Divifton: t. The duty ommanded. Mfeaoittg of the words. What is meant by the faying of CbeiI, vGq. The Dcearine of the Gofpel. Ghri/flf Precept and7'romife, or, Now it hath pleafed God to thewyou more favour, and men now die but by, fcores; Peath goethhis old pace, and takes away a few fecretlywithout obfervati- on. .But`Death is amongft you ftilI,and fill will befo longas fin is among you; and therefore ìt will not be unfeafonpble uppn,this ocçafion for Inc to fpeak, and you to hear. fomewhat that may grin you againft this lafand worft Enemy, Death::-which though ttemalçe not filchs Ric in thefe times ofletsMortality, yet he will certainly take us all away one by one : ,And who can tell but he may be amongftthenumber ofthe hundred, Or fewer hundreds that d'ie now, as no man could tell whether he f houldbeatpongft the number ofthethoulands,then? r ,; , . Since Death thereforeis alwayes an enemy , and alwayes fighteth againft us (though not alwayes withlike fury and violence) it is a paftofwifdom in us alwayes ço hear, and to pra&ife that whichmay fecure us againft the danger of death. And that is taught hi this Text. Verily , verily , 1 fay tsntti yon, If a ma'rs keep my fayin::, he Aid/ never fee Deatl. Whetein (not to (peakany thing oftheiContext) I pray takenotice who fpeaks the words. The Author oftruth : theDeath ofDeath, he that canheft tell bywhatmeans a man may thun the hurt of it : he that hath vanquithed it, and overcome the utter-. molt ofhis alfaults: OurLord lefts, Chrifi, that bath flain death, andbrought life anddimmortal{'tty to light. He giyethus this direction for the avoyding of the hurt. cif Death. Thenobferve themahnerof his (peaking. t e ,Verily, verily, 1 fay unto you : with an affirmation earnéff andredoubled. He never affirmedany thing untrue, therefore that which he fpeaks in an undoubted verity. He never fpakeanything rathly, therefore that which he affirmed fo ear- neftly, is a vveighty thing, and ofgreat confequence. And laftlyobferve ( that vvhich I only thall MO upon ) :the matter ofhisdire- Etion here comprehendedin a hypothetical propoftion, yvhich bath (is all filch, have ) tvvo parts. AnAntecedent, and a Confequent. Itr,the onehe ihe,vveth the. Duty tobe done asa neceffary condition for the obtainingof that vvhich isfpecified in the other. Thefirft bath the Duty ; the fecond the benefitthat fiovvethfrom the Duty. Thefe tvvo are knit together in a molt neceffary confequence. Ifa man keep my word, he (hall neverfee death. You fee novv theonly, and pçrfea remedy againftthe evil of Death ; that.is, to, keep thefaying andword ofChrili. Ifany vvould knovv by what means hemaybe fecuredagainft the terribleofall terrible things (asone calleth Death) here is a lure and certain rule for him , and he need not doubt of it; it Corned; fiom the, mouth of Chrift, let him keep his faying, and then Death thal?never do hint harm. .. I will firft interpret thefe vvordsunto yotl,and then makethem good byScripture. aridR.eafon,.and then apply them, acid çoinmit thy felfánd'you,andairat laferei the blcffing of God: Firft then, vvhen our Saviour Chrift faith ; [faman : vve muff conceivehim to mean generally, at leaf( indefinitely, Ifanyman.whatfoever.: for fo it pleafeth him to ipiarge'hispromife in the redoubling of the vvord, thatno man may have caufe to fay he is excluded, except he exclude himfelf. . Keep myfayings. Here firft I mat fhevv you vvhatis meant by fayings;and then vvlat,it is to keep chofe fayings,, , The Saying, or Words of thrills is, '-the.doltroñe of the ,Golfe!, the Covenant of Grace ; which by an excellency is called :becaufcby it hebringeth life and immortality to light, (aal fail before) which in fofinertimes,vvashid as it vvere in the dark,andnot made known fq publiekly to the fonsófmen.TheGentiles knevv little or nothing ofit.. The ?ewes knew what they knewvvithamich darknefs and obfcurity. He that was (almo4) the fielt Preacher,of this Gofpel in clear terms without any vail or darknefs (JohnTaptifô) vvhò veas as it vverg bctvveenboth,he, did'
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=