`righteous en lnnf 94iPi L will tell ye what the world faith It is a great deal of wrongdone to this parifh, and this place,if there be not much contention in it : And is is not upon this occafion that I heard it, for beforenow I never knew any one in the parifh, but as the Apoftle faith of the good works of one of thefe Churches, It is [poker of in all theworld, to the anti: of this place is fpoken of in all the City. Here is the fruit wherebyyon¡ mcft examine your (elves, mercy to men. Ifwe benot thofe that nourifh brotherly, lovc,there will he no mercy : There is no mercy, where there are thefruits of unchay ricabienefs,and if there be nomercy, there will be no piety. Let this therefore be the Touch-flnneof piety ; love, and peace withmen, as the Apoftle (peaks; As much Rom.ta.ta. iv is psfblehave peace With all men. I will fpc:k no moreofthe meaning of the fira part,Mercifal men are taken away, it is the Commentary upon the former. The fecond is the PredieateofthePropoficion, They" are taken away", that bath reference to this, they peri(b. I: is great wifdom in the Spirit of God thus to expound one word by another. That as in the body of a man, thefe parts that areof tnofa Life, God inwifdom bath made them double, bath made them pairs, two eyes, two hands, twe cars,erc. ( be. taufe thefe are parts of great ate ) that if one part fall away and mifcarry, theother ,part may fapply ; If one eye be our, a man loofcth not his fight, he bath another, and foin other parts : So it is in the Scripture ;' it we miflake one word, here is a- nother that is moreplain to lead usright in the meaning of the Scripture : For elfe men would hive been offended : [godly meuperifh ; That is more than to die, that that perifheth is loft. But it is plain, they are not loll in death. Perilhing is one ftep beyond death. if it had been predicated of mercilefs, impenitent, unrighteous men, it might havebeen faid fo, they perilh, they not onlydie. But what bath the Righteous done ? Who ever perifbed being innocent ? Who ever fufoeéted and dreamed, that it was poflible for merciful men to perifh ? Here cometh in the In- terpretation : No, be not deceived ; it is word frequentlyaged in the world, Carnal men think fo ; but they perilla not,they arebut took swag. Ye fee howone word helpeth the other : So this word giveth us affurance of the meaning of this Scripture,and of chef-lateand condition of a merciful man, heperifheth not, though the Atheifis of the world think fo : Heperi(heth not tohimfelf,for then beginneth his happinefs; whendeath cometh : Though they perifb to mens memorial and remetn- rance, there is no remembrance of the mileman, more than of the fool (faithSolo. won )that is, worldly men, that mind the world, and their bellies, they rake no snore confederation, when'arigbteaui man, a wife man dieth, then a fool; that is an impenitent man,though I fay they perifb to the memorial of the world,theyperilb not to God; not co the fruition of his happmefs ,for Death is butaPorter,a Bridge to everlauling life, then beginnerh their glory e Heaven that was begun before in a my- flery,then it is fetopen to them literally and perfonally. They,pernh not besaufe they are taken away,there is the proofof it. A man that is removed only froman Inn,no nan will fay that he is foil. That that is tranfplanted from one foil to inothcr,doth not perifh. A graft or 'ens, though it be cut eff,and it is to have a morenoble Plan- ation; It is fofar from perifhing, that it is more perfelh, it is ftablithed in it's na- ure, is is fee into abetter. There arc but one of thefe two Interpretations ofperifbing,and neitherof them can iefal a godlymerciful man. Tither it isa paffagefrom a beeirig..to a not being : And óthe Beaff when they die,peri/h,becaufe their Souls are mórtal,as well as their Bodies: Ik is no more a living Creature there is no more life in ic,ic refolveth to it's firft prin- ciples; the Soul it is nourifhed as well as the body, there was a beeing before, bui now there is a nullity of beeing, in refpeóbof a living Creature, there is nothing li- veth. Here isa peri(bing from a beeing, to a not beeing. Again, pertThingmay be a paffage from a beeing to a worfebeeing: So an imponi tent man when heditch, he paffeth fromlife to death ; yea, to an Eternal death, toa worfe beeing ; that is,a perifhing,and a proper perifhing,that is worle than to be loft. It is bettertohave no beeing, than to have either of thefe. But inneither of therefides the Righteous manperifheth t Hehathabeeing and a well. 95 x Of the pre dica,, they yeah. Ecclef. ;.
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