Taylor - Houston-Packer Collection BS2755 .T394 1619

CHAP. 3.3. t1Commentarie upon the 59 if thouknower} no change fo art thou ftill.The knowledge of God,loue ofGod,and faith in Chrifl,growenot in chine owne grounds, neither is our God fo prodigall ofthete, but he that bath them knowechhow he commeth by them: no man is borne a beleetier , noran beire to hçauen; neither can any make purchafe, or cake polkilion ofic without his own privity. Othersare fo farre from this change in themfelues, as they cannot endureit in others: If a man will nett fweare, anddrinke, and game, and riot, as heonce in time pe could; Oh, fay they, you were wont to bea good fellow anda good companion :an:d doeyou now be- gin tobe precife,and to take a way alone from all your neighbours? If henow begin to fpeake of a change , and they fee perfwafion will not preuaile with him, he had neede get him a newworld toflue in a part from his old companions, who will be the men they were:times,yeares, and ages change,and renew vpon them,bur themfelues are no change- lings,no new met:. A third fort , haue made a wofull change from that once they were,whofe lamps haue died out oftheir hands,while aswea- ryofthe good way,they haue departed from the wayofrighteoufnes: of whomwhofoeuer knewchem,may fay,how is the gold become fo dim, how is the fine gold changed? the vifages of Tome Nazarites are become blacker then acoale. Blcrfe God far Vfe.3. Euery Chriflian learne hence :Ifwe fee achange in our (clues it where ever thou feeftit or others,to bleffeGod thatbath made this feparation , Rom.6. i 7.God be thanl¿,ed,tbatyeewerefisch,but newyee obey theforme: and , Bkfledbe God for this vnfpeakeablegift. a. Not to de'eme of men as they were oncein ''timepal ,when once this change is come, the Lord efteemethof men according to the prefent grace receiued , and neuer caflech them in the teeth with that they were in time pafl;and why fhould we vpbraid men Gat z.6. I with finnes or infirmitiespafl,which the Lord bath couered? Paul ac- counted not Iames,Iohn,Peter,fifhermen,as they had bin in times part, but highly efteemedofthem as Apofiles of Chrifi, beeing called there- unto.Oh fay fome,I knew fuch a man when he could haue bin as youth- ' full,riotous,intemperace,as an other:and thus commonly the deuil get. techwithinmen to traduce the Gofpel, efpecially in profeffors, which maketh this caueat themore neceffary. Nowwe come to the defcription Ofour naturall elate corrupted by finne: and this corruption is feated in three things: i.in the minde. a.In thewill. 3. In the conuerfation of life. The corruption of the minde t.,ttente capti. ; hathour Apofile fee dowse in three degrees of it : We were ( faith he) f a.vnwife 2.difebedient 3 deceived. Secondly , the corruption of will ;Auto titzin i flan tech in the captiuicie of it, while wee firmed dmerfe lofts and plea- ui`"`o `i`PtS uati. I [wet. Thirdly,the corruptionof conuerfation bewraieeh it felfc,in that while

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