Shepard - BT378 T4 S44 1660

/ ~ 1 T'he'Parable ofthe 'I !lot you dep~rt for rmvlinwg ~ comfonwg Chn!t, a reaching Chrill, an imreatmg, emb_raetng_ Chntt Ill the mtdll of hts Ordtnances. If the Lord me; you with lV.lter, wtrh a Jurle of htm(elfhere, and yoa care nor for him, long nor after him, ~nd hence I er all leak out agam, How !hall the Lord rrull you with wine? with full fruition of himfelf in Heaven? 5. Oh Beloved have you ever found him in his Ordinances? If nor, Oh the heavy wrath of the Lord Jefus upon thee : If you h;~ve, if ever he bath comforted thee when fad and forrowful, if ever quickned rhee when de.1th and d.nknelle did lie upon thee, if ever he did deliver rbee when diHre!Ted, Oh then take heed of defpili.ng him in his Ordinances now, but long for him again, TEat I mn; fee thee IU I havefeen thee, P[al.63.2. Let them that never found him, deallo with him. Peter when he faw Chrills Glory on the Mount, Lord faith he, 'tu good for m to be here. Harh the Lord everrransfigurcd himfelfbefore race, fo a? he bath appeared in anorher manner to thee in his Ordinances rhan ever thou fawef! before? Then fay, feeing Lord I cannot come to Heaven to thee, 'tis oood bein2: in the Mounr, in thy Ordinances with thee, its good being here, I Pet.2.2,3,4. I know Brethren you have many employmems in the world, and are called away to them, and cannot ever be with the Lord, yet let your longings be there, nay taough calt out of Gods fight, yet look to the Temple; this will give you peace. 6. This ifl may have leave to fpeak plainly, is rhe great li.n, one ofthem, of New-England. Men come over hither for Ordinances, and whet1 they have them negleet them ; or if it be too horrible ro live in a gro!Te negleCt of them, yet wtio maintains his Fellowibip with Chrif!? or longing after rhe Fellowibip of Chrifl in them ? And therefore I ihallltay a w bile on this point. Men that are li.ck of confumptions have fomtimes a mighty flomach after meat, and whea 'tis broughuhem, diey are weary of the very fmell of it, atJd then fay, truly I had thought I could have eaten fo much ; fo men loath Ordinances, nay the Cooks rhat dre{fe, and the Diib that brings, and the Minif!ry of Chri!t Jefus that provides the meat, becaufe confuming and pining away in their iniquities. ' , I know many tlfe Ordinances, but are they not indifferent whether they find him therein or no ? Now, 1. When men had enough by them to live comfortably upon, rhen God and · his Ordinances were de!ired by them, but here mens removing begetting 1v.mr, want of the creature joyned with fear and diHrufi ofGods Providence to provide for them and theirs, either !ink their hearts, tha.t Ordinances are not fweet,no more than Mo(es me!Tage to a people in anguilb, or meat ro a wounded man; or elfe makes them hungry after rhe creature, and hence lavi01ing out their deGres, that they have none after rhe Lord himfelf. "· Wh~n men are perfecuted by enemies, drivea into corners, or to Townes Gx miles otf to find a Sacrament, or h(:at a Sermon, rhen tbe Gofpel of peace, and them that brought the glad tidings of peace, their feet were beautiful, and then men ·thought if one Sabbath here {o fweet where Ordinances are much corrupted, if fo:ne of them be fo comfortable in the midfl ofenemies, Oh how fweet to enjoy them all among Saints, among . Friends? And fo I know they be to fome, and I hope to more than I know; bur NeJ~P-Englands reacc and plenty of ·means breeds f!range femriry ; and hence prayer is negle&ed here : There are no enemies ro hunt you to Heaven, nor no chains to make you cry ; hence the Gofpel and Chrilt in it is fleighted. Why? Here are no foure herbs ro make ., the Lamb fweer. And if I get no good this Sabbath, rhis SermonJ this SacrameJ11:,this Prayer,! hope I !ball fome other time, when my heart is betrer,and my buli.ne{feis over: Not con!ideringthat rhedaies of trouble may be near, or Gods final farewel may be qnickly taken. / 3. It was a fad fpeech of a Brothet. lately , which harh oft affeeted me, that a man

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