The Gofpel of the Meat-Offering. 219 T. To falfe Do&rine, Mat. r 6. 6, i r, T z. The Leavenof the Pharifees, is the falte Do&rine of the Pharifes. 2. To fcandalous and wicked Pra&ices; r Cor. 5. 6, 7, 8. Purge out the old Leaven, that ye may be a new Lump as ye are unleavened Let us keep the Feaft not with old Leaven, neither with the Leaven ofMalice and Wickednefs, but with the unleavenedBread of Sincerityand Truth. To Difconsent; Pfal. 7 21. Thus my Heart was grieved. Or according to the HebrewMetaphor; Thus was my Heart leavened or fowred r dpi, 7ithchametze lepabi, or rather leavened and fowred it felf. To Malice and Cruelty, the Leaven of Malicioufnefs; Pfal. 7r. 4. Deliver me, O my God, oat of the .hand of the unrighteous and cruel Man, the lea- vened Perfon, Chometz. So likewife Pride is fitly compared to Leaven, becaufe it puffs and fwells the Heart. 3. To Hypocrify and ferret Sins ; Luke 12. r, z. The Leaven of the Pharifees, which is Hypocrify. 4. To promifcuous Communion, and carnal mixtures in ChurchSo.. ciety ; i Cor. 5. 6. A little Leaven leaveneth the whole Lump. Some are apt to fay, their Sin will do me no hurt : But you may be deceived in this. I tell thee their Sins may infe& and damn thee ; One Fornicator or profane Perlon muft t not be allowed in the Church, left many be defiled, Heb. 12. 15, 16. This is a Truth fo clear throughout the whole Scripture, that if I were to choofe what Death I woulddie, I think I could never choofe to`die in a better Caufe, than for bear- ing witnefs to this Truth ; That the Church of God ought not to be made a Denof Thieves, and aRefuge and Receptacle for wicked Livers : There muft be no fuch Leaven in the Houfe of God. Now put all thefe together, and put them into the Affirmative, and you fee a fourfold lnftrucîion in this Prohibition of Leaven. It teach- eth us (i.) Soundnefs in the Faith of Chrift. (2.) Holinefs of Life. (3.) Sincerity of Heart. (4.) Purity of Church-Communion. 2. Honey was forbidden alfo. It may feem ftrange, that fo fweet and fo good a thing fhould be fo feverely interdi&ed. How often is the Land of Canaan commended as aLand flowing with Milkand Honey Ï But to eat too much of it is not good, Prov. z5. r6, 17. -It cloysand loads the Stomach, and turns to choler andbitternefs; and if poured upon the Fire it fwells and rifeth up in Froth. Three things we may learn out of this Prohibitionof Honey. I. That God will be worshipped according tohis own Inftitution and Command : His Will is the Rule we mull fubmit unto, tho' we cannot well fee the reafonof it. Wemuft not follow any Invention of our own, tho' to our carnal Thoughts it feem as fweet as Honey, tho' it feem F f 2 never
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