i i 6 SE R MONS upon Serm. XVII. have you of thofe things, whereof you are now ashamed ? The obje& of shame is either Fol- ly or Filthiness, now your eyes are opened by Grace , you fee both in that former courfe of Difobediences wherein you wandred from God; But what fruit had ye then? It filled you with the bondage of angui(h and fear , that you could not have one com- fortable thought of God, and alas , what was all the vaniflting pleafures of fin to this trouble and anxioufnefs of mind 1 And you that have tailed of thefe bitter waters, will you try once again, What an evil and bitter thing it is to forfake God, and walk in the way of your own hearts ? yes. a. 19. They that have fmarted before,_ are wont to be more cautious afterwards : a Child that bath been bitten by a fnappif i Curr, will not eafily venture his fingers again. They reafoned , Joshua 22. 17. Is the iniquity of Peor too little for as , from which we are not cleanfed until this day ? Will you again fly from the face of God , and grow shy of him ? Sin is another thing in the review than it was in the committing; do not lay open your old wounds , and make Conscience bleed afresh. But do not only remember the fruits of your Difobedience , but your experi- ences of Obedience alfo in the rafles of GodsLove, the Deliverancesand Bleffings vouch - fafed to you, as David, Pfal. r 19. 56. The I had, becaufe l kept thy precepts , this Com- fort, this Peace, or ferentty of Conscience, this Proteblion, this Deliverance, and why fhould we grow weary of God ? What iniquity have we found in him ? Micah 6. 3. Wherein have I wearied you ? secondly, For what is to conic, what will be the fruit of Sin or Obedience ? Of fn unto death, of obedience unto righteoufnef. Sin in it felf deferveth Damnation, and Hell is not a matter to be jelled with ; for this many are now in flames, and will you take that path which leadeth down to the Chambers of Death ? But the other , Obedience, bath Righteopfnefi, your Title to Glory is more unquellionable; God would not have you to obey him to your hurt and ruine, no, he is leading you to endless Joy and Bliss. Holiness direly leadeth to eternal Life, and for the prefect your Right is clear. Hea- ven is the Portion of ferious Believers that love God and live to him. 5. Becaufe the heart is fickle , and the force of an old Confent may be fpent, you muff often renew your Dedication, and afresh yield up your Celves to God, to obey him. For our Obedience is founded in Confect , and the more fixed and firm it is, the more even will your Obedience be. Therefore we should often folemnly renew the Covenant made in Baptifm, and deliver up our (elves to God as his profeffed Servants and Subjeífs, firmly refolving upon a ftriaer course of future Obedience: 2 Chron. 3o. 5. So they efla- blifbed a Decree to make Proclamation throughout all Ifrael from Beersheba even unto Dan, that they fhould come to keep the Palleover unto the Lord God of Ifrael at yerufalem, for they had not done it for a long time in fach a fort as it was written. 6. When you have again yielded your selves to God, make more Confcience of obey- ing him ; partly , becaufe the Devil loves to tempt thofe who are newly confecrated to God, as Chrift after his Baptifm , the Ifraelites at the giving of the Law , the Difciples quarrelling for greatnefs after Chrifls, Transfiguration , thofe that were drunk at the Love.feaffs: partly , becaufe obeying fheweth the truth of your Content, 2 Cor. 5.a5. And that be died for all , that they that live, fhould not henceforth live unto tbemftives , but unto him which died for them, and role again. SER-
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