Shepard - BT378 T4 S44 1660

ten Virgins Opened and Applied.---· 177l --·-t you do nor refufe w own rhis : where elfe will you make the ditfere~1ce betWeen meR, that either Churches may d1fcern them, or you may dtfcern, and fo have peace your fclves"' . . . . . . Hence fe~ tb.e reafon of rhar mwardhypocnfiethlt 1S m many mens hearts, fb Ufc 2: that rt e bell profe!Iion of many~ rn<ln is ?ut ~ Scheme, an Image, a very. er 3ft; a very artificial form; all the d~nes aref~1r :vahout~ but faplefs, hvelefs, :\'1tl11_n.: Here i.s the reafon they have no mward pnnclple of hfe, or If :hey eo go CO Chn!t, ~;hey luvc no fuch principle within the~, to c.my them to hun, fo_ as to r~ceive life from him; and hence confefs fin IVIthour forrow or lhame, petmon Wl~hout thirHing, live withour love, do without life, becaufe there is no fpring, !:Jut a dry hem Within ; and hence they mull: do dury , bur they mu(! make dead wcrk of it, and henre all is bur an appearance, and at bell: but a would be: This is in a grear me.lft•.re in S2ints whet1 the Spirit wid1in is quenched, but ir is in full age and !lrenath in hypocritical hearts, Jer-4-14. when the profellion of Judah was great, and ~he Prophers had fcarce any thing ro fq againlt_ thet!l for outiide, bh Je- ~ rufalem, wafh thy heart from wit·~dnefs ~ ther_e thy wo hes, tt. enters ro . rh~ very heart; fo C.hri!t,Haw cai1 hethat u evd, brmg forth g~od fi"u'!. And thts IS rhn which m.ty make men mourn, if I forfake all profel!ton, I lhame my ~elf before men, if nor, I mull blafpheme rhe Lords NarP.e, and phy the Hypocme before rhe Lord,Matth. 0,33,34, 35· SECT. Ut. TO rake he~d of denyin~ r?e grace _of God, ?r this i_mvard prit;cip!e, in U/e 3. whole, or 111 pare, for thts mward pnnctple, bemg the hfe of Chn!l: m us, Of Caution· eo deny this is to deny Chri!t, and to rake away his life ; and fuch the ~0rd will tmd[ad .Al deny before his Angels anorhet; day: When they lhall fay, Have we nut eat and vice. dranlz. in th7 prefence, l:e fhall anfwer, 1 never k!;ewyou: I lhall ~herefore here direcr my fpeech eo four forcs. , Fir!l:,To chofe chat deny created graces in the Saints peculiar umo rherrt on!y,its faid there are none furh in the Coumry, if there are nor, it may .be there have been,and ic may be will be, and therfore ile fpeak:For I beleeve 'ris a delulion digged and harcht om of che !tetm of the lowert fihk in Hell : And therefore that all may rake heed of the evill of it; I will firLt lhew rhe evill of it, rhen rhe c.lt!fes that do beget ir. ' 1 I. The evils of this delu!ion are thcfe. I. le ferries andfa~ens a man underrhepowerof all his fi~, ai)d yetwirh a 'quiet Confcience, and yet eo keep his Chrill: coo. It cranfcends my capacity fro.n I wh,ttever I h1ve read, or have heard, or have felt, or can imagine how the power I of fin can be uken aw.ty, bL~t 1vhere the Spiri~ in_fufer~ the concr~ry grace; an e:npty houfe fw~pt and garm!l1ed wtth c0mmon ~tfrs, IS bur a fitnng houfe for Saca!1 co return mro: S•y therefore a man may hwe no furh grace;, and yet have I Chnlt, and them in Chrift, you !Take this man down under bis fifl, atid make this me:nber of Smn, a member of Chti!t Jefus. And upon chis ground all Churches in the;: Land may be forced in Confcience w rake in all prophane members; if they plead Chri!t, and their allnefs in him. ' 2. This blurs all the glory of aChri!tiJn, or at let!! the greate!t part of it : F0r what is _rhe glory of a Saint? 'I is t0 be like Jelus Chrill: ~he tor? of glo1 ry, to bear hts Image before God and nien: As to fee. a man Wtrh a Swmes face would be the !lume of a man; to )ee aChril1ian with Smns Image, is the flume ?fa Chrill:ian; but to be like our Head, this is our glory, though it be in fuffer- ,mgs, 2 Cor. 3· I8.heavenly, humble, compaffionate, holy, as he was; and hence · !When God hath a mind ro make Churches or Chrill:ians bafe in the eyes of the I , A a world

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