·- L Ill. XX. Ma11~: · / 1303 A The Almighty will be fore to be known for whJt he is, ifnor by f<ire meancs,' ---- yet by foule; If our profperiry,and peace,andfweetexperience ofhi; m~rcy can win ~ us to acknowledge him, it is more for ourtafe, but, ifwe will needs bnaughr by I !ldpes,itis no ldfef~r his glor)'• 1 <.!11•n•Jfeh now returns anorher man to l<rt~(.lcm:With what indignation doth he look upon his old follies ~ and now,alt the amends be can mako,is to undoe what he did1 ro do that which he undid: Httook ""'J thejlr.ngt Gods, Andthe rdo.a D>tl ofth< ho•J< ofth< Lord; And All tht4lt•rs th•t ht h.dh•ilt in tht mount oftilt houf<oftht Lord, ai'Jd in ltTI,(a!em)aru/ cafl them Qt't ofthe Cit]• True t('penunce btgins to decline ar the ablative; defiroying rhcfe monuments offlume which former<rror had reared; The thorncs mull fir£! be !lubbed up, ere the ground can be capable of feed; The true B mtthod ofgrace,is fir£! ,c.. fi to dot will;then,Lurn to dot g011l. In vaine had M•n.J(<h profcffed a repentancc,i>the !lraoge gods had llil held pof. fdlion ofJerufalem,ifrhe !doll had !lill harboured in Gods Temple, if forraine altars had llill fmoked upon the holy mountain; Away wirh all his trafh , when once <..iUAn.A{[<h comes to a true fenfe ofpiety. There is nothing bur hypocrifie in that penitent , who aftct all vowes, and !cares, retaines his old abominations; Iris that poore pcece of f<tisfaClion which we can give: to the divine jufiice, in a hearcy indignation, to Ring down that cup ofwickedneffe wherewith we hnve beenbewitched, and ro trample upon the fheards : with· out which,confc:ffion is but wind,and the drops ofcomridon,water. The living God loves to dwell clean, he will not come under the roof of!dols, C noradmit Idols to come under his: Firll therefore, VU•n•JJ•h rafts our the !lrange gods &idols,ana altars; and then Ht r<p•irs tholruofrh<Lord, •nd focrijm thtr<· on pe.ct-D/Jtrlngs,•ndth•nk-#fftrings.NCYr,till he had puli'd down, might he build; & when he nad pull'd down,he mull build: Troe repentance is no leffe aClive of good. What is ir the better,ifwhc the Idolatrous altars are defaced, the true Gca hath nor an Alrare«cted to his Namelln many altars was fuperllirion;in noalrars,Arheifme. Neirherdorh penitent VU•nAJ{th build God a ne1v altar, bur he repairesrhe old, which by long dif. ufe lay wa!le,and was mollie and mouldred with age and neglect. God loves well his own inllirurions; neither can he abide innovations, fo much as in rheout-fidesofhis fervices.i< is an happy work to vindicate any ordinance of God from the injuries of rimes,and to reftore it to the originall glory. D WhathaveourpiousGovernorsdoneorherinReligil>n~ had we gone about to lay a new foundation, the work had been accurfed;now we have onely fcraped off [ome fuperfluous molfe, that was grown upon thefe holy ftones , we have cemented fome broken peeces,we have pointed fome crazy corners with wholefome morrer, in ftead ofbale clay,wherewirh irwasdifgracefully patched up: The alrar is old,it is Gods altar: It is not new,nor ours: Ifwe lllve laid one new !lone in this facred buil. ding,kt ir flye in our facc:s,and beat ouc oor eyes. On r~is repaired altar dorh M•n•J!ih fend up the facrifices of his p~ace, of his thankfulneffe; and doubrlcfle the Godofheaven Hnells a fweer favour ofreil; No perfume is fo pleafing to God,as rhat which is call in by a penitent hand. It had nor f<rved the turn that <..iUA»•Jfih had approached alone to this renued alE tar; As his b~d example had withdrawn the peoplefromthdr God; fo now htcom· mAnds Iud•h to firve tht Lord God •fr{ratl; Had he been fileor, he could not have b:en unfollowed: Every aCl ofgrearnefle is preceptive; but now that Religion is made Law,what Ifradite will nor be devout~ The trurGod harh now no competitour in ludah; All the !dolls are puli'd down, the high places will nor b~ pull'd d~wn;an ill guife iseafily taken up, is not fo eafily kfr: Aft~ra common depravation of R.eligion, iris hard to rerurne unto rhefirft purity: as when a garm<nr is deeply foiled, it cannot without many !avers recover the former cleannelfc. Iofi•hs
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=