der. 2 I. the Ith Cheipter bf St: JOHN; 3 2 t Parents as thole that feed to be touclìed'with a fenfe of Religion 1 None fo difobedi ent to Magiftrates ; none luch difobedient Children to Parents,-as thole that feem to be called to Liberty with Chrift ! Therefore if you would honour Chrift, and propagate the Truth, keep up this Teftimony, and convince the World.. 6. A Conftancy in the Profeffion of Faith. You fhould live, as if Chrift and yon had one common Interelt. Sure they believe Chrift was fent from God, and able to reward them, elfe why Ihould they facrifice all their Interefts for his fake ? It is faid, Rev. 12. It. The Saints overcome by the Blood of the Lamb, and the Word of their Te. fhiz peony, and they loved not their Lives unto the Death. Religion had never thrived and fpread its Branches far and near, had it not been watered by the Blood of the Martyrs: Chrift began, and watered the Plant by his own Blood ; and then the Martyrs kept watering it, till it began to be rooted, and had got fome. e(teen' in the World ; and now it fpreads its Boughs, and yields a (hadow and refrefhing to the far greateft part of the World. When Men take up Principles that will not warrant Suffering, or are changeable and pliable to all Inrerefts, and wriggle and diftinguifh themfelves out of their Duty uponall Occafions, it doth mightily difhonour Chrift, and make Religion vile, and harden the World, and feed their Prejudices agaiuli the Truth. What is the Reafon the Ways of God have fo little honour in the Eyes' of the World ? fo little Power upon the Hearts of Men ? Profeffors are fo fickle and changeable, this maketh them fufpe& all, and fo return to their old Superftitions and Vanities. Now.that you may do fo, I (hall bind it upon you by fouie further Confiderations. i. Confider you are God's Witneffes to keep up Truth in the World, to bring them on to Converfion, or at leaft to fome temporary Faith. Ifa. Æ3. lo. Te are my Wit - negis, faith the Lord, that I am He.. God appealeth to thofe that have molt Communi- on with him, for the truth and reality of his Grace. If a Man would be fatisfied in a Thing that he knoweth nor, to whom ( hould he go for Satisfa &ion, bùt to thole that have moll Experience ? Well, if the World would be fatisfied, Is Union with Chrift a Notion, or a real thing ? Ye are my Witneffes, 2 Cor. 3.3. Te are manifeflly eleclared to be the Epiftle of Chrifi. In an Epiftle a Man writes his Mind. The Scriptures, they are Chriffs Epiftle, and fo are Chriftians. The World that will not finely the Scriptures, are to be convinced, and preparatively induced by your Lives. Every Chriftian is to be a walking Bible. It is a dangerous Temptation to Atheifm, when Chriftians, that pretend themfelves near and dear to God, are fcandalous, and let look the Reins to every corrupt AffeQion. He that took a Chriftian in an Aa of Filthinefs, cried out, Chrifliane ! ubi Deco tuns? In the Scripture there is Chrift's Mind in words ; in a Chriftian there is Chriffs Mind written in Deeds, in his Converfation. You are to be a living Reproof. As Noah condemned the World by preparing an Ark, Heb. 1 t. 7. There was fomething in it, when he was fo bufy in preparing an Ark, with fo great Colt and Charge, it was a real upbraiding of their fecurity and carelefsnefs : So when Men are fo diligent and bufy in working out their Salvation with fear and trembling, it is a real Reproof to the carnal and lazy World. 2. Confider, if you do not convince the World, you jufti£y the World ; as ]frael juftified Sodom, Ezek. 16. 52. The Wicked hold up their Ways with greater pretence;. and are hardned in their Prejudices. You put an Excufe into Wicked Mens Mouths: What a fad thing will it be, when they (hall fay, Lord 1 we never thought they had been thy Servants, they were fo wrathful, proud, fenfual, felt - Peeking; faftious, tur- bulent, hunting after Honours, and great Places in the World. Rom. 2. 23, 24. Thou that makefi thy boaft of the Law, through brealing of the Lam difhanourefl thou God ? For the Name of God is blaffhemed aesong the Gentiles through you. Carnal Profeffors will blufh at the !aft day, when they (hall confider how many they have hardened by their Examples, unfetled by their look walking; how you have difgraced Chrift, and taken up his Name for a difhonour to him ; It is this that makes the Chants -of the World to laugh, you cannot gratify themmore. 3. Confider the great Good that cometh by it. For the prefent, you flop the Mouth of Iniquity. Tit. 2. 8. That he that is of the contrary part may be afhamed, having no evil Thing to fay of you. It is the Duty of Chriftians, not only to approve themfelves to God, but as far as they can to Wicked Men, to take off all advantage from the World, to confute their Slanders, to muzzle the Mouths of Carnal Men, that they may have no occafion to fpeak againft the Ways of God, and the Profeffors of Chriffianity, Carnal Chriftians open prophane Mouths, theiwSlanders jhallbe put upon your Score, Sin f 'Who
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=