2,20 Thegood Fight. difcharged t Secondly,a holy courfe well finifhed : Thirdly , a found Faithwell t Ecc1.4. n, preferued. This is like Solariumthree-fold cord'which is not eaj7 broken. It way u loth. 2. be compared to that Skarlet cord. by whichRehab letdowne the fpies,and which the left hanging in her window. For as that was her marke by which herhoufe wasknowne,and Thee fatted from the defru&ion of /frith°, fo this holyTwine,is a pledge tothatfoule where the Lord bath tycd it, that it fhall befreed from the wrath that is to come. Time will not glue leaue to vnrwif}"curry fpecialry. I willproceed as I may, and beginwith the firfl, prayingyonall that inalinuchas the fame dilfolutionofeatureawaitesysall , whichbath long fincebrought Paul to his expeeted Refl,we would yeeldour felues tobe fo farre forthperfwaded by that , which byGods afsiflanceIfhall fpeake , that by feeking to imitatePools hope, wemay at Taft partakethe fame happineffe whichTauldoth. Doftdne ost Before Icome to the more era&difcouerie Of the hidde Treafureof thismy ofth,o d,r. Text, I mullcommendveto you this general!obferuation, grounded upon the courfeand order ofthisplace, namely, That the moiifolide comfort to a Chriflian fenlebeholdingthegrieflyandgbaßl countenance of approching Death, ia theTeSli.. movie which the Heartbeareth to itfelfe, oftbeformerfieadie careto walke inallgood confciencebefore God. I would bee loath to bee charged with offering violence tomy Text, therefore I will let yotifeehow Fiïsdo&rine arifeth kindly and re- enforced from this Scripture. Wee fee firft our Apofile, in a refòlued ex. peetationof his now very neereat hand departure; (that is exprefe) wee fee him alto affuring himfelfeof no (realicehonour then a Crowne of Righteouf. nefl'e: (fo much the verfe following will not fuffer vs todeny.) If it beede. manded now, whence it was, that histhoughts of death were fo full ofcorn.. fort, and his hopes of happineffe fo full ofconfidence, the trueft anfwer is this, it carnecues from.hence, that the witnelfeinhisbofome, fpeaking the lob td 19. truthbefore theWsrneffeinhearten*, tefifiedwith himand for him, that in all his courfefrom the very firfiinffantofhisconuerfion, veto this laftconclufion and ¡hutting vpofhisdayes , his whole drift was , in fimplicitie andgodlypurenef to x z,Conr.IZ. bauehie Cannerfationin the world'. l bane foughta goodfight. lhaue fnifhed my cóarfe,&c. So that, thisconfrdered, thereis very fufficient footing forthisdo. trine, in the Text. Give mee leave to fhew you Man exampleor two , howo. thersof Gods holyones, beeing guided by thefamefpirit, haue in the likecafe, grounded their hopesupon the like foundation. Note well theexample of He- y lfa.32.r.&c. zekiahY. Heeknew generally by natures Mina, that bee mull: die; but at this time(I now fpeakeof) theProphet oftheLord, euen the Prophet 'Ptahcame untohimwith this dolefullmeffage. Put thinebottle in order, forthou ¡halt dicand not line. Whom would not theft tidings haue frucken to theheart, and what could Hezekiabexpe& butprefentdeath ? well then, all things ehreatninghis end , the common conditionofeature, the mortalitie of the prefent fickeneffe (being, as it is thought , the plague) andaboneall , the b omecome from the Lord by thehandoffuch a Prophet, where wasthe flaffe of Hezekiahs comfort, but teen as our Apoflles was, in the fecret witnes ofhis owne foule,tefifyingan. to him the frncerityand holineffeofhis former courfe?OLordremember now how I bane walked beforetheein trutb, and with aperfeil heart, and haue donethat which waegood inthyfight.Whofo compareththis of'Paul, with that ofHezekiab,mutt needs fay that they were both even thevery breathingsof one and the fame fpi- zt. King. r9. rit. Thinke wee thatEliab, fittingvnderthe 'mire tree z could with anycom- 4. to. fort haue dcfiredthe Lord, totalkerhie%onle, ¡flac badnothad his affurance writ- aPrua. 3. g* ten upon the tableofhie heart that he had bin alwaies very iealouofor theLordGod ofhoßes? Could oldSimeonwith aglad fpirit haue befought the Lordeven inffant. bl.aka.z{; lytodifmiffe him , ifhis coufcicnce hadnot told him, that alibislife pall hadbin anintentfueawaiting for the Coafolatianeflfaelb? But what flrouid i 'earth the c tob.tz.a. Scripture forrrtore examples ? Looe to Iefnetbe Amberandfraifber ofoar Faith, and
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