12-8 Sign4. Sign6. The 'Parable of the to Heaven in joy, not ablemlive; lee a man reform andfhinelike an eanhly Angel, y~c ifnocrenc from Luit, chat either you did never fee ic , or iffo, you have not f<?llowed the!-ord w re~'":e it , but p~oud, dog~e~, worldly, !1uggi1l1 !till, falfe 111 your dealmgs, cunmngm your rradmgs, Devds 1n your Families, Images in your Churches: you are objeCts ofpircy now, and ll>.all beofrerrorac the orear day,for where fin remains in power, it will bring Faith, and Chrift, and;oy"imo bondage and ferviceof it felt. IV. Thofe rhat beleeve, yet fail of faving Faith in regard cfrhe very aCt of be~ leeving and clofing with Chrift; vi:::.. they clofe wirh Cbrilt, but 'ris wirhout a hioh e!leem of him, or love to him , they have fome , but righr Gr:tce confills in a ki~d offummity,or excellency,elfe 'ris nor rigbr, I Pet. z. 5· To you that belee\'Che is precious, and hence it comes to pafle, I. That fome never come to find or enjoy Chrift, becaufe they will not come off ro the price of him, to fell rhemfelves out of all for him. . 1. SomefellhimawayagainintimeofTempmion, likeEfau that fold his Binh-cight, and never make any rbing of it ; becaufe rhe Bond is nor flrono· enough down, they fall from him. " 3. Hence comes all a mans uneven carriage. 4· Hence comes fometimes the unpardonable fin, Heb. I o. 29. Many a man laies claim ro Chri!l and his Blood, and righreoufnefle, that never knew the 1vorrh of it; and this is Chri!lscomplaimmechinks in Heaven,(and ofSaincsonearr!:J) He comes Hnto hU OJfl» , 11nd hu own eftecm him not , his own love him nor,· his own receive him not; him chat is the glory of Heaven , the beauty of the Father, the delight of Saints, (he wopdermenc of Angels ·, he I fay is noc elleemed by many a man, that in his judgement e!leems him, and in his heart doth defpife him. There are two pans of this elleem. I. To elleem him only, John 5·4+ 2. Himcverandalway, Pfalm73·26.ThoHartmJportionf~revrr, .Many fay they e!leem Chrift, but eo be ever loving him, ever looking on him, this is not their frame. Oh think of this, fail here of your·valuing of him, and you fail every where. . ' V. Thofe that beleeve, but they fail in their end; andthefemayfor awhile in a hocfitprizeWarer, prize Chrifi and mercy above all rhingsin the world, but their end is naught: fo chat men here may ask and never have, becaufe of their Lulls.: As aman that lies on his death-bed , or in a Sea-llorm in fear of Hell, he may now prize and take hold on Chrift to fave him. A man lies upon the Bed oc , horror of hcarc , he may prize ChriH eo comfort him, and getting aconceit of ir, . be wrapc up almoft in an ext~cy of joy, that a man would think he was fealed with ' the Spirit of Chrift, and yet his end being naught, Chri!l only ro comfort him, milfeth of Chrift in conclufion ; · for ·when a mah beleeves indeed , he receive!f ChriH for the end the Father fenc him, vi-.. to be King and Soveraign ofchewhol~ man as well as Saviour. Pj11ltn 24. 7· Open J•Hr gater that the King .j GI"!J,&&. Rom. 8. 38. 1 IIIH rerfwlldtd n•thing jhllil fepllrllte IU from the /rn;e of Chrifo Jefiu oHr Lord; our ord as weU·as Jefus. Ind~d John 6; ·15. fome did re~ ce~ve Chrill robe King, bur it was t~at he might be their cook?he prov!ded loaves , for them ; fo here. Pfalm 66. z, 3. Bmm(e of thJ pmer thmt titmms jht.!lfl~tt- I teringly fH!Jmit: 'tis but flattery,not F~ith; look, to it therefore. ··· V.h Thofethat beleeve,butfailin regard of the ufeof the Gofpel, and of the Lord Jefus, and tbefe we read of, 'j11de 3· ~~i::..of fome men that did turn Gt-Act< into wa»t•nneffe', for therein appears·che exceeding eyill of a mans heart, that not only rbe L;~w,but alfo the glorious Gofpel ofche :Lord ]cfus works in him all' m-an.! ner ofunrjohteoufndfe ; and 'tis·too common for men at the lirll work of convcr.- lion, oh ~hen to cry for Grace, and Cnrift, and afterward grow licentious, live and lye in thebreachofchelaw, and take their warrant for their courfefrom the Gofpel; I ihall nor name all the waycs that men do fo, but I will only fpcak t~at wb1ch
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