gr eat Benefit of4 Godly y. 413 I. Confider, we can in this cafe appeal both to the Lord and to your felves. 1. To the Lord : we are able with an humble boldnefs to appeal to him, and fay, Lord, thou knoweft we have given this people warning, Ezek.. 3. 18. Now bleffed be the Lord,we canhum- bly appeal to his Majefty, OhLord, thouknoweft we have warned the wicked to turn from his wicked way, and the profane from his profaneneffe, and the fuperaitious from his fuperflition, and the fchifmatical from hisfchifm, and the formal from his formality, and thecivil honeft man from refting is his morality. Ohbleffed be thy name, we have endeavoured to take off this people from all their fandy, quagmoiry foundations ! Lord, thou knoweit our prayers for them. And fo 2. To appeal to you : And this was a very great comfort toSt. Pot, that he could appeal to the people themfelves, as AEls 20.26, 27. This was a great comfort to him ; and bleffed be the God of Grace, it is a great comfort to us, that we can take you to record, thatwe arepure from your blood ; we have not ceafeci to declare all that the Father !lath (hewn to us ; we have not been affrighted by any man, or mens frowns, nor debauched to conceal any part there- ofby any mans (miles. 2. Confider how inexcufable you will be, ifyou rve and dye in your ignoranoe, impenitency, and unbelief, Ezek. 3. Jo. Obferve it, if you Inifcarry for Eternity, the blood of your fouls will not be chargedon tis ; nay, it will be on your own heads : And therefore the Apoitle4i Paul, when he preached Chrift to the Jews, and they oppbfed ano, blalphemed, their blood was upon their ownheads, as Ads iS. 5 , b. Oh confider it ! if your Miniftershave been faithful, they are clear, and free, and guiltleffe ; the Lord will never charge the blood of fouls on them. Confider it therefore ; how fpeechleffe will you be at the great clay, if you live and dye inyour fins ? may not the Lof .; fay of this place, as he did of Capernaum,, :Mat. i I. 2 3. for thouhaft enjoyed the Miniftryof many of my fervantS ; Dare any of you meet us in the day of Judgement, under whofe Miniftry 1)7'00 ilaye lived an unregenerate eftate, and fay that you have-lived under a fp3.31-1-)t- traying, non-refident one ; or under a foul,-'poifoning Introv a -.on '; or a fo-ul-nining dry Nurfe ; or a foullnifguiding giaide ;` or.a unfetled tempolizer ; or a foul-deftroying dif-coahtenancer, in an unregenerate eftate ? The Lord will thenmake von to know what Was to have a faithful Labourer amongyou,. as Ez,ek. 3 3. 3 3. When youmall be convinced in your own Confciences, you fhal then fa y, you heard all thofe things, and wecannott fEy we «.e-re .warned, either in fin or danoer ; we cannot lay vie Were untaught: ii our t7,
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