'The Parable ofthe in all means, bur the noife of fears wichin; mw aclafi che foul dcith n0u fo~ fake the Lord_for. Satan plainly, but what means can comfort rhetn that they feek fvr, an~ 111 nme a man is \Velry of waiting at Gods gate;, and hence a fo~m of dunes, and prayers, and cu!tome of devotion is kept eo quiec che ,confcJence ; but d:ey are nor re!tlefs for che gain of them, for che Lord in cbem : they think 'tis in vain,ro no profit, as tliofe in Mal. 3· 14.co· walk mournfu!Iy. Jonah was call out of Gods fight, yet through the belly of aWiJale he wo1tld look toward the Temple. _So 'cis with cbe reople of God , chough they fomeT;ime; conclude thus, and thmk not to feek any more, yer their hems have caf!eJ the good~ and their f~i'h beleeves there is that hid in the Lord in his Temple, char rt never faw ye·, hence they look !hi!. What mace the man Mar. 2 5 . hide his talem in the earth? I thought thou wait an h~rd MaHer, and lookedft fvrfomuchgJin,and l1;0uld notgetir,and hencehehid his Talent. Hence men keep the means, without ufe of the mems, and fome char haYe for a iirl'e been ufed eo do fo , keep ic as their cufiome without mJking any !Uch wvrk of ir, as eo gain the end of the means. 4· Thofe that do negleCt rhe Lord in means by an effeCl-ual purfuic of them, I becaufe of fdme fips and tafie of fome good in them; and fo me thinks 'tis in this cafe as 'tis in fome Countries where if a man comes to their houfes in the afternoon, and both have a minde to parr, yet lmh ro pare \Yi rbout !hewing fo:ne kindnefs, and the other without ral1ing of ir, they lay their voidin"' napkin, and finding that refrefuing there, :they are comem to lofe their f~pper. So 'tis hc:re, . aman comes weary ro the Lords Houfe, to his Ordinances, · the Lord will nor let him go without fome exprellion of kindaefs, nor they depart . willingly from rhe Lord without it, and hence rhe Lord gives the:n light out of darknefs, joy our of forrow, peace out of trouble, a ra1le of his fweecnefs, after tails of fins birtern~fs, and then they rake their le,we ; as they Hebr. 6. 2, 3, 4, 5. And here the Lord·leaves many a poor creature, Deut.29. z, 3,4. they did lee fomething, and rafi foruerhing, and there ~hey _refie~; Oh but the Lord gave them nor eyes ro fee, &c. For no Hypocrue hvmg Is fully emptied of· his lufis, bur bath fomewhat to fill him ; bur forr.e emprinefs he may have, hc:mce may have fome de!ires after the Lord, and hence it is nor the fulners' of God onely that fatisfie.> him, but fome ta!ts of Gods kindnefs, and fmall rhing; do and mult fill him; his lu!ts fill him in parr, and fome'hing of God is wantin<>, and rbat fome little maner doth make up. Hence when this is done, m~ans is neg!ecred fearfully, amans heart is hardned and ignorant, a- little ligl]( and forrow ll.1ys him, as i:he !lony ground though there be a !tone at borro·n; a man is full of doubts, and a little hope which frees him from fem quiets him, bene~ he never conquers unbelief: A man h1th lived a loofe courfe, a little refolurion of heart !lays him, though rhe heart vvill depart again, as thofe Deut. 5. 27, '2.9. the Lord hnh but little of their hems, and the Lord il1ews them but little of his : And hence this is ufual w fee ~ falfe hem moll diligent in feekina cte Lord when he bath been worfi,and mo!icarelefs when'ris bell. Hence m~ny ac firfi converfion fought the Lordearne(Hy, afterward affeetions and endewours die, that now they are as good as the vV <ltd can make then : Hence the Lord when in mercy he deals wirh men, keeps them long falling ti ll the rime of exrremiry •o-r.e~,and chen he pours warers on the chirHy. Hence_better for thofe never to h,we lmown, 2 Pet. 2. 2 I. and an hypocri.tes IJ!t end ts m fatisfie himfelf, hence he hath enough ; a Sainrs i~ to farisfie ChriH, hen(e he never h.1th enough. . . . . 5 • Thofe that do negleet the Lord under thts colour of recetv1ng Cbn!t, they · c~n do nothina themfelves, andChriH muH do all; and hence neglect the Lord \fecretly, and fometimes quarrel wirh rhe Miniilry privately, wh_e~ pre~ed to fa duty orto beleeve. Alas what can a man do, when all rhe Mmt!te:rs 1~~~d '
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