Keach - Houston-Packer Collection BS537 .K4 1779

t42 THE SOUL OF MAN coMPARED TO A CANDLE. Book IV. : 8. The Robes it weareth are aDemonftration of its great Worth and Excellency. 0 ,~hat Col\ and Charge is God at, to fpeak with a holy Reverence, in clothing and adornincr of it; he puts on Robes of Righteoufnefs, and Garments of Salvation, and adorns ~with Ornaments of Grace, and divine Virtue. 9· From the Charge given us to look to ir, and keep it: Only take heed to, and keep thy Soul diligent0•, Dcut. iv. 9· 10. From Satan's hunting after it, to ddl:roy it. '' · That it is exceeding excellent, appears, in that the Martyrs parted with all, ra– ther than they would wrong, defile, and lofe it for ever. 12. lt is more worth than all the World : What jbal! it profit a Man to gain the whole fVorld, and lofe his own Soul? Matt. xvi. 26. 1 3· It is immortal; it cannot die, or be annihilated. Fear not them 1hat kill the Body, but cannot kill the Soul, Matt. x. 28. THE SOUL OF MAN COMPARED TO A CANDLE. 'I'be Spirit of Man is the Candle of the Lord, Prov. xx. 2 7. METAPHOR. I. A Candle is made to give Light unto Men in tf1e Night. ll. A Candle mufl: be lighted, o·r receive Light from fome other Light, or it will light no Man. PARALLEL. I. THE Spirit of Man is formed by the Lord, to give Light unto him whilO;_ he lives in the Night of this World. 11. The Spirit of Man receives its Light from God, who is called Light. '!'here is a Spirit in Man, and the Infpiration of the Almighty giveth him Underflanding, Job xxxii. 8. 1II. A Candle is but a fmall Ill. The Spirit of Man is but a fmall Light, Light, in comparifon of the Light in comparifon of Chrifl: the Sun of Righteoulnefs, of the Sun; it giveth Light but and the Light of the glor-ious Gofpel, that dif– a little way, and difcovers Things covereth thofe Things that the Light of natural but darkly. Confcience will not. 1. The Spirit of Man will difcover unto him, by the help of the vifible Creation, that there is a God that made the World; but it tannot dilcover that there is a Re– deemer, who died to favc the World, which the Gofpel doth, .Rom. i, 20. 2. The Spirit of Man will difcover Man's Duty in Morals, to do as he would be done unto; but it cannot teach him in all Things his Duty towards God, -viz. ·his Di– vine Laws and In!\itutions, and how he ought to be worfl:1ipped. 3· The Spirit of Man will convince him of fame Sins, but it will not convince him of Sin, ·becaufe he believeth not in Jefus Chrifl:; for this the Spirit of Truth, and glorious Gofpel only convince Men and Women of. .of· The Spirit of Man difcovers to him that he mufl: die; but it cannot difcover ·tO him, without the Light of the written Word, a RefurreClion. IV. So is the Light or Candle of the Wicked. IV. A .Candle is ofrentimes put .aut. God in a way of Judgment, when Men have · abufed .their Light and Knowledge they have had of him, giveth them up to vile AffeCtions, as he did the .Gentiles, fo that they fin without controul; Confcience is feared, and afleep as it were, and reproveth them no more. 'Ihe Caudle of the Wickedjball be put out, Pr•v. xxiv. 20. N F E R ~ N C E & I. THIS reproves·thofe.that fay, The Light w'Jich is in every Man that cometh into the World, is God, Chrift, and the Holy Spirit; whereas it is evident it is Man's Spirit, and called but the Candle of the Lord, and in itfelt no more than the Li"'ht of Man's natural Confcience. · Jl. It reproves them alfo for faying, It is fufficient to make known or difcover unto .Men all Things that are neceffary to Salvation; and that they lhould have known by the Light within, all Things which the holy Scriptures declare of Chrif\, and the Mylleries of the Gofpcl, if the Scriptures had never been written. Which is eaflly deteCted ;

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