Caufe.r of barrenneffe under the Gofell. Hanna did for the bannels of her body. The Lord bath done great things for us, as for JeruCalem, he hath feparated us to himfelte, jet us up bis tabernacle among us, been a wall of fire round about us ; caufed the clouds of heavenly do.arine to poure downe their fveet and comfortable dew upon us ; he hath given us Paflors according to his mite heart, to feed us with know- Jer.3 i ç. ledge and uuder,tanding, and yet ws are unfruitfull. As the men of the City of Jericho laid of that: Abe fcituation of the City is z Kui. z. r9. pleafant, but the water is na0t, and the groun.l barren : fo may we truly fay of (elves, the'LOrd hath feated us in a plea - fant place, in a frnitfirll Land, in a Paradife of all temporali and fpirituall plenty ; yea, the waters, the ordinances of God, the meaner of life are alto good, fweet, favoury,com- pleatly fitted to minifter comfort to the foules of the peo- ple, but our hearts are for the moff part naught, and our lives are barren of the good fruit fnould grow upon them. We are, firff, fuch fallow grouped, fuch ftrangers to a contrite and broken fpirit, that the Word is to many of us like feed T. Towne on ground not broken. Secondly, our hearts are fo a. growne over with the tbornes and briars of worldly cares, that the feed of the Word is choaked in the greateff number of us. Thirdly, our foules are fo over- fpread with the weeds, 3, and drowned in the waters offenfuall pleatures,carnal luffs, and vaine delights, that the meanes of life are not to.a few, as feed Town in watry ground,where it profpers not.Fourth- Iy, Many of us doe fo pleafe our felves with a"formali prefeffi- on, that we are but as women travelling with a falle birth :° we doe fo flatter our (elves with the naked having of Gods Ordinances, with the glorious name of Chriftians, that we regard not the nature, life, power, fruit of godlineffe, but remaine univerfally barren ; our underftandings like a lamp without oyle, our memories like a peece of paper wherein nothing is written, our hearts like an 1 liar on which no fire burneth, our faith like jeroboam withered arme ; our affe- &ions like the lame mans feet who could" not walk;the whole man like a Garden wherein every tree is barren ; a houfe whereof every roorne is empty : the greateff part of us, like foolifh Souldiers, that thinke it enough to draw forth and flourifh
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=