Perkins - BX9318 P47 1613 v3

u Mntft.toJ<o <4-3>49>50· eAnExpojition ofChrifls true repentance, cucn a Maffc-pridl: may be- A come vnblamcablc. Bur fuch as fall aw"y, be– come vni3.uoury falc,which cannot be rnade fa... uo·uric againc? Auf. By the. power of God it maf; and iO may atl vnfaithfull Mi11ificr tho– rough Gods mcrcic: be nmucd by repentance, and become profitable in the Church. . IV. Point. The curfc at1d punin1ment of vnfauouric fait: It is caft out 1 andtrvf1.dm vndcr foot~ of m~11: whereby ChriH fignificth, that vnfaithfull and vnproli.cablc miniHers, fhall be: condemned both of Go'd :1nd man: Hof.4.6. Bec•ufo rhou h-!(1 d<fpifod k,.nowlcdge, therefore alfo r•iilldcfpifc tbec. Mal.l.9. Thmfort h•ud m.zde you ro be dcfpifcd and vile, before all the B people; becaufe)'e k.~pt not m1 way, bmhauebane partial! in th~ Law. Sec the tigncofthc Lords contempt, in his fCarcfull iudgcmcnts vpon. them; as on Nlfd."tband Abihu, .Lcvit. Io.r,z. Hophnt&Phi,ehM, r, Sam. >.J4.And though they may c(capc his hand in this life, yet will ChrHl at his comming, uclttthemojf, andgiue th(m their portior. wirh lljpncriler, wheu is no– thinghut weeping .mdgnaj!Jing of t(~tiJ. The conficlcration whereof, mufimoouc all Minifl*-s to beware of vnfai~firtndfe in their cillling, lea(l: the curfe of vnrauourie fait light vpon them. Tke Carpenters who builded ~Voahs Arke, were thcmfclues drowned in the flood; bccaufe neither Noahs preaching, nor their ownc working did moouc them to re– pentance: And rhe like iudgement will befall .C vnfaithfull Mini!lers; though they hauc the name of fuch as lhould leafon others, yet be– uufc oftheir vnfaithfulneffc, they become vn... {auourie;God himfclfc at length will cafhhem out, and tread them vnder foote. lf this Were laid to heart, as it ought to be, it would driuc:: many fi:orn their idlendfe, v::mitic, and coue– toufitdfc, whcrby they become vnfauoury vn– toGod, v. 14. 'Yeare the light ofthe world: a [itie thdt ufit on a hiU,canhot'hehid. y~ur f.'lyingo; ar.d doings arc open to the eyes of men : therefore be careful! that ye glorific God therein. The firfl panofrhi111 rc<~fon, is in thcfc \oVOrds; Ye are the fight of riJe worfd: the fecond IS exprdfcd by two compnrifons, in the words following; A cilie that Mfor on a hill, (7c. the conclufion in the I6.v. ' For the fi1fl port: Tt art the light ofthe world•. If Miniflcrs be lights, why faith thc'Scripture, that John Baptifl: wa; notthelighrof tbewm-ld! Iob. r .8.Anf.There be two kinds of lights, 0riginall, and Deriucd: OrJgi"kail is that, "''hich is the caufc of all light ;--arid fo Cbr;ft at~~e ~$ the light of the world: and in this fCnfe doth the Scripture denie John Baprift to be th~tt.-·light. Deriuedltghr 1 i~_; rhatwhich fhincthfonh,but 1 yet is receiued from 3110[hcr; and fo x. John BaptJfl WIU a burning and a fbining lampt .! fo \-vere the Apolllcs lights, Y for GoJ that cauftd the lii_IJt to foine 011t of dark,!ne.Jfo, fhinrd into their hearts, to enabl( them to giue the light of k!>owledge in rhe fact of !efm Ch>·ift. And fo mufl'thcfc words bcvuderll:ood, that whcrc3s the world naturally lits in darkndfe,and in the lhadow of death, the Apo!tks by the light of their minificrie were to fhinc vmo them. The vfe. Fit!l,this title of!.ghr giuen to Mi– niftcrs, flteweth the right vfe ofthe MinHl:cric of the word, The whole world licrh in.darke– ndfe, that is, in ignorance vndu finne, and fo fubiect to damnation by nature;now God harh ordained the Minificric of rhc word to be a light,whereby this ignorance may be expelled,. and they brought to the knowledge of theit finncs,andofthcway that le:l.deth vnto life: Ad:. ~6. t8, Paul muft preacb, that both lef!Pts And Gentiles may C()me fl'om ~rk._nn vnto light. , 15. :J\(!jther do;men light a(andie, and put it·vnder a bujheO, but on acandleflic~: and it giuetb light IQ aD that are intbe houfe. Sccondly,by this Tit!c,Chri!l fhcwerh how his'~·ord is to behandled; namely,fo as it may be a light vnto mens minds and confcicnccs,to make thcrn fee their finncs, and their great mi.. ferie thereby; then, to let them fee the remedy from that miferic, which is Icfus Chrifl: and lafily, to lhew them that flrait' w'y of obedi– ence in all good duties to God and man,which God requrreth in the life of a Chri!lian. Men tn3y make longdifcourfes vpon a text o(ScripD ture; but th-at oncly is tr~c preaching, which giues this light ofknowkdge to the mind~nd confcience, which leadcth lllCn to God. • Againe,thehcarcrs of the \o\'Ord mutt be ad– monifhcd oftheir duties fr cm this title.Fir!l:,if Minifiers be lights in regard of their Minifie– ric, then euery hearer mufi fo c:pplic_his he_3rt vnto the preaching ofthe word, that Jt may m– lichtcn his confciencc with the knowledge of ifs finnes,and ofhis miferic by reafon ofthem; as alfo with the trt!< knowledge ofChri!l,and of the'~;,ill ofGod,,,.,hich may guide him in o– bedience: otherwife, this holy ordinance,rur– neth to his dc'cpcr condemnation. · ·16. Let )'OUr light fo fhine hefore men, &c. Here Chri!llaicth downe the fecond reafon,. to_induce hisDilciples, and in them all Mini– il<rs, to preach the word ofGod faithfully; as if he 010uld fay;By calling you arc the light of the world, and your condition is fuch, that ;ll Secondly, cuery hc:.~rer mufllea~·ne Pau!s leflOn, Eph.s .8. r:~were onadarl:zrcj](,hHt nowt ze are light;,; the Lord, wttik! M children ()f the lif.ht: l .~l1.mh. s. 'V.If,&C, 1 s.Cor+f'•

RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=