310 ,rAti.s.;g, b Eph,5.25. c-Rev.i+i;. dlCa.i:io. e PFa1:7a.6. f Canc.7.i2. Alienation from the Church miferable. aattaly deny Chrift, in word (faith the Apoffle) they deny him ; they are Teeming, but no trueChriftians ; they doebut with feroboams wife, difguife, and fain themfelves to be others then theyare : As they in the Church ofSmyrna Paid, they :were Lewes, and yet Were not fo, but a Synagogue of Satan. Thus many fay they are Chriftians, who indeed are not in Chrift Jefus, but are theSynagogue of Satan, a cage of un- cleane birds ; and though they be ecclefsafficaly holy, by vertue oftheir naturals generation of Chriftian parents, yet they are not Iiritually and truly holy, becaufe they want that regeneration, which is the worke ofGods Spirit ; and though they enj >y Tome outward priviledges by their being within the Church, yet theyenj ay not Chrift and his bene- fits, becaufe they are nottruly living members ofthe Church: And this is a great mifery, tobe an alien to the true Church of Chrift; he that is an alien to this Church ofChrift, is an alien to Chrig,. atria doth not enliven nor enlighten him, Chrift doth not profit him. A member feparated from the body is feparated from the head, bath no influence from the head ; hee that is a ftranger to the Church, is a ftran- ger to the promife, for the promife is to them whotn God e cals outwardly by his Word , and inwardly by his Spirit ; he is a ftranger to the love ofChrift, Chrifts Church isthe objeEt ofChrifts love, Chrift _ loved the Church, faith Saint 'Pad, and gave himfelfe for it ; he is a ftranger to the bleffed and gracious prefence of Chrift, Chrifts prefence is with his Church , he delights to walkeamong the C candle= fticlZ r, fans tified foulés are his Temple, his dwelling, his d glo- rious reft ; he isa {}ranger to the comfortable communications of Chrift, Chrift reveales and opens himfelfe tohisChurch and children, as a glorious Sun, as a loving Bridegroome ; to them he communicates himfelfe, as the e dew upon the ground, and as theraine upon the graffe ; he gives them his f love, and all the comfortsofhis Spirit;hut toprophane men, Chrift is as a fealed fountaineofwhom theydrinke not,a hid- den Mauna of whom they tafte not ; he that is an alien to tliChurch is without the protellion andSalvation of Chrift ; they thatwere without theArke, had no fafety from the wa- tersf
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