to dro719.fie SAINTS. never fo wretched, yet hee hath a good people, the Church of God in his 'Parifh, is very good, commonly. Well then, \vee have gotten our point out. The Mi- nifter may bee in fault that the people are dead, I doe not fay, it is alwaies thus. For firft, the Minifter may bee lively, and yet the people dead. The Lord tells us that Ezechiel load a ftiffe- hearted people, Ezok. z. 4. and yet hee was not to be blamed, themfelves were in all the fault. So Ifaiah had a dull hearted people : All the day long have I ftretch'd out my hands to a difobedient and gain.faying people, I om. io. IL and therefore I doe not fay it was al- waies thus. Nay, Secondly, fometimes the people are the caufe of the Miniirers deadnefe, The J ewes hardnefle of heart under the Minitiery of Jonas, was the caufe why f onac had no heart to goe unto Nineveh. O thought bee, if If- ra ,l will not haare me, much lefle will Nineveh heare mee. Thus the people deaded Jeremiah at one time, that hee had little or no heart to preach for a fit. Then 1 faid, I roil/ not make mention ofhim, nor fPeake any more jab,: Hams, for. so. 9. Thus Ezekiel was deaded a while, by his peo- ple too. I came to them of the Captivity at Telabib, and I fate where they fate, and remained there aflonifht a- mong them leven daies, Ez. °k. 3. r;. The Lord was fain to rowze his heart up, and to tell him hee would require their blood of him, before he could pluck up a good heart to preach livelily among them; the people deaded him. Nay more, Thirdly, fometimes the Lord locks up his good Minters, and fullers them' to be ftraitned in their utterance, and o- ther gifts. May bee the people are ,ready to lay all the blame upon their Minihiers. Oh how tongue-tied are they! and it is their negligence, and torpor : Whereas it is for the peoples finnes, thus the Lord lockt up Ezekiel, for the peoples finnes. I will make thy tongue cleave to the roofe of thy mouth, mil thou [halt be dumb, (and(halt not be to them a reprover, for they area rebelliou-s houfe, Ezek.3.a6. Nay, G 3 Fourth- 45
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