole heart of aman, Creation. And the firft letsprincipal, Is the whole Creation: All the Creatures are like like fo many tongues, as they declare the Glory, Power and Wifdom of. Gode The voyce of As for that dangerous opinion, that makes Gods calling of man to repentance the Creatures by.the Creatures, tobe enough and fufficient, we rejeft, as that which cuts at . of n felf, not the very root of free grace : Avoyce, indeed,wegrant they have, but vet they u,fficient to make like PawlsTrumpet, an uncertain found; 'men cannot by them know the call men to re- pentance. natureof God and his Wodhip; and wherein our Juftification dgth confrft : Therefore whereas Pfal 19. the Pfalmift had fpuken of the found Of the hea- vens, and how they all declare theglory of God, he comes in the latterpart to commend the Law of God, for that which hash fpiritual effe/is indeed ; viz, To convertthe foul, and to forwarn from fin : Thou canft not then look up to heaven, or down to theearth, but there is Ionic impe.feft voyce calling on thee toglorifie that great and wonderful Creator, who made all thefe things : But then The Judge- Secondly, There are the Judgements and Chaftifements of God upon men merits of God. for fin ; thefehave a louder and morediftinft voyce : Thusthe Prophet, Hear ye the Rod, Micah 6.9. The Rodfpealeth: There are no judgements, either pub- liqueor perfonal, but by them God calls aloud to thee to leave thy fins : Eve- ry blow thou haft, everyfirokethou feeleft, fay, Now God fpeaketh, Oh let me hearken and hear what God would have me do. Thofe 'TP/a/ms that have this Jnfcription, Malchil,orTogive lnffrudion, -do for the mod part contain the Chaftifements and Af hiEtionsof God for fin : And fo thou mayeft fay of every afiftion, This is an af3liftion to give inftruftion ; of every lofs, This is a lofs to give inftruélion. Take heed then of that deaf ear, that when God fmiteth theeonce, twice, yea, many times, yet thou heated nothingat all; as deaf mendo not hear the molt terrible thundrings that are. The voyce of Laflly, There is a voyce thatcalls aloud, and that is theconfcience God bath Confcience. planted in thee; for that is Gods lamp put into thy breath All the bitings and"accufngs, and fmitings that gives thee for thy fins, its no lefs thenGod callingthee by that; Indeed this is a natural call, and fo reducible to 'Gods external calling, yet it is more peremptory, more quick and lively then either the Creatures or Afíftions are: Hearken then to the calls, to thevoyce that fpeaks in thy bofom ; How often loth that fay, Ovile and beaftly firmer, when wilt thou leave thefe lufts? whenwilt thou depart from tiefe evil ways? Is it not high time that thou wertchanged from thefe noifom courfes. Take heed of putting outthis light,do not flop the mouthof it, forit will one day cry louder eat

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