Chrillspeopleavillingpeople. hell. And that plainely appeares c in the readineffe of fuch men to apprehend all advantages for enlarging thernfelves,and in makingpretences to Minch away and f4eale from the Word ofGrace, in confulting with car- nail reafon to filence the doubts, to untie the knots, and tobreake the bonds ofthe confcience afunder, and to ti rne into every diverticle which a corrupted heart can fhape, in takingevery occafion andpretext to put God off, and delay the payment of their fervice unto him. I Thus Felix fvvhen he was flighted with the difcourfe of , Saint Paul put it offwith pretence of fome further con- I venient feafon ; and the g unwilling jewes in the time of recdif'ying the temple at jerufalem, This peoplefay the time is not come, the dime that the Lords bonle jhouldbee bask ;iri fighting the warnings-and diainguifhing the words of Scripture out of their fpirituall and genuine puritie, and fo h belying the Lord, and laying, It is not he. The wordofthe Lord, faith the Prophet, is to them a re- proach, theyhave no delight in it, that is,theydaceme me when I preach thy words unto them rather as a fande- ter than as a Prophet : Wouldefl thou then know the nature of thy devotion ? Abiira& all conceits of dan- ger, all workingsof the fpirit ofbondage, the feare of wrath, the preoccupations of hell, the efluations and fweatingsof a troubled confcience, and if all thefe be- ing fecluded, thou i canft fill afford todedicate thy felfe toChrifi, and be greedily ambitiousofhis image,that is an evident affurance of anupright heart, Thirdly, we may obferve ' that by the Power of the Word there may yet be furtherwrought in natural' men a certatue VeiYeitie; a languide and incomplete will, k bounded with fecret refervations, exceptions, and con- ditions of its owne, which maketh it upon every new ,occafionriautable and inconflant. When 1 thehypocrki- call lewes came with fuch a loft:mere protetiation unto the Prophet /eretwie, The Lord bee a true andfaithfeill witnefe 3 1 5 VE R S E 3 . e ,fluff,de Natur. Grat.cap.57. cont.z.eigelag. To.4 li. de Sr. &lit. cap. nit, f Flawa. ter 5.9)13. 6.1o. Nec fiper hypo thefin d'Peopo teftati utceperit faciendi ea vie Ant probilitati- traullaruppaP: -fed me (I per- fitaftan Imbue- rtt,fore,ut Deum lattant qux ge- rtt , in animum unquamindip.er. ut aliquid agar preter reClam rationem, Cam. fir em.1.4. kVid.Aquin.pur. 3.q4.21.art. 4 c. Semcflacciam ha, at bac verfa? t ejuliarevolar. tatem,&c. Aug confeffll 43.2*
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