I" 2a4 C H R I S'T'S diking many performances yet ifall our heart bee not with them, what cares he for them all, when they are a company of hcart- lefle things ? When the Apoftle had laid, that to be Relhly mmdedis Death, by and by he concludes; fo then (ayes he, 'They that arc iv the fdefh, carnet p'eafe God.Rom.3.8. would that pleale any of us,that one ( hould come and rake up a dead (linking carcafe, and lay it before us ? No more can it pleale God, to lay a dead duty before his heavenly Majcfty; yen know a dead cation it is loathfome, as long as life remaines in it, that's a Tweet thing, and it preferves it from (inking; and therefore the heathens called the foule the fait of every li- ving thing ; becaulé the life isa prelerviug thing it preferves a thing Iwect ; but when the life is gone out, prefently it be- comes odious ; fo is all that wee dos, when we doe it with a dead heart, it is odious with God, it cannot be accepted with him, as the Apoftle Peter fpeakes Tee 40 as lively florees are built up a Spiritual! heuf a holy Priefhhaed, re offer up fpiri- tuall Saeri fices, aaeeptable to God by 'elm 'Thrift, [ l'et.z.ç . That is,the Apo$le had compared true Chrttttans unto (toes, now bee correeleth himfelfe, did J call true Chritl ians (tones ? I pray doe not millake met, J dce not tneane for D- alneffe, but for firmnetfe , a Stone is a dead lvelefle thing. O layes he, yee muff be Stones, 1, but yee mutt take heed of dead- neffe, yee muff be lively, etherwiCe yee cannot otter accepta- ble facrifices unto God ; this is even as a Jew should have ta- ken'a dead Sbeepe out of a ditch, and laud it on Gods Altar. This is abomination to God : even fo are dead doings to Al- ; rntghtyGoel, as Vinegar to the teeth, and fmoke to the Eyes fe is a Sluggard to him that fends him, Prov.10.26. That is, when a Mailer fends a fervant on his errand , if hee goe dally !. about it, even as ifhe had no life nor heart in him at all to doe his mallets bufineffe, this will not pleafe him, na'r, it will offend him, as remit! does the ryes , or as Ynag.r doss the Teeetb, it will make him leoke with a fowre locke upon f..ch a Servant. So beloved, when God bids us ferve him in all our es ayes, may be we are not fo greflè as not to goo about it at
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