Manton - BX8915 M26 1684 v1

Ver. Io. Fifth Chap. 2" Ep. to the C 0`R I N T H. 93 Eyes .All the ways and circumflances of fm Thall be fo reprefented to the confcience,thatthé fnner !hall not be able to deny or excufe, evade, or forget,but ever be vexed with the re- membrance of his paft folly, and ever fee his fins before him, as if£reflt committed: 'l he,. other place is, Rev. 12. rz. And I faw the dead fmall and great Elandbefore the Lord, and the Books were opened, and another Book was opened, which is the Book of life, and the dead were Judged out of theft things which were written in the Books, according to their works. There are Books, and another Book ; there is the Book of confcience and the Book of Gods remembrance, Mal. 3.16. In thefe Books all things are written which belong to the Go= vernment and Judgment of the Rational Creature, our good and evil is all . upon record; our means andmercies, and our unthankfulnefs and unproltablenefs under them, Jer. 17. r. The fin of Judah is written with open of Iron and the point of a Diamond. Not only in their confciences, but beforeGod, 7(.1. 65. 6. Behold it is written before me. God doth not forget, or pats over,but note and remember. Now thefe Books are opened at the laft day; there is not one Book,but Books; the Book of Scripture is opened as a rule,the Book of Confcienceas a witnefs and the Book of Gods remembrance as the notice,or Judges knowing both perlons and fads. But more particularly how are wemanifefted ? r. By the knowledge of the judge. .We may hide our fins from men, but not from God, from the World, and from our felves,but Chrifhltall perfealy difcover them, and bring them forth into the light, and thew themlelves to themfelves, and to the World, and .all their Efts will not ferve the turn. God obferveth men now, and obferveth them in. order to judgment, Tfa. 33.13, 14, 15,16. The Lord looketh from Heaven, he beholdeth all the Sons of men from the place of his Habitation, he beholdeth all the inhabitants ofthe' Earth, he fa /hioneth their hearts alike, he confdereth all their thoughts. Though God re -' fides in Heaven, yet he beholdeth all and every of their anions, yea their molt fecret thoughts. He fafhioneth their hearts alike, Sept. One by one, He is the former of their Souls as well as their Bodys, and knoweth the Operations Of their hearts as well as their outward actions. Men think otherwife, Ezek. g. 9. They fay, the Lord hath forfaken the Earth, the Lordfeeth not. When he came to mark the Mourners,and to diflinguilh them from the Sinners, Pfa. 94. 7. Theÿ fay, the LordJhall not fee, neitherJhall the God of Jacob regard it. Theft are mens Brutilh, Atheiftical thopghts,and fo go,on and are regardlefs of the Judgment : But then your Judge Mall Convince you uponhis own knowledge. A Judge is not difabled from being a witnefs. The Woman of Samaria Paid , ,fohn 4. zq. Come and fee a man that toldme all things that ever I did; is not this the Chrifl ? Chrift knoweth all that men do, and is able to produce their lives by tale and number, even thofe paffages which were moll fecret;there needeth no proof to our Judge; for all is open and naked before him. z. The Good Angels maybe produced as witnefîes; they have an infpeaion over thi4 lower World,are Converfant about us in all ourways, and are confcious to our converfa- fations, `Pfa.g 1.11. He /ballgive his Angels charge over thee, they (hall keep thee in all thy ways. Reverence is preffed upon us in Scripture in this refpedh, Eccl. y. 6. Suffer not thy Mouth to eaufethy ,flefh to fn, neither fay thou before the Angel, it was an errour. All the bufinefs is,what is meant by the Angel. There fome underftand it of the Angel of the cove - venant,the Lord Jefus Chrsjl; who is the Searcher of hearts, who will not be mocked;whb cannot be deceived. But why not of the Angels in Heaven ? Who are fent forth for the good oftheElea, and obferve our behaviour, and who flop us in our fins, as the Angel did Balaam, who Paid, it is anerrour. See Numb. 22. 34. So o rim. i. z 1. Icharge thee be- fore the Elea Angels. Surely the Angels obferve our actions, they are fent abroad in the World as the fpies and intelligencers of Heaven. So they attend upon congregations, t Cor. 11. io. For this caufe ought a Woman to havepower on her head,becaufe of the Angels. In affemblies for worfhip more Company meeteth then is vifible. Devils and An- gels meet there; Devils to divertyour minds affoon as you begin to be Serious, to Snatch the good word out of your hearts. Angels obferve you, therefore there Ihould be no un- decency. 3. 'Devils may accule men in that day. The Devil is called, Tise accufer of the Bre. thren. The Fathers bring him in pleading thus agaieftthe Sinner. Domine fit meus per culpam, qui turns eQe nolait per gratiam I never dyed for him, could promife him no heavenly Kingdom, but a little fenftive pleafure ; Offend' twos tales numerarios, Ó ChriJie, Úc. q., Sometimes the Word of God it matte to be our accufer, John f. 45. Do not think that I willaccufeyou .to the Father, there is one that accufethyou, even Mofes in whom ye troll That is,Mofes his Law would accule and Condemn them.Chrift needeth not to bring his com-

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