on ,2 orint 1ians r. 12. 205 he fpoke as before God, in the fight of God, without a bial's, or any allowed èarnalnefs in his end. If we could preach and pray, and live and walk thus in all our a &i- ons,0 what fweet peace íhould we have living and dy- ing ! and O what skaith and prejudice doth our inadver- tency, raihnefs, and carnal walking, work to us ! and how much doth it deprive us of the benefit of this friend in the time of our need ! God help us to amend it. SERMON I. Cor. r. 12. For our rejoicing is this, the tefiimo n y of our Corfcience, that in implicity and godly fincerity, not with fefhly wifdom, but by the grace of God, we have had our converfa- tion in the world, and more abundantly to you- wards. IT is no great bufinefs, but a very ordinary thing, for a man to be cheerful when he is in profperity, and bath all things in the world fmiling on him (rho' often, even in the ff of that laughter the heart is forrowful, and there is an e.mptinefs and infufliciency in all there things to make the heart truly glad) but this is a great matter, a very rare thing, and to be found but with very few, viz. in the midft of at$i&ions, reproaches, tribula- tions and perfecutions, to be cheerful and rejoicing, and (as it is, Ifa. 24.. 15.) to be glorifying God in the midft of the fires. This is Paul's pra&ice and exercife here, who being (as the words before hold forth) brought fo, near death,that he even defpaired of life ; who having to do with profé %rs and preachers of the gofpeI, that made it their bufinefs to defame his perfon, and to depretiate and dif- parage his miniftry ; who being reviled, buffeted, perfecu- ted, and counted as the filth of the world, and the of fcouring of all things; who being always delivered unta death, and ruade a gazing frock to tbe wrorld,to angeis,ta men ; and being more...
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