10 $ Gojpel kmifsion. of finning, to do nothing elfe but increafe their fins ; but fuch men and women who being convinc'd of fin, and if they were perfwaded that God would never pardon that fin, they would find knots enough to flop them from the commifüon of it : but becaufe they have fore hopes that God will par- don, therefore on that very ground they venture on fin ; 'tis true, it is an offence, but God is a merciful Gad , he will forgive though it be an evil : there is more evil and mifchief in this than thou can'ft imagin ; What, art thou convinc'd offin, and wilt thou venture on fin meerly on this ground , becaufe thou hopeft that God will pardon thee ? I may fay unto thee as Peter unto Simon Magus,Ac%.8. 22. Pray,Opray to God,that ifit bepoßible, this thought of thy heart may be jar - given thee ; for this thought of thy heart bath fo much ma- lignity in it, and is fo great a provocation againft God as pofiible can be imagined ( except the fin againft the Holy Ghofl,) for any man or woman to venture on any fin in hopes ofpardon : fore will fay, What need we be fo flri& , and trouble our felves fo much? God is merciful, and therefore they think upon that ground ; they need not be fo flri6t ; this is a horrible degree of turning the grace ofGod into watonnefs, Jude 4. the Apoflle fpeaks of fuch there, that profeft they did believe in Chrif} ; mark what he fays ofthem, There are certain men crept in unawares ,---ungodly men turning the grace of God into wantonnefs, and denying the only Lord God,andour Lord 7efus Chrif; 'tis a moll dread; ful place, if there be any one in the Congregation thathave ever had the glorious light of the Gofpel revealed to them, that can reafon thus ? I do fuch and fuch things, yet God is merciful ; O that God would convince thee of this evil , give me leave to open it unto you, how men creep in ; they were Chriftians,and were come into the Church; but how ? they crept in cunningly ; the Saints of God were not aware of them, they crept in amongft them. Here by the way, we may take notice, that in a Church there ought to be none admitted Members, but fuch as there may be fore teflimonyy ofgodlinefs in them; for ifany be ungodly they are fuck' 4s creep in unawares the Church" of God - Mould keep them
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