.~-------'----.,.----~---=:--:--~-- -- . 1 9sl · The 'Parable of the ----, z. You will C1y, chefe fell from God, never looked ro Cbrirt, nor!efttheir fin ; bur I have donefo. I have feen che mercy ofGod in the Cofpd, the Lord I Jefus harh been revealed there!, and I have feen fin,l n;u!t parr wirh my !in, if ever . .1 bavchim, and fo I hwe. Alld rhis you m•y have, you may fee anexcell~ncy in Cbri!t,· andbefo affetted with hope of his mercy, and melt at the tboughcs of his Love, ~s wca(t off all oucwardevils rh1nhou baG, or rhe world 1i'.e5 in, z Per. z.zo. So th,lt thou mailt efcafe rbefe, by coming whim to remove rhem, · and by fceing rbat elfe rbou {hale have none of him ; and hence bared cbou maitt be of rhe world. The reafon Is, Cbrill harhonly wa!11ed rby skin, bur never changed rhy nature as yet, fa that you may thank God my Confcienceis clear. 3· Youmay have: t;ot only curward acts, but fat a rime inwardlu(ts quenched, that a man ha rh no mmd nor reart to any finful way, nor ro rhe deareH iins he h1ch lived in, whilil horrour lies upon him. As in J ud.u, when God did hear his Confcience; his lull, afcer his Bag was go11e, he had more min:l eo an halrer; And hence: flings aw~y his Fieces of !1lver, and innocent blooJ ties 1-e.wy. Oh !hemercy of a Chri!l: chat I have i1eigbted ! He thought he might have had his money and Chrilt efcaped wich hi; life, and his fin p.1rdoned afterward. And hence its faid, Mat. 27.3. when /;e faw he WM condemned, he repented, and as a man not worrhy ro live in his own thoughts, he goes and hRngs hin-felf. 'Tis wirh the foul as with warer, all the cold may be gone, but the native Princirleof cold remains Hill. Yart may remove the burning ofluf'cs, not the bbcknefs of n,1rure, from a carnal be,m, and the ground holds, narure is not changed. This I fay an unregenerate man may have, bur yet ne\'er find this change of nature, where rhe power of fin lies: ch,mge of Conkience frotr: fccurity to rerrour, change of life from prophanend\ and civility, and fa01ions of rhe world, to efcaFe poilurions thereof; change of lufts, nay quenching them for a time ·; bur the nawre is nevc:r changed in rhe beG Hypocrite that ever was. As 2 Pet.z:r9,20. The7 werew11jhed, but never from their fwini!h nature; And here theyever fail, Prov. 30.12. There is agener.ttion clean in their own eyes, yet not wajhedfromthtir filthinejfe. z Tim.z.r8,r9,zo,z r. .Ate:.:ander fell, and Hymenem; they talked ofrhe glorious e(hrc:ofSaims, and chat here was all the refurrettion that is to be expeeled ; and i• feems it was fuch a fall offuch perfons that many ilvmbled, and faid, How iliallwe know who are rhe Lor45? Doubtlefs we may fall. No, the f~ndation remains (11re, 11nd the Lord k.!tows who are his. They were none ofl:iis all rbar cime,and let all that profejfe Chrift dqflrt from iniquity,for he that p~<rgeth himfrlf {hall be a i/ ejfel ofhonour. And rberefore read through all the Scripture, conHanrly never at<yHypoc(ite> but they had this brand, Mar.7.23. Yowwork.!rsofiniquiIJ· Herod ·and Jud.u aad their haunts, &c. And Rom.I, & 2, The ApoHie l11ews dm all were mtder fin. He may in Cl'e•·y thing elfe be humbled, for all rhe hun;ili,uion bcfides this llrengrhc:ns fin in its Kingcbm, and binds a.man faHer under tbe dominion ofit. And hence fuch men are more hard eo he convinced rb.m men that were never ca(t down at all. Bur this he ne1·er li nd,, for if he 111ould, then, 1. A grace:er, be,m might pm:~kc: of the grearelt Benefit of the Covenant of GPce, and lo1eof God. ForRom.II.z6. This is my Covennnt, to tal?.! away their fin. For to fu'>due fin is greater love th•m to 'onquer Devils, de:~rh, and Hell, Ifa.t 1.6. 'Tis turning Lions imo Lambs. . 2. ·nen an unregenerate man may parra\(e of ~he lafi end of all rhe fuffcnngs and farrows of ChriH, which is to fave his p~oplefrom their fin. And hence, John 1.29. Behold the Lamb ofGod whi~htaf?.!thawaytht fnsofthe world. l John 3·5,8. Chr jl came to deftroy the work.} •f the Devil. This therefore he ever falls iliort of. He char harh found this caGe, and accounts this work common, never had it yet. , Q:eft. How m~~ Chrifliank.!tow when the Lordhmh changedhis WlltHre, ~tnd taf«n aown the power o 1 Ius fin ? · .Anfw•.
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