Bywhatmeanerwedrawneere unto God. to thetrue obferuátionoftheSabboth:it is eafieto diffwade menfrompopifh thrifts , but it is hard to bring them toa Chriftian confeflion of-finnes : it isvatic to withdraw men from fuperftitious fatting dayes, but it is hard tobring them to thetruevfeof falling: It is rafleto remoue the papifficall feastingdaies;but hard tobring in the godly loue-featts. 6 As the Lord giueth the wicked a tatle ofhell in thislife;f0doth hegiue amileof hea- menandof his goodneffe tohis holy Children in this life:for godlinelfe hats the promife of Gods loue tobeemanifefted and found of the faithfull both in this lifeand inthehfeto come. Of the trueth ofGods promife wemuft confider thus;If ive Cookewell toourlìnall obedience, andmanifold tranlgreffions,we fhall notthinke it much, if we feelehis father- ly corredìions : Itmay bethat euer fincewe have giuenour !clues toGods feruice, weare more affi&eddiners wayes. Then if we confiderthat weeCannot looke for thefepromites inourfelues,becaufe wehave notdone thecommanderüentsaswe ought ; or ifwebeleeue inChrift and through himlookefor thepromife which belonges to godlineffe, corn then we may fee, that for weaknesof faith,and coldnes inrepentance, andflacknes in ourfan- Liification, wedo softlyfeelethe wantof Gods tweet promifes. 7 WeMallnot accufeGodof isarddealing, ifwe conlider howmany waits lie blcffctis vs,and inhow few things hehumblethvs:and ifwe thinke howmany finnes wee commit, " and howfew hepunifheth, howfewduties we do, andhowmany bleffings heegiueth vs. " Let vsneuer maruell why are oftenormuchaflhibìed, whywehaue notGods promifes fulfilledvnto vs:nay rather let vsfor euer maruellat thegoodneffe ofGod, which foplen- teoolly rewardeth our (mailobedience. 8 Wemut'cnot fay withPeter, Lord lama finner, depart fromme;but, Lord Iamafin- ner, come neerer to me, and draw me neererto thee. They that willnot drawneere tothe Bywhat means throne ofMerciein this life, !hall draw neceetothethroneofluftfcein thelife tocome:fo memaftdra o they (hallgofrom theEaftof Godsmercieto theWeft of hisMake. And if theLord hats neere tosod. fanalified your hearts , yemutt know, that weedrawe neere toGodby means. The firft Nongref ib.' meanes is prayer, wegoe toGod by prayer, not by paces : Prayer isa facrifice toGod, a fedp:ecib.irur refuge toman, a whipforthe diuell. The fecondmeansis hearing of hisword : ifwe will óraioèlì have God scareourprayers,it is meete Godfhould claime thusmuchof vs,thatwe fhould Dee reerifiçi. /warehis word. Ifwewil fay, Lordscaremy prayer, liemutt fay,my fonnehearkentomy um,bomini words. The Lordevttereth his afleótion in this, O that Ifraelwould haue heard my coon- febiidium, mandements. O Iermfalem, lermfalem,faithChrift, howoftenhaueI calledand thou woul- Dronilla- deft not [ware:let all men know that there bath beennoword from ourbirth to ourdeathgell''. fpoken covs, butin way eithertoour faluation ordamnation. The thirdmeant whereby wedraw ¡secreto God, is bythe Sacraments. Theword itfelfe isan audibleword, theSa- eramentis avifrble wurde ; the commandementis flat, r .Cor.t r.Do this.Efay.5ç .9ome 6my and care. Matt i. Come ye thatareheateie,drc. 9 Great is thewrath oftiseLord;ifwe looketo ftrength areweifronger thentheLord? Mat vvecan Do we think to !hitand&apehis anger,orthat wecanabide thefurioufnesof Isis wrath? rith" ag Thatwe cannotefcapeit, it is plain, for the Lord is entrywhere ; ifwe runfromhim, we ced, norJlie run min a circle,the furtherwerun from one fide,the neerer weerun to another,and hilt fromit,thebrji we are inthe Lordhis compaffe. Ifwe runfrom theFait, hewill meetvs in theWelt : the is to yeeld Lordhatsa chaineforvs, andwill holdvs in darknes, fothat eafiiywe (hall notbe able to'"ta efcape. Now for making our part goodwith the Lord, weare not, as job faith,rocks;or if we weremountaines, we fhould fmoke, when the Lorddotsblow on vs : weare butpot sherds, and theLord hats a rod of yronto bruifevs; and fifth is the power ofGod,which wefsalltrieinour deftruólion,ifwewill nottrieit in ourfaluation. Whatfhall wee then doe ? Surely, hawing fomightyAn aduerfary, it fliall be good to feeke peace and reconci- liation with him. For as thisis comfortable , her Mall beeour Aduocate, which isour Sauiour, and beethat ioour Sauiourthall beour ludge; to this is asfcarefullathing,that ,. liee [hallbee ouraceufer whichis our Aduocate. Yettherein is the Lordemercifull, that life Bothnot bringvponvs a fodaine Outlawrie, but see fore-tellethvs of his Mite, and therefore it is good to bee reconciled : and for our reconcilement, becaufe the firft parte flandedr in a confeffion, wee mutt acknowledge that.wee have offeredas much E é a violence 3T5
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=