Z Mr. Sclatei s FaradSermon; 48 onby ; by the Love you bear to cod, and the Children ofGod. A hateful fpiteful fpirit, where it doth difcover it felf, fpeaks thole perfons not to be born of God, but of the Devil ; carry it as Believers, as perfons of God, by {}tidying a conformity to God, and'by keeping his Commandments, fubjeoting your felves to his Authority ; not living according to your own Lulls ; but according to the Laws and Rules which God hash given you, faith the Apofile here, This is the Love ofGod, that we keep his Commandments. It is nor a love in Word, and inTongue, but in Reality ; a love difcovering it fell by a confciencious care to hold conformity to all the Will of God ; And if any fhould ohje&, This is a hard faying, who canbear it ? faith the Apofile, No fuch matter, there is never a believingSoul will fay the Commandthents ofChrif+ are grievous or burdenfome ; no, they are light to them that-are brought over to the faith of the Gofpel. And the laa thing I have to charge upon you, upon the account of your Gofpel-believing , and beim?, brought over to a doling with Chria, it is this, and fo upon the matter I have given you an ac- count of the fubflance of this preciousChapter, having reduced it to that general Doaiine I propounded before : I fay the latl thing is this, That you would walk fuitahle to a believing (late, by being very cdrefel concerning your Worlhips that you do perform, that they he deer, r' to God, and according to the Gofpel ; and this is thir which the Aooille doles the Chapter withal in the 2 1 Verfe, Dt le Childrin,k!epyour felves from Idols, e4men. As I CAC it, in the former Tranflation it was Babes, Babes, keep your felves from Idol; ; here it is Little Children. I obferve in this Epifile the Ann- file makes a diRinaion of Believers into three Rank's, gas yon fhall find in the fecond Chapter, Iwrite untoyam Little Children, Iwrite iii;toyourning Men, and I writ: ontoyou Fathers ; in the dole of the Epifile, he concludes with this Charge to Little Children ; now whe- ther he includes all the ref} under this Title of Little Children, I for- bear to difpute ; but Lure I am, it is a duty lies upon one and other, whether they he Babes, or Young men, or Aged Fathers in Chrifi ; Whatcver our earl( and condition be, I am fure of this, This is a great Duty that lies upon all that will approve thernfelves in gocili- nefs,- and. to be brought over to the faith of the Gofpel, that they look to t heir Worflaips, and that they take heed of Idols ; as if he fhould fay, He that is born of god, he keeps himfelf that the wick- ed One doth not touch him. Oh Little Chi/ken, thew forth that fpiritual Ability that by grace you are furnifheci withal, by being able tokeep your felves from idols. Tr
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