The Souls amen. 33 murmur as thofe that than lofe their hopes andexpeftation, becaufe they are taught to frametheirminds andwills,to the will of God,andofjefusChrift their head:Now, the will ofGod is that we fhould Rillwait; though Chriff come not,becaufe hereby the Lord cloth glorifie himfelf in the gathering in together, the number of the faith - ful.The number or the Saints muff be gathered in,andnone rnu1 I s& beneglefted:Now, is there anySaint ofGod,andbeliever in the world thu defirethnot that every Saint fhould be gatheredin,and the whole body of Chrifl perfe2cd in the whole members lof it,before Chrift come to judgement? None muff be negle&ed;and every believer Imutt frame his will to the will ofGod ; God bath revealed that the number muff be gathered in,and when it isfo, Chrift will come andgather all togetherunderhis wing. Now the Saints of God think not muchthat the number fhould be gathered in,they are well contented with it.So likewife God hath revealed his will,that though he be exceeding patient to wickedmen, yet he is not forgetful ofhis promiíe ; Godwill be contented though he be provoked every day infinitely by the higheft fins of the world, patiently to endure all this,and to offerconditions ofpeace andmercy, even to the worft, to Phew himfelf rich in mercy, and fo full of goodnefs, that hemakes offer even of goodnefs to the worft. Now the Saints ofGod here frame their will to Gods, and are content frill to wait, becaufe God frill puttethforth his patience,. and (till offcreth Conditions ofmercy and peace tochore that are wicked,and out of the way, whereby Tome are converted, and others convinced, and prepared for the work of Gods juftice. So this queftion neednot troublemen,or hold themofffrom a chearful, and fruitful expectation of Chrift, though he come not in our age, as he bath not in others before. The ufe of the Point is this : Firft,if this he theproperty of the godly to wait and earneftly to expcEt the coming ofChriff, then wemay obferve the general uugodli- nefs of the World, by the general want ofthis expeftation. Andif yefay,but who is there that dothnot expert thefccondcorning of Chriff? and who doth not believe that he thancome to judgethequicksand the dead ? I anfwer, notwichftanding that every man confefs this Article offaith with his Mouth, yet every mats believeth it not with his heart ; for every man frameth not himfelf according to the faith of ir. Very few are thofe faithful fervants that Wait and prepare for theirMatters coming; Chrift when he cometh he than fcarce find faith on the earth. What a number ofMenand Women are there,though they hear thefe things, and they are beaten upon them upon manyoccafions, and they are in their judgments convinced that it muff be fo ; yet notwithffanding the faith of their hearts apprehend it not, they do not believe it,they do not liften and frame to it. We (like Caleb) tell themof the good Land, a ud the fat of the Land, and the fruit of the Land, and the fulnefs of the Land of Canaan, but generally men (like the unthankfulèfeaelites) murmur, and repine, and rebel, and fcarce hear us ; or if they do, they do not believe it For ifmen did believe it, it couldnot be that men fhould live like &duceeas theydo; that neither believe the foul, nor immortality, neither.that there are fpirits,nor Devils,nor refurrcEtion,nornothing: the lives and converfations of men plainly bewray that they believe not this DoEtrine, though they can profcfs with the mouth, thatJefus Chriff !hall come again to judge the quick and the dead, but like the Cardinal ofwhomwe read ; that profeft he would nót give his part in 'Paris, for his part in Paradife ; fo men live as if they would not give theirpart here on earth,for a Childs part inHeaven. like that wicked Pope that we read of whet-the wasaboùt todie, now (faith he) Ifhall know that which 1 never believed, whether there be a Fieaben or Hell, an immortality of the foal or no. So men live as if they never meant to know thofe things or believe them; till they come to the trial and experience of them: . And betides, whatra numberof men and women are there that can profcfs thefe things with their mouth,but theycalf themfelevs into a faft fleep in finand fecurity, andrfleep on both tides, Gods Meiléngers and Minifterscannot awake them, but as though their foulswere to fleep everlaffingiy; fo theyfleepon in their luffs and fins, and willnot be awakened. And (my brethren) who dothnot obferve that it is not the fafhion ofmen even of
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