.-,. ---I ha"#eput offmycoat,&c• ... cannotdoethat which another man can : thefe SuR.Vlii. excufes with a gracious God will ferve the / turne; which are not fo much excufes, as ajufl: plea : l3ut otherwife, our untoward excufeswill not ferve theturne. What hindered them in the Gofpell,who were invited to the S!Jpper ~ Ex- Luk.r.,., cufesfrom oxen, Wivcs,&c. Was it not Iawfull to buy Oxen':'and was it notlawfullfor the mar- ·ried to takec0ntent in aWife~ another hadmarrieda wift ; were not all thefe things lawfull ~ very lawfull : TheFarmchurts not, if it hinders not,northe Wi[e->oxe11,noranything; butinthis cafe, whenwe regard th~fe things more then the invitation to come to the feafi of holy things : Here is the malice of the Devill, which brings that dolefull mdfage,They }hall never tajle1{my -eaft. There is fuchan infinite difproportion be– tween the good of Religion, Peace of Confd– ence, Ioy in the Holy-Ghoft here, and H"aven and -Happineffe hereafter ; and between :any thing in this world, that to alleadge any hinde. ranee whereby we .cannot keep a good confci– ence,and preferve ~ffurance offalvation,is moll: exrreame folly and Atheifme. I beleeve not a better life (the difproportion being fo great b~tween the fiate ofthis life andabetrer) if I fetch excufes from the things ofthis life, to keep me from Religion, the Feare of God, and wor .. king out my falvation w.ith feare and trembling. Thefe excufes will not ferve the turne, nor only withGod, at the day of judgemcmt;but alfo our owne confciences wi1l tell us that we are Hypocrites , ---------------~----------------------
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