Ildr.:Lyesfecond sermon, Aug. 17. 195 thrertning in the word, not an ordinance, not a providence; there is nothing in God, or in the Devil, or in finners, or our felves, but all would give a contribution of arguments to prove the Sams fhould be ftedfaft. /muff but hint at a few things. Firft, I would argue from jells Chrift. Believers, you love Chrift, and therefore you love the honour of Chrift, now the honour ofChriff is highly engag'd in your ftedfaftnefs. We never cart a deeper blot on the honour of Chrif then when we grow untledfaft :bleed not tell you fo, the jefuits, thole meek Papifts will tell you fo, thole that delight in nothing more then in the milk oldie Virgin Mary, and in the blood ofSaints, they have e- nough ifyou be unfteady. i. You diffionour Chrift in his fuffe- rings : pray tell meBeleevers, why did Chrift fiveat boldly? why did he die? why did he undergo what the wrath of the Devils could burfor this end to makeyou ffeady, to give you the compeft of all fpiritual enemies, and tomake you hand in that conquelt triumphing. Thus / remember as jojhuhk. Jo f. zo. 24. Come, put your feet upon the necks of theft Kings, and they came neer, andput their feet upon the necks ofthem. So, Chrift hath dy'd, that you might live, that you might hand , and what dithonour to the eternal Saviour ofthe world, to a dy=ne Saviour, to fee a flying' 'Twas never heard of, that fouldiers fhould fly before a conquered enemy, whore legs we e cut off, whole arms were broken, whole (words taken from them. 2. 'Tis a difhonour to the fpirit of Chrift: the fame fpirit that was with Chrift in all his Agonies, this very fpirit he bath given to believers that he might bring them through with Conic vi&ory ; therefore, when we (landnot; 'cis ahigh dithonour to Chrilts Spirit. 3. 'Tis a.dith- onor to Chrifis truth, oh ! let but a Saint fall, and what a d i ihonhu r deth it bring to the Truth. I have but thought of fame late expe- riments ofpoor Minifters that I have heard of, carried ,aboutin triumph, look here's the man, here's the man that hash done this, that, and Cother thing; and now, look here,s his --1 can- not excufe Noah fro n his drunkenneffe , yet methinks 'tis the part of the Chant toAar his Fathers nakedneff I remember that one bath told me, Ctis a great truth) That Religion never filersgreater wounds then by the hands of her profeired friends oh ! what ad- vantage have the wicked Papills taken againft us by the falls of profeffOrF, both in principles and pi aetife. 4. Tis a very great dilhon -,tie toChrifis fciency. Tell roe man, isthy Chrift able to prote61 'thee again(( all evil!) and is he ab,le to filpply thee with all good? or is he not ?ifhe be not then deny C2 him
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=