Preached Auguft 17. 1662. 41 ing their ownnefts, and buildinito themfelves Hodesand Names, that they thought would continue for ever ; and todivide the fpoil among themfelves, as iftheir own game they hunted : and others in inferiour nations began to divide, and every one began to thatch, as if the dull of the earth.would not terve every one for a handful ; and in the mean time a tea ofError, like an inundation, hat h been ready to overturn us. Yea, all men feeking to bepleated, not to pleate ; whereas our duty is, toRudy to pleafe, not to be pleated, &c. You fee in all this I have not mention'd one of thole grofspro- j)haneneffes that flare heaven in the face, as DrunVnnefs, filthy and abominable Whoredon,'Fornication, pouredout in every place, hor- rible Blarphemy, contempt of God and Religion, prophanation of Gods Sabboth, &e. beeauce I fpeak now to thofe that are Proferours. I have given in a Catalogue of the fins of thole that profefs the name of Chrift, that relate to Chrift by a fpecial Engagement and Relation 5 thefe have-been the fins ofGods family. And ifwe would have God repent of the evil of punifhment, we had need to make hafte to-repent of the evil offin : We have been a long time in finning, we had need be a long time in repenting. I tell youChrifli- ans, we have been there late twenty years doing nothing elle but finning againft Goc1,5 and thould God let us liVe twenty years more, it would be too little to- weep for the provocations thereof. Learn to lay thefe and other fins to heart, that God may never lay them to your charge. The third advice Chrift gives here for the prevention of the re- moval ofher Candleftick : is Reformation, [do thefirft works,] Re- formation, indeed is a fruit and evidence of found repentance : re- pentance is nothing .elfe but the .breaking of the heart for and from fin. I have fpoken of it meerly as it is the contrition of the Soul for fin ; I conic to fpeak a word of the other part, as it confifts in turning to God, and doingour firft works. ThiS is the method God prefcribes his people, Lam.3. 39. Where- fore cloth a living plan eonplatin,&e. under Gods affliaing hand, in7. ftead of reforming? Men are prone to fail a complaining, not onely naturally, asirrational creatures may under Tome pinching extre- mity; but finfully, i. e. when their natural grief is let out in a di- fiempered and inordinate manner ; when natural groans are accom- panied with unferiptural affePions, which vents it fell. r. Sometimes upon the affii6lion, as if but one intollerable bur- den in the world, and God mutt needs lay that upon them, Lam. r. 12. & 3. I. & 7. 10.
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