PART III. of gracious Afe8ions. 271 nets, Idolatry, Witchcraft, Hatred, Variance, Emulations,Wrath, Strife, Envyings, Murders, Drunkennefs, Revellings, and fuch like : Of the which I tellyou before,as I have alfo toldyou inTime pail, that they which dofuch Things, !hall not inherit the Kingdom of God. Which is as much as to fay, they that do any Sort of Wickednefs. Job 34. 3,4,5,6,7. Is not D f rurtion to the Wicked, and ajlrange Punifhment to the /4 orkers ofIniquity ? Doth not hefee my Ways, and count all my Steps ? Let me be weighed in an even Ballance, that God may know my Integrity. If my Step bath turned out of the Way, and mine Heart walked after mine Eyes, and if any Blot hath cleaved to mine Hands, &c. Ezek. 33. 15. If he walk in the Statutes of Life, without committing Iniquity, he (hall furely live. If one Member only be corrupt, and we don't cut it off, it will carry the wholeBody toHell ; Matth. 5. 29,3o. Saul was commanded to flay allGod's Enemies, the flmalekites; and he flew all butflgag, and the Paving him alive proved hisRuin. Caleb &7oJhua entcr'd intoGod's promis'd Reft, becaufe they wholly followed theLord ; Numb. 14. 24. and 32.1I,12.Deut.1.36. fo/h. *4.ó,8,g,14. Naaman'sHypocrifyap- peared in that,however he feem'd to be greatly affeéted withGratitude to God for healing his Leprofy, and engag'd to ferve him, yet in one Thing he defired to be excufed. And Herod, tho' he feared fohn, and obferved him, and heard him gladly, and did many Things ; yet was condemned, io that in one Thing he would not hearken to him, even in parting with his beloved Herodias. So that it is neceffary that Men fhould part with their deareft Iniquities, which are as their right Hand and rightEyes,Sins that molt eafily befet them, and which they are molt expofed to by their natural Inclinations, evil Cuftoms, or particular Circumftances, as well as others. As fofeph would not make known himfelf to his Brethren, who had fold him, 'till Benja- min, the beloved Child of the Family, that was molt hardly parted with, was delivered up ; no more will Chrift reveal his Love to us, 'till we part with our deareft Lufts, and 'till we are brought to com- ply with the molt difficult Duties, and thofe that we have the greateff Averfion to. And it is of Importance, that it fhould be obferved, that in order to a Man's being truly faid to be univerfally obedient, his Obedience muff not only confift in Negatives, or in univerfally avoiding wicked Praices, confuting in Sins of Commifiion ; but he muff alfo be uni- verfal in the Pofitives of Religion. Sins or Omiflion are as much Breaches of God's Commands, as Sins of Commifìion. Chrift, in Matth. 25. reprefents thofe on the left Hand, as being condemned and turfed to everlafting Fire, for Sins of Omiffion, I was an hungred andye gave me noMeat, &c. Allan therefore can't he laid to be univer- fally obedient,& of a chriftianConverfation,only becaufe he is noThief, nor Oppreff'or, nor fraudulent Perfon, norDrunkard,nor Tavern -haun- ter, nor Whore-Mailer, nor Rioter, nor Night-walker, nor unclean, nor
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=