Hose .mßers arc feid robe ssnfavary. 631 that were euch great ones in the Church of God as they were, and they fall off that were fo eminent in profe(fion ; Oh Lord bov fhall I hold out if they fall off : you are difcouragements to others , thofe that made profeffion afore and may be not gown prophase in their profeffion neither , but they grow iluggitla,and they are vexed to fee young ones come up more forward then they ; and the truth is this, they should lay their hands on their hearts and fay, Have not I loll my favour , and am not I more.fluggiih, and is it not juft with God to take my efteem and repute away from the Church of God,they (build bewilling to cry out having apollatized from the truth, as he did, tread upon me, tread upon me unfavory fair, let all tread upon me, it is juft with God that all his fervants should tread upon me; And I befeech you confider of this you that now be- gin to make profeffion of Religion , and have fome work of God in your hearts, many of you that are young, there is fore relish of favoury things among you , when temptation corns in, then confider of the dreadful condition of one that ApdfIatizeth from the profeflion of Religion , for when you are young you think furely you (hall hold out thefe truths of God that now you have, here you are perfwaded that they Ilia never get out of your hearts again ; you do not know , you do not know your own hearts. I come now to the words as they refpe& the Miniflers, the general iirearn almofi of all interpreters is that way, they are the fait of the earth , and if they have loft their favor,&c, that is thus, when any begin to preach at the firfi,their preach- ing is full of flrength, they are mighty zealous , mighty for- ward, but afterwards the temptations of the world when they come, and they get Livings to feather their nef 'ts well , and are fettled in the world, then they begin to grow more flack, bofe and empty in the world, their preaching is more flat then it was, there is not the favorinefs in it as formerly there was, they do not fpeak to the hearts of men as formerly , yea it may be now having met with temptations, they are grown very frothy , begin to mixe other things of their own inventi ionwith it, and are loth to fpeak thofe truths that fhould go e
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