I--~'9~6~1 ______ T_h_e_P_a_ra_b~le_o~f~~-e_T_e_n_V_ii~gt_·n_~; _____ l , Truly h2rc is rbe rempration of fome, if nor cf molt, ro Apofia cy frotn \ rhe Lord and his Servants ; and _rhis is che guik of Hypocrites, let any godly nor honour rbem , rbey defp1fe rbem ; let any ungodly ho nour them if •l they be no~ exrreamly vile, rhey love rhem and rheir fellow/hip, and 'are ready ro rhmk rh em as honef! as rhe bd! , becaufe they make ~hemfelves1 ~heir o,wn gods , rhofc thlt honour them , arc rhs:ir good Angels, and e contra. 2. They begin to feel by woful e~perience, r:o fpirirual oood, or power of the Spirit and Prefence of the holy Gholt in their fellg,vlhip, or in rhefe Ordinances in it; rhey have them, but nor the ufe nor comfort ofj them, and rh is fers them zoing, and ripens; and rots thern for a fall; for aswant of love made ~hem fir Joofe from rhe perfons, fo this m<~kes them j lit loofe from the Ordmance; and a man rhtnks nol'(, What am I the bettt;r for rhe puriry of Ordinances? and fo hence, when he ll,ould loath his heart, he !oaths rhe rrurh , and wayes he feems eo approve, and hence; falls. For this is a ltanding Rule, Let a man have Ordinances, and nor know how ro ufe them , or not indeed make fpirirual ufe of them , if he k,nows ir , but he will fir loofe 'from them. Jl1al. 3· 14. Zach. I I. 8. 011}' foul a6h 0rred them,, a~td the; Abhorred mr; not their own hearts , as it is with £be ,foul and b~dy, they ~r_e not knit one ro the other immediately, but by fpirits , wh,ich if they be extina , then rhey fall afund!!r. ~~t a ma.n have: ll,lear, and it not feed him , cl oaths that cannot warme him , phyfid~ th~c cannot purge him, a Vineyard planted that never harh fruit on it, he will caR thell,l df, a!<dd.efpifethem; :)nd rhis.is the fe<;ond fkp, tn~ h~a.vielt jucjgeme.11~ of Co.d oirnen for not loving the truth, .but tailing plea.f~owti.n unri.gh~ej:JUfnefs; an. thfs ~o~~s th~s efpecially, if they haye ha<l(o1J1~.~jil1 o~ ~hi: ~e<?Ble .of Gp f9memne., and after ·gn;a,r expt;£tat,1Qns qf rc:ceJNII\g Pop~ frol'l1hem, m,s:e~ "'ith b~t little; rh<; 'i\'qrg, sacra.mc;'i'~s , f<~ftings, nenc1 CO!l,le to ~e fl911es, ljl.Ot b'i~ad; the hea-.eq qf prozmfm~ Ir9l\ , aqq there is np raine fafis pn th~m ; and hl!nce they ,, I. <;an;{eQ.)l rqfq(~ ~ fom~t.il\\es, to come to the fellowlhie qf the Sain~-s. z. t.Jt;Q<;.e if th~y do co.me, 11ffiyc9me la,te. 3· If timely, yetwjrhovrprayer,qr~r~~\~gQfthe~ tti_ey n;IVe:fellnp good, and now tb.ey expea Ij~tle, "'· lf cppfClt;n~e .fot~ to duties , ye~ r!)ey rhj.nk; them too tedious, or too frequent. E'¥k_ielrl. :u. I they are lofing, ~nddying, no man w.ill tell you fo particularly~ bu~rhe Lo;d tellf rh~efo no)v. . I 3· The Lord viflrs them with many fad anc~ ou~ward eyils, and flrangc: UJ1expeaed Trials , w,hich they thought rhey could beare , but indeed cannot, ' I puts rhe!lJ upoQ gre,ar lolfes , and leaves them to fad wants, their eflates de~ cay), th~y 'run into debt, and proviflons_are fcarce, &c. and now t~ f~ credy repentthewfelves of the ~e!low11llf' qf Gods J?eople, but a:ccout theu: co~r(e anp haz~rds they have rul;l, either madnefs or taQmef$. Mofes Reb~ 11. z;, diq 1 chqofe affiiEliqn and fuffering,tha~he Jotted upon, and u~n· nQ~hipg elfe; h~nce forfook.honourand preferments, and·p,trtl[ures; men. npt dP,i[Jg thus , hen,c~ cqpo~.ree world, and forfake the wt...yes of God; die Jfraelites brougbfto rh,;;,W1ldernefs, they wpuld go back; why? they queflioned whe_rl}er God w~s, with rhem; why? becaufe they wa~tecL watec; bt.~ad, al)d. v<!ne~y o£ hle/fings, N,Hm6. x6. I,<, I4, And thts fees thel'!l! off; as amim tbat--lqv,es his fr~end v,ery well, bupvhen he_puts him to fo m1,1~h cpif, and.is/Q co~ly Qy. his c-ompany, let him then even •go; fo do 11/'1~ ny m~n, rhe Lora and h1s Ordmaoces. ' 4· _I;lereup,on ~hey <;ome to call all into quefiion again, which were wirhO\lt fiJpdJion b<;fore ., · the. wayes and OrdinanFes of God ; What warranr.. . , noV¥.fa{ they,, h;w~yo!l for, Cov;e!!~nt;, fush co_nfiitution of. Churches.~ o6 \ - Sa.mts, •
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