GoPel--Converfation. 29 commit this fin .' well, thou thinkeft verily that thou shalt not commit it, I but if thou takeft libertie to daily and play with this fin fecretlie in thy thoughts, and affeaions, it is juil with God to leave thee to thyfell to shame thy felt, to leave thee to the commiflion of that fin thou haft for a long timekept dandling in thy thoughts and affeaions within, although it be with refolution not`to commit it; that man that (hall pleafe himfelf in any kind of fecret fin (I fay) it were ¡lift with God to lead him forthwith the worker of iniquity, fo as to lay his fhame open and naked before all that he lives with : therefore you-that are Profelfors of Religion be careful of secret fins, if you would - never' diftronor "your profef ion in your Converfa- tions. A fixth Rule is this, Ifyou would be careful ofyour Converfati- vs:, do notfo much look at thole that are beneathyou and in the lower Arm ;as letyour eye be upon thofe that aremoÇt eminent in their Con- verfations, lookupon them rather as your mark and aim. Manie Chriftiáns live, and their Converfations are very dark arid no beauty at all in them ; Why ? Becaufe they think they live as o- thers do, they look upon fuck as are beneath them, and they think their lives are rather better than fome others that have made profeflion, and this makes them go on in a dull and (lug- gifh way ; but now, ifyou would have your Converfation in- deed as it ought, fo as to be convincing, let before you the ex- amples of the molt eminent of thofe whole Converfation doth molt Offer, not a meergliflering Phew, I do not mean them, But thatglift,?ring that comes from Diamonds and Gold and Peat Is, that have the excellencie ofGrace fhining in their venie Faces and Converfations, let them before you, and labor to imitate them, and fo this will help you inyour Converfations. We have in Heb. 13.7. a Scripture for this, Remember them which have the rule over_you,whe havefpok nuntoyou theWordofGod,rvhofe faithfollow, canfdering the end of their Converfations. 'Tis fup'- pofed that they fhouldbe .nùft eminent, Such as have the rule over them, that are their Guids ; but mark, he fpeaks of thofe that had fpoken unto them tie Word of God, for he doth not fpeak of the Rulers in Civil States, but, of the Minifters that were their Guids, for fo the word is ; now though there be a work
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