368 oh the Excellency of the Soul. 4 art plundered of all , and haft little provifion for thy fami ly , and mall bread for one day, and knovveft not where to get bread for the next ? I but is thy foul fafe ? I remember wee read in Genefis of the King of Sodome; he could fay to Abraham, Give mee the fouls, and take the goods co thy felf; though hee were but a Heathen King, hee fpake of their natural lives : So do you whore hearts God hath in- clined to foul laving wares; fay to the men of the world, Do you take the riches, but let mee have the fafety and welfare of the foul : Oh if God have allured thee upon good grounds that thy foul is fafe, thy fin pardoned, what great matter though thou haft not fome of the lumber of this world? If a malefaeIour that were in danger to die, fhould go to leek for a pardon for his life, well, when hee bath gotten it, and is coming from the prefence of the King, perhaps hee lofes his glove or handkerchief up- on the ftaires, were it not an unfeemly thing for fuch a man to fall a crying, and wringing of his hands, becaufe bee had loft his glove ? Juf+ thus, for all the world, is the madnefs and folly of people that fay, they have force comfortable hope thar`God will have mercy upon rhtir fouls, and will fave them for ever, yet when they are croft and wronged , they cry out, they are undone; man andwoman thou art not undone, for thy foul is fafe. Lord ftrike (faith Luther,f}rike, onely pardonmy fin ; And my Brethren, well may you bee incouraged to undergo any difficulties, and to bear the lofs of the comforts of this world, for the caving of your fouls) for indeed the Lord bath granted to us the way of falvation of fouls at an eafier rate than our Forefathers had; If I thould but tell you the way that many of our Forefathers had for the faving of their fouls, and many of the Saints of God in former times, you would have Paid then that it was a difficult way to fave fouls, and go to Heaven : As I will but give you an inftance of one man, and another woman, how hardly they came to falvation. That bleffed Martyr Benfefur, fee but what a way bee had to Heaven for profef- fion of Chriftian Religion; The Perfecetors came to him, and
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